Women's World Cup

Fantastically, ESPN is broadcasting all the games from this year's Women's World Cup in Germany. The quality of the soccer thus far has been very good; as well as the quality of the refereeing, the stadia, etc. And ESPN is doing a good job with coverage, with comments and interviews by Viola Odebrecht, Julie Foudy, Cat Whitehill, and others.

At present, women's professional soccer in the US is struggling with only 6 clubs left in the WPS (Women's Professional Soccer) league; it seems two teams on average are folding every year, and at that rate, the league is not going to last long, which is a real shame. My own team, the Atlanta Beat, had an incredible international squad last year, but still finished last, and due to budgetary reasons the squad and staff have been decimated, so that we're operating on a skeleton set-up at the moment (and are in last place, with one win in twelve games). There are rumors that the Puma sponsorship is being withdrawn from WPS (or discontinued), which is again a bad sign for the league. It's going to take a while to establish women's professional soccer in the US, so I hope the WPS will survive for a few years more, but the economics of it are tough. It's important that owners not look for a quick turnaround in profits, but take a long-term view with the best interests of the women's game in mind. Hopefully the USA will go far in this year's Women's World Cup, and that will go some small way to promoting women's professional soccer in this country.

My favorite player in the WWC thus far: Louisa Necib (Olympic Lyon), the women's game's "Zinedine Zidane" (like him, she's of Algerian descent and is from Marseilles). A very nice and skilfull player to watch!

Japanese parents in outcry over radiation levels in Fukushima schools

In another shocking and saddening case of poor leadership in Japan, the government increased the acceptable level of radiation in Fukushima schools by 20 times (from 1 to 20 milliseverts per year) so that schools in the area could remain open, despite protests and petitions by both local parents and international organizations, triggering resignations by government officials and advisors who did not agree with the policy.

Itaru Watanabe of the education ministry allegedly said, "I think 20 millisieverts is safe but I don't think it's good" -- a patently ridiculous statement that was met with derision.

According to the Guardian UK, Physicians for Social Responsibility, a Nobel prize winning organization, claimed that at that rate, children had a one in 200 risk of getting cancer. In protest to the government's opportunistic policy change, Fukushima parents dumped radioactive dirt at the desk of education officials that was measured at 38 milliseverts.

The problem is that currently political awareness and civil society are not developed sufficiently in Japan to resist such obviously political moves by the ruling party. Although Kan's approval rating stands around an astonishing 1%, there are few alternatives, as the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, which ruled Japan uninterruptedly for some six decades, is not seen as being any better. This points to a general crisis in political leadership in the country as a whole.

Read the full article on the Fukushima school situation here:
Fukushima parents dish the dirt

Like an earthquake every day - Child hunger

The outpouring of support that has emerged since the earthquake in Japan is heartwarming. Just the other day, I was in World Market and saw that they were donating proceeds from their Japanese goods (which they had put in the front of the store) to the situation in Japan. Every Sony Playstation 3 now has a "Donate to Japan" icon that appears when the device is turned on, and there are many more examples of this. It's a great sign of the innate compassion within us that arises for people suffering in times of disaster.

Although I have friends and family in Japan, about whom I'm very concerned, it's also important to keep in mind that every day children around the world are suffering from the equivalent of several earthquakes and tsunamis, and yet receive hardly any attention. Somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 children die every day from starvation and easily preventable diseases. I first learned this shocking fact from a book by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh.

Here's a quote from UNICEF's 2000 progress report, entitled "A Spotty Record":


"The continuation of this suffering and loss of life contravenes the natural human instinct to help in times of disaster. Imagine the horror of the world if a major earthquake were to occur and people stood by and watched without assisting the survivors! Yet every day, the equivalent of a major earthquake killing over 30,000 young children occurs to a disturbingly muted response. They die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death."

Researchers talk about "empathy burnout," and it's certainly true that at first glance we might want to turn away from this horrifying reality, thinking that it's too big for us to take in, or that there's nothing we can do. After all, that is 11 million children each year dying unnecessarily. But if 11 million people around the world each took responsibility for one child (at a cost that might only be about $100 per year), the tragedy might be ended, or at least very significantly reduced. If each person took responsibility for a few children, maybe you'd only need 2 or 3 million.

Seeing the response to the situation in Japan, and the earlier response for the situation in Haiti, I do not at all believe that people simply do not care about these children. I think the problem is rather that too few people know about the situation. Definitely we need to spread the word, so that people can support the many organizations that are trying to feed and take care of these children.

Here are links to a few I know of. Let me know if you know of others that are good:

CARE

UNICEF

Stop Hunger Now

Children's Hunger Fund

The Situation in Japan

The recent disaster in Japan has taken a toll on the Japanese people in a variety of ways. Here's one recent example, which doesn't seem to have been taken up by the western press.

A vegetable farmer in Fukushima who had meticulously grown organic cabbages for thirty years committed suicide after a ban on spinach and a limitation on cabbage was extended by the Japanese government. His son reported that he repeatedly uttered "This is it for Fukushima vegetables..." before his death. The farmer had devoted his life to growing safe and healthy cabbages and supplied them for a local school, taking great pride in their high quality and method of cultivation.

Asahi news reported that although the farmer's house and barn had been damaged by the earthquake, 7500 stalks of cabbage remained safe. His daughter told reporters, "All the farmers are anxious. I don't want there to be another victim like my father."

Original article in the Asahi newspaper (Japanese language)

Not very good English translation of the Japanese article (by Google Translate)

Picture: Asahi Shimbun

Nespresso Pixie

Just picked up a Nespresso Pixie on Saturday. After searching for an espresso machine for two weeks and reading everything I could find on-line, it seemed like I would have to spend $400 for a machine, $200-400 for a grinder, and $50+ on additional accessories (tamper, etc.) and then another several weeks experimenting to find the right grind size, temperature, tamp pressure, etc. in order to make reasonable espresso.

Then I stumbled across this little wonder at $250 (plus a $50 off coupon on coffee, from Williams-Sonoma). It's brilliant! I had reservations that it wouldn't feel like "true espresso," but after three days of using it, I'm already sold. It's just so simple, practical, small (in countertop size) and easy to clean and maintain. And the espresso is reliably yummy.

Since buying it I've come across numerous stories of people going from a full semi-automatic set-up to the simpler Nespresso way. Someday I may still go for a Gaggia Classic (the semi-automatic machine I had set my mind to, prior to coming across the Pixie), just to learn the trade of pulling espresso shots and being able to select my own beans. But for the time being, this little wonder is doing just fine. Apparently, all Nespressos make drinks of the same quality, so my only thought now is whether to trade it in for a cheaper model like the D90 (which is $149).

Photo source: Williams-Sonoma

Marina Abramovic

I didn't know much about performance artist Marina Abramovic, but had read about her retrospective last year at MoMA, and her performance of "The Artist is Present," in which she sat for some 300 hours in silence, and museum visitors could sit face to face in front of her.

Fortunately I heard about her invitation by SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) to come down from NYC and give a few talks. Having heard her in person and seen some of her works, I'm really amazed. She is in a league of her own: a very reflective, courageous and exceptionally talented artist whose broad vision of art makes me think of other pioneers of modern and contemporary art: Breton, Dali, Picasso, Pollack, Yves Klein. We don't have the good fortune to chat with them and see them work, but we do have Marina Abramovic.

I was also glad to hear her mention H.H. the Dalai Lama several times in her talk. She has spent time working and meditating with Tibetan monks and she takes what I feel is a deeply spiritual approach to her art. As she put it, she confronts aspects of humanity that are alien, frightening and suppressed, in order to show others that they, too, have the courage and ability to face and transform their fears.

Here is the link to her keynote address for SCAD. If you are at all interested in modern art, in any medium, watch this:

Marina Abramovic Talk At SCAD

Photo credit: MoMA