Qatar World Cup Bid: A Further Look

One of the current events that we discussed during class was Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup. I had not heard much about this so I decided to take a deeper look into it.

Recently FIFA  announced that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup. Aside from being the Middle East’s first ever host country, concerns have risen about some of the logistics that come with hosting such a lucrative sporting event. One of the main concerns is the continued debate about hosting an outdoor soccer tournament in the scorching Qatar summer.  With average temperatures in Qatar in May soaring to the 125 degree mark, an outdoor World Cup seems nearly impossible.

In Qatar’s bid, the concept of “air conditioned stadiums” was introduced. This innovation would theoretically keep both the players and the spectators cooled despite the open-air stadiums. Not only is this a concern financially, this option seemed questionable, even on scientific grounds.  FIFA then sparked an instant uproar in the international soccer community when it introduced the possibility of hosting the famed tournament in the winter; something that has never happened. The cries to maintain the sport and tournament’s tradition are valid ones. However, there are actually more pressing contingency concerns that would arise were this alternative to be chosen.

95% of domestic soccer leagues, of which almost every country has one, are staged in the months of August through to May; for this reason that the tournament has always been staged in June. Moving a tournament of this magnitude to the winter months of December and January, would completely skew professional soccer leagues normal seasons. Would there have to be a two-month hiatus on the league? Would play continue, but the teams with internationally selected players be forced to play on without their stars? At least FIFA and the domestic leagues have another 11 years to figure out what’s best.

Josh McDaniels Replaces Pat Shurmur as St. Louis Rams Offensive Coordinator

For my current event assignment last week, I discussed St. Louis offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s prospective future as the Cleveland Browns next head coach. Last Thursday, Shurmur officially accepted the position.

As I discussed in class, Rams fans were concerned about Shurmur leaving the Rams just as star rookie quarterback Sam Bradford embarks his bright career. Some cynical fans are worried that a new offensive system will confuse Bradford’s quarterback tactics, which could jeopardize the Rams season next year. However, today Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo announced that Bronco’s former head coach Josh McDaniels has accepted the position as the Rams new offensive coordinator.

At the age of 29 in 2009, McDaniels was named as the youngest head coach in NFL history. However, McDaniels’ rookie year as the Bronco head coach did not go as expected. McDaniels was fired on December 6, 2010 after spiraling the Bronco’s into its worst season in four decades. Despite his difficulties as the Broncos head coach, his previous job as offensive coordinator for the NFL powerhouse the New England Patriots gives the Rams coaching staff, its players and its fans hope that McDaniels may be the missing link to lead the Rams into a successful 2011 season.

Personally, I believe that McDaniels has the skill assets to bring the Rams back up to their strong potential that the NFL experienced during its strongest seasons from 1999-2000. His experience with the strong New England Patriots offense will definitely benefit the Rams as they try to lift up their franchise from its 5 season slump.

NCAA Bowl Championship Series

Since 1998, the Bowl Championship Series, better known as the BCS, has been a staple of college football for better or for worse. The BCS is designed to give the top two teams in Division I college football an opportunity to play for a national championship game through a system that calculates a team’s ranking in the AP and ESPN Coaches poll, an average ranking of the best six of seven computer polls, the number of losses, the strength of schedule factor and the quality wins factor (Bowl Championship). Despite its seemingly simplistic formula, the BCS is not always fair and accurate; every year since 2005, at least one undefeated team has failed to make it to the BCS National Championship Game. Additionally, in three of those four years, at least one of the teams in the national championship game had either one or two losses. The BCS has been under debate since its inception and congressional hearings, most recently in 2003, have been held to question the system’s integrity and justice.

Of the ten BCS bowl games, six teams are automatically given a bid to one of those bowls for winning their conferences from the following leagues: ACC, SEC, Pac-10, Big 12, Big East and Big 10. This leaves just four other teams to fill the voids in any of the five games. Since the inception of the BCS system in 1998, of the 57 games that have been played (a total of 114 possible teams), only ten times has a team come out of a league outside of one of the automatic six conferences: Notre Dame with three appearances out of the Independent League, Utah and TCU each twice out of the Mountain West Conference and Boise State twice and Hawaii once out of the Western Athletic Conference. Clearly there has been a significant discrepancy between the allocation of teams to BCS games over the past twelve years.

Through computer and human rankings, the BCS National Championship Game is always between the two teams ranked first and second at the end of the regular season in the BCS standings. Many conferences are put at an unfair advantage, because of the discrepancies within the BCS system and its ranking of teams. The one major flaw in the structure of the BCS is the fact that it ignores several conferences, such as the WAC, MWC, Conference USA and the Independent League.

Ireland

Hello all! The past few weeks have been so hectic! I’ve been on the go for the past 4 weekends. I have a lot to tell you guys about and so many pictures to show! But it will have to wait until next week because I’m leaving for Ireland today! I will be back Wednesday. We have Monday and Tuesday off because of national holidays so hence this extra long trip I’m really excited about it. My cousin Woody told me that this was his favorite country when he was visiting Europe so I’m excited to see what all the hulabaloo is all about. I’m going with my friends who are studying in Barcelona: Karen, Lindsey and Chelsea. (The girls I have been traveling with all through Europe) Chelsea’s family lives right outside of Belfast so we’re staying at her grandmother’s house. Her father is from Ireland but a lot of her family still lives in their small town called Mayobridge–it really will be the ultimate Irish experience.

We’re going to go around Belfast which is in Northern Ireland and part of the UK and then go south into the Republic of Ireland for a day and go to the Guiness factory and all that cool stuff. Super excited about this trip Check back next week sometime I should have my posts updated! It will be like writing a novel geeezzzz

Un mes más!

Today officially marks my one month marker until I am back to the States. It has flown by; I can’t believe it! Tonight, I’m going to Germany to visit Tita Nina, Uncle Ferdie and Karl! I am SO excited. I’m a little sick so that’s a bummer but it will be great to see some family and eat some great food Can’t wait. Tell you all about it when I get back! I owe you guys a post about Paris too…

BARCELONA

I went to Barcelona a few weeks ago too and never wrote about it! I have a group of friends from Elon studying in Barcelona and also all my friends from Elon studying in Europe all met in Barcelona for a few days’ reunion. We even had visitors from the States. It was a blast to see everyone. Anyway, Barcelona is SUCH a cool city. But there were both good and bad parts to it. I’ll start with the good. The architecture there is absolutely amazing. I loved the buildings; it has a very edgy urban feel but I really liked it. Unfortunately I got really sick my second day there, so I didn’t really get to do all the sight-seeing I wanted But I am going back there for a day in November because I am flying out of Barcelona to go to Prague; so hopefully then I can get some sight-seeing done. Anyway, there is a lot artistic influence from the famous Spanish architect Gaudi. His style of architecture is unlike any other. There are pretty much no straight lines and he uses a lot of color. So, as you can imagine, this makes for very interesting results! But the results are amazing. He designed and started building the famous Cathedral in Barcelona called La Sagrada Familia. It is still under construction and won’t be finished until at least the year 2026. It is a very unique cathedral. I would like to go back to it when it is finished!

Now for the bad. The Barcelonian people aren’t necessarily the nicest of all people. In fact, I actually had a run in with a man who told me that I was a stupid “chino” which is Spanish for “Chinese.” I corrected him and told him that actually, I was not Chinese, but Filipino and Spanish and was a student studying SPANISH in Sevilla. This is when he told me something along the lines of “Oh you’re Filipino? That’s cool. We used to own you guys.” Needless to say, this guy was a jackass (sorry for the language). But what can you do? You’ll find people like that all over the world. I’ll just file it under my “Cultural Differences Experience” folder and carry on.

Sorry for the short post, but I’ll write something again about Barce when I go back again!

Wij zijn in Amsterdam!

That is Dutch for: We are in Amsterdam!

Hello all! I am terrible. I haven’t been writing to you all lately. I am sorry! I will try to be better! Anyway, I went to Amsterdam this past weekend with my friends from Elon: Karen, Chelsea, Lindsey and Sue Jin. It. Was. Amazing. I absolutely loved Amsterdam. I went there not really knowing anything about it except about the presence of prostitutes, marijuana and other assorted drugs. But, after being there, Amsterdam really is a beautiful city! Because of all its negative PR as the party city of Europe, I have always thought Amsterdam to be a dirty, grungy city with prostitutes and drugs all over the place. But that was definitely not the case. It was such an interesting place! When I was walking the streets I couldn’t stop gawking at the beautiful architecture and bustling city life, I wish I had 3 extra sets of eyes so I could take everything in at once! Another thing I didn’t know about Amsterdam was that it is a canal city–just like Venice. I had NO idea that it had canals; the canals originate from the Amstel River–from which Amsterdam gets its name. The city is completely man-made and is actually almost completely below sea level. The highest point in Amsterdam is, if I am remembering correctly, just a meter or so above sea level.

We went on a tour by a company called New Europe that offers free tours of various cities across Europe. Since the tours are free, the tour guides operate solely on tips, so they try to give the most interesting tours they can so they can get good tips! Interesting concept. Anyway, our tour was from Sydney and he was a really funny guy. He shared a lot of cool facts about Amsterdam. We walked through the Red Light District. Wow, what an experience. The Red Light District is the oldest area in Amsterdam and is infamous for its prostitutes. The area itself is very gorgeous, but it is so strange: you will literally be walking down the streets and there will be a window with a door and an almost-naked-woman sitting behind the class. Inside the room, you can see a bed, bathroom and whatever she needs for the day. The day is considered the sort of “off-shift” so you will see prostitutes of all ages, shapes and sizes. It is really sad to see that these women in these situations. The Dutch government is working, though, to shut down the Red Light District by 2015. They won’t be outlawing prostitution completely, but the industry will be government owned so it can be more regulated. This is to prevent pimps who take advantage of these women and the human trafficking black market.

While we were there we also visited the Anne Frank house which was so amazing. It was such a powerful museum. I couldn’t believe that I was actually walking around in the house that Anne Frank lived in. Her room still had all the pictures and magazine clippings she had taped to the wall; and the kitchen sink was rusted away from all its use during those 2 years of isolation for the Frank family and their friends. We weren’t allowed to take pictures, so sadly I don’t have any from it. Obviously I’ve read her diary and learned/heard her story since I was little, but actually being in the house brought an entirely different outlook to her story. There were excerpts of her diary painted on the walls in each room; it gave me chills to read them and actually imagine her living the situations she described in those quotes. I wish I could have snapped a few to share with you all! But, oh well. Maybe we’ll all just have to go back so you can see it for yourself

We also went to the Heineken factory! Haha! It was my first brewery ever. Can you believe that? I live in St. Louis and haven’t been to the Budweiser Brewery. Anyway, the Heineken factory was really cool. We learned how to properly drink a Heineken. Here are the steps:
1. Take a big mouthful-sip of the beer.
2. Leave the beer in your mouth for at least 7-10 seconds. Swish around if you want.
3. Swallow.
Sounds simple, but here’s the theory behind it! Heineken beer is brewed with 4 ingredients: water, barley, hops and yeast. The barley gives the beer a sweet taste that can be tasted on the tip of the tongue. The hops (don’t ask me what they are exactly because I’m not entirely sure ha. I think they’re like a bean or something?) give the beer its bitter taste that can be tasted at the back of the tongue. So by keeping the beer in your mouth for several seconds before swallowing it, you will be able to taste the 2 distinctive tastes of the Heineken recipe!
Another interesting fact I learned about beer is the importance of its carbonation. Yeast is the ingredient that is responsible for the bubbly goodness of all beers. However, the carbonation does actually have a job. When you pour a beer, hold the glass above you toward the light. You will be able to see hundreds of tiny bubbles underneath the frothy foam that sits on top of the beer. These bubbles trap the taste of the beer in the liquid, making the beer taste more fresh and strong. Interesting, huh? I thought so!

So Amsterdam was an incredible experience. I wish I could have stayed longer! I definitely would like to venture back Anyone want to join?

Tomorrow I am headed to Paris until Monday! I am SO excited. I am staying with one of my sorority sisters who graduated last year; she goes to graduate school there. I’ll write you as soon as I get back! Miss all of you terribly

Chicken Noodle Soup

I officially made my first batch of home-made chicken noodle soup today. Yayyyy! I ran out of chicken stock though ooopsssThose are dinosaur noodles by the way.

Política de España

Hello! Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. I have been busy (and lazy to write too..haha!) So I have a lot to catch you guys up on.

I’ve never had a huge interest in politics. However, interestingly enough, since I’ve been here I’ve found that I have gotten more interested in the politics and its arena. The political view here is completely different than anything I have ever been around. Spanish is a pretty liberal country. But not in the way that people think “socialist” or “hippie.” But it is very interesting to compare Spanish politics to our own back in the states. Spain operates under a Constitutional Monarchy.The current Prime Minister in Spain is José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero–or just commonly known as Zapatero. The King is Juan Carlos I; and the Queen is Sofia of Greece (they are pictured above). Juan Carlos is a direct descendent of King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella–the Royal Couple who sponsored Christopher Columbus on his voyage to discover America. What an ancestry to claim, huh? And Queen Sofia is the grand daughter of the last Kaiser of Germany and is a member of the Hannover family–who, I am told, is one of the most powerful families in all of Europe. They own Volkswagen; and they also were close friends of Adolf Hitler before WWII (not necessarily a great thing to brag about). Sofia seems like an incredible woman though. She is fluent in SEVEN languages: Spanish, English, Greek, French, German, Russian, Portuguese. Can you even imagine? That is amazing! The political party currently in office is PSOE–Partido Social Obrero Español which is the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party. After over 30 years under a fascist dictatorship, it is not surprising that the Spanish people veered in the opposite direction. It seems as if the majority of people I talk to about politics are in the PSOE party, or at least share the majority of their ideas and beliefs with it. The current Prime Minister in Spain is José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero–or just commonly known as Zapatero.

An interesting and shocking fact that I came across the other day was that the average family household income in Spain is 21,000 euro or $30,660 USD. A very successful person may have an income around 24,000 euro or $35,040 USD. In America, a family of 4 people that has an income of $22,050 is considered living in poverty. But in Spain, the average family household income is just $8,000 more than the considered poverty line for a 4 person family in America. I found this bit of information very shocking. But after giving it some thought, it made a little more sense.

For example, health care is very touchy subject right now in the United States. In Spain, all Health Care is nationalized. Surgical procedures (even such as heart transplants) are fully paid for by the government. One of my teachers has very severe asthma. She says under her health care through the government, she pays 1 euro for her medicine–when it would normally cost 99 euro. This is such a strange concept for me to grasp. Whereas I can appreciate the system, it just seems very foreign! It makes me wonder a little bit about Spanish health care. Coming from a family that has a lot of medical background and influence, it has always been very clear to me that to be a doctor, it takes a certain kind of person with compassion and yearn to help people. Definitely not everybody is cut out for the job. But if doctors are paid by a fixed salary, will they necessarily still be doing their job to the fullest? I mean, that is, the doctors here in Spain are paid the same salary, regardless how many patients they see a day or how well they do their job. So who’s to say that there aren’t doctors out there who might exploit that? I guess it could always be argued from the opposite point of view too…but I’ve always been surrounded by very trusting and caring doctors, nurses, etc (Thank you, Dad, Tita Ising, Uncle Shu, Tita Aida, JoJo, Aunt Christine,Tita Timi, and all other doctors/nurses in my family/life) so I guess I’ve always taken it for granted that I’ve never had to worry about my medical issues. Ahhh, it’s such a strange outlook on the medical field that I’ve never heard of before! I can appreciate the availability of health care here, but I feel like there’s just something a little off about it. I’m not sure! I can’t put my finger on it.

Many Spanish people really like and support Obama. One of my first weeks in class, I learned about the Spanish political scale. Okay so, on a scale from 1-10:
1=Communism (Stalin)
10=Nazism (Hitler)
5=Neutral/Moderate
Anywhere from 3.5-7.8 is considered in the “normal political arena”–that is anything between that range is decent politics. So anything below 3.5 is taking a turn toward socialism and communism; and anything past 7.8 is headed toward fascism and nazism. With that in mind, take a look at these rankings:
4.8=PSOE
5.2=Obama and Clinton
7.8=Bush
So according to the Spanish scale, the Bush administration was border-lining as a fascist government. How crazy is that? Whoever thought that our country could be considered “borderline fascist”? That was a shocker to me. I wish I could go into more detail without having this sound like a class lecture! But it is so interesting to learn about history and politics from a different country. It has given me a whole new outlook about politics and government.

My favorite teacher here Deborah (you were right, Willow! She is a superb teacher) is one of the smartest most knowledgeable people I have ever met. She talks about history, politics and current events in a way that I have never heard before. She puts things in a very interesting perspective. When she teaches history, she just doesn’t talk about dates, she talks about the family history, the scandals, mental/physical illness people had. She is like the History Channel but in one half-American/half-Spaniard woman. I like to call her a walking encyclopedia. She talks about history like it was a crazy bar fight that happened during the weekend. Haha it’s really awesome. I’ve always enjoyed history itself, but never an actual history class–except for this one! It is fascinating. I think I’ve probably learned more in her class than all of my other history classes combined.

All in all, I think it’s really funny that I had to ship myself off to Spain and learn about their politics in order to become interested in my own. I have my first mid-term tomorrow but my teacher for this class has been out of the country for the past 2 weeks and did not send or leave us any information whatsoever about the exam. Hmm…I guess we’ll just see what happens! Wish me luck. I’ll probably need it.

Fala Português?

That means: Do you speak Portuguese? I got back from Portugal last night and it was INCREDIBLE. I loved it. It was so beautiful, gorgeous and relaxing. Like I mentioned in my last post, this trip was paid for and included through my program. We left at 9:30 AM and arrived in Portugal just before 12. Portugal is 1 hour behind Spain.

Our first stop was Lagos, a quaint little beach town. As we were driving through, the houses reminded me a lot of the Philippines. It was really neat. We stayed in Lagos for just a few hours so we could take pictures and stretch our legs from the 3+ hour drive. On the beach, my friends and I found this rock structure that we climbed on and took some great pictures. Also, there was a guy on the peach who was practicing yoga. He was ridiculously good at it. I wish I had gotten some pictures of him, but my camera died. He was balancing himself on all these rocks doing perfect hand stands. It was really cool to watch.

At this little stand, I bought a big shell to hang on my wall in my room. Its really gorgeous and intricate. At the stand though, there was this little doggy who was the cutest thing! His name was Dingo and I loved him. I wanted to take him home with me!

After Lagos, the bus took us to our hotel in Portimao which was just about 45 minutes away. After we settled in our rooms, we headed to the beach to relax and get some sun. The water and landscape in Portugal is absolutely gorgeous. I couldn’t stop taking pictures! After we enjoyed a beautiful sunset, we had a tasty dinner then relaxed on the beach a little more before going to bed. The next day it was raining pretty hard most of the morning. My friends and I got some souvenir shopping done. There was so many colorful and cute things I wanted to get it all!

One thing really interesting about Portugal was the language. For some season, much of the world seems to believe that Spanish and Portuguese are very similar sounding languages. This is a well spread rumor because Portuguese is one of the strangest languages I’ve heard! It sounds like the people are speaking with their mouths full of air. I would describe it as a cross between Polish, French and Italian. Its spelling is similar to Spanish, but the pronunciation is not at all.

Portugal is a beautiful country. I definitely would go back to visit. It was such a relaxing and enjoyable time and the scenery was just breath taking. As my friend said when we were coming back, “Now we can die and say we’ve been to Portugal.”