Tuesday, July 25, 2006

ALL SPORTS EDITION (Suitable For Both Sexes)

(P1) Political


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(P2) Philosophical

Soccer, Cycling, and the Prospect of World Peace

Granted, I may be a bit different, but I recorded and watched at least portions of all 32 World Cup games, and I wasn't alone. Millions, perhaps a billion people worldwide also watched what Brazilians call "The Beautiful Game." I learned that years ago Nicaragua and El Salvador stopped their war to watch. This time, the civil war in Ivory Coast ceased firing at least as long as their team was playing. North Korea actually urged its citizens to root for South Korea.

Something there is about futbol that captures the hearts and minds. If only we could interest our own sports fans to tune in. I went to a sports bar to watch Mexico play Argentina. The game wasn't on any of its many TV's. At JC Penney's, I attempted to engage a Mexican-American man in discussion of Mexico's passionate play, and he said that, instead, he had watched NASCAR. There is something about Most Americans that (with the possible exception of something like Olympic figure skating) won't cross borders for sports. Is it provincialism? Are we so geographically and culturally removed from the other continents that we couldn't care less, and, worse still, are so many xenophobic? Do we have a President who, before invading Iraq, had visited only Mexico? (That was a purely rhetorical question.) Are our children so juiced on the speed and violence of video games that attaching their attention spans to 90 minute games of strategy and beauty holds little or no allure?

And what of the Tour d' France? I recorded each day's stage race. I suffered as Floyd Landis went from first place to eleventh after "hitting the wall" in the Alps. How incredibly inspiring when, after being written off by everyone but himself, Landis somehow performed one of the greatest feats in sports history by marshalling the impossible physical and emotional reserves which carried him totally up and away from the pack the next day!

All of this not only unites the world but reflects great credit upon Americans. How proud I was to be an American the day the U.S. soccer team, a man down, inspirationally tied eventual World Cup champion Italy! For the most part, however, the papers and pundits reported that the Americans had been losers in the World Cup.

I used to propose that the government support every American citizen with a 6 month travel allowance, tax breaks, and anything short of force to encourage travel abroad as a way of overcoming rampant xenophobia. Of course this idea is impractical. Face it, politicians would prefer suicidal tax breaks during time of war. So, ok. How about at least expecting our leaders to get amped up over the most major international competitions and encourage (by example) our citizens to participate in the excitement with the rest of the world.

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(P3) Poetical

The Art of Baseball Poetry
by Mike Shannon

A baseball poem should be high and tight
As a fastball on a hitter's night,

Sharp
As a line drive off the tarp,

Lazy as a high fly ball
Fungoed to a pitcher near the wall--

A baseball poem should be artless
As a rookie's heart.


Ball poems should be tossed around
Before returning to the mound,

Felt, and scuffed, and squeezed
Until the proper grip is found,

And caught in the pocket, if you please,
To furnish the diamond that old popping sound,

Ball poems should be tossed around
Before returning to the mound.


A baseball poem should be yellow at night:
Not trite.

For year-round lifelong love
The broken laces of a fielder's glove.

For joy
Calisthenics in the Arizona sun and a bird dog in the bushes.

A baseball poem should be
Poetry.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

A Family Trip/The Bowl/Fear

(P1) Philosophical

A Family Trip
(Introducing the children to fear and loathing of a new police state)

Having attended Georgetown University (so long ago), I've always prided myself on my ability to introduce newcomers to the sights and history of Washington D.C. Imagine my surprise and actual culture shock when I received an email from my daughter-in-law Deena Adkins describing her family's most disappointing trip to DC in the post-9/11 overreacting world. These are excerpts from Deena's email"

"Eddie,

Sorry I'm a bit slow getting back to you, but Steve has been working from our office quite a bit lately and I haven't had much computer access. Anyway in regards to DC we did enjoy the history and the Smithsonian museums, but were disappointed by the lack of access to what used to be public buildings. To see the Capitol you must be at the ticket kiosk by 8:00 am when they start handing out appointment tickets for the day. Anyone who wants to go inside must be there in person to get a ticket, so even if you have a one year old with you, he must be there at 8 am to get his ticket. You then have to come back and wait in line again at whatever time you were given. We got 1:05 pm and had to stand out in the sun. (93 degrees and very humid and I'll admit the heat was a factor in our experiences)

Anyway they walk you up a hill to a side entrance where you get a speech on all the things you are not allowed to take inside, again. You then go through metal detectors and very small bags that our permitted are scanned. You go back outside and to another entrance where you again wait for permission to enter and are given more speeches about the rules. You must stay with your tour guide and group at all times and even lingering behind for a photo is cause for removal by security. You are told to take all pictures while the guide is talking to avoid eviction from the building. We saw only two rooms the rotunda and the statue room and were given a very rushed tour by the guide, while approximately 6 other guides gave the same tour making it difficult to hear.

Our guide felt bad about our limited experience and offered us passes to the house, which you must now get from your senator. To see the house we had to walk though a couple hallways that contained more statues and beautiful paintings, but we were forbidden to take any pictures in this area. We had to wait in line again and turn in all cameras, before heading through yet another metal detector, waiting again and finally being let into the house to view three people debating making a national sports week. I can't see any point to the second metal detector, do they think the guide passed us a weapon? I remember viewing state capitols prior to 9-11 and being free to walk in and wander all over the building without restriction. I expected more security, but once we're screened why can't we see the capitol at a leisurely pace. After all they put us through to get in, only to rush us through two rooms, not worth the trouble.

The Washington monument was the same way. To get tickets to go to the top you again have to be there at 8:00am and that means again anyone who wants to go inside. They go fast and though we tried twice we missed the last tickets by about a minute the second day. Very frustrating. We spent two of our mornings getting up early and rushing down there trying to get tickets to the monument and capitol, rather than being able to enjoy the full breakfast offered by our hotel. It just starts the whole day off on a stressful pace, not what I imagined or hoped our trip would be...

...To see the Archives we again waited in line outside in the heat. A few trees lined the street, so several of the parents had there children standing in the shade and Steve had insisted I go over there to avoid burning. A security guard came along and insisted that everyone had to be in line or they would not be allowed inside. She then went and stood in the shade of the tree. Once we were allowed inside they had us line up in long rows, packed together so that we were all touching and had no room to move. We then were given all the rules and finally allowed to enter the archive room. The point of all this was supposed to reduce crowding, but it was still very difficult to see anything without fighting for a spot or having someone pushing you. Steve wanted the kids to have the experience he had when he went to DC at age twelve, but they just wanted to leave. It was hard to enjoy or appreciate the history when your being treated like terrorist cattle.

Anyway sorry to be so negative, maybe someday with new leadership things will change, but looking at the White house through a fence, while a sniper on the roof points a gun at you is not an experience I plan to repeat anytime soon...
...Happy Fourth. Love, Deena"


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(P2 Poetical)

Luis Garcia

The Bowl
for George W. Bush (June 2004)

No matter what people say,
if it walks like a Texan,
if it talks like a Texan,

if it wears a ten-gallon hat
full of bull
like a Texan

and if it makes war like a Texan
then it must be
a Texan.

I'm sittin'
on this bone-white bowl
with my butt muscles flexin'

waitng patiently
for the birth
of yet another Texan.

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(P3) Political

"FDR calmed a nation when he said, 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself.' But the Bush and Blair slogan is, 'We have nothing to sell but fear itself.' "

- Greg Palast

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