Currently Reading Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and Abraham's The Dragon's Path

I am currently in the process of reading two different books: Leo Tolstoy's late nineteenth century classic Anna Karenina and, much more recently written, Daniel Abraham's initial book in his ongoing fantasy Coin and Dagger series, titled The Dragon's Path.  I am a third of the way done with each book...both are very well written but I'm experiencing different reactions so far to each of them.  In Anna Karenina, I find myself in the unenviable position of being committed to reading a long novel that, at least for myself, contains no characters for whom I feel any sense of empathy.  They're all obnoxious, self-absorbed scoundrels, from what I've read so far! But I'm ready to give Tolstoy the benefit of the doubt and see what he has in store for the rest of the book.  Empathy is no problem at all, though, with Abraham's The Dragon's Path.  My problem here is that the author apparently has set out to recreate the dynamics of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, with the names and locales changed.  There's a Tyrion-like character in it, as well as one resembling Ned Stark...along with another reminding me of his daughter Arya.  And there's a counterpart here to the troublesome Lannister family as well.  But it's fun reading and I'm prepared to see how the author will make his series distinct in character from Martin's...

Soccer: League Teams Play Better Than National Teams

Every few weeks during the international soccer season, the various leagues which are scattered across the continents interrupt their schedules and the top players from each country regroup into their national teams to play in tournaments.  For me, I don't care too much for these "superteams": one, they inspire a spirit of often jingoistic nationalism among fans...two, there is more to a team than just throwing together some star players occasionally.  In soccer, as in other team sports, the players on a team need to get to know each other well, especially when it comes to passing the ball and positioning themselves in order to be in the optimal offensive and defensive locations, depending how the game is going at any particular moment.  For eleven players on the field to be able to work well like this together requires a great deal of practice and game experience, something that simply is unavailable to national teams.  Maybe the only exception to this is every four years during the World Cup, which takes place prior to most of the leagues' regular seasons (although not for the U.S.) and affords more of a continuity to better prepare the players on national teams to raise their level of play.  But to stage these national team tournaments in the middle of the league regular season?  I don't get it...

I was dismayed the other night while watching one of these games, this one pitting the United States against Ecuador.  I missed the early part, during which the U.S. managed to score a goal against their South American opponent. While watching their performance, which was sluggish and uncoordinated, I marveled how they could have managed even that one goal.  Anyway, Ecuador did come back late in the match to tie it 1-1.  But it was obvious on both sides, and especially for the U.S. team, that these players were not comfortable playing with each other...and why not?  Their strongest ties were with their league teams.  I personally doubt that the American national team would have a shot at beating ANY of the English Premier League teams...even those at the bottom of the standings like Burnley or Queens Park Rangers.  I even think they'd probably have their hands full against an MLS team in the United States like Seattle or D.C. United.  No, I don't care for these national teams...just give me league play or tournaments involving intact league teams...

Just Finished Reading Robert Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

I just finished reading science fiction writer Robert Heinlein's 1966 novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.  Its general theme is the struggle of the moon's inhabitants, in the year 2076, for independence against the Earth that has been exploiting them while imposing authoritarian rule.
Originally a penal colony for the Earth's convicts (reminiscent of Australia's original role in the British Empire), the moon's population by 2076 is overwhelmingly "free", i.e. non-criminals who are mainly the inmate/exiles' offspring and descendants.  Due to the high ratio of men to women here, women are not only highly exalted, but a new form of marriage, the "line" marriage, which is comprised of many husbands and wives in one compact, has taken hold.  The chief protagonist is Manuel "Mannie" O'Kelly, who occupies a special niche in that he apparently is the only one on Luna (which is the proper name for the moon) who can communicate with the supercomputer that controls the telecommunications and life-support systems for the inhabitants.  And he has developed a personal, conversational rapport with "Mike", its mutually agreed upon name.  Mannie is apathetic to the growing resistance movement against the Earth's rule over Luna, but the ensuing plot entangles him with rebel characters (the beautiful Wyoming ("Wyoh") and the anarchist Professor Bernardo).  Together, with Mike as the "commander", they form the initial and topmost cell of an intricate resistance network that is well-nigh impossible for the authorities to break through informants and arrests.  Does the revolt succeed? Well, let's just say that Heinlein has obviously invested a great amount of time and thought determining the factors involved in a successful overthrow, and Mannie's group applies them with zeal.  But the main strategic goal in garnering independence from Earth, which is not to conquer the occupying power but rather to convince it that the political and economic cost of maintaining control isn't worth the effort, has a direct application to what had been going on in 1966, when this novel was published: the U.S. effort to subdue the Communists in Vietnam...which was eventually abandoned because of popular opposition at home, not military defeat abroad.

I was impressed by the attention to detail that Heinlein gave to describing society on Luna, a world inhabited almost completely underground (making it more three-dimensional than on Earth) and which has a thriving, functional economy and system of justice and social mores parallel to, but distinct from, that recognized by the "official" Earth government stationed there.  This is one of those books whose significance has not faded with time...Heinlein's ideas matter today as much as then, even though we never did around to establishing ourselves on the moon. Our current president says we don't need to go back because we've "already been there".  Brilliant.

And on a more speculative note, I wonder how much influence, if any, Heinlein's talking, sentient supercomputer Mike had on Arthur C Clarke's computer Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey, which came out on the big screen the following year...

Football Suspensions, Due Process

This week in Southeastern Conference football has been marked by two suspensions of star players.  One is Florida's backup quarterback, freshman Treon Harris, who heroically brought his team back from behind in the second half against Tennessee and was possibly slated to take over the starting role.  The other is Georgia's phenomenally talented running back Todd Gurley, whose multitude of long runs had propelled himself into this year's Heisman Trophy discussion.  Harris' trouble came after a woman filed a sexual assault complaint against him, it allegedly happening the Sunday morning following the Tennessee game, and Gurley's after it was revealed that the NCAA was investigating him for violating their rules by selling his own autographs.  In both cases, their colleges immediately suspended him from football...Florida went a step further and banned Harris from campus and classes, only allowing him to take on-line courses.  Just a couple of days ago, though, the woman withdrew the complaint... although her lawyer stated that she might refile it on another day...and Harris was "cleared" of the accusation without ever having been officially charged for the alleged crime.  The University then fully reinstated him, although he will miss tonight's Gator game against LSU.  As for Gurley, he is not accused of anything yet, and what he is being investigated for is no crime but rather an infraction of a private organization's rules.  Yet he will suffer an indefinite suspension unless that investigation results in his exoneration.

Sexual assault is a very serious matter, as it should be...and it is also a very big "hot button" social issue, which is certain to inflame many people to anger and a spirit of vengeance when they hear of it.  But just being accused of something does not automatically imply guilt, and I had been under the impression that one of the factors making our society here in America more civilized is the concept of "due process", whereby one so accused is presumed innocent until an orderly and rational process of presenting evidence and witnesses, all subject to scrutiny and cross-examination, can determine guilt or innocence.  With the lack of convincing evidence or the withdrawal of the accusation, the accused should not have to suffer under a cloud of suspicion for the alleged crime and should be treated as an innocent person.  Popular opinion should play no role in his or her treatment.  But I believe the University of Florida, influenced by the public relations angle of the case, decided to presume guilt upon Harris with its knee-jerk suspension and ban.  As for Gurley, he is also being treated unfairly right now, regardless whether investigation ultimately bears out his guilt or not.  No, universities are not a part of the judicial system, and the concept of due process, as it has been strictly interpreted by the law, pertains to that judicial system, not independent organizations.  But due process IS now almost universally considered to be an essential element of fairness in our society and needs to be practiced wherever it can...

October Running Mileage Over 100 After Ten Days

My running mileage has spiked drastically over the past few days...in fact, in the first ten days of October, I've run 102 miles.  This may be the most I've ever run in a ten-day period, and that includes my marathon-training period of late 2010-early 2011.  But then I was going on very long, single runs while now, my runs are broken up throughout the day into smaller units.  I'm not sure, but I think this way it is not taking the same toll on my legs and feet as it did before.  Eventually, though, I do want to do some long runs as I'd like to get back into running half-marathon races.  But first things first: I'll see how well this new strategy works for me, at least during the next few days...

Just Finished Reading William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying

Recently I read one of William Faulkner's novels, his fifth one, titled As I Lay Dying.  In it Faulkner relates the tale of a rural Mississippi family, the Bundrens, as they deal with the circumstances surrounding the mother, Addie, and her sickness and death...and her wish to be buried many miles away in a town called "Jefferson".  Her husband, Anse, goes along with that wish...but he has his own selfish agendas, one of which is to buy himself some "new teeth" for his rotted mouth, and the other...a shocker which is only revealed at the story's end.  In the process, while the entire family goes on the trek to carry Addie's corpse to the eventual burial site...slowly by a mule-drawn cart...he proceeds to bleed his own children of their own property, money, and health,  with little regard to their sufferings.    In this family are three grown sons (Cash, Darl, Jewel), a young son (Vardaman) and one daughter (teenager Dewey Dell). Each family member has their own story to tell, as well as some of the people surrounding them in the story.  And that's how Faulkner presents this tale...filtered through the perspectives of the various characters involved, without a unifying narrative.  Sometimes this makes the story a little difficult to follow, but eventually it all comes together.  By far the most interesting (and compelling) of these perspectives is that of Vardaman, who as a little boy sees everything going around him with open, innocent eyes and with often hilarious, often sad interpretations.  I found myself looking forward, as I made my way through As I Lay Dying, for the next "Vardaman" section...

As I Lay Dying was adapted to film in 2013 by James Franco, who not only directed it but starred as Darl Bundren.  As it was available on Netflix, I watched it after finishing the book.  Although Franco did a masterful job of adhering to the book's format, plot, and characterizations, those "Vardaman" sections that I had enjoyed so much had been significantly cut, sad to say.  Still, I heartily recommend the movie, as well as the book...although you must understand that this literary/cinematic experience may mess with your emotions a bit.  It did for me...

2014 Baseball Playoffs Reach League Championship Series Stage

Now that the divisional series have all finished in this 2014 Major League Baseball season playoffs, we are left with four surviving teams: Baltimore and Kansas City in the American League...and St. Louis and San Francisco in the National League.  The Royals and Giants, the wild-card one-game winners, have continued their momentum and knocked off teams originally thought to be favorites (Los Angeles Angels and Washington, respectively).  The Orioles and Cardinals (who are coming off impressive series wins against Detroit and the LA Dodgers) are both well-managed teams, both with a strong sense of unity and a strong bullpen...crucial in those later innings after the starting pitcher, no matter how strong he has pitched earlier, begins to tire and becomes vulnerable.  Just ask the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose star-studded lineup could not save them against the Cardinals when their starters (especially Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw) could not depend on relief pitching to help them out when they began to fade in the 6th and 7th innings.  Baltimore and St. Louis, on the other hand, are rock-strong with their relief pitching...and for this reason, I pick them to make it to the World Series.  However, my personal preference is to see Baltimore face off against San Francisco...with the Giants ultimately prevailing.

The League Championship Series begin Friday with Baltimore playing Kansas City while St. Louis plays San Francisco, beginning on Saturday.  I expect some exciting, well-played games in these upcoming series...

Upcoming Election Highlights Florida Governor Race

On Tuesday, November 4, the mid-term elections will be held.  Where I'm at, the elections run from the state-wide governor's race to the local county commission, with some local and state taxing and constitutional amendment questions as well.  It would be a good idea not to wait the day before voting to get as much information on the candidates and issues...that is, assuming you're going to make the effort to get out and vote on Election Day (or in the preceding days comprising the early voting period).

The main election for the state of Florida is for governor, with incumbent Republican Rick Scott facing off against his immediate predecessor, now-Democratic Charlie Crist (there's a strong Libertarian Party candidate as well).  The television ad campaign has been full of vile mudslinging and misrepresentation.  Regardless of which side you're supporting, I can't walk away from this campaign thinking that whoever gets elected will have serious image (and, ultimately, leadership) problems to contend with as sitting governor.  As for me, I can handle either's election, although I think Crist would make the better governor for the next four years as he doesn't subscribe to a narrow ideological viewpoint like Scott.  I also think that the accusation that Crist abandoned the Republican Party is absurd when the opposite is in fact the case.  As is the charge that he was responsible for the high unemployment rate during his earlier term in office...when in fact that was part of the nationwide severe recession that arose from the banking crisis that happened at the close of the George W. Bush presidency.  I also am critical of Scott for his unreasonable hostility toward President Obama...whether one likes it or not, in a democracy you campaign and vote for your side, but if the other wins then you respect the office they hold and deal with them in a respectful manner.  It doesn't mean you have to hug the guy (which is something that hounds Crist among his right-wing detractors), but you can at least treat him as if he weren't a usurping enemy of the people.  And the pro-Scott ads trashing Crist's past and present association with our current president?  They seem to have forgotten that Obama carried Florida in both 2008 and 2012...

English Soccer Regular Season Permeated with Tournaments

I had written before about how I was surprised that soccer in England isn't just about the various teams going through the regular season, but that the top teams are also involved in the European soccer championship series, the advancing rounds of which are interspersed between regular season league games.  As it turns out, I was only scratching the surface of the presence of soccer tournaments within the regular season.  For there are two other very prominent championship tournaments ongoing in English soccer, and they involve the English leagues themselves: the Football League Cup and the FA Cup.

In the Football League Cup, all 92 teams within the top-four tiers of English soccer (Premier League, Championship, League 1, and League 2) face off in a series of knockout rounds to produce a final champion.  Although the Premier League teams are obviously the heavy favorites here, there are many instances of a lower-tier club defeating a higher one.  In fact, tier-four Bradford City actually made it all the way to the championship game in 2013!  I thought it was cool that lower-level teams got to play against the "big guys"...that is, until I discovered the FA Cup...

In English soccer, there are many, many levels in the league structure.  In the top ten tiers, there are over 700 teams.  And in the FA Cup tournament every year, each and every one of them has a shot at winning it!  Yes, theoretically, a 10th-tier team could win the whole thing...but it's highly unlikely, as you might imagine.  Still, I'd like to keep up with the FA Cup, as well as the Football League Cup...not to mention that heretofore mentioned UEFA Champions League dealing with the overall European team championship...

Just Finished Reading Brandon Sanderson's The Hero of Ages

I just finished read the supposedly final book in fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy, titled The Hero of Ages.  I say "supposedly" because Sanderson is producing two more trilogies from his "mistborn" theme.  I'll probably get around to reading them, which are works in progress (and projected works) on the author's part.  But for now, at least, I finished another fantasy series...and this one was a winner!

In The Hero of Ages, what had originally, in the first two books, been an uprising of the people, led by "allomantic" (employing ingested metals to attain superhuman abilities) heroes Kelsier and Vin, against the tyrannical Lord Ruler and later against competing lords and their armies, has ultimately come down to a struggle against two entities: Ruin, the force of destruction and decay, and the Presever, who protects human life and is responsible for the mists that permeate the night...and recently, the daytime.  Kelsier had sacrificed his own life for the cause at the end of book #1...or did he? For he seems to reappear in The Hero of Ages.  But is that really Kelsier? This is one of the mysteries that the final book sets out to solve, and there are others as well.  Among these are special, strange entities such as the Steel Inquisitors, the Koloss, and the Kandra.  Another mystery, resolved at the end, is the relationship between the three types of metal-induced supernatural abilities that certain individuals possess: allomancy, ferochemy, and hemalurgy...and how they relate to the conflicting agendas of Ruin and the Preserver, along with the curious presence of the falling ash and the mists.  Sounds a bit complicated, but Sanderson masterfully manages it all and presents it well.  I was very impressed by the ending of Hero of Ages, which brings closure to the trilogy while leaving a future that might be written about in another (and which apparently is).  Mistborn is, to me, definitely a "must-read" in the fantasy genre.  You won't be disappointed!

Today's Florida-Tennessee Game Seen as a Survival Contest By Many

Today's University of Florida football game is an early one, starting at noon in Knoxville against the University of Tennessee.  Both the Gators and Volunteers see this as a pivotal game in their seasons, as they both are proud schools with winning traditions but recent hard times.  This is more a survivor's game than anything, for the loser will most definitely become stamped within their own community as a failure...even if they go on to a winning season and bowl appearance.  Tennessee may be able to withstand a loss better than Florida: so far this year,the Gators actually have won the games they were expected to win and their one loss was to powerhouse Alabama on the road...but try telling that to some of their many unreasonable fans, who expect perfection from them week after week.  Well, that lot will probably never be satisfied with anything the Gators do. Even if they win today's game, they'll find something negative to focus on and crow about, probably culminating in yet another call to sack coach Will Muschamp and bench starting quarterback Jeff Driskel.  But I've seen this scenario play out every season since poor Ron Zook's first season in 2002 to succeed legend Steve Spurrier as head coach.

Maybe my attitude makes me not as much of a Florida fan as others see themselves, but I'm quite happy to have a moderately successful team that challenges for their divisional title...and makes it to their very competitive conference's title game every once and a while.  And in that regard, the Gators are square in the driver's seat. A loss to Tennessee, for me, would surely be a disappointment.  But as Billy Preston once expressed in his old 1973 summertime hit Will It Go Round in Circles, it's O.K. to "let the bad guy win every once in a while"...

Just Finished Reading Ken Follett's Code to Zero

I have just finished reading my first Ken Follett novel, this one titled Code to Zero.  The story, set in the year 1958 just as America is trying to enter the space race against the Soviet Union by launching its first rocket into space, begins in a familiar way (I think I've seen this scenario in old movies): a man wakes up one morning and discovers that he no longer remembers anything about himself and his job, family, or friends.  Also, there seem to be people watching and pursuing him...this can't be good!  Eventually, our hero, whose name is Charles "Luke" Lucas, discovers that he is a top scientist deeply involved in that impending rocket launch.  Apparently, he had discovered something serious about it and was on the way to Washington to talk about it with a friend in the CIA, Anthony Carroll, when his world went blank on him.  Now, as he tries to recover his own memory and orientation with the help of Billie Josephson, an old flame from his past who is an expert in memory, he discovers that people are out to kill him in order to prevent him from carrying something out that he has no idea of.  Sounds a bit to me like the old Gregory Peck movie thrillers Spellbound and Mirage!

Naturally, I won't give away the resolution to Code to Zero...but this novel does go into the Cold War tension and competition so preeminent in the 1950s between the USA and USSR.  It also examines the fledgling technology used in rocket science (some of the chapter-heading information Follett presents in this regard is a bit esoteric for me), as well as making the claim that our government, as Joseph McCarthy once claimed, was really, truly infested with pro-Soviet spies.  I enjoyed the mainly escapist ride through the book and felt that Follett accomplished his mission in writing it (at least what I think his mission probably was): tell a story in a suspenseful manner about an interesting topic while presenting compelling characters in a way that draws out the reader's empathy or ire.  Nothing fancy, but well written within its own limitations.  So with this book behind me, I'm prepared to seek out some more Follett material...

My September 2014 Running Report

In September, my running mileage rose dramatically, ending the month at 202.3 miles.  This amount was achieved by running multiple times per day.  And I ran on every day of the month.  The longest single run I did in September was 8 miles.  As I end this productive running month, though, my body overall feels a bit sore and I may decide to take a day or two off from running before resuming.  I had been considering entering the Jacksonville Marines Half-Marathon next Saturday, but had decided against it, mainly because it hasn't cooled down enough yet.  Maybe by the end of next month, conditions may become more conducive for me running a half-marathon race  (i.e., more autumn-like weather).  If so, there's one scheduled in Apalachicola on the 27th...

Interesting Potential 2014 World Series Pairings

Now that the 2014 regular season has finished in Major League Baseball, we have the ten teams that have made the playoffs.  In one-game-series on Tuesday and Wednesday for the wild-card teams, Kansas City plays Oakland and Pittsburgh plays San Francisco.  The winners will play further in the divisional playoffs, eventually culminating in the World Series, pitting the American League champion against that from the National League.  Here are the teams this year that made the playoffs:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore Orioles
Detroit Tigers
Los Angeles (Anaheim) Angels
Kansas City Royals
Oakland Athletics

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington Nationals
St.Louis Cardinals
Los Angeles Dodgers
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Francisco Giants

This selection of teams offers several tantalizing prospects for potential World Series match-ups:

Baltimore vs. Washington: these two teams are neighbors, just a few miles down the road from each other.  Also, Washington (formerly the Montreal Expos) as a franchise have never been to the World Series, so their appearance would be special regardless of their opponent.

Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh: The last two times the Pirates were in the World Series, they won in dramatic fashion, 4 games to 3, in 1971 and 1979...and their opponent each time was the Baltimore Orioles.  No doubt the birds would like a little revenge, however belatedly.

Baltimore vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: this probably wouldn't be that exciting of a Series rematch, but the Orioles did humiliate the Dodgers 4-0 in the 1966 Series.

Detroit vs. St. Louis: in the 1968 World Series, Detroit came from behind to beat the Cardinals; St.Louis handled the Tigers in 2006.  Maybe there's a rivalry here.

Detroit vs. San Francisco: just two years ago, the Giants shut down the Tigers in a World Series sweep...something that I'm sure Detroit would like to do something about this year.

Kansas City vs. St.Louis: the Royals beat the Cardinals in the Missouri Series of 1985, largely on a controversial "safe-at-first" call late in the sixth game...and haven't been back since.  A rematch would definitely be interesting, especially for the revenge-minded Cardinals.

Los Angeles Angels vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: an all-LA series would be great, especially with such strong representatives of this area in 2014.

Los Angeles Angels vs. San Francisco: the Giants bowed to the Angels in the 2002 World Series...so aside from the north-south state rivalry, there is a payback factor in this potential pairing.

Oakland vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: these two franchises have traded World Series victories in the past, with the Athletics winning in 1974 and the Dodgers prevailing in 1988.  This match-up also has intrastate rivalry connotations.

These are just a few of the possible pairings for this season's World Series. But who do I want to see in it?

Baltimore and Pittsburgh again, but I think it's most likely to be an all-LA Series!

Stacking Up the Running Mileage Saturdays

For each of the past four Saturdays, I have amassed on each day cumulative running totals of more than than 10 miles.  I would typically have a reasonable run of about 5 miles and then make up the rest of the total with numerous, smaller runs spanning the rest of the day.  This month, I have had Saturday running mileage totals of 14, 16, 11, and (yesterday) 14.  My longest run yesterday happened to be 8 miles, which gives me a good amount of confidence when considering to enter upcoming half-marathon events.  I think I'll just continue with this "double-digit running miles" Saturday concept and make it a tradition...

UF Public Trespass Arrest Raises Questions

Earlier this week, I picked up a copy of The Independent Florida Alligator free newspaper that someone sometimes leaves lying around on tables in my workplace break room.  What drew my attention was a picture on the front of a middle-aged-to-elderly man lying on his back on the floor, being held down by three police officers.  The picture's caption carried its own headline: "Trespassed".  The caption named the man being restrained, and, along with the short explanatory article on page 4, explained that he had been arrested for "public trespass" after he had gone to the University of Florida Library West...and the workers there had looked his name up in their "public trespass file" when he went to the counter to check out a book.  No information was given as to why this individual was placed on a public trespass list, though, giving rise to speculation on my part as to whether he was profiled for his appearance.  It could well be that the arrested man had been known to the workers for causing a disturbance or complaint in the library or elsewhere on the university campus.  Melissa Mihm, the Alligator's writer, and Kristan Wiggins, the editor, should have elaborated on the reason for his being placed on a "public trespass" list...after all, they already blew this dude's privacy (not to mention humiliating him) by naming him and showing his picture on the front page.  Moreover, this would have been a good opportunity to educate the reading public as to the nature of such a list as well...what are the criteria for putting somebody's name on it?  If this guy hadn't been causing trouble and was simply profiled due to his looks, would I suffer being looked up on a "public trespass" list as well, should I make my own presence known in Library West?  After all, I'm not exactly a "spring chicken" either and often receive (undeserved) automatic senior discounts in various business locales (I guess that's a type of "positive" profiling). Were I to walk into a place like this, which is overwhelmingly populated by people my own children's age (and below), I might stand out as well.

The point I'm making here is that the Alligator was derelict in not providing enough information to support their own front-page story.  This is the type of story that can only give rise to rumors and suspicion, especially in regard to how institutions and the state treat the population at-large.  After all, supposing that this individual had elicited suspicion from the library staff simply for his appearance and not by recognition for an earlier behavioral infraction of his, this would be an example of profiling...does the library staff actually scrutinize people who walk in there by their outward appearance to determine who "belongs" and who doesn't?  A troublesome question...

CONCACAF Champions League Drawing My Attention

Lately, due largely to the lack of decent programs on television to watch, I have been spending more time watching the Spanish-language Univision sports channel (Gainesville Cox Cable Channel 410), which is almost exclusively focused on soccer...either the matches themselves or people sitting around in panel discussions of the sport.  When an actual soccer match is broadcast, usually it is one in the Liga MX Mexican soccer league.  After watching several Liga MX matches, I've become more familiar with some of the teams.  My favorite so far? Pachuca.  Pachuca, by the way, did pretty well last year as well and is one of the Mexican teams that qualified to play in this year's CONCACAF Champions League, which is an ongoing tournament, interspersed throughout the regular season, to determine North America's best soccer team.  There is one flaw I noticed with this idea of running CONCACAF like this, although the idea is pretty awesome just the same: the teams that qualify are based on LAST year's performance...but sometimes, a good team last year is an awful team this year! Take LIGA MX's Leon, which won that league's championship tournament last year but is floundering at the bottom of the standings this year so far.  Still, Leon is in the Champions's League.  Or how about the Montreal Impact of the MLS, which did well enough in 2013's final standings to beat out the other two Canadian clubs but is currently in last place in their division this year? However, as bad as they have performed in 2014, the Impact is, incredibly, one of the best teams in the Champion's League so far...even to the point of already advancing out of the Group Stage to the Quarterfinal Round even with a remaining Group Stage match to go.  So you never know exactly what you're going to get from these teams when they are switched to a different setting.

Currently I'm watching a Group Stage match between Guatemala's Comunicaciones and Puerto Rico's Bayamon.  Bayamon is having its share of problems in the Champions League, though, having lost all of their first three games and being outscored in goals 21-2...

Starbucks Suddenly Packed with Students

Seeing how I work the late night/early morning shift at my job, I often stop by on the way there in the evening at one of the Starbucks in town: the one on NW 13th Street (US 441) and 16th Avenue, just a few blocks north of the University of Florida campus.  Usually, around 9:30 to 10 PM, the place is usually about half full, peopled mostly by either students using it as a study hall or by the local police as a popular break spot.  That was certainly the case Monday evening when I went there, sitting at the window counter after musing for a moment over my numerous seating choices.  But yesterday evening I went there at the same time and could tell immediately that things had changed...the parking lot was full and overflowing.  When I entered the Starbucks, almost every seat in the store was taken by students.  I quickly put my stuff on the remaining free table inside before I got in line to order my coffee.  Two women who came in right after me, after they made their purchases, spent a lot of time wandering around looking for a place to sit.  I don't know why Tuesday was so different from Monday, since classes at UF and Santa Fe have been going on for a few weeks already.  It makes me want to stop by there again tonight to see if it's still standing room only...

Just Finished Reading Robert Jordan's Lord of Chaos

I have just finished reading Lord of Chaos, the sixth book (and one of the longest) in the fourteen-volume The Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan (the last three of which were written by Brandon Sanderson following Jordan's death in 2007). To say that the story in the series at the time of this book is convoluted and complicated would be a gross understatement.  That being said, there are some basic plot threads, which are centered around characters originating from the first book, like Rand al'Thor, Mat Cauthon, Perrin Aybara, Egwene al'Vere, and Nynaeve al'Meara...all magically-gifted people (although Mat doesn't seem to ascribe his own subtle abilities to magic) from the remote Two Rivers region. As with the other books in the Wheel of Time series, magic is either male or female in nature and the two forms are in continual conflict, with those practicing it also in opposition to each other, according to whether they are men or women.  The Aes Sedai, the dominant female magically-endowed group in this fantasy land of Jordan's, have taken upon themselves the notion they they alone are capable of responsibly using magic and go about the world trying to enforce their opinions and judgements on everyone else...which inevitably leads them into repeated confrontations with Rand, who as the "Dragon Reborn" (reincarnation runs rampant in this series) is the chief practitioner of the male side of magic...well, that's not exactly true.  For there is a group of villains going back eons called the "Forsaken" who practice their magic in an evil manner to serve the "Dark Lord" (yes, this sounds an awful lot like Harry Potter, doesn't it).  While Rand is trying his utmost to muster his forces to combat his evil opponents, he has to contend with the troublesome and intolerably arrogant Aes Sedai, who by this book are completely broken up into opposing factions and have also been deeply infiltrated by the Dark Lord.  To throw a monkey wrench into it all, protagonists Egwene, Nynaeve, and princess Elayne, all supposedly strongly on Rand's side, are heavily involved as members of the Aes Sedai. I believe I could write on, trying to explain what's going on in this series, but it would take several pages and, anyway, I'm sure that by the time I'm substantially into the next book, things will get even more complicated. Yuck!  Let me just say this: the brewing conflict between Rand and the Aes Sedai comes to a head in Lord of Chaos and, to me, represents the defining feature of the story.

I'm going to continue slogging along in this Wheel of Time series to the very end...which, according to the book's underlying philosophy, is circular in nature and then just starts back over. Gee, that sounds so philosophically profound and all, doesn't it?  But as a reader, I want a resolution of sorts to the numerous story lines and not just a lot of hanging threads. But that ain't gonna happen for a long, long time, with eight more books to go.  A Crown of Swords, which sounds more like a George R.R. Martin book, is next in the Wheel of Time series...

About Yesterday's Florida-Alabama Football Game

Yesterday, at least for a while as late as the third quarter, the University of Florida football team was keeping up with highly ranked Alabama, with the score knotted at one point at 21.  But the Gators were even with the Tide due to three turnovers that they all converted into touchdowns.  Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel had horrible passing statistics for the game, going 9 for 28 with 1 touchdown pass and 2 interceptions.  Yikes!  In contrast, Alabama quarterback Blake Sims, along with wide receiver Amari Cooper, had breakout career performances, heavily contributing to the most yards ever given up by a Gator defense in a single game.  After that 21-21 tie, Alabama protected the football while grinding out three more touchdowns and shutting down Florida's offense.  They were clearly the better team.

After the game I began to see some discontent with Florida coach Will Muschamp in the social media, some even calling for his firing.  I don't get that at all: Florida played Alabama with great tenacity and spirit; they were always big underdogs in this game and few expected them to win it...although I thought (as expressed in yesterday's article) that they had a shot.  Well, they might well have had a chance if the Tide had kept coughing up the football, but that was not to be.  This was a throwaway game for Florida...they don't need it to accomplish what could very well turn out to be a very successful season.  Florida needs more than anything to win against the other six teams in their own East Division.  If they accomplish that...no small feat...that will more than likely give them the division title, the first under Muschamp.  First things first, though: the Gators will need to get by Tennessee in their next game...while qb Driskel and the Florida defensive secondary need to regain the confidence that has been severely attacked over the last two games...