Diego Maradona: Between the Garden of Good and Evil
on July 29, 2010 by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
The flamboyant head coach of the Argentina national team was sacked by Argentine Football Federation (AFA). Diego Maradona, who arguably used to be one of the best football players ever (If not the best), drove the star studded Argentinean team to yet another disappointing finish. Many claimed that “Hand of God” (A title that was given to him after his villainous goal against England in 1986 FIFA World Cup), wasted a golden opportunity to capture another world cup for his country. (His super talented side lost to Germany 4-0 in quarter finals of World Cup in South Africa).
On the touchline, Maradona stood helplessly as Germany went for the kill, and that made Argentinean football fans real upset and disappointed.
Human History in 300 Words
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
Standing up and apparently eating an apple
FIRE followed by that bone throw thing from 2001: A Space Odyssey
"Good Debt" and "Bad Debt?"
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
You’ve heard the story: A private business borrows money foolishly — say, to finance a corporate jet used mainly to fly the CEO off to ski. That borrowing surely results in “bad debt” — not necessarily debt that will not be repaid, but rather debt unwisely incurred, with little offsetting long-run benefit. On the other hand, the same firm might borrow to update its production equipment. That borrowing would increase debt, but it would be “good debt.”
The same could be true of a family. Borrow to finance an expensive vacation that you cannot afford in cash, and you accumulate “bad debt.” But borrow for education, or for a home where you build equity, and that is “good debt.”
New York Times Article Misses Benefits of Job Training Benefits
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
A recent New York Times article: “After Job Training, Still Scrambling for a Job” paints an inaccurate picture of the benefits of job training, and I’d like to illustrate why.
Food52’s Best Beef Burgers Showdown: Vote For The Best Dish
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
For the past year, Food52.com readers have been voting in weekly showdowns of reader-submitted recipes on a given theme. The winning recipes of each week will end up in Food52’s upcoming cookbook, along with bios of the people who submitted them (Food52 explains the process in simple detail here).
Food52 and its co-founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs have invited you, fun-loving HuffPost Food readers, to vote on the contest for week 5 (of the second year).
I’m Younger in My Sixties Than I’ve Ever Been Before
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
It didn’t happen overnight, this late-in-life sense of youthful possibility; it crept up on me slowly, like time-released vitamins. Once I hit 50 I felt liberated. I no longer had to maintain my status as a sex object. At 60 I experienced even more freedom. Then, over the past few years I started noticing that I felt good, really good — calmer, saner, more at peace with myself and the world. It wasn’t the result of any outer event or accomplishment but more a inner feeling of well-being. And it’s not that I don’t have problems; I have less money and security now than I did when I was younger. Life isn’t perfect and the problems still exist but somehow the angst associated with them has dissolved or perhaps, like a fever, it has run its course.
No one is more surprised at this than me. I’m not by nature a happy person; I lean towards melancholy, depth psychology and Russian novels. Nor have I lived a charmed life. Quite the opposite; my life has always been a struggle. I grew up in a wealthy, Jewish suburb on Long Island; the only problem was that my parents were poor and Christian. My mother was schizophrenic, my father was alcoholic and abusive; as a result I had problems with men, issues with food and instead of low self esteem, I had no self esteem.
MediciTV Streams Live From Verbier Festival In France
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
To hear the tones bouncing from violinist Joshua Bell’s strings is an experience in and of itself. To see the sweat form on his brow (and his vivaciousness guarantees a bit of sweat now and again) is part of the joy of watching a classical musician who is unabashedly in love with what he does. Last night at the Verbier Festival, he was paired with acclaimed pianist Yuja Wang for a performance of Schumann and Beethoven. If you missed it, turn again to our latest (and favorite) discovery: MediciTV.
Where we attended Glyndebourne Opera Festival last week, we’ve now made our way to France for the Verbier Festival. The remainder of the festival will see classical virtuosos taking the stage to perform Brahms, Bach, Mozart, and Chopin with distinct fervor. You do have to create an account to continue watching for free and for unrestricted amounts of time, but it is a quick and painless process – not to mention one that’s free of charge.
Reclaiming the Sword: 50 Years Later, a Brief Account of Africa’s Road to Independence
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
On June 30th of this year, in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Belgian King Albert II stood alongside 39-year-old Congolese President Joseph Kabila to celebrate the country’s 50 years of independence from Belgium. The two men watched in silence as the Congolese military paraded along the city’s main avenue, an avenue recently renovated with the assistance of Africa’s newest “best friend,” China.
Exactly 50 years earlier, on June 30th, 1960, King Albert II’s late brother, King Baudouin, rode down the same boulevard in an open-top limousine, accompanied by the Congo’s first President, Joseph Kasavubu. He had come there to grant freedom to the Congolese people, after some 80 years of brutal colonial rule. A large crowd had gathered to welcome the “Bwana Kitoko” (handsome master), most of them unaware of the true content and limits of their eagerly anticipated independence.
Governor Perry Caught in Explosive Dirty Deals Scandal
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
This week, Governor Rick Perry has found himself mired in a growing scandal over his sneaky land deals that have netted him over a million dollars while in public office. Here’s more on this nasty scandal:
The Dallas Morning News found evidence that Perry’s investment was enhanced by a series of professional courtesies and personal favors from friends, campaign donors and the head of a Texas family with a rich history of political power-brokering.
‘Restore The Gulf’ Campaign Backed By Oil Companies; Celebs Remove Support
on by Jude Emantsal in Other News, Comments (0)
About a week ago, a group called Restore The Gulf (not affiliated with the official government website restorethegulf.gov) popped up. Their main goal? Encourage people to sign a petition that read the following: “I demand that a plan to restore America’s Gulf be fully funded and implemented for me and future generations.”
This campaign was supported by a star-studded PSA, featuring Sandra Bullock, Peyton and Eli Manning, Blake Lively, Lenny Kravitz, Harry Shearer, Dave Matthews, John Goodman and others. But this campaign looks to have had a spill of its own: the campaign was created by major oil companies.