The Final Step

Well, it has been an exciting run on this format, but all good things must come to an end. I just don't have the energy to keep up with a daily. However, I am starting fresh with a blog about something that I do dearly love....politics and the 2008 election. You can check it out here:

http://gregs2008journey.blogspot.com/

I will be charting the entries of the Democratic candidates, my selection of candidates, and following the whole grand process...much like this blog did in 2004! Tune in, I am sure it will be a great time. Thanks for the memories here.....

Two Weeks To Midterms

Two weeks until the midterm elections that could potentially change the face of politics toward a more liberal ideology. Here are some of the most competitive house and senate races you should check out:

--AZ-Sen: Jon Kyl
--AZ-01: Rick Renzi
--AZ-05: J.D. Hayworth
--CA-04: John Doolittle
--CA-11: Richard Pombo
--CA-50: Brian Bilbray
--CO-04: Marilyn Musgrave
--CO-05: Doug Lamborn
--CO-07: Rick O'Donnell
--CT-04: Christopher Shays
--FL-13: Vernon Buchanan
--FL-16: Joe Negron
--FL-22: Clay Shaw
--ID-01: Bill Sali
--IL-06: Peter Roskam
--IL-10: Mark Kirk
--IL-14: Dennis Hastert
--IN-02: Chris Chocola
--IN-08: John Hostettler
--IA-01: Mike Whalen
--KS-02: Jim Ryun
--KY-03: Anne Northup
--KY-04: Geoff Davis
--MD-Sen: Michael Steele
--MN-01: Gil Gutknecht
--MN-06: Michele Bachmann
--MO-Sen: Jim Talent
--MT-Sen: Conrad Burns
--NV-03: Jon Porter
--NH-02: Charlie Bass
--NJ-07: Mike Ferguson
--NM-01: Heather Wilson
--NY-03: Peter King
--NY-20: John Sweeney
--NY-26: Tom Reynolds
--NY-29: Randy Kuhl
--NC-08: Robin Hayes
--NC-11: Charles Taylor
--OH-01: Steve Chabot
--OH-02: Jean Schmidt
--OH-15: Deborah Pryce
--OH-18: Joy Padgett
--PA-04: Melissa Hart
--PA-07: Curt Weldon
--PA-08: Mike Fitzpatrick
--PA-10: Don Sherwood
--RI-Sen: Lincoln Chafee
--TN-Sen: Bob Corker
--VA-Sen: George Allen
--VA-10: Frank Wolf
--WA-Sen: Mike McGavick
--WA-08: Dave Reichert

Steve Irwin Died....

....in the environment, killed by an animal....

Anyone else not surprised? I think the only surprise for me was that it was a stingray, not a gigantic critter with rows of shiny teeth.

“Basketball is not just about dribbling and shooting”

So said the coach of the Greek National Team today after beating the US World Championships Team in the semifinals.

The US has failed to win Gold in 3 international competitions since the 2000 Olympics. To me this is just unfathomable considering USA basketball has some of the most gifted athletes in the world. They can run, pass, shoot, and do things in midair that astonish. What they can't do my friends, is play defense, and for that I place the blame directly on the NBA. The NBA, or Not Basketball Anymore, has made a market selling a sport where two teams race up and down the court pouring in shot after shot with only token defense applied. It makes for a pretty boring spectacle to watch in my opinion, especially when the teams can't shoot the ball that well, which is what happened to the US team against Greece.

Players hoping out of college early miss the skill development it takes to learn to play solid defense, and lets be honest, defensive players are never going to pull in the big contracts like the flashy stars. You can keep it all. College basketball is 10 times more exciting, and they could probably hold their own in world play. Keep the pros at home, they just make us look embarassing.

Retro Music?

I don't know about you patron, but I really love music and can't seem to get enough these days! There are some amazing things out there right now. One of the trends I am seeing has some funky retro feel incorporated into the music....and most of this stuff is on mainstream radio as well.

Right now I really am digging on Gnarls Barkley and his song Crazy. It has a great bluesy/R & B feel to it. The first time I heard it this summer it just made my head bob, a great sign. My brother says that the rest of his album is good as well, but I have not had a chance to check it out.

I also am really digging on the new song by Christina Aguilera, Ain't No Other Man. It has a great jazzy feel with the horns and beat. My 18 month old loves dancing to the song when we play it at home. Beyonce and Deja Vu has the same sort of jazzy feel with the horns....maybe horns are the new big thing. You just cant beat Jay-Z either, he has always been one of my favorite hip-hop artists out there, such a distinctive style to his music.

Which leads me on a tangent.....living in Wisconsin you would not think that I would be seeing a better string of diversity then in Iowa (meaning that they both have a reputation as pretty white states). However, I have to report that I am very enthused to see so much diversity around these parts...perhaps it is the closeness to Milwaukee and Chicago that makes it so. To that end I have discovered an urban/hip-hop radio station in my area that is the kind of thing you only find in diverse places. I have to admit that I really love the station and the fresh sound of minority voices over the radio, not to mention that I get to stay current on the newest hip-hop tracks out there. The humor of the morning team on this station is great.

Finally, I have always had a soft spot for songs that sport classic lyrics...the rest of the song may be crap, but one awesome lyric can cement a song with me. Now, I was not a fan of James Blunt and his song Beautiful...sounded to whiny to me, but another of his songs, High, is really etched into my thoughts due to this one lyric, "Thought I was born to endless night, until you shine." The song has a powerful refrain and while I think it is intended as a love song, I really see a huge parallel to drug addiction in the song...which is always fun to think about if that is what it is REALLY about.

Check out the new music out there and let me know what you are digging on....unless it is Fergie and London Bridge....which will probably be stuck in my head next week!

Management

One of the delightful aspects of new job here in Wisconsin is that I am transitioning from being in an entry level position the past four years into the first stages of the dreaded "middle-management". Now granted that the position I hold is not the truest form of middle management, but it does have it's share of the duality of reporting to those you "oversee" while also being accountable to those that "oversee" you.

Part of the reason I went out looking for new work was in fact to move up the proverbial food chain to get more experience with the dual role that a mid-manager must face. It is too early to tell how I like it so far, suffice it to say that it involves more meetings then I am used to having (and that is saying something if you know the field I work in).

Added to the structure of my position are the responsibilities overseeing student leadership on campus, as well as helping to coordinate and define an emerging learning communtiy program on campus that has some strong support from academic faculty and administration. Somehow on top of that I am also now the departmental representative to campus programming bodies, advisor to an honorary student leadership organization, and in charge of fundraising programs for student leadership groups living on campus. It results in a long list of responsibilites, especially when you add in the expectation of supporting the departmental efforts that my two other central staff colleagues are engaged in.

In many ways, the move out of the residence halls after 10 years has given me greater personal freedom with my life, but the complexity of new job has siphoned off that freedom back into the work that I am doing.

Don't get me wrong, I think I will enjoy the work that I will get to do, especially as it prepares me to be a more engaged and effective learning administrator, but it is kind of a shock to see just what goes on at this level.

Wish me luck!

Lord, Have Mercy

One of the coolest things about my move to Wisconsin (besides owning my first home), is that I have found a church and faith community that I really like. I was grown up in a Presbyterian home, and my wife in a Methodist. However, both of those communities have proven to be a bit too conservative for our tastes at times. We want to find a fun church, with a good variety of ages, and one with traditional services and old organs....can't breed the protestant out of us! We knew the ultra-large Baptist mega churches were not for us, but we instead turned to the United Church of Christ. I was first caught by their advertisements in which they say, "God is still speaking", and the tag line of "Never place a period where God has placed a comma."

At any rate the church is lovely and the sermons really seem to reflect a lot of my thoughts and experiences, which is really cool.

Last week a prayer was shared that I really enjoyed, and so I thought I would post it here, as it reflects current events.

Lord, have mercy. Kyrie eleison.
A Prayer for the Middle East at a Time of War.

You did not make us O God, to die in bomb craters or to huddle through the
night in basement shelters. You made us to play under olive trees and cedars and
to sleep soundly with animal toys and gentle lovers. Lord, have mercy.

You did not make us, O God, to hold hostages for barter or to rain deadly
fury on innocent children and beautiful coast lands. You made us, O God, to
welcome strangers and to cherish all creation. Christ, have mercy.

You did not make us, O God, to oppress in the name of security or to kill
in the name of justice. You made us, O God, to find security in justice and to
risk life in the name of peace, Lord, have mercy.

While leaders in Tel Aviv and Damascus, Tehran, Washington, and southern
Lebanon pander to ancient fears, claim the mantle of righteous victim, and
pursue their little empires in the name of gods of their own devising, the
people of Lebanon and northern Israel are made captive to fear, true victims
whose only advocate is You.

Save us from self-justifying histories and from moral equations that excuse
our folly. Search our hearts for our own complicity. Spare us from pious prayers
that neglect the prophet's angry cry. Let us speak a resounding "no" to this
warring madness and thus unmake our ways of death, so that we may be made more
and more into your image.

The Rev. John H. Thomas
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ
July 19, 2006

Welcome back!

Hello loyal readers!

Hold on....this blog has been down so long I would be surprised if their were still loyal spammers around! This post will test it out to see if there are in fact people still willing to post adds in my feedback section. Hopefully a few regulars will pop back up as well.

A fresh look for a fresh start, and a new name to reflect how I hope this blog goes. The Pig and Whistle Tavern, a place for lots of ideas to be shared and discussed. It is my hope to identify a couple friends with wide opinions to join me in group blogging on this page to keep it fresh and updated, as well as providing a variety of thought. So, if you are interested in occasionally posting (or frequently posting), drop me a note and I will get you setup with access.

The Iowawineguy has recently moved to Wisconsin to start a new job, buy his first house, and have his second child (okay, that will actually be Mrs. IWG). With the move I have lots to talk about now and many new fun experiences both personally and professionally. I hope you will stick around to read what might be going on.

So sit down, pull up a stool, and have some shelled peanuts....if you dare.

88 Years

I have never been to Comiskey Park old or new.

I can't remember when I started to follow them.

I couldn't tell you any names from the Go-Go Sox.

But I am a Chicago White Sox fan. I love this team, and it started for me somewhere in the early nineties. Teams that featured great players like Carlton Fisk, Bo Jackson, and an emerging Frank Thomas. I loved the fast and speedy guys...guys like Joey Cora, Darrin Jackson, Tim Raines, and Ozzie Guillen. I loved the power...Frank, Harold Baines.

That is why it feels so good to watch the White Sox headed to the World Series. The team is coached by a large contingent of former players, guys that I remember watching on the field. I love the team now, a team that everyone doubted when they lost Magglio, and Carlos Lee. I love the management of Ken Williams and Jerry Reinsdorf. I love the fire of Guillen as manager and the eccentricities he displays.

I am super pumped for the White Sox vs. whoever series. I do believe in the bad karma of the past (1919 Black Sox). So, this week, since I live in Iowa...I will take a trip to the Field of Dreams, go to left field, and pray to Shoeless Joe Jackson for a reprieve of our curse and a World Series win.

A little divine help can't hurt....

Hello, Blog Land....

*The Iowawineguy enters his blog, looks around at the cobwebs, the sun faded Dean for President signs, and grabs the dustmop.*


Well, it certainly has been too long since I posted here, and even longer since I posted regularly, but hopefully I will be able to launch this site back into a usable state. I have to admit, I finally have something that will peak my interest again.

It is not politics, where the conservative party seems content to self-destruct itself from the inside out, and the current administration is widely and universally panned across the spectrum.

It unfortunately is not wine, which I have not had the proper time or money to continue exploring to my hearts desire.

It is, as some of you might guess, the impending start of the college basketball season, and the beginning of another (hopefully) exciting year of Illini basketball. This subject more than anything gets me pretty pumped and excited to talk to all of you. As I begin to write more about Illini basketball, I am sure other topics will creep back into my posts.

I have been recently mulling the idea of trying to start a joint blog with some other friends that would cover a variety of topics, and perspectives, so eventually perhaps that will become a manifestation on this site.

In the meantime, college basketball practice starts at 7pm this Friday the 14th. So get excited out there in Illini land! I will monitor the situation and let you know what is going on in between my World of Warcraft sessions, the latest computer game that has me captivated and addicted!

New Orleans

The situation in the Big Easy continues to deteriorate and I can't help but wonder if part of the problem is our constant attitude of neglect to the poor and needy in this country. Here we have a major metropolitan community devestated by disaster. The affluent and middle class were able to leave under the own power...they had the means.

What is left behind is the poor, lower class, and mostly black population of New Orleans. We see anger, violence, and lashing out from this group of people who had so little, and now have nothing at all. Can we really blame the reactions of fear and violence as they sit in the sludge, dying and waiting to be rescued. What cause do they have for hope from society? What hope has society given them in the past?

I just think it is an amazing study in anthropology to see the what is going on. I hope and pray that all may be evacuated and taken care of safely.

The Political Hurricane

Wow. Watching the news the last few days is overwhelming to say the least. A disaster of monumental proportions, worse than anything we have ever seen in this country. The good people of the Southern coastline are trying to rebuild and just to survive. To be sure, hard times lie ahead.

Many things may come out of this disaster. We already see the spiking oil and gasoline prices, but might we also see the emboldening of the Democrats in Washington. Howard Fineman thinks so in a very well written column.

Daily Kos has another interesting take on Bush yesterday...not the quality photo op you want when there are bodies floating in the streets of the South.

Things are certainly heating up for the President and I do believe that things will get interesting from now until the midterm elections of 2006.

Great news out of the state of Missouri, where Jim Talent will be challenged in his bid for Senate re-election by a worthy challenger.

Keep the South in your thoughts.

Happy Birthday Back Of The Wine Bottle!!

One year ago today I started this blog! Unfortuantely I have not had much time to post or write through the summer. I am hoping to pick back up as the school year starts again.

One year ago I started writing this blog as an instrument for positive vibes and to counter the right-wing insurgency. It turned into an Illini basketball blog during the season. Who knows what it will become this year!

Thanks to those readers that are still out there!! (i think just my Mom! LOL!!!)

London Calling

The news is still trickling in from London this morning about the series of apparent terrorist attacks in the subway and on buses. I hate waking up in the morning and turning on Good Morning America and having to see more tragedy and death on the screen. It pisses me off when these things happen and it gets me so frustrated.

I am frustrated that things have to come to violent outcome because some people are unable/unwilling to listen and talk. I am frustrated at these cowardly terror acts against innocent civilians, people that having nothing to do with military or foreign policy. I am frustrated that it is so easy for the terrorists to accomplish their goals of terror, fear, death, and confusion while it is nearly impossible for us to feel like we have put a dent in their campaign of terror.

I really do want to try to see all perspectives of the issues that are on-going with Islamic extremists. I want to understand how these individuals are filled with such hate, contempt, and zeal for their cause that they are compelled to lash out in this manner. I want to be able to reach out to them and their peoples to try and say there is a better way, and to ask them how we can help them...ask them how we as a world community have failed to give them support for cherishing their life. But all I feel and see when these events happen are anger and frustration.

I just get the impression that we can never really "win" the war on terror. As long as there are passionate and motivated individuals who feel like they have no voice and no power over perceived oppression, then we will always have this lashing out in extreme violent ways.

Ack. It is just frustrating.