link Sumo Hit By New Match-Fixing Allegations in Japan – WSJ.com.
With all due respect to traditional Sumo fans, the entire sport of Sumo can be summarized by the following sentence. Two semi nude fat guys grapple in a circular ring until the biggest of the fat guys pushes the smaller one down and out of the ring.
That’s it. That’s the sport. Of course that greatly glosses over the history, tradition and protocols observed in preparation for and during the matches. There are people whose entire lives and careers are consumed with the tradition of Sumo. Many ritual elements surrounding the sport are considered sacred and performed much as they were centuries ago when the sport originated. Apart from their R -rated attire contrasted with their massive size, the exquisitely lacquered hairdos are signature elements of the sport. Feeding just one of these massive blobs of humanity could engage the entire breakfast shift at a McDonald’s store. But through the centuries, the sport has endured. As we know, the Japanese are big on tradition and custom, consequently such attributes as honesty and integrity are prized in that society.
While there are and have been foreign participants in the sport, oddly sumo hasn’t really caught on in any other part of the world and remains peculiar only to Japan. This may have something to do with advertising space. You could imprint a logo onto the surface of the grappling ring, but that would offend those with traditional sensibilities. Despite the billboard sized expanses of flesh available on the wrestlers, having logos of McDonald’s or Coca Cola tattooed on their backs would also raise some eyebrows. While I’m sure there are subtleties to the sport, it’s a fair guess that the bigger guy usually wins. You would think then that the smart money is on the fattest guy; how much drama can there be? If the 300 pound guy regularly beats the 400 pound guy, well that could be suspect.
On the other hand, if two equally robust wrestlers went at it and one tripped and fell, is that a fix? If the average match lasts about 3 seconds, about the time it takes to play a round of rock-paper-scissors, how can you tell if there’s a dive happening? I suppose it comes down to the personal honor of the wrestlers, but if someone paid you oodles of money to take a dive in a 3 second match, it’d be tempting. But this is Sumo! A sport rich with history, tradition and honor. This is not baseball with their corked bats or cycling with rampant steroid use. This is not some crass commercial sport! To paraphrase the kid who pleaded with Shoeless Joe Jackson when he was rumored to have been involved in fixing World Series games in 1919, “Say it ain’t so Musashimaru, say it ain’t so!”
link Iran: Riots sign of Islamic awakening – Israel News, Ynetnews.
The most annoying thing about this article is not the rhetoric offered by the Supreme Religious poobah, because that kind of yada yada yada is expected from that camp. What else is he going to say? The virus of political upheaval has infected virtually all of the nations in the middle east beginning with Tunisia a month ago. Apparently, normally compliant citizens are spontaneously rising up as unruly mobs to throw off the yokes of dictatorial leaders who for years have kept them poor, oppressed and isolated from the outside world. According to this Supreme Leader, the mobs want to make a change and would prefer to be oppressed, impoverished and isolated from the outside world by their version of Islamic fundamentalist leadership. Not being a resident in that part of the world, it’s not that easy for me to differentiate between types of oppressive regimes. This is not the absurdity that is amusing to me however.
The absurdity comes later on in the piece where it says that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen,
“…told Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central that he had spoken to his military counterparts in Egypt and was reassured they have no intention of firing on their own people…”
!!!!
Jon Stewart??? One of the most dangerous social and political events of the past generation are unfolding before the world and the Admiral is interviewed by Jon Stewart?? Isn’t he a comic? Wasn’t Stephen Colbert available? Is it not Stewarts’ job to amuse people? For years, Stewart has been treating his loyal liberal audience with witty and biting ‘satire’ on the foibles of the political right. When called on his outrageous comments, he smugly scurries back behind the screen of “it’s comedy, you can’t take what I say seriously!” There was a poll conducted a while ago in which it was determined that Jon Stewart was the most credible person representing the views of progressives in America. This is alarming because Americans who follow and revere Stewart will think that clever irony and wit are more credible than genuine problem solving. To a large extent, this fantasy has gripped a large part of America today.
Charisma and popularity are mistakenly confused with competence and experience. That shortcoming is now obvious on the main political stage. Social and political issues are real and they are complex. When the opinions of actors, comedians and jugglers are more influential than those who actually have experience and knowledge in their fields, it can only lead to grief. What if Admirals started doing stand up? It’s very scary when people who purport to drive the discussions on the major issues of the day are on at 8pm, 7 central time.