Mars vs. Venus

I have never been one to call myself an expert on women. My most recent confusion involves the movie Sex and the City 2. Despite awful reviews, I think every young woman I know has seen the movie. Most of them coming out of theater and telling me, "I really enjoyed it. It was fun. It was an escape." This "escape" is what puzzles me. There are lots of shows that bore me. SATC is in a different world... at times it infuriates me, insults me, and offends me. And yet, every woman I know loves it. Yes, I realize that I have nothing in common with four middle aged women and their struggles with maternity and sexuality. Or, that growing up in the Midwest, I don't have such a fine appreciation for Manhattan. Whatever the reason, I am just baffled at the joy my female friends get from this group. I guess I just shake my head and agree to disagree - a men are from mars, women are from venus kind of thing. After all, how many women do you know think watching Jackass or a Sylvester Stallone movie is their idea of a good time. The thing is, in general, with those kinds of movies, I would agree with the women. Jackass is incredibly stupid. And Stallone needed to retire after Rocky. I just hope that SATC popularity fades after this weekend's hype... quickly.

1. I am hardly considered hawkish when it comes to the military. I believe war is sometimes necessary, but has to be the last option possible. If there is one thing that bothered me the most about W. it was his incredible arrogance and hard-ass approach he took with other countries. Proudly bringing Machiavelli's famous quote "It is better to be feared than loved" to life. However, other country leaders did fear him and sometimes that benefited the United States. I think it is pretty safe that most of the world leaders like Obama but view him as a weak push-over. Little more than one year as president. Russia, Turkey, and Brazil openly trade with Iran - driving the Obama administration. China could care less that the United States needs their help in Pakistan and South Korea. The problem is I am being contradictory. I don't want America to revert back to arrogance, but I also don't like how important, rising countries are openly meeting and doing business with our adversaries. It's getting more and more troubling.

2. Now I know most of you are not following the Colombian presidential race like I am, but I am hoping that might change. Remember the name Antanas Mockus. He is leading in the polls to be the new president of Columbia. Why is that name important? Because Mockus is the kookiest candidate for a top thirty economy I have ever seen. It's not like Mockus does not have the credentials on paper. He studied philosophy and mathematics at some of the finest institutions in the world. He was the mayor of Bogota - Columbia's capital city. None of this seems that strange. However, he also was known to dress up as a superhero to inspire Bogotans to unleash their inner superheroes. He sent out a mini army of mimes to calm down unruly drivers. While working at at university, he once mooned student protesters. He's crazy but he is also brilliant. While mayor, crime was reduced, the welfare system was erected, and the environment has stronger protection. Needless to say, I will be cheering for him.

off-season chatter

Most experts feel that this year's NBA free agent class is probably the best ever. Look at some of the names - Chris Bosh, Shaq, Kenyon Martin, Lebron James, Dirk Nowitski, Amar'e Stoudamire, Wade, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Marcus Camby, Jermaine O'Neil, Michael Redd, Peja Stojakovich, Richard Jefferson, Tyson Chandler, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, et cetera. As a fan of the NBA, I am pretty geeked up to follow this off-season. Besides the NBA Draft coming up in four weeks, the league could look completely different. I was really intrigued when I saw that Joe Johnson, Wade, Bosh, and James are going to meet with each other soon to discuss free agency. I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall for their discussion. My guess is they are wondering how the Wolves will be able to fit the four of them into their twelve man rotation... Or not...

1. I overheard some "gentlemen" at the gym discussion what bars to hang out Friday night when all the girls come in following Sex and the City 2. Ah, Chicago...

2. According to government scientists, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has now surpassed the Exxon Valdez spill of 1979 to become the biggest environmental disaster in American history. It has been 38 days and finally... finally... Obama has a scheduled trip, tomorrow, to survey the scene. Obama deserves criticism for this. Did he not learn anything from W. that it doesn't matter if you can't do anything; the people in the area want the leadership that the President should show. Yes I know you are busy, Mr. President, but this was a huge public relations victory that you let escape. I don't think Obama's approval rating has been hit due to the disaster, but he certainly has not gained any support either. It has been 38 days. He should have immediately been doing the PR rounds like meeting with local fisherman, on a helicopter surveying the scene, meeting with local politicians to develop a solution. This was a huge missed opportunity.

boo hoo, media elite

I applaud the NFL for their decision to think outside the box a little bit and have the Superbowl outside in New York in 2014. What has amazed me is the crying by the media about what a "foolish gamble" this is. Boo hoo, media elite. You are the only people who think this is a bad idea. Do you think the game will not sell out? Do you think the players are afraid to play in the cold? Do you think people at home will not watch the game on TV if there is snow on the ground? No, the only losers are the media that covers the game. Who cares about them? I wish that the NFL would play more games in the North. If the city of Minneapolis does get their act together and spend the $800 million to get a new stadium, at least let the city get some of that money back by hosting a Superbowl. Minneapolis hosted the Superbowl in 1992. Somehow the media survived. Detroit hosted the Superbowl three years ago. Somehow the media survived. And yes, they will survive in East Rutherford in 2014.

1. I am extremely disappointed this afternoon. I was very excited to head back to Minneapolis in June to see U2 in concert. I am not the hugest fan; but I thought this is one of those bands that, as a fan of music, I should just see. However, Bono had to have emergency surgery on his spinal cord to potentially prevent paralysis. I wish him a full and quick recovery but I am certainly disappointed.

2. As happy as I was to read that Jemaine Clement of FOTC is going to play a bad guy in Men in Black III, I am at the same time equally puzzled why Hollywood felt America needed MIB to become a trilogy.

Dem Fightin Words!

The media should be ashamed that they are not spending more time focusing on the incredibly scary situation going on in Asia between North and South Korea. Let's save the complete history for a different time, and instead focus on the past few months.

1. First off, the Korean War never ended. In 1953, both sides declared an armistice to stop major military operations. Neither side agreed on a peace treaty.

2. Earlier this year, North Korea frightens both South Korea, the United States, and the rest of the world when they do long range missle testing.

3. On March 26th, according to a team of non-partisan international experts, a South Korean battleship was torpedoed by a North Korean submarine - killing 46 South Korean sailors.

4. North Korea claims innocence and feels humiliated.

5. South Korea begins a psychological warfare campaign. They have also barred trade, blocked shipping routes, and they are blasting loud propaganda announcements into North Korea.

6. This is infuriating North Korea. Thus, they have kicked out all South Koreans from the North. Plus, they have said they will retaliate if any plane or ship crosses into North Korea territory.

7. Hillary Clinton arrives in South Korea to try to develop a peaceful solution with the South Korean government. However, at the same time the United States has 28,500 American troops in Seoul plus thousands of troops in Japan that have ramped up military exercises.

8. On Tuesday, Kim Jong Il orders his 1.2 million military members to immediately begin combat training.

9. The American stock market plummets today ended at its lowest point since February. Most financial experts blame the uncertainty in Asia as a major reason for today's collapse.

Am I forgetting anything? To me, in this situation, there is little that Clinton or the United States can do. This is an issue that countries like China, Japan, and India have to involve themselves with. A Korean War II would have devastating consequences for the whole region on many different levels. The United Nations has been very vocally opposed to North Korea's actions in the past year. However, let's not forget that the U.N. Secretary is Ban Ki-Moon... a South Korean. He has a bias and North Korea knows that. If China really wants to become a super power, then they need to get involved in issues likes this.

More common than ever

I was stunned while flipping through an old Newsweek - an interesting article about the prevalence of abortions. This issue behind the morality of abortions has been discussed many times between my friends and I. I am not here to debate that during the post. However, we always discussed the issue in very broad terms. I suppose because I did not think I had any friends who had an abortion. It's possible I have not, but I doubt it. According to the Newsweek, article 40% of adult women from 1973 to 2005 had an abortion. Here is how they figure:

According to the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that studies reproductive rights, from 1973 to 2005, there were 45 million legal abortions. The United States population in 2005 was 296 million people. Of those 296 million, 150 million of them were female. Of those 150 million, 24 million were children. That leaves 126 million. I rounded up and down to get even numbers. But my point, if you do the math, is almost 40% of women had an abortion from 73 to 05.

Again, this is not entirely accurate math, there were some children who had abortions and there were some women who had more than one abortion. But, let's say instead of 40%, a third of adult women had an abortion. That is still a number that surprised me. My point is that even though I might think I do not know a woman who has had an abortion, I am most likely just naive.

Then who is good enough to sip tea with you?

There is a lot of talk about the house and senate being over-run by Republicans in the 2010 mid-term elections this November. I'm not saying they will not pick-up a seat or two, but when the elections are over, the Democrats will still remain in power in congress. Why? No, it is certainly not because of brilliant campaigning by the Democrats (although I thought Admiral Sestak's campaign in Pennsylvania to bring down Arlen Specter was very impressive). However, it is because the Republican party has turned so far to the right, that all centrist or moderate Republicans have been completely pushed out. From Charlie Crist in Florida, to Bennett in Utah, unless you are radically conservative, get out of the party. Ironically, this is the type of small tent campaigning that would have driven Reagan crazy. Let's look at some of the past few Republican presidents would have passed the test:

NIXON - Surely, this conservative would have passed muster with today's tea party. He slashed taxes, and vowed to hunt down commies. However, the Tea Party would call him a socialist. He, more than any other president, helped protect America's environment. He created the EPA, the Clean Air Act, and The Clean Water Act. Let's not forget that he also pushed hard for complete universal health care for every American. The hawks in the modern day GOP would have been furious at Nixon for abandoning the South Vietnamese and pulling the troops out of there. By the way... he was pro-choice. Yup, Rush would have hated him.

FORD - He created the Education for All Handicapped Children in 1975, thus, giving millions of tax dollars to aid families with those of the handicapped. What would Bill O'Reilly say about such "waste"? Ford was hardly pro-Israel. He repeatedly admonished them and expressed his disappointment with their hubris. By the way... he was pro-choice, too! And guess what? He was the first president to push for gay rights. Nope, the Religious Right would have hated him.

REAGAN - This man is revered as a deity in most conservative circles. However, I think if he were running today, the tea party would dislike many of his "socialist" views. Reagan shrank the federal government, right? Nope, he created 60,000 new positions. Reagan slashed taxes? Nope, four of his eight years he raised taxes. He needed to raise taxes to continue expanding programs he liked such as socialized medicare and social security. Reagan also was hardly an enemy of illegal immigration. He recognized the benefit illegals would have on our economy and loosened restrictions on immigration. He also passed many environmental and anti-smog pieces of legislation. In addition, Reagan pushed for tougher gun control laws. What about foreign affairs? Well, when Hezbollah murdered 250 Americans in Lebanon, did Reagan declare war? Nope, he retreated. He also was furious at Israel for a pre-emptive strike against Iraq? What would have thought of W's pre-emptive strike against Iraq? What about social views? He placed Sandra Day O'Connor to the supreme court - a moderate. He also got rid of California's proposition six - which discriminated against gays in education. Yes, Reagan was a conservative but he was hardly as conservative as the Sean Hannity's make him out to be. Just look at the incredible deficit he created.

H.W. BUSH - He raised taxes, and had a huge federal deficit. He actually blamed Reagan "voo-doo economics" for forcing him to raise the taxes he promised not to raise when he was campaigning against Dukakis. Bush Sr. actually would have made the tea-party fairly happy. He did increase environmental protection spending, unemployment insurance, and highway protection but besides that he was actually pretty conservative. He did make one colossal conservative mistake. His one appointment to the supreme court, David Souter, turned out to be one of the most liberal justices ever.

W. - He is probably the most conservative president in generations. The debt swelled under his watch, he grew medicare, was moderate on immigration, and supported a cap on green house emissions. Other than that, what can I write that hasn't already been written? Bush was a tea-party dream.

But the problem with the modern day Republican Party/Tea Party is that most American got fed up with Bush's America. They elected Obama as a change. I just don't see the United States reverting back to how we were, quite yet, under W. At least I sure hope I am right. We have a lot of time until November. So much can happen.

free pass

Every year there are phrases that become so cliche that they lose all relevance. I think the trite term in 2010 is "sex addiction". From Tiger Woods, to Ben Roethlisberger, to Jesse James, to John Edwards, whenever a famous man acts like a buffoon, we quickly label them as sex addicts, shrug our shoulders, and give them a "boys will be boys" free pass. I am just tired of the attitude that permeates our media that men are nothing more than slaves to lust. One line that sticks out is Chris Rock's line in his stand-up act, "Men are only as faithful as their options." Bull shit. Cheating on someone who you swore to be faithful to in front of friends, family, and God is despicable. I am so tired of hearing these men are just sick with "sex addiction" and once they get treatment, they will be fine. Let's take Jesse James as one example. My prediction is once he gets out of sex rehab, he will then find Jesus, do the talkshow circuit with Larry King, and Oprah, and then we will all forgive him and move on. Did you hear after sex rehab Tiger Woods wants to rediscover his Buddhist upbringing? How convenient. I understand that everyone makes mistakes. I am just sick of cheaters being called sick people when really they are just pigs.

1. I have seen a few movies recently. I thought that Iron Man 2 was pretty good. I give it a B. I also saw Robin Hood. I thought RH could be on the level of a Gladiator, Braveheart, or The Patriot. I was disappointed. It's not terrible. I probably give it a C+.

2. Currently listening to "need you now" by Lady Antebellum

This too shall pass

Well. I have certainly have had better weekends. After a lot of tension, some raised voices, two work shifts, Nimit, Ann, and I are finally moved into our new apartment. From multiple movers cancelling on us, to pouring rain, to lack of sleep, this was by far the worst moving experience of my life. We moved into Lincoln Park. I am excited about learning more about a new neighborhood. Other than that, I am just happy to move on and start a new fresh week.

1. As serious as politics is, I loved this story: In Florida, former Republican governor Charlie Crist, after trailing in polls to GOP challenger Marc Rubio, announced he is running for the senate as an Independent. Well, the Florida Republican party pissed. They are selling his portrait on eBay with this description:

A) Canvas is naturally sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, just as Crist's political convictions are subject to fluctuations in poll numbers.

B) Depending on a variety of conditions, the stretch canvas may periodically lose and regain tautness, much like Charlie Crist periodically loosens or regains positions on a variety of issues.

C) Ornate gold frame mode made of manufactured wood, similar to that of the fabricated conservative values of the politician depicted within.

2. How does Rush Limbaugh get less intelligent as the days pass on? In case you weren't listening to his broadcast today, he said that the government needs to spend less time and money on the oil clean-up in the Gulf of Mexico. How about this gem? "The ocean will take care of this on its own if it was left alone and left out there. It's natural. It's as natural as the ocean water is." What is he talking about? An oil spill that is dumping out thousands and thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico is... natural? I understand he hates the environment, but to say that the government should not spend resources cleaning it up is completely reckless. I am not even that surprised when I read comments like these. I just hope people wise up to this clown.

3. I did get a chance to watch Conan on 60 minutes last night. It is hard for me to feel bad for a guy who was given a check for $45 million to not work somewhere. However, he obviously put his heart and soul into the Tonight show and still has some real, and not unfair, bitterness towards NBC and Jay Leno.