USA 1 - 0 ALGERIA

From out of the World Cup tournament... to clinching the round-robin Group C, with a single kick.

New York Times story link.

On a perfect set-up from goalie Tim Howard who created a 4-on-2 rush, Landon Donovan scored in the first minute of stoppage time to lift the U.S. side to victory and a spot in the Round of 16.

I can understand those people who hate on soccer. I, too, dislike watching players trying to draw fouls by flopping to the turf and acting like they've been shot when there is the least amount of contact. I can't quite understand all the nuances and Calvinball nature of off-sides penalties --- sometimes, it's OK to be past the last defender, and sometimes it's not). And soccer is a sport that badly needs replay, at least at the World Cup level where the technology is definitely available. But we'll put all that aside for the moment and let these players do a little basking.

The way the USA has fought back against the odds, from one or two goals behind late into their matches, against the other 11 men, against the refs who are either physically blind / hallucinogenic, on the take with odds-makers or who harbor personal hate of America, against FIFA for the attitude that soccer is for the 'rest of the world' and want to protect their sport from American dominance. We're still in it and the USA never gives up!

Truth be told, I also have a rooting interest for the Netherlands, a team that has a good chance to win the whole tournament, according to some experts.

Putting the 'Cracy' in Representative Democracy

Having access to Netflix's online selections recently, I've discovered the BBC's "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister" series from the '80s. I had caught several episodes on the Rhode Island PBS station (WSBE) over the years, but that station hasn't been reliable since the digital broadcast switch last year, coupled with the fact that these shows are out of their so-called 'Brit-com' line-up.

Wikipedia has a nicely done entry on the series, which follows the rise of Jim Hacker MP (played by Paul Eddington) as Minister of the Administrative Affairs department --- and eventually to 10 Downing Street as Prime Minister of the U.K. At his side --- or many times, behind Hacker's back --- is Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne), the permanent secretary who makes the all-too-polite backstabbing, doublespeak and thirst for civil service bureaucratic control look so charming, is ready to wrap everything in red tape at a moment's notice. These two made for such a great acting team, and the script-writing of petty, absurd and Sgt. Shultz-like bureaucracy still has bite nearly 30 years later.

I was an avid watcher of "The West Wing" and I imagine that somewhere in between the style of these shows is how government really functions.

"There's no earthly way of knowing / Which direction we are going / There's no knowing where we're rowing / Or which way the river's flowing / Is it raining? / Is it snowing? / Is a hurricane a-blowing? / Not a speck of light is showing / So the danger must be growing / Are the fires of hell a-glowing? / Is the grisly reaper mowing? / Yes! The danger must be growing / For the rowers keep on rowing / And they're certainly not showing / Any signs that they are slowing!"

--- Willy Wonka in "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" (1971)

9 June 2010

Yesterday, I processed two batches of strawberry-rhubarb jam, using a slightly different recipe than from my last post. We opened a jar of one of those and it was a little too thin and sugary for my taste; the rhubarb was like candied fruit. Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly edible and delicious on a bit of buttered toast or English muffin. Still, I think those four that are left are going to be the give-away jars.... Well, let me fine-tune that sentence a bit. I want the jars themselves back. It gets expensive having to replace those, don't you know. Really is a shame that the glass-top jars aren't recommended for canning anymore, as there's probably 100 of them under the workbench downstairs. I guess they'll just be nuts-and-bolts jars now.

Anyway, yesterday I used an envelope of pectin and reduced the Jell-o to one small box. The pectin really helped to firm the mixture up to a proper jam consistency. In the interest of preserving some of the rhubarb's tartness, I also cut down the sugar from 8 cups to 5 cups. In all, it produced 12 half-pint jelly jars and two pint-sized jars, and there was about 1/2 cup left over that I gave to our neighbor.

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Made an appointment for today at the veterinarian for Ruff to get current on his vaccinations and such. The little boy was 5 months old yesterday. Growing like a weed.

Training is a constant process, and he's doing well in house-breaking. Only a few accidents when he gets really excited --- if someone new comes over or when his favorite human, Papa, comes home from being away for an extended time. Otherwise, he's been very good with telling us he needs to go outside. He's gradually getting better with staying on this bed while everyone's eating. Ruff is also doing well on walks, but he still has work to do with not pulling on the leash. Word is that he was the Alpha / lead dog in his puppy litter, and he needs to learn that here, he's the Beta. And on that note, I think it's time for a morning walk.