Observations from the Couch 7.28

I don't plan on writing every day of the Games but I had a few things to share from today including this photo of the U.S. field hockey team at last night's opening ceremonies. The girls play their first game Sunday afternoon against Germany
at 4 PM EST.

The were a pair of big wins for American women today. In a game I 'watched' on twitter the soccer team defeated Columbia 3-0 and in the process guaranteed themselves a spot in the tournament quarterfinals. In the game Abby Wambach showed her toughness by taking a blatant punch to the head only to shake it off and score later in the second half. The goal was Wambach's 6^th as an Olympian which moves her ahead of Mia Hamm as the most ever by an American. Colombia's team is ranked 28^th in the world and includes 9 players who are on NCAA teams.

The heavily favored, and number 1 ranked in the world, U.S. women's volleyball team opened today with a 3-1 (25-19, 25-17, 20-25, 25-21) win over South Korea. The team includes four Penn State graduates, Nicole Fawcett ('09), Christa Harmotto ('09), Alisha Glass ('10), and Megan Hodge ('10). Harmotto and Hodge are part of the 12 player squad, while Fawcett and Glass are alternates. All were part of Penn State teams that that won four straight NCAA titles between 2007 and 2010, a run that included a record 109 match winning streak.

Finally a link to an interesting review of the opening ceremonies by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in The Guardian. Ai Weiwei was a consultant to the design and construction of the Beijing Olympic Stadium. He withdrew before it was finished and described the Olympics as a government controlled "empty event" not shared by ordinary people. Ai Weiwei finishes his review with this line, "Anyone who watched it would have a clear understanding of what England is."

That final line is one of the scariest things I have ever read.

Observations from the Couch 7.27

I have a confession to make. I know this is going to be hard to believe but every four years I become even more of a sports geek than I normally am. Yes I am watching the Olympic Opening Ceremony which means I'm going to be watching some sports I barely acknowledge at any other time. I love watching gymnastics and diving but I honestly wont do it unless it's the Olympics. Still I'll only go so far and I can find better things to do than watch badminton, archery, or that infamous sport of synchronized swimming. Than there is equestrian, something otherwise known as Willard's favorite tax deduction. To me the horses do all the work and it doesn't belong in the Olympic games any more than auto or thoroughbred racing.

My favorites to watch are probably pretty obvious to anyone that knows me. Soccer, field hockey, beach volleyball, basketball, and volleyball. I guess I'm more of a team sports fan than anything else but I'll be watching anything I can find at any given time. To be honest if I wake up at 4AM tomorrow I'm already planning to turn on the women's beach volleyball match which just happens to be an important one between teams from Russia and China, both perennial beach volleyball powers.

If you are into the Olympics you totally have to watch the opening ceremonies because there are always some stories to be found. The flag bearer for Bolivia almost drowned when she was nine years old. Her parents forced her to take swimming lessons and here she is ten years later, an Olympic swimmer. Also I noticed that it must be the year of the fencer because both the American and French flag bearers were female fencers and both were kinda cute. However neither won my best flag bearer award because that goes to the Russian Federation's reigning Wimbledon Champion and all around tall girl Maria Sharapova. Saudi women marching and competing for the first time was another highlight, even if NBC chose not to show them.

Finally a bit of Olympic history for you. For the first time ever the United States Olympic Team is composed of more women than men.
Way to go girls.

Enjoy the games.

Observations on Art 7.27

My brother sent me a vid with no girls, no sports, and no art per se.
I have no idea what he was thinking. In all seriousness it's
pretty damn cool but I can't seem to get Disney's "It's a Small World"
out of my head now.

This is Our Planet from Tomislav Safundžić on Vimeo.

Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory,
NASA Johnson Space Center,
Crew Earth Observations Videos

Observations from the Window 7.26

It has been a draining couple of days since the NCAA announced its draconian punishment of Penn State. Draconian may not be the right word but I always liked the sound of it and never really had a chance to use it before. I didn't check so don't hold me to that statement if it turns out I did use it.  I have stressed, argued, discussed, texted, and emailed on the subject all together too much since Monday.

More than one person has reminded me I have some way more important and exciting things coming up over the next few months. Including a trip I have been dreaming about my whole life. So why did I let it get to me the way it did? Even Ash asked me that question. There are probably dozens of answers I could give but most don't hold up well. I saw a tweet from a current Penn State football player in which he said he wouldn't be transferring anywhere. He said that the team and school were like a family to him and you don't desert your family.

In a couple weeks I'll be thirty years old. Of those thirty years I have spent ten in State College. Maybe it's the splendid isolation Penn State exists in but it really does feel like family when you are there. It's just the culture of the school and town, something that one monster and a few of his buddies can't destroy. In a very intended swipe at the new
Sports Illustrated cover I'd like to say we will always be Penn State.

This subject isn't going to go away for years, if ever, but hopefully this is my last post on the subject. I'm sure it wont be my last post about Penn State because there are just so many good things I can write about. Maybe it's just time for a lot of us to move on and help
rebuild what we love.

Edmund Burke said the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

One of those lessons we just never seem to learn.

Observations on Art 7.24

This little film just fascinates me to no end. London artist Maisie Broadhead is transformed into a 19^th century photograph for the upcoming exhibition "Seduced by Art: Photography Past and Present" at the National Gallery in London. The original photo by David Octavious Hill, to the left, will be in the same room. The show runs from October 31, 2012 through January 20, 2013.


OdeToHillAndAdamson from Whitehouse Content on Vimeo.

"Artist Maisie Broadhead originally trained as a jeweller and now produces fine art photographic parodies. Her work is being featured as part of a ground-breaking exhibition at the National Gallery. As part of the exhibition Jack Cole and Maisie Broadhead directed a video to be hung next to the 1844 photographic print by Hill and Adamson that it references. It was Produced by Cap Gun Collective, Edited by James Norris at Whitehouse London and Post and VFX by Carbon FX."

7/27 update - For some unknown reason you can only watch the video on Vimeo now but the link still goes right to it so I'll just leave it as is.

Observations from the Window 7.23

With the Olympics opening Friday, football/soccer on Wednesday, the sports freak in me is more than a little excited. While rock climbing isn't one of the 26 sports at the London games it is possibly the fav sport of the friend who sent me this awesome vid. The video features the 19 year old Sasha DiGiulian, all 5' 2" of her.

Sasha DiGiulian from adidas Outdoor on Vimeo.

"On October 15th 2011, adidas team athlete, Sasha DiGiulian became the first American women to climb the grade 9a (5.14d) with her historic ascent of "Pure Imagination" in Kentucky's Red River Gorge. Keith Ladzinski and Andy Mann (Three Strings Media) were there to capture her efforts and tell her story."

For more about Sasha read The Washington Post article "Rock climber Sasha DiGiulian, 19, is making her way to the top." The article also includes an awesome photo gallery.

To Whom It May Concern

Now that the dreaded Nittany Lions have been declawed to everybody's satisfaction could we please put the same enthusiasm into taking assault rifles out of the hands of wackos or at least make it once again illegal for them to purchase them? Somehow I didn't think so ....

Observations 7.23

I really wanted to stay away from the whole Paterno statue, NCAA sanctions, what did Corbitt know, its so easy to blame the dead man story, for now anyway. It's just such a total no win situation for me, too damn emotional too, and I have other things I want to write about. But yesterday I read Maureen Dowd's column in The New York Times,  "Paterno Sacked Off His Pedestal",  and to my surprise I found it good. Good other than where she falls into the same trap as everybody else and believes the Freeh Reports's assumptions about Paterno to be fact. I know, I know, stay away from it Katie.

Sometimes all to eager for punishment I was skimming the comments to the column when I came across this one from a Times reader in Dallas. I just had to nod.

"Pretty decent column Ms Dowd ...
I enjoy college football, that said, the over the top fasination with football as heroic, it's players and coaches, elivating them to such high levels of adoration is absolutely puzzling. It's a game, entertainment, little more.
We have no one else to blame but ourselfs if they get "too big" for their jobs, and believe the hype, pumped up by the "fans" misguided adorations, and the sports writers must take some of this blame as well. For all those writers recent "outrage", who help create that public image?? But I do not see how killing PSU football program serves any useful purpose. Leave Paterno's statue where it sits, it will for ever remind everyone of the good and the bad that lurks in all of us.
Let the courts handle the rest."

I should note it wasn't the first time I had read that Penn State should leave the statue up as a reminder but sadly the PSU President didn't agree. Early Sunday morning a shroud was thrown around JoePa, a tarp was thrown over his head, and he was carted off to that proverbial secure location. Later the words on the wall behind the statue were removed as well, as if it had never been there.

Memory is a fickle thing.

Observations

James Eagan Holmes walked into a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colorado late last night, threw tear gas canisters, and opened fire. When he was finished a dozen moviegoers were dead and at least fifty more injured. He carried four guns, all of which had been legally purchased, including an AR-15 Assault Rifle with a drum magazine holding 100 rounds of ammunition, a 12-gauge shotgun, and two Glock pistols similar to the one I once owned. The assault rifle and drum magazine were both illegal under the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that was allowed to expire in 2004.

You probably have seen and heard enough about the massacre to make you ill but I have a few random things too add.

As always happens in these situations every politician and political commentator had something to say today. Only one is worth repeating here, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "You know, soothing words are nice, but maybe it's time that the two people who want to be President of the United States stand up and tell us what they are going to do about it. Everybody always says, 'Isn't it tragic' .... there are so many murders with guns every day, it's just got to stop. Instead of the two people, President Obama and Governor Romney, talking in broad ways that they want to make the world a better place,
okay, tell us how."

It may sound cold but please spare me the political grief and flags lowered to half staff. Since 1968 more than a million Americans have died in gun related violence, a level of carnage we as a nation found unacceptable on our highways but somehow manage to tolerate in our homes, schools, and public spaces. In 2010 alone there were 8,775 gun related deaths in the United States or an average of two dozen a day. Our flags could very easily be kept at permanent half staff.

Next time you look in the mirror ask yourself a question, ask yourself if you really care about all this, if the grief is real. If your answer is that you really do care about it you're probably lying to yourself. There are 300 million Americans and only 4 million of them are members of the NRA. If you really cared, if we cared, the carnage would stop but instead, for now, we'll just wait for the next massacre.

Finally, in some states it is now easier to buy a gun than it is to vote. That says more about the current sad state of our nation than even
James Eagan Holmes did.

Observations on the 2012 Election

The political comedy that is Willard's campaign continued as John Sununu was let out of his cage to do Rush Linbaugh's dirty work only to have him put back in his cage when Willard again demanded an apology. This time Willard demanded Sununu apologize to President Obama for saying the President should "learn how to be an American."

Seriously, sometimes you just can't make this shit up.

Meanwhile the Obama campaign continued to respond with ads such as this. The dude's face at the end is just classic. Hopefully the link works, the spot hasn't been released to the public yet.


link

Observations from the Window 7.17

Sitting her it just looks hot outside my window. Checking the weather I see the city is under a heat advisory until tomorrow night but it's a
balmy 60° in Paris. I can't say I mind the thought of weather that cool but it's playing havoc with my packing plans.

Thought I would try and finish one of the posts I have started already, maybe clean up a bit. I have one about driving between the Village and State College. A 'war on women' one I started months ago but is seems so dated now I should just delete it. Way too many thoughts, ideas, and scribbles on sheets of tablet paper in a basket next to my comp plus the Droid notes that never leave me. I probably have started and deleted more posts than I have actually posted.

I am always thinking of art related things to write about but I never get around to writing any of them. I love talking about art and sometimes I still wonder if I would have enjoyed staying at PSU and teaching. But that is a decision that's been made and I don't dwell on it, I just wonder.

So instead of finishing something or writing one of my ideas I wrote this. Sometimes I'm just weird.

Stay cool.

Observations on the 2012 Election

Friday David Corn broke the story in Mother Jones that Willard Romney may have lied on his financial disclosure statement. This is important because it means he either lied to the American people, which should be reason enough not to elect him, or he lied to the SEC, which is a felony. President Obama and his campaign ran with the story and Willard spent Saturday demanding an Obama apology in five different interviews. This itself is funny because Willard once said apologies are for losers, but the Obama 'apology' is even funnier in its own way.

The Obama campaign released this commercial late Saturday. I take it this as all the apologizing he is going to do.

"I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message."  

link

Observations 7.14

I'm going to drive over to State College in a bit to meet up with my brother and take in some of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Maybe I can remind myself of some of the good that is Penn State. Against my better judgement I decided to write down some of my random thoughts on the never ending Sandusky scandal. Take a deep breath and read on.

Honestly i don't think we will ever know the truth, if the Freeh report is to be believed the knowledge of Sandusky's evil just has to have been that widespread. In my current cynical mood I have to ask a question. Sandusky's abuse went on for at least 15 years and was apparently widely known in some circles yet those closest to him seem to have had no clue. His wife, friends, neighbors, and coworkers had no clue? Really? I don't think I'm that naive. No, we will never know the full truth because it's all to easy to blame Joe. After all its not like you can defend yourself from the grave.

A have special spot for Mike McQueary in my thoughts of the scandal. McQueary says he witnessed Sandusky sexually abusing a young boy in the shower of the athletic center. If my memory is correct the center is full of baseball bats and golf clubs. Personally. I don't care who he was, I would have grabbed one and beaten Sandusky senseless. Doesn't seem that thought ever crossed McQueary's mind at that moment or when he played in Sandusky's golf tournament the following week.

How supposedly intelligent men could allow this to happen to our school is totally beyond me. Did they learn nothing from Dick Nixon?

Even though I haven't read any of it I will mention the Freeh Report here. I was talking to my dad who told me of a conversation he had with a friend who has read the report and had some interesting thoughts. For a supposedly conclusive report Freeh didn't interview Paterno, Sandusky, McQueary, Curley, or Schultz. One would think those would have been important people to talk to. The current damnation of Paterno stems from Freeh's conclusion that he knew of the 1998 investigation of Sandusky, something Paterno denied to his grave. Freeh's monumental evidence comes down to just two emails, neither of which are from or to Paterno.

The first email is from Athletic Director Curley to University President Spaingler with the subject line "Joe Paterno" in which he says he has touched base with the coach and the coach wants to be kept informed. We are to assume the coach is Paterno and he wants to be informed of the investigation. Freeh never talked to Curley and Spaingler says he doesn't even remember the email.

The second email is even more vague yet is supposedly the smoking gun. The email is again from Curley but this time to head of the campus police Schultz which simply says "Anything new? Coach is anxious to know where it stands."   Freeh assumes the coach is Paterno and he also assumes the 'it' to be the Sandusky investigation, but remember Freeh talked to none of them. At the time of the email Sandusky himself was still employed as a Penn State coach and was negotiating his retirement. Why is that important? Because Gary Schultz was also University Vice President for Business and Finance.

For these two emails JoePa shall be damned for eternity.

One final thought. Let us not forget the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office ignored the Sandusky case for at least three years. The Attorney General for those years none other than current Pennsylvania Governor and member of the Penn State Board of Trustees Tom Corbett.

I guess Freeh didn't talk to Corbett either.

Observations 7.12

Surprisingly I don't have much comment on the Freeh report.
Former FBI Director Loius Freeh's company was hired by the
Penn State Board of Trustees to investigate the PennState/Sandusky/Paterno/Spanier/Curley/Schultz scandal. The Freeh report was released today but I haven't read much about it and probably wont. This is one sad episode I would just like to put behind me but I doubt I ever will.

For now I'll say my thoughts mesh pretty well with those of former Penn State and Washington Redskins linebacker LeVar Arrington who said this today ...

"On the one hand, Joe messed up. Joe was not perfect, Joe was not God. Joe was a person, and he messed up. On the other hand, if you're looking at everything Joe has done and all the lives he's impacted and all the things he's done ... that still remains as well. So how do you separate the two? I don't know. I don't have the answer for that one, I really don't."

The King is dead, long live the King.