by Ethan Johnson
April 10, 2008

Clearly, I need to get out more:

by Ethan Johnson
February 27, 2008

New releases first, as per ancient and accepted standards and practices:

by Ethan Johnson
February 12, 2008

This was a made-for-TV special about the USWNT, and may not be widely available for viewing. If it is airing locally, by all means, watch it. If you have children, watch it with them. The special covers the history of the USWNT from the first Womens World Cup in 1991, to the 2004 Olympics. The Hope Solo/2007 WWC controversy is not covered.

In short, this is an incredibly inspirational program. The USWNT overcame incredible hardships and setbacks (relatively speaking, in the sporting world) to rise to becoming the greatest team nobody has ever heard of. As I have reasoned in a much earlier article, narrative is an essential ingredient for compelling sporting events, and this program provides it in spades.

Here is what I learned from this show. If you don't think you'll ever get to see the program, read through the highlights:

by Ethan Johnson
January 26, 2008

New year, good blend of new and old:

by Ethan Johnson
December 24, 2007

Every so often, I'll click a link at random, and wonder why I don't engage in random link-clicking more often. Case in point: Below the Eight. Read the blog to learn the story behind the name. Anyway, the author wrote out a list of things that she doesn't "get", and pretty much nailed something that has nagged at me here and there, as one of the unwashed masses:

by Ethan Johnson
November 29, 2007

More, more, more:

by Ethan Johnson
November 26, 2007

Earlier this year, I wrote about Breatharianism:

Breatharian thought (as I am defining it here) is rooted deeply in "keeping up appearances", and is identifiable either through covert activities to create a specific impression, or overt actions that oppose the stated ideal. But this differs from mere hypocrisy in that the hypocrite is loathed because he or she doesn't even bother to act in the manner that he or she claims to be the ideal, such as the finger-wagging moralist who snorts cocaine and enjoys horse porn. Hypocrisy in the business sense would be declaring "keeping jobs safe at home" to be the ideal while outsourcing 99% of the company's operations overseas. Breatharianism in the business sense would be to claim that sole entrepreneurship is the key to success, only to reveal that a virtual army of outsourced labor/resources was pressed into service to keep the business afloat.

Two items have recently entered the national bloodstream that speak to the above. One is a book, and another a movie (based on a book). I will try to keep "spoilers" to a minimum, however if you plan to read Better Off by Eric Brende or see Into the Wild at the movies, you may want to skip this article altogether but couch the above quoted text in the back of your mind somewhere.

by Ethan Johnson
September 16, 2007

News flash: I am a red-blooded heterosexual male. Happily married, but still subject to various hormonal, social, biological, and normative conditions that say, compel me to note that various women are attractive (read: hawt) while others are not attractive. To me. However, what bothers me lately is that I have been catching myself applying a huge double standard to female athletes. My one-line defense/excuse has been provided above, but the question is, why? And how does this happen? Let's explore: