Apolo wins at last!

U.S. speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno won the gold medal in the 500m, his first gold of the games! After two false starts, Apolo skated a clean race, leading from start to finish. His arch rival, Korean Any Hyun-Soo, finished third, having been shut out by two Canadian skaters who finished second and fourth.

Apolo barely made it to the final of the 500m. He was in the same semifinal heat as Chinese skater Li Jiajun, with whom he had collided in the 1500m. Apolo was in second place behind Jiajun when he tried to pass him, exactly what he had been trying to do when he fell in the 1500m. Jiajun put out his arm, whacking Apolo and sending them both careening out. With one lap to go, Apolo was last out of the field of four, and Jiajun was third. Jiajun quickly passed the British skater, who was in second place. Near the finish line, as the British skater seemed to be picking up speed, Jiajun cut him off. At that moment, Apolo zoomed past the British skater and stuck his foot out, trying to cross the finish line before Jiajun. In a photo finish, it was determined that Jiajun's foot had crossed the line before Apolo's, but then Jiajun was disqualified for impeding the British skater! Apolo and the Canadian skater, who had finished first, qualified for the final.

Later, Apolo and the U.S. short track relay team won a bronze medal, increasing Apolo's medal count to three for this Olympics, and five for his Olympic career. Congratulations to Apolo! He certainly deserves to be considered among America's greatest athletes.

Olympic disappointments

Needless to say, the results of the ladies' figure skating were slightly disappointing for team USA. Sasha Cohen fell under pressure again, but miraculously recovered enough to take home the silver medal. Japanese skater Shizuka Arakawa won the gold, the Russian Irina Slutskaya won bronze. I don't think I like the new scoring system. It seems too lenient to skaters that fall, and the results with the new system just don't seem to match how good the skaters actually were.

In other news, U.S. speed skater Chad Hedrick won a silver medal in the 10,000m, which was somewhat disappointig, since he holds the world record in that event. Even worse, skier Bode Miller is now out of the slalom after straddling a gate. This was his last chance to win a medal.

There was some good news in the Olympics, however. American skier Julia Mancuso won the gold in the women's giant slalom, and the U.S. curling team unexpectedly won a bronze medal, America's first curling medal in history.

Good luck to Apolo Anton Ohno in his two events today: the short track relay and the 500m. I'll blog back with the results.

"Idol" injustice

The 24 "American Idol" semifinalists have been narrowed down to 20. Two girl contestants, Becky and Stevie, were voted off, as well as two boys, Bobby and Patrick. Bobby deserved to go home, and Becky did to some extent, but Stevie and Patrick definitely deserved to stay. Mandisa, Brenna, Heather, Melissa, Kinnik, and Katharine were all worse than Stevie, and out of the boys, Sway and Gedeon were far worse than Patrick.

Out of the remaining contestants, Kellie and Ayla are my favorites among the girls. Although I was not a huge fan of Ayla early in the competition, I loved her choice of the song "Reflection" from Mulan. Kellie's country persona reminds me of last season's winner, Carrie Underwood. I also liked Lisa and Paris, because even though I do not particularly like the style of music they have been performing, I cannot deny that they have great voices and are great performers.

Among the boys, Bucky is probably my favorite. He seems like a country person, which is always a good thing, and his long blond hair is cool. I also thought David, Will, Chris, Kevin, and Taylor were excellent, and Ace and Elliot were also good.

Speed skating news

Congratulations to Apolo Anton Ohno for qualifying for the quarterfinals of the 500m short track race. He skated a great race and seems to be in excellent shape for the final on Saturday. This time, he'd better beat the Koreans!

Also on the subject of speed skating, I almost forgot to congratulate Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick for their silver and gold medals, respectively, in the 1500m. After their squabble over Shani's refusal to race in the team pursuit, they seemed to be getting along all right. However, that changed at a press conference after the race, at which Shani criticized Chad for not congratulating him after his victory in the 1000m. For full Olympic coverage, go to http://www.nbcolympics.com.

Update: At the medals ceremony for the 1500m, Davis and Hedrick shook hands. The Italian national anthem was played in honor of gold medal winner Enrico Fabris, and the crowd sang along, which was rather amusing.

Also, congratulations to the South Korean women, who won the 3000m short track relay, beating out Canada and Italy.

Good job Sasha

Congratulations to American figure skater Sasha Cohen, who is in first place after the short program last night. The favorite, Russian Irina Slutskaya, is in second place, only fractions of a point behind Sasha. American teenagers Kimmie Meissner and Emily Hughes also did well, and are in 5th and 7th place, respectively. I loved Kimmie's triple-triple combination and thought she should have finished higher than 5th. The long program will take place Thursday night. Good luck, team USA!

Ice dancing silver for US

Today, the U.S. won its first ice dancing medal since 1976, the year the event was introduced to the Olympics. Americans Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto won the silver medal, while Russians Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov took the gold. This is the third figure skating event this Olympics in which Russia has won the gold medal. I hope the American girls stop Russia's winning streak in ladies' figure skating tomorrow.

Also, congratulations to the U.S. women's ice hockey team, who won the bronze medal today.

On the other hand, Bode Miller again failed to win a medal, finishing 6th in the giant slalom. He has competed in four events so far, leaving the regular slalom as his only chance to win a medal.

Narnia wins BAFTA award

I just discovered that "The Chronicles of Narnia" won an award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) for Best Makeup and Hair. Congratulations to all who were involved in making this great movie. Unfortunately, it lost in the other two cateories in which it was nominated. "Memoirs of a Geisha" beat "Narnia" in Best Costume Design, and "King Kong" beat it for Best Visual Effects.

See the full list of results at IMDB.

Olympics week 1

Following is my summary of the first week of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Note that I tend to be biased toward my favorite events.

Figure skating:
The winner of the men's competition, Yevgeny Plushenko, was no surprise, and I thought he deserved his gold medal. Evan Lysacek's long program was excellent, and he could have won the gold if he hadn't had the flu during the short program. I also thought Johnny Weir, the other American did well. It's too bad neither American won a medal.
Not surprisingly, the Russians won the pairs competition as well. I thougt Americans Rena Inoue and John Baldwin deserved a medal for their unprecedented throw triple Axel.
The women's figure skating ought to be interesting, as there are a bunch of excellent young American skaters. It's too bad that Michelle Kwan couldn't compete, but her replacement, Emily Hughes, seems likeable and talented. I hope she'll follow in the footsteps of her older sister, gold medallist Sarah. I also like Sasha Cohen and Kimmie Meissner.

Speed skating:
Congratulations to Chad Hedrick, winner of the men's 5000m, Shani Davis, winner of the men's 1000m, and Joey Cheek, the winner of the men's 500m and the second-place finisher in the men's 1000m. I support Davis's decision to sit out the team pursuit in order to focus on the individual event. Although it would have been nice to race with his teammates, there was nothing wrong with Shani's decision to save his strength to win individual glory. The 1000m short track race was disappointing. Apolo Anton Ohno won the bronze medal, finishing after the two Koreans. It seems that they didn't cheat this time; Apolo merely had bad luck, just like he did in the 1500m. I certainly hope he wins his remaining individual event, the 500m. The short track relays promise to be good as well. The U.S. men's team, including Ohno, Anthony Lobello, Alex Izykowski, J.P. Kepka, and Rusty Smith, who made a crucial pass near the end of the semifinal, qualified for the final. Unfortunately, the U.S. women's team did not qualify. The relays seem chaotic at first, but are fun to watch. Skaters start each leg of the relay with a push from a teammate instead of receiving a baton.

Snowboarding:
The Americans dominated the halfpipe. Congratulations to Shaun White and Danny Kass, as well as Hannah Teter and Gretchen Bleiler. The snowboard cross, new to the Olympics this year, was awesome to watch. Although Lindsey Jacobellis's fall was disappointing, Seth Westcott won the gold after a great race in which he passed the Slovakian snowboarder near the finish line.

For the results in all the other events, as well as pictures, videos, and biographies, go to http://nbcolympics.com. I am looking forward to Week 2 of the Olympics and hope to be able to post more up-to-date news.

Entwistle update

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have been unable to post in the Bulletin for a few days. How infuriating that the past week has been exceptoinally news-filled!

As you most likely know, Neil Entwistle was arraigned on Thursday, February 15 at Framingham District Court. The arraignment lasted for only two minutes, and Entwistle remained silent, entering a not guilty plea through his lawyer, the renowned Elliott Weinstein. As Neil was being driven to court, an obnoxious lady in a passing car yelled, "Burn that baby killer!" There were more obnoxious people outside the courthouse, including a woman who screamed "Murderer!" and a man who asked Neil if he missed his daughter and then called him a "sick animal."

As guards led him to the courthouse, Entwistle wore a bulletproof vest and chains. He had a black sweatshirt under the vest, as well as gray sweat pants which may have been prison-issued, and black shoes. His light brown hair was parted down the middle as usual, and his eyes were described as dark brown. During his brief court appearance, Neil refused to make eye contact with his slain wife's family. He seemed expressionless and aloof for most of the two minutes, but his eyes darted around the courtroom a few times, and he seemed to follow every word that was said. For a brief moment, he glared at prosecutor Michael Fabbri as he requested that Neil be held without bail. This request was granted, and Neil was taken to the Middlesex County Jail, where he now has a cell on the 17th floor. According to his booking report, he is six feet and one inch tall and weighs 200 pounds. It seems that the jail uniform is light gray, and Neil's first dinner in jail consisted of beef stew, turkey, mashed potatoes, cereal, milk, and Kool Aid. The food actually sounds pretty good!

Neil has been meeting with his lawyer in preparation for his next court appearance, a probable cause hearing on March 15. This date is historically significant, as it is not only Andrew Jackson's birthday, but also the date of Julius Caesar's assassination. Only time will tell if the Ides of March will bring good or bad luck for Mr. Entwistle.

For more information on the Entwistle case, visit the Boston Herald. Another interesting site is the blog of a Boston Herald journalist whose most recent post describes a brief encounter that he had with Neil Entwistle.

Entwistle is in Hopkinton

It is about 6:15, and Neil Entwistle is now in Hopkinton, about 5 minutes away from the police station.

Update: It is now 6:20. Neil just arrived at the police station and got out of the police car inside the garage. The garage door closed just as he was getting out, so I caught a glimpse of him again. The police will take his fingerprints and take a mugshot, and after about an hour he will be taken to a holding cell, where he will spend the night.

Entwistle arrives

At about 9:25 this morning, accused murderer Neil Entwistle was handed over to U.S. marshals at a British airport. He was then flown in a U.S. government plane to Bangor, Maine, where he went through customs. The plane stopped in Bangor in order to drop off another prisoner. Entwistle's plane left Bangor at about 4:45 eastern time and arrived at Hanscom Air Force Base at approximately 5:20. He was taken out of the plane and transferred to a police car behind a hangar so that it would be harder for the media to follow him. However, while watching CBS news I was able to glimpse him for a few seconds as he walked about 100 feet from the plane to the police car. His head was down and he seemed to be wearing a black sweater or jacket and kakhi pants, although it was difficult to tell. A few minutes passed between the time when the plane stopped and the time when he came out, and there was also a delay of a few minutes after he got into the police car.

A caravan of state and local police is driving Entwistle to Hopkinton, where he will spend the night at the town's police station. At 2:00 tomorrow he will be arraigned at Framingham District Court. The prosecutors plan to ask that he be held without bail, and I bet the judge will grant their request.

Saddam and Cheney chaos

More chaos occurred at Saddam Hussein's trial toady, as the former dictator cursed at the judge and yelled, "Down with Bush!" Saddam was wearing his slippers, and his half-brother, also a defendant, was wearing his pajamas and had to be dragged into court by guards. Today prosecutors made their strongest attempt yet to tie Saddam and the co-defendants to human rights violations, as they entered important documents and put Saddam's former aides on the stand.

I would also like to comment briefly on Vice President Cheney's hunting accident, during which, as most Americans know, he shot his friend Harry Whittington, who is now in stable condition. The accident seems to have been mainly Cheney's fault. Although Whittington failed to identify himself to Cheney as he approached, Cheney should have been aware of his surroundings before shooting. However, I don't hold it against either of them. Cheney and Whittington are close friends, and the accident was merely an unfortunate act of fate.

Olympic recap

So far, today hasn't been a very good day for the U.S. Olympic team. As most of you know, Michelle Kwan withdrew from the games after injuring herself during a warn-up yesterday. Even worse, American speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno stumbled during a qualifying heat for the 1500 m and is now out of the running in that event. Prior to the mishap, Ohno was a favorite to win the gold. One inspiring story from today is that of Frode Estil, a Norwegian skier who won the silver medal in the men's pursuit after falling in the first seconds of the race and beginning the race dead last. Congratulations to all the winners from today and yesterday, including American snowboarder Shaun White (the Flying Red Tomato), American speed skater Chad Hedrick, and Canadian skier Jennifer Heil. Also, it was amazing to watch Rena Inoue and John Baldwin land the first throw triple Axel ever in international competition. It's too bad they're only in sixth place. That's all for now; I will try to post as soon as I hear any notable new developments.

What was Tom Ford thinking?

Because I have been a fan of Dakota Fanning, I recently learned that she will be in the next issue of Vanity Fair. What's disturbing about this is that Fanning will be pictured wearing extremely adult clothing such as high heels and strapless dresses with low necklines. She is also posed in rather mature poses. It seems to be inevitable that all children grow up and become inappropriately sexualized, but it is still infuriating and disappointing when it happens. Fanning had an exceptionally glorious, innocent image as a little girl, and it is a shame that she had to lose it. It seems that the old Dakota exists no more, but I will always remember and cherish her in my heart.

Gay clothing designer Jim Ford was the art director for the issue, and destroying Fanning's innocence was not his only atrocious idea. Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson posed nude for the cover of the magazine! If that's not tasteless, I don't know what is. Vanity Fair is supposed to be a culture magazine, not a pornographic one! Well, I guess that shows what the world's culture is coming to, and it certainly doesn't make me very hopeful. Anyone who thinks that this is art is dead wrong. Naked people are ugly, no exceptions. I have decided that without innocence, there can be no beauty. Art is innocence, and innocence is art!

"These are such beautiful people," said Ford," Beautiful women, who doesn't want to see this?" Well, the Imperial Leader certainly doesn't.

I won't give a link to the cover because I consider it indecent, but you can click to see the pictures of Fanning.

Entwistle arrested

Today Neil Entwistle was arrested for the murders of his wife Rachel and baby daughter Lillian. Entwistle, a British citizen, was staying in his parents' house in England at the time of the arrest. His wife was an American, and the family had lived in the U.S. for four to five months. The bodies were found in the Entwistles' house in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, which they had been renting for just a few days. Authorities have determined that Entwistle committed the crime using a gun that belonged to Rachel's stepfather and that he left for his homeland of England the next day. Entwistle may have intended to commit suicide after the murders. Go to CNN for the whole story.

A short eulogy for Friedan

I would like to give a short eulogy for Betty Friedan, who has died today. Friedan practically founded the modern women's rights movement by writing The Feminine Mystique and co-founding NOW, the National Organization for Women. Friedan supported equal wages for women and wanted to liberate them from undignified, un-individualistic lives as mothers and housewives. Additionally, she opposed the condemnation of old people to tyrannical, meddling nursing homes. Friedan was a courageous, influential fighter for equality, not only for women but for all people.

State of the Union 2006

President Bush gave a great State of the Union address last night. Although he didn't bring up any risky topics or state many concrete goals, his speech was dignified and pleasant. It was fun to see Justice Alito looking in wonder at the majestic room and chatting with his new colleagues. One of my favorite parts of the speech was when Bush pointed out that in 1945, there were only 24 democracies in the world, but now there are 122. It's inspiring to think that Bush was responsible for creating two of these 122 democracies. Here are some of Bush's most eloquent quotes from last night:

• "And there is no honor in retreat. By allowing radical Islam to work its will -- by leaving an assaulted world to fend for itself -- we would signal to all that we no longer believe in our own ideals, or even in our own courage. But our enemies and our friends can be certain: The United States will not retreat from the world, and we will never surrender to evil. "
• "Fellow citizens, we are in this fight to win, and we are winning. "
• "Democracies in the Middle East will not look like our own, because they will reflect the traditions of their own citizens. Yet liberty is the future of every nation in the Middle East, because liberty is the right and hope of all humanity. "
• "And our nation hopes one day to be the closest of friends with a free and democratic Iran. "
• "America is always more secure when freedom is on the march."

The only thing Bush said that was slightly offensive was his comment that many people, especially parents, are concerned about America's deteriorating culture. Single, celibate people are more chaste than parents, and therefore are more likely than parents to oppose the sexualization of the culture. There was also a slight "Bushism" when the president said that "it is a privilege to serve the values that gave us birth." I found that sentence weird and amusing. Overall, however, Bush's State of the Union was eloquent and inspiring. He certainly has a distinct style -- one that I truly respect.

For the whole speech, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2006.