JPN
Tokyo was thrilled to learn that it has won the bid for the 2020 Olympics, beating out Istanbul and Madrid by a wide margin. The IOC was initially concerned about that Fukushima business, but Japan's Prime Minister has assured everyone that the radiation poses no threat to the Olympics. (And really, would the government ever lie about radiation dangers???)
Today I’m doing to take some time out to talk about one of the greatest directors in history, Martin Scorsese. This man is not only known for creating some exceptional and award-winning films, but he’s also known for doing so consistently. No George Lucas decline for the Scorsese - his original vision, while it may not pan out as perfect each and every time, is still with him, enabling him to continue producing top-quality films even 40 years after he began. I’m going to go over a few of his films (mostly my favorites, of course) and talk about why Scorsese is nothing less than a divine being sent from the sky to grace us with his genius.
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In Dr. D's humble guess-timation, Clint Dempsey is the greatest American soccer player who ever lived. He's 30, in his prime, and suddenly he is playing for your Seattle Sounders. "Fuutball," anybody?
With this signing, you are talking about a shot heard 'round the world. It's more of a "popgun" sound, but make no mistake - for the MLS in America to land a fish of Dempsey's size is a game-changer. For the Sounders and for American soccer, at least.
There are very fine soccer blogs peppering the NW landscape. SSI won't be able to much speak to fans who are ex-college players themselves, but can (now) serve as a type of concierge for fair-weather soccer fans like himself, helping perhaps to show them the door. The door in, that is.
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How Good are Dempsey and Donovan?
Ask an English bloke this question and you're guaranteed a fun afternoon. For some reason, it grotesquely pains him to admit anything good about any American soccer player. I can't relate to this -- I mean, of course the NBA is worlds better than European basketball, but why should it pain me to admit that Dirk Nowitzki is a great player?
Like so many oddball crafts, the first time I heard about Temari balls, my reaction was to think "that's stupid." The problem was that I was reading a text description of the craft, and on paper, temari balls really do sound pretty dumb.
I am always fascinated by the intersection of fandom and craft, and Blythe dolls sit perfectly on that line. And they draw my attention even more, because I have never been even the slightest bit interested in playing with dolls. Not now, and not as a child. This means that I find it fascinating to see people spending so much time on their Blythe dolls, and the meticulous care they use to construct their scenes.
A recent study offers alarming news for fans of the fish oil supplement. Taking fish oil capsules on a regular basis may increase the risk of prostate cancer by as much as 71%. The studies are preliminary, and raise a lot of questions.
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Q. How bad has Iwakuma been, his last 5 starts?
A. 29 innings, 22 earnies ... 19 strikeouts, 5 walks. But, as you know, 10 homers in those five starts, and he got KO'ed in the fourth, last time out.
As bad stretches go, that one's not tragic ... every pitcher will have a 5- or 8-game stretch in which his ERA is seven plus. Iwakuma's overall ERA for the season is still much better than, say, Justin Verlander's. Verlander's ERA was 6.41 in May. Doesn't prove he's a meatball.
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Q. So MLB(TM) has caught up to him?
A. This is Iwakuma's first stretch of ANYTHING --- > [less than Maddux-like performance], since he went into the rotation last year. A lot of people now assume that 'Merika has now exposed him.
Remember when they did that to Ichiro in 2002? And 2003? And 2005? And...
Ichiro would win an MVP, or get 260 hits, and then the very next April he'd hit .240 and, I kid you not, people would wring their hands that the league had finally figured him out. Happened every year for ten years in a row.
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A few weeks back, I wrote an article talking about
