What's hot in the news

Wow, so there have been a lot of very interesting news items recently. It seems like there was a sort of lull, and then all of a sudden we get hit with tons of stories. Sort of a 'shock and awe' strategy from the newsroom? Perhaps this is what they mean by the news cycle.

Anyway, a lot of my friends like to rate movies, which I appreciate since it helps me decide when it's worth shelling out 10 bucks to go see something. Since I've recently been doing a lot of news reading and research, I've decided return the favor and rate a random collection of news stories from recent days below. Plus, I'm bored, and it seems like a good way to pass some time.

This follows the typical 5 star rating system, slightly modified:

* = Stay away. It actually makes you dumber to know this.
** = Not really newsworthy. It's either common sense, or filler because they could not find ads.
*** = Newsworthy, but not very interesting. Good for a skim if you're bored at work, or interested in this particular niche topic.
****= Good story. Interesting and informative. Worth your attention, but not worth extra research on your own.
***** = The gold standard. Great story, interesting, and definitely should concern you.

(note: i know this might seem kind of an odd grading system. it's also completley subjective - i'm aware of that. but hey, it's my blog. so there.)

***** Supreme Court rules in the Hamdan case (not exactly a landmark decision, but quite important)

*** Britney Spears poses nude while pregnant (extra star for comedic value)

*** The US tracking financial transactions internationally (duh)

**** Israel invades Gaza looking for kidnapped soldier (could turn very serious. keep watching)

** Bin Laden releases another tape (minus one star for crying wolf)

** Bush takes Koizumi to Graceland (add one star for randomness factor)

* Jones Reynolds leaves 'The View' (the details of network TV infighting are kinda disgusting)

*** African Union rejects democracy charter (this is really just sad)

....and there you have it folks. My take on the news. In another installment perhaps I'll make it more like movie reviews and add a little editorial piece after each headline. Tune in next week to find out.

Olbermann beats down Bill O

Thanks to a friend's post, I have been made aware of this beautiful video, in which Olbermann takes O'Reilly to task in an eloquent and articulate manner, reminiscent of the late great Ed Murrow. Enjoy.

I get knocked down, but I get up again....

In an often tense yet ultimately disappointing and frustrating match, the Ghana beat the USA 2-1 yesterday. It was enough to guarantee the elimination of the USA from the World Cup, and so these players, who were for a brief moment the center of attention from a soccer starved nation, will go home today.

The frustrating part of this is that, despite what most of the world thinks, I think the FIFA rankings (which placed the US among the top 10 teams in the world) were pretty accurate. When we played well, our team was really darn good. But something about the pressure, the tension and the glare of playing on the world stage proved too much. First against the Czechs, and then against Ghana, the US team demonstrated uninspired and unimaginative play.

The first goal was completely unecessary. You never let yourself get challenged with the ball in your own third of the field. A basic rule which Reyna violated, and as a result he was summarily stripped of the ball and we went down 1-0. Reyna also went down, and had to be carried out of the game on a stretcher. He's never going to play an international match again (or so he claims). Not to belittle his career -- he's a formidable player and has been a great addition to US soccer. But during the WC he has not played up to his potential.

The US equalized on a wonderful goal, but then we immediately went down again on a dubious penalty call inside the box. A very dubious call. I'll leave it at that.

But when it comes down to it, a championship team needs to be able to pull themselves out of situations like that. The US team needed to get aggressive in the second half and score some goals, at least get a lot of shots on goal. But our passing was lackluster, and although we came tantalizingly close a couple of times (gotta love McBride), there is no escaping the ultimate conclusion that we just couldn't score.

As to the larger issue of soccer in the USA, perhaps I'll post another time on that. Suffice it to say that although we have millions of little kids playing in youth soccer leagues, all of our good athletes go to basketball, baseball, etc instead of soccer. And who can blame them? Their salary, fame, and influence extend so much farther with these other sports than soccer. We're on the right track, but it's going to be another 8 years at least before we can field a championship worthy team. But I have hope! We shall get up again.

.....you ain't never gonna keep me down.

Alive, and still kicking

It wasn't pretty out there today. It was bloody, tiring, and at times comically tragic. And in the end the US and Italy emerged exhausted. The final score: 1-1.

USA started out the game playing aggressively. They played hungry, with a gleam in their eyes that we did not see in the earlier match against the Czechs. And so they set a good tempo for the first 20 minutes, with strong passing in midfield and they began to put the pressure on the Italians. But Italy is not a championship team for nothing. Solid defense and stellar ball control allowed them to mount several crisp counter-attacks. They soon took the lead off a very nicely executed free kick in the first half. Soon afterwards, however, that same stellar defense made a critical error as they accidentally scored on themselves. The game was destined to remain tied.

There were no more goals, but there were several more penalties. An amazing three red cards were issued in this game. The first one came soon after the Italian goal, when an elbow caught McBride on the cheek and cut him open. For a brief moment it seemed that the US would have a good chance of winning this game. But soon Maestroni was ejected for a late tackle. The game was now 10 on 10. But soon after the start of the second half the USA was dealt a tragic blow, as Eddie Pope received his second yellow card and was also ejected.

Side note: The refs have been way too strict this entire tournament. They need to let up a little bit. Some of this stuff was really not red card violation worthy.

It was now 9 on 10. The US team still managed to get a few shots on goal, but more importantly they were able to hold the championship caliber Italian team to zero points in the second half, despite being a man down. By the end everyone on both teams was just plain exhausted -- you could see it in their play, and in the way they limped off the field. Still, for the US it was worth it. This tie, added the the Ghana upset over the Czechs, means the US is still alive. If we win against Ghana, and the Italians beat the Czechs, I think we're golden.

Next game: 7am on Thursday (PST). USA vs. Ghana. Interestingly, I think the Czech vs. Italy game happens simultaneously. Should be a fun morning to watch soccer.

3-0

The US defeat to Czechoslovakia should come as no real surprise to anyone. While the US has tried to position itself as a strong team that's clearly among the best in the world, the truth is that it's not. The Czech team has an all-star cast featuring some of Europe's best players (even if they are a tad old), and is currently ranked #2 in the world behind Brazil. Were people seriously expecting the US to come out and beat down these guys? Now, that's not to say that the thrashing we received today was a reflection of skill -- I'd venture to say that if we'd lost by 1 point, it would have been a more accurate reflection of reality. Going down by 3 points was the result of shoddy play by USA. There was a distinct lack of hustle, some really bad passing, and a number of lost opportunities for shots on goal.

You see, I think US soccer fans (i will not call it football) are trying to prove something. They know that soccer is the one sport where they routinely get trounced by those decadent European powers whom they disdain so much. It's the one sport where you can't buy a winning team (although that's changing)......unlike the Olympics, you can't just invest in individual athletes and have the Gold medals that are doled out reflect your power standing in the world. Yes, US soccer has something to prove. But they aren't there yet. All they proved today is that they have a long way to go.

But I'm a soccer fan, and I'm rooting for USA. I'd love to see us beat Italy and Ghana and proceed out of our Group. And hey, it's possible, after all I'd say both of those teams are easier to beat that the Czechs. But even if we do that, we still might not move out of our group with the 3 point deficit we earned today.

Next game is this Saturday. I'll be watching somewhere in SF. Let me know if you'd like to join.

Randomness

Has it really been so long? My my, how the time flies.

Recent events include a random throat illness, a weeklong trip to Washington DC, a cousin's wedding, and a very big decision. The weather has been stellar, and I'm sampling a new whisky these days (Clynlish - a highland coastal. I kinda like it.)

But what has inspired me to return to the blogosphere? Quite simple. I'm bored. And as such, I believe I shall enter a period of posting. Currently I'm trying to figure out if I should get a website for myself (seems like a good idea), and what that would be. Any ideas out there? (and yes, i checked: kabir.com is taken). I'm thinking, in all modesty, of kabiriscool.com -- it's got a nice ring to it. I was also considering notallthosewhowanderarelost.com .....seems appropriate, but it's taken. Damn.

If you have ideas, let me know.