Thanksgiving: Spanish Edition

This was my first Thanksgiving away from home, and I must say that I had no idea how much I was going to miss pie. Turkey I can live without, although my señora did make chicken on Thursday, which she noted was “almost like turkey, but better.” But more than anything, Thanksgiving is about being with family, and it was definitely weird that it was such a non-event this year. Fortunately, I’ll get plenty of time with the cousins and grandparents during Chanukkah.

But, true to the abroad experience, I still managed to have a memorable, if not traditional, Thanksgiving. Friday, my program took a day trip to Segovia, where the main sites are remarkably well-preserved Roman aqueducts and the castle that inspired Walt Disney and actually does bear a strong resemblance to the logo. However, these paled in comparison to the main event: lunch at José María, the most famous restaurant in Segovia.

We piled into the quaint yet sophisticated dining room, sat around big circular tables, and passed around a variety of appetizers and side dishes. Several students’ families had flown out to be with their kids on Thanksgiving, so our program director made a little speech about family and being grateful for our experience here. For a second, the scene resembled a traditional Thanksgiving meal. But then they started brining out the cochinillo.

Cochinillo means “little pig” in Spanish and is the José María specialty. Having been forewarned, we had our cameras ready and minds open for what was coming to our table. When the waiters brought out the little roasted pigs, they set them on a center table and gave us a little background on a tradition that began in the Middle Ages. Kings used to invite a pretty girl to the head of the table to cut the pig, and they would use only the side of a plate to demonstrate how tender it was. When they were done, they would throw the plates on the floor to show that there weren’t any blades lodged in the plates. In the spirit of tradition, they invited the girl who had the most recent birthday to join in cutting up the first pigs—and of course she had to prove her plate wasn’t full of metal. It was quite a spectacle.

The pig, by the way, was absolutely delicious. My friend Nisha gobbled hers up and was in the process of picking it clean when she flipped over a big bone and saw teeth! Turns out she had been eating the face, as had our friend Sebastian, who had the other half of the jaw. I had a leg, which was pretty safe, although some did have hooves on the end. But that’s how good this meat was: people ate around hooves and teeth and even the occasional mystery organ, literally picking the bones clean, and had no qualms about doing so because it was just so tasty.

Dessert also came with a bit of spectacle. The chef made a chocolate sauce concoction by heating up chocolate with various herbs and some alcohol that he lit on fire, while all of the November and December birthday people stood around the table staring at the flaming pot and eagerly anticipating the first taste. The sauce was poured over a plate with two flavors of ice cream, a brownie, and some sort of hard, crepe-like pastry. Once again, I licked my plate clean. And then wanted to vomit after such a huge meal. I guess that’s one thing this meal had in common with my normal Thanksgiving experience.

WHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

After staying up until 5 am to see Obama's victory safely sealed, I slept through class until noon. When I woke up, the first thing I did was watch his victory speech, which made me cry. How incredible! Looking at all of the pictures from the rally made me wish I had been back in Chicago for the election, but I also noticed something else. All of the young people in the pictures were smiling and shouting, but the older people were crying. For them, this has been a long saga from the Civil Rights Movement to what many people are already calling a "post-racial America" and Obama's election is the culmination of a long, hard-fought battle for equality. At the same time, I was disappointed to see that my home state passed the ban on gay marriage. I couldn't believe that so many people had voted for something so clearly discriminatory at the same time that they marked their ballots for the first black president of the United States. It made me realize that, just as racial prejudice was the storyline of our parents' generation, homosexuality will likely have its own version of the Civil Rights Movement during our generation's lifetime. Think about it: almost all of us know people who are gay and have little problem with their sexual orientation, and many of us are for gay rights such as the right to marriage even though it doesn't affect us personally; meanwhile, people among the generations of our parents and grandparents are often the ones holding most tightly to anti-gay prejudices, just as their parents and grandparents clung to racism and fought the inevitable progress of civil rights for African Americans. Just some food for thought, I guess, on such an historic day.

In the meantime, I'm excited to see what the response will be in Spain. I already know what my uber-conservative (and pretty racist) senora is going to say. But I'd like to see what normal people are thinking and how this election might already be changing some opinions of America over here in Europe.

Sorry, Walt: Spain might just be the "happiest place on earth"

I recall writing, a few weeks back, that I felt like I was living in a happy bubble here in Madrid. Well, the feeling has yet to wear off, and I’m beginning to wonder if this is the happiest place on earth (next to Disneyland, of course). First of all, I’m sitting here eating a giant chocolate cake that my mom baked and mailed to me. Yes, that’s right, my mom is insane. And amazing. I thought it was ridiculous enough that she has mailed her famous “Chocolate Disaster Cake” from Santa Barbara, CA, to Evanston for my birthday the past two years. But this last episode really, well, takes the cake (UGH horrible, I’m sorry). While I continue gorging myself on chocolate deliciousness, I’ll recount the most recent examples of good-natured Spanish fun and festivity.

Sunday, for example, was Spain Day. It was the saint day for Pilar, the patrona of Spain, and also Columbus Day (Yep, I happened to land in the only other country that celebrates it. Unfortunately, we didn’t get Monday off from school. Columbus gets no respect!) So while my Sunday afternoon activities are generally limited to waking up around 2, eating lunch, sleeping some more, and catching up on the latest episode of The Office, I actually ventured out the house this Sunday to take in the festivities. People were bustling around downtown on what is normally a pretty quiet day considering stores are closed on Sundays, and the Plaza Mayor was full of café-goers, street performers, and teens sitting in circles on the ground chatting. Ally and I made our way over to the Paseo del Prado, where there was a four-hour concert/parade going on in celebration of the Americas—presumably Spain’s discovery of them, but also a showcase of the diverse population here that includes immigrants from every South American country. People of all ages were singing and dancing as Spanish bands, from pop to traditional to what sounded distinctly like Blink-182 in Spanish, made their way down the street on big floats to their final concert destination in the Plaza del Prado.

That’s the other thing I love about Spain: old people here actually get off their butts and out of the house to take in some fresh air and fun experiences! One of my teachers actually noted that people are considered “joven” (young) until the age of 70, and that you are only “mayor” (senior… NEVER call someone “viejo”) once you’ve topped that milestone. People regularly live into their 90s and beyond here—Spain has one of the highest life expectancies globally—and I attribute it entirely to their active lifestyle. The Spanish just never tire of walking around city, meeting up with friends, going out for paella, and visiting museums and parks. I feel lazy compared to my 60-something señora; she is literally NEVER in the house. And here I am spending a whole two hours doing reading and writing this blog post! I just love the vivacity and sense of adventure that people have here. They just love life.

People here are also a lot more open about sexuality, which is slightly surprising coming from what is normally viewed as a very traditional, Catholic country. Take the National Ballet, for instance. Ally and I couldn’t help but shoot each other a quick look the first time a topless girl came onstage, but that wasn’t completely out of the norm. What I was NOT expecting was to see two men take off all of their clothes and do some sort of sexually charged dance fighting. This was after the first naked man had encountered a fully clothed woman (not for long!), who later had sex with a priest. All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable ballet, notwithstanding the nudity, and I liked how they incorporated lots of stomping/tapping in the dance to give it a certain Spanish flair. And I also learned that penises look really funny flapping around as men jeté and plié and whatever else they do in ballet. I guess it’s probably a good sign that I had no prior knowledge of this.

Anyway, the sun is still shining here, the weather relatively warm, and the bars and clubs still as crowded and fun as ever. I really had no idea how happy I would be here, but you can’t really help but be completely content in a place like this. I don’t know anyone on my program that isn’t totally in love with Madrid and already fretting that the semester is partially over. Maybe I should just move here… Perhaps join the naked ballet? I’ll keep you updated.

birthday getaway to... the developing world?

Friday was my 21st birthday. Based on that information, most of you would gather that I’m about to regale you with wild tales of drunken follies in the clubs of Madrid. But I’ll actually be catching up on that birthday partying a little later this week because I spent my 21st in Morocco, where there was certainly no alcohol to be found. In spite of my sobriety (or perhaps because of it) it was the most memorable birthday weekends I’ve had. While I found myself a bit outside my comfort zone at times (specifically in the bathrooms) and I’m glad to be back in a developed country, it was an eye-opening experience that really gave me some perspective on the world outside of my North American/ European bubble.

Here are some highlights from the four-day trip:

The Hamam:
I only showered once between Wednesday night, when we took the overnight bus to Algeciras, and Monday morning, when we returned. And what a shower it was. A hamam is a traditional bathhouse where women and men (separately…) go to scrub themselves clean once or twice per week. When we found out we would be going to the hamam, we were slightly peeved that no one had told us to bring bathing suits on the trip. Little did we know what a silly notion that would have been anyway. In our American modesty, we determined that we would go in underwear and bras or t-shirts, but when we got into the hamam we were told that would be exceedingly weird. We had only one option: take off the tops. Needless to say, it was a bonding experience. We each received our own bucket upon entering the steamy room, which we filled up at the vats of scalding hot water and dumped over our heads to bathe ourselves. Other women sat in circles scrubbing each other vigorously, but we decided we could live without going to second (or third) base with twelve of our friends. One of my friends did slip and fall directly onto a naked Moroccan woman, though, and we could not stop cracking up.

Turkish Toilets:
This doesn’t need much explanation beyond a description of a Turkish toilet. Basically, it’s a hole in the ground with a porcelain base and places to put your feet when you squat down on your haunches to do your business. You flush by filling a bucket with water and dumping it into the hole. Occasionally, people fail to flush, even when they have made a complete mess of the toilet. And there is almost never toilet paper in a public bathroom.

Homestay:
The program we went on puts students up in groups of two or three with middle class Moroccan families in Rabat. We stayed with an adorable woman, her husband (who we rarely saw), and their two daughters, 17 and 21. They didn’t appear to be very religious, but the 17-year-old daughter did reveal to us in broken English—which she learned solely from watching TV—that she has a secret boyfriend of three years that she cannot tell her mother about. They met in a McDonald’s. There was a definite language barrier, but it was really enlightening to see how they live and what their daily lives are like. The food was delicious, too. Couscous with vegetables and chicken is the traditional feast food in Morocco, and everyone ate out of the same big bowl in the middle of the table. When we visited a rural family, they ate it with their hands, tossing it until it made a little couscous ball and then inhaling it. The house was completely open to the sky in the middle, and every room was lined with couches (so we reclined around the table at mealtimes and slept on couches in the bedroom). It was clean, but small and definitely nothing like anything we would consider “middle class” in the United States. And when we walked to their house, we encountered all sorts of foul odors coming from the market, ranging from raw meat sitting out in the sun to live chickens awaiting their impending death to cat urine. (There were feral cats everywhere in Morocco. At one point, when we were visiting some ruins, Ally and I found ourselves trapped against a pond, surrounded by at least twenty cats. At a market in Chefchaouen, I accidentally stepped on or kicked a kitten, which apparently amused some Moroccan guys standing by.) Overall, our homestay family was very accommodating and made the experience much more enlightening than it would have been had we stayed in hostels or hotels.

Talking to Moroccan Students:
We had several opportunities to speak with Moroccan students. Our first day, we met with three religious women studying for their Masters in English at a university in Tanger. While they were all religious and had chosen to wear the veil, or hijab, they did have varying opinions on whether or not it was okay to “date” before getting married. One woman had met her husband because he was a friend her brother’s since childhood, another said she wanted to marry traditionally and not date her future husband prior to marriage, and the other seemed to indicate that it wasn’t a bad idea to hang out with a man before committing herself to marry him, although her parents had had an arranged marriage. At one point, the discussion got a bit heated and uncomfortable when the topic turned to al-Qaeda and 9/11. The girls weren’t convinced that al-Qaeda had carried out the attacks, and conspiracy theories are apparently widespread here, which made many of my friends angry or at least incredulous. And we didn’t even want to bring up Israel (we’re all Jewish)…
The next day, we had time to hang out, go shopping, and smoke hookah with some young Moroccan guys, which was great. They were relatively liberal when it came to dating (one had a girl coming to visit him from England), but they still didn’t drink alcohol. Those conversations were much tamer but still very interesting. One thing that was striking was that these guys, and many other Moroccans, know multiple European languages but have never been outside of Morocco. No one we met had ever left the country, and they were all middle class people of reasonable enough means to attend university for years, etc. Much of that has to do with how impossible it is to get a visa from Morocco because of the issue of illegal immigration. So when we remarked that it was really great that they could speak so many languages, the guys were sort of blasé about it. After all, what use is Italian if you can’t go to Italy?

Crossing the Border:
On the way back, we took a different route, crossing the border on foot from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. According to our guide, that border has the widest income disparity of any in the world (more than US-Mexico, Israel-Syria, etc.) and the difference was striking. People living in the provinces surrounding Ceuta are allowed cross into Ceuta, so many are better off than others because they can sell their goods across the border and then spend their euros back in Morocco. Nonetheless, it went from a dirty, slum-like border town to European seaside villa in a matter of minutes on foot. Equally striking were the massive shantytowns between Rabat and Casablanca. Millions of Moroccans squat in these settlements, and the government just began providing them with running water. Near Asilah, a budding beachside resort town, the shantytown was directly across the street from the construction site for a massive golf course and resort.
Overall, it was an unforgettable experience. While I’m not rushing to get back to the Third World, I am very glad that I went and had the opportunity to participate in a cultural exchange and meet people whose lives are so drastically different from mine.

"she loves to get naughty with her pilates body"

If ever there were ever an appropriate time to quote Mickey Avalon lyrics, it would be now.

After eating French fries and a fried egg doused in oil for dinner last night, let’s just say I was pretty pumped when my señora insisted that we join her for pilates today. And what an adventure it was…

We met her after class at an all-women’s gym, which was literally called “Gimnasio para Mujeres,” and when we walked inside, it was as if we’d stumbled into some sort of time warp and traveled back to the ‘90s. The walls were plastered with photos of nearly naked women with big, frizzy ‘90s hairstyles, posing on various exercise machines. Picture old-school “American Gladiator”, but with thongs and visible nipples. One absolutely ripped, absolutely naked, woman was doing curls. Which, you know, is just what I want to stare at when I’m running on the treadmill. Another be-thonged girl was sprawled across the elliptical machine in feigned fatigue, with a slogan reading “Stay a Step Ahead!” I may not have been motivated, but I was certainly amused.

We made our way over to the studio area, where the décor shifted from soft-core porn for workout addicts to the less fetish-specific stuff: half-naked men standing under a waterfall, half-naked men pushing a truck to some unknown location, half-naked men staring intently at a half-naked woman checking herself out in a mirror post-workout. For the more prudish, there was one motivational poster without any skin: one of those classic, black-bordered posters with a picture of the ocean and an inspirational quote.

As if the questionable interior design wasn’t enough, pilates itself was a bit of a trip. Not only have I never done pilates, but I also didn’t know any pilates language in Spanish. So not only did I look like a complete retard trying to fake it and look at other people for guidance, but I also looked like an even bigger idiot in front of all these little old ladies who knew exactly what they were doing. Yep, at last 90% of the attendees were over 70. Let’s just say I didn’t get much of a workout, but I did learn how to say, “Clench the ball with your knees and breathe out” in Spanish. I did regain some of my lost self-esteem this afternoon when we met some friends for our first experience with Spanish film and I was actually able to understand almost everything that the characters said. I guess looking like an idiot is the best way to learn, anyway, and I’ll probably be doing a lot of it as I continue to fumble with—and drastically improve—my Spanish.

it's a small world after all

I’m currently sitting in my señora’s kitchen plugged into the ghetto Internet router, cradling a roll of toilet paper for my runny nose (yep, sick in my first week and unable/too lazy to find Kleenex) and contemplating a siesta before we go out to celebrate our first week in Spain tonight at Pacha, another club. Yep, I'm in Spain for the next three months, studying, living with an older single woman, and attempting to improve my Spanish to near fluency. I made it through my first week of classes relatively unscathed, except for contracting this mystery illness, although I can tell that what appears to be only a small amount of homework is going to take much longer than expected since it’s all in Spanish. None of my classes are particularly challenging content-wise, but focusing on understanding and speaking Spanish for an hour and a half can get very tiring. Plus, it’s hard to relax when I get home because our señora obviously wants to hear about our day and chat with us about travel plans, food, the girls who stayed with her last year (fellow sorority members), etc—in Spanish. I’m generally okay with it, but my roommate has a hard time when she’s tired and hungry. I think I’m glad we live together so that whenever we get mentally exhausted, we can just lapse into English.

Overall, this week has been a blur, and I feel like I’m living in a bubble of sunshine and fiestas while life continues as usual, or worse than usual, at home. With the economic crisis dominating the headlines, growing tension between Pakistan and US forces in Afghanistan, and the continuing (never-ending…) election season and all the drama surrounding it, I’ve been trying to stay aware and in touch with what’s going on outside Madrid. That’s why it was refreshing when my professor for “Spain and the European Union” started off our first class Tuesday by discussing what’s happening on Wall Street and reminding us that all eyes around the world are focused on our upcoming election (as well as making some Sarah Palin jokes, of course). As he put it, who becomes the next president of the United States matters just as much to Europeans as it does to us, except that they can’t vote. He also took time to compare our electoral process to the elections in European countries. Theirs tend to last only a few months, while ours has turned into an 18-month marathon of mud slinging and pandering. As he put it, whenever a country is going in the wrong direction, European voters automatically vote for a party elsewhere on the political spectrum, though whether that is good or bad is certainly up for subjective judgment. He also asked us why Americans have an aversion to voting for “elitist,” educated politicians, telling us that he’d love to have a beer with his neighbor but would never trust him to run the country. Clearly none of us could answer that question since we are all “elitist” according to the currently popular definition.

Later that night, as we were relaxing at a bar, a group of French guys insisted on asking us all whether we were voting for Obama and giving enthusiastic high-fives to those who answered in the affirmative. While those guys were kind of annoying, and most of us are tired of thinking about politics and are relieved to be outside of the United States during the final two months before the election, encounters like that make me realize that European and American interests are inextricably linked, whether we like it or not. I was initially excited to study abroad here mostly just to practice my Spanish, and I was actually a little disappointed that I hadn’t put myself on track to visit the Middle East, my main region of interest. But now I’m hoping that studying abroad here will help me learn more about the ways in which European powers rely on the United States, and in what ways we, too, depend on Europe to maintain our own strength. I’m interested to learning more about the power of diplomacy that holds the European Union together and perhaps even getting a sense of whether the average person’s attitude toward war and aggression are different than the prevailing views in America. Plus, it’s always interesting to hear an outsider’s perspective, and based on what my professor told us, I have a feeling that I’ll be hearing plenty of those as soon as the election results are in.

somewhere karl rove and dick cheney are celebrating

Ugh, this upcoming election has gotten even more frustrating and annoying than it was during that endless primary season. It's making me really glad that I'll be leaving the country tomorrow to study in Spain for the next three months. Besides the fact that Sarah Palin's voice is about the most grating, irritating sound in the entire world, she keeps repeating the same stump speech full of false assertions and dodging the issues entirely. Meanwhile, an old and bumbling John McCain keeps thumbs-upping (remind you of anyone?), riding the Palin wave, and flying under the radar (maybe he should have tried that tactic to avoid getting CAPTURED in Vietnam... ok that was bad of me, but come on, the man crashed like four airplanes. And none of that is relevant to his ability to govern). And now they've even hijacked Obama's change mantra, which simply does not apply to either McCain or Palin as the media has continued to reveal and the masses have continued to ignore. As his own campaign aide said, this election isn't about the issues; it's about personality.

You would think the American people would be smart enough to see through this facade. All the facts are staring Americans in the face: the scandals and ties to lobbyists, the voting records, the failed tax policies that promise relief to the very wealthiest and none to the middle and lower classes, the guarantee of continued Bush-Cheney policies on everything from the Iraq War to the economy, the skillful avoidance of discussing the actual issues. How can the Democrats even run an intelligent campaign when the opponent fails to engage? It's like trying to have a debate with someone who responds to every jab by sticking out his (or, more likely in this case, her) tongue and making googly eyes. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans lack the interest and attention spans for politics and fail to truly consider the issues beyond the political charades. Personally, I blame this at least partially on the ridiculously long electoral process that leaves everyone mentally exhausted and tired of politics long before the election takes places. If I'm completely tired of hearing about Obama and McCain, there can't be much hope that the majority of Americans haven't hit the proverbial mute button. Unfortunately, Rove-ian politics work wonders in a situation like that, and the McCain campaign is banking on the fact that most Americans don't care enough to really think about this historical decision. They're banking on ignorance, stupidity, and carelessness to get people to vote against their own interests. By focusing on babies, God, and hockey moms, the McCain campaign has effectively diverted attention away from the real issues. And that seems to work.

If McCain wins this election, Americans deserve for our country to continue the downward spiral of the last eight years. Unfortunately, the enlightened among us will be along for the horrible ride.

michael jackson > barack obama?

According to Newsweek, at least 38.4 million people watched the Democratic National Convention this year, which is an all-time high thus far.

But that's not what caught my attention. I couldn't help but laugh at this line:
"Obama's speech was the fifth-highest-rated, non-sports event watched by blacks in the last 11 years. A 30th anniversary Michael Jackson special on CBS in 2001 was on top."

Hahahahahaha I can just see the journalist who wrote this article cracking up as he snuck that gem into an otherwise standard report...

sarah who?

Does John McCain really think women are that stupid? Maybe I should bite my tongue until I see the poll numbers... many women may, in fact, be that stupid. But, come on.... Sarah Palin? Not only is his pandering embarassingly obvious, but in case anyone was fooled by such a lack of subtlety on the part of the McCain campagin, Palin herself couldn't resist from mentioning Hillary in her acceptance speech. (The speech, by the way, was ridiculous and weak on content but well-delivered... and we all know America is about style, not substance. Who's playing to America's celebrity obsession now?)

I'll give Hillary's supporters some credit, and perhaps John McCain should have, too. Yes, Sarah Palin is a woman. After that, I'm not really sure what she has in common with Hillary Clinton. It's certainly not years of experience, a liberal policy platform, and the respect of her peers. Palin has been the mayor of a teensy town of 6,000 (she was also her town's representative at the Miss Alaska pageant once... how much competition could she have really had?). She has "fought corruption" in Alaska, a state still plagued by it, while perhaps perpetuating the tradition with her cavalier attempts to fire her sister's state trooper ex-husband, as well as the man who refused to fire him. All the woman could think of to talk about today was how her husband is the ultimate man's man and they have made lots of babies. But it's not just Hillary supporters he's going after; it's Republican women who weren't excited about McCain and unlikely to bother voting in November. However, I must say that if I were a Republican woman, I would be insulted... there are many more female conservatives more qualified for the job. No woman wants a female vice president selected merely on the basis that she has ovaries; they want a woman to be chosen because her merits were assessed and she was deemed the most qualified candidate. Palin clearly is not.

Here's the catch, though: for the majority of Americans, I fear that her manly blue-collar husband and good Christian values are enough to trump any questions about her qualifications. I actually know people, family friends from St. Louis, who have regularly put their trust in businesses that turned out to be corrupt or poorly run, solely because "they're good Christians." In their eyes, this apparently implies competence because "God's on their side!" These family friends have lost their home in the mortgage crisis, the husband has lost his money and pride by pursuing risky careers with questionable businesses, and their marriage is in shambles. Yet they continue to vote Republican and probably love this Sarah Palin character. What have the Republicans ever done for them? What have the Republicans ever done for ANY working class people? Nothing. But they'll continue to talk about fishing and moose-hunting and Jesus and babies instead of competent policy, and that's how they win over the masses.

As my mom said today: if McCain and Co. manage to pull out a victory this November, we're going to have to move to a more intelligent country.

Olympics: shut your mouth and watch

I have a confession to make: I have an addiction. It's the Olympics... I just can't look away. As my clock hits 8:30 every night and I'm settling in after dinner, I automatically tune the TV to channel 4, as if some withdrawal-crazed, shivering, wide-eyed addict is inside me controlling my every move to get that Olympic fix. And now that gymnastics is over, I really have no idea why I'm watching. Track and field is so boring. Seriously, the race lasts 10 seconds and then they have to show it twenty more times in varying degrees of slow motion just to fill the space. And there's nothing worse than turning it on just to see baseball or basketball or some other sport that I thought I'd finally get a break from for a few weeks.

But by far the worst part of watching the Olympics--and being utterly unable to change the channel, even when badminton is on--has to be the commentary. I'm a figure skater, so I'm used to Dick Button's overly critical, often inane blathering at every major event. They even have a drinking game for when you and your other skater friends get together to watch Worlds ("Dick Button just called another girl's layback position "mediocre": everyone take a shot!" "Jeez, I am getting so wasted... can he please stop insulting the skaters that everyone knows he hates?"). But some of the blather I'm hearing from the expert commentators they've brought on to host events no one knows anything about is almost as bad as Dick's constant harping on "flutzes," a word I'm pretty sure he made up and continues to obsess over to make sure no one forgets it.

The worst by far is the woman who comments on diving (apparently named Cynthia Potter. The name alone suggests her grating personality. And then she opens her mouth and you hear that voice...). Not only does she rarely have anything nice to say about any of the dives, but even a near-perfect dive that receives 9.5s or even 10.0s gets some dose of criticism. Come on, lady... they probably didn't have that stro-motion technology when you were diving a million years ago, so stop acting so self-righteous whenever you show those pictures and find some flaw or another. Gah. I wonder if divers watching at home say "shut up, Cynthia" fifteen times per broadcast just like figure skaters reflexively yell "shut up, Dick" at their television sets every time he opens his mouth.

Nearly as bad are the sideline reporters who pull the American athletes aside after track and field events. First of all, they barely give them time to cross the finish line before ushering them over to answer the same stupid questions ("So what were you thinking out there?" "Uh.... run faster?"). The athletes are always panting and trying so hard to catch their breath that they can't even get full sentences out. Secondly, they always insist on asking the losers how they feel. Like yesterday, when Wallace Spearmon thought he'd won the bronze in the 200 meters only to find out post-victory lap that he had been disqualified. Of course, the reporter pulls the shell-shocked Spearmon over immediately and asks three variations on the question "describe your emotions now that you thought you had won a bronze medal only to find out you're disqualified." What an ass! I'm pretty sure his emotions are some combination of "shocked," "pissed off beyond belief," and "wanting to rip this f-ing reporter's head off." Let the man sulk in peace.

I have to say, though, that I can't help but love Bela Karolyi, the famous Romanian coach and expert commentator for gymnastics. Although he is severely biased toward the American team, it's so hilarious to watch him flip out at the unjust results that it doesn't even bother me (Cheng Fei falling and beating out Alicia Sacramone for the bronze on vault? Come on, that really was bullshit. And Bela's response was priceless). He does try to catch himself and remain as balanced as possible in general, but those moments where something astounding happens, good or bad, are hilarious. You have to love the clip of Bob Costas looking absolutely petrified when Bela celebrated Nastia Liukin's spectacular floor exercise during the All-Around. Check it out on NBCOlympics.com if you missed out.

heeeee's outta here!

Musharraf resigns! Hallelujah! I, for one, didn't expect it. I thought for sure he'd roll up his sleeves and at least put up a good fight. I guess since he finally resigned as Army Chief last year, he no longer had quite the muscle he once possessed (and abused). This is great news for the people of Pakistan, who have been itching for new leadership and a return to democracy for years, and also for European and US leaders, who have been remarkably ambivalent both to Musharraf's extensive rule and to his ouster. I suppose they couldn't really decide if they liked him or not: after all, he was an ally (nominally, at least) in the "war on terror," and I guess he wasn't monstrous enough for us to really care about his illegitimate rule and the practices he used to maintain it. Regardless, he's finally out, and what's better is that it was the people of Pakistan and their true representatives who made it happen peacefully. This is the democratic process at work, and I hope that the new government is able to use this momentum to stabilize Pakistan economically and politically and to begin an even stronger campaign against extremist violence in the region.

i call first in line for an invisibility cloak!

According to Newsweek's CW, scientists are one step closer to creating an invisibility cloak. I found an article on it here: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Invisibility_cloak_may_be_coming_soon_to_an_apparel_store_near_you_/articleshow/3362114.cms

That's really f-ing sweet... Although, don't they know Osama bin Ladin has already been using one for years? That's obviously why we haven't found him yet...

john edwards' other woman

fascinating little exposé: http://www.newsweek.com/id/151783

it's about time pakistan got rid of musharraf

Let's just see if he decides to dismiss Parliament in the face of opposition to his illegitimate rule... again: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/world/asia/08pstan.html?hp

As the article points out immediately, Musharraf is an ally of the US in its war on terror, a prime example of our willingness to ignore the value of democracy and freedom in an attempt to gain allies against the Taliban. What the article doesn't clarify is that the PPP, Benazir Bhutto's party until her tragic assassination upon return from exile earlier this year, is also anti-Taliban and anti-terror. After reading Benazir's book, Reconciliation, a few months ago, I have come to believe that it's about time Pakistan liberated itself from a toxic Musharraf regime, founded on illegitimate voting and brutal scare tactics, even collaboration with violent groups that help maintain its power. The US could have an equally strong partner against terrorism in a democratically elected President under PPP rule. While the initial turmoil might cause more instability, the long-term result of a stable AND democratic Pakistan unencumbered by the stubborn obstinance of Mr. Musharraf and his power-hungry policies would be an even more effective ally against the Taliban and a regional partner we can be proud to deal with.

lieberman should not be driving the straight talk express...

... because he's way too crooked, and also because he crashed it: http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/08/07/ok-who-gave-joe-the-keys.aspx

That one was definitely giggle-inducing. I would be willing to bet a million dollars that's on "The Daily Show" tonight.

On another note, I can't believe Favre was traded to the Jets! Not that I like the Bucs or anything, but I was rooting for the guy to end up with a playoff contender, not the lame-ass Jets. At least he'll still be wearing green.

And if you haven't seen the Paris Hilton rebuttal to McCain's ridiculous campaign ad, definitely check it out: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/64ad536a6d
Maybe the girl does have some redeeming qualities if she has the smart sense of humor necessary to find this idea amusing.

doctors within borders

That clever title really brings home the pathetic reality here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/150846

When I think "Doctors Without Borders," I think kind-hearted professionals temporarily and heroically abandoning the comforts of Western life to lend a hand to the neediest of individuals suffering from painful maladies in God-forsaken Third World countries. Somehow, it's not so heart-warming when the same practice is necessary right here in the US. Props to these folks for taking the healthcare problem into their own hands and doing what little they can to alleviate the various pains of the masses. But what does it say for our country when the Doctors Without Borders program has to be applied to our own people? According to Newsweek, "(Virginia Governor Tim) Kaine points to the fact that two-thirds of the 46 million uninsured in the United States have jobs but can't afford health insurance. 'This is a matter of political will,' he says. 'Other nations have a lower GDP than we do, and they've made a political decision that their people are going to have health coverage, but we keep deciding not to.'"

This is where I get the most hoots and hollers whenever I enter a health insurance "conversation" with many other students I know (affluent, covered, already fiscally conservative...). "Europe is so socialist, and their taxes are through the roof." "The private sector can and should handle insurance." Isn't the point here that private insurance powerhouses don't work? Isn't that what this crisis is about? Isn't that what all those stories about insurance brokers getting paid more to turn down insurance money for individuals seeking expensive medical care are trying to tell us? I don't have a perfect solution, and I know everyone wants to hold onto as much of their own money as possible, but obviously this system does not work. What good is it to be the most powerful country in the world (right now...) if we have to rely on a small number of benevolent doctors to care for our citizens like they were living in a Third-World country? For the time being, and considering how reluctant so many people are to overhaul our healthcare system, maybe we could apply some of Bill Gates' creative capitalism (http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1828069,00.html) to tackle the problem. Maybe that would be more acceptable to some of my friends...

would you let your kid bullfight?

This kid's parents must not like him very much: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1829305,00.html

Well, ok, I get the whole honoring the cultural traditions, etc. So I guess I don't blame him or his parents for getting him into the sport, if you want to refer to it as such. But I'm still trying to picture this little boy going up against a monstrous bull. That kid must have some serious cajones... He does look pretty damn cute in his little matador outfit, though. Maybe that's his strategy?

playing the race card

Clearly, the McCain campaign is getting a little desperate, if that wasn't obvious enough by the recent slew of negative attack ads: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/mccain-campaign-says-obama-is-playing-the-race-card/index.html?hp
Personally, while I admire his moral uprightness or whatever you want to call it, I think it's time Obama started getting a little dirtier, too. I mean, most people are pretty stupid and have trouble discerning fact from fiction, so the fact remains that smear campaigns work pretty well on the masses. But that's neither here nor there. What struck me about this article was this:
"The McCain campaign’s decision to make the charge now that Mr. Obama was playing the 'race card' comes as it has adopted a far more aggressive, negative posture towards Mr. Obama in recent days, trying to tar him as arrogant, out of touch and unprepared for the presidency with a series of statements by Mr. McCain and a series of negative ads – some of which have been condemned as misleading."

Think they meant to use that word?

Y Not Gen Y?

My roommate came home yesterday fuming about a bad day at work (she interns for a global communications firm). During her vent-session, it somehow came out that her boss requires her interns and employees to back up all work and emails in two places on their computers, in file folders (massive file cabinets apparently crowd the office, transporting employees back to the 20th century), and on—get this—FLOPPY DISKS. What??? I don’t even remember the last time I saw a computer that even has a floppy drive, and the damn things barely hold any information. I understand the desire to back up important documents, but what good is it if the device holding them doesn’t work on 99% of computers? I was shell-shocked. I then told her about how my 40-something boss always prints out lists that he wants me to update and scrawls names all over to indicate which should be added or removed, rather than just emailing me the document and typing the names out, which would be quicker for both of us and much more legible. It’s little and picky, but it’s these small things, like printing out every document and creating manila folders for every tiny project, that waste so much time, often that of the interns and young employees. Of course, this sparked a conversation about how much more efficient everything will be when Gen. Y starts running the corporate world. Efficiency is our forte (Boomers call it ADD—and then struggle to fit floppy disks into CD drives), and it's key in this fast-paced world of split-second electronic communication.

Now, pages and pages and endless pages have been written about Generation Y (aka Millennials) and our stereotypical characteristics. My favorites are the articles about “how to manage millennials,” as if we are some strange and infantile breed of human being. Psychological research has been conducted on us en masse, and there seems to be an intense interest in what makes us tick, probably because we are the largest generation after the Baby Boomers and are about to inherit the world. So many stereotypes have emerged about our generation, and I’d like to evaluate some of these. Keep in mind that no one can ever generalize about an entire generation of people, and these opinions are based on my observations of my peers, who all attend high-ranking universities and look forward to promising careers.

1) We’re arrogant and self-assured, the result of helicopter parenting and constant praise as children and as adults:
I don’t know if arrogant is the right word… but I must agree that many of my fellow millennials are brimming with self-confidence. But this doesn’t mean we all strut around with our noses in the air. Like any generation, many of us do encounter humbling self-doubt, especially at that critical point when we are trying to decide what sort of career path is right for us to pursue. (I suppose you could say that we agonize over this so much because we all believe we’re special and destined to do something significant with our lives. But what’s wrong with aiming high and being optimistic?) On the other hand, while we admit we don’t know everything there is to know about our future careers and seek mentors to guide us through the process, almost everyone I have talked to complains that “real world” work is rarely challenging enough at the intern or entry level, even when one is unfamiliar with the industry. And no one is happy making copies or—ahem—compiling tons and tons of media lists (grrr) because we want to really learn about the business and believe we can do much more difficult and interesting work. Is this arrogance if it’s true? We are an unbelievably resourceful, quick-learning, and efficient generation. We don’t require much of a learning period, and anything we need to learn can be found on Google or by asking someone higher up. Many managers complain that their young hires expect to move quickly up the corporate ladder and tackle more challenging projects or else we won’t hesitate to move on to a new company, citing our pampered upbringings as the cause of such self-entitlement and disloyalty. Apparently, being motivated is a bad thing. With a stale economy and little job security, are we supposed to unhappily stick with work that insults our intelligence and wait to get fired? This is a fast-moving world, and there’s no time to spend years paying dues and wasting our intellectual capital. In a world run by Gen. Y, we will harness this enthusiasm and use it to its full potential.

2) We can’t take criticism:
This sensitivity to criticism is also attributed to doting parents and soccer team awards ceremonies that dole out trophies for every athletically-challenged team member. Now, I admit it: I don’t do well with criticism. I’m a type-A perfectionist and have never been good when it comes to hearing my work is sub-par. But as a generation, are we collectively bigger cry-babies than our elders? I’ve seen some crying breakdowns at school that resulted from that deadly combination of stress, fear of failure, and harsh criticism. But is that really something that defines our generation? Aren’t there neurotics and perfectionists and headcases in every age bracket? I guess I’m not really sure about that one. If anything, I’d say our generation is remarkably laid-back when it comes to handling large amounts of work due to our multi-tasking prowess and get more annoyed about having to waste time redoing a sub-par project than hurt by the boss’s criticism.

3) We're lazy and have ADD:
Just because we multi-task like it’s our job (which it should be) doesn’t mean we have a disease. Everyone has ADD; our generation is just over-diagnosed. Sure, we talk in short instant-messages and Facebook wall-posts, but that doesn’t mean we have half-second attention spans. When something interests us, we are just as capable of focusing as anyone. Which is even more reason to give us challenging, interesting work. Many employers complain that we are lazy and get bored easily. I'd bet that 90% of the time it's because we finish projects too quickly and are given mundane tasks that wouldn't hold anyone's attention for more than 5 minutes. I know that the times I resort to blogging and browsing the web at work are the times that I've finished all immediate projects and have only dreary long-term assignments that bore me beyond belief and will probably take half the time my boss expects to complete anyway.

4) We are stupid:
Mark Bauerlein wrote the book "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)” as a diatribe against Gen. Y. Doesn’t he know that complaining about the younger generation just makes him sound old? Newsweek wrote a smart rebuttal (http://www.newsweek.com/id/138536) that more roundly sums up our generation’s apparent ignorance. I agree that many of us are politically unaware, have little knowledge of history, and quickly forget the myriad of facts we learn in class once we pass the final exam. (As a history and international studies major, I take slight offense to Bauerlein’s claims and like to think I buck that trend a little bit.) But there’s a reason for this: Google. Everything we need to know is at our fingertips, so why bother memorizing it? Instead, we are programmed to cram our brains with skills and “fluid intelligence” that can be applied to a variety of situations. I hate to admit it, but that’s probably more useful in corporate America than knowing when the Battle of Antietam took place (1862), who Henry Clay was (The Great Compromiser), and when the Soviet Union collapsed (completely by 1991; note: not due to anything Ronald Reagan did or said) off the top of one’s head. And no, I did not look those up. My friends would have, but what difference does it make?

Now, I admit that some of my fellow Millennials that I have encountered are useless: lazy, bratty, whiny, ignorant, the list goes on. But that’s not something inherent to or particularly prevalent in my generation. After all, the ones doing the most whining right now are Boomers and Gen X-ers mourning the incoming hordes of eager, plucky Gen Y workers demanding more mentorship, opportunities, and challenges. Why complain when you can capitalize?

shmales in the olympics?

Ok, so I try to keep things smart here, but I couldn't resist reposting this gem I spotted on the NY Times website: http://olympics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/lab-ready-for-sex-tests-for-female-athletes/

Apparently, shmales (so not pc...) might be putting the Olympics at risk of failure and embarassment (more so than inches-thick algae and black smog? Only time will tell...). According to the Times, gender testing has been taking place since the 1960s to ensure that male athletes from Eastern Europe were not competing as women, thus giving them an advantage (as usual, blame the communists). For this summer's games, the IOC has set up a gender testing lab to ensure that no cross-dressing cheaters unfairly snatch medals away from "real" women, a task that presumably requires such an elaborate laboratory due to the fact that many women athletes are jacked, and a man might not have much trouble blending in. It would seem that track and field is one of the most obvious targets of such testing, but aren't those tight little outfits enough of a test? I mean, if there aren't any suspicious bulges popping through the spandex undies they wear, can't we all just give the athletes the benefit of the doubt? Unless... ugh I need to stop thinking about this, and I especially need to stop writing about it.

why i don't watch network news...

I just spent almost four hours stuffing hundreds of envelopes with issues of SI and Golf, an experience made more miserable by MSNBC's inane news coverage blaring on the TV. I tuned in to catch the end of Obama's press conference in Paris, which was followed by reminder of why I can't stand watching network news (and MSNBC is particularly bad; at least FOX is funny to watch due to its laughably blatant bias and some of the ridiculous things that come out of its "correspondents'" mouths.)

First, the correspondent kept asking the same question: do you think that Obama's trip overseas will hurt his campaign and show that he is elitist because he's dealing with foreign policy instead of talking about the economy? This question was posed to several interviewees as well as rhetorically, as if asking it ten times would reveal its profound depth and insight. Argh! Even ignoring the leading nature of the question (it calls Obama elitist and questions his connection the American people, and, repeated enough even in question form, drills these ideas into people's heads), it's still stupid content-wise. Obama can't take a one-week hiatus from mourning the economy and promising to fix it (something no president is capable of alone, anyway...) in order to discuss some of the most pressing foreign policy questions facing our nation? America's reputation among the European nations MATTERS-- to our economy and to our future endeavors abroad. What's going on in the Middle East MATTERS-- to our national security, economic interests, and the well-being of the world as a whole. Hearing the MSNBC girl blathering for an hour just made me angry that 1) the majority of Americans are probably too stupid to care about serious issues such as these, and 2) the media is feeding them with idiotic questions like that one instead of informing them on the importance of addressing ALL aspects of the future role of president, including foreign policy.

Next, they moved onto something even more ridiculous in its absurdity: the search for Obama's thesis-like paper from his senior year of college. What? Who cares what he wrote 25 years ago? It's not like it's going to be anything radical, as conservatives are hoping it will be. It's an assignment. No one turns in a fiery, scathing criticism of the government for a major assignment, especially not someone who is interested in a career in law or politics like young Barack. So why bother talking about it? Hypothetically, even if it were inflammatory and inappropriate it was written decades ago, and Obama has certainly had plenty of time to hone his political views since then. Obama's campaign aide was right when he called talking about it a waste of oxygen. Gotta love how the correspondent read that quote while discussing the issue and then continued blabbering on about it for ten more minutes. Kinda wish she had run out of oxygen...

one result of the trend toward later marriage?

Found this tidbit buried on the NY Times website: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/fashion/24skin.html?em&ex=1217044800&en=6daca065fa34f19f&ei=5087%0A

Bridal party botox bashes are amusingly representative of our enhancement-prone and youth-obsessed society, although it's sort of sadly pathetic that these thirty-somethings are resorting to the needle over someone else's photo op. I mean, does anyone even look at the bridesmaids? But the asian bride who requested that her friends get boob jobs with her is actually insane... I'd love to get inside her reality-challenged head and probe around for signs of intelligent life.

oh god, i'm ugly and i didn't even know it

Fortunately everyone else is also blissfully deceived, ignorant of their own hideousness, or at least according to the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/science/22angi.html

Particularly fascinating to me is this passage: For that matter, humans do not necessarily see the face in the mirror either. In a report titled “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Enhancement in Self-Recognition,” which appears online in The Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Nicholas Epley and Erin Whitchurch described experiments in which people were asked to identify pictures of themselves amid a lineup of distracter faces. Participants identified their personal portraits significantly quicker when their faces were computer enhanced to be 20 percent more attractive. They were also likelier, when presented with images of themselves made prettier, homelier or left untouched, to call the enhanced image their genuine, unairbrushed face. Such internalized photoshoppery is not simply the result of an all-purpose preference for prettiness: when asked to identify images of strangers in subsequent rounds of testing, participants were best at spotting the unenhanced faces.

The rest of the article, which tells us that we incorrectly think the image in the mirror is equal in size to our actual self and gets smaller as we step back (the reflection is actually half the size of the actual body part and does not change size), is less interesting to me. But the scientific finding that we all think we're hotter than we actually are is both fascinating and hilarious. It lends a potential solution to the mystery of why people think they look ugly and unlike themselves in pictures (inevitably leading to several more futile attempts at capturing their alleged beauty): they are actually just uglier than they think. Unfortunately, this means I must be ugly, too, and knowing that I have plenty of company among the falsely self-confident is little solace. But there may be a solution to this worldwide invasion of ugly: put mirrors everywhere. According to the article, one study found that "subjects tested in a room with a mirror have been found to work harder, to be more helpful and to be less inclined to cheat, compared with control groups," and another discovered that "people in a room with a mirror were comparatively less likely to judge others based on social stereotypes about, for example, sex, race or religion." Great! We'll all be attractive, honest, efficient, fair, and politically correct if we just line our sidewalks and buildings with mirrors. As an added bonus, we could use those mirrors to generate and even store electricity using solar technology as per the latest developments. More important than solving the energy crisis, though, is the promise that I will once again feel confident leaving my house without a bag over my head. Hmmm, maybe I can qualify for a MacArthur genius grant with this...

thank you, fareed

Finally someone is tackling the popular notion that Obama's worldview is too naive with intelligent analysis. I've always admired Fareed Zakaria for his political centrism, his unique take on issues of foreign policy and international diplomacy, and his ample yet appropriate incorporation of history in many of his arguments. So, while network news anchors and political pundits spend the slow news days of summer asking the same tired questions about Obama's experience, I prefer to get the unique perspective and smart commentary that is seemingly so rare:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/147763

I, for one, was baffled by the vehement castigation that Obama received when he proposed a diplomatic approach to the issues in the Middle East. Well, I suppose I wasn't surprised that hawkish conservatives accused him of buddying up with terrorists, more just shocked that so many people ate up such a ridiculous argument. Fareed refers to Obama as a realist, a term more traditionally applied to conservatives until George Bush trumped all semblances of reason with his high-flying--and blind--idealism. While this fits with the media's current storyline (Obama's shift to the political center), it also goes a step further in reaching out to traditional conservatives and foreign policy realists, encouraging them to take a step back from the ideological games and errant tossing around of buzzwords like "democracy" and "terrorism" that too often rule our country's foreign policy decisions. Nothing is simple, and Obama's approach is much more reasonable than the GOP vow to protect America from an imaginary monolithic enemy embodied by conveniently chosen countries (this time, it's Iran that is funding all global terrorism and anti-US hate, apparently, and we should apply some muscle instead of talking...sound familiar?). According to Fareed, "Obama rarely speaks in the moralistic tones of the current Bush administration. He doesn't divide the world into good and evil even when speaking about terrorism. He sees countries and even extremist groups as complex, motivated by power, greed and fear as much as by pure ideology. His interest in diplomacy seems motivated by the sense that one can probe, learn and possibly divide and influence countries and movements precisely because they are not monoliths." This is exactly the knowledgeable, reasoned approach that Fareed himself has been advocating for years, and it is one that combines realism and hope rather that idealism and pessimism. And it's exactly what we need.

hello, world!

Well, ok, I guess my decision to create a blog hasn't caused much of a worldwide stir, so my greeting is laughably innapropriate. I'll give it a few weeks...

A little about me: I'm a California native living in NYC for the summer and doing the summer internship thing before I head to Madrid for the fall semester and finally make my way back to brutal Evanston, IL, and my junior year at Northwestern University.

I decided to start a blog for a few reasons. Firstly, it seemed like the thing to do. My job is really boring sometimes, and after running across Mark Cuban's blog (you know that has to be interesting) while making yet another media list, I was inspired to start looking up cool people I'd like to meet or emulate. It turns out, lots of them blog. Therefore, logic ensures that if I blog, I will become famous and all of my wildest professional dreams will come true. Secondly, I wanted a place to write down some ideas, thoughts, rants, etc.--not because I think people are interested, but because I like to write. Thirdly, I deleted my Facebook several months ago. I sensed that my Millenial narcissism needed an outlet now that I could no longer spend my days choosing which photos of myself best conveyed how attractive and fun I am, followed by endless public displays of my coolness in the form of wall posts on the pages of everyone I saw out the previous night recounting the epic proportions of our drunken awesomeness.

In my blog, I'll be taking a look at international affairs and domestic politics, as well as any interesting media tidbits that catch my eye for whatever reason and anything that I find amusing and think others might get a giggle from as well. Enjoy!