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January 13, 2010

Pat Robertson has no problem with colonization, thinks freedom is ungodly #fuckpatrobertson

Filed under: Politics, Republicans, Televangelists — Tags: colonization, devastation, devil, earthquake, France, haiti, natural disaster, pat robertson, Politics — webadmin @ 5:22 pm

PAT ROBERTSON: And, you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, “We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.” True story. And so, the devil said, “OK, it’s a deal.”

And they kicked the French out. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other. Desperately poor. That island of Hispaniola is one island. It’s cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti; on the other side is the Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, et cetera. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. They need to have and we need to pray for them a great turning to God. And out of this tragedy, I’m optimistic something good may come. But right now, we’re helping the suffering people, and the suffering is unimaginable.

via npr.org

Can we have just one horrible natural disaster involving dark skinned people without Pat Robertson invoking the devil? Just one. This guy needs to be sent to Haiti permanently.

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November 20, 2009

[Sub-gutter press + Arsecast 139] Arseblog shines an illuminating light on the opportunistic press

Filed under: FIFA, Soccer, Thierry Henry, World Cup — Tags: british press, double standard, english press, foreigners, France, handball, ireland, qualifying, uefa, wcq, xenophobia — webadmin @ 5:29 am

The Mirror:

Liam Brady last night branded Thierry Henry “shameful“ after launching a bitter attack on FIFA for fixing the outcome.

Or did he? In fact LB7’s use of the word “shameful” was aimed at FIFA. On Thierry he said:

I wouldn’t blame Thierry Henry for what went on. I would maybe look at what happened three months before and the fact that these seedings for the play-offs were made to favour the bigger teams. I would ask why that went on.

Then we have Henry Winter in the Telegraph calling for Henry to be banned from the World Cup, saying:

Thierry, you have just given football its “Say it ain’t so, Joe” moment. From Shoeless to Shameless.

If the reference eludes you Winter is talking about “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, a baseball player for the Chicago White Sox who participated in a match fixing conspiracy to allow the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series. So Thierry’s handball is now being equated with deliberate, considered and systematic cheating. I really expected better from Henry Winter because this is the kind of shite you would see in the worst kind of tabloid. Instead he’s jumped on the bandwagon and made himself look like a total idiot. He goes on to say:

A cheat like Henry should not be allowed to attend the World Cup while honest souls like Shay Given, Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and Ireland’s wonderful supporters stay at home.

Since when did an English journalist care so much about Irish football? It’s cloying in the extreme to have them fake sincerity towards Ireland just to have a pop at Henry. How nice of them to be so outraged on our behalf. And ‘honest souls’ like Robbie Keane and Damien Duff. After the game Damien Duff spoke to the BBC, here’s what he said:

If it was myself or Robbie down the other end we’d have tried it … you just expect the linesman or referee to see it.

Honest souls, indeed. I haven’t even bothered looking anywhere else because I assume it’s all the same shite, not a voice of reason anywhere (although Barry Glendenning did say he’d buy Henry a pint if he came to Ireland – he’d probably buy him a pint of Coors Lite though, which would be fair punishment it has to be said).

via oleole.com

It really is amazing when you see the unbridled vitriol over this incident … IN ENGLAND. Opportunistic press capitalizing on the latent xenophobia of some who wish to think British Football as pure as days gone by and attribute stylistic and cultural differences in how the game is played on an alleged continentalization that’s out to ruin the game.

Sounds eerily similar to the plight of the Fox News/Republican Tea Partiers here in America … make that “Real America” – you know – the part not including New York, LA, etc.

It’s very convenient to blame Henry only because of the stakes of the game and the nationality of the victims in this case. I still wonder why the outrage isn’t vented at the governing body who is STILL the lone holdout in major world sport in integrating some sort of real, effective, efficient technological (or human) review process either during the game or after the game.

All we hear are excuses of why and how and precedent. If you keep hemming and hawing, nothing will ever get done. Draw a line and move forward with a plan. But if you don’t address the real causes, this will happen again. and again. And there’s nothing that making Thierry Henry a scapegoat will ever do to fix it. He is not the droid you’re looking for.

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November 19, 2009

Arseblog speaks sense in a media dominated by nonsense

Filed under: Arsenal, FIFA, Soccer, Thierry Henry, World Cup — Tags: british press, english press, France, hypocrisy, ireland, qualifier, wcq, xenophobia — webadmin @ 4:41 am

Look, it was a handball, he cheated, no question about it. Would I have preferred he didn’t do it? Of course. Is it the only reason Ireland didn’t qualify for the World Cup? No. Thierry is now Ireland’s most hated man, there are Facebook groups and websites with Guestbooks where you can register and call him whatever name you want, but for me it’s a real shame that professional sports writers are talking about Henry ruining his reputation as if this is what defines his career. They ought to hang their heads and get some perspective.

You had pundits last night, players who actually played the game, who suggested that Henry should have told the ref he’d handled it. Seriously! As if they would have when they were playing. As if an Irish player would have if he’d done it. The soapboxing was unreal and, frankly, bullshit. For anyone who has played the game – AT ANY LEVEL – to say that they would have told the referee they handled it out of good sportsmanship is a liar. And when World Cup qualification is on the table? Give me a break.

If it had been against Serbia, for example, would anyone give a shit? Same thing as the Eduardo dive, isn’t it? Everyone’s got a soft spot for good old Celtic and sure aren’t the Irish great craic, therefore the anger and outraged is multiplied. And I’m an Irishman so I won’t be lectured to by English journalists about how I should feel about what happened or Thierry Henry. But there wouldn’t be 10% of the fuss if he’d done the same thing against some swarthy eastern Europeans. And if the shoe had been on the other foot, or the glove on the other hand, perhaps, would there be such a ferocious reaction about how the nasty Irish had cheated the French? I don’t think so. I dare to say those in the English press might have had a good laugh at the expense of their cross-channel rivals. And how many Irishmen laughed at Maradona in 1986? Perhaps it’s not quite so funny now.

He should not have handled it but he did. Ireland should have scored at least one more goal but they didn’t and how many times have we watched football for something like this to happen? Thierry has been a magnificent footballer, he has won practically every medal there is to win (sadly one in particular with that scabby lot in Spain), and that for me is how he’ll be remembered, despite the efforts of some to sully that.

Is Michael Owen remembered only for his blatant dive against Argentina? Wayne Rooney for diving to win that penalty at Old Trafford? No. They are all pieces of instinctive cheating, it happens in football since time immemorial and will continue to do so.

via oleole.com

And a bunch of the Irish players said post-match that they understood what Henry did and even said they may have done the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot. This was with the various media prodding them to curse Henry live on camera. Hats off to Ireland for sportsmanship, to Trappatoni for not letting the media pick his squad, and to understanding that sometimes shit happens.

Ideally this game would get replayed, but I don’t think the realities of a December 4th draw would allow it. What will be interesting, though, is to see if Platini would treat France and Henry the way he treated Arsenal and Eduardo. Likely not!

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March 28, 2008

Politics Makes Nude Bedfellows

Filed under: naked, neked, nude — Tags: Carla-Bruni, first-lady, France, Michel-Comte, naked, neked, Nikolas-Sarkozy, nude — webadmin @ 10:16 pm

From a Gawker piece entitled Carla Bruni: The Nude First Lady (Of France)

Carla Bruni, who recently married noted ladies’ man Nikolas Sarkozy and became the First Lady of France, used to be a model. A naked model. A nude—and relatively tasteful—portrait of Bruni by the photographer Michel Comte is up for sale at Christie’s in April.

And here is Carla Bruni in all her glory. Although people like Paris Hilton have been lowering the bar, I can’t really see this happening in America any time soon. There’d be a civil war from the religious right.

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October 17, 2007

Yet Another Loss In The Bitter Russian Cold

Filed under: ESPN, Euro 2008, FieldTurf, France, Frank Lampard, Freddy Adu, Israel, Lithuania, Michael Bradley, Michael Owen, Peter Crouch, Republic of Georgia, Russia, Scotland, Soccer, Steve McClaren, Steven Gerard, Switzerland, Thierry Henry, Tottenham, USA, Wayne Rooney, artificial grass, plastic pitch — Tags: artificial grass, England, ESPN, Euro 2008, FieldTurf, France, Frank Lampard, Freddy Adu, Israel, Lithuania, Michael Bradley, Michael Owen, Paul-Robinson, Peter Crouch, plastic pitch, Republic of Georgia, Roman-Pavlyuchenko, Russia, Scotland, Soccer, Steve McClaren, Steven Gerard, Switzerland, Thierry Henry, Tottenham, USA, Wayne Rooney — webadmin @ 5:52 pm

England were half an hour away from qualifying for Euro 2008, putting behind their poor start in qualifying, choice of manager, team selection debates, and goalkeeping errors. Then it happened. The bottom fell out with a silly Wayne Rooney tackle and another Paul Robinson blunder in goal. McClaren reacted in a panic, bringing on Frank Lampard and Peter Crouch too late to make an impact. And now Russia
are in the driver’s seat with a 2-1 victory.

England’s Euro 2008 qualifying hopes were wrenched out of their own hands as they crashed to defeat in Moscow. The result means Steve McClaren’s side must now beat Croatia at Wembley next month and hope Russia stumble in their remaining games against a hopeless Andorra and an Israel side with nothing to play for.

The Russia substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko grabbed both of his team’s goals in a four-minute spell in the second half, cancelling out Wayne Rooney’s delightfully volleyed first-half opener.

Of course the focus will be on the ineffectiveness of Lampard, the hapless Paul Robinson and the “plastic pitch” – an advanced FieldTurf surface which bears no resemblance to the awful Astroturf surfaces of the 70’s and 80’s – instead of maybe focussing on the overrated Wayne Rooney who scores only for his club, and seems to always make boneheaded decisions that cost England. How many penalties and red cards, hot headed challenges, and ineffective play is worth his supposed special talent? Michael Owen and Emile Heskey or Peter Crouch have yielded much better results for England while Wayne Rooney tries to play left back.

Perhaps one can blame McClaren for putting him in the lineup with Owen instead of trying a better combination – as well as sticking with Paul Robinson even with his poor club play (can you remember successive clean sheets for Tottenham?). There’s also keeping the Gerrard/Lampard combination for too long. All topics for spirited debate over the next month until Russia kick off against Israel. Just don’t blame the surface.

UPDATE (10:39pm Paris time): France’s Thierry Henry has just put 2 past Lithuania with 10 minutes to go – this coupled with Scotland doing what they do and choking against Georgia and their 17 year old keeper means that neither England nor Scotland now look favorites to go through. I wonder what this means for ESPN’s viewership for the Euro 2008 next summer. At least one good piece of news came out. The US finally won in Europe. Michael Bradley scored the only goal against Euro co-host Switzerland to win 1-0. Freddy Adu almost had another.

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September 20, 2006

Euro 2008 Qualifying and Liverpool Love – YNWA – Sep 8, 2006

Filed under: Euro 2008, Liverpool, Soccer, Steaua Bucharest — Tags: aragones, clint-dempsey, England, Euro 2008, France, Germany, gudjonsen, iceman, landicakes, Landon-Donovan, Liverpool, Middlesborough, northern-ireland, romania, san-marino, Soccer, Spain, Steaua Bucharest, zidane — webadmin @ 10:08 am

England beat Andorra and Macedonia and I’m still not pleased about one crucial aspect of their play. Despite several goals by Peter Crouch, there has been no Crouch Robot Dance. What is he waiting for?

Sorry Nancy, but Romania losing their 2-0 lead within the last 10 minutes of their game against Bulgaria reminds me of Steaua Bucharest conceeding 4 straight goals against Middlesborough in the UEFA Cup Semis last year. Is there something in the water? I hear they no longer want to play in Constanta now.

Germany 13, San Marino 0. I know there’s been calls for the minnows like San Marino to not be allowed in competition for fear of skewing the results, however, I don’t see what’s wrong if every group has one of these teams. I watched this game and it seemed like none of the German players weren’t even remotely excited after they scored, save maybe for Hitzelparger (i know that’s spelled wrong so don’t even bother). Lehman could have knitted a new goal net back there. Kinda surprised it took 11 minutes for the first goal and twice as long for number 2

France, without Zidane, beat Italy, without Materazzi, Totti, Toni, etc. I wouldn’t worry too much about a Post-World-Cup letdown. But I would worry about France being able to replace some of the aging talent on their squad in 2 years time. I mean, do you really need other Prem managers calling the Frenchmen slaves?

Spain loses to N. Ireland?? I know Northern Ireland were picked to have their best showing yet 0 and it makes up for their earlier loss I guess. Will this be the end of Aragones?

How about Eidur “The Iceman” Gudjonsen getting 3 points for Iceland. Is he one of the best players currently that will never play in a World Cup? Can someone like San Marino or Andorra ever produce their own 22?

Tevez and Mascherano to West Ham sounds like it’s only a temporary situation and with the murkiness behind that company that owns their contracts, and the fact that their deals are up after this season – I’d stay tuned for the other shoe to drop. I doubt West Ham will resign them. But who knows.

Tomas Rosicky was running all over the pitch in the Czech and Slovak derby. And he was listed as a forward, playing behind Jan Koller. I have every confidence that he will turn into the playmaker in Arsenal that will complement Henry and van Persie. It’s also good to see Koller back. After that injury against the US in the World Cup it looked like he might have pulled a Michael Owen.

Koller, Toni, Crouch make me wonder if US Soccer will ever get better with shrimps like Landon Donovan as our marquee strikers. After his stint with San Jose and the great showing at World Cup 2002, I had a feeling that when he went back to Bayer he would finally blossom and show promise the way Brian McBride and Clint Mathis had in their overseas stints. But he came right back to MLS. One wonders if he will ever progress, or even if he has reached his limits. I’m more cofident with Beasley and as soon as MLS let Clint Dempsey go, he’ll do OK as well.

ManU Tottenham and Arsenal Boro on the TV here tomorrow, where the time difference helps out. They’re over by 2pm and I have the rest of the day to get out and go drinking at the stadium here, as well as catch Notre Dame lose to Penn State.

And now, some Liverpool Love. Is this the greatest YNWA ever?

YNWA

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