Does Anyone Else Think...

...That Bill Simmons is a closet gay? Not that there is anything wrong with that...

Ahmadinejad Speaks Out

Not much to say about this despicable man:

“In identifying those responsible behind the Sept. 11 attacks, there were three viewpoints,” he said. “First, that a very powerful and complex terrorist group able to successfully cross all layers of the American intelligence and security carried out the attack. This is the prevalent viewpoint which has been supported mainly and advocated by American statesmen.

“Second: that some segments within the U.S. government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy and its grips on the Middle East in order to save the Zionist regime. The majority of the American people, as well as most nations and politicians around the world agree with this view.

“Third: it was carried out by a terrorist group but that the American government supported and took advantage of the situation. Apparently, this viewpoint has fewer proponents.”

He's an asshole.

There's Nothing Going On

That's why I haven't been blogging.

Another David Brandon Mistake

Scoreboard Photos:

Michigan fans attending home football games during the 2010 season will have the opportunity to have their pictures on the Michigan Stadium videoboards.

This is just going to make it more prominent for sorority girl bitches, who go to the games to have a good time rather than to will the team to victory, an excuse to emasculate the sanctity of Michigan Stadium.

Worse Video

What's more embarrassing for the school?

The immaculately bad:


Or the equally awful:

Is there high drug use at Catholic schools or something?

How About Better Transportation Resources?

Obama wants to improve roads and infrastructure:

Obama will tout proposals to improve roads and infrastructure during a campaign trip to Ohio, but that message was largely eclipsed by a renewed political battle over tax cuts for wealthy Americans set to expire at the end of this year.

I personally think it's a waste because I've seen a road near my house that was dug up and redone several times over the past year. Why don't we just have better alternative forms of transportation. In this day and age, there should be no excuse for not having cities with modern transportation such as a subway. Plus commuter trains would help ease access to urban jobs and reduce automobile usage. I feel strongly that we need to increase these alternative transportation resources. It's so easy to get around in Europe. Why is it so hard here?

He also wants to continue the tax cuts for people making less than $200,000, but not for people making more:

"We strongly believe that a healthy, vibrant, economically viable middle class is key to economic recovery and we strongly support the extension of tax cuts to the middle class," an administration official told reporters ahead of Obama's trip.

"But it's also true that we don't have 700 billion additional dollars to borrow to pay for tax cuts that essentially will go to millionaires," he added.

"Saving that $700 billion and applying that to the deficit is a much better use of that money."

Meanwhile, people are still struggling to get jobs. There's no job growth. How are people supposed to pay these taxes without jobs? Additionally, how is the government going to cut spending if it has to continue supporting these people. This is just a disgraceful situation.

Viva La Revolucion?

Workers in both Paris and London have taken to the streets, protesting job losses and cut pensions:

In Paris, more than one million workers marched against President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plan to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62, the centrepiece of his reform agenda.

Labour unions called for the showdown over the pensions bill, which Mr. Sarkozy insists he will push through as an “absolute priority” and which was presented to a stormy session in parliament even as the marches continued.

London has similar problems:

On the other side of the English Channel, millions of commuters struggled to get to work as a 24-hour strike by workers on London’s underground rail system crippled much of the network.

People took to bikes, buses, walked, or made use of extra boat services on the River Thames in a bid to beat the stoppage, called in protest to 800 job cuts.

I can't imagine how bad it is to get around London without the Tube.

Fight at US Open

I think the woman was in the wrong. If she was so offended by his language, she should have gotten security. She shouldn't have confronted him and slapped him. Those people who rushed at him after too were also in the wrong and so was the old man. Guy wasn't trying to do anything and they were attacking him. I want to know what Bill Burr has to say about this.

First Thing I Did...

...When I got off the plane was kiss the flag. I'll probably do that after every international flight now. I got really nervous when the plane took off too. The whole plane was shaking and the overhead compartments were rattling. Was this how it was going to end?

Get Inspired: Quit Smoking

It may be too quick to push another "Get Inspired" post, but let's start this thing on the run.

This is about how the new smoke free rules on campus inspired one woman to quit smoking. While smoking provides a relief to many, the health hazards involved with smoking are obvious. It is not just about quitting smoking because of the new rules at the U, but also better your health.

Bobbie Young works in HR at The U. She's probably been smoking for longer than many of you have been alive. But she quit for her kids:

“I needed to quit for health reasons. I wanted to quit for my two sons. I got that (e-mail) in December and the program started in January so I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. I just hopped onboard,” Young says.

Young has tried to quit before and she understands that it's a tough thing to do:

“I knew I could quit. It was just a matter of getting back into a group kind of situation. There’s something about being part of the group for me personally that makes it, I don’t want to say easier to quit, but more meaningful. It’s like you’ve made a commitment to others outside of yourself to try and do the best you can,” Young says.

So I implore you to stop smoking and I hope this story helps you to get there. Remember, you're not the only one facing this challenge. Good luck and if you need someone to talk to about quitting, I'm always around.

Get Inspired: JFK

I'm going to start a new series of posts called "Get Inspired" which will feature posts about things that inspire/d me. This one is a preview video for The U's celebrating of the 50th anniversary of JFK's introduction of the Peace Corps on the steps of the Michigan Union.

My Random Thoughts From Madrid and Barcelona

MADRID
-Very impressed
-Very modern/very clean
-Hotels with hardwood floors and nice bathroom

-Walked around Madrid, saw the Templo de Delod, Roseada, and Santiago de la Florida.

-Walked by the Plaza Espana, Jardines de Sabatini, Palacio Real, Teatre Real, Plaza de Oriente, Puerto del Sol, Puerto Santa Ana, Banco de Espana, Plaza de las Cibeles, Paseo del Prado.

-Visited the Reina Sofia, saw Guernica. NBD.

-Lots of beautiful women.
-Men look weak/Euro
-Weather is perfect
-Metro is clean and efficient albeit a little confusing
-Too much pork in the diet
-I'm done with Sangria

-Went to Nike Store next door from the hotel, the new Inter jerseys are absolutely dopetacular.

BARCELONA
-The airport is like a shopping mall
-not very impressed by the outside of the Camp Nou
-A woman helped us to get on the right side of the metro even though that meant she missed her train.
-La Rampla is a pretty neat gathering of tourists and all that. WE DIDN'T GET PICKPOCKETED!
-Horchatas at Bar del Pi. Baller.
-Saw Real Madrid play some beautiful one touch football on the TV today. They looked unstoppable.
-Mourinho is god.
-Walked down by the Mediterranean, really baller.
-Restaurant we wanted to go to was closed, found India street in the process.
-Went to a Mediterranean/Middle East place instead. Good food.

-Unlike some people, I love taking bus tours of the city to learn where everything is and what its story is. There was a beautiful french girl on the blue line. I melted in the hot Barcelona sun.
-Picasso Museum was cool. Science and Charity is pretty.
-Had Basque food at night. Their deserts are fantastic. Starting to get this hang of speaking Spanish to native Spanish speakers thing.

-La Sagrada Familia is so much cooler when you actually see it than the pictures. The detail and thought that Gaudi put into the building is incredible.

-La Casa Mila was pretty cool too. Gaudi is very unique.

I loved Montjuic. We climbed the hill, took the funicular, went the fort at the top. It was pretty awesome. We also went to the MNAC and Miro Foundation. That was sick as well.

I saw Lionel Messi score a hat trick and I saw David Villa make his Barca debut. That was pretty cool.

Sea Bass and Gay Marriage

A Chilean Senator is going to sponsor a gay marriage bill:

"This is a project that I will present ... and I am also calling on the Church to be more welcoming, and I say that as part of the Church," the senator said, responding to remarks from Chilean Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz who described the same-sex weddings in Argentina as "an aberration."

Sweet.

Song Of The Day: Against The Wind By Bob Seger

I love Bob Seger.

Song Of The Day: Otherside By Red Hot Chili Peppers