Presenting Juan Manual Santos

I have been getting upset about Spain a lot recently. Much of this stems from the fact that my favorite player, who I believe is deserving of starting playing time, is not getting into games. I've tried to trace back to what make Cesc Fabregas different and what is the cause of his absence from Spain's line. I'll start from where I trace back farthest then work my way back to surface claims.

1. Squad Selection: Vicente del Bosque made a huge error in leaving out Marcos Senna. I understand that Senna is getting old and has struggled with fitness, but he's two years removed from being named the player of the Euro 2008 tournament that Spain won. Because Senna isn't in the line up, Spain has been forced to play two holding midfielders. This has been counterproductive because it is taking away a creative force that could potentially lead Spain to scoring more goals. Sergio Busquets just cannot cut it as a holding midfielder because he's slow and weak. Xabi Alonso doesn't have the size or physicality, though he can tackle with the best of them. I haven't seen enough of Javier Martinez to make a judgement about him. Bottom line is that not one of those players can cope alone with playing the holding role.

2. The Barcelona factor: Xavi and Iniesta have a great partnership at Barcelona. However, both of them are very passive in their movements. Iniesta is perhaps a bit more aggressive on and off the ball, but both of them don't make strong moves to receive the ball unless the ball is near them. Obviously, having come through La Masia, both of them possess the skills any Barcelona player would have, but they are missing an element which Fabregas has gained from playing in England.

Cesc is a far more aggressive player in England because he's had the benefit of being the sole focal point of Arsenal's attack. He has the touch and the vision of Xavi, but since he is the primary playmaker, he is always looking to get the ball to his feet. This means he's always supporting whoever has the ball and looking to make a play or pass to the forwards to put them in an advantageous scoring position. Additionally, he's not afraid to make the forward run. Far too often, Ineista and Xavi play it safe. Cesc isn't afraid to make the run through the line of defense to get a scoring opportunity. He's excels at this.

I hate to come back to this as well, but statistically, Cesc was more impactful than Iniesta and Xavi COMBINED. Cesc had a direct impact on 36 of Arsenal's goals this season, while Xavi and Ineista combined for only 31 of Barcelona's goals. That alone should widen your eyes.

3. The Winger factor: del Bosque has tried to use David Silva and Jesus Navas to get out wide. I do not disagree with this strategy. I just disagree with having one winger in the game. I just don't think either of those players can be as effective if they're the only winger in the game. For a winger to be truly effective, you need to have two wingers to stretch out the defense. del Bosque is struggling between formations and tactical strategies. I think it's not intelligent to say "just play." It is important to make tactical changes so that you can be as effective as possible.

Cesc's aggression can better fit the playing style of Xavi and Iniesta or any other midfielder. He can be the link that Spain needs to get their killer forwards into scoring positions. He's proven all year that he can do it at Arsenal where he is undoubtedly the man. I think the more Cesc plays, the more he will prove that he is worthy of being in the line up. Perhaps, del Bosque has already made up his mind though. I don't blame him. I'm very opinionated about this and I know Spain has a plethora of talent that no other team in the world can boast. He has his own opinion on what best benefits the team. I know Cesc was a huge factor in Spain's Euro 2008 triumph, and I believe he will be a huge factor if they do go on to hoist the World Cup in 2010.

Education in America

Apparently, the gap between students and athletes is increasing in terms of school spending:

As colleges across the country spend increasingly more on athletic programs — a median $84,446 per athlete in 2008, up almost 38% from 2005 — academic spending hasn’t changed proportionally — a median $13,349 per student, up about 20% over the same period, according to a report released today by the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.

Over 18 months, the athletic reform commission compiled data on college sports finances and found that at institutions belonging to major athletics conferences, median spending per athlete ranged from four to almost 11 times more than median spending on students for educational purposes. In 2008, median per capita athletics spending for Football Bowl Subdivision conference institutions was $84,446, compared to a median $13,349 per capita for academic spending.

This is distressing because some of us are paying a king's ransom to get our college education and we're not getting the education we deserve. If we are spending x number of dollars on our education, schools should be spending x number of dollars to educate us. Now, one might say schools are a business. I disagree. We have schools to increase our human capital. As people become more educated, our country accumulates more human capital. If we're not investing in human capital, we're going to fall behind the likes of India, China and the like who have stronger educational programs.

We need to invest more in math and sciences to develop stronger science based workers. We aren't just devoting more resource to workers of other countries because they are cheaper. It is also because we are not producing workers of the same technical capabilities. Our educational system has been the same for such a long time. Now, college and universities are forced to cram more information in their curricula than ever before. Students need to get advanced degrees just to advance their careers rather than supplement them. If we start educating stronger in middle school and high school, we can give our students the necessary background to thrive in the world working environment.

We are no longer leading the world. We are actually behind and we need to catch up. Reforming our educational policies and strengthening that system will go a long way in leading the road back. However, if we continue to cut programs, we might follow the path of our auto industry. Except no one is going to bail out the United States of America.

Rape Trap

A South African doctor has created a female condom with teeth to identify rapists:

The woman inserts the latex condom like a tampon. Jagged rows of teeth-like hooks line its inside and attach on a man's penis during penetration, Ehlers said.

Once it lodges, only a doctor can remove it -- a procedure Ehlers hopes will be done with authorities on standby to make an arrest.

"It hurts, he cannot pee and walk when it's on," she said. "If he tries to remove it, it will clasp even tighter... however, it doesn't break the skin, and there's no danger of fluid exposure."

This sounds painful.

Gaffes Are Laughs

in Shep's Universe:

Fan Trespassing

Under the Border Walk

Replacing Kaczynski

Yachting Solves No Problems