November 28, 2005

21 shots?

Happy 21st birthday to our #1 draft pick, Andrew Bogut. The kid's a monster.

November 27, 2005

The more things change...

On this date in 1095, Pope Urban II introduced a controversial policy at the Council of Clermont that would forever cement the nature of Muslim/Christian relations. Urban, concerned about the spread of Islam, called on all Franks - knights and peasants alike - to reclaim Jerusalem. Promising eternal life in exchange for military service, Urban set the stage for what would become one of the most tragic land-grabs on record - the First Crusade. Using Christianity as a defense, the Crusaders unleashed a barbaric campaign of terror throughout the heart of the Holy Land that still resonates in the Muslim world to this very day.

It's amazing how those terrible events of nearly a millenium ago have really done nothing to end the centuries-old power struggle in the region. Here we are in the year 2005, and we're still waging war against the Muslim world. The reasons have changed, the justifications have changed, and the exact definition of the enemy has changed, but the core combatants have remained the same - Islamic militants vs. Western Civilization. As much as the United States has tried to convince Muslims that we are fighting terror, not Islam, the rhetoric that fueled the bloody Crusades can still be found in the language our leadership uses while discussing the War on Terror. Let's check out a couple quotes from W:

"This crusade, this war on terrorism, is going to take awhile." - September, 2001

"...these militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region, and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia." - Veterans Day, 2005

I don't have a political point to make here. Justifications for the Iraq War can range from the plausible to the absurd, and I'm not trying to spark that debate. I just find it interesting how so little has changed in the last 1,000 years. No, we don't impale Muslim children on spits and cook them for dinner like the Franks did at Ma'arra during the First Crusade, but we've made it perfectly clear that "collateral damage" will not impede our military ambitions. Today we find ourselves in the middle of a perpetual war, and I sincerely hope we can find a practical and realistic way to get ourselves out of it.

November 25, 2005

Great Dayne

Happy Holidays to the University of Wisconsin's very own Ron Dayne, who heroically propelled the Denver Broncos to a dramatic overtime victory over the resurgent Dallas Cowboys yesterday. Dayne contributed 98 yards and a touchdown in Tatum Bell's absence, capping his day with a 55-yard scamper to set up Jason Elam's game-winning field goal in Thursday's Thanksgiving classic. Thanks in no small part to Dayne's performance, the Broncos now find themselves sittin' pretty with an impressive 9-2 mark.

The Indianapolis Colts are going 17-1. Mile high, baby!

The Curse of the Bambi

Congratulations to my cousin, Jon, who ended his five-year drought this afternoon when he dropped a nice-sized doe with a head shot from 100 yards away. Well done, you manly man.

I got next!

November 22, 2005

Ever get that feeling someone's looking over your shoulder?

After being sworn in as Germany's new Chancellor, Angela Merkel (right) officially starts the countdown on her cluttered new grand coalition government, as vice-Chancellor Franz Müntefering (left) hovers closely. Watch out for new elections sooner than you might expect, folks. The SPD are some crafty devils.

Do you know the bishop of York?

On Sunday, I stumbled upon a bottle of port wine my great-grandaunt gave me a while back. Having nothing better to do than watch football all day, I decided to dive in and see what happened. I'd never had port before, so I was rather unfamiliar with its notoriously colossal alcohol content. To be quite honest, my knowledge of any wine is pretty much limited to what I learned from the movie Sideways and the library of information that is Bryan Buchs.

A couple of hours later, the bottle was gone and so was my sobriety. Good God! That stuff kicked my ass! While not exactly the tastiest wine in the world, if your intention is to annihilate yourself in a hurry, I highly recommend the port.

November 18, 2005

Is it June yet?

I just saw the early trailer for Superman Returns last night. If it's any indication of what we can expect next June, I'm totally psyched. Brandon Routh looks great as the Man of Steel.

November 13, 2005

Latino Cold

WWE superstar Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room over the weekend. What a bummer. I used to get a kick out of his "Latino Heeeeeeeet!" shtick when we watched wrestling back at the Six.

Mo Money

Mo Williams got to play the role of hero tonight, draining a dramatic three-pointer as time expired to beat the Pacers, simultaneously causing John McGlocklin's head to explode.

Faaaaantastic! This team is krunk!

Go Bucks.

November 11, 2005

Veterans Day

Big props to all our veterans out there. You guys rock.

November 10, 2005

The Return of Quitschko

Thanks a lot, chump. Generally recognized in the boxing community as the legitimate world's heavyweight champion, Vitali Klitschko called it quits yesterday, citing an inability to recover from a training injury he received - 9 days ago!

Way to wait and see what happens, paper champion. This is the same guy who, several years ago, decided to throw in the towel in the ninth round of a title fight he was leading on all scorecards because his shoulder hurt. Remember when Ali fought with a broken jaw? Klitschko briefly regained his honor in a bloody loss to former champ Lennox Lewis. I'll concede I don't know the specifics of his leg injury, but to hang it up 9 days after getting hurt seems, well, pretty lame.

Nothing beats the drama of a good old fashioned heavyweight title fight. Too bad all the heavyweights these days are a bunch of bums.

November 09, 2005

81-1?

Well, Baron Davis and the Warriors ended the Bucks' bid for a perfect season last night. What a bummer. Oh well.

Go Bucks.

November 07, 2005

Class Warfare

Goodness.

France's impoverished lower class, many of them descendants of immigrants, have been raising some hell for well over a week now. Not surprisingly, the euro is takin' a tumble.

November 7, 2005

One euro equals 1.17862 dollars

Get it together, Frenchie.

November 06, 2005

A Nightmare on Fourth Street

The Bucks beat a Shaq-less Heat team yesterday to improve their record to 3-0. When asked to comment on the young upstarts from Milwaukee, Shaq replied with the following:

"People shouldn't assume Milwaukee beat us simply because I wasn't on the floor. These guys are the real deal. In fact, I don't know why the NBA doesn't just hand them the tropy right now! Nobody stands a chance against these guys. In fact, sometimes I'm afraid to go to sleep at night. I keep seeing images of Magloire and Bogut embarrassing my washed-up ass and usually wake up in a cold sweat. I surrender - the Bucks are gods. I humbly kneel and kiss their feet. Go Bucks."

3 down, 79 to go.

November 04, 2005

The Return of the King

Welcome home, Rockin' Robin.

November 03, 2005

USA! USA! USA!

From Hermann the Malevolent's "Top Ten Reasons to Watch Tonight's Episode of Smallville":

Reason #1 - Erica Durance. Dancing. Sporting All-American swimwear.

God bless you, Lois Lane. And America.

November 02, 2005

Better call FEMA!

NBA Commissioner David Stern has just ordered the mandatory evacuation of the Greater Miami area effective immediately, as Hurricane Redd continued to wreak havoc across the eastern seaboard Wednesday night. Expected to make landfall in Miami sometime this Saturday, Hurricane Redd has already left two of the original thirteen colonies completely devastated in its awesome wake.

2 down, 80 to go. Start making plans for that parade, Big Andy G.

November 01, 2005

If the playoffs started today...

1 down, 81 to go.

And the hits just keep on comin'...

Good lord.

Could things get any worse for the Social Democrats? After already losing the chancellorship in the hotly contested federal elections a few weeks ago, probable new vice-chancellor Franz Müntefering just called it quits as SPD party chairman following an inner-party election fiasco. Meanwhile, Germany still can't get a genuine grand coalition government in place. What a mess!

I can't believe the SPD is getting bitch-smacked like this. It's sad to watch, really. This is one of Germany's oldest political parties. This is the only party that had the courage to vote against Hitler's notorious Enabling Act.

Seems the United States aren't the only ones dealing with an ideological stormfront on the horizon.