Celebrity Exile: The liberation from stupidity

You can't avoid them. They peer at you from the grocery store check out line. They self pontificate on TV. They are ubiquitous. And you wonder how the heck they ever got the attention and how the heck can we rid ourselves of them. They are the lot of celebrity leeches that do not seem to have any real skills other then an uncanny knack for finding a camera. You don't mind hearing about Brad Pitt, Bono, or Obama on TV....they have actual talent. But these guys? I'd like to wrap these people up in a big ball and drop them off on the farthest reaches of Sakha or somewhere equally remote.

Here are the first people I'd like to wad up....

• That Montag couple- The only time that I ever hear about these two is when TMZ is on, not a good sign. So, evidently they are celebrities because they live in the right place, look pretty, and are willing to debase themselves as long as it's on film. They embody the vacuous celebrity culture that is so many people love to gawk at.
  
• Octomom/Plus 8 Jon and Kate- Unlike the Montags, at least these guys have something worth parading in front of the TV...their kids. Any parent who depends on their children for their livelihood or sense of self worth is no parent indeed. I don't think they mind that we are laughing at them so long as our laughter and attention leads to their checking account.
  
• Al Sharpton- I'm sure that many years ago this man was a great crusader for the oppressed now the only thing he seems to be crusading for is another interview with anyone with a camera. The great irony is that he has probably done more to strain race relations then anyone of the last couple of decades.
  
• Keith Olbherman/Sean Hannity- We are a very divided country at the moment and a big reason for the divide are the demagogues of hate like the two mentioned above. Hey guys, I'm more interested in solutions then in for reasons why the other guys are stupid.
• Nancy Pelosi- Here is someone clearly blinded by the shine of power. She and her leadership have taken an already unpopular congress and put it in the basement of American opinion. I think she is more enamored with her own personal airtime than actually trying to forge a workable solution for the Union.
  

US Soccer: Still not ready for primetime?

Coming off the heels of the stunning win over Spain and the Confederations Cup, US Soccer looked poise to grab the attention of the average American fan. You see our sports hours are already spread pretty thin between the major sports such as Football, Basketball, Baseball, and even Hockey. The victory marked one of the rare occasions that Soccer trumped these sports in the headlines.

Granted the tournament was played when basketball and football are on break and baseball is in the middle of the summer swoon but irregardless it was the number one news story. The average Joe was captivated by the play and his allegiance was ready for the taking. His attention was ripe for US Soccer to pick and to add to their small but growing fan base. The Gold Cup was the next event but that would feature the B Team as little was at stake. All eyes were drawn to the big match up with hated rival Mexico down in Mexico City on August 12th. Sports radio and even ESPN took notice of the import of this game and we prepared to do battle with an increased and attentive audience.

And then the predictable happened....

Just when it seemed that US Soccer was poised to turn the corner it was discovered that the game would not be televised on any of the major television stations. The new and growing audience will have no where decent to turn to watch this game. The US Soccer team could win the game but it will do so without the support of the millions of tepid fans that were beginning to warm up to the program. We will have the option of watching it online or on one of the Spanish language stations but how many casual fans will go to the effort?

So instead of gathering the friends together for pizza and intense soccer we will probably watch preseason football or catch up on a pennant race. The game might be great but it will probably only be watched by the same meager crowd that has staunchly supported this team despite of general apathy nationwide. A huge opportunity squandered by whoever is supposed to be bring US Soccer to the mainstream.

Maybe we still aren't ready for the nationwide debut. The performance today against Mexico might prove so. We are in the final in New York and our bleached blond squad got manhandled by the Tri. Our stadium was dominated by Red, White, and Green not Red, White, and Blue. Just further evidence that soccer has a long ways to go before we can really capture the imagination and attention of the US.

Change isn't going to happen over night. Eventually we will warm up to this sport. But US Soccer squandered a big opportunity to turn up the heat by not insuring that the big US-Mexico match was in easy reach of a huge audience that was prepared to give it a closer look. Until they get more assertive with their promotion of the sport it will continue to languish along the fringes with the likes of bowling, curling, and fencing. Badminton, anyone?

Goldman Sucks?

The news and our neighborhoods continue to be littered with stories of unemployment, foreclosure, and uncertainty. So it came came as complete surprise when I recently read about Goldman Sachs having an incredible quarter and being poised to pay its employees $18 billion in bonuses and other compensation. Wait???? Weren't banks and speculators primary players in the recent crash? What???? Weren't these same banks and speculators the same people who were reeling and receiving government TARP funds just a few short months ago?

On the surface this seems downright evil.....evil in a greedy villain from a James Bond movie sort of way. And after reading this extraordinary piece by Matt Taibbi in the Rolling Stone my populist impulses were directing me to the nearest hardware store for a pitchfork and torch. Now I normally don't buy into this leftist crap and I normally don't buy into conspiracy theories involving uber powerful greedy, global cabals but the article was so detailed and researched.

These accusations were so incredible that you would think that, if true, they would strike a powerful chord within the American mainstream and that we could demand real change. I started with the Goldman Annual report from 2008 in search of answers. I see wild swings in profitability and cash and it all looks odd. I read more pieces from the New York Times and CNN and my blood really starts to boil. I delve deeper by reading the blog of a man who is trying to shed some public light on their deeds and who Goldman is trying to shut down. I read some counter pieces that defend Goldman from being behind the creation of the bubbles (Tech, Mortgage, Commodities, and soon- Environmental caps) but don't do much in making a defense against the claim that they deliberately profited from the expansion and destruction of those bubbles.

This is going to take a few days to really get my head around. Is this evidence of unbridled greed that needs to be reigned in for the sake of the better overall good? Is this evidence that capitalism is working again? Is it both? I plan to read arguments on both sides.

In the meantime here is what I don't understand. These bankers don't necessarily create value, they throw money behind the people who do. They're not building sky scrapers, they're not creating new innovative products, they are not growing the crops that feed our families. They just seem to gain insane profits by profiting from those who do. These investment banks don't do anything other then control the flow of vast amounts of capital and the levers on which money moves. They create fancy derivatives and securities that profit off of the comings and goings of real tangible value.

And they create incredible wealth and power for themselves. I remember at BYU when it came time for the Career Fair. The biggest lines were always for the investment banks and consulting firms. Like the pied piper they would lure away throngs of smart and ambitious grads with stories of untold wealth. There was a mention of 80 hour work weeks and the fact that you would sacrifice your first 5 or 8 years for the benefit of your career. But once you paid your dues you would have enough money to buy a golden chariot for you and your family....given that your family was still in tact after 8 years of spending every waking hour with the bank and not many moments with them.

Do I seem pretty biased at the moment? Yes. Can that change? Yes. I'm all for free markets and capitalism. But right now my gut is telling me that what some of these banks have been doing these past several years doesn't jibe with the brand of capitalism that made America the force that it once was. My head is telling me that the environment that they fostered did more to destroy value within our economy then to create it.

Time and research will tell. But in the meantime this has the makings of an incredible conspiracy theory.

California and Karma

We just returned from another great weekend visiting Jodi's family in San Diego and the OC. It got me thinking that these folks and their fancy beaches and great weather have it too easy. But then I remembered the horrible malaise that this state is in and I felt a little better. Karma has its own special way of sorting things out and making things equal.

California is a great big giant stew that mixes in the best and worst of humanity. The cost of living is insane and the government has become insane in the way that it has run the state and its budget. But then the Beach Boys music starts to play and you are whisked away in visions of California Cuisine ocean side and served at dusk. This strange duality has inspired me to create a top 5/ low 5 list of the best and worst of the Golden State.

Top 5

1. Ground zero for the great and entertaining struggle between the salacious hordes of paparazzi and the privacy of the idiots that we have anointed as our celebrities.
2. Incredible coastline that spans the whole state and features some of the most mild and attractive weather this side of Kolob. (I'm assuming that Kolob has pretty sweet weather)
3. A veritable potpourri of sites, sounds, and attractions for every taste.
4. Its great history of being a breeding ground for some of the great innovations, cultural and otherwise, of the "American Century".
5. Disneyland.
   

Low 5

1. See #1 in "Top 5"
2. The absolute demolition of the middle class at the hands of special interests, excessively high cost of living, and declining public education.
3. Something needs to be said about a populace that elects Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, and Arnold. You guys want competent people running your government, right? This place is a great place for shouting idealogues.
   
4. Its sordid history of being a breeding ground for some of the worst innovations, cultural and otherwise, of the "American Century" and the present.
   
5. Its ridicously superficial relationship with the Lakers.