"Carnaval" is San Francisco's annual parade and street fair held every Memorial Day weekend in the Mission District and literaly taking over the neighborhood. I love this spectacle of people, sights, and sounds. What I most enjoy is the vast and diverse crowd. It's a reminder of how really very much common we all are.
Take a look here (best quality): Carnaval Tour The YouTube version is below:
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
NFL To Play Some Regular Season Games Outside US In 2008
I think this is great news, but I worry that football may become too well-exposed. Still, it's the logical next step: Worldwide NFL games.
League eyeing more games outside of U.S.
NFL.com wire reports
DUESSELDORF, Germany (May 27, 2006) -- The NFL has proposed playing two regular-season games outside the United States starting in 2008, league officials said.
Mark Waller, head of NFL international development, said the proposal to play abroad was put to team owners in Denver. It came after the 49ers and Cardinals played last October before a regular-season record crowd of 103,000 in Mexico City.
The owners will discuss the issue again in October. The games would be played in Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany, where five of the six NFL Europe teams play.
"I will say the reception we got from the owners was incredibly positive -- all the questions were on the practical issues," Waller said.
Plans were also announced to add two more teams to the six playing in NFL Europe by 2010. Last year, owners gave the league a five-year operating license -- ending years of threatening to pull the plug on the operation because of the cost.
"It now gives us a platform to grow the game internationally with a concept of clarity," Waller said.
Outgoing commissioner Paul Tagliabue said developing the game internationally may rank as one of his top five accomplishments during his 16 years in charge.
"I feel the international initiatives we made, along with the owners, may become more significant over time," Tagliabue said.
The league's effort to make an impact internationally began in 1986, when NFL teams began to play preseason games overseas.
The German cities of Hanover and Leipzig are the leading candidates to get NFL Europe expansion clubs as the league concentrates on Germany. The Amsterdam Admirals are the only current NFL Europe team located outside Germany.
NFL Europe would then be split into two four-team divisions with the schedule expanded from 10 to 12 games. The league hopes to develop local stars for NFL Europe, as well as international stars in the NFL.
"It's clearly critical to the future of the game internationally," said Jim Connelly, managing director of NFL Europe.
League eyeing more games outside of U.S.
NFL.com wire reports
DUESSELDORF, Germany (May 27, 2006) -- The NFL has proposed playing two regular-season games outside the United States starting in 2008, league officials said.
Mark Waller, head of NFL international development, said the proposal to play abroad was put to team owners in Denver. It came after the 49ers and Cardinals played last October before a regular-season record crowd of 103,000 in Mexico City.
The owners will discuss the issue again in October. The games would be played in Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany, where five of the six NFL Europe teams play.
"I will say the reception we got from the owners was incredibly positive -- all the questions were on the practical issues," Waller said.
Plans were also announced to add two more teams to the six playing in NFL Europe by 2010. Last year, owners gave the league a five-year operating license -- ending years of threatening to pull the plug on the operation because of the cost.
"It now gives us a platform to grow the game internationally with a concept of clarity," Waller said.
Outgoing commissioner Paul Tagliabue said developing the game internationally may rank as one of his top five accomplishments during his 16 years in charge.
"I feel the international initiatives we made, along with the owners, may become more significant over time," Tagliabue said.
The league's effort to make an impact internationally began in 1986, when NFL teams began to play preseason games overseas.
The German cities of Hanover and Leipzig are the leading candidates to get NFL Europe expansion clubs as the league concentrates on Germany. The Amsterdam Admirals are the only current NFL Europe team located outside Germany.
NFL Europe would then be split into two four-team divisions with the schedule expanded from 10 to 12 games. The league hopes to develop local stars for NFL Europe, as well as international stars in the NFL.
"It's clearly critical to the future of the game internationally," said Jim Connelly, managing director of NFL Europe.
John Paulus Thinks Clay Aiken Is Gay, and I Don't Care!
Really. Why should I give a big deal of concern over what Clay Aiken does in his house? I'm still confused by all this. Who does it help to know this?
Well, I guess it's good to know it so you don't have to worry about your girlfriend running off with him, but in this day and age, you never know.
Well, I guess it's good to know it so you don't have to worry about your girlfriend running off with him, but in this day and age, you never know.
I Worked As An Intern For Lloyd Bentson In His Dallas Office...
and never got the chance to meet him. The one day he came in, I had to attend a class. Well, I didn't have to, but I was young and didn't know better. I was a freshman at Texas-Arlington in 1980. Still, working for his staff was fun and I was the receipient of all of his collection of Congressional Records. About 300 books.
"Fight Club" In Menlo Park A Subsitute For Guys Who Can't Find Girls - CNN
So instead of having dreams about a fine lady, they have fantasies about inflicting pain on some guy. It's said that fighting is another form of sex, so I think this kind of nutty practice is not only an admission of not being able to make it with a woman, but in a way seems to demonstrate a desire for other men. Real weird in my view.
Of course, while these guys are beating each other up -- and almost to death -- I'm enjoying the company of a great woman, not to mention women friends.
I must also say this practice is in total violation of any respect for life.
Computer techs turn to fisticuffs for fun - CNN
Fight clubs are chance to be 'a superhero for a night'
Monday, May 29, 2006; Posted: 8:49 p.m. EDT (00:49 GMT)
MENLO PARK, California (AP) -- They may sport love handles and Ivy League degrees, but every two weeks, some Silicon Valley techies turn into vicious street brawlers in a real-life, underground fight club.
Kicking, punching and swinging every household object imaginable -- from frying pans and tennis rackets to pillowcases stuffed with soda cans -- they beat each other mercilessly in a garage in this bedroom community south of San Francisco.
Then, bloodied and bruised, they limp back to their desks in the morning.
"When you get beat down enough, it becomes a very un-macho thing," said Shiyin Siou, 34, a Santa Clara software engineer and three-year veteran of the clandestine fights. "But I don't need this to prove I'm macho -- I'm macho enough as it is."
Inspired by the 1999 film "Fight Club," starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton, underground bare-knuckle brawling clubs have sprung up across the country as a way for desk jockeys and disgruntled youths to vent their frustrations and prove themselves.
"This is as close as you can get to a real fight, even though I've never been in one," the soft-spoken Siou said.
Despite his reserved demeanor, he daydreams about inflicting pain on an attacker. "I have fantasies about it," he said.
In recent months, police in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have broken up fight clubs involving teens and preteens who posted videos of their bloody battles online.
Earlier this month in Arlington, Texas, a high school student who didn't want to participate was beaten so badly that he suffered a brain hemorrhage and broken vertebrae. Six teenagers were arrested after DVDs of the fight appeared for sale online.
Adult groups are more likely to fly under the radar of authorities.
Menlo Park police hadn't heard about the local club and said they wouldn't be likely to take action because the fights are on private property between consenting adults. That could change if someone complains or is sent to a hospital, police said.
Gints Klimanis, a 37-year-old software engineer and martial arts instructor, started the invitation-only "Gentlemen's Fight Club" in Menlo Park in 2000 after his no-holds-barred sessions with a training partner grew to more than a dozen people. Most participants are men working in the high-tech industry.
"You get to be a superhero for a night," Klimanis said. "We have to go to work every day. We're constantly told to buy things we don't need, and just for a couple hours we have the freedom to do what we want to do."
Fencing and hockey masks are the only protective equipment used. Several fighters have suffered broken noses, ribs and fingers.
Men involved in fight clubs often carry bottled-up violent impulses learned in childhood from video games, cartoons and movies, said Michael Messner, a University of Southern California sociology and gender studies professor.
"Boys have these warrior fantasies picked up from popular culture, and schools sort of force that out of them," he said. In these fantasies, "The good guys always resort to violence, and they always get the glory and the women."
There is also a sadomasochistic thread running through underground fight clubs, said Michael Kimmel, a sociology professor at Stony Brook University in New York.
"Real-life fight clubs are the male version of the girls who cut themselves," he said. "All day long these guys think they're the captains of the universe, technical wizards. They're brilliant but empty.
"They want to feel differently. They want to get hit, they want to feel something real."
Five-year fight club veteran Dinesh Prasad, 32, a heavily tattooed Santa Clara engineer, said he once broke a rib in a match but never complained to his fellow combatants. He also recently skipped his first wedding anniversary to attend a fight rather than drive to Los Angeles, where his wife is finishing law school.
"I came here to get over my fear of fighting, and it's working," he said. "I'm much tougher than I was five years ago. I'm not at the level of these other guys, but if things were to get tough, I can get tough, too."
Of course, while these guys are beating each other up -- and almost to death -- I'm enjoying the company of a great woman, not to mention women friends.
I must also say this practice is in total violation of any respect for life.
Computer techs turn to fisticuffs for fun - CNN
Fight clubs are chance to be 'a superhero for a night'
Monday, May 29, 2006; Posted: 8:49 p.m. EDT (00:49 GMT)
MENLO PARK, California (AP) -- They may sport love handles and Ivy League degrees, but every two weeks, some Silicon Valley techies turn into vicious street brawlers in a real-life, underground fight club.
Kicking, punching and swinging every household object imaginable -- from frying pans and tennis rackets to pillowcases stuffed with soda cans -- they beat each other mercilessly in a garage in this bedroom community south of San Francisco.
Then, bloodied and bruised, they limp back to their desks in the morning.
"When you get beat down enough, it becomes a very un-macho thing," said Shiyin Siou, 34, a Santa Clara software engineer and three-year veteran of the clandestine fights. "But I don't need this to prove I'm macho -- I'm macho enough as it is."
Inspired by the 1999 film "Fight Club," starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton, underground bare-knuckle brawling clubs have sprung up across the country as a way for desk jockeys and disgruntled youths to vent their frustrations and prove themselves.
"This is as close as you can get to a real fight, even though I've never been in one," the soft-spoken Siou said.
Despite his reserved demeanor, he daydreams about inflicting pain on an attacker. "I have fantasies about it," he said.
In recent months, police in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have broken up fight clubs involving teens and preteens who posted videos of their bloody battles online.
Earlier this month in Arlington, Texas, a high school student who didn't want to participate was beaten so badly that he suffered a brain hemorrhage and broken vertebrae. Six teenagers were arrested after DVDs of the fight appeared for sale online.
Adult groups are more likely to fly under the radar of authorities.
Menlo Park police hadn't heard about the local club and said they wouldn't be likely to take action because the fights are on private property between consenting adults. That could change if someone complains or is sent to a hospital, police said.
Gints Klimanis, a 37-year-old software engineer and martial arts instructor, started the invitation-only "Gentlemen's Fight Club" in Menlo Park in 2000 after his no-holds-barred sessions with a training partner grew to more than a dozen people. Most participants are men working in the high-tech industry.
"You get to be a superhero for a night," Klimanis said. "We have to go to work every day. We're constantly told to buy things we don't need, and just for a couple hours we have the freedom to do what we want to do."
Fencing and hockey masks are the only protective equipment used. Several fighters have suffered broken noses, ribs and fingers.
Men involved in fight clubs often carry bottled-up violent impulses learned in childhood from video games, cartoons and movies, said Michael Messner, a University of Southern California sociology and gender studies professor.
"Boys have these warrior fantasies picked up from popular culture, and schools sort of force that out of them," he said. In these fantasies, "The good guys always resort to violence, and they always get the glory and the women."
There is also a sadomasochistic thread running through underground fight clubs, said Michael Kimmel, a sociology professor at Stony Brook University in New York.
"Real-life fight clubs are the male version of the girls who cut themselves," he said. "All day long these guys think they're the captains of the universe, technical wizards. They're brilliant but empty.
"They want to feel differently. They want to get hit, they want to feel something real."
Five-year fight club veteran Dinesh Prasad, 32, a heavily tattooed Santa Clara engineer, said he once broke a rib in a match but never complained to his fellow combatants. He also recently skipped his first wedding anniversary to attend a fight rather than drive to Los Angeles, where his wife is finishing law school.
"I came here to get over my fear of fighting, and it's working," he said. "I'm much tougher than I was five years ago. I'm not at the level of these other guys, but if things were to get tough, I can get tough, too."
The Apprentice 5 Nearlng Close - One Blogger Calls The Two Finalists "Buffoons"
With ratings as low as this latest Apprentice has posted, perhaps the best event will be the final show of this season. I'm not excited about the people on the show, and neither are bloggers like this person over at Fresh Inc., who called both Sean and Lee buffoons.
While I wouldn't go that far, I do think it's a mistake to focus on young people all the time in casting for the show. Life begins at 40, and Trump and his crew would have a better show and richer exchanges with a more mature audience. Hey, there are hot women over 40, too!
While I wouldn't go that far, I do think it's a mistake to focus on young people all the time in casting for the show. Life begins at 40, and Trump and his crew would have a better show and richer exchanges with a more mature audience. Hey, there are hot women over 40, too!
Seattle Seahawks QB Gibran Hamdan Named NFL Europe Offensive Player Of The Year
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
WWW.NFLMedia.com
Joe Browne, Executive Vice President-Communications
Greg Aiello, Vice President-Public Relations
SEAHAWKS QB HAMDAN NAMED NFL EUROPE LEAGUE OFFENSIVE MVP; PANTHERS DT BROWN & FRANCE’S GARDENT SHARE DEFENSIVE HONORS
SEATTLE PLACES NFL-BEST FIVE PLAYERS ON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM;
GREEN BAY, HOUSTON & MINNESOTA EACH PLACE TWO AS WORLD BOWL XIV KICKS OFF SATURDAY
The NFL Europe League announced its annual awards today at World Bowl Media Day at the LTU Arena in DÏ‹sseldorf, Germany.
Quarterback GIBRAN HAMDAN (Seattle Seahawks) of the Amsterdam Admirals was named the NFL Europe League Offensive Most Valuable Player while Admirals defensive tackle TONY BROWN (Carolina Panthers) and French linebacker PHILIPPE GARDENT of the Cologne Centurions were named the Co-Defensive MVPs. Frankfurt Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES was named Coach of the Year.
Hamdan led the Admirals to a 6-1 record before suffering a season-ending injury. The Indiana product led the league in completion percentage (63.0 percent), passing yards (1,629) and touchdowns (12) while posting the highest passer rating in NFL Europe League history (113.4).
Brown helped anchor the Amsterdam defense, registering 40 tackles, 4.0 sacks, one fumble recovery, an interception and five passes defensed. The former Memphis standout also blocked two field goals.
France’s Gardent led the league with 70 tackles for the Centurions and is the first national, or non-American, player to win an MVP award in NFL Europe history.
The league also announced its all-NFL Europe League team. Seattle placed an NFL-high five players on the squad, while Green Bay, Houston and Minnesota each had two. Among the six NFL Europe teams, World Bowl participants Amsterdam (8) and Frankfurt (5) led the way.
Included among the All-NFL Europe League team selections that will play in World Bowl XIV are Frankfurt running back ROGER ROBINSON (Arizona), Amsterdam wide receivers SKYLER FULTON (Seattle) and CHAD LUCAS (Green Bay), and Frankfurt defensive standouts BRANDON HAW (Seattle) and JEROME NICHOLS (Green Bay).
Robinson, allocated by the Arizona Cardinals, set the league’s single-season rushing record with 1,087 yards (MIKE GREEN, 1,057; Barcelona 2001) as the Galaxy had the top-ranked offense and rushing offense.
Seattle wide receiver Fulton led the league with 53 catches and 992 yards, the third best single-season total in NFL Europe history. Amsterdam teammate Lucas, allocated by Green Bay, topped the league with eight touchdown receptions, including an Europe League-record four in one game (April 8 at Berlin).
Safety Haw and defensive tackle Nichols were key components of Frankfurt’s top-ranked defense. Seattle’s Haw led NFL Europe with five interceptions while Green Bay’s Nichols had a league-best 7.0 sacks.
Yello Strom World Bowl XIV between the Admirals and Galaxy will be played this Saturday, May 27. The NFL Network will broadcast the game in the United Stats at 12:00 PM ET with CURT MENEFEE and BRIAN BALDINGER calling the action.
WWW.NFLMedia.com
Joe Browne, Executive Vice President-Communications
Greg Aiello, Vice President-Public Relations
SEAHAWKS QB HAMDAN NAMED NFL EUROPE LEAGUE OFFENSIVE MVP; PANTHERS DT BROWN & FRANCE’S GARDENT SHARE DEFENSIVE HONORS
SEATTLE PLACES NFL-BEST FIVE PLAYERS ON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM;
GREEN BAY, HOUSTON & MINNESOTA EACH PLACE TWO AS WORLD BOWL XIV KICKS OFF SATURDAY
The NFL Europe League announced its annual awards today at World Bowl Media Day at the LTU Arena in DÏ‹sseldorf, Germany.
Quarterback GIBRAN HAMDAN (Seattle Seahawks) of the Amsterdam Admirals was named the NFL Europe League Offensive Most Valuable Player while Admirals defensive tackle TONY BROWN (Carolina Panthers) and French linebacker PHILIPPE GARDENT of the Cologne Centurions were named the Co-Defensive MVPs. Frankfurt Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES was named Coach of the Year.
Hamdan led the Admirals to a 6-1 record before suffering a season-ending injury. The Indiana product led the league in completion percentage (63.0 percent), passing yards (1,629) and touchdowns (12) while posting the highest passer rating in NFL Europe League history (113.4).
Brown helped anchor the Amsterdam defense, registering 40 tackles, 4.0 sacks, one fumble recovery, an interception and five passes defensed. The former Memphis standout also blocked two field goals.
France’s Gardent led the league with 70 tackles for the Centurions and is the first national, or non-American, player to win an MVP award in NFL Europe history.
The league also announced its all-NFL Europe League team. Seattle placed an NFL-high five players on the squad, while Green Bay, Houston and Minnesota each had two. Among the six NFL Europe teams, World Bowl participants Amsterdam (8) and Frankfurt (5) led the way.
Included among the All-NFL Europe League team selections that will play in World Bowl XIV are Frankfurt running back ROGER ROBINSON (Arizona), Amsterdam wide receivers SKYLER FULTON (Seattle) and CHAD LUCAS (Green Bay), and Frankfurt defensive standouts BRANDON HAW (Seattle) and JEROME NICHOLS (Green Bay).
Robinson, allocated by the Arizona Cardinals, set the league’s single-season rushing record with 1,087 yards (MIKE GREEN, 1,057; Barcelona 2001) as the Galaxy had the top-ranked offense and rushing offense.
Seattle wide receiver Fulton led the league with 53 catches and 992 yards, the third best single-season total in NFL Europe history. Amsterdam teammate Lucas, allocated by Green Bay, topped the league with eight touchdown receptions, including an Europe League-record four in one game (April 8 at Berlin).
Safety Haw and defensive tackle Nichols were key components of Frankfurt’s top-ranked defense. Seattle’s Haw led NFL Europe with five interceptions while Green Bay’s Nichols had a league-best 7.0 sacks.
Yello Strom World Bowl XIV between the Admirals and Galaxy will be played this Saturday, May 27. The NFL Network will broadcast the game in the United Stats at 12:00 PM ET with CURT MENEFEE and BRIAN BALDINGER calling the action.
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