Writer. Student. Political activist. Veteran. Musician. A blog by Raf Noboa y Rivera.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Now It Can Be Told: Antennagate
Because you can never have enough ridiculous Taiwanese animated news stories in your day.
A life Jimmy! You know what that is? It’s the shit that happens while you’re waitin’ for moments that’ll never come.
We have seen this movie many times before since the 1960s. Liberals personalize everything, fetishize presidential power, and turn against their own every time some progress starts to be made. They do not stick with the patient work of building responsible public agencies, electing better Congressional representatives, and building movements across many localities. They quickly give up on yet another President and hand the country back to a right wing —- that has become more and more extreme and selfishly rapacious.
In 2010, it is time for progressives and liberals to wake up and grow up. No, Obama is not perfect, and he and his administration make some mistakes. But they are moving in the right direction on many fronts in the face of almost insuperable obstacles. They are facing multiple, constantly emerging crises with a federal government that has been systematically denigrated and torn apart for decades. They do not have a Congress willing to vote for even basically sensible things in many areas. And they face determined, well-funded opponents. They need friendly criticism from the left —- and they certainly need social movements to elect better Congresses and press Congressional representatives. But they do not need childish hysteria of the kind Olbermann is dishing out — or unrealistic demands of the sort that Maureen Dowd and Huff Post are pushing.
Theda Skocpol (via southpol, catbus, and squashed)
I’ll totally grant the Administration their record of accomplishment. I’d be more sympathetic to Theda’s viewpoint if Obama didn’t insist in finding a common ground with a Republican Party that has no interest in that common ground, or in taking the politics out of politics.
That eternal search for a Goldilocks-like middle - on display again today, when he talked about immigration reform - is endlessly frustrating.
6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68
183 games. 11 hours, 5 minutes. The greatest tennis match that will ever be played. And I saw it happen.
(courtesy @fbihop)
My favorite fan reaction to today’s epic U.S. World Cup win. You really see the full range of emotions everyone went through in two minutes: bottomless dejection, then abject joy.
Best of all? It’s in Lincoln, Nebraska. Yes, you read that right: Lincoln, Nebraska.
This is Nicole Murphy. She’s an American who traveled to South Africa with her brother, two of her sisters and her Dad, for the World Cup.
She was struck and killed by a car. Her brother Brian, 19, was struck by the same car, and is in hospital with a critical head injury.
In order to get all of them home, they will require a special medically-equipped plane. A fund has been established, details of which can be read about by clicking on Nicole’s photo. Let’s hope they can gather the funds they need and get everyone home safely and soundly.
Very sad story. Just trying to get the word out to the tumblr/footy community.
Please, do your part. Thanks.
Dip, dip & dive: Brazil 3, Cote D’Ivoire 1
A thoroughly dominating performance by Brazil - at one point I fully expected that the Amarelo e Verde would hang 5 goals on an Ivorian side that was once thought to be a Cup contender.
That didn’t happen, obviously, but not for lack of trying. Brazil kept attacking and attacking - and likely would’ve done it, were it not for the fact that Les Elephants turned the last 10 minutes of the match into something akin to a rugby scrum - punctuated by likely the worst dive of the tournament.
With only a few minutes left, Fadel Keita of Cote D’Ivoire got tapped lightly on the chest by Kaka’s arm. Keita then fell to the ground as if he were slain by a sniper, grabbing his face, frozen in a rictus of agony. Of course, nothing was wrong with him - but Keita’s Oscar-worthy performance caused the referee to give Kaka his second yellow card of the match, and thus be sent off.
Look, I get that Cote D’Ivoire was frustrated and angry to be losing 3-1 to Brazil. That said, there’s no excuse for their actions on the field today. You have to keep cool, man.
The Essential Man: Soccer: That Girl That Smashes Your Heart Everytime
Like most Americans, I grew up not understanding the big deal about Soccer. The world’s most popular sport and most Americans could not care less. 90 minute games that end with a score of 0-0? Give me some Basketball.
There’s that old saying, if one person doesn’t like you, it’s a disagreement. If everyone doesn’t like you, then there’s probably something wrong with you.
So I guess this logic can be used in reverse, maybe the sport that everyone loves has something to it, and us Americans need to see the light.
Just a lovely piece on why guys like me love this game that everyone says is so beautiful.
One thing the speech didn’t do, though, is sound new. Obama sounds similar calls often. What hasn’t happened is actual action. He spoke of the climate change bill the House passed last year, but declined to chastise the Senate on its health care-bill-like posturing and inaction. That’s probably the biggest source of frustration over the administration’s handling of the oil spill. Contrary to many others, I doubt the dissatisfaction has much to do with the president’s failure to bang a fist on a lectern. I think it’s more that even the best speeches, in the face of a witheringly endless disaster, are starting to sound hollow.
I couldn’t have put better myself. Everything just sounds hollow and empty. Even the Organizing for America email that was sent immediately after the speech felt that way:
Critics will say that a real transition to clean energy is a challenge that can’t be met. But the President made it clear tonight that he will not back down — even if the path forward is not easy. And, as this movement has shown time and again, neither will we.
Washington has put this off for far too long — now we must act. If you haven’t already, please stand with the President for a clean-energy future.
Hell, with a few edits, it’s the same damn email that’s gone out every damn time. Just substitute “jobs” or “health care” for “clean energy”, and you get an idea of what I mean.
*Sigh*.
