Rhubarb Diaries - one man's journey into self-expression http://www.rhubarbdiaries.com Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:01:54 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.rhubarbdiaries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=249&Itemid=56 Lance Armstrong (http://www.lancearmstrong.com/)'s distinguished cycling legacy, his farewell day in his final Tour de France (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_France). It was an unlucky 13th Tour de France for Armstrong. He had a tire puncture at a highly inopportune moment on the cobblestones. He also had more crashes in this one Tour than he'd suffered in his previous 12 Tours combined. It was not an easy go of things for Armstrong in his final dance through the French countryside. But as they say, c'est la vie, non? We've already heard talk of whether or not Alberto Contador (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Contador) could possibly eclipse Armstrong's record seven Tour de France victories. He's currently on top of the world cycling, and he looks to have a strong future ahead. But there are some huge contrasts which serve to bring one recurrent theme to the forefront. Alberto Contador is no Lance Armstrong - and for oh so many reasons. Contador could indeed be the next great Tour de France champion. But right now, he's got a lot to learn and much of it, as Lance would say, is not about the bike. It's about the man. What made Armstrong so special? And how could Contador take a few notes for the future? Creativity - Blog Musings Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:05:00 +0100 http://www.rhubarbdiaries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=248&Itemid=56 Diego Maradona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Maradona)'s hand, you pick) - but more on that later. On one hand, you have the beauty of a world-class athlete playing a sport that is elegant in it's simplicity. There are few rules, and all you need are a pair of cleats and a ball. I had the opportunity to watch a couple of second round games in Dallas during the 1994 World Cup. Having played soccer in high school, I know what is involved. However, the game of soccer - played correctly and by skilled, world-class players - is absolutely elegant and beautiful. You witness the ability to perform magic with the ball. It truly is phenomenal. And there are the players who oftentimes go by just one name. Kaka, for example. I think we need that in the US. I have no doubt it would improve the coolness factor, to go along with the inherent beauty of the game. It happens in big-time pro sports in the US already. Tell me, does Kobe have a last name? How about Tiger? Yeah I didn't think so. Maybe that is what US Soccer is missing. But on the other hand, you have the officiating. And yes, in retrospect, the 2010 World Cup (http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/) had some absolutely lousy officiating. Along with the temper tantrums and political divisiveness that oftentimes follow soccer by the heels. The officiating hit home - literally, and figuratively. Creativity - Blog Musings Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:18:00 +0100 http://www.rhubarbdiaries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=247&Itemid=56 Charles Dickens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens), the NBA (http://www.nba.com/) has provided us with it's own version of "A Tale Of Two Cities (http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Cities-Region/dp/B00005UPJW%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Drhub-other-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00005UPJW)". Better yet, let's call this story "A Tale Of Three Cities". At this point, I'll bet you're thinking of Cleveland and Miami - those involved in the Continuing Saga of LeBron James (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeBron_James). But what is the third city? Oklahoma City. Yes, Oklahoma City. Why Oklahoma City, you might ask? It provides a contrast, a touch of drama if you will, a fine protagonist in this tale of money, hype, and out-of-this-galaxy egos. For those who have recently been devoid of any media whatsoever (because it would take complete and total isolation on a desert island to have avoided this story), King James - otherwise known as LeBron James - has left the building. And his current throne. Well, he's left the Quicken Loans Arena (http://www.theqarena.com/) in Cleveland at least. LeBron, in search of the promised land (and his first NBA championship ring) has headed to Miami. Along the way, he joined Chris Bosh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Bosh) and Dwayne Wade to create a sort of hypothetical-on-paper "Dream Team". James and Chris Bosh signed six year contracts, each worth $110.1 million, and Dwayne Wade re-signed for $107.5 million for 6 years. That's is a whole lot of money being spent for a net total of one championship ring (for Wade) in the 7 years since they were all drafted in 2003. With Wade and Bosh and James, the Heat will be so tight on the salary cap that they will have to start the janitor and hot dog vendor in the other two starting positions. And one can only guess who is coming off the bench at this point. Beyond that, it will be interesting to see if the egos all fit on the court at the same time. This is far beyond being a story of money or championships. All you have to do is look to Oklahoma City for the tale of, well, another city - and another player - that puts this all in perspective: Kevin Durant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Durant). Creativity - Blog Musings Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:26:00 +0100 http://www.rhubarbdiaries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=246&Itemid=56 red card (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penalty_card) ejection. But at 116 minutes into the game, Andres Iniesta secured his place in Spanish sporting history to give La Furia Roja (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain_national_football_team) the win. This was their first World Cup (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-26.2347972222,27.9823527778 spn=0.01,0.01 q=-26.2347972222,27.9823527778 (2010%20FIFA%20World%20Cup) t=h) championship, putting them in an elite group of just eight countries that have won a World Cup. The World Cup is always a spectacle. And it certainly has a way of keeping the world's attention for a full month. For all of the beautiful, elegant play, we were also witness to some ridiculous (though elegant) dives and flops from the players. And it was intriguing to see that soccer, on the international level, has it's share of over-rated players and teams. In that way, it is very similar to professional football on this side of the Atlantic. Case in point: none other than Wayne Rooney (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/21046/wayne-rooney?cc=5901 ver=us) and England (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_national_football_team)'s soccer team. At one point in time, they were amongst the favorites to win the World Cup. Rooney was considered one of the primary scorers for England. After 4 matches, what were his statistics? Zero goals and zero assists. And once again, England was over-hyped. Of course, we've never witnessed any NFL (http://www.nfl.com/) team being over-hyped, have we? But wait, there's more. Creativity - Blog Musings Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:06:00 +0100 http://www.rhubarbdiaries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=245&Itemid=56 higher education (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_education) has become nothing more than a farm team (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm_team) for pro sports. Is it appropriate for a college freshman to enter the draft? And perhaps the bigger question is - should the professional sports leagues allow it in the first place? Creativity - Blog Musings Fri, 25 Jun 2010 23:01:00 +0100 http://www.rhubarbdiaries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=244&Itemid=56 Kermit the frog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51BQfPeSK8k) had it right all the way back in 1969. "Being green" takes on some new meaning over the past couple of weeks. So for this episode of Rhubarb Ruminations, we'll explore how "being green" is more than just an environmental call-to-arms. #1: First, let's start with the environmental side of the coin, especially with the growing BP (http://www.bp.com/) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexico). It would seem to me that if I am going to drill a well that is one mile below the ocean's surface, that I should also have the technology and plans in place to remedy a problem should bad things happen. Because we know that somewhere along the line, somehow, bad things happen. It's inevitable. But even if we can get beyond the amazing lack of planning, we are still left with the anger inherent to people losing their livelihood. And in the bigger picture, it's just another wake-up call to realize that we're doing a fine job of systematically killing the planet (why is it that REM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eyFiClAzq8) is playing in my mind right now?). But hold on a second. I understand the anger involved. And I, for one, sit flabbergasted at the levels of stupidity we've witnessed as this problem unfolds (or comes bubbling to the surface, if you prefer). However, I don't see how Rep. Joseph Cao can suggest (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/16/rep-cao-suggests-bp-exec-commit-hari-kari-spill/) that BP America president Lamar McKay should commit hara-kiri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hara_kiri) because of the spill.  Creativity - Blog Musings Sat, 19 Jun 2010 15:10:00 +0100 http://www.rhubarbdiaries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=243&Itemid=56 University of Colorado (http://www.colorado.edu/) walk out the door, followed shortly thereafter by the University of Nebraska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Nebraska_system). Ponder that for a moment. Perhaps even sigh a little with the thought. Now, a reality check: let's not forget  - it's Colorado and Nebraska, folks! The bottom line is that we're talking about two football programs that have seen their best days in the rear view mirror. Winning the Big 12 North is not exactly epic these days. Consider that we're talking about 2 television markets that really aren't all that big a deal. We're talking about two men's (and women's) basketball programs that are, well, worse than their football programs. And academically? I am not convinced that the academic brain trust of the Big 12 conference (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_12_Conference) resided in Boulder or Lincoln. But I may be wrong. Does anyone really care that Colorado and Nebraska have bid the Big 12 an acrimonious farewell? The real question is this: has chaos really discovered the Big 12, or do bigger and better things await the conference? Creativity - Blog Musings Sat, 12 Jun 2010 22:49:00 +0100 http://www.rhubarbdiaries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=242&Itemid=56 Queen's University (http://www.queensu.ca/). It seems like it was yesterday - though the calendar would remind me that it's been 22 years ago last month. The still photo snapshot in my mind that is graduation suddenly fast forwards to a couple of years ago when I found myself celebrating my 20 year university reunion. Ah that wonderful time machine that lives inside our minds . Creativity - Blog Musings Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:40:00 +0100 http://www.rhubarbdiaries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=241&Itemid=56 news (http://www.statesman.com/sports/formula-one-headed-for-austin-708205.html?cxtype=rss_business). The headline (http://www.statesman.com/news/local/is-formula-one-coming-to-austin-709355.html) on the front page said it all. I can't remember a time when I've ever seen a Ferrari (http://www.ferrari.com/English/Formula1/Pages/Home.aspx) Formula One (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One) car on the front page of the Austin American-Statesman (http://www.statesman.com/). Ever. I think my jaw hit the floor before reality settled in. On Tuesday, it was officially announced (http://www.statesman.com/news/texas/f1-revives-us-grand-prix-in-2012f1-revives-us-grand-prix-in-2012-in-708242.html) that Austin is the new home of the US Grand Prix. Formula One is coming in 2012. There is a 10 year contract. And consider me excited beyond all belief. I may currently be in the minority. Though it has made the news, including front page headlines, my sense is that it's really a non-entity thus far amongst most people. I haven't heard much talk (http://www.statesman.com/sports/pro/f1-austin-announcement-a-big-surprise-to-many-718374.html) of it. Apparently I am the only kid running around in this candy store, or one of but a few. For those who have yet to make sense of this, allow me to explain. In simple terms, this is a big deal for Austin, for the US, and for the global sports community. And here's why. Creativity - Blog Musings Mon, 31 May 2010 01:54:00 +0100 http://www.rhubarbdiaries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=240&Itemid=56 war in Iraq (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War). We now know that the issue of weapons of mass destruction was, well, a non-issue. I think it's safe to say that it was an issue of oil. So we start looking beyond our borders, to the Middle East, to find a solution. We then feel the need to have a presence there in order to have greater access to oil. Sadly, the problem is one within our own borders, and within ourselves. How? We have a problem of energy consumption. Use less oil, need less oil from elsewhere. Pretty simple. But of course, that would require that we seek the answer that lies within. It expands to many other areas of our world. It could be a teacher, a parent, or a medical professional. Instead of stating "I gave you some homework to do, so why didn't you do it?", would we be better off asking ourselves "what did I not do to get you to comprehend the importance and value-added benefit of that homework?". We even go so far as to seek answers outside of our realm. We look for spiritual guidance from beyond. We look to gurus (and the Cult Of Personality (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00136NJCG?ie=UTF8 tag=rhub-other-20 linkCode=as2 camp=1789 creative=390957 creativeASIN=B00136NJCG)) who compel us to believe that they in fact have all the answers. We look to mystics who tell us that if we can only attain their level of spirituality or understanding, we might just be able to attain the level of knowing that they have and that we so deeply desire. But could the power lie within each and every one of us, right at this very moment? Creativity - Blog Musings Wed, 19 May 2010 01:13:00 +0100