A Tale of Two Secessions

The word "secession" evinces different reactions from different people. From people whose states in the US formed part of the Confederacy, the Civil War is known to them as "The War of Secession," while to northerners it is remembered as the "Civil War." Oftentimes "secession" is confused, comingled or conflated with "cessation," meaning an end to something.

Recently, a couple of secessionist movements have made the news. Catalonia, Spain's northeastern autonomous region, has sought independence for some time, while Texas has sought to secede from the US every time a Democrat becomes president or if the Cowboys don't make the Superbowl. Both regions have different reasons for attempting secession, but by far, Catalonia makes the better case.

This beautiful region makes up 20 percent of Spain's GDP and one-third of the total industrial production and exports. This is significant and Spain realizes the danger of losing this vital component of its very identity. Culturally, it has its own language and culture. The Usatges Laws are said to pre-date the Magna Carta and, more recently, its team, FC Barcelona are a world power. If the Uruguayan Eduardo Galeano's claim that 'soccer is the Esperanto of the ball' than FC Barcelona is quite fluent. The recent 60 Minutes special on FC Barcelona is testament to growing interest and recognition of Catalonia and what it is trying to do.

Texas does not offer anything as legitimate as the case made by Catalonia. It has no language other than Texas slang and its very existence can be attributed to illegal incursions into Mexico and a dubious 19th century war, long rangers. It would be ironic if the people pushing for secession decreed Spanish or even Spanglish the official language! Yes, Texas has its sports, mostly college football teams, but they do not even come close to matching what FC Barcelona has done.

For  an excellent and prescient analysis of Catalonia's attempt at secession read Europe's Stateless Nations in the Era of Globalization: The Case for Catalonia's Secession from Spain by Josep Desquens. It was written in 2003, but makes many relevant points.

Catalonia can make many legitimate arguments for independence whereas the case presented by Texas smacks of pettiness and mean-spiritedness.

I have good friends who are Spaniards and those who are Catalans. If Catalonia secedes from Spain, what do I say?

Class versus Crass and Our Obsession with Attractive Women

Like many people I watched a significant football game on Sunday, January 6. The FA Cup between Premier League powerhouse Liverpool FC and Conference League team Mansfield Town FC, exemplifies the beauty and spirit of the FA Cup where teams from the lower leagues (Mansfield is 93 places behind Liverpool) challenge the powerhouses (imagine a team from Class A playing the New York Yankees) in pursuit of the FA Cup trophy. In this realm, draws are highly sought after and victories over the big times are rare, but when they happen, they are to be cherished.

Unfortunately, Mansfield lost to Liverpool 2-1, the second goal coming after a hand ball by striker Luis Suárez. Somehow, the referees allowed it and Mansfield lost their moment in the sun. However, one thing struck me while watching the game and I will return to it in a moment.

Another significant game took place this past Monday between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In this BCS championship the Crimson Tide walloped the Fighting Irish, but like in the other game, there was something that caught my attention here.

Despite winning by nearly 30 points toward the end of the game, the Crimson Tide coach, Nick Saban, berated and yelled at officials, throwing a tantrum that for a neutral fan was embarrassing. Why the melodrama? Why not win with class? Paul Cox, who had every reason to feel aggrieved by the hand ball-no call, was classy and dignified, even defending Suárez! Even better Mansfield remained positive after the horrific call and really pushed Liverpool back on defense. They say teams embody the philosophy and spirit of their coaches. When A.J. McCarron visibly and strongly expressed his displeasure toward one of his teammates, I could see that he really did reflect Saban's ethos. When Mansfield fought back against Liverpool with class and quiet dignity, this was an extension of Paul Cox. I think Nick Saban can learn a thing or two from him.

Another similarity between both games is that the television camera men focused on two attractive women, albeit for different reasons: Katherine Webb, the girlfriend of McCarron, and Carolyn Radford, of Mansfield Town. One is a former Ms. Alabama while the other is the current chief executive of Mansfield Town FC. The difference being, that one commentator, Brent Musburger gushed about Ms. Webb while the cameras at Mansfield Town focused on Ms. Radford to catch her reaction to the efforts of her team. While Mr. Musburger is catching flack for his comments, the folks in Mansfield Town are celebrating the fact that they have the youngest chief executive in the league.
It seems no matter what we do, we are always drawn to the attractiveness of a woman. But if they bring more attention to the programs they support and root for, all the better.

Old Reliable

Tommy Henrich, the right fielder for the New York Yankees from ( 1937-1942, 1946-1950), earned the nickname of "Old Reliable" for his timely hits. I was born well after he played, but I remember my father always telling me stories of "Old Reliable." I loved the nickname...as it embodies loyalty and dependability. No one these days has that nickname, but after seeing the play of Danny Graham, the striker for Swansea City, I think we now have someone worthy of that moniker.

A good striker has the innate ability to change the complexion of a game simply by stepping on to the field and in the space of a few days, Graham has done this twice for Swansea: first, scoring the game tying goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time (second half) against Aston Villa on January 1st; then he scored the game tying goal with three minutes to go in the game against Arsenal on January 6. Incredible!

Swansea City is a fun club to watch play and I think somewhere up there Tommy Henrich is saluting Danny Graham, a worthy successor to the title of "Old Reliable."

An International Family Vacation

Among the more popular New Year's resolutions that people make is to travel more often. Have you ever thought of just dropping everything and taking your family on a year-long trip around the world? What a wonderful idea! Noah Van Loen and his family have embarked on a 13-month jaunt across the globe with stops in Peru, Chile and Australia. Check them out via their blog at: http://www.anvl.org.

If you are thinking of doing something similar with your family, I highly recommend you read The New Global Student by Maya Frost for some innovative suggestions to prepare your children (and you!) or wonderful international experiences.

Le Tre Orfei

In the United States these days, it almost prohibited to talk about anything related to Iran. Yes, we have the Ben Affleck movie, Argo, but beyond that it is very seldom and difficult to start a conversation about Iran without having someone scream at you. Last year when the American snowboarder Hannah Teeter agreed to participate in a "Boarders without Borders" feature in Iran with host country peers, she was the object of "under the rug" criticism and hostile ad hominems from the "virtually" virtuous denizens of the Internet (Internauts or perhaps "Inter-naughts" would be more accurate?). "Under the rug criticism" manifests itself through individuals posting anonymous and usually vituperative comments on a websites comment board critical of someone or something. These criticisms are "under the rug" because they almost never reach the ears, the eyes, computer screen or cell phone of their intended targets, preferring to lie low in the depths of obscurity and cyber shadow. These "criticisms"are marked by allegations that the target is a communist or a whore, etc. It really becomes ridiculous.

Source: http://www.letreorfei.com/gallery/index.php

Sorry, I rambled there. Now, back to my point. In this day and age where it seems to be du jour to criticize and pillory Iran, it is nice to have something positive to consider. Take Le Tre Orfei, the Three Sopranos. These three young ladies from Iran are opera singers of the utmost quality and have been quite popular for some time. Check them out at: Le Tre Orfei. Their music will affect you (in a good way!). I wish more people would put back their negative stereotypes of Iran for a moment and consider this beautiful group of singers. It is well worth it. Please spread the word.

Another Side of Dr. Seuss

One of the reasons I enjoy going to the library to browse books is that I never know what I will find. The other day I came across a book whose title made me do a double take. It read "Dr. Seuss Goes to War" and features cartoons by the world-renowned author pushing for war with Germany (World War II). Given his reputation for creating some of the most famous figures in children's literature, it is hard to reconcile him with images of Hitler. While reading this book I learned, interestingly enough, that Theodor Seuss Geisel started going by the name Seuss after a run with college officials over bootleg liquor.

This book by Richard Minear features editorial cartoons that Dr. Seuss produced during World War II. They are poignant and powerful and make it very clear what the author felt about isolationism and labor dissent at the time. It is worth reading, if nothing else to see another side of this almost mythical man.

Owning Property in Space

Photo taken from The New Atlantis

We never really think about it, but the day will soon come when people own property in space and take real estate development to the final frontier. For years we have entertained as mere fantasy the idea of driving cars through the air and living in floating high-rise buildings. The day when all that futuristic building and transportation takes place may arrive sooner than you think.

Beyond the news of the Mars Rover exploration, little mention is made in the media about the politics and economics of harvesting the many resources that space offers us. In an excellent piece in The New Atlantis titled "Property Rights in Space" Rand Simberg reviews the history of space law and some of the potential scenarios that will come up as governments take a very hard look at finding ways to benefit from space.

I must admit I know next to nothing about space property law and I found this article enlightening. As an international educator I find myself troubled by something however. Since the next logical step after after development in space is travel and study abroad, what term could we use to replace "study abroad" since by then it will be inaccurate and antiquated?