Top of the B-List
Or even American, really…
I’ve signed this petition from the excellent Sojourners magazine folks. Even though I can’t vote, my life (and the lives of millions of people around the world, especially in Iraq) are affected by this November’s election.
If you’re a person of faith, have a look. Ah, go on, even if you’re not…
Brooke and I have been glued to our television for the past two weeks for the Olympic Games. Tomorrow it comes to an end with one of our favourite events, the men’s marathon. In checking the start list tonight, I discovered to my delight that Mustapha Bennacer is running for Algeria. Mustapha is a Canadian resident (he trains in Montreal) who runs all (and wins most) of the Canada Running Series events. We actually ran with him this year at the Spring Run-Off (he won in a time of 23:44.9), and watched him in his marathon debut in Ottawa (he came in 2nd in 2:12:03.1). It’s pretty exciting to think that he’s preparing right now for the biggest race of his life. It’s only his second marathon, but he’ll be among the best in the world. Maybe by the time the next Olympics comes around, he’ll have decided to become a Canadian citizen!
Fellow Canadian Jonathan Crowe has a project running for the duration of the Olympics called DFL. Though “Dead F***ing Last” sounds cheeky and disrespectful, he reminds us that he’s “celebrating last-place finishes at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Because they’re there, and you’re not.”
I guess the irony is that his blog, which he started precisley ten days ago, has been picked up by MetaFilter, The Register, and even Reuters. My similarly-themed-but-not-quite-as-focussed project, Runner-Up, started in April, is…well…a runner-up. Maybe as a result of his blog, Runner-Up will get some much-needed attention. Then it could be, you know, like the consolation champ or something…
CNN: Olympians barred from blogging.
To protect the “rights of broadcasters” and other big media, we’ve been deprived of hearing the personal stories of athletes attending the games. What a silly, short-sighted decision.
I’m incredibly psyched after watching the trailer for Wes Anderson’s next film, The Life Aquatic. Not only is Anderson my favourite contemporary filmmaker, he also shares my musical taste almost exactly. His soundtracks are genius, and in this trailer alone, he uses some great music:
Also, how cool is it that the name of famous oceanographer Steve Zissou’s (Bill Murray!) boat is the Belafonte. Can’t wait! (via paul)