I went to Washington, D.C. this week

And I saw some interesting things.

• Newly-minted Senator Scott Brown's Truck.  Seriously.  And it's kind of a low-rider.  
• Senator Orrin Hatch getting on an elevator, and he's taller than I expected.
• The National Statuary Hall Collection on the first floor of the Capitol, which included an awesomely squared-off statue of Father Damien from Hawaii and a statue from Oregon of Edward Dickinson Baker, the only sitting U.S. Senator to die in battle during the Civil War, at the Battle of Ball's Bluff (not to go on too much of a run-on here, but the Battle of Ball's Bluff is not a joke - and it's famous for another reason, in that future Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. [aka "WEEEEEENDELLLLLL!!!!", for anyone lucky enough to have heard Professor R. Perry Sentell, Jr.'s amazing monologue on the Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table and how he created perhaps America's Greatest Jurist] was wounded at the same battle).
• The seldom-seen underground train-shuttle from the Capitol to the basement of the Russell Senate Building. 
• An ATM right outside the door of the Senate's private barber shop/shoeshine.  It's strange looking.
• Myself, nearly dropping trou at the security checkpoint entering the Russell Building.  My belt was a threat, apparently.
• Countless compelling stories from people affected by Arthritis and Arthritis-related diseases.  I've never felt so optimistic about the future and the proximity to a cure, but I've also never felt more frustrated by the failure of our nation to respond adequately to a massively expensive problem affecting millions of Americans.  I met a six year old already forced to use a wheelchair to get around and for whom painful monthly treatments of shots haven't provided any solace.  I met a teenager from Alaska who, though suffering through a flare, couldn't get to see a rhuematologist for nine long, painful months because (a) there are no pediatric rheumatology specialists, (b) the only rheumatologists currently practicing in Alaska no longer accept new patients, and (c) the pediatric rheumatologist from Washington state who is supposed to fly up to Alaska to meet certain needs won't or can't come during the winter.  I met a twelve year old girl who has had one hip replacement and is looking forward to her second this coming summer.  I met a family with three incredibly brilliant kids, each of whom has been diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a Gulf War veteran father diagnosed with post-traumatic osteoarthritis, where both parents work and have employer-provided insurance, but who, nevertheless, have lost their house because of their oppressive healthcare costs and who have been forced repeatedly to choose which of the three kids would have to go without anti-inflammatory medications this month.  We're the greatest country on earth.  Nobody can go to our nation's capital without feeling a great sense of pride.  But we fail as a nation when it comes to healthcare.  We can do so much better.  We shouldn't fail people who are doing the right thing.  We shouldn't live in a country where a dozen or so states don't have a single medical specialist that serves children with a debilitating disease.  We can do better.  

Read More...

Summary only...

Briefly on Sports Punditry

I've been following the English Premier League far more closely than in previous years, and one of the things I've noticed about the people who cover the sport is that there is a remarkable division of ability and talent among pundits and opinioneers over in England, and how that compares to American sports.  

For one thing, the play by play and in-game commentators are for the most part sensational.  I'm not talking about the FSC or GOLTV people who provide the commentary from a basement studio 8000 miles from the games they're covering.  I mean the English guys on site.  They know when to keep their mouths closed and let the game happen.  They know that they don't have to explain every last thing that is happening, because they know that they are on television and if you are watching you can figure some things out for yourself.  They have a vocabulary larger than that of a fifth grader.  They aren't, for the most part, former athletes who have some limited training in broadcasting, but rather professional broadcasters who know what they're doing.  There are no Tony Siragusas on hand.  The broadcasters are apparently praised and promoted for their intelligence and for being concise.  

Second, the studio show pundits in England are every bit as foolish as American sports pundits. They relentlessly focus on intangibles and personalities.  There are forced disputes.  There is talking over one another and extending statements to remain on camera longer.  The things that are wrong about American studio pundits are just as wrong in England.

But for the American viewer of the sport, it's not that hard to avoid those shows.  One can only watch games and follow stories online.  And that brings me to the best part about English football punditry: the written word.  

Football writers in England are incisive, smart, thoughtful and unafraid.  The strength of the press in England has created an entirely different relationship between the individuals involved in the sport and the journalists.  There isn't a symbiotic relationship.  Writers are tough enough to get stories without relying on the public relations people for various clubs.  And this provides a far greater freedom for the writers - but one that the writers don't need to abuse.  There isn't a need to write things that are inflammatory to draw attention.  For some reason, in England, the better writing and more intelligent takes draw attention, rather than the most salacious or offensive.  Now, of course, I'm painting in broad strokes (of course there are bad writers in the tabloids).  The thing is that I can find several really good national writers on English football.  I'm not sure I can find more than one or two American mainstream media writers whose pieces are salient.   

Here's a comparison.

Read this column on Harry Redknapp by Russell Brand.  Russell Brand is a comedian, a damned ridiculous character.  And this column is interesting, well-written and raises a few salient points on the true effect of a coach that apply to any sport.  Read through the Guardian's archives for other pieces by Brand.  They're all interesting, well-written and salient.  The odd thing about this is that this guy is a comedian.  He's not the dean of pundits over there, or anything even close to it.  Yet his columns are better than just about any national writer over here I can think of. 

Now go do a google search for sports columns by American comedian Jay Mohr.  I can't bear myself to look for them to link to them.  Russell Brand's column is what they have.  15 year old stale jokes, cliches and forced edginess is what we have.

Luckily there are writers over here that are trying to elevate the discourse.  A lot of them are in the blog world.  It's time for mainstream media outlets to realize that readers want better than what has been offered.  Coverage of American sports can be a whole lot better.  The dwindling readership and audience for several outlets should drive those outlets to do better.  

Read More...

Summary only...

Shameful.

This isn't typical post material here, but I feel compelled to write something about it...

MeMe Roth on the clip at this post at Feministing is truly abhorrent.

Of course obesity is a problem in our country. But so are eating disorders and self-esteem of young women in this country.

Jordin Sparks isn't obese. She's not even "full-figured", like Neil Cavuto calls her in the clip. She's tall and broad shouldered. Just like it's reasonable, if not expected, for the daughter of a professional football player to be. Jordin is 17 years old. On her frame, were she to lose 40 pounds (as Ms. Roth predicts), she'd look emaciated. It is particularly shameful to describe Jordin as obese, since she was the youngest competitor on the show, and clearly was someone millions of teenage girls relate to. Also, need I even say that wanting someone to lose a singing competition because that someone weighs a little more (a) is stupid and (b) makes you look like a total ass. Jordin's size and frame are as much her own doing as the fact she's of mixed race. Would Fox offer a platform to someone who thought Jordin should lose because she was half African-American? (Don't answer that...)

I'm a new father of a baby girl. I realize that obesity is a problem, but I'm even more deathly afraid that the public and media obsession with weight could affect her sense of self-worth, or worse increase the likelihood of bullimia or anorexia nervosa. I want my child to be proud of who she is, confident in herself. To know that there are people out there that point out supposed flaws in teenage girls like Jordin Sparks and to know that there are television stations that provide airtime and legitimacy to such people truly makes me a little angry.

Read More...

Summary only...