Now We're Talking

I have never had an desire to hunt and frankly I find the whole thing a bit absurd. Whenever I have the desire to chase something around the woods (or sit in a tree all day waiting) I just go to the grocery store and buy a steak.

"But Jackson you dont understand, its the sport that makes it great and Venison is delicious"

I dont doubt that Venison is great but give me a break with the sport argument. How sporting is it to sit in a tree in an orange vest and wait for a deer to wander under said tree? How is that sporting at all? Maybe we could change football so that each team just waits on one side of the stadium hoping that the end zone finds its way to them. Or how fun would basketball be if both teams sat on their benches waiting for the basket to wander by? I may never get my head around the obsession with hunting but I can, and will forever, laugh at stories like this one http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28005680/

I think the guy got what he deserved. But hey thats me some dumb guy who doesnt like sitting in the woods waiting to kill stuff!

MSNBC....The New Fox News?

So based upon this picture Keith Olbermann and MSNBC are clearly trying to keep a secret from their viewers. Whats that secret you wonder? Well MSNBC is just waiting for Obama to be inaugurated so they can take Fox News's spot as the President's propaganda machine. Here's a link to the Daily Show exposing this nasty secret http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/20081202_daily_show_is_msnbc_the_new_fox_news/?ln

Now please don't misunderstand me, I voted for Obama (lets hear it all you BYU conservatives who think I'm dumb) but I think all journalistic outlets should be fair and balanced (wait isn't that Fox News's slogan? Kind of Ironic) and since its inception Fox News has done nothing but cling to the right and belittle anything negative aimed at the President. They, for lack of a better description, have been W's own little cheerleader. However, that same sick feeling I get when someone changes the channel to Fox News, which is usually accompanied by some remark about the "liberal media", I am starting to get anytime I watch MSNBC. I think Obama will do a fine job as President but MSNBC treats him like his Monument is soon to be up next to Washington's, Jefferson's and Lincoln's. Give the guy a chance to be sworn in and then please be better then the hacks at Fox News and treat his presidency objectively.

Quick note about my love for the Daily Show. Some of you probably consider the Daily Show a liberal news outlet and I couldn't disagree more. They have demonstrated time and time again that if you (Republican and Democrat alike) do something stupid they are gonna call you on it and then probably invite you onto the show. The Daily Show is great and hilarious and I hope everyone takes a minute to check it out.

Sometimes it Just Wears Me Down...

"You might not know any bigots, you feel like 'I dont hate black people, so Im not a racist' but you benefit from racism just by the merit of the color of your skin...youre privileged in ways you might not even realize"

Dave Chapelle

I want, I need, someone, anyone, to explain to me why it is so easy for upper middle-class white males to completely dismiss the idea that racism exists in any form. Is it because they (I guess WE because I fit in that demographic) feel that by suggesting racism exists we are perpetrators? Maybe. But I suppose its something more along the lines of " I know a Black person and I have never seen him discriminated against so Racism must be dead." or they simply have no experience outside of upper middle-class white suburban utopia. You know exactly what I mean, col de sacs lined with mass produced McMansions right around the corner from everyones favorite neighborhood grill.

Now I am very familiar with this phenomenon, white guys denying racial bias, yet whenever it rears its ugly head I find myself wondering what world these guys are living in. Today it happened again. During a discussion about research topics, it was suggested that researching racial bias in drug sentencing was a worthy endeavor. Oh boy, what a mistake. Without getting into too many ugly details the class ended with an upper middle-class white guy saying "Blacks are always whining about those sorts of things, they always whine." Yikes!! Happy Valley indeed.

With full disclosure in mind, I attended a high school and my parents still reside in a community in which we, an upper middle-class white family, are the minority. So I guess I am somewhat privileged to have some experience outside the realm of homogeneity that is Utah Valley. However, that is no excuse for blanket denials of the existence of racism. Glance at a history book and realize that after years and years of racial divide problems dont just go away. Sure they are the under rug where Utah Valley likes its eye sores (teen pregnancy and Meth addiction come to mind) but they have not gone away. One glaring example of their existence is the fact that it was somehow kosher for "educated" people to laugh at and forward racist text messages about our new president. I dont care if you disagree with and didnt vote for him, you are the same people who, for almost year, screamed bloody murder anytime anyone hinted negatively about Mitt Romney's religion. Which by the way is much more of a choice then someones race.

This just wears me down! I always have to look like the crazy ACLU supporting Californian standing up for people who are not present to defend themselves. I seem to be turning into the defender of all things minority because they are constantly being attacked and I was raised to stand up for equal rights (seriously my mom made me watch EVERY civil rights movie that ever aired between 1987 and 2000.) Why cant we just recognize that there are still problems in our country (which doesnt make it any less majestic) and what makes our country great is our ability to put aside our differences and confront problems head on, together?

Alive and Ranting

Ok, apologizes get old and Im not sure anyone even knows Im here anymore. However, I want everyone to know Im back and Im annoyed. With what, Im sure youre wondering, (or youve done the math and have figured out Im either annoyed with playlists or Celine Dion ) with these stupid and irritating blog playlists.

Quick story: I have a break in between classes every tuesday and thursday from 11 to 11:30. Not really long enough to go home but too long to go directly to my 11:30 class. So Im in the habit of finding a computer on campus and checking my favorite blogs. This tuesday I find a computer, sit down, and start surfing when I arrive at a friend's blog (the blog and the friend shall remain nameless) I am absolutely BLASTED with music. The music is so loud (in part due to someone who used the computer before me engaging in full out warfare with their ear drums) that I literally almost fall off my chair.

Now why do I share this story with you? Because this needs to stop! People of the blogosphere, if I wanted to explore your taste in music I would have stayed on Myspace. I read blogs to, well, read. Not to discover youve got a thing for JT and you think a little Hansen will get a laugh. If you feel the need to pass on these pearls of wisdom write something about them, dont subject my ears to their unexpected assault. If I want to listen to music I have this convenient thing in front of me called a computer where I can listen to music of my own taste at a reasonable volume.

Moral of the story: Get rid of playlists on your blogs (especially if they are Celine Dion heavy) and once again Im back and hope to keep this up a little better!

My New Favorite Thing

So starting about a week ago Sports Illustrated (si.com) has opened up their Vault. They have created a data base with EVERY Article the magazine has published since 1954. Needless to say I have spent countless hours reading up on some of my favorite sports heroes as well as reading articles written by my favorite writers. If you love sports or just A sport or you enjoy good writing you NEED to check it out. Ive decided to post a link to a favorite story on a daily basis and thought I would start with one about Orlando Cabrera. Today is Opening Day and this year my Angels are gonna be missing one of my favorite players. In the off season OC was traded to the White Sox for Jon Garland and I was devastated. I have come to appreciate why the Angels traded OC but there is still a large hole at SS in my baseball heart. OC plays the game the way I think I would play it if I was in The Bigs. He plays with the passion of a Little Leaguer playing
with his best friends. Ive rarely seen him on the field without a smile and the things he can do with the leather are magical. From the first pitch to the last out, when OC quickly untucks his shirt and gets ready for a finely crafted hand shake with Vlad, it was a pleasure to enjoy a warm summer evening and watch him play. OC you will be missed!!

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1113108/index.htm

I hope you enjoy the short article and I promise I will be posting other gems shortly!

Chalk

Well folks it happened! For the first time since the NCAA has been seeding teams in the tournament all four number 1 seeds are in the Final Four! Memphis secured there spot with what can only be described as a beat down against Texas. Memphis won by a score of 85-67 and the outcome was never in doubt. Kansas has a tougher time punching their ticket to San Antonio but in the end they over came Davidson 59-57. Unfortunately for this years Cinderella the slipper no longer fits and Davidson will be enjoying the Final Four like the rest of us, from their couch. A quick word about Davidson: they are a fine college basketball team who in my opinion was probably under seeded at 10. Stephen Curry is a delight to watch play (I still don't believe he is old enough to be in college) and they are a solid team who really plays the game the right way (in the future I will tell you what that is) So to Davidson I say its been a pleasure enjoy the off season.

So the match ups are in Memphis vs UCLA and UNC vs Kansas. This is going to be a great Final Four and I will give you my expert analysis later this week.

Two Down Two to Go!

Well ladies and gentleman two teams are getting ready to dance in San Antonio after the results of today's games. In the west UCLA beat Xavier in convincing fashion with a final score of 76-57. For most of the first half the game was close but in the second half UCLA tightened the screws defensively and really demonstrated their talent on the offensive end. After wins in the second round and the sweet sixteen that were less then impressive the Bruins finally played like the team I picked to win it all. In the second game of the night and in the East region UNC gutted out an 83-73 win over Louisville. UNC used there depth, the speed of Ty Lawson, and a double-double from Tyler Hansbrough to pull away from the Cardinals in the final minutes. Grant Wahl, as always, has some interesting insight over at Sports Illustrated which can be read here:http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/grant_wahl/03/30/five.thoughts/index.html?eref=T1

With 10th seed and current Cinderella Davidson playing Kansas in the Midwest regional and Memphis and Tennessee, 1 and 2 respectively, facing off in the South Regional tomorrow looks to be another GREAT day of basketball. Is it possible that for the first time in Tournament history all 4 one seeds will go chalk and play in the Final Four? Check out CBS and find out!