Beautiful Horizons

Euro 2012: Group A

It's safe to say that the European Football Championship is probably the second biggest international football (soccer) championship, coming strong on the heels of the World Cup in importance and certainly its equal in terms of the quality of play. Sixteen teams will be vying for the continental championship this year (it expands to 24 teams in 2016) and the braagging rights that go with it, along with a spot in the Confederations Cup next year in Brazil.

For the next four days I'm going to examine each team in each group and make some predictions informed guesses as to who will go through to the quaterfinals. The teams in Group A are the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland and Russia.

The Czech Republic: I have to confess that the only players who I see play regularly are Arsenal's midfielder Tomas Rosicky and Chelsea's goalkeeper, Petr Cech. Rosicky is an extraordinarily skilled and creative player, whose recent play for Arsenal has shown signs of resurgence. Provided he stays healthy, he will direct the offense. Here's where the problem lies: the rest of their attackers are either very young or on their thirties. I had no idea Milan Baros was still playing. In addition, their qualification group was rather weak. They finished runners-up to Spain in a group that included Scotland, Liechtenstein and Lithuania and qualified in a playoff against Montenegro. While Cech is arguably one of the best goalkeepers in the world and the rest of their defense looks reliable, I believe that their offense looks a little uninspired.

In many respects a new coach notwithstanding, Greece's style is precious little changed from the team that won the Euro 2004 Championship: solid defending, but precious little creativity with only 14 goals scored in qualifying and only more than two scored once, when they beat Malta 3-1.

Poland did not have to qualify as they are cohosts with Ukraine, but they have only lost two of their last ten friendlies: against France and Italy. The players I have seen play regularly are Wojciech Szczney, Arsenal's goalkeeper who has managed to secure firm control of that position for club and country as well as Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Błaszczykowski who play for Borussia Dortmund, where Lewandowski scored 22 goals and Błaszczykowski was a solid player on the wing, scoring 6 goals.

Russia was one of the major surprises at Euro 2008, beating a heavily favored Netherlands with two goals in extra time in the quarterfinals. They are still coached by a Dutch coach, the experienced Dick Advocaat, still have a very solid defense and some decent attacking potential, depending how well Andrey Arshavin and Pavel Pavyluchenko (a Mutt and Jeff striking combination if there ever was one), especially how well Arshavin stacks up physically against Greeke and Polish defenders. They should do well in a somewhat weak group.

I believe Poland and Russia will go through to the quarterfinals. Either one could win the group.

Life In A Military Community in Germany

Erik brings up the question as to why we still have 50,000 troops in Germany. It's a legitimate question and while I have no expertise in answering the question, I would like to address some of the issues involving my experience growing up for a portion of my childhood in that environment.

My dad was a civilian employee of the US Army and we had the pleasure of living in the Kaiserslautern Military Community on two occasions (my parents lived in Germany by themselves for three years on a later occasion). I graduated from Kaiserslautern American High School in 1974 and would consider my experience there one of the formative experiences of my childhood and adolescence. Notwithstanding the physical distances, time, etc. that separate us, I still maintain contact with a number of my friends from that era.

As wonderful as it was, these things do cost money and time. While what is normally focused on are the issues involving the direct military expenses (barracks, equipment, facilities), what is rarely discussed is the amount of support ifnrastructure developed in the area. Kaiserslautern is an excellent place to address this issue as it was when I lived there - and still is - the largest American community outside of the US.

What essentially took place was that a small American city is relocated outside the US. In addition to the schools, the scope of which can be best examined in detail at this link, there are any number of recreational facilities, including snack bars, restaurants, officers clubs, NCO clubs, enlisted men's clubs, libraries, PXes/BXes, commisaries, swimming pools, gyms, etc.

The school facilities were excellent. I went to my first integrated school at Landstuhl Elementary (my first one in the US was in the 8th grade in Alabama). We went on excellent field trips: Speyer am Rhein, Worms, museums in Darmstadt, Frankfurt and the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz. We had a sort of Outward Bound lite program, put on plays, had athletic teams, any number of student activities programs and special buses to take us from school back to Fliegerstrasse, for after school activities (play rehearsals, athletic practice, etc.) where I lived in downtown Kaiserslautern.

Movie theaters ran first run films some six months after release in Vogelweh, Ramstein Air Force Base, Sembach. and in a number of other facilities. Housing was built for families, "teen clubs" for the children of residents to play ping pong, pool, foosball, have dances and hang out. For those not able to find space in housing (usually married enlistees), housing allowances were given to ease the expense of living on the local economy. Not to belabor the obvious, but schools also need teachers and adminstrators and there were plenty of them in Kaiserslautern; not only for the schools in the immediate area, but also for district administration.

For two summers I worked on bases: once at Panzer Kaserne for the Rheinland Pfalz Support District and once at the now defunct US Army Medical Material Center in Einsiedlerhof. I worked with a number of local nationals (i.e. Germans) and spouses of military personnel. Organization Day was always the best time: not having to work and plenty of burgers!

I would not begrudge any of this for the military and civilians working under these circumstances. For me and my family and most of my friends, the experience was beyond merely memorable, but there were plenty of people who were always homesick or who rarely left the posts or bases. None of this is accomplished for free and I mention all this to give you a sense of what is involved in creating these sorts of communities. Kaiserslautern is an extreme example of this; few facilities these days even come close to its size.

Indeed, if this Wikipedia entry is correct, the number of facilites that have shuttered since I lived there nearly forty years ago is impressive.

Someone Has Ice Water In Their Veins

This heart rending op-ed from last week in the New York Times drew this twisted, callous response in the letters on Tuesday:

To the Editor:

A truly sad situation, but not so much an indictment of the health system as a warning to young people about the importance of the choices they make in life.

A young couple can’t afford health insurance but can afford a child? Freedom is the opportunity to make choices. Make the right ones, and you’ll be rewarded with more choices in the future; make wrong ones, and you’ll have fewer choices ahead.

They could have taken many steps to reduce expenses and buy health care, but they didn’t. And now their future is bleak.

CHRIS HYNES
Edwards, Colo., April 6, 2012 [my italics]

How could this person divine this from the op-ed? Were they intimately aware of this couple's financial situation? Somehow I doubt it. They're speaking from ignorance in a baldfaced manner to advance their own agenda. For shame.

The Truth Comes Out

This should make for interesting reading:

The government has finally made public a critical report of the mistakes made by its military dictatorship in its war against Britain to recover the Falkland Islands in 1982. The so-called Rattenbach report was so critical of the military junta that Argentina’s last dictator ordered it kept secret for 50 years.

For those of you who can read Spanish, you can find it here with several pdf links.

Inhotim

I wrote about Inhotim a few years ago and was pleased to see an article about it in Saturday's New York Times.

I really don't care how rich Bernardo Paz is, but if he is providing jobs, art and beauty to a neglected area of Minas Gerais, I'm all for it.

Some Football Notes

My life's been busy and exhausting, but a lot has happened since I last posted anything meaningful, so here are several short takes.

I believe that England is in real trouble heading into Euro 2012. It's not merely Wayne Rooney's suspension for the first two games of group play, but the coaching situation with Fabio Capello's resignation and the impending disunity on the back line if both Rio Ferdinand and John Terry are selected, given that it's Ferdinand's brother that Terry is accused of racially abusing.

André Villas-Boas has some formidable coaching skills, but I don't believe that he was quite ready for the egos that make up Chelsea FC. Hindsight is 20-20, but another year at FC Porto would have served him well. That being said, he's not responsible for Daniel Sturridge completely botching a one-on-one against West Brom's goalkeeper last weekend, nor is he responsible for the fact that Ashley Cole hasn't scored a goal for two seasons (I know he's a defender, but he never had a dry spell that long at Arsenal). The team is aging and they were just barely able to beat 10 man Stoke City today.

I believe Real Madrid will win La Liga this year. Barcelona has too great a gap to make up and I don't see Real Madrid losing to some of their remaining games - except against Barcelona at the Camp Nou on April 21.

At least one commenter has accused Leo Messi of diving, something for which I see no evidence. Consider the replay at 6 minutes 35 seconds of this clip and you'll see him being pulled back by a much larger defender to no avail. His acceleration to get the return pass is astonishing.

Honestly, is there any team more nerve-wracking than Arsenal? Losing weakly to Sunderland in the FA Cup a week after they rallied heroically against them to win in a league game. Getting crushed by Milan at the San Siro and then nearly making up the difference at home. A solid victory against Spurs and a shocking win against Liverpool at Anfield. Not for the faint of heart. I would imagine that every time Robin Van Persie hits the ground, Arsene Wenger's heart skips a beat.

About a year ago I said that Andy Carroll will be a more cost-effective purchase for Liverpool than Fernando Torres was for Chelsea. I was wrong: both have been huge disappointments.

It looks like my Kaiserslautern Red Devils are headed for a return to the Bundesliga's second division. Well, at least I'll get a good price on my jersey purchase when I'm there in May.

I just finished watching Tottenham lose to Everton. They may yet hold on to third, but they're still a work in progress. That's three in a row by a 9-2 aggregate. Suddenly much of the talk of Harry Redknapp for England manager seems to be quieting.

 

Ten Years On

It's been ten years since you left us, Dad and there's not a day that goes by when I don't sense yours and mom's absence.

You two were the fount of wisdom, hard work and whatever decency exists in me. How I wish you both were here.

Several Passings I Wanted to Mention

Many years and a couple of employers ago, I had a passing acquaintance with Bingham Ray. He, along with such luminaries as John Pierson,with whom I did work at Films, Inc. in the 1980's, was a major figure in the growth and development of indie films from the 1980's. His work was characterized by a passion for fine work, something all too rare these days.

There's precious little I can add to what has already been said, written and sung regarding Etta James, except to direct you to her work in the jazz genre singing standards. The other day I was walking home from the subway, when her version of I'll Be Seeing You popped up on the Ipod. Her voice was a perfect fit for the wistfulness and anguish over a parting that one senses will be permanent. She also recorded one of the best covers of Blue Gardenia, one of the great ballads dealing with the grief of abject rejection.

Cesária Évora, languished in obscurity for far too long and that may be the biggest tragedy of her death. Her music was the music of displacement; displacement mandated by poverty and forced separation from those one loves. To give one an even greater sense of this, consider the films of Pedro Costa: Ossos, No Quarto da Vanda and Juventude em Marcha, collectively known through the Criterion Collection edition set, Letters From Fontainhas. Costa drew his inspiration for the films from the Cape Verdeans who he encountered in Cape Verde, who, upon finding out he lived in Lisbon, pressed letters in his hands and implored him to deliver them to family members in the Fontainhas neighborhood of Lisbon.

At least Ms. Évora will be remembered by Cape Verde: a three meter statue of her will be installed next month at the airport in São Vicente.

Clare Fischer was one of the great and most under appreciated composers/arrangers in jazz. Such compositions as Morning and Pensativa stick in my head every time I hear them. Fischer and Cal Tjader were among the earliest non-Latin proponents of Latin Jazz.

Bob Brookmeyer labored behind the scenes for so long, well known among the cognoscenti, but deserving of so much more attention. His 1964 recording, Bob Brookmeyer and Friends hasa stunning lineup of sidemen: Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Elvin Jones, Gary Burton, Stan Getz and Brookmeyer on valve trombone. It's one of my favorites - and the rhythm section makes it memorable - but it was one of a few recordings of his on a major label. His legacy is solid and he will be missed.

The Other Singer From Newark

I certainly don't mean to diminish the tragicness of Whitney Houston's death, but we could please ratchet down the hyperbole? Yes, she had a great voice, but to say there was no one like her - as Gladys Knight did - merely displays one's ignorance.

There was another singer from Newark, who had a long and storied career, who had a voice with a range that extended from baritone to soprano, whose discography spans 43 years and has two recordings in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Her name is Sarah Vaughan, and if you're not familiar with her, you ought to give her a listen.

In Which I Take on Paula Deen

Before we go further two things:

1. I grew up predominantly in the South.
2. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 18 months ago.

There is probably nothing and no one television that annoys me more than Paula Deen. Despite Paul Campos' protestations of Anthony Bourdain's criticisms of Ms. Deen when she announced that she had type 2 diabetes, I think that Bourdain makes a point that Campos either missed or ignored. Ms. Deen had the disease for three years and finally announced that she had it, simultaneously with the announcement that she was promoting the medication Victoza, which costs somewhere in the range of $500/month.

I cannot believe that Victoza was the first medication used to treat her diabetes and here's a compelling reason why:

On April 2, 2009, an FDA advisory panel reviewed the significance of malignant C-cell carcinoma and thyroid C-cell focal hyperplasia in rats and mice. Some^[who?] say the tumors were caused by a nongenotoxic, specific receptor-mediated mechanism to which rodents are particularly sensitive, whereas nonhuman primates and humans are not.^[7][8]

The Victoza label carries a Black Box Warning:

“

Because of the uncertain relevance of the rodent thyroid C-cell tumor findings to humans, prescribe Victoza only to patients for whom the potential benefits are considered to outweigh the potential risk.[9]

”

The FDA said serum calcitonin, a biomarker of medulliary thyroid cancer, was slightly increased in liraglutide patients, but still within normal ranges, and it required ongoing monitoring for 15 years in a cancer registry.^[10]

Novo Nordisk has reminded healthcare professionals of the serious risks associated with the use of Victoza. Liraglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors in rats and mice. It is unknown whether Victoza causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans.^[11]

I take metformin, the oldest and arguably cheapest medication for type 2 diabetes. I have lost about 35 pounds through the medication, careful monitoring of my diet and regular vigorous exercise. Every time I eat something I think about it before I eat. I read labels religiously, consume more protein, fewer carbohydrates and really stress consuming more fiber. As painful as it has been, I have completely given up beer; the one food about which I proudly acknowledge being a snob.

So far my prognosis is excellent. It's hard work and it is something I know I will have to do for the rest of my life, notwithstanding the fact that my doctor believes that my insulin resistance may very well be gone.

As for claims that Ms. Deen's cuisine is "Southern," spare me. Baked and Fried Calzones? Deep Fried Lasagna? She has all the creativity behind her recipes as a Cracker Barrel menu. Anyone with a decent understandingof Southern cuisine knows the agrarian roots of the food and knows that it incorporates traditions from the Caribbean, Africa, indigenous foods of the Americas as well as from parts of Southern Europe. The chefs cited in this article certainly know this. What's appalling is that Ms. Deen, who lives just a short drive away from Charleston, one of the centers of excellent Southern cooking (as well as some of the best rice in the world) seems blissfully unaware of this.

As for her claim that she had to cut back on sweet tea, I find this truly asinine. I have been using artificial sweetener in iced tea for years before I was diagnosed for this simple reason: sugar doesn't dissolve well in cold tea; all zero calorie sweeteners - saccharine, aspartame, sucralose and stevia - do. The fact that this appear to be lost on her only convinces me that she never tried. What a phony.

Historical Ignorance

What Greg Weeks said here. Every word, especially this portion:

The assumption that the United States can and should decide the fate of other countries is deeply ingrained in our collective psyches. It also has led to some of the most disastrous policy decisions of the last century.

Newt Gingrich claims to be an historian, but his comments show an appalling lack of basic historical facts, not the least of which is a portion of the agreement made by JFK to resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis:

The US will make a statement in the framework of the Security Council in reference to Cuba as follows: it will declare that the United States of America will respect the inviolability of Cuban borders, its sovereignty, that it take the pledge not to interfere in internal affairs, not to intrude themselves and not to permit our territory to be used as a bridgehead for the invasion of Cuba, and will restrain those who would plan to carry an aggression against Cuba, either from US territory or from the territory of other countries neighboring to Cuba."

This is also not to mention such inconvenient facts in the past such as the Platt Amendment. One wonders if the letters PhD after Newt Gingrich's name stands for piled high and deep.

Monolingualism

Michael Erard had this op-ed piece in Sunday's New York Times questioning the use of the Census Bureau's question as to whether a language other than English is spoken at home really is sufficient to determine whether someone is actually bilingual:

But a moment’s reflection reveals that the bureau’s question about what you speak at home is not equivalent to asking whether you speak more than one language. I have some proficiency in Spanish and was fluent in Mandarin 20 years ago. But when the American Community Survey (an ongoing survey from the Census Bureau) arrived in my mailbox last month, posing that question, I had to answer no, because we speak only English in my home.

I know I’m not alone. There are countless Americans who speak languages other than English outside their homes: not just those of us who have learned other languages in school or through living abroad, but also employers who have learned enough Spanish to speak to their employees; workers in hospitals, clinics, courts and retail stores who have picked up parts of another language to make their jobs easier; soldiers back from Iraq or Afghanistan with some competency in Arabic, Pashto or Dari; third-generation kids studying their heritage language in informal schools on weekends; spouses and partners picking up the language of a loved one’s family; enthusiasts learning languages with computer software like Rosetta Stone. None of the above are identified as bilingual by the Census Bureau’s question.

Ignoring the obvious fact that he doesn't know if anyone cited in the examples does or does not speak it at home, he ignores the basic question of what constitutes multilingualism. I don't believe that speaking a few words of Spanish to someone makes me bilingual. I speak a few phrases in French to some native French speakers I know, but wouldn't say I know French, can still speak enough German to make my way around without having to say "Sprechen Sie Englisch?", but wouldn't be able to read The Tin Drum and the only problems I really have with Spanish is in not confusing it with Portuguese.

But the second language I feel most comfortable with is Portuguese and it's precisely because we speak it at home. When I committed myself to Mércia, I did not believe it was fair to put her in the position of having to translate for me with her family members and friends who did not speak English. Accordingly, I also committed myself to gaining fluency in her language. The cornerstone of that effort was that we speak Portuguese as much as possible at home.

I'm grateful to her for her assistance with this, and while any second language - especially one learned as an adult - is always a work in progress, I'm glad that my conversational ability in her language is solid, my ability to write in Portuguese is good and my only area lagging is reading, primarily because I read quickly in English, but not nearly as fast in Portuguese. I feel that I make up for this by the fact that I often think and dream in Portuguese.

It's precisely because I speak Portuguese at home that I'm fully bilingual.

My Recent Sparse Appearances

When I started this blog in 2002, I hoped to make regular contributions on a daily basis. As those of you who know me know the challenges that we have faced this year, so I won't bore the rest of you with details. I merely sincerely intend to appear here more often: comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.

Happy new year to all.  I'm truly hoping that 2012 will be better than 2011.

In Case You Were Wondering . . .

Some dick hacked my Yahoo and this account. Everything should be okay now.

Luis Suarez

There is little question that race is a complicated issue in Latin America and there is little question that racism is a problem in football (aka soccer). I do not know the specifics of the accusations against Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan forward for Liverpool. I have heard rumours such as that he called Patrice Evra "negrito", which is a common expression in Uruguay and elsewhere in Latin America.

I have also read that this provides much of the basis for Suarez's defense: that this is not an insult and the issue speaks more to cultural differences than racism. I find this explanation alternately understandable and perplexing. Several years ago, I was having lunch with some friends at their apartment in Brasilia. They are attorneys who are politically center-left, who came from humble beginnings and, I believe like many Brazilians who can trace their lineage many generations back in Brazil, very likely have Afro-Brazilian ancestors.

Yet they called their housekeeper/cook "Neguinha," i.e., "Blackie." They explained that this was common. I was tempted to ask them how many whites were called "Branquelo", i.e., "Whitey" by Afro-Brazilians.

This is one place where Suarez's argument falls apart for me. I have no data to back this up, but I would find it difficult to believe that there are lots of Afro-Uruguayans who refer to whites they know as "Blanquito."

But beyond that, I find this argument compelling:

Also, people are making out that Suarez has an ignorance of how one is supposed to behave in Northern Europe, like he's just come off the boat or something. He hasn't — he spent five years in Holland (which, the last time I looked, is pretty well developed), including a season playing alongside Edgar Davids at Ajax.

Would he speak to Davids that way? Or Clarence Seedorf? Or any black Dutch player? I doubt it somehow, particularly given how annoyed a lot of Holland's black players have been in the past about perceived racial bias, let alone overt comments.

I do not know what Luis Suarez's intent was, if any. I have no interest in getting inside his head. I just wish that this was not an issue for this sport - or for the world.

What Am I Thankful For?

The following:

That despite some initially alarming situations, Mércia and my health is good.

That I was blessed with parents whose love and generosity of spirit was in inverse proportion to their financial means and imbued my existence with the right priorities: tolerance, compassion, empathy and an unquenchable thirst for wisdom and justice.

That my families, American and Brazilian are very special, and that the Brazilian side has embraced me as one of their own.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Green Portugal

I haven't written much about our recent trip to Portugal, but plan to drop a few notes about it in the meantime.

I was impressed by the cleanliness and general environmental consciousness I witnessed. Here's a fine example. This first photo is the Quisque de Refresco in the Praça Luis Camões in Lisbon. It's the oldest refreshment stand in the city:

Here's the cup containing my tasty and thirst quenching horchata that I purchased there:

It says "This is not an ordinary cup [note the historically traditional use of the word "vulgar"]. It's made of cornstarch, so that when composted, it will disappear in 180 days. Put it in organic trash."

Nice! More like this, please.

A Brief Rant

My God, is there anything more lazy in our discourse than the constant overuse of sports metaphors in conversation? I swear I think I'm going to flatten the next person who uses the term "slam dunk" when they mean certain.

A Lesson Still Unlearned

One of the inexplicable characteristics of the right these days is the fetishizing of CEO's, especially as potential political leaders. It's patently absurd: there is no system of checks and balances in the business world. CEO's need not depend on congress to implement policies. They do not have to forge consensus and compromise if they do not wish to do so; they need merely decree in most instances.

If that is not sufficient to convince anyone, I have two words for you: Silvio Berlusconi.

What Matters

I'm not bothered by the fact that Mitt Romney used a gardening firm to cut his lawn that employed undocumented immigrants, nor should anyone be bothered by that.

What they should be bothered by is the fact that a family with five sons did not have one who would deign to cut grass. Is there any greater proof of Romney's elitism?