Before I dive into this episode of the Rhubarb Report, let’s take a brief fleeting moment for politics. A Report can’t go by without a least a little political humor, right? So in keeping with that, the Republican Candidate Of The Week, according to the polls, is Rick Santorum. This has become much like the Blue Plate special at your favorite cafe, or the whims of the BCS polls on a Sunday evening during college football season. Strange as it may sound, the BCS makes more sense these days than the Republican presidential debates – but I digress. Onwards to Episode 34!
Love. The mere mention of it conjures up images of Valentine’s Day – or vice versa. It is an integral part of the human condition, male and female, rich and poor, black and white.
Describing the feeling of love is inherently difficult. The love shared by two people can be indescribable, and delightfully so. You may have experienced it, felt it, reveled in it, and yet still have no earthly way to put it into words or expression of any form. Countless artists, writers, poets, and sculptors have attempted it throughout history. Some have succeeded. Some have failed miserably.
Last year, on this date, I posted an article entitled “365 Valentines A Year”. It is actually one of the most popular posts that I have written. In it, I discussed sharing love on a daily basis.
But is it possible to truly love someone else if we don’t love ourselves? Are we our own worst enemy in this search for love?
Blustery weather. Dark clouds. An early sunset. They all remind me of an impending winter season. Even after 21 years of living in Texas, I still get that pit-of-the-stomach feeling, that foreboding sense of a hard winter that is rapidly approaching.
For all those that think that snow and winter sound wonderful, I would offer this: try shoveling it for a winter and tell me what you think.
But when I was a kid, I looked forward to winter. There were a lot of cool things to do – no pun intended. Winter is a wonderful season if you enjoy downhill skiing, or cross country skiing, or snowboarding, or sledding, or ice skating, or hockey. I did them all in my younger years.
I have probably watched some or all of most of the Super Bowls dating back to at least 1974 or 1975. I know I can remember the Minnesota Vikings (and Fran Tarkenton) losing to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl IX in 1975. That memory sticks with me because the Vikings were one of my favorite teams when I was growing up. I fondly remember running back Chuck Foreman, the “Purple People Eaters” defense, and quarterback Fran Tarkenton – a scrambling quarterback that preceded the likes of Michael Vick and Randall Cunningham.
Over all those years, the NFL Championship game – a “World Championship” as they call it – is, more often than not, a Super Bore. In recent years, the true entertainment has come from the commercials and the half-time shows – if that.
But Super Bowl XLVI was actually pretty entertaining. It even had a moment which may go down as one of the strangest, surreal moments in sport.
I tried. I promise, I tried. Really, I did. I tried to keep politics out of the discussion. The last episode of the Rhubarb Report was politics-free. It is kind of like saying gluten-free or fat-free, only probably far healthier.
But you just can’t get away from it these days. When the reality TV series that is the Republican presidential debates produces countless sound bites, it can overwhelm the airwaves and the senses. In this election cycle, it seems to be getting more divisive, more bombastic, more insane, and more ridiculous. With that thought, I bring to you an all-politics Episode 33 of the Rhubarb Report. Sit back, relax, and enjoy that gluten and fat.
March Madness just won’t feel the same without the Longhorns this year.
No, the teams haven’t been selected yet. According to my calendar, we are still 36 days from the Big 12 tournament, let alone the Big Dance itself. It’s only January, right?
I may be completely wrong, but I project the Longhorns for the NIT at best, if not an early departure to the off-season. The closest thing that the Horns have to a “signature” win is a victory over Temple – who then went on to beat (at the time) #5 Duke. Otherwise, the signature of this team is … well, 31 seconds.
The last 31 seconds of last night’s loss against Missouri summed up the whole season.
Martin Luther King, Jr’s dream was – and is – the American Dream. And the roots of the American Dream can be found in the epic document that is the Declaration of Independence. If ever there was a work that had a profound cultural impact, the Declaration of Independence would be that work.
It amazes me how little people know – or perhaps even care – about the Declaration Of Independence or the Constitution. Unfortunately, many politicians use these important words out of context in order to get a good sound bite to gain a vote or two or 10,000.
With rights come responsibilities, and that has a direct impact on government and its ability to represent the people of this country effectively. The State Of The Union as we know it right now is simple: Democrats and Republicans alike are refusing to solve the problems of the people and the union, putting greater emphasis on their deeply-held beliefs about party politics and the economic impact with special interest groups.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.