Clean Sweep

I just posted a sort of 2 parter on the Olympics and China. First, over at the SP Sports page you can read my post on what I think the Olympics have become, how that will affect the possibility of a boycott, and how that relates to what the Greatest Generation would have done in the same circumstances.

From there, you can head over to the Stormy Present Politics page for what I think the U.S. foreign policy ought to be in regards to China and what I would do if someone handed me the Olympic torch.

Lastly, on the Society page you can add your thoughts to my random musing regarding 20 years of the Real World.

Also, before you read the stuff about China refer down to the previous post on this page where I rationalize how the Disney Corporation endorses all views and opinions expressed on the Stormy Present.

Pulp Fiction

Check out the big brain on Brad!

Seriously, Brad has done three great things recently. First, there is his post on the importance of Satire over at the Society page. Second, there is the latest post over at the Politics page, which addresses the fact that all three remaining Presidential contenders appeared on Monday Night Raw (I kid you not). It’s a good and funny post so check it out. Third, and most importantly to me, he emailed me the following link in which ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski completely rips off my post on How to Fix Basketball. Here’s the link.

So either Gene stole my idea or great minds think alike. No matter which of those is true, I’m taking it to mean that Gene fully endorses that article that I wrote (which can be read here). And by extraction, Gene’s employer, ESPN, must fully endorse whole of The Stormy Present Sports (SPS) page. And by further extraction, Disney, who owns ESPN, must endorse the entirety of The Stormy Present.

Thus,  from hence forth all views and opinions expressed on any of our pages via posts or comments are whole-heartedly endorsed and supported by the Disney Corporation.

Hot Streak

Unlike the Braves we are riding a bit of a hot streak with lots of new stuff pouring in. At the sports page you can read my long, very long, season preview for the Atlanta Braves and check out my much shorter MLB 2008 predictions. Post your own predictions and then we’ll see if any of us know what the hell we’re talking about.

Meanwhile, the Society page is brimming with activity as people keep discussing what their top 5 TV shows of all time might be. So join in with your own top 5 or just admonish the lists other people have compiled. Your call. The newest post over at the Society page, however, is a good one on the merits of satire for a community written by Brad Wright. Good discussion has followed that one so jump in with your thoughts (so far I think we’ve agreed on the need to poison Matt Stone and Trey Parker with hemlock).

The Obama Generation

I’ve added a new blog to the “worthwhile links” section on the sidebar. The Obama Generation is simply a blog where people are invited to share experiences that have pointed them towards Obama. The great thing about this blog is that everything that is submitted will be published. It’s not just a blog that regurgitates Obama talking points, but anyone who has become politically active due to Obama is able to post. Regardless of if the reaction was positive or negative, the post will be published.

So check out the new link and all the other links. I’ll be posting a commentary much like the ones on The Obama Generation in the next few days, as well as a post about how the KKK should support Obama.

1 Month Anniversary

Well it has been 1 month of existance for The Stormy Present. I think I speak for my fellow administrators, Jeff and Jim, when I say that we’re happy with the progress we’ve made and look forward to improving the site further still (for instance, we’re slowly adding links and would be more than happy to link to any blogs that our friends and readers are operating).

Most importantly, we want to hear from anyone out there who’s been reading our content. Tell us what you think of the set up, what you think about our posts so far, what you like, what you don’t like, etc. Also tell us if you’d like to become a contributor to the site.

Just for clarity, I think the goal of this site is to come off like a more accessible, i.e. less academic, version of Foreign Policy, which we have a link to in the sidebar. We want to have a variety of posts by an assortment of people each with their own set of views and expertise. Then combine that idea with the writing style of someone like Bill Simmons (aka the Sports Guy) and then add into that the idea that we encourage comments and discussion. Taken all together, I think you’ve got a good picture of what we are trying to accomplish.

Anyway, I think if this vision could be realized, then this site could be a cool, fun way to intellectually challenge yourself and stay mentally sharp while also managing to be entertaining. So please leave comments on this post with any and all suggestions.

Thanks, and maybe we’ll hang around for another month or two.

p.s. There is a new post on the Society page where I review the movie Lions for Lambs. Also, the other day I posted something about the relationship between Obama and Kennedy that is interesting but may draw some ire from Obama supporters, so weigh in with your two cents.

The Life Cycle of a Blog

You may have noticed a lack of posts recently. Well that’s sort of how blogs work. You start off with all this hope for how cool it would be to have a place where people could talk about important issues in a meaningful way. Then you do it for a while. Then you realize that no one is listening and get frustrated. I mean, we could post the greatest piece of written material since Hemingway died and no one would really notice. We could solve health care and no one would implement our proposed solution. So what’s the point? Thus, the posts stop coming. Then you get really bored again and the post start back up.

Or at least that’s what we hope. So over at the Political page you can read my latest post on the link between President Kennedy and Senator Obama. Also, coming soon is a review of a movie I watched a while back and maybe another quick political post.

And if you’d like to help us out by contributing, just send Jim, Jeff, or myself an email and we’ll hook you up.

New Post and New Comments

I just posted a Masters level and length paper on how to fix college basketball and basketball in general. It is long, but since we’ve been treated to an overall boring NCAA tourney I think it is necessary reading. Give it a read over at SP Sports and comment as to whether or not the solution I propose is viable or not.

Also, the discussion under Fantasy Sports Morality (Sports) is still going as is the What You Knew When You Were 5 (Society). The newest discussion hot spot is over at the Politics page where Brad’s post on the role of religion in government has sparked some interesting thoughts and responses. So read it and join it because we really want this site to be about informed, intellectual, and fun discussion.

New Politics

There’s a lot of new politics going on in the world, i.e. elections in Zimbabwe and the U.S., but for our purposes new politics means there’s a new post in the political section. So click the link in the side bar, or just click here, and you’ll have the privilege to read our friend, and now two time contributor, Brad Wright’s latest post concerning the role of religion in politics, both present and past.

By the way, I just wrote a sentence with 5 commas and it wasn’t a run-on sentence. Maybe all those hours reading high-level philosophy books weren’t a waste after all.