Could Manute Bol Have Prevented 9/11?

It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when the United States did not take Islamic fundamentalism as seriously as it does today.

Manute Bol, who died Saturday at 47, was a 7’7 shot-blocking phenom in the NBA. In 1989, hell broke loose in Sudan as Omar al-Bashir took over in a military coup. Military transgressions led to the death of many Christians in the tribal south. Bol returned to his country, outraged at what was transpiring. This was around the time when the Sudanese government granted a haven to Osama bin Laden, who had been expelled from Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden helped the Sudanese government with its matters, and built up a little club known as al Qaeda.

Bol says he had warned the State Department about the threat in Sudan, but says he was ignored. He also said that he had warned the Clintons about Osama bin Laden. During the last election, he answered without hesitation that he wanted McCain to be president. Why? Because, apparently, Clinton and the Democrats had dropped the ball when Bol was warning them about this trouble in Sudan.

To the United States’ credit, it did list Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism in the 90s, and barred U.S. firms from doing business there. Sure, in 1998 the U.S. fired a few cruise missiles at Sudan and Afghanistan, but what good did that really do?

Even the Sudanese government saw Bol as a threat, and had lured him back to the country to take part in peace negotiations. When he arrived, they seized his travel documents and he was a virtual prisoner in his own country while suffering health issues. He only escaped back to the United States when the government didn’t want to make an international scene in front of reporters at the airport.

So here’s the question. If the U.S. State Department, the Pentagon, and the Clintons listened to Bol, and taken the absolute necessary action, would the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks have been prevented?

There is no shortage of blame going around for what happened Sept. 11. But one thing is for certain. Had the United States understood the threats and intervened in earlier conflicts, particularly in Sudan in the early 90s, things could have turned out differently. And who knows? Perhaps Bol would have been that person who convinced these U.S. officials of the threat.

Remembering Manute Bol

Anyone who grew up as a Washington Bullets fan in the 1980s has very few fond memories. The team was a disgrace, and to a large degree, can still be considered a disgrace. But there was one player in particular who stood out, and that was Sudanese shot-blocking specialist Manute Bol. I’m fairly certain he’s the only player in the NBA to have killed a lion with a spear.

Manute was different not just because he was so tall, but because he was so awkward. People goofed on him. So he had to learn to talk trash back. He made a fool of himself on many occasions. He once lost teeth the first time he dunked. He fought Refrigerator Perry in celebrity boxing. As a publicity stunt, he joined an ice hockey team and was also a horse jockey. He was sometimes in the news for odd reasons, such as fighting with his wife, or being stuck at an airport. Even when I met him, the conversation was awkward, and I felt as if I had to speak to him as if he were a child.

Despite all that, he was a remarkable humanitarian who helped the people of Sudan, and spent his fortune on it. My family had a life-sized poster of him in our garage, and when we were kids we measured ourselves on it.

Just like with Gary Coleman, Manute wasn’t in good shape when I met him in early 2009. We had to help him out of his chair for the photo. When I asked him Gunaxin’s Six Questions, he managed to make us laugh when he said that “Rambo” was his favorite movie.

The world lost a great person today. Rest in peace, Manute.

Happy 50th Psycho!

When I was a kid my parents took me to Universal Studios in Florida. It had an Alfred Hitchcock exhibit. I fell in love. For a few years Nick at Night showed Alfred Hitchcock Presents reruns, and I watched it all the time.

Today marks the 50th year since Psycho was released. It’s not my favorite Hitchcock film, but it’s a close third behind North by Northwest and Vertigo.

However, from a pure nostalgia standpoint, it’s my favorite. When I was a kid I had a shirt that said Psycho. I bought a Bates Motel washcloth and beach towel. I visited Universal Studios in Hollywood and saw the House (which was right next to the set of How the Grinch Stole Christmas).

The one thing about Psycho I regret is that like many people, I knew the twist before I saw the movie. But it hasn’t stopped me from watching whenever it’s on!

My First Fashion Article

Okay, that’s a stretch, but writing an article about Princess Leia’s wardrobe and letting readers vote on their favorite is as close to fashion writing as I’ll ever get.

Also, to be clear, I have no obsession with Princess Leia. My market research has indicated that dorks on the Internet have an obsession with Princess Leia, so I write about her, and people read, and I get paid. Yes, the article did go on the front page of Digg and got tens of thousands of page views.

Anyway, here is the Princess Leia wardrobe article, vote on your favorite. And here are the results as of today:

What is your favorite outfit worn by Leia?

  • Jabbas Slave (54%, 2,298 Votes)
  • Ewok Village Dress (27%, 1,143 Votes)
  • Ceremonial Gown (9%, 379 Votes)
  • Alderaan Gown (3%, 144 Votes)
  • Boushh Outfit (2%, 88 Votes)
  • Hoth Snowsuit (2%, 77 Votes)
  • Bespin Jumpsuit (1%, 59 Votes)
  • Endor Combat Poncho (1%, 54 Votes)
  • Bespin Gown (1%, 39 Votes)

Total Voters: 4,282

If ‘Entourage’ Met ‘Sex and the City’

Since its debut, HBO’s Entourage was called Sex and the City for men. While I don’t find that at all to be true, it makes you wonder what would happen if the characters from Entourage met the girls from Sex and the City (back when they were single and not strutting around in bad movies).

Here is a rough outline of the script.

Vince After a flirtatious introduction, Vince and Samantha walk out of the club and hook up in the limo. Samantha then tries to be Vince’s publicist. Samantha
Eric Eric and Charlotte start a serious relationship. Eric proposes and Charlotte eagerly accepts. But Eric still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Sloan, and is tempted to cheat, while Charlotte demands to have a baby. Charlotte
Drama Drama and Carrie get into an on-again, off-again relationship and constantly complain to their friends about their relationship problems. Carrie
Turtle Miranda rejects Turtle several times, then has mercy sex with him. Then a child. Miranda
Ari Ari hires Anthony as his new secretary. Only, Anthony doesn’t take crap like Lloyd did, so he kicks Ari in the nuts and quits. Anthony
Paula Paula gets into a cat fight with Samantha over publicist issues. Turtle films it and puts it on YouTube. The video becomes an Internet sensation. Samantha
Lloyd Lloyd meets Stanford. After dating for a few weeks, they have an awkward moment when they learn that they’re both, um… ‘pitchers.’ The relationship ends. Stanford
Mrs. Ari Mrs. Ari leaves Ari for a man who is actually more powerful – Mr. Big. Mr. Big