Hello, Chicago.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who’ve been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.

Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he’s fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they’ve achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation’s next first lady Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the new White House.

And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother’s watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you’ve given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best — the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod who’s been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage or pay their doctors’ bills or save enough for their child’s college education.

There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can’t solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Let’s remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those — to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That’s the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we’ve already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

- Barack Obama, United States President-Elect

First and foremost, I neither understand nor comprehend the midset of the fan that literally takes joy in causing misery and sometimes even pain to other people. What does it say about our culture that the mob mentality is so prevalent and acceptable? Is it really any sort of positive contribution to fan-dom to pour beers on children, and scream obscenities at players’ families? I understand the nature of being a die-hard fan; the love for your team that leads you to yell at the opposing team, watch every game, and spend ass-loads of money on gear/clothing/memorabilia, yet I will never understand the vitriole that is thrown forth towards people who share those same feelings, if towards another team. Sports isn’t about being angry towards other fans. Sports is about rooting for your team and against the other team. That should be it, and I will never for the life of me understand the rationalization of those that take it too far.

But my larger point here is this: why must writers continue to write about this every time some team with unruly fans, in this case Philadelphia, makes it to the playoffs or the championship. This story has been told, it’s been retold, and it’s been retold again. SImply put, it’s lazy writing. I understand that some of the Tampa Rays’ players’ families were upset that they were being fucked with. I get that. They were the actions of some drunk idiots sure, but idiots nonetheless. I’ve read countless articles about this same phenomenon before. Why write it again? There are plenty of great sub-plots in this World Series; but the idiocy of some fans is not the story here. Can we all please move along?

The stock market is dropping hundreds of points every day.

Gilbert Arenas claims he will be healthy in November or December (we’ll see–count me among the skeptics).

Alex Ovechkin has only 2 goals in 7 games.

Guns ‘N Roses has set a release date for Chinese Democracy.

I repeat: GUNS ‘N ROSES HAS SET A RELEASE DATE FOR CHINESE DEMOCRACY.

I have posted on the blog once again.

Tulsa football is ranked in the top 15. TULSA FOOTBALL?!? Sheeeeeeeeeeeee-it (stolen without remorse from Clay Davis of The Wire), I didn’t even know Tulsa had a football team.

Yes, the man in the flip flops and plaid shorts with the Armani bag said all the things below. He also plays in a heavy metal band. I promise.

“I remember back when I stood in line for 3 hours waiting for autographs, and when the star just hopped into his limo, and took off, I’d think ‘You dick, I hate you.’ I’d go home, rip down all his posters…”

-James Hetfield

“We can do whatever the fuck we want, really. We’ve got carte blanche. I mean, when we did ‘Fade to Black’, that was our first ballad and it really blew a few minds out there. People wrote us off then; ‘Fuck them! It’s over. It’s no longer speed metal.’ Okay, fine. You can feel that way. But fuck you, too.”

-James Hetfield

“You know, it’s not as different as I thought, which is kind of disappointing. But it’s fine. Everyone said, ‘Oh, your life is going to be totally different,’ and it’s the same. Which is good, in a way.”

-James Hetfield 

“In the early days, when we were playing clubs around LA, people didn’t understand what we were about. ‘Oh,’ they’d think, ‘a God-damned punk band,’ and they’d throw chairs at us.”

-James Hetfield 

“We’ve come here, TO KICK YOUR ASS!!! …That’s why you’re here, right?”

-James Hetfield 

“Who gives a shit about autographs?”

-James Hetfield 

“We didn’t fuckin’ set out to make history or whatever. Fuckin’ shit happens.”

-James Hetfield

For those too lazy to click, Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes has no idea why Netflix is successful. He doesn’t seem to understand the fascination; he doesn’t know what the point of stocking older titles is; and he has no interest in watching anything but new releases. That’s pretty much it.

How is this man still the CEO of Blockbuster? Putting aside personal taste for a second, what the hell is this idiot thinking? Why on earth would you admit something like this in an on-the-record interview? How is this man still in charge of a national corporation?

Regardless of which movie rental service you find to be superior (I tend to favor Netflix for various reasons, but that’s another post), how can a public executive of a major company like Blockbuster be so blind to the competition? It’s one thing if Netflix was this upstart little company that is just getting its start. The fact that Netflix has been kicking Blockbuster’s ass in pretty much every facet of the game is the most baffling part of this. It’s as if Jim Keyes suddenly awoke from a decade-long slumber, was not told about the current market or the current movie rental consumer, found out what Netflix was and what they did, and then just started spouting off gibberish.

Frankly, I’m just as confused by Mr. Keyes as he is by the so-called ‘Fascination’ with Netflix the public has. Hopefully for their shareholders sake, the Blockbuster board of directors has a little bit more sense than their top executive.

Netflix

Blockbuster 

Longing, want, nostalgia, and happiness all tend to conspire together to put thoughts into our heads. Thoughts such as, ‘wouldn’t this be great to come back to, and just live here again?! Why didn’t we just stay.’ These thoughts are natural and organic, yet they give us false hopes and false feelings.

College happens once.

We don’t and we can’t go back to experience it again. Our experiences, while matched with those of countless other 20somethings around the world, are entirely unique to us, and will forever remain that way.

As far as we’re concerned that’s a good thing. We love those memories. The times we had with the friends we now hold so dear, whether separated by 10 feet or 1,000 miles, are frozen in time. In our minds and our hearts; our hard drives and the servers of facebook; these unique and often beautiful (though sometimes embarrassing) memories live on everyday.

As we go back time and again, we are reminded why we went there in the first place. Those were a magical four years, and they built a foundation with which we live the rest of lives. So, while going back to that place would be a permanent solution to a problem that doesn’t exist, we’ll gladly visit once a year, see what’s changed, remember what’s the same, and get just as irresponsibly drunk as we did when we lived there. Thank goodness for memories; they make us only grow fonder, but we certainly are glad to have moved on, those days of partying and friending behind us as we continue to journey through our lives.

Sorry if this came off a bit somber. That certainly wasn’t the intention. We loved, and still do love every minute that we spent at school. We love going back. We love sharing what we had with the people that have come into our lives in the years since we left. It almost makes us feel like proud parents. We had a blast this weekend, and can’t wait for the next road trip. Cheers.

We just wanted to take a few quick sentences to give boys a pat on the back. Four in a row since the trade deadline. We know it ain’t much, but when your previous best day of the year was the first of the season, well we’ll take what we can get.

Since officially becoming the youngest team in the league, the boys in red, white, and have neither resembled nor played like the team that is baseball’s worst. Infused with nifty glove-work and speed at the middle infield positions, and what seems to be a genuine leadoff hitter, we’ve actually been looking forward to rather than dreading the standard 7:10 first pitch.

Emilio Bonifacio, left, and Alberto Gonzales walk together after their 10-6 win against the Cincinnati Reds in Washington.

We especially would like to give props to new second-basemen Emilio Bonifacio. He’s young, unproven, and it’s a small sample-size, but this slap-hitting 23-year old is one of the more exciting players we’ve seen step on the field for the Nats in a while. Bonifacio’s blazing speed has helped him produce 2 doubles, 2 triples, and a stolen base in his first 4 starts for the Nats, all wins. Now, not to say that Emilio is the next Jose Reyes, as he’s yet to draw a walk, has a tendency to swing and miss, and doesn’t appear to have much power, but hey, at this point, we’ll take what we can get (it’s been thaaat bad). You can’t teach speed, and he is fucking fast.

Regardless of the negatives and the impending slump that is bound to happen, Bonifacio, along with Alberto Gonzales, and a steady if unspectacular pitching staff has given us in Washington something to cheer about these last four days. Yes, we know, it’s the Reds and the Rockies, but in a year where our last opportunity to watch the home team win 4 straight was in April, we’ll take what we can get. we know it’s cliche, but it certainly is a breath of fresh air to watch a young team hustling their way to a few wins.

Joe-fan wants to be entertained.

When we begin to examine this statement, we come to realize that the recent history that we started this post off with becomes even more relevant. Based on the lack of support for losing (the Wizards) and winning (the ever playoff-bound, defensive-oriented, boring Capitals of yesteryear), and the sudden influx of ‘entertaining’ talent, it begins to become clear how important it is for teams to entertain first, and win second. That is how tickets are sold today. That is how jerseys are sold. And that is how children are won over for life. Oh sure, the winning still needs to come, but it needs to be done in style for it to be embraced.

Alex Ovechkin, Gilbert Arenas, and Clinton Portis

Why else would the Wizards throw Gilbert Arenas a blank check worth well over $100 million coming off a knee injury? It’s certainly not just for his on-court antics (he missed about 60 games last year). It’s more about the entertainment value. We watched last season. We saw the empty seats night after night for a winning, but Gilbert-less team. We saw the biggest single ovation that the Wizards got all of last year was when Gilbert Arenas jumped on the scorers table before game 3 against the Cavs to pump up the crowd. Arenas played about 20 minutes and the Wizards lost, but goddammit those fans were entertained.

During hockey season, do you think fans show up strictly hoping for a win? No, they want to see Alex Ovechkin score sliding on his back away from the net. They hold their breath every time he has the puck, and it has nothing to do with hoping he’ll score the winning goal. The Capitals have done winning before. They made the Stanley Cup finals in ‘97 behind a gritty defensive team. That team and all the other ‘gritty’ Caps teams were quickly forgotten, and then-MCI Center became nothing more than a nice ice rink, with few fans sticking around to see what had become a boring, and losing effort.

Anyways, this post has rambled on much longer than it was supposed to. We aren’t really sure what to make of this ‘new’ sports fan. We’re kind of old school. We love seeing our team win, and we are sickened when they lose (try being a Nationals fan, it’s like being a Cubs fan pre-this year, but without Wrigley field). We would much rather sing ‘Hail to the Redskins’ than even the catchiest commercial jingle. We would be happier never seeing Coach Janky Spanky ever again if Clinton Portis were to run for 2,000 yards and a Super Bowl MVP.

We do know that sports have been forever changed, and the decisions of the powerful men in suits will now take into account the ancillary things like entertainment value more and more as the dollars increase, and that we think is kind of unfortunate.

Washington Redskins' QB Jason Campbell

We watch a lot of Redskins games (we are DC-area natives), and hear a lot of Redskin-reporting, and we like Jason just as much as the next fan. We tend to think he is fully capable of one day becoming a very good NFL quarterback. Do we think its guaranteed? Has it already happened? Well, call us a little skeptical, but not for the reasons you would think.

Are we skeptical of Campbell’s potential and/or abilities? No no no no. We haven’t really soured on him as of yet (though that is a fun pastime in the nation’s capital…Todd Collins, Colt Brennan, be ready!), but we have become extremely dubious of the nation media, and the jinxes they tend to fling at us.

Maybe it’s just the years of being beaten down by the constant losing these last 15 or so years, but it seems to us that everytime one of the media-schlubs decide to open their big fat mouth, and praise something that the Washington Redskins have done, it is met immediately with the unmistakeable sound of said team, choking it’s goodwill away. Immediately. Like in the next game, or the on next play. It always happens without fail.

So Peter King, let us use this as our own preemptive “Eff you.” If Campbell struggles this year. If he gets hurt tomorrow. If he is already hurt before this blog post makes it out onto the Internet, then we place the blame squarely at your feet.

You, who year-after-year has derided (often rightfully so) our pint-sized owner, and his often-times ridiculous decisions. You, who has decided that this is the year we have done ‘it right’ in the off-season. You, who liked the Jason Taylor trade, and who seems to love Jason Campbell right now. You are one torn-hammy/three sack season and one 20 INT season from getting the old middle finger from us.

Consider yourself warned.

Source

This has always been puzzling to us.

Why do ordinary people focus more on the things and issues that they do not like? Is that simply the easiest way to explain an opinion? Is it more convenient to worry about what might be disadvantageous to your everyday life? Are we simply a fear-based populous?

It would seem that all of these things are true in some respect. We see our neighbors and our friends defend political parties, candidates, and public figures till they are blue in the face without uttering a single word of support, but rather a steady stream of insults and negatives about the opposing viewpoint. To us, this seems in now way constructive, and it seems to be a silly way to make your decisions.

We hear this rambling, and wonder:

Do you even believe in what you support; and do you even know what it is that you are really advocating?

Do us a favor, before you get into your next political discussion with us. Research what you ‘believe in.’ Believe in something rather believing in ‘not something.’ Stop being a part of culture of ‘against,’ and become ‘for’ something.