Urban Vancouver

Utah, perhaps one of the most Republican districts in the US, just announced that they are moving from a 5 day week to a 4 day week. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-30-four-day_N.htm It seems like a no brainer, our society cannot afford to spend 5 days a week in traffic. One less day of mandatory commuting could save the average driver nearly 20% and would allow governments and businesses to have equal savings in reduced energy demand from having offices heated or air conditioned. Less energy usage. More time for families and leisures. Why not?

Don't get me wrong, Michael Phelps is an amazing swimmer. He and his space age LZR Speedo Swim suit are blowing away records and opponents in the pool. Yet, something is disappointing about the whole act. Olympic swimmers receive twice as many medals as nearly any other sport, and each winning swimmer tends to walk away with medals in pairs. In Olympic swimming, for each type of swim, whether it is for the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, there is both a 100m and a 200m race. Unlike other sports, there is really not much difference in skill between these two distances except for a small bit of endurance. Yes, the competitors slow slightly in the final laps, but the winner of the 100m is nearly always the winner of the 200. In Beijing, like Athens, Sydney and others, it is very rare that the athlete who wins a 100m fails to win a 200m. Each winning swimmer gets to walk away with at least two medals.

Perhaps it is due to my degree in classical studies, but I am still a purist when it comes to the Olympics. I think it is one thing to discuss boycotts of the opening ceremonies, but once the torch is lit, I hold the classical greek view that all peoples of the world should put aside their differences and use athleticism and physical skills to celebrate the achievements of individual excellence rather than rely upon aggression and power. For me it was real disappointing to hear that at nearly the exact time as the Olympics began, a full scale conflict began in Georgia (and South Ossetia). While details are still emerging about who started it all (it seems that Georgia made the first aggression), in either case it is sad that we as a planet cannot even have 10 days every 4 years (or 2 if you count the Winter Olympics) when we can't at least put aside our differences.