in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us

Wait... for what?

Nobel Peace Prize? Really? What exactly has Barack Obama done to earn that award? Even more so, what had he done back in February, not even a month into his presidency, to even warrant a nomination? Didn't his entire campaign revolve around change and action and doing things to correct what he considered to be wrong in our country and the world? In spite of being nominated in February, what has he done in the months since to earn this honor? His expeditious policy ramrodding and liberal rhetoric has raised ire and rage across the country, not peace.

Then again, Al Gore made a movie and wrote a book....

So what's the moral of the story? The Nobel Peace Prize is a joke? The veritable 4th Grade "Good Job!" sticker of global awards?

So, why was Obama nominated and then ultimately crowned winner of this award? According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee's explanation, Obama is to receive the award "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." According to Alfred Nobel's will, the Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

Ok...

Apparently, the Nobel Committee received a record 205 nominations for the Peace Prize this year. Out of those 205, they were unable to find one nominee that actually accomplished something furthering world peace and met Nobel's standard for receiving this award? Someone who lives life fighting for change, not just talking about it?

What about someone like Greg Mortenson? Mortenson, nominated for the prize by members of Congress, is a former army medic and mountaineer, who has made it his mission to build schools for girls in places where opium dealers and tribal warlords kill people for trying. His Central Asia Institute has built more than 130 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan - a mission which has, along the way, inspired millions of people to view the protection and education of girls as a key to peace and prosperity and progress.

I don't know. Sounds like he deserves some recognition to me. And I am sure the other 203 nominees have done equally impressive things for peace and humanity globally. I'm going to get off my soapbox in a just a moment, but first, I would encourage you to scan the List of Nobel Peace Prize laureates and maybe click on a couple and read their stories. And after you have absorbed the tradition of the award and the type of individuals and groups it typically rewards (from Mother Teresa to Martin Luther King, Jr. to Amnesty International), ask yourself if this year's winner fits that mold, based on his accomplishments, not his campaign promises.

Actions speak louder than words...

We both like smoking cigars...

So what's the problem here, huh?


Oh. Right.

That reminds me (as many things do) of Eddie Izzard's Dress to Kill stand-up show... which was filmed in 1999, coincidentally, in San Francisco... hmmm

"What the f*** have you been smoking, eh? Certainly you haven't been smoking in a bar in California, that's for certain!"
‘Cause you can't! No, no smoking in bars now, and soon, no drinking and no talking! Be careful, California! You're supposed to be the crazy state, the out there, the wild ones, you know?..." [full transcript]

People need to get over themselves and lighten up a bit. First of all, it's Jordan. I don't think I'm going to tell him what not to do, but that's just me. Secondly, it's a golf course. Apart from a dark, hardwood gentleman's club or maybe your own backyard, a golf course has to be one of the few remaining places a cigar can be enjoyed without significant social backlash. Tobacco is the latest societal scapegoat and cigars the most heavily scrutinized.

Let him enjoy his freaking cigar and get over it.

Just like Sesame Street

I've decided, the Letter of the Day is "B"

Therefore, today's Playlist of Productivity includes:

• Band of Horses
• Band of Skulls
• Beirut
• Belle & Sebastian
• Ben Folds
• Ben Harper
• The Beta Band
• Beulah
• Blue Merle
• Bon Iver

Not too shabby...

City sounds are humming around
I'm sitting on my doorstep
Watching the world go round

When the crowd is dragging you down
I'll give you my street address
You'll take a ride downtown

The sun is out