you know, at the risk of being ignorant... I don't even know who this band IS


Which British Band Are You?

I really like this guy's column

I received my REI patronage dividend voucher in the mail yesterday. It was for only $30, even though I spent a lot more than $300 at REI last year, my massive $600 spree last spring was all on sale items, which don't count towards your dividend.

Now, $30 frankly isn't much at REI, but even so I've faced somewhat of a quandary: Do I just go and buy something impulsively, that's say, less than $60? Or do I put that "in the bank" so to speak and use it towards something I know I'll need later. I have decided after last summer it'll soon be time for a new sleeping bag... come to think of it, I may have just solved my problem.

And now, Random Thoughts:
A lot of people are making fun of the Korean and Russian Olympic Federation's reactions to all the controversy: Vague threats of "pulling their teams out of the Olympics" (which at this point, essentially means skipping the closing ceremonies) and maybe even boycotting the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. The Russians have even gone so far as to say the Olympics couldn't exist without them. That statement actually carries some weight, because the whole concept of the Olympics, in these modern, professional times -- when the naive concepts of amatureism have been replaced by the practicallity of the fact people should be paid if they're good enough -- is that there is an imperative that the best in the world compete on this Stage. What the hell is the point of the Olympics if the Best aren't there? And frankly, a significant portion of elite athletes in a wide variety of athletic endeavors are Russian.

But more to my point, while I would certainly agree with the fact that the Korean and Russian orginizations are being a bit histrionic and going a little over the top, the root matter behind their complaints is completely valid, and should be, in fact NEEDS to be, addressed by the IOC. Let's face it, folks: Apolo Anton Ohno being "disqualified" from his gold medal for what amounts to a judgement call -- without any form of official review or protest -- on Korean soil, with a Korean inheriting the gold; our press would have a field day with that. Leno and Letterman would have opening monologue fodder for the duration of the Olympics, scathing editorials would be written in sports pages across the country about the "corruption" inherent to the Games, the head of the USOC may even hold a press conference addressing his "doubts" about the credibility of the judging in the Olympics. Does any of this seem far-fetched to you? It's all perspective, folks.

Let's take it a step further, considering the IOC has already set a precedent -- JUST A WEEK AGO -- by hastily awarding a second gold medal in the debacle that was pairs figure skating, a judgement that was influenced almost entirely by overwhelming public sentiment. I understand the Canadians case, and the public outcry, as I have stated earlier in the manfesto. What was lost in all this was the concept of due process. Now, I know it looked for all the world like the ISU (International Skating Union) was dragging its feet, but keep in mind the simple fact that under the public pressure, ANYTHING less than just handing the Canadians the gold wouldn't have been enough. In fact, That's exactly what happened, as the IOC stepped in and made it be.

You don't just convict someone because everyone thinks he's guilty, he still get's a trial. When he's found guilty following the standards of justice, due process has been followed. You don't go around willy-nilly handing out gold medals, it compromises the integrity of the competition at the heart of the Olympic movement.

Now, if you're Russian, it is perfectly plausible to believe that Canada, although a separate and autonomous country, is little more than the USA's puppet to the north. Ergo, a victory for the Canadian pair is a victory for the home team. In fact, given that no American pair was in serious contention for the gold, it WAS a victory for the home team. I would bet anything I had that if the situation were reversed and the Russians had been screwed by the judges, the overwhelming attitude would've been a casual acknowledgement of the natural bias of judging, and it may not be fair, but who cares; They're the Russians and they have plenty of gold medals. This is what I see as the key to the Russian paranoia.

There is one more fact to consider. The very real, and obviously unspoken for clear political reasons, fear of the Olympic Committes from all the other countries that these games would show a natural predilection towards the U.S. athletes and competitors in the wake of 09-11-01. To deny the presence of the that feeling is simply being ingorant.

Well, more Olympic coments:
Belarus beat Sweden in the quarterfinals of the hockey tournament. If you have no idea how big an upset this is, I won't carry on here attemtpting to explain except to say that it was stupefyingly astounding. I'm sort of pissed off, though, because not only do I not really understand how a team that's 1-3 can play for a medal over a team that is 3-1, but that's the way it's set up. Also, as fans, we've been robbed of another epic matchup between Sweden and Canada for the right to play for the gold medal. Instead, unless lightning strikes twice (which it won't), Canda will dance through with a convincing win. We do get to see another epic USA vs. Russia contest in the other semifinal, though.

I just watched the 1,500 meter short-track final "live" on NBC (Never Broadcasting Correctly) and the Korean winner of the race was "disqualified" for an illegal move on the last turn which didn't look all that bad. It was kind of like one of those phantom calls in a basketball game when the fouled player draws a foul off very little contact. So, USA short track stud and local hero Apollo Anton Ohno, in finishing second, "wins" the gold. Ummmm... maybe it's not only figure skating which isn't entirely on the up-and-up in these Olympics.

I was going to write a rant about the ridiculousness of figure skating, but, you know what, it's just to stupid a subject for me to get riled up about.

In the meantime, believe it or not, there are dozens of credible competitions involving real athletes taking place in Salt Lake City.