Daily Pensieri

Liam Neeson vs. George Clooney

2012-02-12T08:39:00.000-06:00

Source: http://www.reelz.com

I usually do not pay much attention to the Academy Awards as I have always considered it an ego-driven over-the-top fete that has nothing to do with my universe. However, give the recent releases of some very good film I am beginning to consider watching the show later this month. I saw "The Descendants" last week and this past Friday I saw "The Grey" and I realized that there was something wrong: why isn't Liam Neeson being considered for 'Best Actor'?

Both George Clooney ("The Descendants") and Neeson are excellent actors and Clooney is up for 'Best Actor.' Apparently "The Grey" was not released on time to be considered for this year's Oscars, but it will be re-released in October so that it will be considered for the 2013 ceremony. In the meantime I would like to compare "The Descendants" and "The Grey." If Liam Neeson were included in this year's category for 'Best Actor' my choice would be to pick him over George Clooney. I thought that in "The Descendants" Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller (they actresses who played Clooney's daughters) stole the show. In fact, they almost relegated Clooney to the background of the movie; it is not until the end where we see him display his acting talent. Hollywood tends to have soft place in its hear for these type of performances.

I hope that this doesn't prevent it from realizing how great a performance Neeson gives in "The Grey." His character is a solitary, rugged, hard-edged soul who has to lead his team through hell to stay alive following a plane crash in the remote wilderness of Alaska. His facial expressions alone show his acting demeanor and embodies what playing a role is all about. And the ending.....wow! For me it epitomizes the human spirit when it faces its darkest moment and I can honestly say I cannot think of any other actor who can do it better than Liam Neeson. For me Neeson's character displayed all the attributes that I aspire to: leadership, self-assuredness, no tolerance for bullshit and understanding of and empathy of opponents/antagonists. It seems that Hollywood does not take actors who star in survival movies seriously. That is a mistake. A true sign of a great actor is the ability, through a portrayal to touch on our humanity, to connect with us. During the film, I found myself rooting for Liam Neeson. I think certain qualities that he represented and endured resonated with me: the loneliness, solitude, dealing with adversity, support of colleagues, searching for meaning and worth in life....all valuable lessons.

Both Clooney and Neeson give excellent performances, but for me, Liam Neeson's stands out as being much more powerful.

Wake up, Hollywood.

Marilyn and Ulysses

2012-01-08T11:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I went to see "My Week with Marilyn" a movie based on a book written by Colin Clark, a documentary filmmaker who was on the set of "The Prince and the Showgirl"(1957). Lawrence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe starred in the film and Clark, then working as a gofer, claimed to have had a one week affair with the 'blond bombshell.' There are some people who dispute that this event ever happened (seeThe Huffington Post). Since Clark died in 2002, we will never be able to really confirm this.

That being said, the movie is very good and Michelle Williams is excellent as Marilyn Monroe. In fact, there is talk that she will be nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of the star. The music is extraordinary (no surprise there since Lang Lang is playing the piano) and I found the cast (Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh) to be very good as well.

One little item I noticed and I am glad they slipped it in the film, albeit for only a second, is a shot of the James Joyce classic "Ulysses." It is located on her night table. Many people don't realize that Marilyn Monroe read the book (see the Eve Arnold shot of her reading the book in her spare time). Marilyn admitted that she had difficulty reading the book, which puts her in the same group as the rest of us. I read it in 2008 and I can tell you is extremely dense and complex. Not many people will 'get it.' But it is interesting to see an unknown side of Marilyn Monroe. Even if you are not a fan of the sex goddess, check out the movie to see the incredible performance done by Michelle Williams. It is nice to know that in this age of "Jersey Shore" and Justin Bieber, that there is still bona fide talent out there. Marilyn herself put it best when she said "A career is born in public, talent in privacy." I would say she was very prescient.

6 Minutes

2011-05-22T20:42:00.000-05:00

In this day and age of Twitter, Facebook, instant text messaging and downsized attention spans 6 minutes may seem like an eternity. But in Manchester, England something special happened. It was only a blip that most likely went unnoticed by many Americans, but one that was celebrated and savored by fans of the Blackpool Seasiders, fighting valiantly against the multi-million dollar champion Manchester United to remain in the Premiership.

At stake for Blackpool was permanence in the Premier League. A loss would condemn them to relegation in the second division Championship. Manchester United struck first taking a 1-0 lead on a fortuitous strike by Park-Ji Sung. Blackpool did not give up and kept pressing forward in attack, which led to a free-kick. The inspirational captain Charlie Adam scored a magnificent goal to tie the game at 1-1.

In the 57th, the extraordinary happened. Gary Taylor-Fletcher, following brilliant dribbling by David Vaughn, back-flicked the ball into the goal, completely befuddling Edwin Van der Saar, the Manchester goal keeper. It seemed surreal. I yelled in joy and disbelief. David had slain the might Goliath. This was no millionaire who scored past a world-renowned keeper. The goal was scored by a former waiter and barber who had to work hard to get where he is. He is no product of the manicured soccer academies that so many of these wealthy teams have. For 6 minutes the throng at Old Trafford was stunned into silence as their world was rocked to its very core. "How can this be?" "Our side was supposed to win without breaking a sweat," were some thoughts that went through their mind. For 6 minutes The Blackpool dream lived on.

But alas, the moment was not too last as Manchester United came back to tie the game and then win it 4-2. Reality, unfortunately, does not allow for the Davids to defeat the Goliaths, it seems.

Nevertheless, I am proud of Blackpool. I came to love them for their attacking spirit and pride in what and who they represented. The EPL will not be the same without them and I hope that they make a return to the EPL very soon.

Charlie Adam: the Anti-Lebron James

2011-05-14T12:19:00.004-05:00

This past year has witnessed a remarkable run by Blackpool, a team from the central western coast of England playing in the Premiership for the first time in 40 years. While all the players reflect the pride of the team no one exemplifies the spirit of the team, the city and its fans than the Scotsman Charlie Adam. The captain of the team has come to symbolize Blackpool and embodies (at least in spirit) the aspirations of the fans. They have no chance of winning the Premiership, which as claimed by Manchester United earlier today, but they are fighting a more important battle: remaining in the Premiership and staving off relegation to the Championship League. Adam and his cohorts know how important remaining in the Premiership is to the Blackpool fans and over the last few weeks have fought hard to win this significant victory. It is a victory the likes of Manchester United will never know. Not all victories are represented by trophies. In the case of Blackpool, simply staying in the Premiership is a significant victory. Across the pond, as they say, the likes of LeBron James, still rankle many people. The people of Cleveland are still smarting from the lack of loyalty show by LeBron to the community and its fans when he jettisoned to the Miami Heat.

It is good know that some athletes out there still feel immense pride in representing communities. Take a look at Charlie Adam's celebration when he scored a goal. He knew where the Blackpool fans were and went over to them to express his pride in the club and its fans. God bless, Charlie Adam!

szólj hozzá: T1-1B

David Magradze

2011-01-08T09:50:00.000-06:00

Just for the heck of it, one day I googled "Georgian Poets" and I came a across a list of names. I decided to randomly select one-David (Dato) Magradze and I read one his translated poems. I enjoyed it. Magradze was born in 1962 and while he had a brief spell in politics, he has been most involved in the arts. Check out a portion of his poem "The Poet's Morning."

The tragedy of my crippled friend

Was plain

This world made him unhappy by its shortness

He tried to stand it for a time

And then he-the miserable being

Threw himself in the current (pool) of philosophy

He used the strict cynicism as a shield

Against the love,

But would not elude.

The mirror of this world

And then he cried bitterly...

One dark night he seized a glittering sword

And fiercely struck it

In the ribs of his tragedy

And (he) made his soul

Walk on the stilts

The Anti-LeBron Spirit

2010-12-31T09:29:00.000-06:00

This summer I focused most of my attention on the World Cup that took place in South Africa, but everyy once in a while I would be bothered by the constant and insipid media attention to LeBron James and his low-class abandonment and rejection of the city of Cleveland for the beaches and glamor of Miami. His self-centered and ill-conceived treatment of the city that gave him the chance to become a star was shameful and it seemed to me that all big stars in every sport ore self-serving mercenaries, whose only interest lies in reaping the most lucrative offers imaginable. As many of us struggle through the recession, it is hard to sympathize with LeBron, but there are stories that can help restore our wonder at the power of sport and community. Two of my favorite stories from the past year come from the English Premier League.

Chris Eagles is a winger for the recently relegated Burnley side that had a remarkable run two years ago that led them to promotion to the Premiership. Despite a strong start Burnley was relegated to the second division--the Championship. This past summer, Eagles was offered the opportunity to play for Scottish powerhouse Glasgow Rangers. The money was there and the possible prestige...but Eagles said 'no.' He decided to stay with Burnley and help the team fight its way back to the Premiership. During the press conference, Eagles spoke of 'fighting alongside his teammates,' --the exact opposite of what LeBron said during his televised spectacle last summer. Kudos to Chris Eagles. Players like him make it easy to root for Burnley.

The other wonderful story developing in the Premier League involves Blackpool, FC. This team was promoted to the Premier League for the first time in nearly 40 years and what a run they have been on! They have defeated traditional powers such as Liverpool, FC and have made a proud showing for their fans in Blackpool, a seaside town located in northern England on the coast of the Irish Sea. The 'Seasiders' were not supposed to be playing so well; they did not follow the script. They have played hard and played for their community and have come up with some impressive results. Follow Blackpool by visiting the website of the The Gazette.

Burnley and Blackpool might never win the championship, but they personify the characteristics and represent the hopes and aspirations of their respective communities in a way that LeBron James never will. And for that reason alone I am a fan of these two wonderful teams. I hope that Cleveland can take heart in the fact that there are players out there who take much more inspiration from the uniform they wear than from the paychecks or prestige tossed out be the sporting elite.

Revolutionize Yourself

2010-12-30T11:22:00.000-06:00

Image via Wikipedia

'Change Yourself, Change the World' is the motto so vociferously announced to the world by Spanish anarchists in the early 20th century and especially during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

So resonant is the message that many companies and organizations have adopted the saying as their mantra, in some cases completely unaware of its origins.

We are now approaching that time of the year where we all promise to make changes to our lives--the dreaded "New Year's Resolutions." Throughout the year we often need to be reminded that we need to appreciate ourselves more often. In this day and age of immediacy, distancing social relationships through technology and crumbling social etiquette, I would like to feature two sayings that are worth keeping in mind.

The first comes from a book written by Louis Auchincloss in 1974 titled 'A Writer's Capital.' In it he writes, "a man can spend his whole existence never learning the simple lesson that he has only one life and that if he fails to do what he wants with it, nobody else really cares." The message: your life should be important to you...who cares what others think! We need to be reminded of this at times.

The other comes from the "Weddings/Celebrations" section of the December 26th New York Times. A couple--Mina Guiahi and Jesse Levinson married in mid-December, but what struck me was a Farsi quote--"ghilli vili." It means, roughly translated "to create a revolution in someone." To create a wonderful change and sensation in someone. I can't think of a more noble goal, except perhaps, for creating a revolution in ourselves.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Is Environmentalism a Religion?

2010-12-29T10:00:00.000-06:00

Image by aldoaldoz via Flickr

Environmentalism is easily one of the most significant movements that developed in the 20th century (alongside the feminist and civil rights movements). In theory, since we all live on the same planet (well, except for a certain former governor of Alaska) we should all be unanimous in our support for protecting the environment. In reality, nothing could be more divisive. In a recent article by Joel Garreau in The New Atlantis, environmentalism is cast as a new faith, a new religion that has inspired and provoked many people. This has nothing to do about global warming or climate change, but how people advocate their support for a movement more on faith than on empirical data. Garreau quotes noted physics professor and climate change denier Freeman Dyson as describing environmentalism as a movement that, "has replaced socialism as the leading secular religion."

It seems that Karl Marx's famous quote "Die Religion ... ist das Opium des Volkes" (Religion is the opium of the people) has found a worthy successor in environmentalism.

For the record, I am an avowed environmentalist but not a carbon calvinist, as depicted in this article. Whatever your stance may be (liberal, Democrat, conservative or Republican), you should read this very interesting article.

Mapping it

2010-12-28T08:06:00.001-06:00

Source: Carl Størmer (http://carls.blogs.com/my_weblog/2007/01/norge_sett_fra_.html)

The other day I stumbled on to a very interesting blog called Strange Maps (http://bigthink.com) and I found the postings and the concept behind them fascinating. As you know, in my line of work my objective is to encourage and inspire students to consider new perspectives Strange Maps is a wonderful tool to foster new ways of thinking. I will be visiting Strange Maps regularly. When I visited the site recently I saw this fascinating map titled "US States Renamed for Countries with Similar GDPs." Check it out. You will learn new ways to look at maps and the information they contain!

La Fageda d'en Jordà

2010-12-27T06:42:00.000-06:00

Image via Wikipedia

One of the reasons I created this blog was to bring the world and its many treasures to my readers. Here is an excellent example of a Catalan poet, who I am sure many people outside of Catalunya do not know. He is a wordsmith whose imagery evokes thoughts, feelings and metaphors that transcend linguistic barriers. The Catalan poet is Joan Maragall(1860-1911) and one of his poems can be found below.

La Fageda D'en Jorda

Saps on és la fageda d'en Jordà ?

Si vas pels volts d'Olot, amunt del pla,

trobaràs un indret verd i pregon

com mai més n'hagis trobat al món:

un verd com d'aigua endins, pregon i clar;

el verd de la fageda d'en Jordà.

El caminant, quan entra en aquest lloc,

comença a caminar-hi poc a poc;

compta els seus passos en la gran quietud

s'atura, i no sent res, i està perdut.

Li agafa un dolç oblit de tot el món

en el silenci d'aquell lloc pregon,

i no pensa en sortir o hi pensa en va:

és pres de la fageda d'en Jordà,

presoner del silenci i la verdor.

Oh companyia! Oh deslliurant presó!

To hear a beautiful musical interpretation of this poem, listen to Dolors Lafitte. Even if you don't understand Catalan, you will be moved by this beautiful voice.

Were you paying attention in 2010?

2010-12-26T07:05:00.000-06:00

It is routine by now that every time the year ends we look back and reflect on what happened in the world.Given our increasingly smaller attention spans, I wager that many of us missed out on some pretty important trends that might impact 2011. Thanks to Foreign Policy magazine, we have a nice list of ten trends that we should be mindful of in the next year. Check out the magazine's "The Stories You Missed in 2010." Topics range from a global sheep shortage to stem cell tourism. Laugh if you will, but if Foreign Policy Magazine mentions it, then we should be paying attention.

Nyet to Netanyahu

2010-12-25T12:38:00.000-06:00

Image via Wikipedia

Rachel Corrie protesting the destruction of Palestinian homes

We are all familiar with the the names of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Robert Hanson--people forever inextricably linked to the term 'traitor.' They committed that most heinous of acts of betraying their nation by selling national secrets to other countries. But have you heard of Jonathan Jay Pollard?

Similar to his role as a spy, the name Jonathan Jay Pollard skims the surface of public awareness eliciting only a vague sense of recall from the most informed and well-read of us.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has recently made it known that he would like Mr. Pollard, currently serving a life-sentence for selling national secrets to Israel, released into Israeli custody. He argues that Pollard's failing health merits reconsideration. He has some audacity, doesn't he? Perhaps, while we are at it, we can erect a memorial to Benedict Arnold and declare a day in his honor. Utterly unbelievable.

What bothers me most about this episode is the arrogance of Netanyahu's approach. He dismissed the murder of the American activist Rachel Corrie by an Israeli solder in 2003 as "an accident that happened." Where is his sense of moral outrage and justice? The answer, clearly, is that since she was protesting the destruction of a Palestinian doctor's home, she was an enemy of Israel and no tears should be shed for her death. Hmm..and now Netanyahu would like for the US to release an Israeli spy simply because he has served enough time and that his health is ailing. I propose this solution: when the solder who murdered Rachel Corrie faces justice (and a life-term in prison), then we can consider Netanyahu's 'proposal.'

A John Keats poem

2010-12-24T09:03:00.001-06:00

Image via Wikipedia

If you have been following my blog, then you will know that I like to post poems. Today, while at the library, I came across this beautiful poem by John Keats (1795-1821), a very well-known British poet. This piece resonated with me because I always try to reflect on each moment. Life does go by quickly and I try to enjoy every bit of it. Enjoy this John Keats gem.

When I have Fears that I may Cease to Be

When I have fears that I may cease to be
    Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charactery,
    Hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain;
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
    Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
    Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
    That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
    Of unreflecting love;--then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.

A Penchant for the Pejorative

2010-12-23T06:39:00.000-06:00

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

One of the things I enjoy most in my free time is browsing through book stacks at the library. You just never know when you will find a book that immediately piques your interest. The American Civil War historian James McPherson likes to conduct research in libraries because of the serendipitous qualities combing through old books provide.

Today I was looking through some stacks and I came across a book called "Crossing Cultures" and I opened it to an essay by Jack Shaheen titled "The Media's Image of Arabs," which appeared in the February 1988 issue of Newsweek magazine.

In it, Shaheen points out something that made me shake my head in disappointment. He writes,"In his memoirs, Terrel Bell, Ronald Reagan's First Secretary of Education, writes about 'an apparent bias among mid-level, right-wing staffers at the White House,' who dismissed Arabs as 'sand niggers.'

It seems that this term first surfaced in the American collective memory years ago and now is solidly entrenched within the psyche of the American landscape. This is a vile term that has yet to draw the same charge as the 'n-word' does. Anti-Muslims these days cannot even claim to be original. How sad.

Anna Speaks

2010-12-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

I am reading a collection of dispatches--Nothing But the Truth (London: Harvill Secker)--of the murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and I am impressed by her frankness as she shares her thoughts on topics ranging from Vladimir Putin to the Russian media (which she dismisses as koverny--Russian clowns).

It is hard to believe that four years have passed since this courageous journalist was murdered (October 7, 2006), but sadly the same political turmoil that claimed her life remains rampant and has not abated. Russia recently was awarded the right to host the World Cup in 2018, but amidst the euphoria and the collective effervescence (to borrow Durkheim's theory) that this announcement has generated, we must not avoid what is going on beyond the purview of the television cameras.

Russian journalist Oleg Kashin barely survived a beating by two youths in Moscow. In his opinion piece "A Beating On My Beat, Kashin postulates that the state has adopted a more insidious approach to squelching the journalistic voices of anyone who might question government policies, etc. Mr. Kashin has paid a severe price for his work. How many of us are taking in his message?

It seems like we have a very short memory when it comes to remembering what these journalists have sacrificed. We must stop thinking of these tragedies as occurrences that take place 'far away' and have no direct effect on us, thus not requiring our attention.

Kudos to Daniel Ellsberg, who recently was arrested at an anti-war rally. Now, dear reader, do you know who Daniel Ellsberg is? What was he famous for?

Limey! A Limerick!

2010-12-21T13:19:00.000-06:00

Image via Wikipedia

Today I was browsing through stacks of book in the library (a dying artform) when I came across a book titled Lots of Limericks. I flipped through it and I enjoyed some of the limericks that I read. Merriam's Online Dictionary defines as 'limerick' as "humorous rhyming poem of five lines." (I had to search for this definition as the other one used "anapestic," which I had never encountered before. It means, "
a metrical foot consisting of two short syllables followed by one long syllable or of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable (as unaware)."

Edward Lear (1812-1888) is credited with creating the limerick and this succinct and humorous form of poetry has inspired many people to create their own versions. Here is one of his limericks to whet your palette:

There was an Old Man of Peru,
Who never knew what he should do;
So he tore off his hair,
And behaved like a bear,
That intrinsic Old Man of Peru.

Here is a limerick from the book I came across (sadly, we do not know who the author is):

There was a young fellow named Fisher,
Who was fishing for fish in a fissure,
When a cod with a grin
Pulled the fisherman in...
Now they're fishing the fissure for Fisher.

A Fascinating Journey

2010-12-19T11:15:00.002-06:00

Henry Real Bird, a Crow Indian who lives in Montana, undertook an interesting venture to promote reading in Montana: a 500-mile trek on horseback across the state. At each stop he passed out copies of his poems and other books, but what I found most fascinating was his skill at observation. In a July 2010 interview with NPR, he said, "I see where life has been, just unbelievable — ancient beaches and stone. I can see abandoned homes where life was flourishing back at the turn of the century. And I can see where the buffalo wallowing that I can ride through."

We are all guilty of not knowing who our poet laureates are (can you name your stat's poet laureate?), but Henry Real Bird (poet laureate of Montana) is one we should know. He may not fit everyone's perception of what a Native American is (certainly not that of the Republican Party!), but then what is our real image of Native American Indians? Check the mosaic to the right. To further learn about and debunk inaccurate stereotypes and mythifications of Native American Indians, read Fergus Bordewich's classic "Killing the White Man's Indian." If you would like read one of Real Bird's poems, click here: Driftwood Feelin'.

To hear Real Bird read one of his poems, check out "Sunset Whirls" (from the NPR July 2010 interview).

The Meaning of 'International'

2010-10-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

For some time now I have wondered about what it means to be 'international.' Does the term refer to a person's accumulation of international frequent flyer miles or does it imply the integration of ideas from other countries into one's own way of thinking and definition of self? Perhaps it refers to sports fans who follow teams from other countries. Is the Kentucky college student who has never left the country but follows the British football club Liverpool any less international than a Liverpudlian who follows, say Real Madrid for FC Barcelona? No. We have a tendency in this country to automatically categorize someone who arrives in the US from another country as 'international' irrespective of their views on such areas as study abroad or the recruitment of international students. Believe it or not, but there are international nativists such as George Borja, the Cuban-born professor who rails against all incoming immigrants. Just because someone is from another country, say Ireland, does not mean he/she espouses an internationalist philosophy. There are some who are born in other countries who do not support study abroad, yet because of their place of origin, they are given a free pass and assigned the 'internationalist' label.

A large part of the nebulous nature of 'international' comes from the unclear definition of what it is. Someone who crosses borders frequently I would call a 'transnational.' To me, 'internationalism' is a philosophy just like Stoicism in that it is a principle that informs our system of beliefs. There are many ways to become internationalist; traveling to another country does not necessarily make one international. I know many people who have never left this country who are more international than some international educators. At a conference in Montreal, Canada a few years ago I noticed how many international educators did not make the effort to speak French while purchasing a coffee or a newspaper. How 'international' is that?

A child who follows the Japanese anime is international, even if he/she might not speak the language. A person who studies international affairs is international. Someone who enjoys Italian opera is international. It amuses me when people limit their definitions of 'being internationalist' to such mundane descriptors such as travel or language learning. I know someone who speaks five languages but has extreme views of immigration. He is not an internationalist.

The term 'internationalization' is used so loosely today it is no wonder that it encounters such opposition from certain sectors of the community. No one really knows what it is. But we can make progress if we acknowledge the plurality of ways to become international, especially at the microcosmic level. We are more international than we think.

Converse - "All Summer" - Music Video

2010-09-26T11:34:00.000-05:00

I don't know if it is because it is the end of the summer and we are now in the fall season, but when I heard this song on the radio, I found that I really enjoyed it. Maybe but it has a very catchy melody. The video is also great. Converse is a great new band. Enjoy!

On the K side of history

2010-09-09T22:57:00.000-05:00

As ESPN repeatedly reminded us today, this was the 38th anniversary of a travesty that occurred during the 1972 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, when after several extremely egregious referee decisions, the Soviet Union's men's basketball team was given a victory over the US team, the rightful victors. The US team refused to accept the silver medals during the awards ceremony and this moment of ignominy has festered in our collective memory ever since, sort of like Roger Clemens's insistent and almost laughable claims that he did not take performance-enhancing drugs. Perhaps more bemusing is the reaction of Mike Krzyzewsk, the US team coach to comments made by the coach of the Russian team. It is one more clear example of why sports figures and history and current events do not mix. It seems that Coach K has an amnesiac sense of history compelling him to resort to righteous indifference as he prepares his apostles to take down an enemy that only exists in our memory.

The team that the US faced was Russia, not the Soviet Union, which ceased to exist in 1991. No player on either team was alive in 1972 so there is no is no direct connection to that fateful event. There really is no reason to view the game as incentive for US revenge. Had Coach K bothered to learn about his opponents he would have realized that the coach for the other team has dual American-Israeli citizenship and is not Russian as Coach K so derisively dismissed him. Coach K commits the sin of "assumption of guilt by association." David Blatt coaches the Russian team so clearly he must be Russian. This book cover intimacy with history and current events is disturbing in someone who occupies such a prominent place in the American landscape.

The only history Coach K seems to be interested in is the kind that he can rewrite. Perhaps someone should remind him of another shameful event that took place on a basketball court in 1993 and involved one of his players--Christian Slater.

Pandy Andy

2010-09-02T21:16:00.003-05:00

Andy complaining to the line judge.

It's that time of the year again....summer hits the final stretch, kids reluctantly return to school, baseball approaches the post-season, and Andy Roddick is eliminated from a grand slam tournament in an early round. I have never been a big fan of Roddick but last night's performance reminded me that this guy is nothing more than a big serve, a lot of hot air and no class. After being called for a foot fault Roddick proceeded to argue with the line judge and to throw sarcastic comments her way and directed other mean-spirited comments about her to the chair umpire, who is also to blame for not chastising the obnoxious runt or giving him a warning. Instead, he had the line judge removed from the court. In other words, he took the easy way out. He was afraid to draw the ire of the blustery, infantile Roddick and punished the line judge for simply doing her job. How sad.

More disturbing is the the fact that Roddick's poor attitude seems to be representative of a growing trend at the US Open: US tennis stars throw tantrums over a call that went against them, and then are bounced from the tournament. Last year, it was Serena Williams putting on a shameless display of crassness and low education when she threatened a line judge for threatening a line judge. Last year, the chair umpire and the tournament director maintained the foot fault against Serena Williams, which resulted in her loss to the classy Kim Clijsters. It is too bad that yesterday, the chair umpire didn't have the conviction or integrity to issue a warning to a pampered tennis player who happened to win the US Open so many years ago. Very sad.

Caroline Wozniacki

But there is hope for those of us who enjoy tennis. Caroline Wozniacki, the young Danish tennis star, has been graceful and gracious and her ever present smile and good cheer give me hope that the future of tennis will see a renaissance of good attitudes and class.

As the summer approaches its conclusion, I can't help but wonder (and hope) that the same thing will happen with Andy Roddick's tennis career.

Information Overload

2010-08-29T19:54:00.000-05:00

I first took the idea about information overload seriously when I read an article by Nicholas Carr in The Atlantic magazine in which he wonders out loud if we are being 'googled to death.' He argues that because of the instant retrieval of information that google provides, we are losing the ability to concentrate over long periods of time.

A recent article featured on the NPR website, Digital Overload: Your Brain on Gadgets, reveals that scientists are rapidly discovering that prolonged exposure to the high volume of information available at our fingertips can impact the way we perceive our world and our sent of time. Several reports state, for example, that the average computer user visits 40 websites a day. Technology journalist Matthew Richtel refers to the phenomenon of retrieving information from so many technological sources (Internet, e-mail, twitter, laptop computers, iPhones, iPads) as "information juggling." All this juggling is making it much easier for us to become distracted.

The author Alain de Botton decries our addiction to all things technological when he writes, "To sit still and think, without succumbing to an anxious reach for a machine, has become almost impossible." He is right. I remember years ago when I was at the lake I saw a couple sit t down at a picnic table across from each other and pull out their laptop computers. They did not speak to each other or notice the beautiful sunset. How sad.

But de Botton has a suggestion: Our minds, no less than our bodies, require periods of fasting.

Simply put we need to disconnect.

From August 6, 1945 to November 2010

2010-08-25T23:26:00.000-05:00

For me August 6th has always had a special meaning for me. One, because it is Bolivia's day of independence (1825) and two, because it marks the day that the Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima becoming one of the most horrific man-made catastrophes inflicted upon humankind. I still remember John Hersey's vivid "Hiroshima" for my ninth-grade English class and how struck I was by the encounters and people he came across.

For many people, the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima epitomized America's cognitive dissonance: on one side the country holds high regard for human life and freedom; but on the other side it does not hesitate to resort to violence to achieve its political goals. Similarly, the US condemned the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 but vehemently defends its actions on that fateful day of August 6, 1945. For others, it represents the ultimate act of terrorism (the 145,000 people killed by the attack dwarfs the 3,000 victims who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks. I doubt the debate will subside anytime soon.

There is, however, an opportunity to take a step toward healing the pain that has spanned across generations, barely masked by the quiet and elegant dignity of the Japanese. Five Nobel Laureates are calling on President Barack Obama to join the delegation that will visit Japan in November to renew calls for a world without nuclear weapons. Former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, Lech Walesa, of Poland, former South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk, East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta and former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez wrote a letter to President Obama asking him to join them in Japan in November in an act of solidarity with that country. So far he has not made any comment or commitment. The decision is not an easy one, but then again the decision to drop the bomb was not easy either. Funny how that works out, isn't it?

It seems that it is easier to go to war than to arrive at peace. That is the true tragedy.

The Shrill of it All

2010-08-10T20:17:00.002-05:00

Watching ESPNs 360 this evening I was astounded by the ignorant and downright buffoonish words coming out of the mouth of US Lacrosse President and CEO Steve Stenersen. The show focused on the disturbingly more frequent head injuries to female lacrosse players. When asked by the interviewer if the association would consider having female lacrosse players wear helmets like the men do, Stenerson scoffed and vehemently argued against the use of helmets, claiming that they did not protect against concussions and other head injuries. I asked myself, what is this guy smoking? According to Stenersen, having the women wear the helmets would allow them to become more aggressive and physical, like the men. Apparently, to this guy he is more interested in the aesthetics of the game than the safety of its players. I would argue that he is more interested in the market value of having spectators and television audiences view the visages of the female athletes unencumbered by the burden of a helmet. This would not be the first time marketers stressed the athletes' femininity over their athletic prowess: in 1999 marketers asked the US Women's National Soccer team to remove their wedding rings to convey the illusion of their accessibility to the male audience.

A 2010 study by the Centre for NeuroSkills revealed that more female lacrosse players suffered head injuries (30%) than their male counterparts (18%). It is time for them to wear helmets.I wanted to get a quote from
Mr. Stenersen, but I was told he was unavailable. He was arguing that you don't need a parachute to go skydiving.

A sad anniversary

2010-08-08T10:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday marked the 80th anniversary of one of the most despicable displays of public support for lynching. NPR did a nice feature on this and I thought I would share it with you. On August 7, 1930, an angry crowd of white townspeople stormed a jail and removed Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith from their cells. They had been accused, but not convicted of murdering a white man and raping his wife. The photograph of the lynching, taken by Lawrence Beitler, has become one of the most iconic illustrations of that era and came to inspire the civil rights movement. The picture captures the same power, emotion, sadness as the famous Dorothea Lange photo "Migrant Mother" which came to represent the anxiety and desperation of the Great Depression.

Check out NPR's Strange Fruit: Anniversary of a Lynching to read more about this moment in our history. While you are at it, listen to Billie Holliday's classic Strange Fruit.

In 1993 Sting recorded his version of this song, but it does not top the original.

Fordlandia

2010-07-18T09:01:00.000-05:00

We have all become so used to seeing Ford commercials that we don't realize the prolific influence the company has had in the world or in the early years of American industrialization. Most everyone (I hope! I know a lot of people don't follow History like they should) knows who Henry Ford was, but not many know of his colonial misadventure in Brazil--the factory town known as Fordlandia (pronounced Fordland-jee-a in Portuguese). This huge and megalomaniacal effort represented, ultimately another attempt by man to domesticate and control nature, in this case, the Amazon jungle. Add to that Ford's jingoistic attitude of engaging in 'work of civilization,' by lifting the standards of living of the inhabitants of the jungle to those of the U.S.

I am currently reading Greg Grandin's excellent book Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City and find it to be an excellent survey of not only Ford's arrogant go-it-alone approach to South America and a revealing look at how an industrial powerhouse ultimately lost its battle with nature. This is a story, in its many manifestations, that never ceases to fascinate us. Grandin is an excellent writer and researcher and he is very thorough in presenting this fascinating footnote of history to us. In the end, just like Mr. Ford's dreams, Fordlandia ended up in ruins and abandonment.

William Butler Yeats Poem

2010-07-13T04:26:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite Yeats poems. Enjoy!

In Irish Airman Foresees His Death

I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate,
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countryment Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in thte clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind,
In balance with this life, this death
(1919)

The Real Three Kings

2010-07-11T08:38:00.000-05:00

It has only been a couple of days and already the media is heralding the arrival of NBA championships to Miami thanks to the envisioned but not guaranteed greatness of the 'Three Kings'--Lebron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade. I don't know why, but we have this annoying propensity to create nicknames and to declare champions before a particular player or team has even played a game. The US media is so transfixed on Lebron-omania that they have disregarded some of the other exciting things that are going on in the world. They need only look to South Africa to see the real "Three Kings" in action. Spain's Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and David Villa have formed, and more importantly performed, as some of the top players in the tournament. Xavi leads the tournament in passes that led to shots on goal (25), Iniesta works the midfield and looks to hook up a pass to hitman David Villa to score a goal. Villa leads the tournament with 5 goals in 7 matches, which is incredible. Yet, there is no discussion about the second coming of a dream team. In fact, what I have enjoyed watching is seeing how the fans embrace their athletes with chants of affection (they sing "Illa, Illa, Illa Villa Maravilla).Check this out at David Villa Maravilla. The big differences is in the US, Lebron generates and dictates his celebrity, even through the media; in Spain, the fans embrace their athletes wholeheartedly. And they didn't even need someone to organize a media frenzy around a decision.

So, Chris, Dwayne, Lebron, take a back seat. You have done nothing yet. Look to South Africa and you will see a fine regal example of excellence and class.

Two dealing Aces

2010-07-10T20:01:00.000-05:00

Sports, like life, can be full of metaphors. This year Yankee fans have been pleasantly surprised by two pitchers--Andy Pettitte, the crafty southpaw, who at 38 years of age figured to be able to contribute to the team here and there and perhaps toss in 9-10 wins; Phil Hughes was surrounded by an air of uncertainty at the start of the year. Both have come to take prominent roles in the success of the Yankees. Pettitte is 11-2 with a 2.72 ERA and Hughes upped his record to 11-2 with a 3.65 ERA last night, in the process making the great Ichiro look quite silly on a nasty curveball. A.J Burnett, signed last year to anchor the Yankee starting rotation, has struggled mightily this year and now Pettitte and Hughes have come to be solid foundations of the pitching staff. That is what I love about baseball, you never know what will happen. I am sure that following Lebron James's decision to join the 'Big Three' in Miami, which engendered talk of an instant championship, that both Pettitte and Hughes smiled privately to themselves. They know that life is never that easy or predictable.

Hughes was dealing last night. Check him out and admire that curveball!Hughes dealing against the Mariners

The James Effect

2010-07-09T21:59:00.000-05:00

It has been just over 24 hours since LeBron James announced his decision to sign with the NBA's Miami Heat, ending one of the most narcissistic and ego-driven spectacles we have ever been subjected to. I am still scratching my head as to why this was so important. Why was this so momentous?

I was watching television tonight and I came upon an Oprah Winfrey special on the Jonestown Massacre, which took place on November 18, 1978 in Guyana in South America. On that day, cult leader Jim Jones convinced over 900 of his followers to commit suicide by drinking cyanide-laced kool-aid. How did a small time preacher from Indiana reach such heights and wield such power and influence over so many people? Was it his charisma? His personality? Or was it the message he preached to his followers, the People's Temple?

It amazes me how someone can cultivate such a cult of personality that very nearly deifies them. I see this in LeBron James. Now, let's be clear, I am not saying LeBron shares the same attributes that Jim Jones did. Not at all. What I want to focus on is the something that both Jones and James tapped into: the need for the public (or a good portion of it) to have some flamboyant personality become the nexus of their lives. In the past, this would be religion and many people would argue that with the passage of time and the advancement of technology, this "need" for a central figure in people's lives became more common. This not necessarily true. For quite some time, the allure of celebrity and the fascination with the famous has been firmly fixed in our collective psyche.

In his brilliant biography of Mark Twain, Mark Powers writes, "This was a hunger for a kind of faith, or a godhead that represented faith....Caught in this swirl of this maelstrom, individuals seeking a personal connection with the divine turned their attention from the whipping gales of "theology" and toward more graspable icons. This was the true birth of celebrity culture." Should we be so surprised that so many entertainers and athletes yield an almost religious aura that convinces networks to drop everything they are doing and focus on them, force feeding us an unrelenting wave of coverage of which they are the stars.

The fascination we have with celebrity culture allows us to live vicariously through successful and famous people. Sadly, I don't think this pattern of behavior we have will go away anytime soon.

So there you go. I bet you didn't think the names Jim Jones and LeBron James would appear in the same sentence. They have nothing in common...except their ability to get people to stop what they are doing and to focus on them.

Do you know who the US Poet Laureate is?

2010-07-08T18:39:00.000-05:00

Most people these days do not care about poetry, so it is not surprising that a good many people don't know who Kay Ryan is. She is the current US. Poet Laureate. Like many poets, Ryan has a knack for observing the mundane, the ordinary and inject life into it. Is that not what makes a great poet? Robert Frost is the poet most people in the US know about. Billy Collins is another former poet laureate who might elicit a nod of recognition from people. Kay Ryan is worth getting to know.Check out two of her poems below.

BLANDEUR

If it please God,
let less happen.
Even out Earth's
rondure, flatten
Eiger, blanden
the Grand Canyon.
Make valleys
slightly higher,
widen fissures
to arable land,
remand your
terrible glaciers
and silence
their calving,
halving or doubling
all geographical features
toward the mean.
Unlean against our hearts.
Withdraw your grandeur
from these parts.

THE NIAGARA RIVER

As though
the river were
a floor, we position
our table and chairs
upon it, eat, and
have conversation.
As it moves along,
we notice — as
calmly as though
dining room paintings
were being replaced —
the changing scenes
along the shore. We
do know, we do
know this is the
Niagara River, but
it is hard to remember
what that means.

Wenn die Erfahrung zählt

2010-07-07T18:47:00.000-05:00

Yes, we heard it constantly since the German demolition of England 4-1 in the second round of the 2010 World Cup: Germany is a machine that is rolling over the competition. This feeling was further entrenched in our collective psyche when the German wunderkinds annihilated Argentina 4-0 to advance to the semifinals, where they met Spain. They had everything going for them: youth, speed, exuberance, dynamism, stylish play and gritty determinism. And what happened when they met Spain? They lost 1-0 to a more experienced and mature team that knew how to tactically keep stars Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Örzil in check and create penetrating runs that eviscerated the vaunted German defensive line. No, super markman David Villa did not score this time; it was defender Carles Puyol who caused wild celebrations in Spain with his header in the 73rd minute. Puyol is already a hero in his Catalan homeland; now he will surely be elevated to national hero in Spain's paragon if La Roja defeat the Netherlands on Sunday. Should Spain win on Sunday and Puyol is interviewed afterwards, I wonder what he will say? Soy Catalan. Or Soy Español. Watch the game to find out!

Another e.e. cummings poem

2010-07-06T19:45:00.000-05:00

Normally, I try not to repeat a topic or them in a short period of time, but the quality and genius of e.e. cummings makes it easy to allow an exception to my rule. Check out this poem below.

dive for dreams

or a slogan may topple you

(trees are their roots

and wind is wind)

trust your heart

if the seas catch fire

(and live by love

though the stars walk backward)

honor the past

but welcome the future

(and dance your death

away at this wedding)

never mind a world

with its villains or heroes

(for god likes girls

and tomorrow and the earth)

Simply Amazing!

2010-07-05T10:41:00.001-05:00

I am sure many of you have traversed the famous corn mazes (including those who successfully made it out!) found scattered throughout the United States. Going through a maze can be quite addicting, almost like playing Sudoku. Some people, I am sure, consider themselves maze experts. Well, Italy's Franco Maria Ricci, has come up with a maze that is in its own league. Measuring nearly 18 acres, this maze is sure to challenge even the most intrepid maze lover (not to be confused with lovers of corn-maize lovers).

If you are up for the challenge go to Fontanellato, Italy near Parma. Make sure you take your cell phone with you. They do perform helicopter rescues if needed.

e.e.cummings and the 4th of July

2010-07-04T21:43:00.000-05:00

On this special day as the US celebrates its day of independence, I thought I would share with you a poem that he wrote. Enjoy!

"next to of course god america i
love you land of the pilgrims' and so forth oh
say can you see by the dawn's early my
country 'tis of centuries come and go
and are no more what of it we should worry
in every language even deafanddumb
thy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorry
by jingo by gee by gosh by gum
why talk of beauty what could be more beaut-
iful than these heroic happy dead
who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter
they did not stop to think they died instead
then shall the voice of liberty be mute?"

He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water

Orange Alert!

2010-07-02T21:27:00.001-05:00

No, don't worry, the Department of Homeland Security did not release another dictate to keep us in perpetual fear. Instead, this is an alert of a different, more positive and more exciting kind. If you have been watching the World Cup you might have seen an orange streak flash down the wing and eviscerate opposing teams' defenses. Much like Mitt Romney's presidental aspirations, defenders are left tattered, confused and amazed at what just happened to them.

That orange blur is known as Arjen Robben, the mercurial winger who wreaks havoc for the Netherlands. The former Real Madrid play maker has proven to be one of the most skillful players around and I think many people would argue that at this year's World Cup he is among the top 5 most skill players. He is an incredible dribbler and delivers excellent passes to teammates while drawing up to 4 or 5 defenders to him. For people who think footbal (soccer) does not involve skill or pace, they should watch Robben play. He is quite simply incredible. When he moves with the ball he looks frenetic, almost herky-jerky in his movements as if he had been over-caffeinated. But he is always in control of the ball, very rarely does he lose it. He is fun to watch and I hope all six of my followers (hint, hint--I would like to see more followers!) watch him in action.

In today's victory against Brazil Robben did not score a goal but he made may penetrating runs and was always a looming threat on the Brazil side's goal. He drew many fouls and opened other venues for teammates. And let's not forget his powerful left foot. Lock and load, baby! Bang! This guy is fun to watch, even for casual football fans. Don't believe me? Then check out Arjen Robben in action to see this maestro in action.

Discrimination against the unemployed

2010-06-29T18:43:00.000-05:00

Why is it that in difficult times certain sectors of our society purposely turn their backs on the disenfranchised? It never ceases to amaze me how baseless stereotypes and completely inappropriate perceptions take hold of normally reasonable people in times of societal and economic stress. In the 1950s the term 'communist' was tossed around to libel people who disagreed with the majority; in the 1960s people who supported equal rights for all were viciously attacked by the police; in the 1970s the Vietnam War polarized many Americans. Now, the greatest recession this country has seen has led employers to implement policies to prevent hiring people who were laid off or have been unemployed for longer than six months. The perception that people were laid off because they were incompetent, even though evidence makes it clear they were laid off because of the economy. Experts say it is not illegal to discriminate against the unemployed. How sad. How do you combat this? How do you defend the rights of those society refuses to see or acknowledge? Check out In the job hunt, the stigma of being laid off is hard to erase.

Is this the end of England's Golden Generation?

2010-06-28T20:44:00.000-05:00

In the late-90s and into the aughts English football leaders trumpeted the arrival of a new era in the sport--the Golden Generation featuring the likes of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard (pictured), John Terry, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen. Many people believed that these players would form the nucleus of a formidable national team that would reach great heights in international competition and advance far into World Cup competitions.

Unfortunately, ten years on, the Golden Generation has little to show for its much ballyhooed label and with England's drubbing by Germany 4-1 in the round of 16 in the World Cup yesterday, many in the English media and among the fans are saying that the era of the Golden Generation is over and that England's ignominious ouster from the World Cup is a clear sign that the book has closed. Steve MacNamanan, former Liverpool and Real Madrid star and current ESPN analyst, berated the team for its lethargy and inability to prevent the powerful, blitzkrieg-like counter-attack of a young and dynamic German team. "They made the English look like they were pulling horses and carts," he exclaimed after the game.

Even Americans not familiar with English football commented on how outclassed the players looked against Germany and recognized the latter's superiority. I believe that England will find new players and return to the upper echelons of world football. Right now it is experiencing a temporary rut, similar to what the US national basketball team recently went through in international competitions (Olympics and World Championships). I can't wait to see England's new generation of great soccer players.

Palestinian version of making lemonade out of lemons

2010-06-27T12:19:00.000-05:00

I have always admired ingenuity in the face of oppression and harsh, draconian measures. Check out this video to see how Palestinians are able to follow the World Cup. Palestinians and the World Cup.

The World's Reaction to Landon Donovan's Game Winning Goal

2010-06-25T20:07:00.000-05:00

This year's World Cup has inspired millions of Americans to follow the US soccer team and the game on Wednesday in which Landon Donovan scored the game winning goal in the 91st minute caused quite a sensation. People on the floor of the Stock Exchange erupted in celebrations and cheers and there were celebrations in the White House as well. I think soccer has finally made it here! Check out this video titled The World's Reaction to Landon Donovan's Game Winning Goal.

Lady Gaga vs. Jerry Seinfeld

2010-06-24T19:07:00.000-05:00

Recently, Lady Gaga made the headlines for talking her way into the New York Yankees clubhouse. She had also caused a scene at the stadium of the New York Mets. Following news that the Yankees might ban her from the clubhouse, former comedian and current occupant of New York City, felt compelled to offer his opinion on Lady Gaga. He cited her as being inappropriate and that she should find a better use for her talent. This is very ironic considering that not only has Seinfeld not told a good joke since 1991 (it was written for him by a screenwriter), but he recently produced a tactless and tasteless television show called "The Marriage Ref" in which celebrity panelists judge marriages and give "advice" on how struggling couples can improve their relationships. This is reality television at its worst. Seinfeld has to resort to being a voyeur to get people to consider him relevant. Truth be told, Lady Gaga is much more popular than Mr. Seinfeld. You can say she is an exhibitionist, which she will agree with. So, what we have here is the exhibitionist vs. the voyeur. One is open about her attitude and approach to life, while the other one hides and tries to highlight the worst in other people. Hmmm...I wonder who is the one who needs to find a better use of their talent? Going back to Lady Gaga, she can't be that bad, she is a fan of the Yankees!!

Farewell, Raymond Domenech

2010-06-22T22:00:00.002-05:00

The 2010 World Cup for France, came to a merciful end today as the lost to an inspired South Africa team 2-1. And so ends the soap opera. A central figure in this tragicomedy was France coach Raymond Domenech, who was essentially a lame duck before the competition began: the French Soccer Federation named his successor before World Cup. Domenech's surly personality did not help him, but he was done in by the petulance of his players, which came full fore when they refused to practice the day after he sent bad boy Nicholas Anelka home for insubordination (he launched into a profanity-laced tirade against Domenech during halftime of France's 2-0 loss to Mexico).

I felt bad for Domenech as he had to offer a 4-2-3-1 formation featuring 5 players who had not played before; he had to bench several mutineers, including the captain, Patrice Evra. He must have known that there was no hope to win; that the cause was lost. In fact, his approach reminds me of a quote from Ivan Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons": It's no use crying for the moon. Domenech seemed to think that there was no reason not to go through the motions. But after seeing him refuse to shake the hand of South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira after the game, I had to shake my head in disappointment. Domenech bore the burden of watching his team qualify in a disputed fashion for the World Cup, no support from French star Zinedine Zidane, a rebellion in the locker room, vituperative comments from the media and fans. His standoffish attitude did not help. But his awkward and ill-timed sense of humor almost makes me chuckle. Today he tweeted:
Il fallait être éliminé au premier tour : j'avais oublié de remplir ma déclaration d'impôts. Translation: We had to be eliminated in the first round: I forgot to pay my tax. Au revoir, Mr. Domenech. You are despised by many people in your country, but I will give you one thing: you are a character.

Philosophy through football

2010-06-21T23:33:00.001-05:00

I have watched every game of the World Cup, but what I have really come to appreciate are some of the inter-and post-game commentaries. My interest in two football (soccer to the uninitiated) commentators in particular, Jürgen Klinsmann and Alexi Lalas, actually began in 1994 at the World Cup, which took place in the United States. I first encountered the name Jürgen Klinsmann in the Germany-Bolivia game as he scored a winning goal against my team. Alex Lalas was was one of the more colorful faces and personalities of US soccer. In the picture below you can see Klinsmann celebrating his goal against Bolivia. In the next picture

you will see the inimitable Alexi Lalas leaping in the air. His trademark red hair and his goatee symbolized the free-spirit nature of US soccer. Contrast this with the clinical, technical drive of Klinsmann one has an appreciation for two great representatives of the game of football. Each came from different football philosophies and aspired to diverse football destinies. Klinsmann went on to coach the German national team to the World Cup in 2006 and Lalas went on to work with Major League Soccer. Now, interestingly enough football has brought these two statesmen together again. Both are commentators for ESPN during the World Cup. To the casual observer, who
may not be familiar with football, there is nothing out of the ordinary, but if you pay close attention, you can see what made these two athletes such great representatives of their sport. Lalas is passionate, enthusiastic with an almost "aw, shucks" approach that is always imbued with emotion. It is easy to see why he was such a popular US football player. Klinsmann comes off as cerebral, tactical and methodical, always plainly presenting his analysis of the game he is commenting.

One could also say that the commentators are coming from two different perspectives: Klinsmann representing Old Guard Europe and Lalas sporting the almost rebellious, spontaneous emotional American side. It is neat to see and I hope that others see this as well. Hopefully, one day more people will.

I am thrilled to see more Americans follow the sport, but I hope they are able to pick up the beautiful intricacies of this beautiful game. The write Eduardo Galeano, calls it the "Esperanto of the ball." And he is right.

I hope people will appreciate Klinsmann when he speaks of the 3-4-3 formation or how the body language of the French team betrays the discord in the group or Lala's candid observation about how "For Italians, it's the law to fall down to draw a foul." These two great football players make a great commentator team in its own unique way. Unlike the horrible commentating that was on display during the NCAA Men's basketball championship final, where one commentator was clearly a Duke University supporter, Lalas and Klinsmann share their perspectives on football in a respectful way. I wonder what they both think about the incomparable Lionel Messi. As they are commenting, does Klinsmann think up a defensive scheme to slow Messi down? Does Lalas think "In my day, I could take him down!"

Below you see Klinsmann and Lalas as they are now. Whether you are a football fan or not, you should be privileged to watch these two gentlemen comment on the games they watch. It is interesting to know that like you and me, they are also great fans of soccer and for the span of 90 minutes we share that common bond.

It is always interesting to see what how these two analyze a game. Klinsmann, the consumate tactician, focuses on formations that coaches employ while, Lalas the player's player, brings an almost youthful exuberance to this commentating. There is still plenty of bohemian

left in him!

I enjoy watching Steve MacNamanan, Chris Fowler, Ruud Gulit and Roberto Martinez comment, but there is something special about watching Lalas and Klinsmann, two different players, two different approaches observe the game. Thank you, ESPN for making such a great decision.

Short Fiction Classics

2010-06-19T13:16:00.001-05:00

How many of you remember suffering through those incredibly (what we thought at the time) boring 8th grade English classes? I remember quite a few of those. I don't remember all that we read, but there was one piece of short fiction that really impressed me and I remembered it through the years. I recently re-read it an it continues to be a delight to read. The work is titled "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and was written by the inimitable Ambrose Bierce (see photo). This classic which took place during the Civil War features foreshadowing and the author's excellent command of sleight of hand to deceive the reader. I will not reveal more, you have to read it for yourself. You will like it. I thank my 8th grade teacher Mrs. Hudson for having us read this. What a classic!

Two other favorite pieces of short fiction are:

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. This is chilling and disturbing, but excellent. The other is "The Devil and Daniel Webster" by Stephen Vincent Benet. Read them for yourself and let me know what you think. If only more Americans would show an appreciation for the rich literature we have.

Germany vs. Serbia

2010-06-17T20:07:00.000-05:00

Thank you to Julia for reminding me that I hadn't posted in a while. I sustained a serious thumb injury during a recent 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' tournament. The truth is I have been busy with work.

Ok, on to business!

Germany was truly dominant in thrashing Australia 4-0 in its opening match. Seeing their relentless attack I kept thinking of a tsunami at it hits the shore. The poor Ozzies had no chance. Check out the preview of the match here: German-Serbia preview

Will Milan Jovanovic and company be able to contain the Germans? I don't think so. I fear it will be a 3-0 result in favor of Germany.

Interesting sign-posts

2010-05-01T21:14:00.000-05:00

If you travel around the world you have probably seen some unique and different signs, but I am sure you haven't seen these. Check out the Signposts from around the world. Some of them are very interesting!

Here's to you, Jay and Wayne

2010-04-30T13:14:00.000-05:00

During my time in Boston I came to enjoy spending hours at the Boston Public Library perusing the books, doing research, attending concerts and presentations or simply people watching.

This past Tuesday I returned books to the library (and paid a late fine, of course!) and I mentioned to them that I wanted to leave with a clean balance since I was headed to Kentucky for a job, following my 11-month layoff. The person at the desk, Jay, told me that the BPL was preparing to lay off all those workers with less than 10 years of service at the end of the month. Jay has been at the library for nine years. This is almost too cruel, but the story does not end there. He went on to tell me practically everyone working the desk would be laid off. I looked at his colleague at the other end of the counter, Wayne, who looked at me and nodded in grim, sad agreement. We instantly shared a kinship that few working people can appreciate. I am just coming out of my lay off, one of the worst and most difficult moments of my life; they are about to enter a very trying and frustrating time. These are good people and it bothers me that they have to suffer this. I shared with them my routine for dealing with the layoff --they enjoyed hearing about my use of the punching bag and when I told them I imagined someone's face on it, they laughed. I really hope these guys make it back on their feet.

The sad thing is, the president of the library makes $175,000 a year. I have a suggestion: why doesn't he take a pay cut as a contribution toward preventing people from losing their jobs?

Here's to you, Jay and Wayne.

Arrivederci, Roy Makaay

2010-04-26T21:48:00.000-05:00

Today I read that the Feyenoord striker, Roy Makaay, announced his retirement at the end of the current season. With the departure of Makaay, the football loses a legitimate hit man whose every entry onto the pitch changed the complexion of a game. Makaay made a name for himself playing in Spain's La Liga where he played for Tenerife and Deportivo de la Coruña, helping the latter to its first league championship in 2000. He was a constant threat to the opposing side's goal keeper and his uncanny ability to find the back of the net places him in very select company. His 29 goals for Deportivo in 2003 capped an incredible year for Makaay as he dominated the scoring tables. I saw him play for Deportivo against Espanyol in Barcelona years ago and I was impressed by how fast the defense zoomed in on him when he entered into the game as a substitute.

Many Americans say they do not like soccer because it is low scoring. They should have been watching Roy Makaay play.

English is not enough

2010-04-20T08:37:00.002-05:00

Learning a language is a good thing. I grew up speaking English and Spanish and I have learned Italian. In addition to being fun, it has many, especially cognitive, benefits. Read English is not enough by Catherine Porter to learn more.

Quote for a special occasion

2010-03-24T09:21:00.001-05:00

In 1783 the Polish and American patriot Thaddeus Kosciuszko, in honor of the success of the American Revolution, wrote: "O! how happy we think our Self when Conscious of our deeds, that were started from principle of rectitude, from conviction of the goodness of the thing itself, from motive of the good that will Come to Human Kind."

Given the historic significance of the recent health care reform bill that President Obama signed, the quote is very applicable. I think somewhere out there General Kosciuszko is tipping his hat to President Obama.

For those of you who never heard of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, he was the architect of West Point and it was his plans that were stolen by Benedict Arnold to sell to the British. Teachers tend to leave that fact out when they teach students about Benedict Arnold's treason. One more thing, you most likely are continuing a tradition started by Kosciuszko: he was assigned the duty of arranging the first fireworks celebration marking the 1st anniversary of American independence in 1783.

The 3 Iranian Sopranos

2010-03-12T12:56:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine posted the link to the Three Iranian Sopranos on his Facebook wall and when I visited it and heard their songs, I was completely blown away by the beauty and grace of their virtuosity. All I could say was WOW!! For me listening to a song in Portuguese is an incredibly powerful and emotional feeling. I now have that same feeling listening to Farsi.

Check out the Three Iranian Sopranos website to learn more about them and to hear their performances. It is well worth it. In this day and age where the US media consistently portrays Iran in a negative light, here is a story that will debunk the false notion that Iran is a backward, culturally bereft country.

Spread the word. I have been e-mailing some of our congressmen to let them know about the Three Iranian Sopranos. Since most of our congressmen have never traveled in their lives, we must bring international culture to their door and remind them that Iran offers many positive contributions to the world.

Spring by John Clare

2010-03-09T10:44:00.000-06:00

As I was looking through some books in the Boston Public Library I stumbled on a collection of poems by the Englishman John Clare (1793-1846). His meditations on nature and its spirituality place him in the same category as Henry Thoreau. Check out this poem titled "Spring."

Spring

Pale sun beams gleam
That nurture a few flowers
Pilewort and daisey and a sprig o'green
On whitethorn bushes
In the leaf-strewn hedge

These harbingers
Tell spring is coming fast
And these the schoolboy marks
And wastes an hour from school
Agen the old pasture-hedge

Cropping the daisey
And the pilewort flowers
Pleased with the Spring and all he looks upon
He ope's his spelling-book
And hides her blossoms there

Shadows fall dark
Like black in the pale Sun
And lye the bleak day long
Like blackstock under hedges
And bare wind-rocked trees

Tis'dull but pleasant
In the hedge-bottom lined
With brown seer leaves the last
Year littered there and left
Mopes the hedge-sparrow

With trembling wings and cheeps
Its welcome to pale sunbeams
Creeping through and further on
Made of green moss
The nest and green-blue eggs are seen

All tokens spring and every day
Green and more green hedges and close
And everywhere appears
Still 'tis but March
But still that March is spring

Why the US Congress doesn't understand the world

2010-03-07T11:46:00.001-06:00

I am reading a very good book by Mort Rosenblum titled Escaping Plato's Cave and in it he reveals that during the Iran-Contra hearings in the 1980s he asked lawyer and political investigator Jack Blum, "[w]hy Congress never seemed to understand foreign affairs." Blum responded with, "Some people in Congress are better than others, but if you add up the total of their understanding of the world it would equal the weight of interplanetary dust. Most have, at best, comic-book knowledge of foreign affairs and how other people see things." If you witnessed the pathetic performances of Representatives Kanjorski and Mica during the Toyota testimony before the Oversight and Government Reform Committee last month, then you can see that nothing has changed since Blum made his statement all those years ago. On a side note, in my March 1 posting I wrote that I sent Rep. Kanjorski's office an email asking if he owned a passport or spoke another language. I have yet to receive a response.

Representatives Gone Wild at the OC (Oversight Committee)

2010-03-01T18:34:00.001-06:00

I caught some of the hearings on the Toyota recall on February 24th and I particularly focused on the comportment of our representatives on the Oversight Committee. Given that this situation involved much more than a simple testimony (cross-cultural sensitivity and cross-cultural communication among other things), I wanted to see how some people presented themselves. Sadly, yet not surprisingly, I was disappointed in the arrogance and boorishness of our representatives. Check out examples of classless behavior from some of our representative at the Toyota Hearings. Some representatives were civil, such as the chair of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Edolphus Towns (D-NY) and Darrell Issa (R-CA), but their diplomatic tones were subdued in comparison with the sharp tones of Representatives Paul Kanjorski (D-PA)(46:30) (whose nationalist rhetoric at one point led him to say, "We should just forgive these companies and let them kill our people." Dan Burton (R-IN) was much more open to conversing, not attacking the CEO of Toyota, but he was followed up by Joh Mica (R-FL), who I found to be extremely rude, uncouth and abrasive. His gestures were confrontational and condescending that would be interpreted by any international person as overtly aggressive. Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA) (2:26:50)at least apologized that the Toyota witnesses had to testify in a second language in a situation that was not very comfortable to them (kudos to Mr. Bilbray!). Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) ( 2:15:40)acknowledged that differences in Japanese and American corporate and societal culture might have played a role in the situation.

I wonder who among this group of representatives owns a passport or speaks another language? My guess would be the ones who behaved in a civil fashion with the Japanese. I called Rep. Kanjorski's office to ask if he owned a passport or spoke another language. I was told by his staff assistant to send an e-mail. So far, no one has responded. And therein lies the problem...on so many levels.

USA Hockey Rocks the House

2010-02-28T18:13:00.003-06:00

Wow! I finally get it. It has finally dawned on me why hockey is so popular with so many people and why it evinces such passion from its most loyal supporters and disdain from those who would degrade it. Today I saw one of the most exciting games ever played on any level. The US Men's Hockey team, not favored to fare well coming into the Olympic Games, played an amazing, inspiring game against the heavily favored Canadian side. Finding themselves down 2-0 the US team came back to tie the game with 24.4 seconds left in regulation time to force overtime. When Zach Parise, the forward from the New Jersey Devils, slapped a shot past Roberto Luongo, the Canadian goalie to tie it in the waning seconds of the game, I jumped up from my seat and yelled. What an exhilarating moment! I thought for sure this was our moment, that we would score a goal to win it. I believed this even more after the US sent a flurry of shots at the Canadian goalie. The USA was not going to go down easily and I thought victory was within our grasp. But, alas, Sidney Crosby, the Canadian wunderkind, would not allow it. A couple of minutes into overtime, the young forward swerved to the right of the US goal and after receiving an unbelievable pass from a teammate, sent a rocket past the amazing US goalie, Ryan Miller, who did not even have time to react. I don't think any goalie could have stopped that shot; there was nothing Miller could do. Although the Canadian team began to celebrate wildly I became very proud of our team. They played their hearts out. They were gracious, even though the sting of the defeat could be seen on their faces. They respectfully watched the Canadian team receive the ovations of their home crowd. I suppose destiny ultimately would not allow the US to win. Nevertheless, I am now a fan of hockey thanks to Team USA. They are great ambassadors of the sport.

A Little Perspective, Please.

2010-02-21T08:18:00.006-06:00

By now we have all heard Tiger Woods's very public apology. While we can all debate why he was forced to make an apology to us, it is very disconcerting that the media devoted so much attention to an issue that
really should not be within their purview. Since when is someone's infidelity our business? What is it about sex that enthralls us? Why was President Clinton impeached for lying about having sex with an intern, yet nothing happens to George W. Bush, whose lies led to the deaths of many innocent soldiers and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan?

As the public and the media cling to the Tiger Woods saga like young puppies to their mothers' milk, many other stories, of real importance are being missed. No one is paying attention to the number of corporations investing so much money into the Tea Party movement, such as the Ensuring Liberty Corporation, which interestingly enough, does not disclose its sources or the amounts given to it. Check out Open Secrets to review some interesting data.

More sinister yet mundane to the public and the media are these statistics: 78 rapes occur per hour (1,871 per day), one rape occurs every 6 minutes (using this figure that would mean that 10 women were raped while Woods issued his mea culpa--where is the outrage for that??). In the U.S. there are over 3,400 animal shelters, yet there are only 1,200 shelters for battered women. Check out the Women's Defence Center for more interesting statistics. Instead of fixating on the behavior/misbehavior of celebrities we need to focus more on addressing issues that have more relevance to us as a society.

Leave Tiger Woods alone. What he did should only be important to his wife and to him. For those who argue that they portrayed him as a role model to their children, I say this, shouldn't YOU be the ideal role model?

Being booed before you join the 'Evil Empire'

2010-02-20T17:26:00.001-06:00

Imagine being booed because of your association with you a team you haven't played yet. When Johnny Damon left the Boston Red Sox for the New York Yankees, he was soundly booed by Red Sox fans when he returned to Fenway Park with his new team. This is natural. Seldom does this occur before a players plays a single game for the perceived 'bad' team. Today's game between Racing Santander and F.C. Barcelona in Spain's La Liga featured this unique reaction from fans. Sergio Canales is Racing Santander's young superstar midfielder who agreed to play for Real Madrid next year. Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona are bitter rivals and Barcelona's fans made sure to remind Canales of that, booing him lustily after his name was announced and whenever he touched the ball. He now has a taste of what to expect next year when he and his new team play F.C. Barcelona. In the photo Canales (in green) works his magic on several Barcelona players.

Internationalized US Higher Education

2010-02-18T06:39:00.000-06:00

I read an interesting article on the Inevitability of the Internationalization of higher education in the US today in the Chronicle of Higher Education. I found some of the postings by commentators very interesting. They touch on some of the shortcomings of campus internationalization. Check it out!

Edgar Lee Masters

2010-02-17T20:23:00.000-06:00

Here is another excellent poem from the great Richard Eberhart (1904-2005).

                         Edgar Lee Masters

          I am old, stony-faced, and hard,
          But I had fire when I was young.

         I began telling it like it was
         Shortly after it was like it was.

         It has never been so again
        And I have never been so either.

        I felt the real itch of the people
        From swinging on their grave stones.

       Now I have been made into a stamp.
       I always knew I would take a licking.

Guernica in 3D

2010-02-16T08:15:00.000-06:00

My favorite work of art, and one of the most powerful anti-war statements of the 20th century, Guernica, by Pablo Picasso still has important influence today. Shortly before his ill-advised presentation making the case for war against Iraq in 2003, Colin Powell asked the United Nations to place a drape over the Guernica copy so that his disquisition would not be distracted by Guernica's message.

Now, an artist based in New York City, Lena Gieseke, has created a 3D version of this masterpiece and I found it very emotive, literally drawing me into the work. In this way, I encountered more details within the work, the poignancy that Picasso captured so well and the suffering that the people of Guernica suffered that day in 1937.

To check it out, visit Lena Gieseke's link at: Lena Gieseke's Guernica in 3D

The wise words of William Blake

2010-02-15T09:03:00.001-06:00

I recently read some poetry written by the English poet William Blake (1757-1827) and several lines in particular caught my attention, for obvious reasons, given my current situation. From his poem "Auguries of Innocence" I found this gem:

Man was made for Joy & Woe
And when this we rightly know
Thro the World we safely go
Joy & Woe are woven fine
A Clothing for the soul divine
Under every grief & pine
Runs a joy with silken twine

Thank you, William Blake, for showing me perspective.

The Flag by Richard Eberhart

2010-02-14T11:03:00.002-06:00

The Winter Olympic Games have begun and as we brace ourselves for all the flag waving and patriotic/nationalist fervor that will accompany each celebration, I think it is appropriate to look at an interesting poem by the poet Richard Eberhart.

The Flag

The flag was a fabric to wave in victory,

Hold up in defeat.

It was the symbol of the tribe,

Tribe nationalism.

When World War II was raging

Each side held up its particular flag.

As millions were dying

Which side was God on?

We held ours at Iwo Jima,

A picture of belief.

Lee held his up at Bull Run.

All wars are man's defeat.

You are not John Denver, Bono. Period.

2010-02-13T13:31:00.000-06:00

It always amuses me when a rock star suddenly sees the light and makes a televised effort to fight poverty, decry war and address multitudinous social and demographic problems. When the cameras are turned off, the crowd disperses and the horrific events of a recent tragedy fade into distant memory, the stars go back to their opulent and sheltered lifestyles. They did their good deed and they can proceed home with a clean conscience. Recently, the organizers who gave us "We are the World" have gathered the current top recording artists to re-record the song to raise money for victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Now matter how much media attention and limelight they focus on themselves, they cannot extricate themselves from a rather large shadow; the shadow of John Denver. Denver, known as "A Song's Best Friend" (with good reason!) was a troubadour who made singing for people, world peace and the environment a fundamental part of his repertoire. He founded the Windstar Foundation in 1976 to promote protection of the environment, visited Africa in the 1980s (long before Bono), gave a concert to victims of Chernobyl, gave concerts in the USSR in the spirit of inspiring thawing of relations with the US, toured China as an unofficial cultural ambassador, represented the United Nations as a citizen ambassador and worked to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to name a few things. Yes, when he approached the organizers of the original "We are the World" to participate in it, he was turned down because they thought his image would hurt the credibility of the song. What a joke! This man did more humanitarian work than those other vainglorious singers. For them to treat him like that is a joke. In his 1994 autobiography, Denver wrote, "[i]t broke my heart to not be included in the Live Aid, Band Aid, and We are the World concerts; even in being a helping hand one couldn't avoid political divisiveness."

Yet now, we have Bono, lead singer of U2, imploring us to give money to aid the battle against AIDS and poverty in Africa, through disquisitions at his concerts and officious Op-Ed pieces in the New York Times. It seems that in addition to his battle to reinvent himself to suit the changing tastes of a fickle public and appear younger than he is, he has decided to add the title of crusader to his resume. But his approach is all wrong. He is asking the public to make financial contributions to the causes that combat some of the most urgent social problems in the world today. John Denver, on the other hand, inspired us to make the world a better place by being better people, to take the time to appreciate the precious moments natures gives us. While Denver later became ridiculed for being too cheery or cheesy, he was at the end of the day, much more sincere in his concern for the environment and for other people. Now as the world is rocked by violence, natural disasters and a damaged economy, it might find that it can take solace from John Denver. The journalist Diane Priestly recently wrote, "We all need John Denver in our lives. His positive, uplifting music is a force for good in a destructive and violent world. Thankfully the spirit of John Denver will never die. His music will live on for generations." Truer words were never spoken.

So, Bono, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie, you may have outsold John Denver and currently reap the accolades that accompany any effort to aid people affected by disaster, but no matter what you do, you will never reach the legacy of John Denver.

The Curse of the Sports Illustrated Cover

2010-02-12T08:53:00.001-06:00

For years now, it has been said that whoever appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine immediately suffers a sub-par performance, a momentous defeat or an injury. It appears that the curse continues. Following her appearance on the February 8, 2010 issue of Sports Illustrated, US ski champion and Olympic gold medal hopeful Lindsey Vonn suffered a deep muscle injury on her leg (her shin), which threatens her ability to participate in the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. This incident is one in a long list of Sports Illustrated casualties, which include Mo Vaugh and Dwight Evans of the Boston Red Sox, Evel Knievel and Lee Trevino, to name a few.

Although I did not appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated, I, too have fallen victim to a similar curse. Ever since my appearance on the cover of the renowned and esoteric Riches magazine last year, I have run into a period of bad luck: I was laid off from work, followed by flooding in my apartment, harassing phone calls from Texas, neck and shoulder injuries and temporary eviction from my apartment. I also learned that I owe the US government and the state of Massachusetts some money. It just doesn't get any better than this, folks.

Looking back now, I realize that I should not have agreed to be interviewed by the sultry and vixen-like Ayelovde Monet from Riches magazine. I believe she also advised the lovely Erin Andrews to visit a certain hotel out west. I won't go into details on what happened there! But I have learned how to turn a negative into a positive (except when it comes to dollars and cents, of course!). I am rapidly approaching my one-year anniversary of unemployment. Instead of moping about like a Reds Sox fan during a Yankee victory, I have opted to take a more celebratory approach: I will drink champagne and make a toast (Wonder bread) to this occasion. In this day and age where we all celebrate milestones, I think it is quite appropriate for me to do so.

You do not perceive me

2010-02-11T10:40:00.001-06:00

''I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids - and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." (from The Invisible Man, prologue). These words, perhaps the single most powerful personal and social statement of the 20^th century, were written by Ralph Ellison in his classic The Invisible Man. Today, as we celebrate Black History Month, I find that they still have much relevance today, although for different reasons than what Ellison was alluding to when he wrote them. I find myself in a similar state of alienation and isolation to what Ellison expressed. While the state of invisibility Ellison describes is a much more serious social problem than what I and 11 million other Americans are experiencing, the discomfort, frustration and difficulties that accompany that feeling are similar. I have been unemployed for over eight months and it appears as of this writing that I will reach the dubious distinction of having gone unemployed for one whole year.

I am living but I often feel as if I am on the periphery of society, that is, people see me on the street, but they do not know what I have been going through these last few months. They think I am just like them, when I am not. Often I feel a detachment from everyone I see; I have nothing in common with them. This feeling extends to most of my friends. Many still have work and are firmly connected to the routines of daily employed life. From them exudes a view of life different from mine. For this reason alone, I tend to associate more closely with friends who have lost their jobs. Only they can understand me at this moment. Right now, my ambitions have been put on hold and my dreams scatter around me like leaves in the wind, having been transmuted from permanent to ephemeral; from achievable to distant.

I feel like an invisible person whose presence is only detected by family and my close friends. Abandoned am I by the organizations in my field who claim to assist international educators, I have taken it upon myself to create a community where we ‘ghosts’ can interact with each other. It is funny, living as a number, a figure. Sure we make up a faceless community, whose existence is known to the general public only as a percentage and nothing more.

The simple fact of the matter is that there is an unseen wall between those of us with jobs and those of us ‘floating’ and struggling to regain our footing. It is a porous wall that allows us to intermingle with those who have work, but going through that wall feels almost like I am breaching some protocol. I have always been observant and my employment interstice has allowed me to look at society through a different lens. It is amazing how your status can affect how you view things.

I know I will work again, although I do not know when. It is funny, hearing university students complaining about how stressed they are about an upcoming exam. I just quietly smile to myself and walk away. It is funny to think about what we consider ‘stressful.’Although this experience has been far from pleasant, I have learned a great deal from it and it has made me a much better person; much stronger in outlook and perseverance. In the end, this is a characteristic I will cherish much more than holding a job.

Michael Westen vs. MacGyver

2010-02-10T10:06:00.000-06:00

Ever since I started watching "Burn Notice" featuring the ex-spy Michael Westen, I immediately drew parallels between him and MacGyver, the 1980s hit about an adventurer who worked for the Phoenix Foundation. Both characters feature an uncanny knack for being very creative and coming up with devices, bombs, solutions, etc. out of common every-day items. MacGyver could practically create a bomb out of gum and a paper clip. Michael Westen, played by Jeffrey Donovan, has a harder edge than MacGyver, not afraid to mix it up with some of the nefarious villains he deals with. But essentially he is the same as MacGyver in his tendency to support the downtrodden; the little guy. Last week's episode featured Westen creating a bomb out of a microwave oven and various cleaning solutions. Brilliant! It is easy to see why this show is a good one. Looking back at old MacGyver episodes, it is entertaining to relive some of the archaic, campy expressions from the 1980s! I am content that the spirit, and the goodness, of MacGyver lives on in Michael Westen. It is too bad he did not have the cast of supporting characters that Westen does, however! If you would like to compare both heroes, go to the following website which features a poll comparing Westen and MacGyver: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/burn-notice/picks/show/12111/who-would-win-fight-michael-westen-mcgyver

Who would you pick?

When athletics take a back seat to academics

2010-02-09T08:45:00.000-06:00

We have become so sports-centric as a society, where even analogies or idiomatic expressions are in some way related to a sport, we are often stunned when an athlete chooses academics over athletics. Pierre Henderson-Niles, a forward for the University of Memphis basketball team, recently announced that he was leaving the team. While many people will debate his reasons for this decision, one thing that attracted my attention was that he said he was going to focus on his studies and graduate. Good for him! One look at the headline of the ESPN article is illustrative of how skewed our priorities are. It reads "Henderson-Niles exits, leaves Memphis in a bind." Perhaps a more accurate heading would have read "Henderson-Niles exits, focuses on his studies (or graduation)." ESPN seems to think that Henderson-Niles's decision was a selfish one that has put the basketball team in a bad position. This thinking is misplaced. Do not students attend university to study and focus on sports as a secondary objective? Yes, I know that for many players university basketball programs are their ticket to the NBA and to fame, lucrative contracts, etc. But the mission and purpose of a university education should not be lost amidst the hoopla of "March Madness" or draft day.

We may never know Henderson-Niles's reasons for leaving the basketball team, but I, for one, am glad that rather than leave the university, he chose to remain on campus and focus on his studies. Another football player who also drew my attention is Myron Rolle, the football player from Florida State University, who won a Rhodes Scholarship last year to study at the prestigious Oxford University. He is a true example of the student-athlete who has represented us well overseas (secretly, I would love to know which English Premier League he followed while there!) and I am sure he will serve as a fine example to future student athletes. His message is simple: you don't have to give up your academic pursuits to accomplish athletic goals. I know somewhere Richard Hofstadter is smiling in approval.

What does it mean to watch the Super Bowl?

2010-02-08T13:23:00.000-06:00

As we all recover from the virtually non-stop coverage and pre- and post-commentary surrounding the Super Bowl, I thought I would share an interesting article with all of you. By the way, I missed most of the game as I went to see an excellent film "Brazos Rotos"(Broken Embraces) by Pedro Almodóvar (el maestro). I really did not feel like watching a stream of inane commercials interrupted by an American football game between the Colts and the Saints. Besides, how could I resist the chance to see the alluring Penélope Cruz on the big screen.

Back to my initial point. The NFL and US cable networks often claim that the Super Bowl is watched by billions of people around the world (Tea Bag Party members have even claimed that denizens of Sarah Palin's home planet also watch this spectacle. So far no proof has been offered to confirm this). A recent study suggests that the figures provided by the NFL and the networks are not what they seem. In a sport that has astronomical budgets, hyperbolic personalities and bloated salaries, is it really surprising that some world-wide audience figures might also be suggested? Check out "The Whole World Isn't Watching (But We Thought They Were): The Superbowl and U.S. Solipism" by Christopher R. Martin and Jimmie L. Reeves. It is an excellent read.

Karaoke Rage

2010-02-07T13:38:00.000-06:00

We have all heard of road rage or helicopter parents which are temporary afflictions that convert normal people into raving lunatics. Now, apparently, there is a new manifestation: Karaoke Rage. According to the New York Times, a number of people have been murdered in the Philippines after singing (mangling?) the Frank Sinatra classic "My Way." Coincidence? Or perhaps there is something morbid about the character of karaoke fans. Not being a devotee of this particular form of entertainment (although after trying it once, I was told to never do it again), I cannot grasp the dynamics behind this phenomenon but it gives new meaning to 'musical assault.' For me, at least, Avril Lavigne can no longer claim this term exclusively for herself(just listen to her version of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and you will know what I mean).

It seems that some people who sing a certain song on karaoke 'claim' it for themselves and if they hear someone else sing a poor version of it, they become riled up and aggressive. I know that I am safe since I do not frequent karaoke bars, but if you and some friends are thinking of showing off your musical skills at a karaoke bar, be careful.

To read more about the 'My Way' killings and similar karaoke assaults visit this link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/world/asia/07karaoke.html?th&emc=th

I miss you, James Joyce

2010-02-06T10:02:00.000-06:00

A couple of years ago I read James Joyce's classic "Ulysses" and I have often thought of it. It seems these days there are very few books that can leave that type of impression or have people think in a way that they usually do not. For many people works from the 'Lit Light' genre fit the bill of 'reading.' In a sense, they are right for they serve a purpose, but how many of them force the reader to apply their intellect in an assiduous manner, often forcing him or her to refer to other books he/she may have read? Very few do that. Here are some of my favorite passages from "Ulysses" (with my note at the end):

EDWARD THE SEVENTH

(Levitates over heaps of slain in the garb and with the halo of Joking Jesus, a white jujube in his phosphorescent face.)

My methods are new and are causing surprise.
To make the blind see I throw dust in their eyes.
(p. 577)

“It rains dragon’s teeth.” (p. 585)

“Bread, the staff of life, earn your bread. O tell me where is fancy bread? At Rourke’s the baker’s it is said.” (p. 600)

This is a line from Shakespeare.
-Merchant of Venice. “O tell me where is fancy bread, or in the heart or in the head?”

In Honorem J.D. Salinger

2010-02-05T07:58:00.000-06:00

With the passing of J.D. Salinger we have lost a truly iconic author whose inimitable style left an immutable impression on the landscape of American literature. I remember reading "Catcher in the Rye" over 20 years ago and thoroughly enjoying every page I read. Heck, I even started using the expression "chewing the rag" so that I could sound like Holden Caulfied.

While today the Harry Potter books may rule book sales, I do not believe that it has the durability or appeal that "Cather in the Rye" has. Salinger's classic transcended generations and spoke to a youthful meandering that we can all related to. Jack Kerouac's classic "On the Road" for me is similar, but I still like "Catcher" better.

Enough has been written about Salinger's passing so I will not add to it, but I will speak to something he commented to a friend. His friend Lillian Ross recounted that Salinger was deeply impressed that a Maytag salesman had quoted the English writer John Ruskin. Salinger related to Ross, "God, how I sill love private readers. It's what we all used to be." Given the decline of reading and the plethora of visual-based technologies, his statement has resonance with me. His death saddens me, not only because we lost a giant of American literature, but because there is now one less devoted reader in the world. Rest in peace, J.D. Salinger.

Man-made Languages

2010-02-03T23:27:00.001-06:00

Bored with learning languages like Spanish, Italian, German or Latin? Well, there may be hope for you! We all know about Klingon and how its creation has generated a slew of devoted fans who actually speak it. But did you know that there are over 800 man-made languages in existence? I am sure you have heard of Esperanto, but have you heard of Loglan or Ars Signorum? How about Evoluto or Mu-Nba-B? If mastering the Spanish subjunctive has caused you endless frustration and headaches, rest assured that there are quite a few other options for you!

All kidding aside, Arika Okrent has written a captivating book about the various man-made languages out there and some of the crazy personalities who have invented them. Believe it or not, Esperanto was not the first man-made language. The first man-made language made an appearance in the 12th century (Lingua Ignota). Whether you are a traditional linguist or are just curious to learn about some of the man-made languages out there, you will enjoy this book. Who knows? Reading it might inspire you to return to fine-tuning your Spanish skills!

Long Live Burnley!

2010-02-03T16:44:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I wrote about Xerez, the 'colista' in the
Spanish La Liga and how, despite a huge gap between their budget and those of the super rich teams, I have come to root for them.

They are actually my second team as I have been following Burnley since the summer of 2009. They were promoted from the First Division to the Premiership and have played well, defeating the likes of Manchester United and Everton. Although, they have stumbled as of late and are venturing dangerously close to the relegation zone, they display strong grit and a never-say-die attitude. They very nearly drew with the mega-powerful frontrunners Chelsea, falling in the end to a late John Terry header, but they fought hard and with each match convince me they deserve to be in the Premier League. In the photo, we see Burnley's David Nugent wreaking havoc on Tim Howard and the Everton defense.
Follow them at: http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com

¡Viva Xerez!

2010-02-02T21:31:00.000-06:00

In this day and age of million dollar athletes and powerhouse college and professional sports programs, it is easy for many fans to become turned off from the teams that they have followed, adhering to the belief that their teams have become corporate. There are teams out there that are very easy to pull for. Xerez, is a soccer team from Andalucia that is playing in Spain's First Division for the first time in its 60 year history. While the results are not what they would want (they have won 2 and lost 13 and have only 11 points as they are dead last and face relegation). Nevertheless, this team has moxie and grit and do not give up. They play within themselves and have no pretensions of being anything other than Xerez, football team. They played the best they could against the mighty Real Madrid and Barcelona, and although they lost, I came to admire them. Who says you have to have a winning record to be inspiring? Keep going, Xerez, continue to show us what the true essence of sports is all about. Check out the clubs website at: http://www.zerezcd.com.

When does ageism begin?

2010-01-30T09:52:00.000-06:00

It is funny that most people associate ageism with the 50-70 year old demographic, but I read a recent article that mentioned that this malfeasant 'ism' is now extending to a younger age group, namely the 40-50 year-old bracket---my group! It is hard to accept this, really. I just turned 40 a couple of months, ago and I am good health, I feel young, I have a strong positive outlook on life and I am very competent at the work I do. I even "get along very well with people," which is the catch phrase running rampant on cover letters, resumes and company letterheads. But it is still a shock to even contemplate that I might be a victim of ageism. Until recently, that is.

I have been unemployed for far longer than I would like to admit, but for the most part I have been very positive about it. Recently, I learned that a position I had applied for --Assistant Director of Study Abroad--at a college in Massachusetts, was offered to a young 28-ish year-old woman who has never in her life worked in the field. She is in the process of writing her doctoral thesis (which is another issue, but I will not go into that here) and that may have been one of the factors that led to her hiring. However, I think her youth played a significant role. The committee clearly thought that it would be more financially feasible to hire a 'newbie' who can learn on the job, instead of paying a higher salary to a more established and experienced candidate. Yikes! I did not think this would happen to me, but now I am beginning to take a much harder look at ageism and see that, like racism, it does not discriminate against one particular section of the population. That really is disturbing. What to do now? Make sure my curriculum vitae does not tip off my age. I am good at adapting to something new, if nothing else, and I am ready for this challenge.

ambassadorial ethnocentrism

2009-12-09T09:46:00.000-06:00

It is sad that some people still espouse ethnocentric values in today's globalized world. It is even more disconcerting when that person is someone who used to hold an ambassadorial position. Check out what John Miller, former ambassador, recently wrote:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/opinion/03miller.html

The return of El Clasico

2009-11-27T08:07:00.001-06:00

On Sunday, November 29 two great teams will meet once again in one of the most enduring and heated rivalries in the world. The Yankees-Red Sox rivlary pales in comparison to the emotions inspired by the Real Madrid-Barcelona matches. In what promises to be a no-holds barred encounter featuring some of the best players in the world, this game is sure to hold the attention of the world. I enjoyed Thanksgiving yesterday and now await El Clasico. It doesn't get better than this.

Thanksgiving (1956) by e.e. cummings

2009-11-26T10:23:00.001-06:00

THANKSGIVING (1956)

a monstering horror swallows
this unworld me by you
as the god of our fathers' fathers bows
to a which that walks like a who

but the voice-with-a-smile of democracy
announces night & day
"all poor little peoples that want to be free
just trust in the u s a"

suddenly uprose hungary
and she gave a terrible cry
"no slave's unlife shall murder me
for i will freely die"

she cried so high thermopylae
heard her and marathon
and all prehuman history
and finally The UN

"be quiet little hungary
and do as you are bid
a good kind bear is angary
we fear for the quo pro quid"

uncle sam shrugs his pretty
pink shoulders you know how
and he twitches a liberal titty
and lisps "i'm busy right now"

so rah-rah-rah- democracy
let's all be thankful as hell
and bury the statue of liberty
(because it begins to smell)

Thanksgiving Day Prayer by e.e. cummings

2009-11-26T10:20:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving Prayer

Father we thank thee for this food
for health, strength, and all
things good. May others all these blessings
share, and hearts be grateful
everywhere.
I thank you God for most this amazing day;
for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky;
and for everything which is infinite which is yet.

- E. E. Cummings

Samoud

2009-11-16T06:42:00.000-06:00

Samoud is the Arabic word for 'steadfastness' and has been interpreted as the 'third way' of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It is not violent, but it does not acquiesce readily to proposals demands made to a people who hold samoud to be one of its most cherished principles.

Tunnel Vision in Detroit

2009-11-06T22:53:00.000-06:00

I always enjoy travelling through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. It is a clean and very efficient operation. But the part I like the best is walking through 'The Tunnel' that connects the concourses. In an incredible architectural accomplishment, the designers created a passageway with elongated transparent glass panels on the sides. The light from the panels constantly changes, while New Age music is played and you look ahead through different hues of red, green, blue and purple. For me, the experience never gets tired and it always makes me smile. If you have not been to Detroit, you might have to go just to see this!

Nativism is alive and well

2009-11-03T06:06:00.000-06:00

Although I am not a dedicated follower of long-distance running I have always been impressed by the turnouts at the Boston and New York marathons. I do know that is has been many years since an American has won a marathon and I was elated to learn that Meb Keflezighi, became the first American man to win the New York City marathon in nearly 30 years. Unfortunately, I also learned that racism and nativism are still with us as numerous people on online forums question his 'Americanness.' He was born in Ethiopia and emigrated to the United States when he was 12. It was here in the United States where he received all this long-distance training, but there are still those who dispute his 'Americanness.' It seems we still have much work to do to eradicate racism and nativism. How sad.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/sports/03runner.html?_r=1

Laila's Birthday

2009-11-02T07:48:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I attended the final screening for the Palestine Film Festival, which featured some cinematic gems. The film I saw is called "Laila's Birthday" and is directed by Rashid Masharawi. It details the adventures that a taxi driver must go through/endure to make sure he returns home on time for his daughter's birthday. It is a wonderful film with some comedic elements in it. What I liked about it is that it put on display daily life in Palestine; very litte focus is placed on the occupation. This is a nice touch. Check out a clip from the film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hFLmBzGMjI

Henrik Ibsen

2009-10-31T08:47:00.000-05:00

I am currently enjoying "A Doll's House and Other Plays" by the Norwegian author Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906). They are excellent and I hope I can convince my readers to read his work sometime. He was very progressive for his time and his signature play, "A Doll's House" deals with the emancipation of women. My favorite character, however, is the manipulative Stensgård ("The League of Youth"), whose machinations recall Othello in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice." However, Ibsen injects just enough comedy into the work to make it really enjoyable. I wonder how many colleges/schools have put on any of Ibsen's works on stage. Sadly, not enough.

Latin Alphabet is no longer the lingua franca of the Internet domain world

2009-10-30T10:43:00.000-05:00

I have always had a chuckle when people tell me that English is the "official" langauge of the Internet. They seem to forget that in the nebulous world of the Internet where borders are illusory and practically non-existent, people communicate in other languages. English-language imperialism made no headway here. Just recently, it was announced that the Latin alphabet will no longer be the only one used for Internet domains. This is a step in the right direction. To learn more, visit the following site:

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE59T0Z720091030

The Moral Fall

2009-10-29T12:49:00.000-05:00

I recently read two books that really resounded with me for the quality of the writing, the plot development, the descriptors associated with the naturalist movement and, more importantly, for the chronicling of the 'moral fall' of two main characters.

In "The Mayor of Casterbridge," by Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), the main character, Michael Henchard, auctions off his wife at the beginning of the novel and eventually goes on to a successful career as mayor. However, when the wife reappears in his life, his life begins a precipitous spiral downward that will make the reader catch his/her breath. Thomas Hardy is an excellent representative of the Naturalist Movement at the turn of the 19th century that highlighted the day-to-day life of everyday people.

Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) is another author well known for his naturalist style and his book "Sister Carrie" is excellent. While Caroline Meeber (Sister Carrie) is the main protagonist in this classic novel her ambitions, desires and ultimately the decisions she makes affects two other men--Charles Drouet and G.W. Hurstwood. In fact, one of the characters makes a fateful decision that ultimately leads to his undoing. Like Hardy's Henchard, he experiences a similar fall from grace for a poor ethical decision he made.

To learn more read these two great books! You will not be disappointed.

Does Kindle Ignite or Extinguish Book Reading?

2009-10-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

In the October 25th issue of The New York Times an article featured a claim by producers of e-book devices (Kindle, Nook, etc.) that its customers buy 3 times as many books after they they had purchased Kindle. Jeffrey Bezos, the head of Amazon says that there would be substantial growth in the sale of books because of Kindle. I doubt this very much. With access to as many as 1,500 book titles at their finger tips, why would Kindle customers revert to the 'old' way and purchase a book?

The biggest obstacle I have to Kindle and Nook is best illustrated in a simple sentence:

"Battery not included."

Welcome!

2009-10-28T11:37:00.000-05:00

This is my first entry into my new blog where I hope to share my opinions and thoughts with you and create a forum for discussion and debate. I am an internationalist and that is why I have chosen "Daily Pensieri" as the name for my blog. "Pensieri" means "thoughts" in Italian and I like the idea of having two languages represented in the name. I come from a bi-cultural background and I work in the field of international education so this title is very representative of who I am. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. It is a work in progress, but it is a project I am looking forward to!

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