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More Barcelona Photos

I finally got the film from the SLR photos I shot in Barcelona developed. The prints came in yesterday and I'm very pleased with the results. I created a Flickr set of some of my favorites.

This really makes me want to start using the SLR again. I'm also very seriously thinking about purchasing a Digital SLR.

Brad Pitt / Global Green Competition Finalists Announced

Brad Pitt was on the Today Show this morning talking about the current State of New Orleans and the need for Green Design. He also announced that the finalists of the Global Green competition that he sponsored have been selected. Here they are. There's some really great work there.

I applaud Mr. Pitt for what he is doing here. He's using his celebrity and interest in architecture to bring national attention to the fact that we still don't have the funds necessary to fix things down here. He's also raising awareness about green building and design, which we desperately need to embrace on a national level.

In Defense of Zizou

This is the best analysis of the Zidane headbutt yet. It perfectly articulates my similar feelings on the matter. Sometimes, when pushed too far we all break. It makes Zidane human. And in my opinion Materazzi totally had it coming to him.

Addendum: Somehow this post got erased, Typepad is having some kind of an issue. Here's an even better article that examines Zidane's actions from a much wider cultural perspective.

When he speaks of "my people," Zidane refers not necessarily to all of France, but more specifically to the disenfranchised youths on the mean streets of Le Castellane, the immigrant ghetto in northern Marseilles where he grew up. Zidane learned to fight on the streets of Le Castellane, where respect was earned by not walking away from a challenge. And his early soccer coaches were quickly alerted to the violent rage that could be provoked by taunts from players and fans about his origins and family. They taught him to channel that rage into superlative soccer skills, but it periodically erupted in violent outbursts.

Abandoned Cars Are Finally Removed

The thousands of abandoned cars that have sat under overpasses in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina are finally getting dealt with! On my way to work this morning I saw that whole blocks of them had been cleared near Esplanade and Claiborne. Further up Claiborne there were several tow trucks and excavators making short work of them.

Seeing those cars every day has been one of the crappier reminders that I am faced with and I'm glad to see them finally go.

Allez les Bleus!

Here's hoping that France can beat those Italian thumbsuckers!

Zidane! Henry! Barthez! Allez les Bleus!

On the menu for tomorrow's game:
Croissants with good butter and jam
Cheese board - le Tur chevre, Chevrial, Camembert
Vidalia Onione & Creole Tomato Salad
Ham, Cheese & Spinach Quiche
Mushroom & Onion Toasts
Assorted Pastries for Dessert
Champagne
Mimosas
Sparkling Water with Lemon

Senator Vitter Apologizes

Today I received an email apologizing for the idiotic letter that a staffer sent to me last month that incorrectly identified me as a supporter of Vitter's boneheaded endorsement of  the Federal Marriage Amendment.

The letter is still full of nonsensical partisan rhetoric but at least his office recognized their mistake.

Dear Mr. Langenbeck, I have recently learned that you received a letter from me that incorrectly identified your position on the Federal Marriage Amendment. I am deeply sorry for this mistake and wish to assure you that this is not a common occurrence, but it i s one that I strive to correct as soon as possible. Thank you for contacting me in opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment. As you may know, the Marriage Protection Amendment, states, "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution or the constitution of any State ... shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than a man and a women." This legislation amending the U.S. Constitution would require passage by two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and Senate, and also ratification by three-quarters of the states. I believe marriage to be a union between one man and one woman. The Marriage Protection Amendment removes the debate regarding the definition of marriage from the hands of the courts and judges and returns this decision to the American people, where I feel it belongs. Once again, thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts on this issue. Please continue to contact me in the future about other issues important to you. Sincerely, Senator David Vitter United States Senator

Daft Punk's "Electroma"

This is exciting!

Great Sporting Weekend

I had a great weekend of sports watching, which was kicked off by a breakfast I hosted for the Tour de France prologue. Sonny, Will and Tim came over to the house and we watched the shortest Time Trial of the Tour over bacon, eggs and toast.

After all of the hubub surrounding this year's Tour de France, I was nervous about how much I could enjoy the race. All of those fears were quelled this weekend by George Hincapie's donning of the Maillot Jeune and Thor Hushovd's stellar Time Trial effort. It was really nice to see George in yellow yesterday and I sincerely hope he has it on his back on the last day of the Tour in Paris.

After the race Tim left and Rick, Sarah and Rose joined us to watch England take on Portugal. I'm not the biggest England fan in the world but after the Netherlands game I absolutely detest the Portugese for their cry-baby antics. This team is right up there with Italy on the whine-o-meter. Also, Sarah is a dual citizen of the States and the U.K. so we all cheered for England in solidarity. It all ended in heartbreak of course, as the cry babies defeated the limeys 3-1 in penalty kicks.

The finest moment of the weekend came in the form of France's 1-0 defeat of Brazil. They played with such heart and finesse and completely manhandled the over-hyped Brazilians. I'd really like to see France and Germany in the final. Les Bleus deserve another World Cup victory and it will be the perfect exit for Zinedine Zidane, one of the greatest of all time. And if either of those crybaby teams makes it, I know who I'll be pulling against.