What do you say after the 2008 Olympic games? I'm speechless...literally. I know there's a very popular tendency to rank your most recent memory at the top of the list, but I really cannot believe what I've seen over the last two weeks and three days. Not only that, but I was captivated by sports that I could really care less about any other time. Considering the list of Summer Olympic games that have occured over the last twenty-eight years, can we easily assume this could have been the best Olympics in recent history, and quite possibly the best ever? Moscow 1980, L.A. 1984, Seoul 1988, Sarajevo 1992, Atlanta 1996, Syndey 2000, Athens 2004...they've produced some good moments, absolutely. But this set of games takes the cake, and possibly becomes a major event in this decade. Consider the following storylines from the last 17 days:

1. Michael Phelps - Eight gold medals in one Olympics, and taking it all in stride. Attaining 16 medals all-around by the age of 23, and vowing to train for different events for the next set of games in London would by far make this arguably the best storyline of the games.

2. The Redemption of Team USA - Basketball is back...but it looks better than it ever has. The U.S. did not send whiny, spoiled, thugish players to Beijing; in contrast, it sent athletes that represented the U.S. in the best manner possible. Yes, basketball made a comeback and the U.S. proved it could take on about anyone, but in general, our athletes made us proud. They behaved themselves, they cheered for people in other sports, and they brought a high level of excitement back to the games that I think were missing from the last two previous venues.

3. The China Show - Holy cow! The opening ceremony was captivating. The people were warm and didn't seem too upset about a communist government. The closing ceremony (airing tonight) was rumored to be out of sight. The facilities were cutting edge, the scenery was breathtaking. Is it safe to assume that maybe China is not necessarily a country to be feared, but merely a culture to be respected? Have we went maybe a little too far by assuming this is the incarnation of the Soviet Union? I know, China's government has a ways to go, and still lots of things need to be reformed in their society, but that argument can easily be made about any country in the world; many would make it about the U.S. I think the Olympics shows that all countries can get along, and all countries should make every effort to make this a reality.

4. What's in the Jamaican Water? - Ummm, the Jamaicans are fast. Really, really fast. And they showed a dominance in sprinting that may not be seen for a long time. It's safe to say that Usain Bolt had one of the greatest appearances (if not the greatest) in Olympic history. Not only that, but Jamaican women cleaned up in the sprinting categories as well. This set of games showed us that the smaller countries are producing more athletes that train in larger countries, only to come back to their homes and compete on the world stage.

5. The Microcosm of Life - The U.S. used to dominate everything, and that truly just doesn't exist anymore. The reality is that the rest of the world is catching up in athletics, but that only tells us a small part of life. The U.S. is finding out that the rest of the world is developing very quickly, and probably at a faster rate than we are. We are finding out that the world's economies, while they rely on American business a lot, are becoming much more developed in their own right. This is why it is so crucial that the U.S. get along with other countries and why it is so important that we make an attempt to understand other people and cultures. This is why we need to place an emphasis on education, cleaner energy, and foreign/domestic policy. The Olympics showed us how cool it would be if people just put aside their differences for a while and enjoyed life. I know the Russia/Georgia conflict was an exception, but I believe the world remains a place where people want peace, and I personally believe that it is attainable. It's safe to say that China did a good job, and set a standard that will be hard to beat for years and decades to come.

OK, so here's the scoop...Obama picked Senator Joe Biden for his running mate in the 2008 Election. Joe Biden is a very credible, experienced politican who has been critical of some of Obama's policies, which means he would give Obama good advice on a number of his ideas. Meanwhile, the Clinton camp is outraged that she was not "on the short list" for consideration of the VP nomination. This is what they say, but they're not telling you the truth. They are mad because she's not the presidential nominee. They feel that she was at least entitled to become the vice-president because her numbers were so close to Obama's. Many of her supporters are so incensed that they are considering casting a vote for McCain in November. Good lord.

OK, here's my response. Obama can choose whoever he wants because he won. End of story. He obviously didn't want Hillary as a running mate because there would be more attention placed on her than on him. Secondly, do you want the wife of a former president on your ticket, and do you expect him to keep his nose out of the affairs of the White House? Really? I wouldn't. Look, I'm not a huge Obama supporter, and most of the time my vote swings Republican; however, I, like many of my comrades in this country, are a little unhappy with the current administration. I'm not going to beat that horse to death; we all get that. But isn't this funny? We are literally watching grown adults, some even qualify for AARP benefits, that are acting like whiny children. They claim to be upset that Clinton was not chosen, but John Adams (the 2nd president and one of our "founding fathers") described the vice presidency as the most meaningless job in government. Being named VP isn't really that big of a deal. How many times have we seen Dick Cheney over the last eight years?

We are approaching what a lot of people are discribing as a truly historic election...and yet people are crying over who was chosen as the VP. If the above mentioned adults are going to cast their votes for McCain because Hillary didn't get the nod, then they really don't feel that strongly about their poltical beliefs. Obama and Clinton, as measured by their Senate voting records, are nearly identical in ideology. So to not choose someone because you are a sore loser kind of reflects how you really feel about this country and the direction it's headed: it means you aren't as concerned as you let on. The Democratic convention takes place in Denver very soon, and it could be ugly. The Clinton supporters are still claiming to make a stink at the convention. They say, "Barack could've made history if he'd chosen Clinton". I say, "Hasn't he already? Can he not still make history?"

All of us are highly excited about the arrival of GTAIV to the 360 and the PS3, as well we should be. IGN has already given it a 10 in every single category, and liked it enough to write 7 pages about the game without even giving away a lot of information. There will only be one foreseeable issue with GTA, and it is of no fault to the creators of the game. The issue will be that countless millions of young kids will get their hands on the game and play it. The fact is, while some games rated mature can be played by kids as long as they have a mature mindset, GTA SHOULD NOT BE PLAYED BY ANYONE UNDER 16. I honestly believe this, and I remember playing GTA3 when it came out in like 2001. I was in college and it was the only game that ever made me think I might be able to do something I had only seen in a video game (i.e. - run a car through another car, commit crime, etc.). I might sound loony, but if you play a game long enough, and we will all be playing GTA a lot, you can see where that could happen. So if those silly images were in my head at 20 years old, imagine what a 12-year-old is thinking. Kids have a harder time separating fantasy from reality. At 20, even though I had those images, I could laugh because I knew I wasn't really going to do it. But a kid getting their hands on this game might get the idea that gunning people down is cool because you just come right back to life (we all know the truth, however). I'm not a fanatic about making companies reduce violence and other things in games, because they have the right to put it out there. I also think that a mature ADULT can really enjoy this game, especially people who are familiar with the GTA series (which is quite a few people). But they are supposed to, it's created for adults. I know adults aren't always mature, but they can be put in jail if they are still mentally incapable of handling the stories of GTA. I truly believe we need to make a push to make sure mature people are buying AND playing the game. I'm not hating on kids, I'm just saying this a game they should not play.

Hey everybody, especially MGU people! Wanted to share some big news with everyone who might look at my profile. I am currently a teacher in North Carolina (4th year), and NC has a program to give scholarships to people who are looking to work on their Master's degree in School Administration (assistant principal and principal licensure). I applied for this program in January, and finally got the news on April 11 that I was admitted to the "Principal Fellows" program, and that I will be a full-time student for two years, and by May of 2010, I will be able to accept positions for assistant principal. The flip side of this is that I won't teach for the next two years; I'll be a full-time student next year with my salary paid for by the state. The second year I will be an "assistant principal intern" in the school of my choice and will be paid a 1st year assistant principal salary. I know that teachers are avid gamers, but it's probably much more rare to find administrators that are gamers. At any rate, I wanted to share the news with everyone. I also bought a six-pack of Leinenkeugel's beer, and what a way to celebrate. Yeah! (in a Peter Griffin voice)