brasil-japan game

high point of yesterdays game was a goal by juninho pernambucano.. since hes from this state everyone feels a connection to him, and the place just erupted when he scored... the celebration was a bit more intense for him.. most people seem to be coming around to "forgiving" ronaldo for whatever they were mad at him for, scoring two goals seems to have that effect.. and most everyone was happy to see rogerio ceni get some playing time once the game was in the bag.. brasil wins the group and everyone is awaiting the knockout stages.. at this point, you win, you advance, lose, you go home.. for most fans here, this is when the copa "really" begins.. tomorrow is "festa de são joão" which is a really big deal here in the northeast.. tomorrow after a meeting with the kids parents regarding the tourney i talk about here, i will go to união dos palmares, in maceio, a state just south of here to see a friend.. probably wont update till late monday..

The Onion takes a kick at the World Cup

The Onion takes a kick at the World Cup
Devastated By U.S. World Cup Team's First-Round Loss, Nation Grinds To Halt
June 15, 2006
NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, and WASHINGTON, DC—With the Dow Jones average down over 600 points, factory productivity in a downward spiral, and workplace attendance down by nearly a third, experts say the U.S. World Cup team's heartbreaking 3-0 defeat at the hands of Czech Republic on Monday has brought life across the soccer-crazed nation to a virtual standstill.
"What happened in Gelsenkirchen has indeed dealt a grievous blow to the morale of the American people," said President Bush, who had promised his constituency a swift and speedy victory in the World Cup this year and whose popularity has taken a 9 percent hit since the U.S. team's loss. "I want the citizens of this great nation, the world's only remaining superpower, to know that I grieve alongside them and urge them to be strong in our hour of darkness, and urge them to return to their jobs and schools despite their heavy hearts."
Mere days ago, the feeling across the nation was one of great joy, eager anticipation, and optimism for the prospects of the most talented American team to ever take the field. It is estimated that over 85 percent of U.S. households were watching the USA–Czech Republic matchup. And going into the game that most Americans have been waiting for, analyzing, and all but living for during the past four years, schools, offices, shopping centers—everything, in fact, except vital services—closed their doors as the game began.
Now, days after the end of penalty time, many of those doors are still closed.
"I take full responsibility for losing the game," said Claudio Reyna, whose shot off the crossbar of the Czech goal as the U.S. trailed 1-0 in the opening half of play has been shown to coincide with a significant bump in the suicide rate, a momentary increase in reports of domestic violence, and a $0.45 increase in the per-gallon price of gasoline. "But we still have games to play in this opening round. I realize that the United States, more than any other country, loves this game. But that is no reason for so many people to cancel their weddings."
The general feeling of hopelessness may be felt across the United States, the nation the rest of the world thinks of as Pelé's adopted home, the land that popularized the term "soccer," and Americans are finding many different ways to voice their despair.
Hundreds of yards of black bunting hung over the head and arms of the Statue of Liberty has yet to be removed by the New York City Parks Department; similar shrouds have appeared on Mount Rushmore, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Hawaii's Pearl Harbor Memorial. Las Vegas casinos are running skeleton staffs at the tables and doubling the size of security shifts, at once worrying over their empty floors and fearing retribution at the hands of World Cup gamblers who bet on the U.S. out of loyalty. And the House of Representatives, which traditionally remains closed throughout the World Cup, called a special session for the specific purpose of introducing a bipartisan bill that would change America's national sport back to baseball.
"This cannot last," said Bruce Arena, coach of the U.S. World Cup team and by extension effectively the second-most powerful man in America, in an address televised simultaneously on every national channel Wednesday night. "We cannot have crops unharvested in the fields, the doors of our churches sealed shut, the Stars and Stripes fixed at half-mast, all because of our dishonorable standard of play. We cannot ask you to forgive our loss to the Czechs, as that must be left to the wisdom of the God of our fathers. We have always been a nation blessed with strength, not only in our love for our soccer teams, but in our love for one another, and we must call on both now if we are to endure these dark days."
At press time, the U.S. team is scheduled to play Italy on Saturday and Ghana the following Thursday, and the National Guard has reported moderate casualties while attempting to contain hooligan activity in the nine largest U.S. cities.

Those Crazy Thai Monks

Mad Thai monks too tired to take alms
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Buddhist monks in Thailand are too tired to receive early morning alms because they are staying up late to watch the World Cup, a Thai newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The Nation quoted a woman in the northern city of Chiang Mai who said her birthday celebrations were ruined because monks at a city temple were not awake to receive her morning offering, a mandatory religious ritual in the predominately Buddhist country.
The woman, who declined to be identified, said she was told by a senior monk that most of his young colleagues were still asleep because they had stayed up to watch the games which can go on well past midnight.
The Sangha Council, which oversees the tens of thousands of Buddhist temples in Thailand, has not banned monks from watching the World Cup but said it should not interfere with religious activities.
Chiang Mai chief monk Phra Thep Wisuthikhun said he had received complaints about "inappropriate behavior" at seven temples in the province. "It is the duty of the abbot of each temple to supervise the behavior of young monks, making sure that their religious activities will not be affected by the games," he told Reuters.
In neighboring Cambodia, some 40,000 monks have been warned they could be defrocked if they became too excited while watching the games.
"If they make noise or cheer as they watch, they will lose their monkhood," Phnom Penh patriarch Non Nget told Reuters this month.

ad wars

there are few rivalries like the one between brasil and argentina.. right now during the copa there are ads poking fun at the argies.. they do the same thing.. here is an example of the ad wars.. back during "eliminatorias" (qualifying) an argentine condom company produced the first ad, the blue one.. after brasil won the game, they gave a "measured" response

Watching The Wheels

this pretty much sums up how i feel about being here..

People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing,
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin,
When I say that I'm o.k. they look at me kind of strange,
Surely your not happy now you no longer play the game,
People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away,
Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me,
When I tell that I'm doing Fine watching shadows on the wall,
Don't you miss the big time boy you're no longer on the ball?
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,I really love to watch them roll,No longer riding on the merry-go-round,I just had to let it go,
People asking questions lost in confusion,
Well I tell them there's no problem, Only solutions,
Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I've lost my mind,
I tell them there's no hurry...I'm just sitting here doing time,
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,I really love to watch them roll,No longer riding on the merry-go-round,I just had to let it go.

~john lennon~

Aw crap!!!

Doctors probe heart attack risk for football fans
COLOGNE (Reuters) - World Cup football causes joy and despair and even ends marriages but now doctors are studying whether the thrill of it all can be literally heart stopping.
Previous research during international football tournaments has found an increase in the general incidence of heart attacks, particularly on days when tense matches have had fans on the edge of their seats.
In the new FIFA-approved study researchers will receive blood samples from heart attack victims all over Germany watching football at the time of the attack, allowing them to look for traces of stress hormones which can clot the blood.
Doctors will also receive samples from anyone who collapses in a stadium during a World Cup match and whose blood may show higher levels of hormones then those fans watching at home.
"Patients are asked precisely what they were doing at the time of the attack -- whether they were following football on the radio or television, or even watching the pundits after the game," David Leistner of Munich's Ludwig Maximilians University told Reuters.
"So far, on the days when Germany has played we have received a lot more blood samples," he added.
First results are due in October.
A study in 1998 found the number of heart attacks increased by 25 percent on the day and in the two days after England lost to Argentina in a penalty shoot out at the 1998 World Cup
In the new FIFA-approved study researchers will receive blood samples from heart attack victims all over Germany watching football at the time of the attack, allowing them to look for traces of stress hormones which can clot the blood.
Doctors will also receive samples from anyone who collapses in a stadium during a World Cup match and whose blood may show higher levels of hormones then those fans watching at home.
"Patients are asked precisely what they were doing at the time of the attack -- whether they were following football on the radio or television, or even watching the pundits after the game," David Leistner of Munich's Ludwig Maximilians University told Reuters.
"So far, on the days when Germany has played we have received a lot more blood samples," he added.
First results are due in October.
A study in 1998 found the number of heart attacks increased by 25 percent on the day and in the two days after England lost to Argentina in a penalty shoot out at the 1998 World Cup
Researchers in Switzerland also found heart attacks in the country increased by 60 percent during the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea -- even though the Swiss team was not even competing.
The findings prompted calls for emergency heart attack equipment to be installed in stadiums during Euro 2004.
"If it really is the case that higher stress levels can increase the chance of a heart attack then attending football games may have to carry a health warning," said Leistner.
Doctors advise those football fans who may be at greater risk of heart attack anyway due to obesity, high-cholesterol or diabetes, to refrain from drinking excessively during the World Cup tournament.

small things

ok one of the small things i really enjoy about this town.. 6PM, 1800 hours... the Ave Maria... this town is small enough that no matter where you are, youre within hearing distance of the churches, and their bells.. and every night, at 6PM, they play the Ave Maria.. no matter where you are in this town, you cant help but hear it.. and its kinda soothing and peaceful and nice.. add that in the small things i really cant explain but really make me enjoy this place column..

updates for 6/19

we made a change for the copa event.. we just werent getting a crowd for the games that didnt involve brasil, so we will only run the big screen during their games.. the replacement bulb for the projector is expensive, so it became cost prohibitive to run it for every single game.. once the second round starts we will see if there is a demand, and it is enough to warrant running the projector.. i get the feeling that for the quarter, semis, and 3rd place and final match we will be running the full card, provided brasil makes it to the final.. if they lose in the knockout rounds, there wont be much interest.. the other big project i have is the tourney i mentioned earlier, and i have TONS of stuff to put together and not much time.. im gonna be really busy with that so if i dont post much, you guys know why..

what have you done for me lately

yay brasil won.. yay brasil advances to the next round.. people are dancing naked in the streets and splashing around in the fountain.. imagine what the scene willbe like if the win the copa.. BUT... all is not well in the land of futebol and samba.. the fans are upset because ronaldo fenomeno had a bad game.. they cheered when he left the game.. and if he doesnt improve his game, an angry mob with torches and pitchforks will be waiting for him.. all you hear in the streets is not that brasil won, or advanced, but that ronaldo played lousy and should be benched next game.. oh well....

updates

ok guys in addition to the copa, our school is entering a copa of their own, III copa ouro, in arauá, sergipe, the first month of july.. this has me running around as well.. the good thing about this tourney is that lots of scouts from pro teams go, so it gives exposure to the kids and the school.. im gonna be busy juggling both i may not be able to post all the time..
today is the brasil v austrailia, and everyone is excited for the game.. if brasil wins they automatically qualify for the next phase, so expect a huge party if they win.. i dont want to think what will happen if they lose..

its peanut butter jelly time!!

best news ive had in a long time.. (my boss) andy and his family will live here for the next year to resolve issues with the school and get this project really moving.. they brought down a huge tub of peanut butter and jars of grape jelly.. im gonna eat peanut butter jelly sandwiches like theres no tomorrow.. its one of the things i really miss..

ronaldo health scare

right now, the entire country is talking about this.. same thing happened before the world cup finals in 98.. no one is too happy with ronaldo at this moment, for a perceived lack of effort last game, and this isnt helping

you just cant win

ok guys im loaded with work, so you need to make do with two posts that i saved for an occasion just like this, when i was crunched for time, like today.. yes, brasil won, but the fans and media are NOT happy, especially with ronaldo fenomeno, as seen in this article (its in english)..

The Soccer Wars

Bono Says the World Cup Is a Peacemaker. Not Quite.

By Daniel W. Drezner

Sunday, June 4, 2006; Page B01

The World Cup is coming, which means a flurry of desperate attempts by tournament promoters to excite Americans about an event that electrifies the rest of the world. This year is no different. ESPN, which will broadcast most of the games in the United States, is airing a series of ads with members of the rock band U2. In one, Bono says that the World Cup "closes the schools, closes the shops, closes a city and stops a war."

If stopping a war seems like an exaggeration, another ad explains soccer's peace-building qualities in more detail: "After three years of civil war, feuding factions talked for the first time in years, and the president called a truce. Because the Ivory Coast qualified for the World Cup for the first time. Because, as everyone knows, a country united makes for better cheerleaders than a country divided."

Does the World Cup really put a stop to war? Does soccer, known for its dangerously rowdy fans, have the conflict-reducing powers that ESPN and U2 proclaim? To be charitable to the World Cup, which this year will be held in Germany starting June 9, the evidence is mixed. It is undeniable that soccer has the power to unite -- but its power to divide should not be underestimated.

The belief that sports can be a source of peace dates to the start of the modern Olympic movement. But social scientists are split on whether competitive sports reduce or inflame conflict. A 1973 article by Richard Sipes in the journal American Anthropologist distilled the debate into two simple, but contrasting, arguments. One is that combative sports and war are substitutes for aggressive behavior -- that the presence of sports is a healthy way for people to discharge their competitive urges. The other is that sports induce a warlike attitude, abetting conflict rather than reducing it.

Sipes tentatively concluded that sports foster aggression. It is possible, however, that the worldwide appeal of soccer (well, minus the United States and Canada) has a pacifying effect. Former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer recently declared that once the tournament starts, "a football will become the symbol of our One World."

There are certainly tangible examples of soccer soothing the savage beast of war. What did the British and Germans do during the famous 1914 Christmas truce across the trenches during World War I? They played a soccer match (the Germans won, 3-2). During the peak of popularity for Brazilian soccer phenom Pele, the combatants in the Biafran war in Nigeria declared a two-day truce so they could watch him play. Of course, in both cases, the cessation of conflict was only temporary.

Soccer has also functioned as a useful outlet for postwar grievances. For generations after World War II, the conflict resonated in soccer matches between the Netherlands and Germany. Franklin Foer, editor of the New Republic and author of "How Soccer Explains the World," argues that the Dutch did not fully recover from the war until Dutchman Frank Rijkaard spit on Rudi Voller's mullet during a 1990 second-round World Cup match. Rijkaard's loogie was the only shot fired in restoring Dutch pride.

Successful teams have also provided the occasional boost for national comity. The Ivory Coast example cited in the ESPN ad works here. Since 1999, the country has been mired in coups, rebellions and ethnic conflicts. When the national team -- the Elephants -- qualified in October 2005, the head of the Ivory Coast Football Federation pleaded with President Laurent Gbagbo to restart peace talks. Elections are scheduled for October of this year. While a truce is in place, however, Human Rights Watch warned in May that both government and rebel forces were devoting their energies to terrorizing civilians.

The problem is that historically, soccer has been just as likely to be the trigger for war as the trigger for peace. The best-known example took place in June 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras. Immigration and border disputes between the two countries had reached a boiling point at the same time that a three-game elimination match between the two national teams was taking place. Rioting during the second game led the two countries to break diplomatic relations. Two weeks later, the 100-hour Soccer War took place, resulting in about 2,000 casualties.

Soccer also played a role in the run-up to the Balkan wars of the 1990s. In March 1990, Red Star Belgrade, a Serbian team, faced Dinamo Zagreb, a Croatian team, in the Croatian capital for a league title, a scant two weeks after Croatia elected nationalist Franjo Tudjman as president. According to Foer, that day was the first time in a half-century that Serbs and Croats openly fought each other. Red Star and Dinamo fans became so violent that the Serbian team had to be taken away by helicopter. Fifteen years after the match, the Zagreb daily Vecernji list observed, "The game that was never played will be remembered, at least by the soccer fans, as the beginning of the Patriotic War, and almost all of the contemporaries will declare it the key in understanding the Croatian cause." The leader of Red Star's ultranationalist fans -- the Delije -- was the notorious Arkan. He later recruited from the Delije to form the paramilitary force that engaged in ethnic cleansing of Croats and Muslims during the war, and ultimately was the victim of a gangland-style killing.

While success at the World Cup can bolster national pride, losing can reap the whirlwind. A working paper by business professors Alex Edmans, Diego Garcia and Oyvind Norli finds that "losses in soccer matches have an economically and statistically significant negative effect on the losing country's stock market." Some individual players suffer consequences worse than that. Colombian defender Andres Escobar, responsible for an own goal in a 1994 World Cup loss to the United States, was killed upon returning to his hometown of Medellin.

Soccer will never bring about peace on its own. The flip side is also true -- by itself, soccer cannot start a war. The World Cup, like the Olympics, suffers from a case of overblown rhetoric. Bono's assurances to the contrary, the passions inspired by the World Cup embody both the best and worst forms of nationalism.

ddrezner@gmail.com

Daniel W. Drezner will be an associate professor of international politics at the Fletcher School at Tufts University starting in the fall.

smooty

there are some words and phrases here in brasil that are taken from they way they sound in english, but written the way they sound in portuguese.. there is a chain of juice bars here called amazonia mix.. they have some really delicious combinations of fruits, most of them not readily available in other countries.. i have lunch there maybe twice a month, and get juice there maybe once a week.. last week they introduced a "new product" called "SMOOTY".. i got curious and wanted to try it.. i just hadnt had the time, with the copa event and all.. ever since they introduced it, all you saw were signs and banners around town, and radio spots, promoting this new, exciting, delicious drink at amazonia mix.. so today i finally went in and got my "smooty"..know what it was? a smoothie.. kinda like the crumpets incident (inside family joke, but if someone wants to know, ask me or my mom or annette..)

big day is here

in a matter of hours brasil makes its debut in the world cup.. the whole country is like little kids on christmas eve.. im really excited about being here for the world cup.. today will be the first real test for our event, and we expect a really nice crowd.. the success of the event hinges on how well brasil does in the copa.. the further they go, the longer the event runs, the more $$$ we can raise for the school.. got to run out and set up the bar, but i will check in later tonight and post how everything went.. peace and love to you guys..

last chance

ok today is our last chance to work out the kinks before the first brasil game tomorrow against croatia.. todays first game is japan versus austrailia, and even though those these teams are in the same group as brasil, we dont expect much of a crowd.. today also happens to be dia dos namorados, brasils version of valentines day.. we decided against opening the bar up for the early game.. the first game we are going to show today is usa versus the czech republic at 1300, and the last game today is at 1600, italy versus ghana.. ghana is a team i think could surprise people in this world cup.. its gonna be a bit hectic, cause everything needs to be fine tuned for brasils debut tomorrow, which is another holiday here in garanhuns.. its festa de santo antonio, saint anthony, who is the patron of the town, its only a holiday here.. thursday is yet ANOTHER holiday, this one national, corpus christi, so we expect lots of traffic for the games.. ill keep you guys posted on how things go..

the water donkey

ok i mentioned to some of you that a donkey brings drinking water to your house.. in case you wanted to see it, here it is.. this is the way it works.. there are a few posts around town that sell filtered or spring water.. every morning several carts like this one line up, fill the big blue tank, then they go around town asking people if they want (or need) water.. people then fill up those 5 gallon (19 liters) water bottles and other containers.. this routine happens every day.. one of the drawbacks of using donkeys to deliver water is they sometimes leave big huge pieces of poop.. not fun stepping into those

whats in a name?

in brasil, most everyone is known by their apellido, or nickname.. ask people who edson arantes do nascimento is, or maria da graça meneghel, and you will probably get blank stares.. but say pelé or xuxa, and everyone knows who you are talking about.. i havent read up or studied on why this is and how it came about, but i probably will at some point.. but just to share, here are some of the nicknames ive picked up here so far, in no particular order:
americano
gringo
cuba
cubano
gaginho (gago means stutterer, in brasil, porky pig is called gaginho)
miami (and one person calls me mi-to you guys it would sound like my, which sounds alot like mãe in portuguese, which means mom, i kinda think thats funny..)
baiano (this means someone from bahia, another state here in brasil, this is because i once wore a jersey of esporte clube bahia, and people just assumed i was from there)

how soccer transcends politics

ok those of you that know me know my political views.. pretty much further to the right than franco and the john brich society.. but when it comes to soccer, its different.. i can put politics aside to watch and enjoy the games.. i know that if cuba was playing id be rooting for them to go all the way, regardless of who is in charge.. back in the cold war days, i would love to watch the big red machine of the soviet union play.. wouldnt happen in the olympics..i can still remember papa getting mad at me cause i laughed my ass off and cheered when a soviet diver tried to do a backflip and cracked his head on the cement platform.. in 98 when iran beat the us 1-0, all i could think of was "wow, they played a freakin awesome, tight, solid game.." such is the case today, ironically enough, with the iranians again.. at 1300 brasil time (12 in miami, 6pm in nuremberg) the iranians square off against mexico.. two teams that can play a brand of soccer exciting and enjoyable to watch.. when it comes to copa, i dont root on political lines, but on the teams themselves, the players, the style of play.. i never cared what the italians did in the olympics, but i cant stand the style of soccer they play.. i like boca juniors in the argentine league, one of my favorite teams in the world, but as a national team i cant stand the argies, they dive too much.. there is alot of talk and controversey about iran in this worldcup, mainly because of their president mahmoud ahmadinejad and comments he made about israel and the talk of their nuclear capabilities.. there are rumors he was part of the student group that stormed the us embassy and took the hostages.. but for the copa, and ONLY for the copa, i see him as a fan of the game, i happen to think its cool when the national president goes off to see his team play in the copa and take part in training.. apparently, mahmoud is a big time soccer fan, as was kadaffi from libya.. to sum it up cause i got to get to the copa event, if you guys want to understand how much i love this game and this event,think how important it must be to me if i can put politics aside for one month, and just enjoy the games for what they are.. for those who care, the early game is serbia montenegro v holland, the middle game is mexico v iran, and the late game is angola v portugal, a game that raises political implications, back to the colonial days.. enjoy them!!