Chicago Eliminated - So What Else is New?

Chicago lost the Olympic bid for the 2016 games this morning during the first round of voting held by the International Olympic Committee. All this blogger can say is "ouch".

The IOC crushed the spirits of millions of Chicagoians eager and excited for the global games to stake it's claim in the Windy City.

It also makes the Obama's trip to Copenhagen look like a complete waste of time (which -- since Chicago lost -- was). Time to focus on the important stuff, Mr. President. How about that economy we've heard so much about? Or, you know, those wars we've been fighting for years that have no end in sight? Yeah, it might be a good idea to tend to those items listed on your agenda.

Granted, this here Chicago native would have loved nothing more than to boost my city's ego to epic proportions but President Obama is not the President of the United City of Chicago -- he's the President of the United States.

It's not like we didn't see the loss of the bid coming though. Anytime the words "Chicago" and "sports" unite, it's almost inevitable that it will result in a no-win situation (some might say the White Sox winning the 2005 World Series is an excuse but this blogger begs to differ). The Cubs never win big. The Bulls haven't been TRULY good since the Jordan era. If anyone happens to keep track of the Chicago Fire -- or Major League Soccer for that matter -- then good for them, but they haven't done much of anything either. And those Blackhawks? Don't even get me started.

Chicago's gotta face it: You're a great city full of mouth-watering, artery-clogging food with a good view of the water and a winter that even the thickest skinned find hard to muster -- but those are the reasons we love you. The sports thing is just something to keep your residents entertained. Sorry to say, you just don't have what it takes.

As for the Olympic bid, all this blogger can say is what all Cubs fans know all to well, "'Til next year" or rather -- next time.

Pootch Beats Prez in Popularity Contest

Okay America, you've done it again. You've made us look like a horde of materialistic, possession obsessed, drones whose sole purpose in life is to follow and agree with media coverage.

The Obama family's latest addition isn't a giant unrealistic circus tenet for Malia and Sasha or a re-creation of a Hawaiian beach for Mr. President to catch some waves, it's a just a damn dog people.

Sure, Bo is quite the cute little pooch. He's a six month old Portuguese Water Dog and a gift from Sen. Ted Kennedy. But that's not the point.

The real kicker is that Bo's gotten more media coverage than Michelle Obama's fashion sense -- and we all know that the world's been keeping close tabs on which J.Crew cardigan and skirt combo she's sporting on any given day.

In one day day alone, there were front page full-length features in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, New York Times. There were also countless informational updates on the AP Wires, blog entries and polls on VH1, the coverage appears to be endless.

And keep in mind, the dog hadn't even moved in yet. Just wait until they get Bo his own water dish, collar and leash, and countless pillow beds in every room of the house he's actually allowed access to.

At least Bo's more fun to talk about than President Obama's daily workload.

Change Has Come: A Tribute To Coco And Steven Levitin

Inauguration Day 2009 was a day of change for America -- at least that's what President Barack Obama told us.

When I saw the front page of the Chicago Tribune at my home in Chicago Thursday morning, I couldn't believe my eyes. The truth lay before me -- a Cubs and White Sox fan were hard at work in the Oval Office.

But my grandparents saw something different.

They saw the first black man executing business in that black leather chair and a Jew providing the President with guidance along the way.

The only person who didn't get to see it was my father.

My dad passed away due to a weak heart on Jan. 17, days before President Obama took office and my mother's birthday. But don't let his death overshadow the truth. His heart wasn't weak by any means, its time beating came to an end.

The man was lucky enough to have two hearts in his life -- one of his own and one he received from a then 15-year-old boy named Mark, giving my dad nine extra years on this earth to continue to live every minute as if it were the most important one he lived.

It's times like these that you wish an entire campaign run on "change" never did. My dad knew I hated change. More than anything. I did and I do. Change scares me. And -- as much as it's needed -- I just never liked it much. It seemed trivial and unproductive.

Before each start of the semester during college, he'd write and tell me "I know you hate change BUT....," that kind of thing.

Guess I can't hate it anymore. He wouldn't like it if I did.

To make this nightmare more heart wrenching, my dog -- the beloved Coco -- passed away 12 hours before my dad.

Now, I don't really believe much in an afterlife but I must admit that I do believe Coco had to go that morning so when my dad got to where he was going, she would be there.

Because, as much as she was my baby (I picked her out of the liter, named her, all that jazz), a dog really is a man's best friend.

I can see it now. He shows up wherever people go when they die and he's all bummed, hanging his head low because now ... it's real ... he's not living anymore and he has to deal with that ... and then -- all of a sudden -- that rough, deep, husky bark just starts. He looks up. There she is. Golden, perfectly groomed coat, maybe even with a little halo (who knows, right?) galloping full speed toward the man she hadn't seen for the past two to three months. It must've made him so happy. Lord knows, she was.

And that's that. Change has come. Not only to America, but to me. And this time -- I'm just going to have to accept that.

Blowing Out the Candles for Iraq

On March 20, 2003 all I could think about was my birthday. The next day, I would turn sweet sixteen. My parents would lavish me with gifts. My friends would serenade me over cake and soda with the birthday song. Every perfect detail that epitomizes a teenage girl’s birthday was scheduled to make an appearance in my life. But then, the celebration came to an end before it started. President Bush declared war.

Bombs flew over the airspace in Iraq while my parents and I watched the news from our living room. Scenes of bombs flying from the sky looked reminiscent of the post-attack battleground from the 1996 alien-thriller “Independence Day” with Will Smith and Bill Pullman. My 15-year-young stare focused in on the history being shot before my eyes. It was really happening. We were at war.

American occupation in Iraq is closing in on six years now. To me, this makes no sense. And, to be perfectly honest, I’m pretty sure the majority of my fellow Americans have no idea why we’re still there either.

Iraqi’s don’t want us there. We’re spending money we don’t have during a vast economic decline on a war most people don’t want to fight. This needs to end.

The Wall Street Journal announced today that the Iraqi parliament hopes to pass a security deal that would call for U.S. troops to withdraw at the end of 2011[1]. If Iraq can take the initiative, why can’t we?

According to the New York Times, troops and equipment under the Bush administration were so overtaxed that the Pentagon does not have enough of either for the

fight in Afghanistan – a much more important war, at least for national security’s sake – let alone money to confront inevitable threats in the future[2].

So, not only do Americans have no idea what’s going on in Iraq but we also don’t have the money to do anything about it. President-elect Barack Obama faces this issue. The man’s got quite the juggling act to perform come Inauguration Day.

It will be no easy task to fix a frail economy and play Commander-In-Chief, but someone’s got to do it. And, given the historical significance of this year’s presidential election, let’s just hope we chose the right man for the job.

Let’s put this into perspective – consider the recent bailout. The government solicited taxpayer’s money to bailout the banks. Now, the auto industry is in a similar situation. According to the Detroit Free Press, the amount of money the auto industry needs to be bailed out of trouble is equivalent of what American taxpayers are spending in Iraq[3]. It’s up to President-elect Obama to eradicate this problem.

Reallocated federal spending may help here. But, no one really has a quick fix. President-elect Obama said he knows he must earn the military’s respect by delivering on

some of his promises[4]. The Obama administration is expected to draft and deliver its first defense budget within three months of Inauguration Day. Obama also promised a troop

withdrawal from Iraq within 16 months of taking office if the conditions allow. All America can do now is wait.

When the clock strikes midnight on the 6^th anniversary of the war in Iraq, the voice inside my head will silently pray for resolution. Who knows, maybe if I shut my eyes real tight and keep my fingers crossed while I blow out my birthday candles 24 hour later, that wish will come true.

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[1] Chon, Gina. “Iraqi Cabinet Approves Security Deal.” The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122682884996131369.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[2] Editorial. “A Military for a Dangerous New World.” The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/opinion/16Sun1.html

[3] Dzwonkowski, Ron. “What the critics of an auto bailout don’t get.” Detroit Free Press. http://news.google.com/news?q=get+out+of+iraq&btnG=Search+News&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&tab=wn&hl=en&nolr=1

[4] Maze, Rick. “The Army under Obama.” Army News. http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/army_obama_election_111608w/

The Dawn of a New Day in America -- Barack Hussein Obama becomes the 44th President of The United States of America

I never find myself glued to a television anymore. But on Tuesday night I huddled around a friend’s television set in Washington, D.C. eagerly awaiting the millions of votes to trickle into the news stations.

Millions upon millions pieces of paper are what determined the outcome of this year’s historic presidential election. When the predictions started dominating the airwaves close to 11 p.m. on the east coast, my friends and I saw history – Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America.

I found it necessary to never take an obvious side in this election. My stance on politics is a trait that I internalize unless my last nerve goes awry. Last night, I watched the faces of six other 21-year-old American University students as our country ushered in its new and unknown future.

Our generation and every other generation of American citizens were promised change. We elected the man who said he would help us get there. I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of our country as a whole than today.

One story stick out in my mind from Election Day. Rain misting from a gray Washington, D.C. sky didn’t keep voters away from the polls. A class of mine at AU wrote and conducted an exit poll for voters in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia polls nearby. I was stationed in a precinct in Northwest Washington.

There, I saw parents toting their small children to the booths and elderly couples linked by the arm with umbrellas in hand. Young, old, white, black, Asian, Hispanic – everyone voted.

I won’t lie, I was fearful for our country until the announcement that Sen. Obama became the President-elect. Not once during the 21 month election did I ever tell anyone which candidate my vote was going to. But watching Chicago's Grant Park on CNN last night made me proud to be an American.

My city of Chicago ushered in a new era of American history and I wasn’t there to see it. That's why it's a good thing there will be many more historical days to come. This chapter in our history books has only just begun. From here on out, it’s our responsibility along side President Obama to make the changes we seek for the future.

I tip my hat to you today, Barack Obama -- despite the fact that you're a White Sox fan. Here’s to a new day dawning in The United States of America.

It's Time to Unite the United States -- Enter Election Day 2008

The following piece was written as a "dissent" to a pitch by a classroom editorial board in Professor Nick Clooney's Opinion Writing class at American University in the Fall of 2008:

Let’s face it – America has a lot of problems right now. Families are stressed by finances, individuals are scared about what outcome we’ll reach on Election Day, and the only thing anyone can agree upon is the fact that America is a lot like a confused teenager.

I agree with fellow editorial board member, Dory Samuels, that we need to get the economy back under control – bank regulation and restoring accountability on Wall Street are guaranteed weights on the new president’s shoulders. But it’s important to note that the problems facing the economy could have been avoided. Now we have to fix them. But I don’t think that the economy is necessarily the number one problem to fix on the new president’s list. We need to unify our country first.

We can all agree that one of the greatest freedoms our country enables us with is the ability to vote. Democracy has worked for over 200 years in America. It’s been reliable even in times of doubt and fear. We’ve gotten through two World Wars, The Great Depression, assassinations, the atomic bomb, September 11th, and many more historically notable experiences. But now, we’re at a point where Americans have unknowingly taken sides. We’ve become far too extreme in our vantage points. Bi-partisanship has been lost.

"This presidential cycle would not be possible without the sacrifices and the courage of those people on the bridge," said Selma, a resident of Malika Sanders-Fortier, to the Daily Monitor in reference to Obama. "This is the time to put our right to vote to the test. To pick a side isn’t the answer in this year’s election. It’s picking who’s right for our country.

I realize that in order for Democracy to work, more than one side needs to be represented and heard. However, our nation is so divided when it comes to the political spectrum that all hope for compromise is gone. It’s either black or white, red or blue,never any shade of gray anymore. Moderation is the key to getting America back on track. We need to empower our nation’s citizens to become a united force once again.

Our country is a joke around the world. A survey written by the Pew Global Attitudes Project center in the spring of 2006 and conducted in 15 nations, found that global perceptions of the United States continue to worsen. The percentages said that the British favorability of Americans fell from 56 percent to 83 percent in 2000 and, even the brief era of good feeling in 2005 that stemmed from the U.S.-led Asian tsunami relief effort seems to have faded in countries such as India and Indonesia. That isn’t good.

Don’t forget, we were named the United States for a reason. Let’s unite on Election Day to the best of our abilities. Let’s make it a point to give America the future it deserves. Let’s not get held up with focusing on the little hiccups along the way. We can’t let hiccups like the economy, education, energy, and the environment weigh us down or define us. We can fix all of it, we just have to come together to do so.

Never forget, what the goal is. It’s in our name and it always will be. So, be proud – unite.

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America at a Crossroads: It's time for some results

America is at a crossroads. It’s time to ask ourselves the biggest question of the past eight years – who do we need to be the next president of the United States?

Colin Powell abandoned the GOP on Sunday’s edition of Meet the Press to answer that question. It’s official – Powell’s endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president.

Powell said, "I strongly believe that at this point in America's history, we need a president that will not just continue basically the policies we have been following in recent years. I think we need a transformational figure. I think we need a president who is a generational change."

According to a Gallup poll done last week, 84% of Americans foresee that the next president will face new and demanding challenges that are more serious than previous presidents have.

Our country is in need of a transformation. We haven’t been this scared and vulnerable as a nation since September 11^th. What we need is a call to action. We need to see results. That’s what this year’s election is all about.

This year was chock full of firsts. There’s the first African-American nominee for president and the first woman candidate for vice president. But, these firsts cannot be viewed as a distraction from the matter at hand. America is in dire need of help and the only way we can fix it is from inside the White House.

Party lines keep bleeding together because all anyone wants is a little change. Powell isn’t the only example of this. Two days before Powell spoke to Tom Brokaw Meet the Press, The Chicago Tribune endorsed their first Democratic nominee for the presidency – ever.

The Tribune, because of its mid-west location, can provide some reassurance. They’ve tracked Sen. Obama since he entered political zone twelve years ago. They’ve seen him work and grow as a leader in Illinois and rise to the occasion as the Democratic nominee for president.

“We have tremendous confidence in his intellectual rigor, his moral compass and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions,” the Tribune said in their endorsement, “He is ready.”

Election Day 2008 epitomizes a catalyst for a new kind of American Revolution. People will cast their votes with the hope that the light at the end of the tunnel is close. The only thing anyone can be sure of is that we have the choice to make. It’s in our hands. We just have to make sure we use it wisely.

A vote for Sen. Obama ensures that America will be in the right hands. So, go out a vote. America’s future is on the line if you don’t.

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"Rays" the Roof?

To try and pick the outcome of this year's World Series is much harder than trying to pick the potential winner of the presidential election. Obama's been up in the polls for close to a month now, while the Tampa Bay Rays just scooped up their first shot at an actual World Series win. Who could've seen this coming?

As a Cubs fan, I have to say that I saw this coming awhile back. It was around July when I found myself hoping for a Cubs vs. Rays series. It seemed appealing. But it also made for a good old fashion story line -- two underdogs seek post-season baseball success but only one can be the winner. Both have a good historical back story and an interesting fan base (one being devout and one full of band-wagon jumpers). It's too bad I was only 50% correct.

The 2008 World Series match-up is against two eastern division teams. The Phillies fought the entire season down to the wire to get there and the Rays were on top most of the season until giving baseball fans a nice nail-biter this past week. I'm sure Red Sox fans are devastated, but they'll live. They have two Worlds Series in just the past four years. They should at least be thankful for that.

So, who's going to win this year? Part of me wants to say the Rays just because I called them at least going to the series a long time ago. They're an American League team so that keeps my National League alliances strong with the Cubs. I'd rather not "cheat" on my team with another National League team. Sorry Phillies, I have to say it, let's "Rays" the roof and see Tampa Bay take home that ring for the first time in franchise history.