Fordlandia

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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!

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

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!

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.