Buzkashi

The famous national sport is buzkashi, where the carcass of a goat is dragged around by riders on horseback.  The winner is the guy who finally has the goat carcass.  OK, so there are probably some subtleties I'm missing here.  Story is that this sport is used not only to claim and demonstrate political dominance, but also is a metaphor for Afghan politics through the ages.  Parts of this are probably applicable to U.S. politics as well, though I'm not sure which.  Still, it would be fun to force our leaders to drag a dead goat around all day in the desert sun.  This is a monument to Buzkashi outside Mazar.  My main interest is not this particular match, which by the way was won by the Fighting Irish 27-24 thanks to a debatable late clipping penalty.  Notice the sheep grazing in the first photo (OK, statues of sheep; you get my point).  Perhaps you can't tell, but their rear ends are, well, robust.  This is apparently a breed of sheep particular to parts of Afghanistan.  I've seen the kuchi, the nomadic tribe here, bring herds of goats and fat-bottomed sheep along the creek bed near the airport, and before I knew they were anything other than fat-assed sheep, I saw a bunch of them in Panjshir but didn't bother to take a photo.  Anyway, here's the point: these sheep, thanks to their prominent posteriors, are called by U.S. service members in the countryside "J-Lo's."  I think Jennifer Lopez should be proud of her lasting cultural impact on Afghanistan.  I think I also have hit upon an advertising idea for when I return to the U.S.