With Fiat taking control of Chrysler there is a lot of talk over which Fiat and Alfa Romeo models will make the jump stateside to likely be sold as Chryslers and Dodges, but there's also talk of one model making the jump as a Jeep: The Fiat Panda 4x4. The very mention of the name "Jeep Panda" is causing Jeep purists to roll their eyes, but after giving a closer look to both the current Jeep lineup and the Panda, I start to wonder why.
The current Jeep lineup features an SUV (which I won't call a Jeep) called the Compass. The Compass is the entry-level automobile for the Jeep brand, but it hardly deserves it's Jeep badge. The Compass is the first (and hopefully last) "Jeep" to not have a trail rating. Yes, despite Jeep's long, proud history of off-roading and comfort someone at Chrysler decided it would be a good idea to build an uncomfortable piece of crap without a trail rating...decisions like this caused the mess Chrysler finds itself in today.
While the Panda may not be American, or the most comfortable thing in the world (it's rather spartan inside) it does have the soul of a Jeep. The Panda is used by Alpine police forces to navigate the rough terrain they face on a daily basis. It's no Wrangler, but it beats the crap out of the Compass.
The Panda sells for rougly $14,900...very affordable and rougly $3,000-$10,000 less than the Compass. The Panda also gets 43 MPG compared to 24 for the Compass. Both seat five, and the Panda can readily venture off of paved roads.
The introduction of the Panda would not mean the end of the Wrangler and the Grand Cherokee, and maybe not even the Liberty (which to me will always be called the Cherokee). The Panda would slot in as Jeep's entry-level offering and would only serve to strengthen the brand, not dilute it.
Most Jeep purists fondly remember the Comanche, a tough pickup truck that you could drive through a wall and it would keep going. The Comanche serves as a relic of a Jeep before it was Chyslerized. The Panda isn't the Comanche, but it could become a symbol of the moment when Jeep became Jeep again.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Obscure soccer club of the week (April 27 - May 3, 2009)
Big Bullets of Blantyre, Malawi.
Unlike Presidente Hayes, Big Bullets are actually somewhat successful having won the Malawi Super League eleven times, the previous national championship eleven times, the Press Cup eleven times (this is becoming a theme), the Chibuku Cup eight times, the Kamuzu Cup seven times, and the Blantyre district title nine times before that.
*deep breath* Gosh they have a lot of cups in Malawi.
Big Bullets could be compared to Liverpool FC owing to being created out of it's rival club, Wanderers, in a similar fashion to the manner Liverpool was created out of Everton and like Liverpool, Big Bullets have been the more successful of the two.
The team's name has changed many times through-out it's history due to sponsorships having been called Bata Bullets (after a shoe company), Bakili Bullets (after owner Bakili Muluzi, who was actually the President of Malawi at the time and is a rather scrupulous character), and hilariously Total Big Bullets (after an oil company).
Though they regularly compete in African competitions they've yet to taste any real success on the continent as the standard of football in Malawi is not what it is elsewhere.
Unlike Presidente Hayes, Big Bullets are actually somewhat successful having won the Malawi Super League eleven times, the previous national championship eleven times, the Press Cup eleven times (this is becoming a theme), the Chibuku Cup eight times, the Kamuzu Cup seven times, and the Blantyre district title nine times before that.
*deep breath* Gosh they have a lot of cups in Malawi.
Big Bullets could be compared to Liverpool FC owing to being created out of it's rival club, Wanderers, in a similar fashion to the manner Liverpool was created out of Everton and like Liverpool, Big Bullets have been the more successful of the two.
The team's name has changed many times through-out it's history due to sponsorships having been called Bata Bullets (after a shoe company), Bakili Bullets (after owner Bakili Muluzi, who was actually the President of Malawi at the time and is a rather scrupulous character), and hilariously Total Big Bullets (after an oil company).
Though they regularly compete in African competitions they've yet to taste any real success on the continent as the standard of football in Malawi is not what it is elsewhere.
David Poole 1959-2009
David Poole of the Charlotte Observer died of a heart attack yesterday, he was 50.
Poole was officially the Observer's NASCAR writer, which is a big job to have in Charlotte, but he was more than that. I'm not a big NASCAR fan but Poole's columns were powerful and insightful. Poole would give you his thoughts on the state of racing and back it up with facts, I didn't always agree with him but I had respect for him.
With North Carolina's changing demographics came many people who were skeptical and sometimes even hostile to it's culture, a culture of which stock car racing is a huge part. Many of these critics would rag stock car racing having never actually watched, let alone attended, a stock car race. Poole took these people to task and did it in such a fashion that no one could dare say he was wrong.
He was simply a giant in Charlotte journalism, not just Charlotte sports journalism. Poole played a role in helping Charlotte land the coveted NASCAR Hall of Fame and when it opens, he'd better be in it.
Poole was officially the Observer's NASCAR writer, which is a big job to have in Charlotte, but he was more than that. I'm not a big NASCAR fan but Poole's columns were powerful and insightful. Poole would give you his thoughts on the state of racing and back it up with facts, I didn't always agree with him but I had respect for him.
With North Carolina's changing demographics came many people who were skeptical and sometimes even hostile to it's culture, a culture of which stock car racing is a huge part. Many of these critics would rag stock car racing having never actually watched, let alone attended, a stock car race. Poole took these people to task and did it in such a fashion that no one could dare say he was wrong.
He was simply a giant in Charlotte journalism, not just Charlotte sports journalism. Poole played a role in helping Charlotte land the coveted NASCAR Hall of Fame and when it opens, he'd better be in it.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Potential Carolina World Cup venues
Soccer by Ives has a list of fifty-eight potential US World Cup venues (down from seventy), three are located in the Carolinas: Charlotte, Clemson and Columbia.
While I admit none of them are likely to host matches, Charlotte does have a chance and it's nice to see Clemson and Columbia showing an interest. South Carolina is frozen out from hosting NCAA events due to the whole flag row, and doesn't have an NFL team so the Super Bowl is highly unlikely meaning this could be their only chance for major sporting exposure.
However, FIFA's regulations require certain things that Williams-Brice Stadium and Memorial Stadium don't live up to at the moment and it would require significant work to bring them up to snuff.
With that said, I'm disappointed that the USSF didn't contact Chapel Hill or Raleigh.
While I admit none of them are likely to host matches, Charlotte does have a chance and it's nice to see Clemson and Columbia showing an interest. South Carolina is frozen out from hosting NCAA events due to the whole flag row, and doesn't have an NFL team so the Super Bowl is highly unlikely meaning this could be their only chance for major sporting exposure.
However, FIFA's regulations require certain things that Williams-Brice Stadium and Memorial Stadium don't live up to at the moment and it would require significant work to bring them up to snuff.
With that said, I'm disappointed that the USSF didn't contact Chapel Hill or Raleigh.
The Game Boy is 20
Well, it turned twenty yesterday but that was Earth Day so I didn't realize it.
I didn't get a Game Boy until 1995 when the Play It Loud models were released, I got a red one for Christmas and it's still in working order today. Nintendium is crazy tough.
The Game Boy is easily the best handheld ever released. It paved the way for the handhelds of the future and outlasted many of them because of it's simplicity. Rather than trying to blow you away the Game Boy simply played it's games and did so with reasonable battery life unlike it's competitors (battery issues killed Sega's Game Gear).
I'm not much of a geek so I can't sit here and discuss technical aspects, so I'll just link the Cnet article.
I do love my Game Boy though.
I didn't get a Game Boy until 1995 when the Play It Loud models were released, I got a red one for Christmas and it's still in working order today. Nintendium is crazy tough.
The Game Boy is easily the best handheld ever released. It paved the way for the handhelds of the future and outlasted many of them because of it's simplicity. Rather than trying to blow you away the Game Boy simply played it's games and did so with reasonable battery life unlike it's competitors (battery issues killed Sega's Game Gear).
I'm not much of a geek so I can't sit here and discuss technical aspects, so I'll just link the Cnet article.
I do love my Game Boy though.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Obscure soccer club of the week (April 20-26, 2009)
Club Presidente Hayes of Asunción, Paraguay.
The club is named for Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States.
"Why Hayes?", you ask. Most Americans would never even consider Hayes when listing their top-10 US Presidents, in fact, aside from possibly his own decedents, he'd be lucky to make anyone's list. But alas, Hayes is revered as somewhat of a hero in Paraguay. Hayes made news in recent times following the 2000 election in which George Bush lost the popular vote to Al Gore yet won the Presidency. Similarly Hayes lost the 1876 popular vote to Samuel Tilden but was elected by virtue of the Electoral College and an Electoral Commission.
On this day last year Jenny Drapkin wrote an article at MentalFloss called "Rutherford B. Hayes: The National Hero of … Paraguay?" detailing just why Hayes is held so highly in Paraguay.
During the War of the Triple Alliance, Paraguay was heavily defeated by Argentina, Brazil, AND Uruguay (well, that hardly seems fair at all) during the war two-thirds of the Paraguayan people lost their lives.
After the war Argentina and Paraguay continued to fight over an area called the Chaco and traveled to Washington where, you guessed it, President Hayes acted as arbitrator. Hayes decided in favor of Paraguay became a hero to it's people.
With that said, while most school children in Paraguay are aware that Hayes was once a US President, many aren't aware of what he did.
The club is named for Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States.
"Why Hayes?", you ask. Most Americans would never even consider Hayes when listing their top-10 US Presidents, in fact, aside from possibly his own decedents, he'd be lucky to make anyone's list. But alas, Hayes is revered as somewhat of a hero in Paraguay. Hayes made news in recent times following the 2000 election in which George Bush lost the popular vote to Al Gore yet won the Presidency. Similarly Hayes lost the 1876 popular vote to Samuel Tilden but was elected by virtue of the Electoral College and an Electoral Commission.
On this day last year Jenny Drapkin wrote an article at MentalFloss called "Rutherford B. Hayes: The National Hero of … Paraguay?" detailing just why Hayes is held so highly in Paraguay.
During the War of the Triple Alliance, Paraguay was heavily defeated by Argentina, Brazil, AND Uruguay (well, that hardly seems fair at all) during the war two-thirds of the Paraguayan people lost their lives.
After the war Argentina and Paraguay continued to fight over an area called the Chaco and traveled to Washington where, you guessed it, President Hayes acted as arbitrator. Hayes decided in favor of Paraguay became a hero to it's people.
With that said, while most school children in Paraguay are aware that Hayes was once a US President, many aren't aware of what he did.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Tyler Stasko
...is a murdering little snot.
Last week 20-year-old Tyler and a 49-year-old woman named Carlene Carol Atkinson (what a mature adult she is) decided it would be a peachy idea to engage in a bit of the old street racing on NC 49. You know, that thing young men with high powered cars unsure of their own masculinity do to make themselves feel more manly (and I say this as an insanely androgynous human being), or in the case of Atkinson, simply because she's an incredible shithead.
Oh, and they killed somebody. Three people in fact. 45-year-old Cindy Furr, a professor at Winthrop, Cindy's 2-year-old daughter (TWO!) McAllister (or "Mackie") who were traveling along the public road in their own car, and a 13-year-old passenger in Stasko's car named Hunter.
Three incredibly senseless deaths. Three incredibly unfortunate deaths. Mackie and Hunter were young children yet to reach the primes of thier lives, indeed Mackie was barely of walking age, and Cindy Furr was a long time educator helping to better the lives of young people everyday. And now they're gone. And for what?
I never understood the appeal of street racing, never. And it becomes even more mind-boggling when you consider we live in fucking Charlotte. We have no shortage of racing facilities for these idiots (in fact, North Carolina has a race track in every county, including Mecklenburg!). Yet they insist, they have to show the world how cool they are. It's not cool, it's stupid. Sadly, being stupid isn't a crime. You know what basketball and soccer wash outs do? They play in parks. You are not Jeff Gordon, if you were any good at it you'd be in NASCAR or F1. Stop.
No, being 20 isn't an excuse. He knew better. 20-year-olds are not children, they're grown adults. You can sign up for military service at 17, and by 16 most functional human beings have an idea of how the world operates.
Murder is the correct charge. A car, a two-ton piece of steel, is a deadly weapon when placed in the hands of an idiot. It's like shooting for birds in a Harris Teeter parking lot and then claiming you didn't understand the risk when you kill somebody. Like firearms, cars must be used responsibly.
He should be tried for looking like a douchebag anyway. What a prince *rolls eyes*.
Last week 20-year-old Tyler and a 49-year-old woman named Carlene Carol Atkinson (what a mature adult she is) decided it would be a peachy idea to engage in a bit of the old street racing on NC 49. You know, that thing young men with high powered cars unsure of their own masculinity do to make themselves feel more manly (and I say this as an insanely androgynous human being), or in the case of Atkinson, simply because she's an incredible shithead.
Oh, and they killed somebody. Three people in fact. 45-year-old Cindy Furr, a professor at Winthrop, Cindy's 2-year-old daughter (TWO!) McAllister (or "Mackie") who were traveling along the public road in their own car, and a 13-year-old passenger in Stasko's car named Hunter.
Three incredibly senseless deaths. Three incredibly unfortunate deaths. Mackie and Hunter were young children yet to reach the primes of thier lives, indeed Mackie was barely of walking age, and Cindy Furr was a long time educator helping to better the lives of young people everyday. And now they're gone. And for what?
I never understood the appeal of street racing, never. And it becomes even more mind-boggling when you consider we live in fucking Charlotte. We have no shortage of racing facilities for these idiots (in fact, North Carolina has a race track in every county, including Mecklenburg!). Yet they insist, they have to show the world how cool they are. It's not cool, it's stupid. Sadly, being stupid isn't a crime. You know what basketball and soccer wash outs do? They play in parks. You are not Jeff Gordon, if you were any good at it you'd be in NASCAR or F1. Stop.
No, being 20 isn't an excuse. He knew better. 20-year-olds are not children, they're grown adults. You can sign up for military service at 17, and by 16 most functional human beings have an idea of how the world operates.
Murder is the correct charge. A car, a two-ton piece of steel, is a deadly weapon when placed in the hands of an idiot. It's like shooting for birds in a Harris Teeter parking lot and then claiming you didn't understand the risk when you kill somebody. Like firearms, cars must be used responsibly.
He should be tried for looking like a douchebag anyway. What a prince *rolls eyes*.
I should use my blog more
I should, but for some reason I don't.
It's not for a lack of writing. I tweet pretty commonly, I keep a written diary which for some reason I've taken to writing in blank verse (maybe it's this whole Elizabeth Barrett Browning clip I'm on), I keep another blog, send out several e-mails (my e-mails average 500 words, apparently) and maintain Jane's fan network.
I just forget to write here. Not that anyone cares, heh. Something always comes betwixt me and updating. For some reason I used to get a lot of hits from Beverly Hills, California and Odessa, Ukraine though...I always found that interesting.
Alas, I shall try. You could also check out MJ's site, she's a smart girl (and a new twitter mate of mine :)....).
It's not for a lack of writing. I tweet pretty commonly, I keep a written diary which for some reason I've taken to writing in blank verse (maybe it's this whole Elizabeth Barrett Browning clip I'm on), I keep another blog, send out several e-mails (my e-mails average 500 words, apparently) and maintain Jane's fan network.
I just forget to write here. Not that anyone cares, heh. Something always comes betwixt me and updating. For some reason I used to get a lot of hits from Beverly Hills, California and Odessa, Ukraine though...I always found that interesting.
Alas, I shall try. You could also check out MJ's site, she's a smart girl (and a new twitter mate of mine :)....).
Friday, April 3, 2009
Time Warner wants to kick you in the face.
Thankfully, I don't use them. They lost me ages ago, but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to hate them and their habit of kicking people when they're down.
Recently Time Warner announced it's plan to introduce a "tiered" pricing system for it's broadband users, meaning the company is going to raise it's customer's prices again. This is something Time Warner customers are more than used to, the company does it regularly (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ect.) and obviously has no plans to stop. Unfortunately for some people in Charlotte-proper Time Warner is the only pay-TV option they have (they can't get a clear shot at a satellite). Though for internet many opt for AT&T (frm. BellSouth) which provides a better, but by no means ideal, option. AT&T is also looking into a new pricing system, which would further screw the general public.
This news comes on the heels of a Charlotte Observer report which referred to Metrolina's jobless rates as "sobering". 11% of Mecklenburger's are out of work and Mecklenburg is the healthiest county in the region. It is today, at a time when more and more Charlotteans need the internet for work, that Time Warner chooses to kick them. This also comes nearly immediately after a spat between Time Warner and local television station WSOC over a fee WSOC charged Time Warner to carry the channel and is sister WAXN. Of course Time Warner trotted out their old stand-by "In doing this WSOC wants to force us to charge our customers more for our service". Of course, Time Warner lied (*shock horror*) and WSOC wasn't asking "five times more" than other local stations. Eventually the two sides reached a deal.
Of course some people will say "you've pointed out TV prices, not internet prices", and you'd be right, but it makes no difference, it's still an example of Time Warner using it's power to screw it's customers to make up for their disastrously misguided investments. In fact, the average family can expect to spend $200 (two zeros) per month on Time Warner's internet service under their new plan. $200 in a region crippled by job loss and pay cuts.
There are obviously alternatives. For those who can get them Dish Network isn't a badly priced option for television and the picture is quite good. AT&T (unless they go down this road) for the internet. Sadly Time Warner is treated very well by Charlotte, but you can stop that by sending your dollars elsewhere.
You can also contact the following people and voice displeasure with Time Warner's nice treatment from a city it spits on:
Pat McCrory (Charlotte Mayor)
Bev Perdue (North Carolina Governor)
Anthony Foxx (Charlotte City Council and candidate for Mayor)
John Lassiter (Charlotte City Council and candidate for Mayor)
Kay Hagan (US Senate)
Richard Burr (US Senate)
Mel Watt (US Congress)
Larry Kissel (US Congress)
Sue Myrick (US Congress)
Susan Burgess (Charlotte City Council and Mayor Pro Tempore)
Patsy Kinsey (Charlotte City Council)
Edwin Peacock (Charlotte City Council)
James Mitchell, Jr. (Charlotte City Council)
Warren Turner (Charlotte City Council)
Michael Barnes (Charlotte City Council)
Nancy Carter (Charlotte City Council)
Andy Dulin (Charlotte City Council)
Warren Cooksey (Charlotte City Council)
Jennifer Roberts (Chairperson, Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Harold Cogdell, Jr. (Vice-Chairperson, Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Vilma Leake (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Dan Murrey (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Karen Bentley (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
George Dunlap (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Dumont Clarke (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Bill James (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners) *cough*
Neil Cooksey (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Recently Time Warner announced it's plan to introduce a "tiered" pricing system for it's broadband users, meaning the company is going to raise it's customer's prices again. This is something Time Warner customers are more than used to, the company does it regularly (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ect.) and obviously has no plans to stop. Unfortunately for some people in Charlotte-proper Time Warner is the only pay-TV option they have (they can't get a clear shot at a satellite). Though for internet many opt for AT&T (frm. BellSouth) which provides a better, but by no means ideal, option. AT&T is also looking into a new pricing system, which would further screw the general public.
This news comes on the heels of a Charlotte Observer report which referred to Metrolina's jobless rates as "sobering". 11% of Mecklenburger's are out of work and Mecklenburg is the healthiest county in the region. It is today, at a time when more and more Charlotteans need the internet for work, that Time Warner chooses to kick them. This also comes nearly immediately after a spat between Time Warner and local television station WSOC over a fee WSOC charged Time Warner to carry the channel and is sister WAXN. Of course Time Warner trotted out their old stand-by "In doing this WSOC wants to force us to charge our customers more for our service". Of course, Time Warner lied (*shock horror*) and WSOC wasn't asking "five times more" than other local stations. Eventually the two sides reached a deal.
Of course some people will say "you've pointed out TV prices, not internet prices", and you'd be right, but it makes no difference, it's still an example of Time Warner using it's power to screw it's customers to make up for their disastrously misguided investments. In fact, the average family can expect to spend $200 (two zeros) per month on Time Warner's internet service under their new plan. $200 in a region crippled by job loss and pay cuts.
There are obviously alternatives. For those who can get them Dish Network isn't a badly priced option for television and the picture is quite good. AT&T (unless they go down this road) for the internet. Sadly Time Warner is treated very well by Charlotte, but you can stop that by sending your dollars elsewhere.
You can also contact the following people and voice displeasure with Time Warner's nice treatment from a city it spits on:
Pat McCrory (Charlotte Mayor)
Bev Perdue (North Carolina Governor)
Anthony Foxx (Charlotte City Council and candidate for Mayor)
John Lassiter (Charlotte City Council and candidate for Mayor)
Kay Hagan (US Senate)
Richard Burr (US Senate)
Mel Watt (US Congress)
Larry Kissel (US Congress)
Sue Myrick (US Congress)
Susan Burgess (Charlotte City Council and Mayor Pro Tempore)
Patsy Kinsey (Charlotte City Council)
Edwin Peacock (Charlotte City Council)
James Mitchell, Jr. (Charlotte City Council)
Warren Turner (Charlotte City Council)
Michael Barnes (Charlotte City Council)
Nancy Carter (Charlotte City Council)
Andy Dulin (Charlotte City Council)
Warren Cooksey (Charlotte City Council)
Jennifer Roberts (Chairperson, Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Harold Cogdell, Jr. (Vice-Chairperson, Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Vilma Leake (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Dan Murrey (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Karen Bentley (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
George Dunlap (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Dumont Clarke (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Bill James (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners) *cough*
Neil Cooksey (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Friday, March 20, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Jessica Simpson
Gained weight.
The media made fun of her.
This is probably my biggest pet peeve: Men are allowed to gain weight, it's even often celebrated (Actually, men who are underweight are often maligned as "faggots"). But if a woman dares not be waif thin or perfectly toned she gets crucified.
There is nothing, nothing wrong with a woman having curves. In fact many timelessly beautiful women such as Jean Harlow, Jayne Mansfield, and Marylin Monroe would be considered overweight by today's media-driven, status quo-controlled culture.
On the Super Bowl tonight you will see commercials celebrating the right of "real men" to be overweight, and you will see commercials reinforcing a stereotype that only thin females are attractive. NBC would just rather let a beer company tell you that than PETA.
But I won't rant and rave about it. If you're a male and you think women of Jessica Simpson's build aren't up to your standards, you can be that way. More for those of us who do appreciate it. :)
The media made fun of her.
This is probably my biggest pet peeve: Men are allowed to gain weight, it's even often celebrated (Actually, men who are underweight are often maligned as "faggots"). But if a woman dares not be waif thin or perfectly toned she gets crucified.
There is nothing, nothing wrong with a woman having curves. In fact many timelessly beautiful women such as Jean Harlow, Jayne Mansfield, and Marylin Monroe would be considered overweight by today's media-driven, status quo-controlled culture.
On the Super Bowl tonight you will see commercials celebrating the right of "real men" to be overweight, and you will see commercials reinforcing a stereotype that only thin females are attractive. NBC would just rather let a beer company tell you that than PETA.
But I won't rant and rave about it. If you're a male and you think women of Jessica Simpson's build aren't up to your standards, you can be that way. More for those of us who do appreciate it. :)
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Big White Elephant
Big, really big.
Beijing's famous "Bird's Nest" has one event on it's schedule for 2009, one. On August 8th, the stadium will host Puccini’s opera “Turandot".
The $450 million, 91,000-seat stadium doesn't have a tenant. Plans called for the local Chinese Super League club, Beijing Guoan, to move into the stadium following the Olympics. Guoan balked at these plans after seeing the rental fee. A somewhat strange part of this story is that the Bird's Nest is run by CITIC group, the company also owns most of Guoan through a subsidiary called CITIC Guoan. That tells you that the rent must be somewhat exorbitant.
Somewhat stranger is that China's national soccer team doesn't have any matches scheduled at the supposed National Stadium, instead choosing random venues throughout the country.
Beijing does have three other clubs who could potentially (though the changes are about as thin as my arms) call the stadium home. Hongdeng, and BIT both play in the second-tier Jia League, while minnows Baxy play in the third level Yi League.
A stadium which has a horrible reputation as a white elephant is Montreal's Stade Olympique, a major difference between "the Big O" and the Bird's Nest is that the Montreal venue has actually had regular tenants, the Bird's Nest has lost it's best bet to the aging (albeit recently refurbished) Workers Stadium.
Of the other recent Olympic Stadiums, only Seoul's (1998) Jamsil could be lumped into this category though it does see use as a concert venue, and occasionally by tiny Seoul United. That said, Espanyol will soon decamp Barcelona's 1992 stadium for greener pastures in Cornellà de Llobregat leaving the future of that stadium up in the air. With that, the stadium has been in use since 1927.
The Bird's Nest, however iconic it may be, will surely serve as a very large warning sign for the future to not bite off more than you can chew.
Beijing's famous "Bird's Nest" has one event on it's schedule for 2009, one. On August 8th, the stadium will host Puccini’s opera “Turandot".
The $450 million, 91,000-seat stadium doesn't have a tenant. Plans called for the local Chinese Super League club, Beijing Guoan, to move into the stadium following the Olympics. Guoan balked at these plans after seeing the rental fee. A somewhat strange part of this story is that the Bird's Nest is run by CITIC group, the company also owns most of Guoan through a subsidiary called CITIC Guoan. That tells you that the rent must be somewhat exorbitant.
Somewhat stranger is that China's national soccer team doesn't have any matches scheduled at the supposed National Stadium, instead choosing random venues throughout the country.
Beijing does have three other clubs who could potentially (though the changes are about as thin as my arms) call the stadium home. Hongdeng, and BIT both play in the second-tier Jia League, while minnows Baxy play in the third level Yi League.
A stadium which has a horrible reputation as a white elephant is Montreal's Stade Olympique, a major difference between "the Big O" and the Bird's Nest is that the Montreal venue has actually had regular tenants, the Bird's Nest has lost it's best bet to the aging (albeit recently refurbished) Workers Stadium.
Of the other recent Olympic Stadiums, only Seoul's (1998) Jamsil could be lumped into this category though it does see use as a concert venue, and occasionally by tiny Seoul United. That said, Espanyol will soon decamp Barcelona's 1992 stadium for greener pastures in Cornellà de Llobregat leaving the future of that stadium up in the air. With that, the stadium has been in use since 1927.
The Bird's Nest, however iconic it may be, will surely serve as a very large warning sign for the future to not bite off more than you can chew.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
"But IM N DA ARMY"
So, I met this legend on JTV:
This is important to remember.
[15:05] (flyguy1) JK IM IN COLLEGE SO IM GROWN
This is important to remember.
[15:10] (flyguy1) i was stationed at FORT HOOD TX WHEN I WAS IN THE ARMY
[15:15] (flyguy1) im drinking and smoking right now with two girls...im pretty sure averybody would love to see that.
[15:15] (flyguy1) IM MY IS A NONSTOP PARTY 24/7
[15:15] (flyguy1) i get off work and start drinking...invite some army groupies over to chill with me
[15:16] (flyguy1) when you are in the army. you have to stay drunk to stay sane
[15:16] (flyguy1) my fridge is loaded with beer and hard liquor
That's not too bad, I guess. But this is just incredible:
[15:32] (flyguy1) THE AIR FORCE AND NAVY ARE FOR BITCHES...IF YOU WANT TO SEE COMBAT JOIN THE ARMY OF MARINES..HOOOOAAAAHHH
Holy shit.
At this point he was repeatedly informed that the Marines are a branch of the Navy.
He persists:
[15:32] (flyguy1) GO ARMY GO MARINES...HOOOOAAHHH...*** THE NAVY AND AIR FORCE FAGGOTS
[15:33] (flyguy1) IM NOT TALKING ABOUT WWII OR THE NAVY SEALS..THOSE GUYS ARE BADASS
Yea, because those guys have nothing to do with the Navy, right?
[15:33] (flyguy1) IM TALKING ABOUT ENLISTED NAVY AND AIR FORCE COWARDS..
Because the SEALS aren't enlisted, apparently.
[15:35] (flyguy1) THOSE NAVY AND AIR FORCE ENLISTED ARE PUNKS.THEY DONT DO ***...ITS ALWAYS THE ARMY AND MARINES DYING IN IRAQ...I DONT CONSIDER NAVY AND AIR FORCE FIGHTING THE WAR ON TERROR BECAUSE THEY DONT DO ***
Yea, because the Air Force never provides covering fire to ground troops. And none of those ground troops are ever Navy officers.
Oh.
[15:36] (flyguy1) WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HEARD A SAILOR OF A AIRMEN DYING IN IRAQ...ITS ALWAYS THE ARMY AND MARINES SHEDDING BLOOD
Rest in peace.
[15:37] (flyguy1) THE ARMY AND MARINES ARE HARD...WE SOME HARDCORE MOTHERFUCKERS....PLEASE DONT COMPARE US TO NO NAVY OF AIR FORCE COWARDS
[15:39] (flyguy1) AS A SOLDIER IVE BEEN TO IRAQ AND FOUGHT ALONG SIDE SOME HARDCORE MARINES...IVE NEVER SEE NO NAVY FAGS IN IRAQ...I NEVER SAW NO AIR FORCE PUNKS IN IRAQ....ITS ALWAY THE ARMY AND MARINES SHEDDING BLOOD...*** THE NAVY AND THE AIR FORCE.
[15:41] (flyguy1) THE NEW NAVY AND AND THE AIR FORCE ARE COWARDS AND A DISGRACE TO AMERICA...THESE ASSHOLES DONT EVEN KNOW HOW TO SHOOT A *** WEAPON...HOW COME THE ARMY AND MARINES KEEP GOING BACK TO IRAQ WHILE THE NAVY AND AIRFORCE FAGGOTS GET TO STAY STATESIDE A...
[15:43] (flyguy1) WHY DONT THEY TRAIN THE NAVY AND AIRFORCE FAGGOTS THE SAME *** THEY TEACH THE ARMY AND MARINES AND SEND THEY *** TO IRAQ INSTEAD OF SENDING THE ARMY AND MARINES TO COMBAT OVER AND OVER
Yep. He actually said that. I'll actually provide the transcript upon request.
Feel free to drop him a line.
I mean, I know there are morons online, but this one probably takes the cake.
[15:15] (flyguy1) im drinking and smoking right now with two girls...im pretty sure averybody would love to see that.
[15:15] (flyguy1) IM MY IS A NONSTOP PARTY 24/7
[15:15] (flyguy1) i get off work and start drinking...invite some army groupies over to chill with me
[15:16] (flyguy1) when you are in the army. you have to stay drunk to stay sane
[15:16] (flyguy1) my fridge is loaded with beer and hard liquor
That's not too bad, I guess. But this is just incredible:
[15:32] (flyguy1) THE AIR FORCE AND NAVY ARE FOR BITCHES...IF YOU WANT TO SEE COMBAT JOIN THE ARMY OF MARINES..HOOOOAAAAHHH
Holy shit.
At this point he was repeatedly informed that the Marines are a branch of the Navy.
He persists:
[15:32] (flyguy1) GO ARMY GO MARINES...HOOOOAAHHH...*** THE NAVY AND AIR FORCE FAGGOTS
[15:33] (flyguy1) IM NOT TALKING ABOUT WWII OR THE NAVY SEALS..THOSE GUYS ARE BADASS
Yea, because those guys have nothing to do with the Navy, right?
[15:33] (flyguy1) IM TALKING ABOUT ENLISTED NAVY AND AIR FORCE COWARDS..
Because the SEALS aren't enlisted, apparently.
[15:35] (flyguy1) THOSE NAVY AND AIR FORCE ENLISTED ARE PUNKS.THEY DONT DO ***...ITS ALWAYS THE ARMY AND MARINES DYING IN IRAQ...I DONT CONSIDER NAVY AND AIR FORCE FIGHTING THE WAR ON TERROR BECAUSE THEY DONT DO ***
Yea, because the Air Force never provides covering fire to ground troops. And none of those ground troops are ever Navy officers.
Oh.
[15:36] (flyguy1) WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HEARD A SAILOR OF A AIRMEN DYING IN IRAQ...ITS ALWAYS THE ARMY AND MARINES SHEDDING BLOOD
Rest in peace.
[15:37] (flyguy1) THE ARMY AND MARINES ARE HARD...WE SOME HARDCORE MOTHERFUCKERS....PLEASE DONT COMPARE US TO NO NAVY OF AIR FORCE COWARDS
[15:39] (flyguy1) AS A SOLDIER IVE BEEN TO IRAQ AND FOUGHT ALONG SIDE SOME HARDCORE MARINES...IVE NEVER SEE NO NAVY FAGS IN IRAQ...I NEVER SAW NO AIR FORCE PUNKS IN IRAQ....ITS ALWAY THE ARMY AND MARINES SHEDDING BLOOD...*** THE NAVY AND THE AIR FORCE.
[15:41] (flyguy1) THE NEW NAVY AND AND THE AIR FORCE ARE COWARDS AND A DISGRACE TO AMERICA...THESE ASSHOLES DONT EVEN KNOW HOW TO SHOOT A *** WEAPON...HOW COME THE ARMY AND MARINES KEEP GOING BACK TO IRAQ WHILE THE NAVY AND AIRFORCE FAGGOTS GET TO STAY STATESIDE A...
[15:43] (flyguy1) WHY DONT THEY TRAIN THE NAVY AND AIRFORCE FAGGOTS THE SAME *** THEY TEACH THE ARMY AND MARINES AND SEND THEY *** TO IRAQ INSTEAD OF SENDING THE ARMY AND MARINES TO COMBAT OVER AND OVER
Yep. He actually said that. I'll actually provide the transcript upon request.
Feel free to drop him a line.
I mean, I know there are morons online, but this one probably takes the cake.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I voted, yay
I did! For these people:
US President - Barack Obama/Joe Biden (D)
NC Governor - Pat McCrory (R)
NC Lt. Governor - Walter Dalton (D)
US Senate - Kay Hagan (D)
US House, NC District 8 - Larry Kissel (D)
NC Atty. General - Roy Cooper (D)
NC Auditor - Beth Wood (D)
NC Comm. of Agriculture - Ronnie Ansley (D)
NC Comm. of Insurance - Wayne Goodwin (D)
NC Comm. of Labor - Mary Fant Donnan (D)
NC Secy. of State - Elaine Marshall (D)
NC Superintendent of Public Instruction - June St. Clair Atkinson (D)
NC Treasurer - Janet Cowell (D)
NC State Senate District 37 - Rusty Sheridan (L)
NC House District 100 - Tricha Cotham (D)
Mecklenburg County Comm. At-large - Harold Cogdell, Jr (D), Dan Murray (D), Jennifer Roberts (D)
Mecklenburg County Comm. District 5 - Abstain
Register of Deeds - David Granberry (D)
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor - Myself (G)
Parks and Rec Bond - Yes
Street Bond - Yes
Housing Bond - Yes
Neighborhood Improvement Bond - Yes
I'm transparent :)
US President - Barack Obama/Joe Biden (D)
NC Governor - Pat McCrory (R)
NC Lt. Governor - Walter Dalton (D)
US Senate - Kay Hagan (D)
US House, NC District 8 - Larry Kissel (D)
NC Atty. General - Roy Cooper (D)
NC Auditor - Beth Wood (D)
NC Comm. of Agriculture - Ronnie Ansley (D)
NC Comm. of Insurance - Wayne Goodwin (D)
NC Comm. of Labor - Mary Fant Donnan (D)
NC Secy. of State - Elaine Marshall (D)
NC Superintendent of Public Instruction - June St. Clair Atkinson (D)
NC Treasurer - Janet Cowell (D)
NC State Senate District 37 - Rusty Sheridan (L)
NC House District 100 - Tricha Cotham (D)
Mecklenburg County Comm. At-large - Harold Cogdell, Jr (D), Dan Murray (D), Jennifer Roberts (D)
Mecklenburg County Comm. District 5 - Abstain
Register of Deeds - David Granberry (D)
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor - Myself (G)
Parks and Rec Bond - Yes
Street Bond - Yes
Housing Bond - Yes
Neighborhood Improvement Bond - Yes
I'm transparent :)
Monday, November 3, 2008
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