From the Good Idea Department

Chuck Klosterman is a talented writer, and he has a great idea about how we can fix USA Basketball. It involves forming a squad dedicated to international play.

Take a look.

Snider in the News

I am a big fan of Eric Snider, and have been reading him since 1997, when he was a writer for the Daily Universe (mentioned in derision below). He has a great website and has been named a top undiscovered website by PC Magazine.

It is worth checking out. There are other good sites on the list too.

Profiles in Mediocrity

On occasion I visit the website of the Daily Universe, the newspaper of Brigham Young University. BYU is a great school, but the Daily Universe is not great. I enjoyed mocking the paper as a student, and almost without fail I find plenty to mock these days too.

Today was no exception, as the death of the Crocodile Hunter gave them a chance to expose their ignorance. For the full effect you need to read the editorial, but among the problems in the piece is the characterization of Timothy Treadwell as "one of the world's foremost authorities on wildlife." Treadwell was an enthusiastic advocate for wildlife, but an idiotic one. This demonstrates poor research on their part.

There's more to complain about, but its too late for that right now. Read it and see.

Awesome and Inexplicable

There is no way this video could ever be made today, and that's a shame, because it is AWESOME. Guaranteed to make you smile.

YouTube also has the more common variation of the song, during a funny scene on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Inspiring

I just heard a truly inspiring story, about a man name Jim McLaren. He was the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage award at the 2005 ESPY's, and with good reason.

His website has a short but excellent video of what he has dealt with in his life, and he is a tremendous example of endurance.

Check it out.

Some news is bad news

More trouble for London-based news agency Reuters. They have employed a reporter known to have a relationship with communist news outlets to report on a communist state.

Another blow to the illusion (mostly destroyed) of objectivism in the media. See NewsBusters for the scoop and complete rundown.

Mexico

The Spanish-speaking world has long been plagued by ineffective government. It is no surprise that much of that impotence has been a result of undemocratic and/or socialist policies. It has been gratifying to see the success of conservative candidates in Latin America, many on the basis of pro-democracy (Colombia) or pro-capitalism (Peru and Mexico) platforms.

Michael Barone has a nice piece on his blog about the status of affairs in Mexico since the contested victory of Calderon over the leftist Obrador Lopez. Since the election Calderon's support has actually increased, and he is now left with a great opportunity to put Mexico on better footing by supporting better policies on issues like immigration, as well as building on Fox's good decisions.

Cuba's role in the Drug War

When you take a moment to think about it, nothing in this article is surprising. Cuba holds a strategic geographical advantage for drug smugglers. Castro hates America. Drugs hurt America, therefore Castro (Fidel or Raul, doesn't really matter) helped facilitate the passage of drugs into America. Pretty cut and dry.

Nor is it surprising that the Clinton Justice Department prevented Federal attorneys in Miami from making a case against Raul Castro. It is another example of Clintonite excellence.

News

According the Cuban state officials, Castro is up and about. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'd much rather have him dead and gone.

Otra vez con Fidel

The left in this country, as well abroad, has a truly terrible record of support for Fidel Castro. This OpinionJournal piece explains how this has manifested over the last 40 years.

Fidel

I can't believe I haven't addressed this yet, but my trip to California and subsequent work has left me little time for blogging. Better late than never I guess.

I wanted to comment on two pieces, but first an introduction. Just so everyone knows, my mother is Cuban, having fled the country with her family shortly after the Bay of Pigs. I often spent time as a boy doodling battles between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. I think my anti-Communist credentials are pretty sound. As you can imagine, I have no love for Fidel. I would not consider his assasination immoral- it would be justice.

First a hopeful look at Raul, Fidel's brother and temporary(?) successor, from the WSJ.

I don't know that I agree with their assessment of Raul as reformer. I don't think he is that interested in helping the Cuban people in any material way. He has been known as Fidel's enforcer and their is blood on his hands. Perhaps he has moderated.

Peggy Noonan weighs in (with solid anti-commie credentials as well). Her position is to use this moment of transition to engage Cuba economically by removing the 40+ year trade embargo. I am no fan of the embargo. I feel it has long outlived its usefulness and welcome its removal. However, it is not a quick and easy solution.

As some pundits have mentioned (snippet found here) free exchange between Cuba and the U.S. will depend on Cuba's participation. Raul need not allow it. He might use it to shove the gesture right back in our faces. Nonetheless, sustaining the useless embargo would be worse.

As for my part, I do suspect Castro is dead or very close to it. Good riddance.

Whatzupwitdis?

This is a thoroughly hilarious video by Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson. It is hard to tell if they are singing to each other or someone else.

If I was Eddie Murphy I would curse the day YouTube was created.

Tiger copies my swing!

Just kidding, but check out this new Tiger Woods video. It shows Tiger's swing in extreme slow motion, filmed by a Phantom v5 digital camera which is usually used to film military defense systems. I found it on http://www.nikegolf.com/swingportrait. If you go there you can see Tiger's swing from several different angles and interact with the video. Pretty sweet.

This one's for Matty Matt

I love watching PTI on ESPN, and their most consistent sponsor is Red Stripe Beer. I am not a drinker, and don't like what it does to a lot of people, but I love this commercial, and dedicate it to Matt Nielsen, my favorite foot doctor.

A Hot Cup of Hoffee

I thought it worthwhile to continue the Hasslehoff tribute with this number, and it is a winner!

I guess them foreigners love it.

Chest Hair Extraordinaire

Since the Spanish Phrase of the Day is a big fan of many things foreign, I thought it would be appropriate to share this excellent bit of singing from Domestic Dud/Foreign Sensation David Hasselhoff.

His singing career never took off here, but I am glad that the internet brings us opportunities to appreciate the wealth enjoyed by our brothers overseas.

Question: Does he know how silly he looks? Does he do it on purpose? I really don't know.

I love this commercial

I saw this ad a few months ago while watching an episode of 24 and it really cracked me up. I think a part of it is the really cool song that I also love.

Anyway, this is the extended version of the song, and I still like it today.

Buenas Elecciones

This has been a good season for elections in Latin America, as conservative candidates have prevailed in Mexico, Colombia, and Peru. Their opposition was more than liberal, often standing as unabashed socialists or at the very least opposed to free-market principles. In Mexico the battle continues.

Mary Anastasia O'Grady edits the weekly 'Americas' column for the WSJ. She wrote an excellent column in Wednesday's paper about the outcome of the Mexican presidential election and the attempt by the leftist Obrador Lopez to contest the result. It seems that he will be unsuccessful, and based on his apparent lack of self-discipline that is a good thing.

Feliz Dia de la Independencia

Independence Day is a great time to express gratitude for our freedom. There are many people who have sacrificed to provide it. As our servicemen and women work in Iraq and Afghanistan to provide freedom to others, we should remember that there are others who have yet to gain freedom. I think that freedom is a human right, and those that have it have a responsibility to bring it to others.

Remember Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, and anywhere else where individual rights are kept from the people. Happy Independence Day.

Superman Returns

I wanted to take a minute and comment on Superman Returns. Lacy and I saw it on Friday. For a review that I agreed with and that follows my sentiments for the film, read Eric Snider's review and pre-weekend roundup.

We liked the movie (I did more than Lacy). I found Brandon Routh's performance very good for the role. Superman should relay a decency and earnestness. I thought he accomplished that. He comes off as a likeable person, and I think Routh is why. The comparisons to Christopher Reeve are appropriate, as the movie is a spiritual sequel. In some ways it is far superior to the original two films. Now I want to write a few other things, and if you haven't seen the movie and plan to, I'd advise you to stop reading.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I am not in the habit of revealing movie secrets. That's why my reviews are usually so short. It is usually enough to say that I enjoyed it or didn't. I enjoyed Superman Returns and will tell you why.

This movie was about Superman and his desire to connect with others. It wasn't about the action as much as his return to Earth and search for someone to attach himself to that is more like him. We love Batman because he is a regular guy that becomes a superhero. We love Superman because he is an outcast. He IS Clark Kent, who we can identify with, but he is also Superman. Because Superman is everyone's friend, we feel like he could be our friend too.

I thought the presence of the child was critical to the film. It provided its most touching scene, where Superman enters his son's room and talks to him as a father. I don't know if becoming a father makes a scene like that more special, but it had a big impact for me. I was disappointed that so many critics alluded to the possibility of Superman having a child in their reviews. I thought it was a plot point best left the audience viewing.

In my opinion, that scene is THE key scene of the film.