Today, I learned that I can juggle while humping Double Dutch ropes. Such skill inherently lie within the body's abilities, just waiting to be brought out during that special instance you find yourself walking two dogs whom have never walked together before. A Walk in the Park is such an easy, pleasant experience that they named a cliche after it, but today's sojourn was slightly different. One dog wanted to sniff every little piece of litter in South Philly's FDR Park we cam across (to scale, think if a standard garbage can blew up all over a grass tennis court), while the other wanted to go swimming in water only two grades above that which you'd find in a Porta Potty.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Smoke and Weiners
The United States of America exemplifies a consumer-based society in nearly every way: readers dictated that Dan Brown sold millions of copies of his novels, television viewers make it easy for Fox to constantly trot out American Idol in their prime time lineup and Axe body spray succeeds because 17 year old guys believe it will get them laid. Politics does not differ from free market solutions, which is why the Anthony Weiner "scandal" should worry us.
Although I do not wish to downplay his deeds, sending dong shots via Twitter is not exactly on par with anything Woodward & Bernstein reported, despite the implications of adultery committed by a United States Congressman. No, what alarms me MUCH more is the insatiable appetite of both the public to constantly hear about it and the news media to devote endless amounts of airtime to it. Furthermore, it should disturb us even FURTHER that after the shelf life of the story expired everybody moved on to the next inane thing. Bluntly stated, how can we devote so much time to the dirty personal life of one Representative when Congress is a month away from defaulting on already the largest debt ever accumulated in human history, unemployment remains well above full employment (9.1% vs. 5.5%, traditionally) and our Federal government borrows forty cents for every dollar it spends, often lent to us by foreign entities who cause of the most headaches?
The New Information Age has created an interesting dichotomy: while technology opened many avenues of specificity never before experienced (topic specific chat rooms, 24 hour news) it simultaneously consolidated many aspects of cultures into amorphous catches that blur the lines between competing objectives (reporting vs. blogging, advertising vs. reference material). We have given ourselves media-hungry appetites to devour the scandal de jour, only to abandon it in favor of a new one a few days later. I credit this to a cycle that includes a daily bombardment at all hours and in all forms: email forwards, TMZ, Twitter celebs (Twelebs), lunchtime talking head radio personalities etc. I imagine the old water cooler anecdote, only it happens constantly, just a mouse click, finger switch or button push away.
Our political dynamic has seen the best and worst of both of those things. Any search of a Congressional or state assembly website reveals legislation, often in real time, as the measure gets debated, amended and discussed. Voters can view live feeds from the legislative floor or hearings conducted outside of Washington or their respective state capitol. However, many "traditional" news outlets have reorganized themselves as televised tabloids, seizing on stories like Weinergate (trust me, I hate using this term as much as you do reading it) to generate viewership in an increasingly competitive business. No longer news, not quite entertainment - news entertainment.
How can we combat the devolution of the American political news machine? What responsibility does the news media have when stories like Anthony Weiner cock pics appear above the fold of the newspaper and reports of United States solider deaths in Afghanistan get relegated to section C? Should the consumer resist the temptation to follow the trashy exploits of a failed sitcom actor and demand more thorough coverage of meetings between the White House and Congress on passing a Federal Spending bill? We are all to blame, but as with all other products offered in America, the responsibility lies with the consumer to ensure they receive the best possible result. Sadly, asking such a thing may be too hefty of a task.
Although I do not wish to downplay his deeds, sending dong shots via Twitter is not exactly on par with anything Woodward & Bernstein reported, despite the implications of adultery committed by a United States Congressman. No, what alarms me MUCH more is the insatiable appetite of both the public to constantly hear about it and the news media to devote endless amounts of airtime to it. Furthermore, it should disturb us even FURTHER that after the shelf life of the story expired everybody moved on to the next inane thing. Bluntly stated, how can we devote so much time to the dirty personal life of one Representative when Congress is a month away from defaulting on already the largest debt ever accumulated in human history, unemployment remains well above full employment (9.1% vs. 5.5%, traditionally) and our Federal government borrows forty cents for every dollar it spends, often lent to us by foreign entities who cause of the most headaches?
The New Information Age has created an interesting dichotomy: while technology opened many avenues of specificity never before experienced (topic specific chat rooms, 24 hour news) it simultaneously consolidated many aspects of cultures into amorphous catches that blur the lines between competing objectives (reporting vs. blogging, advertising vs. reference material). We have given ourselves media-hungry appetites to devour the scandal de jour, only to abandon it in favor of a new one a few days later. I credit this to a cycle that includes a daily bombardment at all hours and in all forms: email forwards, TMZ, Twitter celebs (Twelebs), lunchtime talking head radio personalities etc. I imagine the old water cooler anecdote, only it happens constantly, just a mouse click, finger switch or button push away.
Our political dynamic has seen the best and worst of both of those things. Any search of a Congressional or state assembly website reveals legislation, often in real time, as the measure gets debated, amended and discussed. Voters can view live feeds from the legislative floor or hearings conducted outside of Washington or their respective state capitol. However, many "traditional" news outlets have reorganized themselves as televised tabloids, seizing on stories like Weinergate (trust me, I hate using this term as much as you do reading it) to generate viewership in an increasingly competitive business. No longer news, not quite entertainment - news entertainment.
How can we combat the devolution of the American political news machine? What responsibility does the news media have when stories like Anthony Weiner cock pics appear above the fold of the newspaper and reports of United States solider deaths in Afghanistan get relegated to section C? Should the consumer resist the temptation to follow the trashy exploits of a failed sitcom actor and demand more thorough coverage of meetings between the White House and Congress on passing a Federal Spending bill? We are all to blame, but as with all other products offered in America, the responsibility lies with the consumer to ensure they receive the best possible result. Sadly, asking such a thing may be too hefty of a task.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Liking Soccer Is a Duty of All Americans
Apologies for the extended hiatus from my Air Hearn activity. Although I do not plan to blog with the proficiency as my first few months of this site, it is my intention to add something new to the site every week. The following piece deals with the upcoming 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup final match between the United States and Mexico. Unlike my previous pieces, this post is written from a predominately emoitional first person perspective. As always, thank you for indulging my desire to write about the things I love.
Last night's 1-0 United States win over Panama in the semi-finals of the Gold Cup should have been expected; they were nearly a 3-1 favorite to advance. Yet somehow the match induced a love for the men's national team I have not felt since their heartbreaking 2-1 extra time exit in last year's World Cup to Ghana. To completely comprehend my feelings after that loss, I flash back a few days prior to the first game of group play against England. A few friends and I traveled to Philadelphia for a party that happened to take place that afternoon. As I donned my Landon Donovan jersey, party-goers peppered me with questions ranging from "why do you care about a team that always sucks anyway?" to "you actually think the offside rule is good?" Despite an early goal from English midfielder Steven Gerrard, the United States took control of the first half and eventually equalized via the now infamous hand of clawd goal by Clint Dempsey. As the game progressed tied at 1-1, those insipid questions morphed slowly into "do you think we can win this game?" and "how far can we go in this tournament?" The judgmental second person turned into first person plural, and I nearly teared up a few times as people gained a respect for our players that day. Fast forward to the Ghana game, and there I was, missing the beginning of an annual river lot get-together to experience all of the things those friends said were true about American soccer.
For the first 65 minutes last night, the Stars and Stripes played an uninspired, listless game dominated by lazy passes among the back four and keeper Tim Howard. The team lacked creavtivity in the midfield, poise on the ball (we made between 20 and 65345 panic passes under very little pressure) and discipline during counterattacks. Ten minutes into the second half, the American-born announcers began mentioning the possibility of extra time and penalities. Close ups of the Panamanian players showed a side brimming with confidence as they had prevailed in a shootout with El Salavador a few nights prior. Searching for something to spark his side, US Coach Bob Bradley subbed out the relatively effective forward Juan Agudelo for the egnima known as Freddy Adu. To the casual soccer fan, Adu has spent time with 5 different clubs over the past 3 years and hasn't played for the national team since the 2009 Gold Cup when Bradley purposely chose a weak side to rest the regulars for the much more important Confederations Cup. As I described to my friend Twigg as the sub happened, "Freddy Adu is a spectacle, NOT a soccer player!" This was easily the riskiest move of the tournament, and possibly the coaching career of Bradley, who surely would have lost his job had the Americans failed to advance from the game.
As with so many other times during his tenure as head coach, the move payed immediate dividends for Bradley as Adu provided the fire needed, culminating in him playing a wonderful pass on the wing to Landon Donovan who expertly picked out Dempsey for the only goal of the game. After watching Dempsey sprint over to Landon and Freddy to point at them, shouting "it's theirs," I thought back to that time when my friends asked me why I cared so much about our little soccer team that could. These guys represent the spirit of an America we now only pontificate about but rarely exemplify. A historical anomolly, comprised of outsiders fighting for recognition yet cognizent of the fact that it will likely never happen. A ragtag bunch gathered together by circumstance for a prize greater than them as individuals. It's with that spirit that I adore them so fondly, and the win last night over Panama fortified that. If the United States wins this Saturday against rival Mexico, it places them into a tie with that country for most regional cups won. Countries around the world such as England, Spain and Brazil already recognize the potential soccer powerhouse the United States continues to become. Hopefully performances like those against England and last night against Panama continues to win them more fans in the home of the brave.
Last night's 1-0 United States win over Panama in the semi-finals of the Gold Cup should have been expected; they were nearly a 3-1 favorite to advance. Yet somehow the match induced a love for the men's national team I have not felt since their heartbreaking 2-1 extra time exit in last year's World Cup to Ghana. To completely comprehend my feelings after that loss, I flash back a few days prior to the first game of group play against England. A few friends and I traveled to Philadelphia for a party that happened to take place that afternoon. As I donned my Landon Donovan jersey, party-goers peppered me with questions ranging from "why do you care about a team that always sucks anyway?" to "you actually think the offside rule is good?" Despite an early goal from English midfielder Steven Gerrard, the United States took control of the first half and eventually equalized via the now infamous hand of clawd goal by Clint Dempsey. As the game progressed tied at 1-1, those insipid questions morphed slowly into "do you think we can win this game?" and "how far can we go in this tournament?" The judgmental second person turned into first person plural, and I nearly teared up a few times as people gained a respect for our players that day. Fast forward to the Ghana game, and there I was, missing the beginning of an annual river lot get-together to experience all of the things those friends said were true about American soccer.
For the first 65 minutes last night, the Stars and Stripes played an uninspired, listless game dominated by lazy passes among the back four and keeper Tim Howard. The team lacked creavtivity in the midfield, poise on the ball (we made between 20 and 65345 panic passes under very little pressure) and discipline during counterattacks. Ten minutes into the second half, the American-born announcers began mentioning the possibility of extra time and penalities. Close ups of the Panamanian players showed a side brimming with confidence as they had prevailed in a shootout with El Salavador a few nights prior. Searching for something to spark his side, US Coach Bob Bradley subbed out the relatively effective forward Juan Agudelo for the egnima known as Freddy Adu. To the casual soccer fan, Adu has spent time with 5 different clubs over the past 3 years and hasn't played for the national team since the 2009 Gold Cup when Bradley purposely chose a weak side to rest the regulars for the much more important Confederations Cup. As I described to my friend Twigg as the sub happened, "Freddy Adu is a spectacle, NOT a soccer player!" This was easily the riskiest move of the tournament, and possibly the coaching career of Bradley, who surely would have lost his job had the Americans failed to advance from the game.
As with so many other times during his tenure as head coach, the move payed immediate dividends for Bradley as Adu provided the fire needed, culminating in him playing a wonderful pass on the wing to Landon Donovan who expertly picked out Dempsey for the only goal of the game. After watching Dempsey sprint over to Landon and Freddy to point at them, shouting "it's theirs," I thought back to that time when my friends asked me why I cared so much about our little soccer team that could. These guys represent the spirit of an America we now only pontificate about but rarely exemplify. A historical anomolly, comprised of outsiders fighting for recognition yet cognizent of the fact that it will likely never happen. A ragtag bunch gathered together by circumstance for a prize greater than them as individuals. It's with that spirit that I adore them so fondly, and the win last night over Panama fortified that. If the United States wins this Saturday against rival Mexico, it places them into a tie with that country for most regional cups won. Countries around the world such as England, Spain and Brazil already recognize the potential soccer powerhouse the United States continues to become. Hopefully performances like those against England and last night against Panama continues to win them more fans in the home of the brave.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Bill Simmons Stole My Fantasy!
When I first decided to register www.airhearn.com I had a vision. I wanted to have my own website where my friends and I could be creative and (hopefully) entertaining. House and I always kicked the idea of a podcast around, usually after a multi-hour phone conversation we deemed worthy of publication. I've always loved writing, but as the years have worn on, I've found that love to be based in romantic fantasy, not reality. I've had projects, quasi-projects, notes, ideas, lists, clips, brainstorms, brainfarts, dreams, etc., so I figured that the ease and accessibility of a simpler Blogger blog would be a great place to unload it all. I never really intended for much else (sure, I hoped for a possibly secondary income and fantasized about airhearn.com becoming the gateway to my future, but I never really set them as tangible goals) beyond having a fun project to work on with my friends. And while the site drifts back and forth between focus and obscurity (I swear it's about to come back again), all I really wanted in the first place was space to take in the work of my very talented friends.
I think Bill Simmons wanted the same thing. Read the second half of the last sentence of the previous paragraph again. "All I really wanted was space for my talented friends". So he created Grantland.com, which may well be the best thing since the best thing since sliced bread. Seriously. I can't stop reading it. Simmons has drafted a big bullpen of talent to write freely about the NBA, professional wrestling, the history of hockey, pop culture, classic bourbon, and god knows what else (BTW, it's only been two weeks since it launched). It's like my id blew up all over the internet in the form of a daily periodical. You can take any cliche about 'love at first sight', envy, admiration, inspiration, or anything else, and it describes how I feel about Grantland. I love it like it's mine. I wish it was mine. Even though it isn't mine, I feel attached to it. It's already really important to me.
Go read it. Now. They haven't posted anything yet that isn't worth at least a heavy skim. There's even a few articles that are "pull up on your cell phone and take it to the bathroom" good (the successor to Bill Simmons' own "print it out and take it to the bathroom" meme). Bill has been my favorite writer of the last 7 years or so, and it's so nice to see a favorite succeed after early success, instead of blow up. It's still early, but Grantland might be the crowning achievement of his career (even better than the Book of Basketball). Thanks for executing the fantasy of every sports-loving, college-educated male under 40.
I think Bill Simmons wanted the same thing. Read the second half of the last sentence of the previous paragraph again. "All I really wanted was space for my talented friends". So he created Grantland.com, which may well be the best thing since the best thing since sliced bread. Seriously. I can't stop reading it. Simmons has drafted a big bullpen of talent to write freely about the NBA, professional wrestling, the history of hockey, pop culture, classic bourbon, and god knows what else (BTW, it's only been two weeks since it launched). It's like my id blew up all over the internet in the form of a daily periodical. You can take any cliche about 'love at first sight', envy, admiration, inspiration, or anything else, and it describes how I feel about Grantland. I love it like it's mine. I wish it was mine. Even though it isn't mine, I feel attached to it. It's already really important to me.
Go read it. Now. They haven't posted anything yet that isn't worth at least a heavy skim. There's even a few articles that are "pull up on your cell phone and take it to the bathroom" good (the successor to Bill Simmons' own "print it out and take it to the bathroom" meme). Bill has been my favorite writer of the last 7 years or so, and it's so nice to see a favorite succeed after early success, instead of blow up. It's still early, but Grantland might be the crowning achievement of his career (even better than the Book of Basketball). Thanks for executing the fantasy of every sports-loving, college-educated male under 40.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)