The best doesn’t always win. And it is certainly difficult to imagine a more talented squad than the 1982 Brazilian national team, even by today’s standards. Cristiano Ronaldo has nothing on these guys hairdos (or shorts).
Category Archives: Digressions
The Upside of Irrationality
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This evening on my way back from work on the metro, I listened to one of the most entertaining and informative podcasts I have heard in a long time. The Leonard Lopate Show had guest Dan Ariely discussing his new book, The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home. Ariely explained a number of fascinating matters like how bonuses actually inhibit performance, how the threat of revenge creates trust, and why we believe our own ideas and creations are better than others.
I definitely recommend you check it out.
Filed under Digressions
Alabama
John Coltrane composed “Alabama” based on the events of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. It is telling how throughout much of Twentieth Century American history, groups like the K.K.K were given all of the protections of the Constitution while they freely committed what today would clearly be considered acts of terrorism. Meanwhile, throughout most of the 1950s and 60s, civil rights activists were considered by local governments and law enforcement as terrorists and treated with violence. Similarly, up until the final years of Apartheid in South Africa, the U.S. government (as did our closest ally, Israel) supported the Apartheid regime and considered Nelson Mandela a terrorist.
Unless you are in the NRA or the Tea Party and look good in a sixshooter, no matter how much we profess that the people have a right to rise against an oppressive government, neither armed nor peaceful resistance have ever had much support in American politics or society.
Just food for thought and some beautiful music.
Filed under Digressions, Jazz
On Faith and Patriotism
The main character in Miguel de Unamuno’s San Manuel Bueno, Mártir explains that for him faith is not blindly believing in God, but rather desiring that He exist. In other words, faith is not about accepting God’s existence as a given, but wanting more than anything else that it were true.
I take a similar position on patriotism. I am not one of the tribalists who will blindly and unconditionally support my country/government simply because it is my country. Rather, I believe that we must demand, at all times, that our country meet the expectations we have of it. For at the end of the day, the government is nothing more than the reflection of the people it represents. As such, I believe we should be even stricter in scrutinizing the politicians we vote for than those we do not. For that very reason, for example, I am so critical of the Obama Administration. Precisely because I supported Obama, I am responsible for holding him accountable as my President.
Finally, in Grave Error, I am almost exclusively critical the U.S. and Spain (the two countries where I consider a part of society). For example, I often criticize the U.S. foreign policy toward certain nations, but rarely criticize those nations’ policies toward the U.S. The reason is simple: I am American. I understand my country and feel that as such, I have a right to judge its actions. On the other hand, I know very little about those nations (other than what the tribalistic American press tells me), nor do I vote for their politicians. I am unqualified to speak.
Moreover, just as I cannot stand those non-Americans who freely bash the U.S. government and culture — almost always from the standpoint of ignorance or half-truths – I particularly cautious not to fall into the same easy trap with regards to others. Just as it is dangerous to take the sola fide position — typical of Christian and Muslim fundamentalists — that faith justifies almost anything, patriotism based on pure tribalism leads us no where. True patriotism is about expecting more and accepting less.
Filed under Digressions, Essays
Euro-Hipsters Go Ghetto
There are a few popular stereotypes in the U.S. about the inferiority of white people. One being that we can’t jump, and another that we can’t dance. Now I am not a particularly great dancer myself and am not one to promote ethnic, cultural or racial stereotypes, but go to any European nightclub and witness the stereotype in action.
And if there is any doubt, check out this recent Adidas Originals commercial that I first saw about a month ago in Italy and couldn’t quite believe my eyes. It is SO pathetic on so many levels: the white Europeans trying to act all tough guy and hip-hop, the slow motion dancing, the arguably offensive replication of an American urban setting, graffiti and double-dutch included … oh, where to begin? No matter how you look at it, the guys in this video would get their poser-arses whipped were they back in the U.S.of A.
Watching this just reminds me of how silly white guys with dreadlocks look, regardless of their vehement self-defense and rationalization, and, of course, that other stereotype that we borrow heavily and free of charge.
On an unrelated note, I just get myself an nice pair of retro 1972 Adidas.
Filed under Digressions
¡ Que Vivan los Rejects !
At the end of last season and without much of an explanation, Barça coach Pep Guardiola claimed it was time for his emblematic star striker Samuel Eto’o to move on. Tonight, though, Eto’o had the last laugh as his new team, Inter de Milan, advanced to the finals of the European Champions League Cup by defeating Barcelona on aggregate 3-2.
This year’s big match could be dubbed the Reject’s Final with the high profile rejects from Real Madrid, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, leading Bayern Munich and Inter de Milan respectively to the finals. If Jorge Valdano got egg on his face for letting those two guys go, I suppose Guardiola’s doesn’t look much better.
¡Que vivan los rejects. ¡Vivan!
Filed under Digressions, Football/Soccer, Living la vida española
Mos Dub
Back when I was a teenager, I watched the cult Jamaican film, The Harder They Come, religiously with its stellar soundtrack that first introduced Reggae to the world, even before Bob Marley had come onto the international scene. My brother recently gave me the heads up on the album Mos Dub, available for free download. It is the work of one Max Tannone and mixes the works of Mos Def — one of my favorite Hip-Hop artists — with some classic Reggae hits from the 70s, including two songs from The Harder They Come soundtrack: “Johnny Too Bad” by The Slickers and “Shanty Town” by Desmond Dekker. So if you are a fan at all of Hip-Hop and Reggae oldies, check it out.
Filed under Digressions
Cookin’
I have always enjoyed cooking, mainly Italian cuisine (as a quasi Italian American). Over the past few years, though, I haven’t cooked much, but since getting married, I have revisited some of my old favorite recipes – eggplant parmaggiano, various pastas and risottos, and fish. Meanwhile, my wife has started cooking Moroccan food, and it is quite addictive. My favorite so far is tagine de barkouk: a meat stew served with apricots and plums.
(As a side note: the word apricot in English and albaricoque in Spanish come from the Arabic barkouk. Nevertheless, they are false friends as barkouk actually means plum and not apricot).
In any event, during a recent trip through Tuscany, we were surprisingly a little disappointed by the food, having been completely enamored by Roman cuisine on our last visit to Italy with its preference for tomatoes and basil as opposed to the heavier, gamier Tuscan dishes. Nonetheless, I returned with a new pasta in mind: grilled eggplant, black olives, cherry tomatoes, a little ricotta and lots of fresh basil.
First I cut the eggplant and set it on paper towels to soak the liquid and remove the bitterness. Next, I cut the olives and cherry tomatoes and put them in the pot with oil olive. I close the pot and let it slowly simmer for about 30 minutes, during which time I start boiling the water for the pasta and grill the eggplant. Once the water is boiling, I throw the pasta into the water, and then put the eggplant into the sauce.
Finally, when the pasta is ready, I mix it into the sauce, add a little bit of ricotta and fresh basil.
So good! A healthy vegetarian meal and an apolitical blog post.
Filed under Digressions
Clear Skies
Ironically, the volcanic eruption that has reeked havoc on much of Europe’s airspace — with an estimated 2/3 of all European flights being canceled over a three to four day period — costing the airlines millions in losses, and leaving most of the continent stranded, is an environmental godsend. For example, the air traffic in Europe is so cluttered these days that during the typical 1 hour 40 minute flight that I normally take between Madrid and Paris, I usually spot on route up to five other planes in view from my window.
The jet fuel, emissions and acoustic pollution spared over this period of silence over Europe means some truly clear skies.
Filed under Digressions, Living la vida española
David
I am comfortable enough with myself to admit to having waited in line for over an hour and paid € 6.50 (x2) just to see a statue of a naked man. I even paid for my wife to see the dude in the buff. And it was totally worth it. Michelangelo’s David is a true work of beauty: the color of the marble, how the light reflects off of it, and even the devotion that Michelangelo must have felt for the subject.
I am sure that the statue would be scandalous were it produced in present day America. Why are we such prudes about nudity? What are we so afraid of? And why are we always so afraid of everything? Obscenity must be in the eye of the beholder.
Filed under Digressions
Grave Error 