I woke up this morning and went through my regular routine of checking out the various online sports pages beginning with www.si.com, on to www.espn.com and finishing off with the redheaded step-child of sports news www.tsn.ca. Si, my personal favorite had Peter King's excellent column "Monday Morning QB" as its headline, while ESPN had NBA basketball as their front page. TSN (who without hockey would play curling, darts and poker on a pre-recorded loops) led with a very different and more troubling story. Their headline was "Discipline to Come: Cormier Ejected from QMJHL After a Head Shot on an Opponent". If you want to check out a video of Cormier's flying elbow to the head of another guy you can check it out on youtube.
Now, I do not know Patrice Cormier, I've never met him and he is probably a good guy. He grew up not too far from where I went to College in New Brunswick and probably dated a couple of the residents of 16 Allison in Sackville. His character is not the point of this post, it is in fact the role that violence plays within hockey (and box lacrosse to a certain extent).
As it stands hockey and lacrosse are the only sports I can think of where a fight, where punches that are thrown in an organized fashion is condoned. I say condoned in this instance because, while penalties are given to the combatants, gameplay is halted and the fight is allowed to continue until the linesmen deem fit and it is broken up. In any other sport I have been involved in rugby, football and basketball, a single punch, let alone a glorified bar fight warrants an automatic ejection from the competition. I am not here to question the idea of how cool fights are either, I love seeing fights in UFC or a good boxing card or even a couple drunks in a bar swing wildly. The point I hope to make is that fighting within hockey plays a role is erroding the control of the game and removes the power of game officials to maintain order within the competition. When that happens people get hurt and stupid elbows and punches are thrown and sticks are swung.
Anyone that refs hockey feel free to correct me but at the major levels of hockey if an individuals participates in a fight he is awarded a five minute major penalty for fighting. A major penalty, now tell me if an hockey player was swinging away with his stick on another play, an act which warranted a five minute major penalty there would be no way the referee would allow that to continue until that player got tired and stopped swinging. What allowing fighting/violent acts to occur but still penalizing it allows for a vigilante style of play within the game. This was brought to the surface during the infamous Todd Bertuzzi/Steve Moore affair, the idea that within the game one enforcer or even a regular player could be sent to send a message or exact some sort of vengance for an earlier play or occurance. The rules of the game, the laws of the land can be circumvented by the coaches and players which allows for a unique subplot within each played game. A subplot of revenge and violence more apt for an Scorsese movie than a sporting event. It always made me laugh that the NHL, the league that has fist fights as a major selling point has a major trophy (the Lady Byng trophy) for gentlemenly and sportsmanlike play.
Who knows if this idea of vengence within games, the idea that messages can be sent, that the rules are there but are merely a suggestion or guideline played a role in Patrice Cormier's elbow to the head of his opponent. We may never find out but in my humble opinion, hockey should either let fights be part of the game, let the Derek Boogaards and Bob Proberts do their thing where they amp up the crowd and fight their way to paycheques and have that be legal within the rule or join the rest of the 21st century sports and let teams play the game in order to stick it to their opponents.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Haiti
Nearly 6000 kilometers away in Haiti, hundreds of thousands of people lay dead or dying in the rubble of what was a nation on brink of collapse before the earthquake that hit it.
Hope, in Haiti has been largely absent since the mostly black slaves population of the island revolted in the late 18th century and expelled the French colonialists. Military coups, dictators such as the Duvaliers (whose actions, if even half true would place their family square within the ranks of Pol Pot, Hitler, Milosevic et al in terms of destruction of humanity), drought, disease, and famine all became part of the Haitian consciousness as the slow passage of time continued.
I remember doing a Social Studies unit on Haiti in grade 6 and thinking then, much as I do now that hope and promise are not words often associated with Haitian futures. Much like East Timor, Haiti lacks attractive natural resources and had enjoyed a degree of independance from it colonial masters that created a perfect storm of underdevelopment and ignorance from the international community. Exiled Haitians have flocked to Toronto and Montreal, enriching their culture and making aid to the island a political hot button issue (after Afghanistan, Haiti receives the second largest committment of Canadian foreign aid). The Arcade Fire, in their song "Haiti" sum up many Haitian exile's perceptions of their lost homes and families.
SO, the last thing this impoverished country needed was a 7.0 magnitude eartthquake. Hundreds of thousands of people lay dead or dying and much of the capital of Port-au-Prince is destroyed. It is an ultimately tragic and horrifying occurance and the international community needs to be commended for its rapid response.
Where to from here? This earthquake needs to be a rallying point for the people of Haiti, hope must rise from the ashes. The event has occured, mourning must take place and progress must grow from that. There is no short term fix, the shantytowns and dilapadated buildings are rubble right now but they can be rebuilt. A new and better foundation can be built where the errors and mistakes of the past can be rectified. The people have a chance, with the world's eyes fixed on their island and their chequebooks open to begin a new future using motivation drawn from their fallen friends and family members. As members of the wealthy nations, it is OUR responsibility to keep the money and aid flowing and our attention fixed a little more on those who need it.
Wyclef is on the case, if he can save a song that features the The Rock I think Haiti will be alright
Don't forget, when this is not in the news anymore, the people still will need help
Hope, in Haiti has been largely absent since the mostly black slaves population of the island revolted in the late 18th century and expelled the French colonialists. Military coups, dictators such as the Duvaliers (whose actions, if even half true would place their family square within the ranks of Pol Pot, Hitler, Milosevic et al in terms of destruction of humanity), drought, disease, and famine all became part of the Haitian consciousness as the slow passage of time continued.
I remember doing a Social Studies unit on Haiti in grade 6 and thinking then, much as I do now that hope and promise are not words often associated with Haitian futures. Much like East Timor, Haiti lacks attractive natural resources and had enjoyed a degree of independance from it colonial masters that created a perfect storm of underdevelopment and ignorance from the international community. Exiled Haitians have flocked to Toronto and Montreal, enriching their culture and making aid to the island a political hot button issue (after Afghanistan, Haiti receives the second largest committment of Canadian foreign aid). The Arcade Fire, in their song "Haiti" sum up many Haitian exile's perceptions of their lost homes and families.
SO, the last thing this impoverished country needed was a 7.0 magnitude eartthquake. Hundreds of thousands of people lay dead or dying and much of the capital of Port-au-Prince is destroyed. It is an ultimately tragic and horrifying occurance and the international community needs to be commended for its rapid response.
Where to from here? This earthquake needs to be a rallying point for the people of Haiti, hope must rise from the ashes. The event has occured, mourning must take place and progress must grow from that. There is no short term fix, the shantytowns and dilapadated buildings are rubble right now but they can be rebuilt. A new and better foundation can be built where the errors and mistakes of the past can be rectified. The people have a chance, with the world's eyes fixed on their island and their chequebooks open to begin a new future using motivation drawn from their fallen friends and family members. As members of the wealthy nations, it is OUR responsibility to keep the money and aid flowing and our attention fixed a little more on those who need it.
Wyclef is on the case, if he can save a song that features the The Rock I think Haiti will be alright
Don't forget, when this is not in the news anymore, the people still will need help
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Return to Blog
After a couple year absence I am returning to the blogosphere.
SO in the next couple days I will be making a couple posts addressing such great topics as the Vancouver Olympics, labour relations, Haiti and alternative medicine.
Stay tuned and keep it real
SO in the next couple days I will be making a couple posts addressing such great topics as the Vancouver Olympics, labour relations, Haiti and alternative medicine.
Stay tuned and keep it real
Thursday, May 31, 2007
North American Sports Culture
For much of my life, athletics and sports have played a main role. Being from Canada, I felt as if I chose the right sport in Lacrosse (it being the national sport) but not being a serious hockey fan put me at a disadvantage. I played, reffed, coached and managed teams through my youth and into high school and I am currently don the garnet and gold of the Mount Allison Mounties CIS football team. I follow professional sports closely and pretty knowledgeable in all sports of sports trivia and facts.
That being said, I felt it was necessary to write a post on the current state of professional sports in North America and my unhappiness with it. I guess it began with the NHL and the controversy that surrounded the Canadian teams within that league. in the mid to late 90's Canada was going through rough economic times, budget cuts at the federal level were common and health care, social programs and the military all received heavy spending restrictions. Yet it was being proposed that the federal and provincial government assist the six financially struggling NHL teams. I felt then as I do now, tax money from individual Canadians who do not for the most part make six figures for less than a year of work is not a ethical sound course of action for a government. In the USA, despite multi-million dollar television and merchandising contracts, the NCAA still enjoys a tax exempt status. Interesting how that works.
In North American cities such as Detroit, where the downtowns are essentially crumbling under the weight of poverty, crime and unemployment still maintain immaculate facilities for their pro teams. While not publicly funded, the appearance of temples to baseball or football conjures an image of Gothic cathedrals rising from the slums of medieval France. Colleges, the lifeblood of innovation and leadership are dwarfed by their athletics programs. Varsity athletics bring prestige to schools and create a culture of loyalty and support for that school but when the academic integrity are sacrificed in that drive for athletic prowess it becomes problematic. When funding for a major department or area of study suffers as a result of varsity competition and funding then it becomes problematic. Maybe its something I do not understand.
In the end it is something which causes me to both wonder at and question at the same time, a entity which will bring out thousands of individuals, many whom do not have the type of disposable income to spend at a sporting event, time after time after time. No one can question the skill and dedication involved with playing a high level or professional sport but in the end is this where our society places its emphasis. Are professional athletes the ones who care and develop our children, keep our streets safe, care for us when we are sick or even drive the truck that delivers the milk to the grocery store? In a time where heroic deeds and hope are considered few and far between. In an era where idols all seem tragically flawed and those in which trust and faith was placed seem to buckle under that pressure, one only needs to look down the street or around the corner. One needs to look at the police officer working overtime or the teacher working with a disabled child, the social workers, the crown councilors and free clinic doctors. In is in these people we can find hope, and perhaps will make one think what they think is important to society.
That being said, I felt it was necessary to write a post on the current state of professional sports in North America and my unhappiness with it. I guess it began with the NHL and the controversy that surrounded the Canadian teams within that league. in the mid to late 90's Canada was going through rough economic times, budget cuts at the federal level were common and health care, social programs and the military all received heavy spending restrictions. Yet it was being proposed that the federal and provincial government assist the six financially struggling NHL teams. I felt then as I do now, tax money from individual Canadians who do not for the most part make six figures for less than a year of work is not a ethical sound course of action for a government. In the USA, despite multi-million dollar television and merchandising contracts, the NCAA still enjoys a tax exempt status. Interesting how that works.
In North American cities such as Detroit, where the downtowns are essentially crumbling under the weight of poverty, crime and unemployment still maintain immaculate facilities for their pro teams. While not publicly funded, the appearance of temples to baseball or football conjures an image of Gothic cathedrals rising from the slums of medieval France. Colleges, the lifeblood of innovation and leadership are dwarfed by their athletics programs. Varsity athletics bring prestige to schools and create a culture of loyalty and support for that school but when the academic integrity are sacrificed in that drive for athletic prowess it becomes problematic. When funding for a major department or area of study suffers as a result of varsity competition and funding then it becomes problematic. Maybe its something I do not understand.
In the end it is something which causes me to both wonder at and question at the same time, a entity which will bring out thousands of individuals, many whom do not have the type of disposable income to spend at a sporting event, time after time after time. No one can question the skill and dedication involved with playing a high level or professional sport but in the end is this where our society places its emphasis. Are professional athletes the ones who care and develop our children, keep our streets safe, care for us when we are sick or even drive the truck that delivers the milk to the grocery store? In a time where heroic deeds and hope are considered few and far between. In an era where idols all seem tragically flawed and those in which trust and faith was placed seem to buckle under that pressure, one only needs to look down the street or around the corner. One needs to look at the police officer working overtime or the teacher working with a disabled child, the social workers, the crown councilors and free clinic doctors. In is in these people we can find hope, and perhaps will make one think what they think is important to society.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Things Change
I watched the movie "Man of the Year" over the weekend. I was excited to see this movie because Robin Williams is an amazing actor and Barry Levinson had done fantastic things with Good Morning Vietnam and Wag the Dog. What I got out of it was a pretty good movie about politics and society and Williams once again showed his comic gifts. It was not the political message or the warnings against apathy that struck me the most about this movie, instead a line which to most probably would have been lost against the overall themes of the movie. Not to give away too much but Williams, as a independent presidential candidate while speaking on Saturday Night Live tells the audience, "Don't look for change just for the sake of change."
From my own individual perspective as a Canadian male, whose life and family has been blessed with many gifts this quote weighed heavily upon my mind. Of course change is tough, humans are creatures of habit who often seek to make life easier on themselves. "Don't fix what ain't broke" and thats an important idea to keep in mind, especially within the Canadian perspective.
Canadians have it pretty well, thats not to say we do not have a long way to go with obesity, consumption, poverty and wealth distribution but we do have a society which does a lot of things well and for that we must be eternally grateful.
That does not mean we should not embrace and seek change, instead it requires a critical approach and a open mind which is willing to weigh options and seek to strive for the best possible outcomes for a greater good. Change is important and ultimately effective with an end goal, a vision or creed in which to temper and guide decisions.
Change is good, it allows us all to progress and to evolve. It allows us to reach our potential as humans and to connect with the world around us. In the end though if it is at all possible, let us change for the better because sometimes the status quo is not all that bad when compared to a step backwards for the sake of change.
From my own individual perspective as a Canadian male, whose life and family has been blessed with many gifts this quote weighed heavily upon my mind. Of course change is tough, humans are creatures of habit who often seek to make life easier on themselves. "Don't fix what ain't broke" and thats an important idea to keep in mind, especially within the Canadian perspective.
Canadians have it pretty well, thats not to say we do not have a long way to go with obesity, consumption, poverty and wealth distribution but we do have a society which does a lot of things well and for that we must be eternally grateful.
That does not mean we should not embrace and seek change, instead it requires a critical approach and a open mind which is willing to weigh options and seek to strive for the best possible outcomes for a greater good. Change is important and ultimately effective with an end goal, a vision or creed in which to temper and guide decisions.
Change is good, it allows us all to progress and to evolve. It allows us to reach our potential as humans and to connect with the world around us. In the end though if it is at all possible, let us change for the better because sometimes the status quo is not all that bad when compared to a step backwards for the sake of change.
Monday, April 16, 2007
A Response to Virginia Tech
Today is a day marked by tragedy and death. 31 individuals so far have perished and many more lay in hospital as a gun wielding person opened fire at Virginia Tech University. As I sit here at Mount Allison University preparing for an exam and writing a paper, academics seem so far away.
Death on such a scale is incomprehensible to those who have no experienced it in close proximity and there is no doubt this event will emotionally damage all who experienced it. Tragedy at the hands of humans is a difficult subject to address, as humans intuitively seek guilty parties in these situation. More specifically they seek to place blame on an individual in order to exact some sort of punishment or receive some sort of compensation or retribution.
I cannot sit here and condone actions such as this or the Oklahoma City Bombing, September 11 or the Columbine School Shooting but I do wish to present a idea which is not often covered in these situations. Individually, yes Timothy McVeigh, Dylan Klebold, Eric Harris, Osama Bin Laden et al. must take responsibility for their actions but collectively I believe as a society a degree of collective blame can be shared. Security measures can discourage these type of acts and measure such as stepping up security at airports is a important step but in the end are reactive solutions to the situations in which causes lay deeper than the surface. More police officers and more metal detectors do not address the root of these problems. Disillusioned and depressed youth and the feeling of oppression and adoption of extremist religious paradigms by Muslim groups are solved purely by troops, metal detectors and more police officers but instead can be addressed solution based problem solving.
Tragedies are tragedies and need to be addressed at their root cause. By focusing on the cause of these events, not basing our reactions upon the effect. In the end dehumanizing these individuals is problematic and does not allow for the true effect of this upon society. It allows for the true root cause to be ignored and allows for a moral pass on the situation. The problem is not resolved and shootings, bombings and terrorist attacks continue. Collective responsibility through individual acceptance of the frailty of humanity is key to responding to these tragedies and moving on in the pursuit of the removal of violence and destruction as ways in which to respond to real or perceived persecution. In tragic times, where violence or suffering occurs humanity, empathy and understanding are far more effective than responding with the emotions which caused that tragedy in the first place. My prayers are with the friends and family of those victims of this destructive act.
Death on such a scale is incomprehensible to those who have no experienced it in close proximity and there is no doubt this event will emotionally damage all who experienced it. Tragedy at the hands of humans is a difficult subject to address, as humans intuitively seek guilty parties in these situation. More specifically they seek to place blame on an individual in order to exact some sort of punishment or receive some sort of compensation or retribution.
I cannot sit here and condone actions such as this or the Oklahoma City Bombing, September 11 or the Columbine School Shooting but I do wish to present a idea which is not often covered in these situations. Individually, yes Timothy McVeigh, Dylan Klebold, Eric Harris, Osama Bin Laden et al. must take responsibility for their actions but collectively I believe as a society a degree of collective blame can be shared. Security measures can discourage these type of acts and measure such as stepping up security at airports is a important step but in the end are reactive solutions to the situations in which causes lay deeper than the surface. More police officers and more metal detectors do not address the root of these problems. Disillusioned and depressed youth and the feeling of oppression and adoption of extremist religious paradigms by Muslim groups are solved purely by troops, metal detectors and more police officers but instead can be addressed solution based problem solving.
Tragedies are tragedies and need to be addressed at their root cause. By focusing on the cause of these events, not basing our reactions upon the effect. In the end dehumanizing these individuals is problematic and does not allow for the true effect of this upon society. It allows for the true root cause to be ignored and allows for a moral pass on the situation. The problem is not resolved and shootings, bombings and terrorist attacks continue. Collective responsibility through individual acceptance of the frailty of humanity is key to responding to these tragedies and moving on in the pursuit of the removal of violence and destruction as ways in which to respond to real or perceived persecution. In tragic times, where violence or suffering occurs humanity, empathy and understanding are far more effective than responding with the emotions which caused that tragedy in the first place. My prayers are with the friends and family of those victims of this destructive act.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
After about a million attempts and the general malaise that dominates my life I have finally entered the bloggosphere or whatever you computer types call this world of posting random stuff.
I figure if half the people out there have something worthwhile to say and half do not then I probably fit somewhere in the middle and therefore should have one of these things. I hope most of my stuff on here will be philosophically, politically or intellectually stimulating but if I do something dumb or one of my friends do then I will not shy away from sharing it.
My first post will be on Alexander Solzhenitsyn and how he not only gave me the name for my blog but also for the topic of my first blog post.
If you have a few minutes check this link out.......It is his 1978 Address to Harvard's incoming first year class.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn author of such works as the Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich addressed a Harvard commencement ceremony in the late 1970's with this speech. Many expected him to praise the freedom and openness of Western society as he had spent much of his life in Soviet prison camps, forced while suffering from cancer to perform menial tasks. Instead Solzhenitsyn produced a biting criticism of the absence of courage and individual responsibility within that same society. That following only a legal structure and not a personal set of goals, morals and restraints cannot in itself form a society where freedom and greatness can exist. A statesman is not able to be truly great as if he/she wishes to attempt such a feat their every action is greatly questioned and scrutinized. Decadence, overzealous pursuit of happiness and contentment, instant gratification have become part of Western development. The demand for instantanious and continuous news and information has created within the media a need for guesswork, acceptance of rumors and information with hardly credible sources. These and many other ideas have created a something in which he believes should not be placed on a pedestal and questions the preponderance of the Western countries to attempt to spread this way of life internationally.
Pretty heavy stuff.........and while some of his beliefs are hard to swallow, such an extreme view can often be pretty effective in making one look long and hard at oneself and question what they believe. If at the end of the day that can be done well the human spirit is alive and well and those evils Solzhenitsyn spoke of perhaps could be kept at bay for a while.
I figure if half the people out there have something worthwhile to say and half do not then I probably fit somewhere in the middle and therefore should have one of these things. I hope most of my stuff on here will be philosophically, politically or intellectually stimulating but if I do something dumb or one of my friends do then I will not shy away from sharing it.
My first post will be on Alexander Solzhenitsyn and how he not only gave me the name for my blog but also for the topic of my first blog post.
If you have a few minutes check this link out.......It is his 1978 Address to Harvard's incoming first year class.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn author of such works as the Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich addressed a Harvard commencement ceremony in the late 1970's with this speech. Many expected him to praise the freedom and openness of Western society as he had spent much of his life in Soviet prison camps, forced while suffering from cancer to perform menial tasks. Instead Solzhenitsyn produced a biting criticism of the absence of courage and individual responsibility within that same society. That following only a legal structure and not a personal set of goals, morals and restraints cannot in itself form a society where freedom and greatness can exist. A statesman is not able to be truly great as if he/she wishes to attempt such a feat their every action is greatly questioned and scrutinized. Decadence, overzealous pursuit of happiness and contentment, instant gratification have become part of Western development. The demand for instantanious and continuous news and information has created within the media a need for guesswork, acceptance of rumors and information with hardly credible sources. These and many other ideas have created a something in which he believes should not be placed on a pedestal and questions the preponderance of the Western countries to attempt to spread this way of life internationally.
Pretty heavy stuff.........and while some of his beliefs are hard to swallow, such an extreme view can often be pretty effective in making one look long and hard at oneself and question what they believe. If at the end of the day that can be done well the human spirit is alive and well and those evils Solzhenitsyn spoke of perhaps could be kept at bay for a while.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
