Back in the saddle

Sitting in my darkened apartment, watching SportsCenter's highlight reel of the Buerhle perfect game for the 290th time and glancing out the window into a gloomy, rainy scene straight out of my ancestral home back in the Highlands, it came to me.

I'm ... not a writer anymore.

Ye gads, you blurt out as a mammoth collective gasp works its ways through the Internets.

Well, maybe that statement was a bit strong. But I haven't written anything of substance for weeks. Torn news copy to shreds, then painstakingly rebuilt it 'Six Million Dollar Man' style? Sure. Pumped out jaw-dropping, eye-catching, ass-kicking headlines like a champion? You're goddamn right. Generally held down the news desk and dominated in my new role? Like it's my job.

My days of distilling crisp news stories at an alarmingly efficient rate, however, are - for the moment - over. I have surrendered my hard-earned nickname - 'Xerox,' the Copy Machine - and rambled on.

(In the interest of full disclosure, no one has ever called me 'Xerox.' I am known as 'Ace' in some circles, though, which is a reasonable consolation prize.)

So what does this all have to do with anything? As the rain fell, the light of day began to break and Dwayne Wise robbed Gabe Kapler for the 1,938th time, I realized just how much I miss writing.

This epiphany still fresh, I turned where I always do in times of tribulation or extreme boredom - the World Wide Web. The blog is back, as least for one predawn romp through the random subjects I have something (semi)worthwhile to say something about.

-Speaking of Buehrle's perfect game, I woke up Thursday just in time to click on ESPN and watch the crafty lefty get the last three outs. Pretty cool moment. Definitely the last way I thought I'd spend my waking moments. Wise's catch was pretty cool - at first I swore he'd trapped it off the wall - but my favorite moment? The White Sox TV guys screaming "YES! YEESSS!" in unison after the final out. One of the best celebratory, pandemonium-induced tandem screams I've ever heard.

In the all-time pantheon of screams, though, the White Sox' announcers have a long way to go to top the Gold Standard:



-Speaking of Buerhle, I couldn't help today but recall the strong rumors from last summer that, for a time, indicated the southpaw might be on his way to Boston. That, of course, never happened, and with Josh 'Fueled by Rage' Beckett hurt for the playoffs, the local nine saw their dream of repeat titles die in a craptastic ALCS Game 7 against the hated Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays.



Embarrassing.

I'm hoping Theo and the Yawkey Way Brain Trust don't make the same mistake again this year. There's another extremely durable, extremely effective pitcher on the market this year you might have heard of. (Hint: his name rhymes with 'Balladay.') A right-handed hurler who, teamed up with the likes of Beckett and Jon Lester, would form one of the most vicious postseason trios of all time.

What's it going to take? Clay Buchholz? I've long been an apologist of the wiry young hurler's, wondering why he was being left to rot down in the Bucket while the likes of Brad Penny got us five innings a night at 10 times the price. But after Buchholz reprised his 2008 deer-in-the-headlights routine in Texas the other night, I think I've finally turned the corner and deemed him officially expendable. The kid's never going to live up to his no-hitter expectations in Boston. Classic change-of-scenery guy.

So while his value's still stratospheric thanks to those outrageous Triple-A numbers, let's get this thing done, stat. Put Clay and a couple of his former Portland/Pawtucket teammates on the next plane for Toronto, and get a locker ready for the Doc. Otherwise, I have a sneaking suspicion Fenway Park will be awful quiet once October/November rolls around - while a certain squad from the Bronx is enjoying a group champagne bath.

-I like cold, rainy weather as much as the next White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, but this is getting ridiculous. It's fucking July, man. At least the unseasonably low temperatures have essentially eliminated the need for air conditioning. Funny how it took the ice caps slowly melting, pouring cold water into the oceans and screwing up global weather patterns for us to cut back on our energy consumption.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a long, steaming hot shower while leaving my lamp, television and computer on and maybe, just for the hell of it, letting my car idle for a while.

godspeed,
dk

What's goin' on?

Which of these is more likely to happen?

1) American troops are on the ground in Pakistan or Iran within the next 36 months.
2) American/coalition aircraft are dropping some serious payload on North Korea within the next 100 days.
3) The Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic meet in the 2009 NBA Finals, causing David Stern and a number of ABC executives to commit ritual suicide after seeing a "Billups! Turkoglu! It's the Finals on ABC!" promo.
4) David Ortiz hits another home run before the All-Star break.

Let's take a moment to ponder these scenarios.

The Pakistan/Iran thing is probably the least likely, if only because I don't know where we'd find the troops. We're also fortunate enough now to have a commander-in-chief who attempts to resolve situations through less destructive means, although I don't doubt for a second that he has the stomach to give the order if need be.

Taking action against North Korea is similarly unlikely, although I think it's more plausible because there's a greater chance of things escalating quickly and of there being some semblance of an international consensus that action is needed. On a related note, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank George W. Bush for so badly hindering our military flexibility, for squandering American blood and treasure on an unnecessary war and for generally contributing to the colossal mess we now find ourselves in.

The Nuggets/Magic finals matchup also seems pretty unlikely, although I desperately - and I mean DESPERATELY - hope it happens. The league needs its comeuppance for treating its fans with so little respect, and for consistently allowing horrendously incompetent officiating that directly affects the quality and outcome of games. I can think of no better way than knocking the remaining superstars/large TV markets out of the playoffs and costing those bastards a lot of money.

As I'm writing this, the LeBrons are about to go into a 3-1 hold against Hotlando - and King James is pouting and stomping around the court because the refs aren't quite shameless enough to give him the call on a desperation three with 10 seconds left in an overtime. Apparently, the obscene bailout he got with .5 left on the clock in regulation that led to overtime-inducing free throws wasn't enough.



I won't count the Nuggets out either, largely because their Legitimate Player-to-EuroTrash ratio is far, far lower than the Lakers'. Sure, maybe a bunch of their guys are dirty. But at least they're not soft. I can't wait to see Kobe's disgust and exasperation as his team fails him, and to watch him jack up unconscionable fadeaway jumpers just to prove a point.



Sadly, though, I know David Stern and his diabolically corrupt Association will never let both of its prized stars miss the finals. The under/over on foul shots for LeBron in Game 5? 20-1/2. And I'm taking the over.

That, I suppose, leaves us with David Americo Ortiz, and his ability to hit another dinger before the end of the fiscal year. It's got to be the most likely of these scenarios, simply because The Artist Formerly Known As Big Papi will, sometime in the next few weeks, step to the plate against some scared-shitless rookie without his stuff, and will muscle some meatball over the right field fence for another short-lived nostalgia trip.

I don't mean to sound hard-hearted. When Ortiz hit his first homer the other night, I had goosebumps. It was an awesome moment.

But the guy is in shambles, a shell of himself. It's extremely sad to watch. If this goes on much longer, dropping him down to the six spot won't cut it. He's going to have to sit, or platoon at DH.

But maybe - just maybe - he gets his groove back. Maybe this is just a phase, some mental block or anomaly that will suddenly correct itself just in time for the stretch run.

That's the dream. The reality, unfortunately, appears to be much different. So at this point, I just hope we get one more longball from the big man - even if it means enduring Kobe-LeBron.

I guess we can: The importance of swagger

I don't know why clutch Ray Allen three-pointers tend to inspire me to write. It's like watching the same movie time and time again, but without losing even a trace of the thrill you get the first time you saw it.

Watching the C's tonight, I found my mind straying away from the game and toward dark contemplation of the team's future.

Garnett apparently out for the playoffs, perhaps never to be the same again. The defending champions precariously close to an 0-2 deficit in the first round, set to board a plane for the hostile territory of Chicagoland.

Last year's impossible dream, it seemed, had run its course, the rude awakening of life and circumstance bringing the wild ride that has been the Big Three 2.0 era to a screeching halt. Hell, the Bruins had just gone up 3-0 against the hated Habs, and you know there just isn't that much good karma to go around one town.

I guess the point is that I came closer and closer to abandoning my faith each time Ben "Roaming Hands" Gordon drained another impossible basket, each time I buried my face in my hands and groaned after a blown chance or a foolish turnover. I, and the Celtics, were at the tipping point, that place at which confidence and swagger - if not salvaged, if not furiously maintained - irreversibly give way to the certainty of defeat.

It's a point we all reach at certain times, an inevitable part of life. Sometimes, it comes suddenly. Sometimes, it's a grind, something we see developing in the distance. We rarely have control of the circumstances that lead us to that tipping point, but we always remain in command of our response.

I suppose that using the travails of a professional basketball team to illustrate life's struggles somewhat cheapens this, but in a way the basic meaninglessness of sports is uniquely constructive in this discussion. Even in spiritual contemplation, I've always found the concept of life's basic meaninglessness as liberating, not because of some nihilistic outlook but because that perspective validates the human concept of goodness and morality.

If there is no underlying meaning or purpose, then what we do - what we choose to become - means everything.

In a world of dogma and extremism and narrow minds on all sides, we often fail to see the humanity of others. Indeed, we often fail to see it in ourselves. It's a planet that's growing ever smaller, one of limited resources and suffering and heartbreak.

One can't help but feeling sometimes that we're nearing our own collective tipping point. I see a society that has grown so insular and contented, yet also so paranoid and reactionary, and can't help but wonder if we're truly ever going to be ready to tackle the mammoth problems that confront us in this new century.

The American Century is gone, and the history of the next 100 years has, of course, yet to be written. We stand at a crossroads, at the precipice of what could be a steep fall into the unknown.

Perhaps we've already crossed the point of no return, or perhaps our fate is out of our control. But if I've learned one thing from Jesus Shuttlesworth, it's that you can have an O-fer for the night and still come up with the game winner if you just make sure to never lose that swagger.

(And to remember that, in the end, it's just a game.)

godspeed,
dk

Send in the clowns

Someday soon I'll start writing real posts again. Work has been all-encompassing, and it's drained my will to write afterward.

So until that day comes, I figured I'd share probably the funniest bit of video I've seen in some time. And that's not even counting the English jokes I don't get.



As an added bonus, here's some classic audio of my friend and yours, the 44th president, reading some choice quotes from his book Dreams From My Father. At least he didn't say any of this stuff on the Tonight Show.

godspeed,
dk

The winner, and still champion ...

History on the run

I never really aspired to be a journalist.



I have, on the other hand, always loved writing, and that fact was largely the impetus for my involvement in newspapers throughout my school years. Then the fantasy land of school came to an abrupt end, and in need of some source of income to pay down my crushing debt, I began seeking work at - you guessed it - newspapers.

The experience has been a worthwhile one, an opportunity to write for a living and meet some good people. It's far from perfect, sure, but I suppose everything and everyone has some room for improvement.

This guy, for example.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Intro - Brawl Street: Get Ready to Buy Low! And Sell Die

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

But the long-term prognosis for journalism - at least in its print form - seems to grow more dire by the day.

Aside from the closure of the Rocky Mountain News and the Grey Lady herself turning to front-page ads and a $250 million bailout from a Mexican billionaire, there are ominous signs throughout the Republic that print media's time has passed.

There's talk of two-paper cities losing one - or both - of their outlets. Hell, even the Globe appears to be on its last legs.

Why is this happening? The economy, of course, has much to do with it, but I think the current circumstances are serving only to accelerate a process that's been in the making for a while now.

People these days, of course, have a lot of options in terms of where they get news, information and analysis. From the aforementioned likes of Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer, we can get our daily fix of 'edutainment.' From the likes of Rush Limbaugh or the left-leaning blogosphere, we can get our daily update with the comfort of an ideological tilt. On the Web ... well, we can get anything there.

So it makes sense, I would think, that something with a riveting nickname like the Grey Lady might be having a tough go of it these days.

But it appears to go deeper than that. Papers haven't just become inconvenient, or an afterthought - they are no longer trusted, or considered to have value as a source of information.

It's tough when you - and seemingly every other major cultural institution that doesn't involve carrying a gun - are not trusted.

But trust can be rebuilt. Overwhelming apathy, as our political process has demonstrated in the past three or so decades, is far more difficult to overcome. And it looks like that's exactly what print journalism is facing.



I don't believe newspapers will ever vanish completely, but the future doesn't look good. As the line between news and entertainment continues to blur, as technology continues to change our lives and as the older readership of most newspapers slowly disappears, it would seem that the stars are aligned and the writing - pardon the pun - is on the wall.

That's not a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. For all the benefits of new media like blogs, the controls in terms of quality and accuracy simply do not exist on Web as they do in print. Newspapers give us the definitive record, or at least the impression of it. Done well, print journalism is an incredibly valuable tool for society, and I don't think that can ever be replicated electronically or in any other format.

But the world is changing, and there's no way around it. There's no miracle solution out there to save the Grey Lady and her troubled peers. Papers like mine, that serve a much more targeted population, may have a longer shelf life, if only because the coverage they provide isn't replicated anywhere else. But I wouldn't bet on that, either.

I never aspired to be a journalist. And at this rate, I may not be one much longer.

But I hope I'm wrong, and that I didn't get to the party just before it got broken up.

godspeed,
dk

Time has come today

I've been on this strange kick tonight watching time lapse videos, perhaps because I slept about three hours last night and woke up at the (for me, at least) ungodly hour of 7 a.m.

Since I'm still essentially living a college lifestyle - one filled with late nights and post-noon risings - doing the whole "early to rise" thing always leaves me exhausted but with a sense of fulfillment at having had a full day, and seeing a skyscraper erected before my eyes in 20 seconds or watching 24 hours pass over some pristine lake in a minute's time seemed tonight like a fine way to celebrate that.

While doing this, I also realized (while half-watching Comedy Central, for added effect) that as of mid-March, I will have been at The Gardner News for a grand total of 30 months, or a full 2 1/2 years. That revelation, needless to say, provoked a complex reaction in me - parts astonished, depressed, terrified, liberated - and perhaps in an effort to sort out those disparate emotions I threw myself deeper into YouTube's collection of compressed segments of time in hope of spiritual guidance.

The Web, of course, is home to virtually any and all media that anyone could ever want, and its selection in terms of time lapse video did not disappoint. Here's a pretty solid one of the Northern Lights, which makes for a good starting point:



This one's my favorite, at least in terms of what I found during my ::ahem:: "research." This dude displayed some definite dedication in order to bring aimless internet trolls like myself two minutes worth of entertainment, and for that, I salute him.


(Note: I'm not sure if the music makes the video more or less strange.)

This next one was billed as "powerful," and I'd tend to agree. Really well done, with some cool locations and some real heartbreaking strings to accompany the visuals. Plus, it feels like it should be a promo for "OK Computer," and I can't really turn that down.



I won't keep going on ... I mean, there's thousands of these damned thing on the 'Tube, I'll leave it up to you to keep perusing if you're interested.

So did I find the spiritual guidance I was seeking? Hard to say. Being able to see the illusion of time unveiled in a 60-second digital video clip is pretty anticlimactic in a sense, but the point - the stunning ambiguity of it all - gets across just fine.

The lesson, or the message, of seeing time for what it is can't be truly explained - it resonates on a very basic level, too basic to understand or convey effectively with language or other conscious expression. Chasing it any further than that, I think, simply gets in the way of appreciating it.

My aim tonight is to dream that I win the lottery, buy the Celtics, solve the energy crisis and spend my spare time gallivanting across the globe with supermodels. I also hope to get some quality sleep so I'm not a total zombie come the weekend.

That's my kind of time travel.

godspeed,
dk

p.s.
Check out The Sky in Motion

One word

Awesome.

And for further amusement:



And to complete the trifecta:

Well, that was a close one

And I thought for sure we were all goners ...



Since we'll be around post-2012 after all (and because it's never to early to start America's favorite parlor game) I figured I'd check out who the odds-makers have in the already-underway 2012 presidential campaign.

Here's the odds on the Republicans, and then on the whole field. Who you got? My money's on Sanford (for the Republican nomination, that is). Hell, if the Obamarama keeps going at this pace, the guy might serve five or six terms.

Another perk of knowing that Armageddon isn't just around the corner - the fact that I'll be able to watch faaaaaaaantastic NBA basketball well into my late 20s. Any NBA talk these days, of course, touches on the summer of 2010 free agent bonanza, the year LeBron, Wade, Bosh et al. hit the open market.

Given the age of the three superstars on the Celtics, I must say the prospect of signing one of the young guns to a long-term deal sits pretty well on this end. And wouldn't you know, Ray Ray's contract is due to expire just in time for that fateful summer.

As if you needed any more proof of Danny Ainge's genius. I mean, this is the man who brought us Planet Pollard.



I wouldn't trade last year's title for anything - honestly, I think I enjoyed it more than the '04 Sox team. But thinking back to the '07 draft, it's hard not to wonder what would have happened if the C's had gotten the first or second pick (as everyone, myself included, was praying for at the time).

Needless to say, I'm glad we didn't end up with Greg Oden's balky knees. But the other jewel of that draft ... well, here's all you need to know.

At least I have something to replace the 2012 countdown.

godspeed,
dk

P.S. - The 'longball' opus is still in production, because you can't rush perfection, by god

Posting is such sweet sorrow

Apologies to my faithful readers, I know I've been conspicuously absent from the world of virtual opinion lately. Take heart, though - I'm working on an epic, possibly multi-part treatise tying together virtually all elements of the American story (past, present and future). It's tentatively titled, "The Myth of the Longball."

(Note: My work on the piece marks the only time seeing Alex Rodriguez on television has inspired me to do something other than cuss or throw household objects at said television.)

Until my opus is complete, I'll tide you over with the below video. (Here's the back story to go along with it, for some added entertainment.)



godspeed,
dk

The sea was angry that day, my friends

In all quadrants, it seems, things are getting a little choppy.

Just finished watching the Celtics somehow pull out a win against Philly, a Ray Allen three from the corner with 0.5 seconds on the clock serving as the nail in the coffin. Aside from those last-second heroics, it was, I believe, the least entertaining basketball game I've ever watched. And that includes all the CLCF and travel league games I spent riding the pine.

First off, it was a total hack-fest. Just ugly, slow basketball with a seemingly non-stop parade of foolish turnovers and garbage fouls. The Sixers played with immense energy and physicality (with a little help from the jokers with the whistles) and led by 7 at their high point. The Celtics looked like they never got off the plane (19 turnovers, 7 by 'Ragin' Rajon Rondo) and ended up winning the game.

But it wasn't just the pace or style of the contest itself. At one point, one of the players knocked into some corporate scumbag sitting courtside and apparently knocked over the guy's beer. As the guy's idiot kid laughed hysterically, about a dozen ball boys descended on the spot with towels and mops.

TWO MINUTES LATER, play resumed. Seriously. And it felt even longer than that. Paul Piece was standing at the foul line just staring at them the whole time - not even angry or frustrated, just exhausted and incredulous. I was expecting a game of H-O-R-S-E to break out to pass the time and keep the crowd from falling asleep.

Wait ... the crowd was asleep. Or at least they were at the most critical moments. At the end of the first half - following a stretch in which the Sixers rallied from 15 down to briefly take the lead - the crowd went absolutely dead. All it took was a Rondo layup, and a deafening silence came over the arena. No parting ovation for the hometown team. Nothing.

Of course, the crowd was more than happy to get fired up when Andre Iguodala or Reggie Evans slapped the ball out of somebody's hands, ran down the court for a dunk and hung on the rim for about three seconds before dancing back to the bench.

What a sham. And I thought Philly was a quality, if disturbingly intense and angry, sports town.

At least the C's got the win, capping what had otherwise been a forgettable day-after-Groundhog Day. I was surfing the Web earlier this afternoon just in time to read that former senator Tom Daschle had withdrawn his name from consideration for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services, by far the biggest stumble and most embarrassing moment of the still-young Obama Administration.

Why the hell can't these people pay their taxes? Perhaps even more unfortunate than Daschle is the case of Nancy Killefer, chosen to serve as the White House chief performance officer and deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget. As with Tim Geithner, it's another case of a person being entrusted with critical financial management responsibilities facing mortifying revelations about their apparent inability to fully manage their own finances.

I suppose if this is going to be the administration's big early unforced error, it's not such a bad thing. Given the enormity of current circumstances - and the appalling vacuum of leadership that preceded this president - one can understand some holes in the transition process, some missteps and oversights.

But given the importance this president places on symbolism, Tuesday must not have been a pleasant day for the White House's inner circle (and particularly whoever was in charge of the vetting process). With those pesky Republicans back up to their old tricks and gaining some traction politically, the president and his people will have to batten down the hatches and get back to being the Cool Express if they want to keep the inaugural afterglow working to their advantage.

Nominating New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg as Commerce Secretary seems like a good start, a way to retake the mantle of bipartisanship while making a nifty partisan move and getting in John Boehner's head a little bit.

Although look out ... Sen. Gregg, in the words of a famous Cuban bandleader, may have some 'splainin' to do of his own.

Let's just hope this sideshow stuff doesn't get in the way of the president's progressive agenda. And let's hope that when he needs to get down and dirty - when he just straight up needs a win against the forces of Rush Limbaugh and his congressional minions - he can go cold-blooded like Ray Ray and hit the trey from the corner.

The sea was angry today, my friends. But I don’t think the hard stuff’s gonna come down for some time.

Secretly plotting your demise

With all the crises going on today in this crazy, mixed-up world, a man sometimes wonders why he doesn't just quit his job and live his dream of becoming a national shark rodeo champion.

There's the mortgage crisis, the economic crisis, the crisis in the Middle East. The impending food and water crises. Humanitarian crises across the globe, particularly in Africa. Mass layoffs, ice storms, climate change - you name it, it's in trouble.

Our home – Earth – is in grave danger.

And now, just in time for the sacred national holiday the No Fun League graciously allows us to call Super Sunday, a chicken wing crisis.



Clearly, our day devoted to the worship of lite beer, overeating and the violent ballet that is the gridiron will not be the same. Indeed, it may never be the same again. At least, I suppose, the Big Game will meet its doom while playing host to Sen. John "Death Proof" McCain's embarrassing Arizona Cardinals and the eternally annoying Pittsburgh Steelers.

This never would have happened if Tom Brady were still alive.



Hearing all this talk 'crisis' at every turn - even from Neil deGrasse Tyson, vis-à-vis a potential Deep Impact scenario - got me thinking.

What would happen if a real crisis - the proverbial doomsday scenario - actually went down? How would we react?

Would we be overcome by our most base survival instincts, discarding our morality and social mores in favor of a live-action Lord of the Flies-style grand finale? Or would we - at least some of us - band together and fight to the end, maintaining to the last that which makes us human?

The evidence, I realize, seems to point to the former. I think the picture of the Terrible Towel guy tells us all we need to know about human nature.

But you know what? I want to believe we're better than that. Yes, perhaps that's only because I turned the channel to Rocky IV this weekend just in time to see the immortal "If I can change, and you can change ..." speech. And yes, maybe I do harbor dreams of leading a utopian, post-apocalyptic society, which will require survivors of the finest ilk to realize.

I guess we'll just have to wait for Super Sunday to find out the answer to the most difficult equation since the one Matt Damon's character solved while mopping floors at MIT:

Mass quantities of alcohol + chicken wing shortage * most boring Super Bowl in recent memory = ____________

Until then, godspeed.
dk

Remember us, Mr. Bauer?

If the plight of Jack Bauer wasn't enough, here's some reinforcement for one of life's cardinal rules - don't mess with the Chinese government.

For your entertainment

What's the deal with prominent New Yorkers? First, Timothy Geitner - the man being entrusted with the U.S. Treasury Department - forgets to pay his taxes and runs into some legal issues with his hired help. Now, apparently, Caroline Kennedy - at least according to some sources - has run into the exact same problems.

Although, to be fair, I guess I shouldn't be one to throw stones.

And neither should this guy, apparently. That's just weird.

Or this guy. But I think we already knew that. Mr. Limbaugh is, indeed, more suited for being on the receiving end of such a transaction.



godspeed,
dk

Where do we go from here?

The words are coming out all weird ...

Aside from the unfortunate performance of Justice Roberts - or, as my editor affectionately calls him, "the little boy" - and CNN's exhausting, annoying broadcast of every single inaugural ball/dance, Tuesday pretty much lived up to the hype.

Millions on the Mall. A speech built to both seize the moment and echo through history. A lot of goosebumps, and a sense of deep pride that's hard to describe.

So what now?

Well, it looks like we'll finally be getting back to business diplomatically. The president has spoken frequently of his intention to engage the global community - particularly the Muslim world - and it would seem that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be the ground he chooses to make his first stand.

Ambitious? Undoubtedly. Smart? I think so.



There was at one point talk of a speech in Indonesia, which at first blush also seemed like a shrewd and potentially profitable move on President Obama's part. But the fact remains that the Palestinian situation is perhaps the most critical hot-button issue in the Middle East and Muslim world, the issue which more than any other breeds anti-American and anti-Western sentiment. To make a good faith effort at peace - especially in light of the recent conflict in Gaza, and in recognition of Israel's timing of the cease fire and withdrawal with the inauguration - is likely the most important measure the president could take both substantively and symbolically.

The stakes, of course, are extremely high, and the downside of failure immense. But what better time will the president have to capitalize on the incredible goodwill he is receiving both here and abroad? When will the world have a higher opinion of him? At what other point is the sheer force of his personality likely to hold such power in terms of diplomatic leverage?

In spite of the messianic hoopla surrounding Barack Obama, miracles are, of course, not in his repertoire. Peace in the Holy Land - the land of eternal conflict - is one tough nut to crack.

Pragmatism and inventive thinking, however, have been hallmarks of the president's career. Utilizing his current international standing to set in motion a new peace process in Israel and Palestine seems, to this observer, a prime example of both those virtues.

Onward and upward

In light of the history being made tomorrow (or later today), I thought this might be a valuable opportunity to chart a new course in my short and, thus far, inauspicious blogging career.

And so, I bring you The Bomb Dot Com, which I conceptualize as a news digest/sounding board for those who, for whatever misguided reason, may be interested in what I'm reading or what I have to say. Honestly, this is as much for me as anyone else (although I suppose that's true of most, if not all, blogs). Keeping active and informed is sometimes a challenge, and I'm hoping this will make those objectives easier.

I'll keep this introductory post short and sweet, and direct you to the links/news feed at the right side of the page. The links - under the header 'Light reading' - are a quick collection of some of the blogs/sites/etc. I tend to visit on a daily basis. The news feed - "As we speak" - features stories from Google News, using a few search terms I think are relevant (and which I plan to update as frequently as possible).

I'd recommend The Big Picture, a feature on the Globe Web site that has some pretty awesome photo collections for various events/subject areas. Here's a sample:



godspeed,
dk