Transfer Necessities

       FC Barcelona struggles publicly during the transfer window. Perhaps it is all smoke and mirrors, but the club portrays doubt and indecision during the summer months. This begins with an inability to make purchases quickly (with the exception most recently of David Villa), and is most clearly shown with the club's inability to purchase the players that are really needed to fill gaps in the team. Reasons stem from the political nature of the club and the obsession with "Catalanism".

The Cesc Fabregas saga has been the personification of Barca's problems. Perhaps this year, or more appropriately next year, Fabregas would be the perfect fit for the club, but for the past few years his purchase would have been totally unnecessary. I will not delve into the Fabregas saga too much at the moment, but it is enough to say that it has made the club loose focus from what is really needed.

Many fans do believe that Fabregas is a necessity at the moment, but I am not one of those. But what happens if Xavi or Iniesta is injured, they ask. Affelay and Thiago are there as AM to temporarily fill in those gaps. And it is extremely unlikely that both are injured at the same time, and for very long. However, defensive issues are not a possibility in the future, they are already upon us. It is apparent that Puyol will begin having health issues. He was unavailable for a large portion of the season due to mysterious knee injuries. Furthermore he is now recovering from surgery, and we are not sure he will make a 100% recovery. Pique is a sure CB, and will be one for another several years, but our 4-3-3 formation necessitates 2 quality CBs. Luckily, the purchase of Mascherano last year gave the team a reliable substitute for that position. But he is not a native CB. Abidal is our starting LB, and we do not currently have a reliable starting LB. Moreover, even though Abi sometimes plays in the CB position for the French national side, he plays horribly in that position for Barca. He loses his marker and does not provide adequate coverage. Fontas and Bartra are players that need to be immediately introduced to the first team. But they are not ready to start big games.Thus, we really only have 1 reliable CB, and 3 possible starters. They need to begin playing in the easier games, but we need a CB of reference. My picks:

1. Thiago Silva- Currently one of the best CBs in the world. Positives: He can move the ball up the field, is tactically up to Barca's level, and is quick. He is also young, and could be a starting player for many more years. Negatives: High purchase price and the fact that he just renewed his contract with Milan. Plus, he likes it there and would not force an exit.
2. Vertonghen- Positives: young, fast, big, a natural leader, and plays for Ajax- a team which breads Barca- style players. Negatives: The club management doesn't even seem to notice his existence, and coming from an inferior league he is slightly untested.
3. Vidic- Positives: Big, excellent ability, tested, a leader. Negatives: He is the captain of ManU and would be almost impossible to pry away from them. Plus, he is older, and wouldn't be reliable for more than 4 years.

Barcelona need to begin to take some position vacancies seriously. The club was lucky to have so many high-level youth squad players graduate and begin to play at the same time. This needs to begin with defense. Mourinho's Madrid will be more threatening and more serious next year, and we need to be able to handle this offensive power. Obviously our team's defense begins with our offense and our ball possession. However, counter attacks have threatened us too many times this past season, and we need to continue to be able to handle these threats.

The next area that needs to be addressed is offensively. This year, especially towards the end, we had a lot of trouble scoring goals. When Messi doesn't drive the attack, and Villa isn't "feeling" on during the game, we are totally out of options for goals. We need options. Bojan Krkc is not an option, and thankfully it appears he will be leaving the club this transfer season. Jeffren Suarez is also not an option. The best forwards are hard to come by, and usually need to be purchased. Height would be preferable, because it would give the club another style of play if necessary. However, innate goalscorers could always be second options should one of the starting three get injured or aren't playing well. Options:

1. Fernando Llorente- Positives: Tall, amazing header (a place where we lack significantly), proven in Spain, on the national team. Negatives: Price and desire to play for Barcelona. His current club needs no money, because they spend no money.
2. Rossi: Positives: Innate goalscorer, fast, quick, proven in Spain, wants to win more and is currently not doing so with the yellow submarines. Negatives: nothing.
3. Alexis Sanchez: Positives: quick, bright future. Negatives: more of a creator rather than a goalscorer, not proven in Spain, price. 

Bon Iver - A Take Away Show

In expectation of Bon Iver's new album, Bon Iver, I'm posting this Take Away show of him playing with his band on the streets of France. Even though this video is raw and not very refined, the quality of his voice shows through.

New Beginnings

Que Queres Que Te Diga will rise from the ashes of the first year of law school and begin anew! Rodrigo and Alex will begin making posts this week. Topics to look forward to: Copa America 2011, FC Barcelona, Penya Barcelonista de Miami, freedom of speech, the Presidential elections, the economy, and much more! Stay tuned...

The Black Keys - Tighten Up [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Awesome...

A nice overview of the military history of the Spanish Civil War. Cursory, but a good introduction to an event that is virtually completely overlooked in American academia.

Dumb Keeper

No lo puedo creer!

Funny commercial

Funny commercial about Barca-Madrid rivalry.

Sometimes this is how I picture Spanish life when El Clasico approaches.

Ibrahim Ayyub on the media's manipulation of Barcelona

Ibrahim Ayyub takes the media to task for its reprehensible reporting during Barcelona's offseason. Then, he cuts apart Sandro Rosell for making zero effort to respond to a troubling phenomenon.

Great stuff from the Penya Barcelonista of Miami.

The Importance of David Villa

Fans of the beautiful game are presently gifted with an embarrassment of riches. Barcelona is playing the most attractive brand of football seen in ages. The Spanish national team is trying its best to emulate the style, and the results have been very good, although they have not yet exhibited the mesmerizing qualities of the Catalan club. Argentina and Brazil lavish praise on the Spanish style and seek to return to their own roots of aesthetically-conscious success.

With Argentina and Spain set to face off tomorrow, it will be interesting to see what new Argentine head man Sergio Batista brings to the table. Batista is a product of outstanding Argentinos Juniors and River Plate teams of the 1980s. He knew little other than success and his run of good fortune extended into a 2008 Olympic Gold Medal for his squad. Batista is known to be more pragmatic, but may experiment with an extremely aggressive 4-3-3 formation. He has recalled Andres D'Alessandro, a tactically pleasing left-winger who has been shut out of the national team since his idiotic performance in the waning moments of the 2004 Copa America final.

But it is Spain that has the world's attention right now. And rightly so. Many are wondering just how impressive La Furia's run can be. The European Championships are only two years away and the men in red had no problem dispatching Liechtenstein earlier this week. Fernando Torres looks to be back in form, while David Villa equaled Raul's all-time record of 44 goals for Spain. I've taken a while to get around to it, but it is El Guaje who is the focus of this article. Tomorrow, he will probably break Raul's record. Today, he gets a tribute from me.

What makes David Villa the world's most important player? Part of it is his humble roots. Though Villa played for Sporting Gijon and trained in Langreo, he adamantly reminds fans that his roots lie firmly in the small mining town of Tuilla, where his father worked underground. Villa's father encouraged the young Asturian through a childhood injury; though naturally right footed, Villa became functionally ambidextrous because his father helped him practiced with his left while the right leg was in a cast. Villa continued to move up the ranks despite the bafflement of some coaches. Much like many fans today, who look at the 5'9" 152 pound Villa in amazement, these trainers did not see anything special from a physical standpoint.

But Pepe Acebal summed it up best when he noted Villa's greatest strength: footballing instinct. Instinct is what leads Villa, who supposedly has no speed, to blow by defenders. Instinct allows a player without a signature move to use his footwork to make defenders look stupid. Villa is conditioned to make all the right moves. He doesn't even have to think about it. Few players are so fluid with the ball. Villa scores goals of both great effort and great skill. He scores goals of great significance. Luis Aragones made the fateful decision to make Villa the centerpiece of his attack for Euro 2008, relegating the legendary (but not nearly as productive) Raul to spectator status. The move has paid off in spades. Villa has shown the world the quality that many in Spain already knew to be commonplace. Villa lead Spain to the 2008 Euro Championship. In Spain's string of 1-0 wins during the World Cup, it was Villa who did the lion's share of the damage, before Iniesta finished off the tournament.

I read an article some months ago that compared tennis' Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in an interesting light. Essentially, it said, men want to be Nadal but they want to play tennis like Federer. Nadal is a force of nature, using a brutally strong swing and an indefatigable motor to overwhelm opponents. Federer is highly technical, fearless, and aggressive, destroying foes not with force but with precision. The comparison to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is obvious. But David Villa takes cues from both players. He has Nadal's effort and Federer's courage. Men want to be David Villa and play like him.

Villa is quite simply the best player for aspiring forwards to emulate. Most people are similarly un-blessed with an imposing physique or blinding speed. But practice, effort, concentration, and conditioning can go a long way to making up for any physical limitations. Vigorously studying the game can help to develop the reflexes and intuition necessary to make the leap to higher levels of football. And if a player career does not come to fruition, one can always enter the coaching ranks having been well prepared.

There is a bar dedicated to Villa in Tuilla. There is a tribute song from Los Berrones. There is the reaction of the Argentine public to his arrival.
David Villa is the greatest player in the history of Spain. Everything he does from this point on will only increase his margin. In the word's of Villa's hero, Quini, Villa is "a phenomenon, the best in Europe." Fuerza Guaje!!

Music that has gotten me through the week (almost)

Un tanguito Bahia Blanca por Carlos di Sarli


Fito Paez: Tu sonrisa inolvidable


B.B. King: Blind Love


Arcade Fire: The Suburbs

Ginsburg and Feminism

Ginsburg and Feminism

Shows how hard work in a dignified manner usually gets more things done. Ginsburg really fought hard against the old mentality of this country, and has accomplished a remarkable amount!

A Dedication: Gustavo Cerati

There have been few musicians in the world more influential than Gustavo Cerati. The early jazz artists of the 20th century expanded so many borders, then the early rockers of England made a huge impact, and of course followed the American and British rockers of the mid-twentieth century; but few have truly put a stamp on the twentieth century music scene the way Cerati has.

From the beginning, his work with Soda Stereo took Latin America by surprise. He was the voice of the continent in the late 1980s and early 90s. After leaving the band in the late 90s, his solo work was monumental in shaping rock music even in the United States. His work Bocanada preceded the big electronic rock/pop fad. 

His music was my high school album. So many memories are linked to his songs, that I still get goose-bumps from his voice in En La Cuidad de la Furia, from Ultimo Concierto Disco A. What hapenned to him is extremely sad. He hasn't left us in body yet, but his soul is some where in music heaven. He will be missed, but never forgotten. His music will live in the memories of my generation.

Here are a couple of videos spanning a portion of his career (from Soda to Adios):

Sin Codificar - Los Wikipedia - Cumbia Gramatical

Tendrian que utilizar esto para ensenar las clases de espanol aca en EEUU...

Ohhh Brasil...

Ref Punches Player in Brasil:
http://www.as.com/futbol/video/arbitro-expulsa-jugador-le-da/dasftb/20100811dasdasftb_9/Ves

After giving the player a card, the player protests and is quickly met with "punishment". The ref leaves the game after being chased around the entire field! I'm surprised the players didn't seriously injure him!

Happy Secular Pakistan Day

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/11/happy-secular-pakistan-day/

It seems the founder of Pakistan believed in the country having secular roots. I suppose the current Islamists cannot claim to have the "intent of the founders". If only the current Christian conservatives here would realize that our country was founded with the same secular intention!

Player Injury Compensation

It is unprecedented that a player have to compensate another for an injury incurred during a soccer game. But that is exactly what Mauro Camoranesi (naturalized Italian in 2006) is being forced to do. However, one would imagine there is a statute of limitations on such a case. It appears not, as the incident in question dates back to 1994. The victim: Pizzo, who was left with these injuries: The medical report indicated ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament tear, lateral collateral ligament rupture, rupture of internal and external meniscus of the knee capsule, biceps tendon, nerves several, bruises and tears, being about to be severed femoral artery. He never played again. From what I understand, whatever team contracts the player is the one who continues paying for medical expenses. There are also player unions that pay injured players should they be unable to continue playing.

Do you think that Camoranesi should have been forced to pay Pizzo now in 2010, or even back then in 1994? Should players be held liable for injuries committed on the field?

Minimal Living

A recent NYTimes article culminated a slew of recent discussions and observations that I've had about minimal living. I know one person who is dedicated to beginning a minimal lifestyle, another friend who is moving to New York and will, out of necessity, most likely be living a minimal lifestyle, and someone who just returned from Portland (which has taken minimalism as a part of the their mantra). Yet it isn't very distant memory in which everyone was attempting to "beat the Joneses" in the race for the newest technologies and "things". There is no doubt that the recent economic downturn has forced people to change their spending habits and as a result of a more conscience awareness of the perils of credit, many people have been forced to change their entire lifestyles. Credit was the equalizer for the lower and middle classes, and it is now extremely reduced.


I wouldn't doubt that this trend is positive in the United States. It has resulted in more awareness of what we eat. It has hopefully reduced the number of people who drive massive SUVs. It has shifted the focus of spending from items to "experiences". Perhaps more Americans will travel instead of buying new cars and furniture; and if this is so, the entire dynamic of Americans' culture could become more worldly in the long run. My great aspiration is that more people begin biking!


But are there downsides? Yes! I have at many times been a defender of consumerism. This stems not because I like to buy a lot, or because I am blind to the downsides of Americans' spending habits (this economy has led everyone to see that extreme spending is not tenable). But the effects of consumerism can be extremely positive. For example, all these strip-malls that exist may be filled with stores selling pure crap, but they also have 24-hour medical clinics that can only afford to exist because of the low rent of strip malls. Technology has advanced so quickly, in part, because of the spending habits of the wealthy and gadget-geeks. There is a definite trickle-down in technology. Options that were once only available in high-end cars (MB, BMW, etc.) are now available in Hyundais because so many purchase new cars that technologies are now cheaper. Everyone can now own a 24" LED computer screen because so many produced that the prices fall dramatically. Will technology and convenience suffer if we "regress" into the past habits of purchasing materials?


I think that this trend is positive, and very desirable, but I would offer a word of caution to fanatics of any cause: moderation, less we would like to live back in the 1700s.


What do you think? Feel free to comment.

Legal Outsourcing to India

Legal Outsourcing to India


Junior Associates, and fresh lawyers, generally do the busy work for their firms. Tasks such as contract review, due diligence, and legal research take plenty of time, and if done by young attorneys still cost hundreds of dollars an hour to get done. 


As the economy has declined big corporations began pushing their general counsels and associated firms to become more efficient and reduce costs. Thus, there was now a demand for legal outsourcing. However, major law firms are beginning to enter the market. "The number of legal outsourcing companies in India has mushroomed from 40 in 2005 to more than 140 at the end of 2009." (NYTimes article) This is totally understandable if "outsourcing firms charge between one-third and one-tenth what a Western law firm bills per hour" (NYTimes article). Litigators and specialists are not in danger, due to legislation both in India and the US, these companies cannot give legal advice (and obviously not show up in court), but the bulk of the legal work can be outsourced. 


I love the idea. The idea that you can reduce costs and work load is awesome. Imagine just worrying about prepping a case and going to court, and leaving the bulk of legal research and contractual review to an outsourced legal firm. One independent attorney could now become competitive with a major corporate firm with an army of associates. I'm just a little nervous that it could inhibit me from getting a job out of law school. Can I jump 30 years into the future as an experienced attorney?

Your thoughts?

Link to Maradona Speech

Maradona's Farewell Speech

After listening to this the cold logic still stands: we need hardware in the trophy cabinet. And we need a coach who can get that for us. But I believe more criticism should be directed towards Don Julio and his band of thugs, not towards Diego. It is true what he says in this speech, when he joined the team it was in disarray. He did move it forward: the team was more aggressive, offensive and now has a spectacular unity. I would hate to see that destroyed. I feel bad for Diego, especially because no coach should stay on when 7 of his crew are being let go. This opinion piece quite well describes Grondona's way of handling national coaches.

Death In the Morning

By a vote of 68-55, Catalonia banned bullfighting today. The world just got a little less interesting.

Gone is the Spain of Federico Garcia Lorca and Ernest Hemingway. Gone are the days when bullfighters were as famous as footballers. Though the spectacle remains alive in the rest of mainland Spain, an extraordinarily dangerous precedent has been set. These kinds of laws do not get repealed. One wonders whether the tradition is safe. I doubt it. Cockfighting and dogfighting can go underground, as they require less space. Raising a bull is far more difficult, and the actual bullfight necessitates a sizable arena.

The Canary Islands outlawed the bloodsport decades ago, but the maritime region was never a hotbed of corrida. Catalonia certainly was. Barcelona once hosted three rings, though popularity has waned considerably in recent years.

When one thinks of Spain, certain images come to mind. Cervantes, the Civil War, football, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Iniesta, Rafael Nadal, Pamplona, Fernando Alonso, Lorca, Iglesias, Serrat, spaghetti westerns, tapas, red wines, Ibiza, blood sausage, and BULLFIGHTING. Those flags at games aren't for nothing. Gone from Catalonia is one of the things that makes Spain SPAIN.

Globalization, by and large, is a wonderful thing. It has led to a rise in incomes and standard of living. The interchange of culture and trade have made products available where they would have been unthinkable a generation ago. The sad element of globalization is that the world is getting more BORING. If I can't see a bullfight in Barcelona, in all seriousness, what the hell is going on? I saw comments in articles lauding Catalonia's "stance that aligns with the rest of Europe." Pretty soon, the only thing Spanish left will be the language!

I love travel. When I visit different places, my mind swells with the collective history of the place- battles, faces, literature, and culture. Now, part of Spanish lore is relegated only to the words of the past. Many will forget that it was ever a central part of life.

If you don't like drugs, you don't have to do them. If you don't like a TV show, you don't have to watch. If you don't like bullfighting, don't go to the arena. Why bury someone's cherished tradition because you find it disturbing? Those who argue against bullfighting on grounds of "civilization" ought to think thrice about their own stances toward Islam. Much of Europe has enacted "hate speech" laws that render jail terms for the voicing of anti-religious sentiment. Last time I checked, Islam has been a bit destructive as of late. Of course it is absurd to ban such a thing, but by the "reasoning" we all to often hear, why should it not be outlawed?

Now I know people will say "we need laws to speak for the voiceless" and "we need to protect the animals." Well, while you're at it, why don't you give animals the right to vote? Why don't you write into the Geneva convention that every animal is deserving of basic health care, housing, and education? If we protect bulls, dogs, and roosters, why not cockroaches and iguanas? Why not extend protection to plants and computers? Especially computers, as they have Artificial Intelligence and are a hell of a lot smarter than man humans, let alone animals. If you support a ban on bullfighting, you'd better not be eating red meat. After all, it was bred, held in captivity, overfed, and slaughtered for your utility and enjoyment. And, apparently, that is wrong and evil in the context of bloodsport. There is no internal consistency to animal rights nincompoops. They have no argument, no standard, and no shame. ANIMALS DO NOT HAVE RIGHTS, ONLY PEOPLE DO.