I thought it would be a bit cooler here in Norman now that I’m back from the sweltering death that is Houston. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed myself; it’s just more that a little hot there. We posted up at a number of places. My favorite was the Houston Dynamo game. We did a bit of tailgating before and after the game. There was beer, burgers and hot dogs. It was pretty fun. We went into the game and it was a blowout. The Columbus Crew didn’t have a prayer against the mighty Dynamo. I’m pretty sure my beloved Reds would stomp them into the ground though.
That wasn’t the only event on our itinerary though. Before the game we went to the St. Arnold Brewery for a brewery tour. There were several hundred people there and we were all thirsty for sweet refreshing beer. It was a mild 105+ degrees in the brewery and public sweatiness was the norm. We didn’t come as prepared as some of the veterans of the brewery tour though. Those bitches has sandwiches!
Continuing with my time-reversed portrayal of my Houston trip we ended the night before the Dynamo game by going to a super-awesome Ume concert. The first thing that you should know about Ume is that they do not fuck around. They are quite the sight to see. It will rock your sensibilities to the core seeing the smallest and cutest girl in the world smashing your brain with pure liquid rock. She has killer legs too. Whee!
Ume - Manic
We visited the Houston Aquarium. It was both awesome and air conditioned, a double plus. There were lots of critters there. We made friends with a sting ray we named Vernon. I’m pretty sure he wanted to drink my blood. Tara promised me that he was just trying to jump on me so I could take him home, not to drink my blood. There are two white tigers at the aquarium “because tigers like to play in the water”. They were very pretty and VERY big. There is also a tunnel-shaped aquarium that is filled with sharks. It was a pretty sweet facility.
During the hottest and most impressively disgusting day I have had the honor of experiencing in a very long time we went to Space Center Houston. Shit, it was hot outside. We went because of the (seemingly) awesome Star Wars exhibit. The video makes it seem FUCKING AWESOME. It is, in fact, not FUCKING AWESOME. Not even close. Not even one bit. This video shows every single bit of the exhibit. Now you don’t have to go, lucky you.
We did take the tour of the Space Center. It was ok, but with the heat it was probably not the best idea. We had to wait in line for quite a while in the blazing heat. It was lovely, look at the pictures. You can tell how much fun Lulu and Tay Tay are having. The Saturn V rocket exhibit is crazy awesome. You open the door and BAM! that thing is all in your face. It’s an experience. Lulu also had some astronaut ice cream, it made my mouth taste like sludge.
Finally we spent the first night eating and drinking. We posted up at the pool and set to drinking. Fun was had.
Thanks again for letting us post up with you Tara. We’ll have to do it again sometime.
I took it a bit further including the score for the Big XII Championship against Colorado and the National Championship against Clemson (you can’t avoid us, you bastards!). I also kept the Kansas game closer and the Kansas State game is total domination (instead of his 31-29 nail biter). We both agree on the Texas A&M game as well. I hope to see more of your predictions so we can compare. Get ready folks, this is going to be one hell of a year.
Today in 1989 in Sheffield England 96 Liverpool FC fans died in a human stampede during the FA cup semi-final between Liverpool FC and Nottingham Forest FC. Looking into it it appears that quite a few crushes have happened over the last while. Most notably is the Khodynka Tragedy in which 1,389 people died and another 1,300 were injured in a human stampede. Wow.
The Hillsborough disaster occurred on April 15, 1989, at Hillsborough, a football stadium in Sheffield, England, resulting in the loss of 96 lives.
Liverpool F.C. were involved in their 17th FA Cup Semi-Final, to be played against Nottingham Forest F.C. at Hillsborough, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C..
Football had been plagued by hooliganism for years in many countries but particularly in the United Kingdom. Football hooliganism in the UK often involves pitch invasions and the throwing of a variety of missiles - in response most stadiums placed high chainlink fences between the seats and terraces and the pitch (terraces were cheaper standing areas without seats). However, it was not hooliganism that day, but the fear of it, that led to the death of ninety-six people.
The stadium was divided into two parts in order to keep the opposing fans apart: the Liverpool supporters being assigned to the Leppings Lane End. Kick off was scheduled for 3.00pm and many of the Liverpool supporters were late arriving. By 2.45pm there was a considerable buildup of fans outside the turnstiles at the Leppings Lane End, all eager to enter the stadium before the match started. With a crowd of 5000 fans (est) trying to get through the turnstiles the police decided to open a second set of gates which did not have turnstiles. The resulting inpouring of hundreds (possibly thousands) of fans at the rear of the terraces caused a crush at the front where people were pressed against the fencing. For some time the problem was not noticed and it was not until 3:06pm that the referee stopped the game. By this time a small door in the fencing had been opened and by this route many escaped the crush - others climbed over the fencing.
The pitch quickly started to fill with people sweating and gasping for breath and with the bodies of the dead. The police and ambulance services were overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster and fans helped as best they could, many attempting CPR and some tearing down advertising hoardings to act as makeshift stretchers. The crush ultimately took the lives of 96 people.
Graphic footage of the disaster was available because the match was being broadcast and this along with the number of fatalities made an extreme impact on the general population.
A permanent tribute to those who lost their lives can be found alongside the Shankly Gates at Anfield. A further tribute was set up in 1999 at Hillsborough.
Interestingly a few days after the tragedy during a match between AC Milan and Real Madrid the match was stopped 6 minutes into the first half for a moment of silence.
The Hillsborough disaster did not only touch clubs in England but the disaster was known worldwide and touched clubs around the world.
On 19 April 1989 (the following Wednesday of the disaster), a European Cup semi final between AC Milan and Real Madrid was played. The referee blew his whistle 6 minutes into the game to stop play and hold a minute’s silence for those who lost their lives tragically at Hillsborough. About 20 seconds into the silence the Milan fans on the Curva Sud began to sing Liverpool’s anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as a tribute to those who died.
Isn’t she pretty? I bought a new loved one into my family yesterday. It is a Honda Nighthawk 750 and you all should be very jealous of her. I drove all day yesterday near the lovely town of Fayetteville, Arkansas. A short test drive and I was in love. We strapped her to the trailer and drove off into the sunset. There really wasn’t a sunset because it was all rainy and whatnot but just know that was the feeling in my heart.
That last picture isn’t of my actual bike, but it’s bigger and shows off my girl’s awesome curves.
In other news I got a new hat yesterday at Blu. I saw it, I took it. I am now the proud owner of a University of California Santa Cruz Banana Slugs hat. I know that no one likes California athletics but you have to give it up to the Banana Slugs. Their mascot alone could strike fear into whatever it is that detritivores eat. Found mostly on North American Pacific coastal coniferous rainforest belt these yellow terrors are in perfect striking distance of some of our greatest cities! It is also know that they have a fondness for mushrooms. Take that!
Straight from the “Best news I’ve heard all day department” is this little nugget. The NCAA has reversed its penalty of removing 8 wins from the 2005 season. We are now 8 wins richer including the glorious Holiday Bowl win against Oregon (17 - 14).
The Appeals Committee upheld the University’s contention that the 2005 victories should remain intact. On appeal, OU officials said that erasing the 2005 season from the record books was unfair to the more than 100 student-athletes and coaches who had abided by the rules. In reversing the penalty, the Appeals Committee specifically noted the immediate actions of the institution upon its discovery of the violations, the institution’s “powerful self-imposed penalty” in permanently dismissing the two involved student athletes, and the institution’s cooperation as significant factors in the ultimate detection of the violations.
I am a recent convert to The Beautiful Game but I thought I might help you all catch up a bit on my favorite team, Liverpool. Liverpool, also known as “The Reds” is the most successful football (soccer) team in the history of English football. Their success and fame are owed to hard work, a bit of luck and the dedicated fans known as Kopites.
Liverpool has played at their current field at Anfield since their inception in 1892. The field used to belong to Everton FC. When the rent was raised from £100 to £250 per year Everton moved a few miles away. This left room at Anfield for a new team. This team (then also known as Everton though they soon changed their name) won their first game (8-0) against Higher Walton in the Lancashire League. They went on to win that league in their first year and were upgraded to a more prestigious one at the end of the season. This again occurred the next year and Liverpool was well on its way to football history.
Liverpool’s main rivals are Everton and Manchester United. The rivalry with Manchester United began because of the success of both teams. Each game you will hear several songs by the team’s supporters including “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Rodgers and Hammerstein that has been adopted by fans as the team’s anthem. Another interesting artifact for this historied team is the Liver bird (pronounced like driver, not liver). These birds adorn several buildings in Liverpool and watch over the city. They have been used as the club’s badge since 1901.
For the future Liverpool has created a state-of-the-art training facility called The Academy. This facility allows prospective players for the team train and develop skills while learning alongside past and current players.
Enjoy some not-so-friendly chants from the Kopites but be sure that you are not using speakers if you are in a public place. Although soccer is a beautiful game her fans leave somewhat to be desired (not that I’m complaining).
I am a little late jumping in on the bandwagon but you can still get in on the action! There is a bug vs bug deathmatch happening right here in our own back(internet)yard! At http://www.japanesebugfights.com you can see all of the epic battles while you watch from the safety of your own Tube-Interpreter.
My favorite fight so far (I’ve watched half of them) has to be fight 25. This fight pits a hercules beetle and a scorpion. The beetle starts out by pushing the scorpion off the log and then maintains dominance until the sneaky scorpion (while underwater) sneaks around the beetle and pushes him off. Who’s kind of the hill now, bitch?
There are 30 fights total not including the user-submitted fights. The last fight will be shown January 30th. There will be a follow up on this blag including an award ceremony, stay tuned.
