Page 4 April 3, 2014 One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion Meeting Between Two World Leaders Seems Like a Genuine Moment By Cristian Vasquez Seeing images of President Barack Obama’s and Pope Francis’ first meeting at the Vatican was somewhat refreshing. My reaction to both world leaders sharing the spotlight was certainly different than usual. People who know me well can tell you that while I am a man of faith, I have distanced myself from my Catholic upbringing ever since I was 17 years old. I didn’t abandon the teachings of the Church, but more the ritual of attending Mass and connecting with its leaders. Those same people can also confirm my disappointment with President Barack Obama and his handling of situations like Syria, the ongoing drone strikes, the spying and collecting data on Americans, among other issues. Furthermore, I am one who is never happy witnessing religious leaders meeting with world leaders--in particular the President of the United States. Usually when these types of figureheads meet, there are ulterior, political motives behind the gathering. Or, the gathering is simply a P.R. event for either side. Personally, I register to the late great George Carlin school of thought: if religions want to influence politics, they should pay taxes like the rest of us do (paraphrased). However, the meeting between these two leaders didn’t make my stomach turn or make me change the channel. The exchange between both men came across as a very genuine moment. Could I be misreading the encounter? Maybe, but it’s a change from the normal, “Let’s shake hands and take a picture.” I must admit that Pope Francis is in my good graces right now. Some people think he is shaking things up and consider the new Pontiff a breakaway from former Pope Benedict’s more conservative interpretation of the Catholic gospel. I simply think he is nicer and has a much gentler approach to everything. Pope Francis hasn’t come out and said anything to indicate a radical change in the Church’s teachings. Sure, he asked who was he to judge gay people? We have all seen the Pope hug a child who ran up to him while delivering service, and he embraced a man with tumors that had disfigured his face. This is proof of the kind soul and love for humanity that exist within the Pontiff. The actions reflect the kind nature of a person rather than his intention to change the views and beliefs of an institution like the Catholic Church. Pope Francis, through actions and not words, can inspire us all to change. The Pontiff has taught me that I can be a nicer, more loving and more accepting individual without jeopardizing myself, my faith or betraying my spiritual teachings. In short, Pope Francis offers hope through his actions and not just words. When President Obama campaigned in 2008, he sold the voters a message of hope and change. While it has definitely not all been his fault, there isn’t a lot that has changed during his time in office and we are still hoping for things to get better. The meeting between the President and the Pope could be no more than a P.R. stunt, but it definitely makes the moment genuine in my eyes. • By Gerry Chong Competition and escalation. Since the news is full of both, it’s appropriate to write about them. In the words of Barack Obama, “never bring a knife to a gunfight. That’s the Chicago way.” And in truth, he is living out his credo. Take, for example, his competition with Jimmy Carter for the title of the Worst President “Russia will have profited and siphoned our funds into their national treasury, apparently having won the set.” in U.S. History. This week, Carter complained that Obama’s NSA was probably hacking his email, so he is reduced to sending messages to world leaders who seek his opinion via the U.S. Postal Service. Think about that: First, which world leaders would seek his opinion? Second, he is using the symbol of government ineptitude, the bankrupt Postal Service. Third, and most important, he is afraid this administration is stealing his secrets on how he had become heretofore the Worst President in U.S. History. With Obama in hot pursuit for that title, Carter needs to hide his secrets from the NSA. Becoming that pathetic wasn’t easy, so he wouldn’t want to give away secrets. In the immortal words of Satchel Paige, “Don’t look back--something could be gaining.” Yep, competition and escalation. Did you notice that when Obama responded to the seizure of Crimea by barring seven Russians and four Ukrainians from travelling to the U.S., Putin did the same to U.S. government officials? Obama was relieved that the sanctions applied only to government officials and did not apply to the First Family since Michelle’s mother and children and their entourage of 70 people may want a follow-up to their China trip, and being barred from Russia could have put a crimp in a future trip to the Hermitage. Game, Obama. Then when Obama put sanctions on a Russian bank, Putin put his salary in that bank. You gotta hand it to the Ruskie--he’s a tough guy who can take a solid punch and keep on a’comin’ forward. Could you see Obama with the guts to put his money in a Chicago bank? Game, Putin. With one game to each man, the set is on the line. Obama pledged $1 billion in aid to the Ukraine. Since the Russians are the only source of energy to the Ukraine, Putin will raise the price of oil, forcing Ukrainians to use our money to buy Russian fuel. Russia will have profited and siphoned our funds into their national treasury, apparently having won the set. But not so fast: Obama, the man who brought a gun to the knife fight, still has a card to play. He will have our Federal Reserve print money faster than the Russians can launder it, making their holdings worthless. Set, Obama. Oh, somewhere over the Urals, a beaten and distraught Putin turns to his musical composers and asks them to write an update to the American classic “Cry Me a River.” Only, this year’s version should be entitled “Crimea River,” destined for the top of the pop charts wherever the Red flag flies. • Kings Looking Royal Again By Adam Serrao Maybe they were bored. Maybe they were tired. Or maybe the Los Angeles Kings had just lost interest in what is a very long season this year. Whatever the reason was, though, there was no secret to the fact that the Kings just plain looked bad before the Olympics this year. After some players watched and some took part in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, however, it was almost like the team was reinvigorated. Perhaps inspired by the great display of talent seen on what was, at the time, the world’s biggest stage, Jonathan Quick and company swiftly took notice and brought their collective game up to the next level. Regardless of the results of a handful of games this week after this column was written, the Kings post-Olympics looked much more like the ones that won the Stanley Cup in the 2011-2012 season. With their offense back on track and a stingy, dominant Quick in the net, there is reason to believe that this year’s Kings can put together a run and bring the Cup back to Los Angeles once again. Coming into the 2013-14 season, the Los Angeles Kings were one of the favorites around the NHL to reclaim the much-coveted Stanley Cup. Halfway through the season, those same Kings, with the same players on the team, had nearly fallen out of playoff contention. The offense was horrible. It seemed as if Quick lost a step. Every time you watched a Kings game, the only action you would see would be from the other team while losses began to pile up and shutouts became regular. In recent weeks, Quick and the Kings were the ones racking up the shutouts as a slight break in play for the Olympics apparently got this team back on track. Kings coach Darryl Sutter went from being on the hot seat to re-enlisting his team in the style of play that won a championship nearly two years ago. With elite goaltending, an everimproving offense that controls the flow of the game, and a strong, physical defense, the Kings should be back in business just in time for the playoffs. One of the main reasons for the Kings’ elite play in the second half lies behind the hockey stick of Jeff Carter. Carter had an excellent showing at the Olympics, perhaps giving him the momentum that he carried over into the final portion of the NHL season. Though Carter has played 10 fewer games than most of his teammates, he still led the team in goals as of press time and was second in points. In the first seven games after the Olympics, Carter racked up four goals and two assists to give him six points while also scoring the game-winner in two of four contests in that same period of time. Carter’s efforts not only on offense but on defense as well have sparked the Kings to their second half surge. The Kings have spent most of their season tangled up in the middle of a tough Western Conference, but as usual began turning things on when it counted. “To be hitting our stride at this point and beating some very good teams we had to play in the East right now, that’s a confidence booster,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said last week. Doughty’s right. With the playoffs steadily approaching, the Kings continued to rack up quality wins like the one they earned last Tuesday when they pulled out a gritty 5-4 shootout victory on the road versus Washington--remarkably coming back from two goals down in the third to seal the victory. Two days later, the Kings walked into Pittsburgh and took down the Penguins by a final of 3-2, keeping Sidney Crosby relatively quiet for most of the game. The Kings, of course, wouldn’t be where they are today without the play of the aforementioned Doughty and Quick. Doughty is also a player who was dominant in the Olympics and carried his play over to lead the attack on offense for the Kings. “I know he lays some big hits, plays well defensively and is a guy that when he’s on the ice, you need to be aware at all times because he can jump into the play and be a threat to score,” said Tyler Bozak of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Doughty has performed well all season long and continues to do so. He’s a player who could find himself in the running for the Norris Trophy come the end of the season. A player who could take home the Vezina Trophy in the coming years started off the season very slowly, but has recently rounded out back into the goalie who was nearly unbeatable in the playoffs over the past two years. After the break, Quick was instrumental in the Kings’ streak of seven straight wins, allowing only seven goals in that same period of time. Barring an unlikely slump over the last three games (but still with a big enough cushion in the standings to make a playoff berth all but set in stone), the Kings looked to be peaking at the perfect time. With more than just one winning streak of at least five games since the Olympic break, the Kings are a much different team than the one that suffered through an especially difficult January. With the new inspiration that has currently found the Kings and the team’s stellar play since the break, the rest of the NHL should take notice and be on guard. These L.A. Kings might be much like the ‘11-’12 Kings and very well could make another aggressive run at the Stanley Cup, taking the hockey world by storm. • Fetch a Dog From the Shelter! The BC SPCA cares for thousands of orphaned, abandoned and abused dogs each year. If you can give a homeless dog a second chance at Fetch a Dog From the Shelter! The BC SPCA cares for thousands of orphaned, abandoned and abused dogs each year. If you can give a homeless dog a second chance at happiness, please visit your local shelter today. www.spca.bc.ca
Manhattan 04_03_14
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