Eloquent Incoherence

I just bought an XBox 360. I’m not quite sure why I wanted to; I played video games a lot as a kid, but I haven’t been really into them for at least 10 years. The last console I owned was the original PlayStation, and I didn’t really play it all that much. Maybe it’s because I had no concept of a video game world that wasn’t dominated by Nintendo and Sega, and I equated Nintendo and Sega’s decline with a decline of the industry itself. I’m not used to the fact that Sony and Microsoft are now leading the race, Nintendo is hanging on for dear life, and Sega has thrown in the towel. Or maybe I just grew out of it. In any event, the hoopla over the original XBox, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, GameCube, PSP, Nintendo DS, or any of the other consoles that came and went over the years never really captured my interest. I just thought this batch–the 360, the Playstation 3, and the Nintendo Wii–was really cool for some reason. I may change my mind; I haven’t opened it yet and probably won’t for the next few days (the reason I bought it now instead of waiting until I was sure is because they were running a 3-day special on it). Or maybe I’ll exchange it for a Wii (the PS3 is just way too expensive).

I realize this decision won’t be good for my productivity, but I’m halfway done with 3L year and not under very much pressure anymore (at least that’s what I keep telling myself).

America has lost an upstanding statesman, and the State and University of Michigan have lost one of their brightest sons. Former president Gerald Ford died today at age 93. He was vice president 1973-1974 and president 1974-1977. He also played center on the University of Michigan’s 1932 and 1933 national championship football teams.

RIP #38 and #48.

Research in Motion, maker of the popular Blackberry wireless handheld devices, has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Samsung over the latter’s new Blackjack smartphone. I’m not quite sure what RIM is trying to accomplish here; their case is weak at best and seems to revolve around the fact that both products contain the word ‘black’. Perhaps the NTP debacle has driven RIM bat-shit crazy.

When Israel vacated its illegal settlements in the Gaza Strip last year as part of its “unilateral disengagement plan”, Western media commentators described the move as “historic” and generated a media frenzy reporting on every last detail of the settler evacuations. Lost in the hoopla over Israel’s “generosity” was the fact that the evacuated settlers would be resettled not within Israel proper, but within new and expanded illegal settlements in the West Bank. Last December, shortly after the Gaza Strip evacuation was completed, Israel approved a massive expansion of the Maale Adumim illegal settlement, already the largest in the West Bank. Today, Israel approved its first new illegal settlement since 1992 in the northern Jordan Valley specifically to accommodate families evacuated from the Gaza Strip. Both stories were completely absent from the front pages of CNN.com, MSNBC.com (which apparently finds unwanted Christmas presents a more fitting subject for a front page story), and FOXNews.com, and were mere bylines on BBC.com.

There’s an interesting article in the Washington Post today about a Saudi human rights lawyer who has made a career out of challenging the Kingdom’s powerful religious police, the mutawwa.

According to an article in today’s Detroit News, Alan Branch is still unsure about whether he’ll return to Michigan for his senior season or declare himself eligible for the NFL Draft. Branch had 23 tackles and forced 2 turnovers this past season, and was part of a defensive unit that lead the nation in rushing defense, allowing only 43 yards per game. At 6′6″, 331 lbs., he is a beast who would probably be a first- to second-round pick if he came out (and I’m sure the prospect of being a millionaire at age 21 is tempting). On the other hand, he would be the anchor of our defense if he returns and a front-runner for the Lombardi Award. With QB Chad Henne, RB Mike Hart, and OT Jake Long having already announced that they plan on returning for their senior seasons, our offense has the potential to be the best in the country in 2007. If Branch and LB Shawn Crable come back, our defense will be just as fearsome, and the National Championship will be ours to lose. Long would surely have been a first-round pick had he come out and his return was a bit of a surprise; let’s hope Crable and Branch follow in his footsteps.

The United Nations has finally imposed sanctions on Iran over its refusal to abandon its nuclear program. The resolution falls far short of what the United States had hoped for (including restrictions limiting enforcement to non-military measures), but still makes it difficult for Iran to further its nuclear ambitions.

This is a significant development, particularly since Russia and China (whose reservations had previously kept the UN from taking any action) are backing the sanctions. It seems to me that Ahmedinejad’s ill-advised remarks about Israel coupled with Iran’s recent conference on the Holocaust made it more difficult for its erstwhile advocates on the Security Council to stall a resolution. In any event, it’s unclear whether the sanctions will end up having a detrimental effect on Iran’s ongoing emergence as a regional power. The “War on Terror” and the ill-conceived American invasion of Iraq eliminated the two main buffers to Iranian influence. If Hamas (which Iran funds) manages to stay in power in Palestine and Hezbollah (which Iran arms and funds) succeeds in its drive for more power in Lebanon, the “new Middle East” that would result might not be the one that Bush and co. had envisioned.

On a related note, I find it rather interesting that the United States and the UN find it so urgently necessary to act over the professedly peaceful nuclear ambitions of a regime that has never taken any aggressive military action against its neighbors (despite its often fiery rhetoric), yet are apparently unconcerned about the recently-acknowledged nuclear capability of a regime that has repeatedly bombed and/or invaded its neighbors and continues to hold three million people under a military occupation. This latest double standard will no doubt widen the gulf of mistrust between the West and the Muslim World.

Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English is Rivals.com’s defensive coordinator of the year.

The difference English has made really can’t be understated. Our defense couldn’t stop anyone in the 4th quarter last year. This year, we led the nation in rushing defense and were #6 in overall defense. Quite a turnaround, and an impressive achievement for a first-year coordinator. I really hope he’s chosen to succeed Lloyd Carr when he retires.

Interesting article on African-American attitudes toward Barack Obama:

Obama’s toughest sell for White House bid may be to other blacks

At long last, I now have my own blog. It’s about time, isn’t it?