Sports and the Economy...

When I think of the fall classic (and for all you non-sports people that is the World Series) I think of Mr. October - Reggie Jackson himself. A hitter who built his reputation on coming through when I mattered most. If he was playing today, would we have to change his name to Mr. November. It is absolutely a joke that the World Series did not start until October 28th! It looked like the winter classic in game 1 from New York as the rain poured down and players were bundled up like a 2 year old on Christmas day! Seriously baseball, lets get the World Series done before its snowing!

There was a good article in the Economist today entitled "A joyless recovery". It talks about consumer confidence being low, unemployment rising but yet experts remarking that the recession is over! On a simplistic level, a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters with negative GDP growth. So, I guess from that definition yes we are out of a recession as GDP grew 3.5% in the second quarter - but don't be fooled, this recession has a long road to recovery.

Winding Down

For most students, once summer hits a certain sense of freedom hits. Freedom from awful professors, freedom from the stresses of school, freedom from writing papers you don't care about and then sucking up to a professor you don't like to get a good grade. Summer brings with it a renewed "fresh start" feeling that you get during the start of a new phase in your life. However for me, I get a overwhelming sense of "is it over" when summer hits. The last three summers have been fun, don't get me wrong, but have carried with them a heavy work load. This summer was no exception. But thankfully the end is near. My biology class ended last week which takes care of my core biology requirement for Calvin. I have 2 weeks left of my RA responsibilities and my work at Howies Hockey Tape will significantly slow down from 40hrs to 9hrs in 3 weeks. With that is the start of school, friends returning and a focused intellectually challenging 4 months of school. I must say, thank goodness for the end of summer - fall is almost here!

The perfect game...

Maybe you heard - Mark Buehrle on Thursday threw a perfect game for the Chicago White Sox. As a Tiger fan, you can NEVER cheer for the Sox, but it was special to see a perfect game nonetheless. To give some perspective on this, since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon 40 years ago there have been a total of 11 people who have walked on the moon. During that same time, there have only be 9 perfect games thrown by baseball pitchers in the major leagues.

Basically since I have gotten back from Spain, I have been GO-GO-GO 24-7! Whether its work, school, or trying to be a good boyfriend, friend and son - its been a constant go-go atmosphere. Currently my schedule consists of me working or going to class from 8am-10pm every day of the week. However my biology class is coming to an end and I will once again be able to experience dinner before 11pm and hopefully have somewhat a a "normal" life again! :)

Finally, I would not be doing my job if I did not touch on the President and his health care plan. Its becoming more and more apparent that he is looking to show the American people results regardless of others opinions even the opinions of people in his own party! Early this week he held a prime-time news conference trying to win the public and many of his critics over. The working class people of this country don't want socialized health care because:
1. They want to keep more of their money. Government run health care would HAVE to raise taxes across the board 10-15% annually.
2. The government is the worst run corporation in America and they will become inefficient and unproductive in the ability to provide health care to people in need!
These are my 2 cents on the subject, we will see what happens!

Called third strike - He stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched it go by

If your a believer in conspiracies, this was the week for you! During the annual summer baseball classic President Obama threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Back to Obama in a second....

Shortly after9-11, President Bush threw out the first pitch for a world series game in New York. Bush threw a perfect strike - from the rubber on the pitchers mound. Many saw his throw as a way of displaying his strength during a difficult time in America's history. Click here to see his throw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evb489N11Q4&feature=related

Back to Obama... In the days leading up to his pitch there was much speculation about his ability to throw a baseball. He was quoted as saying, I won't bounce it up there, that is for sure! Well, when it came down to it, our friends at FOX didn't show where Obama's pitch went. Rather, the camera angle used showed him throwing the ball but didn't show home plate. As it turns out, Obama did indeed "bounce it up there". Now, what does this have to do with Obama as president? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! I don't care if my president can jump rope, hopscotch, or throw a baseball, I do care about his policies. However, the effort on Fox's part to show Obama in a good light was obvious as they were extremely "selective" on which camera angles they used. So, was this a conspiracy on the part of Fox or was this simply a logistical decision. ?

I hate to admit it...

On Friday, June 26, 2009 I wrote a blog entry entitled "The King of Pop is dead... who cares". Since then, despite my efforts to thwart off the urge, I have become a Michael Jackson Fan, well, at least a fan of his musics. Leading me down this road, I must give credit to my co-worker at howies hockey tape Mr. David Visser. His repeated playings of MJ's songs - "Black or White", "Will you be there" (theme song from Free Willy) and "Thriller" slowly broke me down to the place that I am today: A fan of Michael Jackson. So now I say, the King of Pop is dead, it is a sad day for fans of Music everywhere.

In other news my beautiful girlfriend Megan came and visited me this weekend. Last night we went to dinner at a Japanese steakhouse. I have never been to a Japanese steakhouse before but thoroughly enjoyed my experience. After, we went to watch a movie. Being that neither Megan or I are huge movie goers, we went without knowing what was even showing. After a "discussion process" we decided on the newly released comedy "Whatever Works" directed by Woody Allen. The movie at times was funny, witty, and at other times extremely bizarre. Overall the message was horrible (the message was - "whatever works" in your life) and portrayed Christians in a bad light. Despite they negative aspects of the movie, both Megan and I enjoyed our time and our evening together.

Barack Obama visited Africa today, specifically Ghana. Ghana is located on the eastern side of Africa next to Togo. Touting the fact that his father came from Kenya, he is urging the countries of Africa to move forward in their development, politically, economic and socially. "You can conquer disease, end conflicts and make change from the bottom up," Obama said. "You can do that. Yes you can. Because in this moment, history is on the move." It will be interesting if Obama is able to using his popularity world wide and specifically in Africa to bring rival tribes and country's together and move toward a more economically and socially stable continent. Only time will tell, but you have to hope that for the sake of the people of Africa good will come out of his visit.

4th Of July Weekend!

WOW! The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays because it contains many of my favorite activities:
1. Parades - Lets be honest, who doesn't love a good parade
2. BBQ's with friends and family
3. The fourth is just not complete without a great fireworks display

Well, this 4th of July weekend contained all of those with a twist! My roommate that I lived with in Spain Ben and his fiance Rachel, who also studied in Spain, got married this weekend. Megan, and a our friend Danielle from California who we met in Spain came up to Grand Rapids to attend the wedding with me. We all had a great time. The reception was at the Amway Grand Hotel, and we watch the Grand Rapids fireworks from the River just outside of the hotel. All in all, it was definitely a 4th of July to remember!

As for today - I am on Michael Jackson memorial service watch. Trying to catch as much as I can lived streamed over the internet at work.

Baseballs summer classic has several great stories this year. The game will take place next week but without two of baseballs biggest stars. Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez were both skipped over by the fans and will be watching the game at home just like the rest of us!

Who tells Tiger Woods, I want to play a round of golf with you but don't have time? Well, none other than our President. Woods at a recent press conference said that both his people and Obama's people are trying to set up a time that they can play a round together but as woods put it, "he's really busy".

Finally, in other news - The Pope, yes Pope Benedict XVI has chimed in on the world's financial crisis. Today, he called "for a new world financial order guided by ethics, dignity and the search for the common good..." (From the Wall Street Journal).

The King of Pop is Dead.... who cares

Has there ever been a person who fade out of the direct spotlight and into this bizarre area of pop culture as quickly as Michael Jackson? Will the undisputed king of pop be remembered for his dance moves, the music video thriller or his uber bizarre ranch - "Neverland", his nose job, or the numerous accusations of inappropriate behavior with young boys? I never understood Michael Jackson's music, well, I never could get past Michael Jackson to appreciate his music. But nonetheless - The King of Pop is dead... Now move on