The Daily Cow

Hey, at least in something, the US can still win. But then again, basketball does not equate to economic or global dominance.

There used to be a time when the internet was a nice place to be. The world wide web used to be small, innocent, and quite easy to maneuver. Nowadays, the situation is much different. Instead of being able to navigate easily, our webpages are clouded with ads that are completely irrelevant to what we want.

In adding on to Jinghao's post, I rarely click ads, if at all. Its more for amusement than anything else, but even then, when I want to read something, I want to be able to access it without having my browser load at five times slower. If I want to see something, I'll go find it myself. And ad might help, but probably less than 1/10th of the time. Hence, I run AdBlock plus.

And no, not even Google gets my love.

According to this flag etiquette site,

The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or [hall yard].

Hm. I guess if you were to find a law that is quite violated, its this one. And this is a law set by the US government too.

Truth be told that we live in a depressing contemporary society. Heads cringe at each cent added to the gas prices, eyes flail at every package put into Iraq, and more families come home knowing that their dollar is worth less and less. What used to be a nice fish on the table is now a nice loaf of bread. Who knows what will be on the table every subsequent day.

I would argue that some of the most innocent things left in today's world lies in the innocence of sports. You may counter by saying that there is none left there either. Understandably, while steroids and performance enhanced drugs have tainted the performance of athletes whom we thought were good, the true innocence lies in the simplicity of the game itself. The innocence lies in the fact that no matter how many weird things happen, no matter how many points, runs, goals, and touchdowns are scored, there is always a winner and a loser. The clarity is just not seen elsewhere, in politics, economics or finance, where there is always a story behind every storyline. And yes, I have had Jinghao laugh at me for this, and he probably thinks I don't delve deep enough: But alas, I read my news -- I just don't wish to read it to the point where I'm numbed by everything. To a degree, most of it just feels the same.

Perhaps this is why I find myself wandering to the sports section of the newspaper and Yahoo! everyday before reading the other news. There's always a sense of clarity and stability. Sure, my San Francisco Giants lose more than they win, and probably won't score enough runs to count for anything, but at least they play, and the put their heart in it. There is fairness to the fact that someone may have dropped a ball, grounded into a double play, or struck out to end the game. It just feels like there is a lack of that in politics. George W. Bush may want to extend the war in Iraq, and just sacrifices -- or rather, throws a bunch more soldiers and our tax money in it. That, is not fair.

Suffice to say, the most innocent of all of this is probably kids around the age of 10 playing sports. There is no money on the line, no endorsements to fight for, division title and incentive packages, and no need to play for a top pick in some draft. Its just parents, a hired umpire for $10/hour (maybe more) and a field in some neighborhood in America.

So here's to sliding triples, hanging sliders, and caught-looking strikes. To 10 foot jumpers, 3 foot layups, and clutch free throws. Something seems to be sane about the world of sports, something that other parts of society lack. Beyond the steroids, the enhancements, the Muscle Milk and the Power Bars, it all seems so pure, compared to the rat race of everything else.

Tux Racer, is a fun game where you race Tux down hills on his belly, collecting herring. Fun? You try it!

What does it tell you when we care more about people outside our country than in? While crime rages in the inner cities, public education suffers, and the economy falters, we're giving money to those who aren't even citizens. Kind of makes you wonder what it means to be American.

Love: The only thing that begins irrationally, and then begins to take a rational meaning as events transpire over time.

I kind of wish things were that simple. But eh...

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I should do a live blog here sometime since I am on during class. Next Tuesday!

Sharon Stone, known for baring it all in Basic Instinct (1992), came out yesterday, and made just about the stupidest comment of her life -- that the earthquake in China was caused none other than by karma. Really? Natural disaster caused by a nation's response to chaos? Now that's something new.

I'm not sure what is more disgusting, Stone's exhibition of sexual wanderlust on Michael Douglas' body in Basic Instinct, or her comment yesterday. Both are equally sick, but the comment shows her absolute ignorance. I'm not sure where she got her education, but as far as I am concerned, she's not all that smart. The comment, I would argue, is quite in line with Muslim extremists saying that America deserved 9/11 and all the 3,000 individuals who died in that deserved to die. So Sharon Stone a terrorist? Yes.

Boycott Sharon Stone everyone. Just as we saw with Abercrombie and Fitch and Rosie O'Donnell, both of whom showed little class, boycott her movies. Don't support her. And I suppose if she thinks that China deserved what it got, she ought to just take off all her Made-In-China clothing now, and go put on something made in Europe at the high cost. She does after all, have the money. Too bad we'd have to start at that ugly body of hers. Ugh.

The supposed response to Jinghao's question below would probably be this: More than yours. Of course, such an offhand response is one that calls for disrespect, but I think in general, life is worth more than $50,000. Simply, you cannot put a price tag on life.

In a world though where ideologies are dominated by self-interest, I think the worthiness of life is subjective, but judged by superlatives -- that is, I value person A more than person B because I have some affiliation with person A. This is to say, I've met Jinghao, hung out with him and interacted with him, and I care about him.

President Bush's last round of golf was October 13th, 2003, when he heard about a truck bombing in Iraq. In sacrifice and solidarity with the families of those who lost someone in Iraq, he decided to give up golf.

Obviously, the mark of a man who is delusional and out of touch with the United States.