is a collection of daily posts that peruses all aspects of life. Most of the focus is on environmental sustainability, the island nation of Dominica, Baton Rouge, LA, and the random things that is life.
Using the guiding principal of living everyday to the fullest, this blog will hopefully entice you to come back for your 'Daily Dose'
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy!
Unbelievable! I have watched a redic amount of Olympics on TV thus far, and today was not an exception. I wish I could have seen a better variety of events, but so far not a bad total. *Swimming *Gymnastics *Sculls (Rowing) *Volleyball *Beach Volleyball *Road Bike Racing *Basketball *Fencing
But tonight's Mens 4X100m freestyle relay was simply amazing. Plus, I have a total dude crush on the American mens team, I wish I could look like that when I yell haha. Jason Lezak raced an amazing anchor leg to come back from over a half second at the turn to take gold for the American's. It was sweet redemtion, as the French, the favorites, had a bit of trash talking before the event. If you talk trash, be sure you can back it up! To think, the Olympics have been this exciting so far, and the best is yet to come...track and field (in my opinion)
Simply put...the 29th Olympiad has begun, and China started it off with an amazing bang! Lets have some amazing games and I am pumped! I am biased, but USA, USA, USA! Hopefully my foreign readers are not offended:-)
Its only one week till the official opening of the Summer Olympic games...who's not excited! The athletes should start showing up in the Olympic Village in the next couple of days and the excitement will be awesome! Today, August 1st, was the opening day of the controversial 1936 Berlin Games. Hopefully these games will go smoothly but also bring awareness to China, in whatever manner floats ones boat: pollution, lax manufacturing standards, Tibet, Darfur.
Amputee Denied Olympic Dream Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee from South Africa will not be competing in Beijing after failing to reach the required A standard time and was not invited to the 4x400m relay. This particular topic has been one of mixed emotions for me and in a sense its a relief and a disappointment that Pistorius did not make the Olympics.
I am relieved because one of the biggest negatives of NBC's Olympic coverage is their over-the-top in depth personal stories that they fill in between starts of the 100m dash. I do not mind them, but a lot of times they go over the top and it gets old. I would rather see more of the athletes competing than standing around posing for their personal interest stories. We know, that if Pistorius had made the Olympics they would have talked about his struggles (which are legit) and the controversy surrounding the use of his carbon-fiber blades. Personaly I could do with out...
I am mixed, because it is hard to quantify the advantage Pistorius gets from his blades. There is, in my opinion (which doesn't mean much) an advantage from a material standpoint as the blades will return a significant amount of energy, but since Pistorius has been a double amputee for almost his entire life, there is simply no way to quantify his advantage. Either way, at least for Beijing, the dispute has been settled where it should have been...on the track. Accourding to Pistorius's agent, he had a slower time than the top 6 South African 400m runners times, therefore not deserving a place on the team. This case is far from over however and it will soon be back before us as London 2012 nears closer. Only 16 more day!!!
400m Olympic Trials Surprise Its almost that wonderful time of year when the smell of gunpowder fills the air! I'm talking fireworks, and I am really excited to try and catch the great fireworks show on The Mall here in D2theC. But, the excitement of the day/night was on the track in Eugene, where Merritt upset Wariner in the 400m Olympic Trials final.
Wariner is the reigning World and Olympic champion, but the prodigy who's agent just happens to be the real superman, Michael Johnson, was handed his krypotnite in the form of Merritt. Granted, its just the trials, but hopefully the electricity from this race will lead straight to Beijing!
Christian Smith...from the Land of Oz The Olympic trials just keep getting better and better. One of my personal favorite events is the 800m run. Nick Symmonds and Andrew Wheating, qualified in less dramatic finish, but the coveted third spot went to Christian Smith as he literally dove at the finish line to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in the men's 800 meters.
Click the link above to get NBC's telecast of the whole race, it will only take a few minutes of your time. I raced against Christians older brother in HS, as they are both from a small Kansas town. Long ways from home, but an amazing feat! I know who I will be rooting for in Beijing! Video below is from a spectators view of the race...absolutely epic!
What dreams are made of... I have lacked in Olympic information for quiet awhile. The furor over the torch has taken a back seat to the humanitarian efforts for those affected by the earthquake in China. But this weekend the attention will be turned back the track, at least here in the U.S., as the US Olympic trials begin at historic Hayward Field, in Eugene, OR.
The distance events, which I am the most fond of, should set the stage for some fun races. The 800m will see the revival of the hottest duel on the track between Khadevis Robinson and Nick Symmonds. The 1500m will bring old and new together again. Naturalized Bernard Legat will try to defend his title against one of the fastest in the world, and the American Record holder at the distance, Alan Webb. Webb has a bad habit of struggling when it matters most, so an interesting race to be had there.
Legat will also run in the 5000m, the other race he won in his historic 1500-5000 double at the world championships last year in Osaka, Japan. He has the best time for an American this year at 13:16. Matt Tegenkamp and Adam Goucher will be big names to look for in this race as well. Should be a good next couple of weeks for us track fans out there. You can see the event schedule by clicking this link.
Lets just hope that the TV coverage for these events will not be limited to just the 100m dash. I am not holding my breath though, as we all know that the 100m will get 20 minutes of coverage and ALL other events will get the remaining 5 minutes in the allocated 30 minutes of coverage for the sport. Cheers!
Asafa Powell out till June Another track and field let down for the short term. World 100m record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica will miss most of this summers early races because of a pulled pectoral muscle. Sprinters are an interesting group, and you can see my take on it here, in which I talk about the retirement of Maurice Greene. Asafa Powell has been plagued with injuries of late, but has had a couple of really great runs.
Powell first lowered the world record to 9.77 seconds a few years back and last year broke it again at 9.74. However in the world championships he had his rear handed to him by U.S. Sprinter Tyson Gay. Marquee races between the two have not happened since Osaka last summer and it appears that both Gay and Powell are making sure that Beijing has a great 100m build up. There is no doubt that NBC will broadcast Gay's and Powell's every move up to the point of the pair getting into the blocks in the finals, and in a piece of made-for-tv greatness, the action will break to a commercial. The worlds shortest spectacle gets the greatest amount of coverage of track and field.
If Americans can watch 300 laps of NASCAR, surely coverage of a distance event like steeplechase is of equal value. Just as most of those who watch NASCAR to see wrecks, much more painful wrecks have occurred recently in the steeplechase. See picture at right...
Remember as life hands you hurdles be sure to jump, its not nearly as painful as running into them;-)
Asafa Powell Breaking World 100m Record
You seriously have to love foreign announcers. I have NO clue what the guy in the video is saying but I'm excited. For what...I don't know but man, such passion.
Olympic Trials Today was the 2008 Womens Olympic Trials held in Boston, MA. Now normally, don't hate ladies, I would not pay much attention to the womens trials. Yes, the Olympics, but not the trials. This changed this year as a friend of the running club I frequent here in "The Rouge" was running in the trials. This morning, at "Ellis Island" the Boston "T" party was had, which included fresh blueberry and walnut pancakes, various fruits, breakfast casseroles, and of course OJ, milk, coffee and champagne.
Turena Johnson Lane ran a great race and ran a personal best for the marathon at 2:34:17 and came in at 6th place. A great showing indeed, especially considering the interesting race tactics that were had by several of the competitors. It was a great get together and we are all proud of how well Turena ran and represented the US and "The Rouge" Geaux Turena! Watch the video below, you'll see Turena at the 37-38 second mark and also her finish at the 1:15 minute mark. Brief but sweet :-)
Deena Kastor, the pre-race favorite, battled back from being over two minutes down to beat Magdalena Lewy Boulet who led the race from nearly the beginning. Kastor holds the U.S. marathon record at 2:19:36 and her experience and strength showed in the later miles. Averaging close to 5:30 miles for the last 12 miles, Kastor caught Boulet at mile 23 and never looked back. Don't forget, tomorrow is the real Boston Marathon. Good luck to everyone! Cheers!
Yankee sticks it to the Brits... That is the headline I anticipated to be had in every American news website this evening, but to no avail. There is nothing, zip, zilch, nada. Instead it was coverage of the Masters, NBA, and baseball. The only coverage this years London Marathon was, as you guessed it, foreign media outlets. So, as has happened more times than not over the past couple of decades, a up and coming American distance runner is unknown in his home country...
Ryan Hall is a young runner from Big Bear (California) that already has his ticket punched for this years Beijing Olympics. Hall won the mens Olympics trials late last year in New Yorks Central Park. You may have heard about this particular race because Halls friend, Ryan Shay died due to complications of an enlarged heart at around mile 5. Hall is making his name known in the sport, and he is truly a newbie to the sport, as the London Marathon was only his third marathon ever.
Hall placed 5th in todays London Marathon, a feat that is truly remarkable given the talent in the field. What makes it more remarkable is he ran 2:06:17, the fastest time ever by an American born runner, the third fastest marathon ever by an American, and the 18th fastest marathon EVER. He also holds the American record for the half marathon, set last year, at 59:43. The American record in the marathon is held by Moroccan born Khalid Khannouchi, who set a then world record time of 2:05:38 in London a few years back. The world record has since been broken and Khannouchi's London Marathon course record was broken today by Kenyan Martin Zel, at 2:05:15, who won the race for the third time in four years.
I expected more response from Halls host country, but then again we (American's) only really ever pay attention to running/track and field when the big spotlights are one...the Olympics. Lucky for Hall, his time to shine will soon be here and hopefully more than just the international media will pick up on how great of a runner this guy really is. I guess this post qualifies as my Sunday rant. :-) Hope everyone had a great weekend. Cheers!
Torch Carbon Foot Print I discussed yesterday about the protests surrounding the Olympic torch and its relay around the world. Which got me thinking about the torch itself, who designed it, whats it made of, and how does it get from country to country? And, courtesy of GreenDaily, what is the environmental impact this torch relay? Well your answers and mine, are about to be had!
Lenovo, yes the computer company, designed the torch for the 2008 games, while the flame element was designed by the Chinese aerospace industries. It is cast out of aluminum, stands 28.35 inches tall (72 cm) and weighs slightly more than two pounds (985 kg). Traditional Chinese artistry adorns the torch, which resembles traditional scrolls . The flame element is able to stay lit in winds of up to ~40 mph (65 kph) and in rains of approximately two inches an hour (50 mm/hour). The 'green' side of the torch is that the materials are recyclable and the propane fuel meets environmental requirements. Makes for a beautiful torch, but what about environmental beauty?
The torch relay is the longest in history, with the IOC stating that the journey will span nearly 85,000 miles. The flame, when not being carried by relay members or being doused by fire-extinguisher wielding protesters, travels on a custom Airbus A330, the Journey of Harmony, complete with custom paint job. The A330, according to Wired, the A330 burns through 5.3 gallons of fuel PER mile. Talk about crappy mpg! Earthlab calculates that for the entire trip, the A330 will use ~462,000 gallons of jet fuel, netting around 5,500 TONS of CO2.
If you add this, plus the huge investments of energy and raw materials to build the new Olympic facilities, you wonder if the Olympics are really worth it from an environmental standpoint? Why are we awarding countries that do not have facilities prior to the games? Why do knew ones have to be built? Why, like in Atlanta in 1996, do the facilities get torn down after the games? There are already several world class facilities already available, why not award only those cities to chance to host the games? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, I think the IOC could use a lesson in the basic three. I'm still excited for the games...119 Days!
Olympic Torch I have resisted the urge to write about the protests surrounding the Olympic torch relay around the world, but figured I would briefly weigh in on it. I am excited about the Olympics, as can be seen here, here, and here, where the greatest athletic spectacle held, pits each nations greatest against one another.
This years torch relay has been mired in controversy and protests, which have began, though not entirely, with the way that China handled a Tibetan protest last month which coincided with the beginning of the torches relay. The protests have gotten louder and more pronounced, more issues have come to forefront that each protesting group is trying to raise awareness to; Tibetan autonomy, human and civil rights issues, freedom of speech, the Taiwan issue, and China's response to various African conflicts. There is even talk of boycotting the games...what is all of this?
The Olympics embrace the principles of bringing people, cultures, and countries together to showcase each of their best athletes abilities. It is supposed to promote peace and unity. I support the protests of this years Olympic games in so much as it peacefully raises awareness of the wrongs that have been done by China. If the Chinese people feel that these protests are against them, the possibility of a backlash against the west is plausible, though remote. This would be expected of any country who feels that they are being personally attacked by another
The Chinese are immensely proud of these Olympic games and are truly trying to put their best face forward to show the world how much they have come into modernization. Of course there will be skeletons in the closet, but what country does not? Lets make progress and stop hashing the past, it is gone, done, forget and move on, its what we're supposed to do. Now, only 120 days to go! Wahoo!
First Test Drive Its that time in life in which I need to upgrade the car. The current baby is starting to nickle and dime me every now and then and I should move to something a little more reliable before I am stranded with an expensive hunk of metal.
My tastes are for somethingthat has good gas mileage small, somewhat sporty, and has a nice look. Features are not all that important, but , sunroof, and a manual are a must. These criteria, I have found, limits me drastically in the types of car that appeal to me and are within my price range. All of the cars in my top 5 list are European, which is sad. Our "Big 3" just make ugly small cars that look and (probably) feel cheap, something I do not want. The one car that is "American" on my list is the Saturn Astra, and its even made in Europe. Oh well, its a global economy out there anyway.
I have been walking car lots on Sundays to try and get a feel for what is available, price ranges, and overall physical look. You can only learn so much by doing research online. I have not, however, had the guts to go and test drive a new car. This whole process is new, uncharted territory, but you just got to do it. So today, I drove the Mini pictured above (autotrader.com) and had a blast. I was afraid the Mini would feel small, but it was a lot better ride than I had hoped. I'm hooked. Now, all I need to do is find the one I really want. Wish me luck. If you have a Mini for sale, let me know, I might just be interested!
Webb Struggles In NYC Last weekend was the United States 8k Championship that took place in New York City's Central Park. In the men's division, the race was stacked with the likes of Olympic hopefuls Alan Webb, Jorge Torres, and Andrew Carlson. It was supposed to be a battle between the distance guy (Torres) and the miler (Webb). Unfortunately Webb had to battle food poisoning and ended up finishing a dismal 15th.
This will come across as critical of someone with far superior talent than I have, but Webb always seems to come up short when the moment counts. Its hard to be the next mile/1500 superstar when you start at the age of 18, but when the moments of opportunity has arisen, Webb has run poorly. He is the American record holder in the mile (see pic), breaking Steve Scott's decades old record last year. He had the fastest time in the world going into the world championships in Oska, but ran a poor strategy in the finals and got blown out of the water, much like he did in Athens. I just hope that he will get some luck on his side and runs smart and helps end our drought of medals in the distance events this year in Beijing. That's my rant, stickin to it.
March Madness The Madness continued today in the second round of 'The' Tournament. Kansas is in the Sweet 16, again, after a closer than expected (in my opinion) game against UNLV. In the end, it wasn't much of a game, but with so many stops in play because of fouls, the 'Hawks just could not get into a rhythm. But a win is a win and now its a game against either Villanova or Siena (12 and 13 seeds) I feel the road to Elite 8 is a little easier...hopefully.
The real madness of the day was over in the game with Stanford against Marquette. All you really need to know is that the game went into overtime. Just watch the clip below to get the recap. Cheers!
Running is one of my favorite things to do. With it comes the thrill of lacing up the flats and going racing, a good track workout, or a difficult long run in the heat and humidity of "The Rouge." Purchasing new shoes ranks up there with one of the great things a runner can experience. Its a fine edge that is hard to describe. There is something about lacing up a good worn in pair of shoes, the comfort, familiarity, and ride dependability.
A new shoe, however, offers a regenerated fresh, springy feel that is lost with an older shoe. I just bought another pair of training shoes. The Brooks Burn is now the ride in which I will be covering miles in for the next 3-5 months. Hopefully I'll cover the next 300 miles (483km) or so before repeating the process. If you ever happen to be in "The Rouge," check out Varsity Sports on Perkins Road. It is a quaint little store and the staff knows what they're talking about, they're friendly, and very reasonably priced, so check it out!
Olympic Sized Sack Lunch I am clearly behind on my Olympic news, as I found out today. Back in February the NYTimes explored the issue of feeding the US Olympic team this summer in Beijing. I did not pick up this article until GreenDaily brought it to my attention and I just had to pass it along.
The U.S.O.C. will be faced with the gigantic task of feeding the nearly 600 strong delegation from the US for this years summer Olympics. In a trip to explore potential food possibilities for the athletes, a caterer discovered in a Chinese market a half chicken breast that measured 14 inches. The breast contained so many steroids that the committee were fearful of any athlete ingesting it and testing positive for a banned substance. Steroids are not the only worrisome food fear as the past year has attested to. Insecticides, pesticides, and other veterinary substances have been found in alarming rates in fruits, vegetables and meats.
The U.S.O.C. has teamed with Tyson and Kellogg's to ship 25,000 pounds (11,340kg) of lean protein to Beijing to be prepared and served to the American athletes. They are also looking at sources for western style cookware, and my favorite...the importation of standard measuring cups and spoons. Why? Because, we are one of a few countries still measuring in cups, tablespoons, and ounces, aka, the non-metric system. Food, who knew that it would have such an interesting journey for our Olympic athletes! Cheers
This is just a quick update on some Olympic news. Sort of busy the next couple of days, hopefully I'll be able to keep up. Sad day in the world of running today:
Geb is Gone Back January I previewed Haile Gebrselassie's quest to break his own world record (2:04:26) in the Marathon at the Dubai Marathon. After that race Gebrselassie had contemplated pulling out of the marathon at the Beijing Olympics because of air quality issues in and around Bejing.
He recently announced that he is pulling out of the marathon for fear of damaging his health to the point at which he will not be able to compete at the elite level he is accustomed to. He still has the option of competing in the 10,000m, but loosing the worlds best marathoner and world record holder is a serious blow to these Olympics. Yes its not the 100m, the glory child of NBC's coverage of the games, but it is still a major blow to what I am hoping to be a great Olympics. 148 Days till the Opening Ceremonies!
Summer Olympic Medals This summer, as many of you know, the world will converge on China for a couple of weeks of intense competition of endurance, strength, grace, and a little bit of luck. I am stoked for this years Olympics with my hopes riding high for the distance events for the U.S. We should be sending a strong delegation, aimed at winning multiple medals in several events in which we have suffered as of late. *cough* 1500 meters anyone? we're not here to discuss how well we will do as a team at the Olympics, but about the bling that we will be bringing home.
This years medals will have inlays of traditional Chinese jade, and I find the design of the medals very striking. I am impressed with the intricate details of a modern Olympic medal that keeps with several Chinese traditions. Each medal will have an inlay of gem quality jade on the reverse side of the medal. The world renowned jade has just been finished being carved and will be sent to the Shanghai mint where the medals will be cast in June. White jade will be used in the gold medals, a light white-green jade for the silver, and a solid green for the bronze.
Overall a very striking look for what will hopefully be a great Olympics, better than the Torino donuts of 2 years ago. BUT if I were good enough, which I'm not, to have a shot of winning a medal, it could look like a lump of coal, I'd still sing the Star and Stripes and wear it around my neck!
P3: Rise of the Putin I know I know, Putin is no longer going to be the President of Russia, but I just had to say my piece on the elections of this past weekend. Vladimir Putins hand picked successor to the Russian presidency, Dmitri Medvedev, won in a landslide. And, just like a village below a landslide, there was no chance of Russia escaping a Medvedev victory.
Medvedev should have won easily with all of the media he was able to grab. Its not like the state run media favorably gave Medvedez preferential treatment or anything. I give Putin credit for pulling Russia out of the doldrums when the Ruble was worth about as much as toilet paper. Bolstered by rising energy prices and smart economic management (aka government strong-arming) Russia is now reemerging from its shadow of the super power it once was and becoming a big time power in world politics. Hopefully Medvedev will work on ties with the West and when he takes term, he will embrace Obama (I know, getting hopeful here) as a friend and set many wrongs that have been had between our two great nations! Dasvidania
Unbelievable!
