El Gaffney

Take It to the House, The White House

It’s hard not to be into the U.S. Presidential race this year. But with the Democratic primary ending a couple weekends ago (suspended not ended, right?) and the NBA Finals in full swing, I was not expecting last week to be a particularly political one. However, as I went through my feeds (horse, not elephant or donkey – okay, that was weak stuff), I found the most intriguing posts and articles were politics-related. And though this blog is not focused on this subject, it’s also not very focused, which affords me the opportunity to combine interests and pass on the stuff I find interesting.

That said, I was extremely delighted to see my buddy, Jake, back on the blogging horse (again, bipartisan horse) with his take on the Veep Selection. As he holds a degree in Philosophy from my alma mater (and mathematics for those counting – I can’t help myself) as well as has lineage in Congress (my father’s father was a mechanic…), I always like to get his perspective in this area. And his thoughts on whom each candidate should choose for the VP position are definitely worth the read.

Out of respect to Tim Russert—did anyone else watch the Remembering show this weekend? So moving—, I wanted to keep the intersection of politics and immaturity to a minimum last Friday. Though the mourning period isn’t over, I did want to pass on these things that made me cringe before they are too out of date:
1. This fake McCain and Montag correspondence.
2. This real Fox headline.

Finally, for anyone who hasn’t seen Obama’s Fight the Smears yet, take a look. There’s a reason he keeps getting positive articles written about his web strategy. Tools like this one, which to paraphrase BFFB re-frame the conversation (smears, not claims) and allow you to spend more time having the conversations that matter to the American public.

Tags: america, obama

Peace Out 2007, USA, and Friendster

I’m leaving in a few minutes for Peru and will see you all in 2008. But I did a little clean up before leaving…

I can’t imagine how frustrating receiving this form must be.

Happy holidays and an early happy New Year!

Tags: america, friendster, travel

Tennis Anyone?

In the midst of college football’s most important pre-bowl games, college basketball starting to heat up, weekly NFL excitement, post-Euro 2008 qualifiers, and even some solid NBA action, not much attention has, or will I imagine, be given to tennis. I wish that was not the case, especially with this awesome news…
The United States has won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1995 (12 years is the longest span without a title) at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR (which is the first time the U.S. has hosted since 1992). Yes, that was a run-on sentence, but I figured if I didn’t know the historical stats before reading the article, odds are you won’t either. And for anyone who wants to learn more—like that the Davis Cup was conceived by 4 Harvard students in 1899 and was first played in 1900 against Great Britain—check out the Wikipedia entry. One last sentence of info: It is a 16-team/country tournament put on by the ITF (International Tennis Federation), and the U.S. beat the Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden, and then Russia (in that order) to take the title.

So congratulations to Patrick McEnroe (captain), Roddick, Blake, the Bryan Brothers, whom (as a doubles player myself) I believe are the most fun players to watch in the world. Watching Bob Bryan, a lefty, serve 4 straight aces in a game at the Open this year was one of the most ridiculous sports feats I’ve witnessed in person. (There should be a name for that, but I don’t think there is. Anyone? What’s the opposite of the golden sombrero.) He was also the model for American Express’ serve analysis that they offered for free in Bryant Park.

I’ve always been a fan of doubles. I’ve enjoyed playing it mostly for the strategic aspect (as well as the fact that it allowed me to more easily hide my appalling backhand). And I’ve enjoyed watching the strategy that great teams employ (as well as the speed of net play and the energy that comes from having a partner with whom to celebrate – just look at the Bryans’ patented chest bump). I’ve also always been a fan of team sports, so making this individualistic sport a team one for this tournament has always been appealing…even if I can never find it on T.V. And finally, I like an international competition…even it’s no World Cup. Even as an accomplished singles player, Andy Roddick has talked about how this tournament holds the most importance to him for this reason. And that’s the main reason I’ve always supported him. He cares as much about growing the sport of tennis in the U.S. as anyone in the USTA., and he acknowledges he can’t do it alone.

Anyway, I’m pumped so I posted. As Mike Bryan put it, “No words can explain how we feel right now, except Woooooooo!” The energy around this event is really good for the sport, and if I ran the USTA, I’d work more closely with the ITF, invest more in getting it on air and making people aware of it, and link it closer to their youth tennis initiatives. Yes, I know there is a significant challenge in that it takes almost a full year to complete (first round in Feb and just finished now). However, as a planner this is a challenge I’d love to take on…with a team!

Tags: america, daviscup, tennis

Flight Of America…Uh!

Is this type of comedy on a 3-year trend cycle? By this I mean the unapologetically silly, uncompromisingly dry, and undoubtedly genius sense of humor captured in and brought to the masses by Napoleon Dynamite.

Here are two examples of Sophisticated Stupidity or SS comedy:

1. FOTC (A clip of Flight Of The Conchords, not from the HBO show – I think funnier.)

2. GW (A clip of George Washington showing us what patriotism really means – created last year but gained momentum this Independence Day.)

SS comedy may also be more subtle and a bit stuffy. It feels insidery and when it gets too mass, its finders move on to deciding what else is funny. Perhaps Larry the Cable Guy + crew was the Napoleon reaction. If these two from New Zealand blow up, can we expect Asia’s Jack Black will be here soon. I think I could dedicate some serious time to comparing Tenacious D and FOTC, but have to work. Plus, there’s a geographic inside-out, outside-in dynamic to the flow of comedy (dare I say cool comedy) I haven’t quite figured out yet with fireworks still blaring in my ears and spotting my sight.

Tags: america, comedy, hbo

U.S. Soccer Needs A Doctor

With the United States’ disappointing World Cup performance, I’m worried about the MLS. It’s been struggling since 2002 when interest peaked due to our run to the quarterfinals, and was thus in need of some surgery, shock, resuscitation. MLS and U.S. performance aside though, I was most unpleasantly surprised by the lack of American fans. But now I realize that maybe I shouldn’t have been… Simpson’s World Cup

I guess it’s just as Daryl Jenkins (played by Eriq LaSalle in Coming To America) said: “Personally, I don’t like any sport where you can’t use your hands.”

Let Your Soul Glo

Tags: america, movies, soccer, worldcup