Fado, Fatima, and Futbol

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2010

Antonio Oliveira Salazar is usually described as Portugals dictator from 1932196 ! Often considered to be a clone of "is neig"bor in S#ain$ %rancisco %ranco$ Salazar &as 'uite different! (e &as an economics #rofessor at t"e ancient )niversity of *oimbra! +"en as,ed in 1926 to "el# t"e military -unta in sorting out t"e economy$ Salazar stayed in .isbon$ t"e ca#ital$ and studied t"e situation! After a fe& &ee,s$ "e said "e &ould only &or, for t"e government if given com#lete control of revenue and e/#enditures! 0"e generals said no so Salazar calmly retreated to "is economics c"air at *oimbra! 1y 192 $ &it" t"e economy facing ban,ru#tcy$ t"e military gave Salazar t"e #o&er t"at "e &anted! 0"ings turned around fast under "is leaders"i# and in 1932 "e &as named #rime minister! 2uring "is entire term$ t"e country lived as a military dictators"i# &it" Professor Salazar t"e civil administrator! (e &as not your dictator from central casting! A lifelong bac"elor$ "e &as a 'uiet introvert and a serious sc"olar! 0"e main similarity &it" %ranco &as t"at "e s"amefully encouraged t"e #olice to use informers and "e censored t"e #ress! 3any observers said t"at Salazar ,e#t on to# &it" a cynical credo distracting t"e masses ,no&n as t"e t"ree %s4 5%ado$ %atima$ and %utbol6! 17 %ado is t"e oldest urban fol, music in t"e &orld! 8t is often described as t"e soul music of Portugal! Salazar did not li,e it but it became a national craze and "e &ent along &it" it! 27 %atima is a religious s"rine in central Portugal &"ere in 1919 t"e :irgin 3ary is said to "ave a##eared to t"ree #easant c"ildren! +"ile &idely follo&ed in Portugal$ %atima is &"at is ,no&n in *at"olicism as a #rivate revelation! ;o one is re'uired to believe it or ta,e it seriously! 3ost #o#es since Pius <8 "ave been devoted to %atima but many #riests dismiss it and 8 "ave never seen a #oll among t"e *at"olic #o#ulace on "o& many acce#t it! Salazars 5regime6 #layed it to t"e "ilt$ "o&ever$ &it" some officials claiming t"at t"e :irgin 3ary ,e#t Portugal out of +orld +ar 88! 37 %utbol=t"is is sim#ly soccer! 0"e Portuguese love t"e game beyond all bounds and t"e regime encouraged clubs and #artici#ation every&"ere! 0"e #ress &as said to be encouraged to e/tend futbol coverage even t"oug" t"ey needed little! At t"e same time$ Salazar$ a brilliant and serious sc"olar "imself did not"ing to im#rove

education! 1y some measures$ literacy rates fell during "is era! .ong before 2>t" century Portugal$ regimes "ad t"eir o&n distractions! 8n ancient ?ome$ t"e #oet @uvenal &rote t"at t"e &ay t"at em#erors retained #o&er and control of t"e #eo#le &as to get t"em involved in self indulgence and trivialities! As t"e em#ire tottered to&ard colla#se t"e #eo#le seemed to "o#e for t&o t"ings=free bread and circuses! 0"ings reac"ed a lo& #oint &"en t"ere &ere nearly 1>> "olidays #er year! Sometimes$ lately$ as &e face a difficult future$ 8 &onder if &e in America are getting so involved &it" t"e trivial t"at &e lose sig"t of &"at is going on! S#orts are a great #astime but for many t"ey are no& bordering on obsession! 8t is not unusual for an adult American male to &atc" -12 "ours of football Anot futbol7 on a fall &ee,end! Peo#le "ave a rig"t to do &"at t"ey &ant during t"eir free time but it is almost as if many live vicariously t"roug" &"at ot"ers do in a stadium on a &ee,end afternoon! 0"eir "a##iness is not &it" &"at t"ey "ave #ersonally accom#lis"ed! +e in t"e media "ave only encouraged t"is by #ouring larger and large amounts of advertising dollars into s#orts #rogramming! +e "ad &"at many feel &as an im#ortant election on 0uesday$ ;ovember 2nd! 3any Americans did not bot"er to vote! 8n many Buro#ean countries t"ey vote on Sunday so t"at more #eo#le can get to t"e #olls! *an you imagine )!S! turnout if &e "eld elections on ;ovember SundaysC 8 t"in, many lazy boys &ould curl u# on t"eir .a-D-1oys$ #o# o#en still anot"er beer$ and vote for football! Actually$ t"e day after t"e election somet"ing "a##ened t"at struc, me as vastly more im#ortant t"an t"e mid-term voting results! 0"e %ederal ?eserve introduced EB2 &"ic" in-ected F6>> billion more dollars into t"e economy! EB stands for Euantitative Basing &"ic" is em#loyed &"en all ot"er avenues are e/"austed in an economy AEB1 occurred during t"e financial crisis &"en over F1 trillion &as created to #ro# u# t"e economy7! )sually t"e %ed lo&ers overnig"t interest rates to stimulate economic activity but it cannot do t"at any longer as t"e rates are nearly at zero! %inancial &riter 2avid 2ittman #ut it t"is &ay4 58t does not involve t"e #rinting of money! 0"e central ban, At"e %ed7 &ill$ &it" t"e sim#le stro,e of a com#uter ,ey$ increase t"e credit in its o&n ban, account! 0"is ne&ly formed money &ill buy &"atever t"e %ed #leases=government bonds$ e'uities$ "ouses or cor#orate bonds from ban,s!6

+ell$ 8 agree t"at t"ere is no #rinting #ress in t"e basement of t"e %ederal ?eserve building &"ere a fe& fello&s are stam#ing out F6>> billion in ne& currency! 1ut t"e effect is t"e same! And$ immediately t"e dollar tan,ed giving us a bac,door devaluation of our currency! 8 &as u#set about t"e EB2 event and s#o,e and e-mailed &it" a number of #eo#le about it! 0"e ne/t day a friend e-mailed me t"at$ according to Google tabulations$ t"e number of #eo#le &"o Googled EB2 or t"e %ederal ?eserve on ;ovember 3rd &ere only a small fraction of t"ose &"o c"ec,ed to see t"e availability of t"e 3c?ib at t"eir local 3c2onalds restaurants! Are &e maybe getting -ust a bit &ra##ed u# in t"e trivialC 1etter "urry$ fol,s! 0"e 3c?ib #romotion &ill be gone in most 3c2onalds by 2ecember Ht"! EB2C ;ot to &orry! 8f it does not &or, as 8 t"in, it &ont$ %ed c"airman 1en 1ernan,e is sure to give us EB3$ EBI$ and EBH! 8f you &ould li,e to contact 2on *ole directly$ you may reac" "im at doncolemediaJgmail!com
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D ON CO LE

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5:25 P M

2 COMMENTS: 1.

Jim Lovelady;ov 1H$ 2>1> >941 A3 (i 2on$ 8 &ould "ave #osted a comment sooner but 8 &as busy eating a 3c?ib sand&ic"$ drin,ing beer$ and &atc"ing my 9t" football game of t"e &ee,end! And$ donKt bot"er me on 3onday evening --- t"e Bagles L ?eds,ins &ill be #laying and 8 "ave no time to &orry about t"e %ederal ?eserve and t"at 1arnaby guyMMM 4-7 ?e#ly

2! Don Cole;ov 1H$ 2>1> 124I3 P3

@im$ great to "ear from you as al&ays! 8 am very flattered t"at you too, time from your busy vie&ing sc"edule to read my blog #ost! All 2on ?e#ly Add omment t"e best$