Spanish successes in European soccer championship

After having been left out of the team in Barcelona's previous game, the two Brazilians, Robinho and Deco, came back with a vengeance, just like Rijkaard, the coach had hoped. It turned out to be a brilliant move by Rijkaard, as Robinho scored a hat trick, and Deco the fourth, as Barcelona beat Udinese at home the other day, with a score of 4-1.


Robinho's first goal was a beautiful freekick, that he curled into the upper cross corner. There is no doubt about this guy's gifts and skills. He possesses them all. Eto'o was replaced, late in the second half, and obviously extremely displeased with the decision. He has a tremendous ego. It is going to be interesting to see how it all works out down the road, as there are some severe problems with the team chemistry. It is not going to be any smoother with Messi having become a Spanish citizen, and member of the team, as that means increased competition for a spot.


With its victory, and 6 points, Barcelona is already set to move to the next round in the European Championship, as Udinese and Panathinaikos are three points behind in
Group C.


Last night Real Madrid beat Olimpiacos at home, 2-1.  Real Madrid played their best first half of the season, despite missing Ronaldo, because of his previous red card, and Zidane, who has been out because of an injury.  However, despite multiple goal chances they only managed to score once, with a Raúl header, off a superb, long pass by Beckham, who played an outstanding game.  He received strong compliments from Luxemburgo. It was Raúl's 50th European championship, a new record. He beat di Stéfano's old record.


Madrid did not play nearly as well in the second half, but was clearly the superior team.  Baptista is clearly in a slump, and Robinho made imprecise shots and passes.  It was Soldado, who rescued the win for Madrid, through a double header, again off a superb pass from Beckham.  Soldado, 20, who made his debut in the European championship was brought in to replace Baptista, toward the end of the game.  Sergio Ramos was expulsed toward the end of the game, after an innocent, but stupid, slight brush.  It is the second time he has received a read card in five games.


Madrid is currently in 3rd place in Group F, after Rosenborg, but both with
3 points.  Lyón is in first, with 6 points, after having beaten Rosenborg 0-1 in Trondheim.  Madrid is also in 3rd place in the Spanish first division, with 9 points, two points behind the leader, Celta.


Betis also managed to win last night, away, against Anderlecht, by a goal scored by Oliveira.  Joaquín, again played an outstanding game, according to the reports, and the Anderlecht coach, Franky Verkauteren, who was mighty impressed.  Personally, I think Real Madrid made a terrible mistake by not buying him for this season.  It is his  great ambition to join the club.  He is a great impact player, and one of the few players that not only can play his regular wing position, but just about any, as he demonstrated against Anderlecht. Betis is in 3rd place in Group G, one point behind Liverpool and Chelsea, both with 4 points.


Finally, although clearly superior to Lille last Monday Villareal did not manage to score, so the game ended in a scoreless tie.  Villareal is in 3rd place in Group D, with 2 points, one more than Lille, who is in last place.  Manchester United, that Villareal previously tied, is the leader with 4 points, one point ahead of Benfica, which is Villareal's next opponent, at home.

Democracy and the Distribution of Wealth and Income

In a series of posts I intend to draw on a number of articles that I have come across that shed some light and provide important information on two interrelated subjects that are of continuous interest to me, namely democracy and its functioning, and the associated issue and problem of distribution of wealth and income.  My own views and comments naturally serve to integrate these various sources into a coherent whole.


Wikipedia's excellent article Democracy represents an excellent starting point, with its overview and definitions of the pertinent elements and aspects.


Voting is considered the essence of democracy by many, but as it is pointed out in the Wikipedia article, "Voting is not in itself a sufficient condition for the existence of democracy."  In fact, as we have all seen in recent U.S. elections all kinds of irregularities have taken place.  Such irregularities continue to be of considerable concern in many elections around the world at any given time.


Similarly, many frequently consider democracies intrinsically tied to capitalism or a free market system, (a view undoubtedly held by Bush) but as accurately pointed out in the article, "that is a geographically and historically limited view."


Another important aspect mentioned is the existence of pluralism, which, as stated in the article, "is usually defined as the presence of multiple and distinct political parties.   In contrast to European nations,  with ample presence of multiple parties, the U.S. is in essence a two-party system, although other parties participate in the elections from time to time, but without the presence and impact of the two major parties.  They are also excluded from the presidential debates, which act as a deterrence to their further development and continued growth.


An interesting read with respect to pluralism is Alfred de Grazia's THE PARTY SYSTEM AS PLURALISM.  He starts off by stating that "The weakness of party principle, it may then be suggested, is associated with the general weakness of political pluralism in American thought.  And the dependence of party upon the majority principle in its traditional form is further associated with the weakness of pluralistic thinking. "


He refers i.a. to Professor Herring, who describes lobbying as "part of the American system of representation".  Herring is further quoted as saying that  "these men regard themselves as the representatives of the voters who compose the membership of their respective leagues and association....  Many critics of the American political system claim that the lobbyists have increasingly gained influence on the decision making and legislative process because of the effects of this  unduly pluralistic weakness and their overly strong influence on the elected representatives.  


Another aspect is the extraordinary power that the American president has, and the relative freedom he enjoys to steer business contracts to business groups that he favours (see Bush's political corruption).


John Stuart Mill was the first to see the negative impact of majority rule on minorities, and coined the term tyranny of majority. He wrote Representative Government in 1860.  His observations in Chapter 7 Of True and False Democracy; Representation of All, and Representation of the Majority only are as valid today as when he made them, especially in a nation such as the United States.


He perceived two dangers to a representative democracy:

1. a low grade of intelligence in the representative body, and in the popular opinion which controls it; and


2. danger of class legislation on the part of the numerical majority.

This is exactly what you have in the U.S. today, especially with respect to the control mechanism, mentioned in the first point.  Under the Bush administration we have also seen how the current legislation has benefited the wealthiest class (e.g. repeal of inheritance and capital taxes).


He went on to say "The common mode of attempting this is by limiting the
democratic character of the representation, through a more or less restricted suffrage. "   Again, he was right on.  All you have to do is to take a look at how the Republicans have taken steps to disenfranchise the black in critical states, such as Ohio and Florida, in recent elections.


His greatest statement, and observation is, however, the following:  "The pure idea of democracy, according to its definition, is the government of the whole people by the whole people, equally represented. Democracy as commonly conceived and hitherto practised is the government of the whole people by a mere majority of the people, exclusively represented. The former is synonymous with the equality of all citizens; the latter, strangely confounded with it, is a government of privilege, in favour of the numerical majority, who alone possess practically any voice in the State. This is the inevitable consequence of the manner in which the votes are now taken, to the complete disfranchisement of minorities."  This is, more or less, the great morass that approx. half the U.S. voters find themselves in today, without any voice in the decisions and legislation that affect their lives.  By no means is this phenomenon confined to the U.S. alone, but is found in every country where the national government does not govern on behalf of all its citizens, but primarily on its favoured interest groups.


Even with respect to the election of the American president Mills clearly
saw what was at work, as he so clearly described in the following:

"The choice of the majority is therefore very likely to be determined by that portion of the body who are the most timid, the most narrow-minded and prejudiced, or who cling most tenaciously to the exclusive class-interest; in which case the electoral rights of the minority, while useless for the purposes for which votes are given, serve only for compelling the majority to accept the candidate of the weakest or worst portion of themselves."


One crucial aspect that is left out in the Wikipedia article, and even by
Mills, is the degree to which the electorate exercises its right to vote.

In the recent parliamentary election in Norway approx. 83-85% of the
people eligible to vote voted in most urban areas, and in rural areas this
percentage was approx. 63-68%.  The overall participation was 77.1%, out of 3,421,741 eligible voters.   In many of the ridings the increase over the previous election was well over 20%, and even close to, and above 25%.  We have seen the outcome of this exceptional participation:  change of government.


Finally, great inequalities exist with respect to health and wealth that the respective democratic governments have generally failed to address and relieve adequately.  In fact, in most democratic nations the rich have become increasingly rich, and the poor increasingly poor.  In the U.S. infant mortality is higher for African-Americans than for whites in every state, as pointed out in the article.  Political leaders have been reluctant to discuss redistribution of wealth.  However, the experience of several Latin American countries shows that social policies of redistribution, rather than privatization and liberalization, strongly contribute to reduce inequality and promote development.   Also, the fact that China, an authoritarian state, has greatly outpaced all the western nations in terms of economic growth in recent years, and will displace the U.S. within five years as the world's supreme power, defuses the contention that democracy produces the best economic results.


Churchill said that "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried."   I say that no government is better than the people that it is made up of.

Another refereeing scandal

Last night I watched the soccer match between Betis and Barcelona on TV.  While the soccer level in Spain is quite high, unfortunately the same cannot be said about the refereeing.  I have watched soccer for many years, since my youth in Norway, and frankly I have never seen so many wrong calls as I have here in Spain.  Pérez Lasa, seen in the photo, was the referee.  He is basque, and known for handing out a lot of cards.  Last night he handed out six yellow cards, and one red, which is pretty much his average.


He started off by calling a penalty against Betis' Rivas, after only 8 minutes and 33 minutes of play.  Since Larsson fell within the penalty box it would appear to be a correct call. At any rate, Eto'o took the penalty, and his shot hit the left post, and went out.


At 19:03 van Bommel scored a legitimate goal, on a hard shot.  Shortly thereafter the controversy and disastrous call took place.  After having run down the left wing against Belleti, and clearly been pushed down to the ground by him, as shown on replays, Oliveira was handed a yellow card, for taking a deliberate dive, at 21:27, which was not the case at all.  Understandably, Oliveira was not happy with this call, and showed his disapproval by making an applauding gesture, which resulted in Lasa giving him a red card, ejecting him from the game at 21:39.


Despite playing with one player less Betis did not give up, and gave Barcelona a run for the game.  Their effort was rewarded when Juanito headed in the equalizer at 37:16.


However, after the intermission it soon became evident that Betis had spent their energy, being short one player.  Eto'o scored at 57:35, and again at 76:21.  Ezquerro finished off the scoring at 88:21, making it 1-4, in favour of Barcelona.


It is a shame that referees, like Lasa, destroy an otherwise close and interesting game. Betis has played exceptionally well against Barcelona the last few times they have met, but every time they have had poor calls against them, and the worst were definitely made in the game last night.  Not only should not Oliveira been carded and ejected, but Joaquin should also have had a freekick just outside the penalty area, after also having been brought down, but no call was made.


A review process of the referees performances should definitely be instituted, but it is unlikely that it will. It is a great shame, because this shoddy refereeing detracts from the games, as clearly shown in this game, which was important not only to Betis, but the outcome of the division as a whole.

Malaga surprised me by winning 1-4 against Mallorca today, while Ronaldo scored twice, and Guti once (just before the end of the game) against Alavés, which finds itself at the bottom of the division.  


With this win Malaga actually moved ahead of Betis, which is a much better team.  Getafe won 0-1 against Atlético, which again came up with a lacklustre effort.  Depending on the outcome between Celta, which is playing at home (with the game starting at 21:00), and Sevilla, Getafe will be in first or second place, as Deportivo only tied Zaragoza at Zaragoza. Real Madrid and Barcelona both made a major climb, after their respective victories, with Madrid remaining one point ahead.

Bush's political corruption

Due to limited media and public attention the Bush administration has been allowed to award public service contracts in connection with the Katrina calamity to cronies associated with major companies, like Halliburton and Bechtel, just like it previously did with similar contracts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and with unacceptable accountability.

It is amazing how this form of maladministation is allowed to go on, time and time again, when these contracts not only are unethical, Machiavellian, and greatly flawed, but frequently outright illegal and undemocratic, and this by a leader who touts democracy as the solution to all evils.   He obviously does not see anything evil, or wrong, with the way his administration conducts this underhanded and sleezy business practice.

Fortunately, there are people, and organizations around who keep tabs on these activities, and make their findings publicly available, as Pratap Chatterjee in his special to CorpWatch, an organization whose objective is to keep corporations accountable, titled Big, Easy Iraqi-Style Contracts Flood New Orleans, which can be accessed by clicking on the image below.

As can be seen from the blue sidebar in that article, these contracts were executed in record time, within hours.  As pointed out by Chatterjee in an associated interview that is found in transcript form at Democracy Now!, Chatterjee claims that Halliburton's so-called no-bid contracts are actually illegal, because "the Army Corps has no contract with Halliburton. The navy does. These are contracts in Mississippi to fix the navy facilities like the Stennis Space Center. They borrowed a contract from the sister agency and used it to have Halliburton come in and assess the floodwater damage, something they're not supposed to do."  I carried out contracts in the Canadian Public Service, and we would never be permitted to administer contracts in this fashion.


Finally, on the previously mentioned sidebar Chatterjee reports that On September 8, 2005, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, President Bush issued an executive order suspending 1931 Davis-Bacon law that requires federal contractors to pay prevailing wage."   That clearly indicates not only how greedy Bush and his cronies are, but also how undemocratic the Bush administration is.  They want it all for themselves, and what is better than to exploit the workers as much as they can, and maximize their own gains?  With these actions Bush yet again clearly demonstrates that his form of democracy is illiberal democracy and political corruption, as defined by Wikipedia.

A PC in Your Car

Are you an extreme tech junkie? Have you thought or dreamed about having your computer available and on hand in your car? Well, if you have had such ideas in mind, and still do, it is time to turn your attention to this article, by clicking on the image below, and go through its many options and excellent illustrations and descriptions on how to build your system.



The only problems I can see are

1. how to get the money for the project; and


2. how to avoid accidents occurring from inattention, etc.

Google Blog Search

I was just going through the search results from my "Rincon de la Victoria" entry in Google Blog Search, when I suddenly found my own blogger entry, under Baobab. It was totally unexpected, as I had just made the entry yesterday. It goes to prove how interconnected and integrated life and the world has become.

I remember buying and reading a book on hypertext, long before I connected to the Internet and accessed the great wealth of information on the web. I quickly realized it represented a new form of communication, but the entire development has been more comprehensive and explosive than even I had envisaged at the time. It proves what people are capable of doing when they work cooperatively together. Unfortunately, not everything is for the good, even on the web. However, for the time being, I will enjoy the moment, and experience. Carpe diem!

Real Madrid-Athletic

Real Madrid played at home last night, at Bernabeu, against Athletic, and Woodgate made his official debut by heading the ball into his own net, and even managed to get expelled, after the accumulation of two yellow cards. Despite not playing a good game, Madrid was far better than Athletic, and deservedly won the game 3-1.

Robinho, seen in the photo below, with Lacruz, scored his first goal in the league, and the first goal for Madrid, on a good freekick , taken by Beckham. Raúl scored the second, after yet another selfless pass from Ronaldo, and Raúl also headed in the last, after a corner by Beckham. Hopefully, the victory will help the team settle down, and start it on its path to better, and more entertaining soccer, that we were accustomed to seeing in the past. Many questions remain unanswered, however.



The biggest question for me is how Luxemburgo can team Gravesen and Pablo García , and expect them to drive the team forward, as both are basically defensive players, with limited talent for offense, as readily commented by sports journalists, while leaving Guti on the bench.

There was no indication of his famous "four-sided square", which actually more resembles a diamond in shape. In a post-game interview he did not want to discuss his dislike of wing play, although volunteering that such play opens up the defense, as you see when good wingplayers like Vicente and Joaquin play. You see the flaw with his theory clearly demonstrated every time they play against a team set on defending the centre area, in front of the goal. It becomes next to impossible to penetrate it and score. There are just too many legs and bodies around, and it becomes just like a traffic jam, inert.

After having played a few weak games lately, Casillas showed clear indications of recovery, and made at least two good saves that helped his team win the game.

Although the team possesses enough great players like Ronaldo and Robinho, who are capable of winning games for their team on their own, at times, the team needs to play more like a confident team, playing together, with crisp and speedy passes, and decisive finishes. Only then will they return to the great team they used to be.

Time will tell whether Luxemburgo has what it takes to do the job, but you can clearly sense that he had better get it done quickly or he will be gone. He survived this first test, but there will be others coming up, and soon.

Baobab

The photo above was taken at the beach promenade in Rincon de la Victoria, Spain, where I live, on August 3, 2005 by Christopher Klugman, who I gather is a fellow Canadian. You can visit his blog by clicking on the photo and view the comments made about it.

Although I had noticed the graphics earlier, during my numerous walks on this promenade, I had never thought that it "makes excellent use of the colours of the Spanish flag", which it does. It proves that perception is not identical, but frequently depends on what the viewer brings with him.

add as a photoblog favourite

New Spanish soccer season

Three games have been played in the Spanish premier division so far, and although three games by far does not make a season, not many would have expected Getafe on top, with two wins and a tie, and 7 points. Getafe is one of the teams that have never dropped out of the top division, but their previous season was quite weak, so this represents quite a turnaround for them. Schuster, however, is an experienced and well respected coach, who definitely knows soccer.

It is equally surprising to find Deportivo in second place, also with 7 points. Deportivo lost two of its players after last season, due to retirement, and one of them was Fran, its captain, along with Mauro Silva. Both were good, steady players, although Fran usually came in as a replacement in most games.

Deportivo ended last season on a sour note, far from where it had been expected to end up in the standings. Caparrós has taken over the coaching position, after successfully having brought Sevilla to new heights, after having coached the team for five years. He is no doubt a very good coach, but I had not expected him to have this kind of impact so soon, especially with a key player like Luque having been sold to Newcastle this year. Caparrós is, however, quite good at moulding a team, and getting the players to play as a team, instead of as individuals. Time will tell whether the team will manage to stay near the top.


To find Celta and Osasuna in the next two places, also with 6 points may be even more surprising, and frankly I do not expect these two teams to be able to hold on to their respective places for very long, and definitely not over the course of the season.  However, you never know in soccer; anything can happen, and often does, especially this season.  That is one of the reasons why soccer is such a wondrous and fascinating game.


After almost dropping down to second division two seasons ago, Espanyol greatly improved last season, so finding them in 5th spot, and tied with Celta and Osasuna in terms of points, may not be that unexpected.


After becoming champions two seasons ago, Valencia has faded badly, largely due to the loss of the coach that brought them their championship, Bénitez, who subsequently left for Liverpool, and surprisingly turning his new team into European champions.  He is still coaching Liverpool, but after Real Madrid's lacklustre start so far this season it has been suggested the last couple of days that he might replace Luxemburgo as the team's coach.


 Luxemburgo was brought in as the team's third coach last January, and managed to salvage the season by placing the team in second position, and scoring more points than the champion, Barcelona, in the second half of the season, turning it into a close finish. nbsp;Although Liverpool denied that they were prepared to let their coach go, Real Madrid has only one policy and that is to win, regardless of what it takes.  Monaco's former coach, Didier Deschamps, who is currently unsigned, was also mentioned as another prospect to take over Real Madrid's coaching reins, but similarly dismissed. What these rumours show, however, is that Florentino Pérez, Real Madrid's president, and his people, are already antsy enough to replace Luxemburgo, to avoid a repeat coaching disaster, similar to last season's.

The team can ill afford such a repeat, especially after having invested more than 60 million Euros in acquiring players like Robinho, at a cost of 24.5 million €, and heralded as the new Pelé  (from Brazil's Santos), Sergio Ramos (20 million €) Baptista (20 million €), another Brazilian (both from Sevilla), plus Pablo Garcia (Uruguayan) and Diogo.  Real Madrid accounted for approx. 40% of the league's total acquisition amount of 152 million €.   Real Madrid is currently shockingly in 15th place, with only 3 points, the same as Malaga, in 17th, even after Malaga sold off more top players to make money.  Tapia managed to keep the team in the top division, when he took over the coaching position in the second half of the last season.  Is he going to be able to do the same this season?  I hope so, and if anybody can, it is him, as he is a very solid coach, who sticks to basics, the only way to survive when you do not have the money to hold on to top players.


Barcelona decided to hold on to the players who brought them their championship last season, by extending their contracts for up to five years.  So far the team has not been quite as convincing on the field, and is far from unchallenged.  In fact, after the last game, away against Atletico de Madrid,  Puyol, the team captain, and  Spanish national team member, declared that the opponent, who won 2-1, had been superior.  Barcelona was also lucky to win their first game against Werder Bremen in Bremen, 0-2, in the European Cup.  Barcelona is playing at home tonight, against Valencia, which should prove to be a test and indication of how the team will do throughout the season.  


Cádiz, which just moved up from secodn division is a team that demonstrates that a cohesive team, with an enthusiastic support, can do well against any other team in the league on a given day, and remain, which I am sure they will.  It is currently in 9th place, with 4 points, the same as Barcelona, who is just ahead of them in the standings.


The other Andalusian teams:  Sevilla and Betis, are in 11th and 12th spot, respectively, after having lost key players and coach, in the case of Sevilla (to Deportivo, as stated above).  I expect both may climb higher as the season progresses.


Finally, a few words about Mallorca, which just escaped dropping down to second division last season, after having lost their key player, Eto'o, to Barcelona.  With the hat trick by their new player Arango, they managed to win 5-2 in their last game over Real Sociedad, which proved that they may well have the team spirit to remain in the division.  Mallorca is currently in 13th place.


Latest:  Atletico de Madrid seem to be revitalized after its victory over Barcelona last Sunday, and is currently leading 0-2, after 18 minutes of play, and goals by Fernado Torres (9th minute) and Kezman (18th minute).  In the game between Barcelona and Valencia Valencia leads 1-2, after Villa scored first on a penalty (53:15), followed by a goal scoring shot 22 seconds later (53:53), after Giuly, had put his team in the lead, by scoring after individual play, just before the end of the first half (44:40).


Other scores:

Racing - Espanyol 1-0
Malaga - Alavéz 0-0
Getafe - Mallorca 1-1
Real Sociedad - Atlético 3-2 (final)
Barcelona - Valencia 2-2 (final)
Deportivo - Bétis 1-1
Zaragoza - Osasuna 3-1
Sevilla - Cádiz 0-0
Villareal - Celta 1-2

Max

Max is our dog. His father, Jackie, is a black, German shepherd, while his mother, Bali, is an albino boxer. As you can see from the photo below, he is a big boy, but a very good boy.



Max was born on December 20, 2001, shortly after we settled down here. When I selected him, over his siblings, it was on the basis of how he crawled toward Nelly's neck. It turned out to be a good sign, as he is both quite affectionate and sociable.

When I named him Max, which is short for Maxmilian, it was with the view that I wanted him to grow into what I consider to be a complete dog, with the following characteristics:

1. affectionate;


2. active;


3. intelligent;


4. sociable;


5. child tolerant;


6. animal tolerant;


7. even tempered; and


8. trainable.

About-Dogs.com has an excellent table on the various characteristics of the various breeds. Note that it is sortable through the columnar headings.

Max turned out to live up to his name. We got him when he was only 5 weeks old. He had a healthy appetite, and grew very quickly. Since Nelly quickly tired of looking after him, I took over the responsibility. At first I tried to put him on the terrace overnight, but he immediately got into the habit of whining so loud that I did not have the heart but to get up, and go down to bring him up to my bed, where he snuggled around my neck, like a warm, soft scarf.

It quickly became obvious that he was not only highly intelligent, but also very trainable. He learned very quickly. You would only have to instruct him once or twice before he knew what to do. I got the idea to use hand movements in connection with my instructions, and he understood immediately, so I only had to use my hand or finger to get him to carry them out correctly. He was not even three months before he knew all the various commands. Jackie's owner, Pepe, told me he had never seen anybody train a puppy that young.

Similarly, he quickly demonstrated how gregarious and sociable he is with other dogs, like Tyson, a Rottweiler, across from us, at the corner of our street. Likewise, he demonstrated how much he loves children, as Stefania, a young girl across the street from us would come and pet him, and he would wag his strong tail whenever she came over to see him.

However, when he was approx. three months old he decided to act like a young macho, by trying to keep Luna away from my bed, and at first he succeeded, because, by that time, he was already quite big and strong, and Luna would leave. However, she has a strong character, and is the most determined dog I have seen, so one day she decided to come back, and he was not going to deter her, and he did not. Ever since they have been the best of friends, and they never fight. In fact, Max is quite a psychologist, who likes nothing better than to get Luna to chase him around the roundabout (glorieta), and she enjoys playing her role, whenever she is in the mood, and so inclined.

What I most enjoy watching is when the two of them race each other along the beach waterfront. I have never seen any other dogs do that. It is a beautiful sight. I have to bring my camera one day and take some pictures of them racing.

Another thing that sets them apart from most other dogs is that they always check out their environment through sniffing. Max also has tremendous senses, and hears, sees and smells everything around, and is extremely alert. He is very territorial, and if there is somebody he has not seen before he immediately barks, and if he is loose he checks out that person, but he never bites. He is a very good judge of character, and when somebody he dislikes passes by our house he becomes far more boisterous than usual, and his intensity is visibly manifested in his entire body. He exudes strength and vigilance.

In the beginning many people were apprehensive of him because of his impressive physique. Now, however, most people are awed by his physique, but also perceive his good and noble nature. He is truly a noble dog. He is not affected by people, when passing through crowds, or when small, aggressive dogs come barking at him, even though he dislikes excessive noise.

His physiognomy is one of bodily strength, combined with elegance, and refinement. He walks like a fine racehorse, and his inherited boxer athletism is revealed when he is chased by Luna. He quickly stops, changes direction, and jumps, in a fine, beautiful, fluid, and continuous motion. When he lies on the bench on the patio, which he often does, his head rests on the arm rest, and his front paws are draped on it, in much the same manner that he is displaying in this photo below. No doubt he is dreaming he is me.



This aspect of his nature also comes through in his sensual behaviour. He loves to roll around on the grass in the glorieta, or in the sand on the beach. On the beach he will also sometimes dig a hole in the sand, and stick his entire head into it.

Max is a delight. You feel good just by having him around, even when he squeezes his big body next to your leg under my computer desk. His fur is incredibly soft, and feels good against your calf.

He is obviously a great thinker, but also an extraordinary communicator, who simply does not allow you to ignore him. If he wants to be petted he lets you know, and if you fail to comply he lifts his left, front paw and places it on your arm.

I remember being impressed with Lassie knowing when it was time to meet the children after school when the clock chimed. Well, Max does not need a clock to tell the time. He has it built into him, and he knows when it is time to go for his walks. If you forget he comes, places himself right next to you, while looking at you with his beautiful light brown eyes, in such a way that you have no choice but to accommodate him.

He also has his ways of expressing his satisfaction and enjoyment, either with a sigh, as he is lying down, or by rubbing his face against your leg, especially after a nice, long walk, when he and Luna were let loose to explore and play in the arroyo. Max is what I call a life artist. He knows how to get the most out of life. You just got to love hime, and I do, along with Luna. They are such wonderful beings, that help make our lives better too.