Stuff for September

It's been a while since I've written anything substantial here--radio silence is not my normal style, and the preceding weeks have been anything but boring. After all, the Olympics and Paralympics, a Cubs divisional baseball pennant, the Democratic and Republican conventions and the fissure of the bloc comprising the Flemish Christian Democrats and the New Flemish Alliance have thus far passed without my comment. But as I recline in my Geneva-bound TGV seat, Grimbergen Blond in hand, there are some things which jump to mind.


Obama-a turning point?

I think the last week of the presidential campaign has left Democrat Barack Obama in the ascendancy. First by replying to Republican John McCain's bid to suspend campaigning during the economic crisis by saying to the effect that the public had a right to expect a president to be able to walk and chew gum simultaneously, and then by coming off as lucid, well-informed and well-tempered in the face of increasingly desperate lunges by McCain during the first presidential debate, Obama clearly demonstrated the demeanor of a viable President.

Add in the embarrassing display by McCain running mate Sarah Palin on a national news program, and Obama is now in a position to stake a claim on the 10+ percent of voters currently claiming to be undecided. Fold in the shift in campaign focus towards the economy, stronger ground for Obama, and the coming weeks should see a clear lead begin to emerge. Of course, the decisive factor come election day will be voter mobilization and peer-to-peer contact among voters. This was a key Obama strength in the primaries; whether it will be qualitatively and quantitatively superior to Republican efforts is still an open question.

Murderball Gold

Longtime readers of mine will recall my fondness for the 2005 documentary Murderball, which chronicled the fortunes of the US Wheelchair Rugby side during its unsuccessful quest for gold at the 2004 Athens Paralympics. While the deep portrayal of these gladiators (whose sport features quadriplegics slamming into each other in armor-plated wheelchairs) in Murderball illustrated that all that is golden in life is not necessarily so rewarded, the American boys came home with the Gold this year after a pitched finals battle with Australia.

What was less golden was the television coverage. For all of the hours of Olympic coverage on NBC in the US, there were very little of the Paralympics. The irony-while much was made of the personal stories of Olympians, the personal stories of paralympians like my personal hero, Mark Zupan, the tattooed and talismanic leader of US Wheelchair Rugby didn't make the air.

BBC coverage was much better--even allowing me to catch a half of quad rugby between Great Britain and eventual silver-winners Australia in a characteristically hard-hitting match.

As for seeing the US--I'll be ordering my London 2012 tickets as soon as they are available.

Domestic Affairs

After two months of achieving my long-sought return to Belgium, things are settling well. Sure there are issues, most of which pertain to an apartment with an absentee landlord which also happens to be 20 square meters too small for two.

Still, having welcomed a new flatmate, a Washington friend in his late 20s who is pursuing a grad degree here a few weeks ago, life is infinitely more interesting. Aside from the financial side (particularly acute as I have yet to secure coveted non-resident tax status here), having a flatmate has its appeal on a number of fronts. A good flatmate makes for a more convivial environment, particularly when it's time to pull beer from the fridge. Lost keys become less traumatic. Long absences are less filled with concern about ransacking.But what's most positive so far is that it's good practice to live with someone if one seeks to live with a sweetie in the future.

My main domestic project this year is to learn to be a better person to live with.

Blueberry Beer

At a recent visit to Delirium, a Brussels venue best described as beervana. I had the occasion to try a fascinating brew that defied all expectations.

While most Belgian fruit-spiked beers tend to be sweet, tangy and low in alcohol, Bon Secours avec Myrtilles (Bon Secours with Blueberries) was refreshing, dry and fairly strong at 7% alcohol. The blueberry flavor is very much pronounced, but missing all but the tiniest hint of sweetness. I suspect it would work well with most foods that pair with a light red wine, and is more than adequate on its own.

Its ceramic-topped bottle is reminiscent of a short Grolsch bottle.

And finally...

Was saddened by the passing of Paul Newman this weekend. While I loved Newman in a number of roles-Cool Hand Luke and Slapshot among others, none was the equal of Ari Ben Canaan, the Israeli independence fighter in Exodus.

I'll never forget the first time I saw Exodus. It was in 1982, in an air raid shelter/mess hall on an Israeli Army base in the Golan Heights. I was among the dozens of fervent young 16 year olds overnighting on the base, and there was no more receptive audience to the warm, smart and clear-headed fighter for his people and homeland that Newman portrayed--someone who exemplified that which was great about Israel then...and remains great about Israel to this very day.

Sleep well, Ari Ben Canaan. To my fellow tribespeople in KL18 land, Shana Tova. And to all my readers, welcome back and thank you. ---