OT: World Cup 2010

[pmulcahy11b]

I see that Portugal trounced the North Koreans 7-0. Looks like there may be some new inmates at the re-education camps...

[boogiedowndonovan]

wow, I turned the TV off and went to work too early. I thought that Team USA's world cup was over.

I'm no soccer fan, but you gotta root for your country.

anyways, did some more digging and found a few more Korean fans and Dutch fans. The Dutch fans got in a bit of trouble because they were at the game to advertise for a Dutch brewer. Apparently South Africa has laws against "ambush marketing".

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/dutch-and-south-africans-in-minidress-marketing-row-2002631.html

they can advertise at my football games anytime they want.

[Raellus]

The Australia v Serbia game was intense. Both had a chance to go through there at the end.

[pmulcahy11b]

anyways, did some more digging and found a few more Korean fans and Dutch fans.

Well, they're WAY too hot to be North Korean fans...

[Rainbow Six]

Well, that's Italy out...

[boogiedowndonovan]

Well, they're WAY too hot to be North Korean fans...

those are the Chinese actors hired to cheer for the North Koreans since no one from DPRK could go.

just kidding, those are two South Korean actresses showing their World Cup pride. (ROK also made it to the world cup and is advancing to the next round).

Paul, you were in ROK for awhile right

North Korea lost again and is out. Its got me wondering, maybe Dear Leader made a deal during the six party talks and said, "Get my team in the World Cup and you can have your captured journalists, missionaries, nukes, etc."

[pmulcahy11b]

North Korea lost again and is out. Its got me wondering, maybe Dear Leader made a deal during the six party talks and said, "Get my team in the World Cup and you can have your captured journalists, missionaries, nukes, etc."

Kind of Machiavellian.

Here's an interesting counterpoint to the nuclear question:

We don't want the North to give up their nukes. Not really. One, it soaks up a lot of their defense budget. Two, it makes them international pariahs. And three, most importantly, it dampens down their national sense of paranoia. While they have even their relatively-abortive nuclear program, they feel reasonably safe from invasion, and may not feel the need for a preemptive invasion of the South.

It's just an idea, and I'll admit that it is contingent upon the North's nuclear program continuing to be reasonably-abortive. And to be able to keep a clamp on proliferation. But their nuclear program, as it is now, may actually work for us.

Feel free to comment -- I'll admit that it is a screwy idea.

[pmulcahy11b]

just kidding, those are two South Korean actresses showing their World Cup pride.

Paul, you were in ROK for awhile right

Yes, and they were showing their...pride...quite nicely.

I was stationed in Korea from 1988-1990. And hot chicks like those don't live around US military bases.

[Webstral]

Kind of Machiavellian.

Here's an interesting counterpoint to the nuclear question:

It's just an idea, and I'll admit that it is contingent upon the North's nuclear program continuing to be reasonably-abortive. And to be able to keep a clamp on proliferation. But their nuclear program, as it is now, may actually work for us.

Feel free to comment -- I'll admit that it is a screwy idea.

The idea is unorthodox, but I appreciate that you're looking at the situation as it is instead of the way we'd like it to be. It's all well and good to have a desired end state (such as a nuke-free North Korea, or even a North Korea that has been opened to the outside world), but there's never a guarantee that a feasible means of getting there from here exists. Some problems just can't be solved the way we want with the means at hand.

Webstral

[Raellus]

Well, no more ROK in the Cup. Now that the U.S. is out (it was quite an emotional run)...

GO Uruguay!

[Caradhras]

What can I say re England! Any military parallels seeing as it was vs Germany are kind of politically incorrect.

We were poor, inept defending and naive attacking leaving us open to the counter.

Cant see the Germans getting past Argentina, although tactical nous may swing it for em over actually skills. I would prefer Uruguay, Holland or Spain than either of these two rivals as a Brit.

[Ironside]

Oh schadenfreude, how I do love thee

[Rainbow Six]

I wouldn't write off the Germans...unless I'm mistaken their half of the draw avoids Brazil / Holland (yes, I know it includes Argentina and Spain, but there are a few teams who have still to be really tested and the Germans might just be one of the dark horses along with Uruguay). I also think Japan might have a chance of getting past Paraguay and into the Quarter Finals.

Certainly one of the strangest World Cups I can recall from a European perspective, firstly for some of the teams that didn't qualify in the first place(Sweden, Russia, and the Republic of Ireland all spring to mind) and secondly for the teams that have gone home early (France and Italy obviously, and now England as well).

[boogiedowndonovan]

Well, no more ROK in the Cup. Now that the U.S. is out (it was quite an emotional run)...

GO Uruguay!

well, after the US loss, my world cup interest is fading. I think I will have to scour the internet and find some more pictures of hot female world cup fans to figure out if I will be rooting for another country.

good run by the US, but there was one come back too many.

regarding the England vs. Germany match, during the highlights ESPN showed two English fans dressed up as WWII RAF (the blue uniforms with neckties). Was the English media trying to do parallels to WWII

[TiggerCCW UK]

regarding the England vs. Germany match, during the highlights ESPN showed two English fans dressed up as WWII RAF (the blue uniforms with neckties). Was the English media trying to do parallels to WWII

I think it was the Daily Mail that ran a headline along the lines of "If we'd defended that badly in the Battle of Britain we'd have lost the war".

And people wonder why there is so much anti England football feeling!