The Oil Spill, World Cup and The Death Of The East Village

First, just let me say this: As a newly minted fan of international soccer, I am not exactly familiar with all the rules of the game yet, but I know that FIFA has got to have the sorriest bunch of refs ever. ( My apologies to the SEC football refs)

At first I just thought it might be the USA that was getting jobbed over politics, but now I am sure it is a much larger problem. FIFA is scared of technology. Seriously. We have cameras on every player, official, and in each net. Not to mention the (count 'em) FOUR cameras following that crack head Maradona around. So, why is it there is no replay? I understand I am an American and we expect everyone to play sports the way we do, correctly; but there should be some sort of review process for the goals (or the non-goals) the way we look at touchdowns. Is that too much to ask? And what's with the stoppage time? If a match is supposed to last 90 minutes, then stop it at 90 minutes. If one of those Ghanarhean actresses trips over his own feet, and you have to bring out the stretcher, stop the clock until he springs up as if healed by Jesus Christ Almighty Himself. I guess that sort of thing is up to the same Mr. Magoo-esque refs who can't tell if a ball goes into a net or not?

All and all, I have enjoyed it so far and will continue to watch it more regularly.
Guess I'll need to pick a club side to cheer...

Well, the oil continues to spew out of the pipe at an unabated pace. We have tried how many gimmicks to slow it down now? 20, 30? But haven't tried the one SURE way to get the well to quit putting out, put a ring on it's finger! OOOOHHHHH!!!! (too soon?)
Still, I am wondering WTF the people of the gulf are going to do for a living? Pretty much everything down there revolves around the ocean. Some of the best beaches anywhere (my beach!!) are getting ruined as you can see from this video.
I am also wondering where are all the Hollywood celebs? Where are the benefit concerts? Haiti, where an earthquake did $4 Billion dollars worth of improvements, got several A-List celebs and so-called artists not to mention former presidents and the Red Cross to pitch in to waste money. What does the Gulf get?
Jimmy Buffett and a bunch of no-name country singers. Maybe if the people of south Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and northwest Florida were poor black folks then they could get "An Enchanted Evening With George Clooney and Friends" too... Oh wait, they ARE poor AND a large percentage black. Where is Bill Clinton and his fund raising shake-down team? Where are the Red Cross hot-lines, the AT&T "Text your money away" things? (For the record, I donated to the Red Cross's Haiti crisis, the 2004 Tsunami crisis and the Chilean Earthquake crisis too) Are we just expecting the government to clean it up? Maybe BP? Good luck. Look how awesome we did in New Orleans after Katrina. I have decided to support them in the best way I know how. I will not put off my vacation plans and will still go down and spend my money in New Orleans and the beaches. Since the luminaries of stage and screen won't help, then it's up to us.

Probably coming soon to the East Village, the Unwanted Grope.
In what is now the the result of rampant and unchecked gentrification spiraling out of control for over 30 years; the East Village has now become a ridiculous hodge-podge of hipster wannabees, chrome and steel co-ops, over priced clothing and obnoxious frat boy bars catering to the B&T crowds. What a shame. Gone, or going extinct, are the Jewish family owned delis, the Ukrainian restaurants, the old Irish bars, the affordable (relatively) housing for first or second generation immigrants and blue collar folk who have embodied the neighborhood between Third Avenue and Avenue A, 14th and Houston Streets for more years than you could count. Instead you are going to get the cast of Jersey Shore
. Fucking gag! NYC needs the Lower East Side to balance out the Disneyland of Midtown now that "Hell's Kitchen" isn't so hellish anymore. NYC needs the punk scene, the immigrants and the riff raff as much as the Thomas Pink wearing Wall Street types. The homogenization of the city is alarming and unhealthy. Keep the Lower East Side same old LES. We need it.

World Cup Me Balls!!!

Chim-chimney, chim-chimney, chim-chim cheeroo, we got Tim Howard and he says "FUCK YOU"!!!!
I always liked that one, especially since he has Tourettes... So you know, he probably WOULD say that or something...
At any rate, I have spent more time watching this World Cup than I have since... uh, ever. I admit I am not a big soccer guy. Never played it, considered it sort of a poof sport played by a bunch of long hairs and Nancys, but I may be coming around. I still don't see what all the fuss is about really, but if it inspires the BEST NIKE AD EVER
then there must be something to it.

I tell you what I am NOT a fan of though.. Vuvuzelas.

I had no idea WTF a Vuvuzela was till last week. It is the new MOST OBNOXIOUS. sports thing ever.
What I don't get, I suppose is the insistence that this is some sort of "time honored" right of South African jackasses to blow this stupid horn all day and night. According to Michael Wilbon on yesterday's PTI "this is there thing they have always done, it's an South African thing", actually Wilbon couldn't be any more wrong. It's a Mexican originated thing that only became popular in South Africa in about 1992 or so. And yes, you can ban them. Mississippi State had to ban the cow bells
(thank GOD) and they were there a hell of a longer than the vuvuzelas. The Red Wings had to ban the octopus twirl because of PETA didn't like it. So don't act like it's the oldest, most sacred tradition ever in the history of the world and you can't tell fans how to act and celebrate. Cause they do. ALL the TIME. And I'm okay with that...

Outside of a bunch of slanted coverage from the Western media, and the perpetual love-in with all things Africa right now and the aforementioned horns, I really don't have any problems with it so far. In fact, I am considering becoming a fan. I love the party atmosphere, I love the fan devotion. I especially love how the British press, in typical complete knee jerk reaction, has thrown the goalie completely under the bus. I love the hysteria following each and every game. I love Nuts Magazine (NSFW) and Brazilian Playboy (NSFW!!!!). If this is how the rest of the world gets down for sports, count me in...