Summer Scandals

First, it's about 70 degrees with 96% humidity. It feels like a swamp. I anticipate a lot of whining at VBS today.

Now, onto today's post. Right now, three major professional sports and one major international sporting event are rife with scandal. What is happening with today's athletes and officials?

First, in football, Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges related to an alleged dog-fighting enterprise that was being run on a property he owned in Georgia. Dog fighting, in case you aren't familiar with it, is where dogs are pitted against each other and fight to the death. It is a "sport" that has been around for centuries and is illegal in the US and much of the world. Vick carried a bible into federal court in Richmond, VA, apologized to his mother and seemed largely unfazed by the jeers from the large crowd.

In basketball, referee Tim Donaghy is alleged to have placed bets on basketball games, some of which he officiated. He is accused of allegedly making calls that would help the outcome of his bets. This is a man who makes over $200,000 each basketball season!

In baseball, Barry Bonds is close to breaking Hank Aaron's home run record but the allegations that he has boosted his performance by using steroids will forever put a blot on any of his achievements.

And finally, the Tour de France is filled with controversy this year. Yesterday, the man favored to win the race was sent home by his team after he was accused of giving the team incorrect information when he missed random drug tests. He told his team he was in Mexico but other riders report he was in Italy. In case you aren't following the race, Rasmussen is the 4th rider this year to face doping related issues. Italian Cristian Moreni and his entire team withdrew from the race. Alexandre Vinokourov was forced out along with members of his team after he tested positive for blood transfusions which are not allowed in cycling. And Patrick Sinkewitz tested positive for elevated testosterone levels. As allowed, he has asked for his "B" sample to be tested. Last year's winner, American Floyd Landis, still claims his innocence after he was accused of doping.

What is this all about? Money? Michael Vick signed a 10 year contract extension in 2004 worth $130 million. How much more money does he need?

Is it about the need to win? You may be able to cheat your way to victory and not get caught, but you still have to live with yourself, your family, your children and your fans. How does someone with controversy hanging over their head face that day in and day out? Is the moral fiber of humanity at risk? If you add the Paris Hilton's and Lindsay Lohan's of the world to this analysis you see the added dimension of a group of people who conduct themselves as if the rules and laws of society don't apply to them.

I find all these sports scandals to be terrible, but I'm not that surprised. How many children's sporting events have you attended where overzealous parents shout at kids from the sidelines? And have you ever had a conversation with your kid's teacher about how vicious some parents are to them when their kids get bad grades? It seems that there are some parents who have an unnatural need for their kids to be the best of the best. They seem willing to do anything to get that for them. We all want our children to see success in their lives. We don't want them to suffer the humiliation of failing grades because of missing assignments. We want them to make every team for which they try out. But messing up now and then isn't really a bad thing. Allowing a child to learn from their mistakes teaches them responsibility, humility and the value of hard work.

I hope the lesson of all the sports and entertainment scandals of this summer is that if you break the rules, you will get caught. Best to toe the line so you can wake up each day and be proud of the face you see in the mirror.

Are you an Obama Girl?

I join many, many other bloggers today with my views on the Obama Girl video. First, the tune, "I've got a crush on Obama," has now replaced all the vacation bible school songs in my head, so I'm a little thankful for that. Second, I thought it was hilarious!

Living in the DC metro area, you can't help but get wrapped up in the political scene. The Washington Post has a wide range of reporting on National politics, including lists of what Congressional committees are meeting each day, as well as who is dining where, and with whom. Of course, I heard reports on the video several weeks ago but I didn't watch it until last night and now I have to wonder what impact this video will have on the Presidential campaign. I can't find any comments from the Obama campaign on the video, but the reports are that it's so wildly popular that Youtube crashed when the video was first posted. As of this morning, over 2.7 million people have viewed the video.

Back in the 90's, a former pro wrestler named Jesse Ventura ran for governor of Minnesota and won. I lived in Minnesota at the time, and many people I knew who hadn't voted in an election ever before were fully behind Ventura. To them, he represented something new and different. They didn't care that his political experience was limited. His campaign slogan was "Don't Vote for Politics as Usual." He galvanized the disenfranchised and won the election, beating out Norm Coleman (now a US Senator.) He was only in office for one term and his main accomplishment was the light rail system that runs from the airport corridor to downtown Minneapolis.

I believe that Obama has the ability to appeal to people the same was Ventura did. He's a freshman senator so he isn't entrenched in the political machine the way his opponents are. He seems able to stand by his words, not back-peddling when he makes controversial statements (see MSNBC's First Read from yesterday for more on his remarks in the debate Monday. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/07/25/290301.aspx). I think if Obama keeps his message simple and takes up the Bill Clinton strategy of getting out to America and touching some hands he can win. He will appeal to the young voters, he will appeal to minorities and he will appeal to the impoverished. Obama Girl has spoken. I think people are listening and Barack Obama has a real chance to win the presidential election. Keep in mind, the queen of middle America has thrown her support behind Obama (that would be Oprah, in case you're that out of touch with pop culture). If Oprah can sell her audience on Obama, there's no way for him to lose.

Off to check on the sleeping child and get ready for VBS. Until we meet again, gentle readers...

Currents Events Wrap-Up

Not a terribly enticing title to get you, my faithful readers interested in today's offering, but I have a miserable cold and it's going to have to do. So much is happening in the world this week that I've decided to expand beyond my political ramblings to give you my opinion of other news items.

From the world of Entertainment - Lindsay Lohan restrained herself for a whole 5 days following her booking for an alcohol related incident in May and 11 days after leaving rehab. This poor child needs so much help. Wouldn't it be great if 21 year olds could go into foster care? Clearly this girl needs parents, and not the party companions she currently suffers with.

From Sports - Barry Bonds is close to breaking Hank Aaron's home run record, but will it mean the same thing? To many it won't. But isn't that thinking a little naive? Does anyone really believe that no one used performance enhancing drugs before? Gary Player even says that he believes performance enhancing drugs are being used in golf. Maybe the playing field should be evened out by giving steroids to all professional athletes.

Speaking of Naive, from Politics - Hillary Clinton calls Barak Obama naive for stating that he would meet with leaders of Iran, Cuba and North Korea. This type of diplomacy hearkens to her husband's days in the White House when Bill globe-trotted all over the place and people actually liked the US. I think the comment makes Clinton look, well, for lack of a better word, bitchy. Nancy Pelosi went to Syria in April. Following that meeting that was highly criticized by the White House, Condolleeza Rice went to Syria for the first high level talks in two years. I think it's time to get back to more open diplomacy? I support Obama's call for this openness. I think Clinton's comment is an early indicator that she is afraid of Obama. Watch out for more ugliness from her camp.

That's all for today, my faithful friends. Until tomorrow...

Fried Green Tomatoes and Other Summer Delicacies

My tomatoes are plentiful, but still very green. We're all growing impatient for them to ripen. My husband couldn't take it anymore so last night we made fried green tomatoes. Having grown up in the Midwest with no connection to the South, this is a dish I have no experience with, but it seemed simple enough. I didn't need to worry about letting the tomatoes warm to room temperature, as recommended in many recipes. They were coming right off the vine. I sliced them to about 1/4 inch in thickness, dipped them in milk and then in breadcrumbs. I fried them in peanut oil until they were brown on the outside and soft inside. Some people use cornmeal instead of breadcrumbs. Some make a cornmeal batter. It's a matter of family tradition and taste. The tomatoes were delicious. I would have taken a picture but they weren't very pretty. Some of the breading came off. I'll keep trying.

It's getting to be time to harvest the basil and make pesto. When both my boys were infants, I would put fruits and vegetables in a food processor and blend until they were smooth. Then I would freeze them in ice cube trays. At mealtime, I would plop a couple cubes in a bowl, microwave until they were thawed and serve them up to the waiting child. My "homemade" baby food was inexpensive and healthy. I think I'll freeze some of my pesto the same way so we can enjoy it this winter. I'll do the same thing with the chives. Of course, now I wish I had been more ambitious with my vegetables and herbs this summer.

We'll head back to the local picking farm for blueberries next week. For now, it's time to get ready for day 2 of VBS!

Will the Kids Keep Reading?

There is much discussion about whether or not, with the publication of the last in the Harry Potter series, if reading will now die for children? Some say there will never be another series of books that mesmerizes our children so much. They may truly believe that after this summer, kids will not read anymore. I disagree. There are kids that don't enjoy reading. My oldest son didn't really want to read for pleasure. He was required to read daily for 25 minutes for school and that was what he was willing to do. We checked out a wide variety of books from the library, fiction and non-fiction alike, trying to find the perfect book for him. Then one day, I told him my love for reading came from the way books gave me an escape. I said I loved how I could open a book and be in a completely different place and time. That did it. We checked "Dragon Rider" by Cornelia Funke out of the library and he felt what I felt. He is now hooked. What a relief! Now he reads willingly, sometimes sitting for hours so he can finish a book. The new Harry Potter awaits. He still needs to finish books 5 & 6 before he gets to it. He's very excited.

With such an anticipated ending, I'm a little afraid someone will blow it for us. I've told many people to keep the ending to themselves. I've avoided all reviews of the book because I'm sure some smug reviewer who didn't care for the book will happily spoil the ending. These are dangerous times we live in...

I succumbed to all the ads for Dunkin' Donuts Iced Coffee yesterday. My husband wanted a donut and I was thrilled. "Let's go to Dunkin' Donuts," I exclaimed happily. Off we went on our errands. First stop Target to try to get an inner tube for the Schwinn Sting Ray, among other things. Second stop. Dick's Sporting Goods for another try for the inner tube. Finally, to the donut shop. It was packed! There was a line about half way to the door. I had no idea. We made it to the front. I was confronted by choices. Did I want a flavored Iced Coffee? What kind of donuts? Are Boston creme the same as the Bavarian creme I was told to include in our order? Did it really make sense to only get 6 when 12 were a mere $2.50 more. Finally, my turn. I got one plain iced coffee and one vanilla spice, along with an assortment of donuts. I put in my straw and took that long awaited sip of what I hoped would be a spicy, creamy, cool treat. YUCK!!! It was so nasty! My husband took his plain one and came to the same conclusion. I couldn't let $4 go to waste so I tried the plain one. Not bad. Thankfully, the calorie and fat content wasn't too bad. A 16 ounce iced coffee with cream and sugar has 120 calories and 6 grams of fat. I may go back for another plain one, but I'll have to figure out how to do it without the kids. I don't need them to get hooked on donuts.

Vacation Bible School begins today. Should be fun. I am teaching 1st graders. In my very limited experience teaching Sunday school, I've learned it's better not to have your own kids.

Until tomorrow....