Discrimination against the unemployed

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.