Historical significance

So Senator Barack Obama has officially become the Democratic Party's nominee for the 2008 presidential election. There is so much historical significance in the dates of the convention and in the candidates (Hillary and Obama) themselves.

Obama:

• He will be the first black President in the history of the United States if he wins in November.
• His age and inexperience have been points of debate, but he will have a chance to reassure voters later today in his acceptance speech.
• The most recent polls have shown him and McCain in an incredibly tight race.
• He chose Biden no doubt to appeal to the voters who voted for Hillary, among whom many are blue-collar whites.
  

JFK:

• He was the first Catholic president.
• Voters were wary of his age and inexperience, but he reassured them in his acceptance speech.
• The Kennedy/Johnson ticket won by a hair.
• The choice of LBJ as VP was intended to appeal to southern whites as well.
  

----

Aug. 26, 1929: With the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, women won the right to vote in the U.S. In 2008, Hillary was close to becoming the first female presidential candidate of a major political party, putting those 18 million cracks in that glass ceiling.

Aug. 27: LBJ's 100th birthday. He fought for and helped pass legislation on such issues as civil rights, healthcare for all Americans, improved education, restraint in foreign policy, and environmental conservation. All of these issues are still relevant today. He also increased American involvement in what was to become an unpopular war (Vietnam); there's the highly unpopular Iraq War II today which most Americans want the next president to end.

Aug. 28, 1963: MLK Jr. gave his historic "I Have a Dream" speech on the National Mall. Obama will give his acceptance speech today, 45 years later; his nomination is seen by some as the culmination of the efforts of so many leaders of the Civil Rights movement, including King. Obama himself had worked as a community organizer in south Chicago, where many poor African-American families reside.

Aug. 29: 3rd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall in New Orleans. Many attribute the dearth of federal aid by the Bush Administration to the fact that the most greatly affected were low-income blacks.

----

Also, Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday is in February of 2009, just a few weeks after the inauguration of the next president. If Obama wins, the significance of that will be incredible. Both are/were tall, lanky men from Illinois, hardened by difficult circumstances in childhood, and both are/were hardworking and intelligent. Lincoln helped free the slaves, and no doubt because of that, Obama is able to run for the nation's highest office today.

----

Bill's right. History is on Obama's side. What a year 2008 has been!

Whaddya mean the Olympics have just ended? What are we going to watch on TV from now on?

That aside, what an amazing two weeks and two days it's been. It's a bittersweet feeling knowing that the Olympics that China has spent decades campaigning for and seven years preparing for are finally over after 16 days. Awe-inspiring events like these always seem to end too soon, but it's just that fleeting quality which leaves strong impressions in people's memory.

It's London's turn now. Let's see them top Beijing 2008.

I am so sick of celebrity-bashing. That it amuses and gratifies so many people disgusts me. They are treated by the public like zoo animals; we point and laugh at their antics while safely behind reinforced glass windows and metal bars. Or, it could be that they are parading across a giant stage, doing their acts for our amusement, and we are the ultimate judges of their performances; unfortunately, their acts include moments of their personal lives we have absolutely no business in.

We shamelessly ridicule celebs like Britney, Lindsay, and Paris for shits and giggles instead of paying serious attention to the real dangers of underage drinking, drunk driving, and drug abuse. We lambasted Britney's poor parenting skills while so many relatively unknown people are abusing, kidnapping, raping, grossly neglecting, and murdering their children. Luckily, the Caylee Anthony story has gotten plenty of national attention, but the vast majority of the rest of the cases similar to hers are given little attention. Instead, people prefer to read the latest posts on their favorite sleazy celebrity gossip blogs or watch yet another E! News story about some celebrity's latest trip-ups and drama. 'Cause come on...real news is bor-ing, right?

We may argue that the news is being forced down our throats by the media. That is right, but we also have superpowers called "changing the channel" or "not reading tabloids". We don't have to pay attention, but we're choosing to. That's what's fueling the unhealthy celebrity obsession. By buying more magazines, tuning in to more TV programs, and bringing more traffic to celebrity gossip blogs, we are indirectly encouraging more of their destructive behavior and ignoring far more urgent concerns.

So a paparazzi took a shot of Britney's girl parts. Members of the general public have come to the conclusion that she wanted us to see that picture to bring more attention to herself. Britney's not 100% mentally stable, but I doubt she would want that kind of picture being shown all over the Internet and on TV. Instead, it is because some photographer wanted to take the most sensational shot to sell to mags for $$$. She may have brought it upon herself by being so (in-)famous, but that doesn't mean that there's a free-for-all for her dignity. Let the woman retain all of it that she has left and leave her alone.

The only celebrities I know of who seem to genuinely want to draw attention to themselves are P. Diddy and Paris Hilton. There are probably others. Call me stupid or call me naive, but cynicism is not how I roll.

Bitter much? The Aussies are upset because Phelps defeated their home team in every event, so once his 12,000 calorie-a-day diet was revealed, they weren't shying away from making crude comments and insults.

They're just like the Americans when they lose--they whine, complain, find scapegoats, and throw hissy fits like spoiled children...which isn't far from the truth. No wonder they can't fathom going through China's athletic or academic programs--it'd require too much effort in addition to assuming responsibility and blame for one's own actions. They'll blame it on the oppressive Communist regime, of course.

Phelps practices in the pool every single day for several hours, swimming for a few dozen kilometers. If I am not mistaken, a swimmer of his caliber isn't exactly going to do a leisurely swim in the community pool as his daily practice. He most likely does other forms of exercise, such as weightlifting, to increase muscle strength. He is obviously not a "lardass"...and calling him by that shows incredible immaturity.

Assume that Aussie swimmers have the same rigorous training regimen as Phelps and eat the same amount of calories every day as he does--it can't be that different. Would you call them lardasses, then, or is that reserved for the Americans (because we obviously are all fat tubs of lard)? He's not an attention whore because he doesn't try to draw attention to himself, but because his accomplishments draw others' attention to him. He's not an egotistical maniac, and even if he were, his actions would back up his claims.

Come on, you people are not children. Show some restraint and maturity, especially on the Internet. Phelps isn't going to be hurt by your invectives because he knows things you don't and never will.

It's great to be a Jamaican or a Spaniard these days, isn't it?

The Jamaicans took all the medals in the women's 100m dash final and Bolt smashed the world record for the men's event with room to spare.

Spain has won the Euro Cup, the Tour de France, and Wimbledon this year.

Now Nadal is in his first day as world #1, and undoubtedly in great spirits...but being the modest, unpretentious guy he is, he won't let it get to his head. I like how he downplays his success and always shows deference to Federer (though not to the extent that he would be willing to give up his dignity, of course) even though he has proven time and again that as least as far as their rivalry is concerned, he is the superior of the two. That's the attitude of a champion.

I'm hoping for more epic Nadal vs. Federer showdowns in the future because it's always a thrill to watch them play each other, especially when the stakes are high (even though I'm sometimes too chicken to watch). I still want to see FedEx beat Sampras' record, even if he never quite reaches the heights of the past 5 years. All he needs is to practice more often, perhaps bulk up a little, and reduce the no. of commitments to anything other than tennis.

Am I the only tennis fan on earth who likes both of them equally?

----

Poor Liu Xiang...to miss the marquee event because of an injury has to make him feel absolutely awful. So many millions of fans were counting on his reaching the medal stand to make China proud.