"Aye, There's the rub!"

Chutzpah is a Yiddish word for somebody who has an inordinate amount of nerve. Want a definition? I can give you a good case:

DETROIT -- The man charged with beating another man 21 times appeared before a Wayne County judge on Wednesday for his preliminary examination.

Deonte Bradley's attorney asked the judge to provide protection for Bradley, who said he fears for his safety inside the Wayne County Jail.

Prosecutors said Leanord Sims, 91, was brutally beaten during a carjacking last week.

That, Ladies and gentlemen, is Chutzpah!

Let's get this straight-a young man BRUTALLY beats a 91 years old WWII veteran (While witnesses watched and did nothing) But he is too chicken to face the music in jail. Funny thing about prisoners. There is a code of ethics. Child Molesters and killers are the lowest in the pecking order. Young punks beating up old men would make the top 5. If there is any justice, that Judge in Motown will throw the book at this clown and throw him in jail in the general population. It could not happen to a nicer guy.

Jimmy Carter recently took a very public shot at President Bush.:"I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history." After having about 24 hours to digest the idiocy of that statement, former President Carter was backpedaling in a way that would have made any boxer in the ring envious:"No, that's not what I wanted to say. I wasn't comparing this administration with other administrations back through history but just with President Nixon."

I'm old enough to have been in High School during the Carter administration. It was a pretty ugly time to be an American: The Economy was in the crapper, unemployement was rampant, inflation was double-digit, the housing industry tanked, Detroit's cars were being outsold by the Japanese(Well, some things don't change), Businesses were going bankrupt, there was a continued national malaise post-Vietnam conflict. The final straw of Impotence of this adminstration was the Iran Hostage Crisis, where the Carter Administration wrung it's hands for 444 days while our American Embassy personal were being kept in cold storage by it's Iranian captors. Carter did authorize a military rescue attempt that failed miserably in the Iranian desert, killing all military personal involved. The Iranians gleefully displayed the burned bodies of these American Military personel. As an American, I don't know if I ever felt more ashamed. What amounted to an Islamic mob pretty much had the United States on it's knees. It's interesting to note that we really did not get movement on the hostages untill Ronald Reagan got elected.

In his post presidency, Jimmy Carter has done some great things from a humanatarian point of view with Habitat for Humanity. He has found a myriad of ways to stay busy, most of them trying to make the world a better place. It must be a guilty conscience, because other than the Camp David Accord he helped broker between Egypt and Isreal, there was not any good that came out of his administration.  That said, we maybe having rough times now, but you cannot even begin to compare the national mood now to the DEEP funk that we were in with Jimmy Carter's incompetent hand at the helm in the late 70's. My advice to Mr Carter would be to shut his pie-hole and sit the hell down.

Last night I was at Cooper High School to give out an AFS award to a student who ended up being a no-show on Senior Honors Night. To think that I was ALL dressed up-I was able to fit into some pants I had not been able to fit into in about 7 years, so that part of the evening was positive. I did have a nice conversation with the utterly charming and devestatingly pretty head of the foriegn language department.( a young woman from Colombia...hell, ALL of the teachers at Cooper are looking young-I really am getting older). All I know is that If she had been around back when I was first studying French, I might have changed my emphasis to Spanish.

One good trend that I noticed was that there were more African American kids who were getting academic honors and recognition. Cooper has been a diverse high school for a long time, and most years, whenever there was a black student getting an award on Senior Honors night, it was usually a kid whose parents had immigrated to the US from Africa or the West Indies. It was a positive development, because the growing gap in achievement between African American kids and everybody else is becoming a real concern in this country.

One not-so-subtle trend has continued. I would say that easily 3/4 of the students getting high academic honors and recognition were young women-meaning that very few boys were getting honors. This is a growing trend not just at Cooper, but at other schools. And it's not just young black men-it was young men, irregardless of ethnic origin. I think it has become very clear that the education system is not just failing African American men, it is failing men, period. Boys now represent an inordinate number of kids who are diagnosed with ADHD, are in Special Education and in programs related to behavior problems. They are also dropping out in serious numbers. Now maybe hardened feminists, like the late Betty Friedan would dancing a jig at these developments, but I think that the numbers of boys who are failing in the system has long range problems for us as a society as these boys become unemployable young men who are either going to be unemployed, doing menial work or in the penal system.

I think you can come up with myriad reasons why the system is letting boys down. I think for a start, the majority of teachers are women, and boys really do learn differently than girls. I think girls are going to get more subtle strokes because of their more passive learning style.  Boys are less likely to thrive in a static enviornment. When you think about it,  back when I was a kid, we got recess and/or PE every day. We had a chance to blow off steam. These poor kids now are lucky to get recess or PE 3 times a week. In this era of placement testing and school districts worrying so much about how the kids are testing, "Non essiential" items like recess and physical education are being thrown under the bus, so to speak.

I think that parents and educators need to look at this disparity of achievement between boys and girls and we need to come up with some more concrete ways to get some level of equilibrium in the achievement numbers. If these numbers continue the way they are, it bodes very poorly for boys, the men they will grow to be, and us as a nation.

It's a safe bet that my wife never imagined that we would be cleaning out horse stalls on Mother's day, but there we were: Rachel, Becky and me, all trying to get the horse stalls and barn in a cleaner state. A fair question would be WHY were we doing this? Was this some ill-concieved form of spoiling our second child, or some off-the-wall form off parental bonding with an equine-crazy child? None of the above. It was a pragmatic moved based on the fact that Rachel had to be at her job at Super Valu by 2pm, and doing her barn job is really a full day of very hard(and smelly) work. By pitching in, we were able to get the stables ship-shape in 3 hours. Rachel was able to be less stressed out, she was able to work at Super Valu, and then we all went out to Saint Paul to A` Rebours-My new favorite French Restaurant in the Twin Cities. Ian's Girlfriend Andrea joined us for what turned out to be a very pleasant evening of dining and conversation. The only downer is that I had to go straight to work once I dropped Becky and the kids back at the house.

I called my mom in Colorado. She  had a rare Mother's Day where she had company-in this case, my brother Bill was visiting her in  Montrose. He is looking to get his Snap Fitness up and running in Montrose, so this trip was no pleasure trip for him-it was a lot of work. I will be curious to talk to him about his impressions of Montrose and starting the business up. My mom is 68, smokes 3 packs of cigarettes a day and runs a poker parlour out of her house in Montrose. It's tough to only see her once or twice a year, but she just loves living on the Western Slope of Colorado. It is a beautiful area, and I can see why she fell in love with it. Colorado seems to agree more with her health, as well. She should be coming to the Twin Cities while we are in France, because she should be going to the 50th high school reunion for Saint Louis Park High School. Talk about feeling old-It does not seem that long ago when I was giving her a bunch of crap about her 25th High School Reunion. I told mom that she could stay in our house while we are gone...I just hope my dogs and cats don't get black lung from all of her smokes.

As a side note, if you have not seen Spiderman 3 yet, you can wait untill it comes out in DVD-it was REALLY mediocre. Hollywood has really become so dependent on special effects, that they have forgotten about good writing and acting. I think the CGI and special effects should enhance a movie, but should not be considered a substitute for good acting and writing. Take the Mexican-Spanish production of "Pan's Laberynth". Now THIS is an excellent movie that had great charachters and writing. The special effects were excellent, but they were not the entire movie. Hollywood can learn something from some of these really inovative foriegn flicks that come to US, and achieved financial and critical acclaim.

Our English guests from the Old Laurentian Rugby Football Club, Tom and Andy, both left on Wednesday. Buddha, our Bulldog, has been looking around for Tom, his buddy and sometime bed-partner. They are really nice guys, and both Ian and Rachel remarked that they will miss having them around. It has been an exceptionally busy last 5-6 days, with a lot of rugby and drinking. I think I have drank more beer in the past 5 days than I have in the past 5 months. I must confess, I don't drink it as often I used to, because I really tend to gain a ton of weight when I enjoy a few brews. Prior to the British Invasion, I had been sticking to red wine with dinner.

On Monday, Ian, Becky and I joined the OL's at the Arctic Monkeys concert at First Avenue. Rachel would have LOVED to have gone to it, but this was an 18 and over show, so she could not go. One of my Metropolis Old Boy Teamates burned Arctic Monkey CD's for a bunch of us, so I promised Rachel that she could have my copy. When the concert was over and Becky and I were watching the roadies break down the stage, a 50 something guy with shrinking hairline and large glasses came into First Avenue and walked below the balcony where we were at." That guy looks like Elvis Costello", Becky remarked. "Honey, THAT IS Elvis Costello." He walked passed Ian and must have gone back stage to speak with the band members of the Arctic Monkeys after their show. For me, the highlight of the show was an OL named Tom- A REALLY BIG former second row player who got past security and got on stage, where he dove from the stage into the teaming crowd in front of the stage.

The A game on Tuesday with the OL's and Metropolis finished a 13-13 draw. It was a tense and exciting match, with both teams having chances to put the game away at the end. There were 3 yellow cards in the game, but overall, I felt it was a clean game, and I thought it was a fair result. The weather was just gorgeous on Tuesday. It was a fast track and made for some wonderful rugby. Our head coach Denny was very pleased with how our guys played this weekend. I know I had a lot of fun playing in the Old boys tournament this past weekend. I was still really sore today, and was finally able to get in with my massage therapist, Dana this evening to get my Trapezius, delts, rhomboids and back worked on. I am still feeling sore-too sore to practice, but even then, I need to get a new pair of rugby shoes, because the pair I lent to Andy  might have ended up in his luggage to the UK, because I have been looking for my Addidas, but cannot find them. Oh, well. I cannot complain. Andy and Tom were great houseguests, and they both gave me and Ian a bunch of really cool OL shirts-Ian and I each got a game jersey, so I cannot complain, it was just an error that was easy to make. We got their contact info in the UK, and I hope someday to make it to the East Midlands in Rugby and pay them a visit.

It has been a VERY busy weekend.

The OL's (Old Laurentian's) arrived on Friday. I have two young players staying at my house: Tom(A/K/A Foghorn Leghorn) and Andy(AKA Skinners-most rugby players seem to have some sort of nick name-and no, Ian and I don't have one yet) Both of our UK visitors are really nice-and they both like animals! They both really like Buddha, our Bulldog. On Friday, after I picked them up at Legend's Bar in Nord-east, we came back to our house so they could get cleaned up, then we started our Pub Crawl. We went from Brits pub>The Local>the News Room>Lyons Pub>Old Chicago and finished at the Loon-well, some finished at the Loon Cafe, most everybody was having a ball in the Basement of Old Chicago. The Brits all had orders to wear Union Jack shorts over their pants and have some other parts to their get-up, like medals and things. It is amazing what a conversation starter it was for these guys, and of course, American women just cannot RESIST the power of the English accent. These guys were having no trouble meeting and talking up women at the bars. Rebekah and I had a chance to talk with a few members of the group, and they are just a fun group. I think there are a couple of things at work. I DO think that Americans and the British have a natural affinity for one another, but I do think that the Rugby culture certainly seems to attract people who are sociable.

On Saturday, we had games. Lots of rugby. I played in 3 old boys games, two on a mixed team of Old Laurentian Old Boys and Metropolis Old Boys, I also played as a flanker for Green Bay when the Played a full Metropolis Old boy team. I got drilled while carrying the ball-somebody hit my left shoulder but good. It really stiffened up as Saturday progressed. The Old boys games were fun for a variety of reasons, but none the least of which was just marvelling at the skills of some of these players. Two Old Boys really, really impress the hell out of me: Pedro and Thor. Pedro still has amazing pace and Thor can just get the ball right where it has to go, and, particularly for an American player, his kicking skills were just amazing.  In the Headline match for Saturday, the OL's beat our B-side 11-8 in a very, very tight game. My son Ian played about 2/3 to 3/4 of the game at wing. There was some very good rugby in wet conditions, I thought.

I am almost ashamed to say that I was feeling so tired, stiff and sore after playing, that I almost decided to stay home...but with this being Cinco de Mayo, the second biggest excuse to party after St Patrick's Day, I had to find a way to get my butt off the deck and go party. I dropped Tom and Andy off at Legends, then Rebekah and I went to my friend Karen's house for her Cinco de Mayo Party. Karen is of Mexican-Swedish Ancestory-she knows how to throw a BITCHIN' party. All of her parties are fun, and this one was no exception, excellent food and a wide variety of drinks. In my fatigued state, I just had a couple of bears, I stayed away from the Margarita's. With Becky fading fast, I got her home, napped for about 50 minutes, then went to Legends to pick up the boys-who ALL looked like they were having a ball  in the basement at Legends and meeting the formidable array of good looking women who were there on Saturday. I ended up playing sober cab and gave a Metropolis player and his English guest a lift to their place in Columbia Heights.

Upon returning to the house at about 0245, I found one of the dogs must of eaten something that did not agree with him, because there was liquidized Doggy doo in the dining room, . I did not get to bed untill about 0330. Becky informed me at about 8 or 9 that whatever sick dog there was, also hit the basement and the stairs, which was kind of a rude awakening for the Funeral Frauline, as she was trying to get ready for work.

I got Tom and Andy up around noon, and then we went to Columbia Park for the Picnic-Pig roast. It was fun, but I really needed a nap before coming to work. Monday is going to be busy in the evening as we have tickets to see a British band called the Arctic Monkeys. The OL's are really keen to see them, because in the UK, they are huge, and tickets are expensive. Ian and Rachel both heard about them. I was able to get Ian a ticket, but Rachel is only 16, and I found out this was an 18 and over show. Anyway, the OL's leave on Wednesday. I think I really will need a weekend to recover from my weekend. Cheers!

So much for people hoping for an all-English club final for the European Champions League in soccer. Manchester United's make-shift defense got shredded like old toilet paper on the wet grounds of the San Siro Stadium in Milan on Wed. AC Milan brought out the whupping stick and beat Man United 3-0, setting up a replay of the 2005 final in Istanbul,when Liverpool staged an epic comeback from 3 goals down to tie the "Rossoneri"(Literally, the Red-blacks) and force the game into overtime and then prevailed on Penalties for their 5th European Championship. I think AC Milan has to be considered the favorite. Man-per-man, they have more talent thant Liverpool. Liverpool has two things going for them: A much better defense than Manchester United and an X-factor once getting to European Title games. To my recollection, I think the only European final that the Reds have lost was the infamous game in Brussells in 1985, where Michel Platini's penalty was the difference in Juventus defeating Liverpool. Most people remember what happened BEFORE the game, when a group of English Hooligans stormed the Juventus side of the stands causing a stampede and panic that killed over 20 Juventus supporters.  The ugliness at the Heysel Stadium in Brussells and the disaster at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield that killed 96 Liverpool spectators were what pushed England to really get serious about hooliganism and reforms to try to clean up the image of the English football(soccer) fan. It also pushed England to rethink how the stadiums were laid out-it introduced all seated stadiums and got rid of the terraces that were standing room that were a source of fights and led to many of the ills that afflicted English football for a long time.

I went with my daughter Rachel to watch her take her horse lesson. It was a glorious sunny day on Wednesday in the Twin Cities and Wright County(Rachel's barn, where she keeps her horse is a good 50 minute drive from the house) She is leasing a horse named Magic, an Arabian that she is hoping to get some experience taking to some horse shows later this spring and summer. She also had a chance to work with the Ferrier who was re-shoeing and taking care of Maverick's(Rachel's horse that she owns) hooves. Corey, the guy who owns the facility and also gives riding lessons, worked with Rachel and Magic. It was a very, very good session, and Rachel seemed very pleased with the progress that she and Magic seem to making as a team.

We have school conferences for Rachel on Thursday. I am only going to be able to make it to Rugby practice for a bit. I have a lot to do in the house. I really need to try to mow and De-poop the backyard. I have my work cut out for me so our British guest with the Old Laurantian Rugby Club does not think he is living in a barn.

Do-Bray Ootrah(Russian for Good Day) Comrades! Welcome to May Day! Hey! You! Comrade! Take your I-pod out of your ears, you capitalist simpleton!

May Day is the traditional Labor Day in Europe. Back in the old days(the early 1980's) Socialists and Communists were the main presence and voice for "the workers" in France, and quite a few other European Countries. In France, the CGT (The French Acronym for Congres General du Travai, or General Congress of Workers) was very much run by the French Communist Party. Today, a lot of European Labor Unions have become very worried about things like Globalization and outsourcing. At some point, France, and other Western European countries are going to have to come to grips with the fact that the cradle-grave social net that exists now is bleeding the countries dry of money and resources. A huge wave of post WWII baby boomers are hitting close to retirement age, there is a relatively small pool of younger workers to support a system that is facing rising medical costs. The unions may not have as much power in France as they did back in the 60's through the 80's-but they do have the ability make life very difficult for French Citizens and tourists should key unions decide to strike. The challenge facing European Politicians is trying to balance the social programs that many consider a birthright, versus trying to reform systems of business to try to encourage growth and Keep European Industry competetive.

Legends Bar, in Northeast Minneapolis (or Nord-east, as the locals would say), is a sponsor for my Rugby Club. They had an attempted robbery today that was foiled by a plain-clothes Minneapolis Cop. I will enclose a link for the story:http://www.startribune.com/467/story/1154637.html      Luckily, nobody but one of the bad guys got hurt.

I am hoping that in the UEFA Champions League(The European Club Championships for soccer) Semi-final tomorrow, that my favorite club, Liverpool FC can overcome a one goal Chelsea lead from the first match in London. The return leg will be at Anfield Road, Liverpool's home ground. I know Chelsea is pretty dinged up with injuries, but even their depleted line-up is still pretty formidable. I am really hoping for a Liverpool-Manchester United final.(Man U will have to hold onto a one goal lead going into Milan's San Siro Stadium for the return leg against AC Milan.) Liverpool may not be the best team in the English Premiership, but like a down and out actor who seems to be "ON" as soon as the stage lights are on, Liverpool somehow seems to come up big in European Competitions.(They have lifted the Champions Cup 5 times)