What the World Is Saying

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ARCHIVES — JUNE 2010

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JUNE 21, 2010 -- JUNE 27, 2010

TEAM USA.'S AMAZING GOAL

ABC NEWS - THE AMAZING GOAL

What a game! From being knocked out to topping the group! What a ride! I love Donovan's quote at the end of the game about the disallowed goal. He said that the team showed the real American spirit, you can either complain or move on! The real American hero!

Read the article NPR/Late goal advances US at World Cup

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This hasn't been the first World Cup that the USA have been well deserving of their place at the table. The brashness that often upsets other nations has been one of the cornerstones of their progress.

The team spirit looks very good in the camp, every player is willing to work hard for his teammates. The reaction to Donovan's goal was fantastic. You look around at Nigeria, England and France and you see groups of players who can only be called a team by the dictionary definition. USA are like Uruguay and Argentina, if they go out it will be with their heads held high. There are more US fans there than any other nation and the team have done those fans proud.

Read the article DAILY BEAST/USA advances after 1-0 victory

SHOULD VUVUZELAS BE BANNED FROM WORLD CUP?

It's up to South Africans - it's their World Cup. BUT if they care about other people around the world enjoying their tournament, they should ban these things.

It's not so much the sound itself (though it's hard to argue that it's nice) - it's what it blocks out. The crescendos when Messi sets off on a mazy dribble. And above all that noise when the crowd erupts after a goal. Completely lost. What a shame.

You also hear no chants, no "oles", no drummers, no lone trumpeters - nothing, just a drone. Surely takes a lot of character out of the atmosphere of games. Funny, I never realised how important the sound is until the World Cup.

Read the article GUARDIAN/World Cup organizer considers vuvuzela ban after TV complaints

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To NG99: The race card is a bit of a cheap one to pull. Nobody has said they don't like it because its not the same as the football they watch in nice, old Europe.

The reason people dislike it (as far as i can tell) is because it nullifies the tension. There is no audible increase in excitement when a team is in attack. There are no screams of disappointment when somebody misses a sitter. There are no wild cheers when somebody scores. There are no audible outcries when sections of the crowd feel a decision has gone against them. There is no chanting when a team is doing well, nor any stirring support for a team who is struggling. The reason we can't hear any of these things: the vuvezela. The noise is fine, as long as you don't like to hear any of the noise connected with the excitement around football.

You seem to assume that only "foreigners" dislike the sound of the vuvuzela. Seems shamefully partonising - possibly racist - of you to assume that every South African is a fan of the sound.

Read the article GUARDIAN/World Cup organizer considers vuvuzela ban after TV complaints

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All this nonsense of vuvuzelas being part of South Africa's culture is just nonsense. The plastic version was only created in 2001. The tin version only became popular in the 1990s, so it's not like it's been around as long as football in South Africa.

I would love to hear some real African culture in the stadiums, like singing and music rather than the monotonous, atmosphere-killing drone of the vuvuzela.

Read the article BBC HAVE YOUR SAY/Should the vuvuzela be banned?

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The vuvuzela causes a hideous cacophony, a proven distraction to players, teams, managers, TV companies, and spectators both live and televised. They cause all the 'atmosphere' of an extremely bad feedback loop 'hum' on your stereo. They distract the players and reduce the quality of play.

They should be banned. And this is NOT 'South Africa's World Cup'; fairly sick of hearing that one. They are the hosts, yes. And all the guests hate the vuvuzela. Surely it is the host's responsibility to make sure their guests are happy and comfortable?

Read the article BBC HAVE YOUR SAY/Should the vuvuzela be banned?

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I can't understand why most of you are attacking the writer and accusing him of being ignorant and unknowledgeable, the man is just posting his - and many people - point of view. No one can say that the hosts can't freely practice their legal and cultural rights in presenting their way to add excitement to the games, but the fact that it is annoying is incontrovertible.

An expert said that in France vs Uruguay match, the sound of the vuvuzelas was more than 130  decibes, which is like a jet engine is working in the stadium.

Read the article FOX SPROTS-WORLD CUP 2010/Vuvuzela drone killing World Cup atmosphere

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They may not have been around since the last World Cup but they're not a new thing.  As far as your being considerate to others, is it considerate to wave big pieces of styrofoam when a player is taking a free throw in the NBA?  Is it considerate to play loud music or recordings of people chanting to raise the noise level at a football game so the players can't hear the audible?

Hey, I'm American and before you ask, I played soccer for 20 years.  However, I like to think about what I'm saying before I go around attacking others for not being considerate.  I can name several other things that go on in sports along the same lines as those annoying flutes.

Read the article FOX SPROTS-WORLD CUP 2010/Vuvuzela drone killing World Cup atmosphere

JUNE 14, 2010 -- JUNE 20, 2010

THOROUGHLY ABLE ABBY BEATS THE ODDS

ABBY'S BLOG

I'm a parent too. And a grandparent. And a capable woman who has loved adventure, even potentially dangerous adventure. Pitting one's self against the elements, against large obstacles.

So I think it's extraordinary that these parents supported this girl in her desire to take on this challenge, knowing the risks, and knowing that she could bail out along the way (not anywhere and not just now, but she did not have to continue).

This requires a level of parenting that few understand, and that's why we have cosseted, self-absorbed, totally incompetent children whose sole occupation is that latest tween heartthrob, or their latest cell phone, or shoes, or other totally myopic little piece of trivia.

Kudos to the parents and kudos to her. If she survives she will have not only a remarkable story, but a life-changing story and more - a kind of inner confidence no one can take away. Some of us don't want risk-free lives and are not afraid to put our lives on the line for something in which we so believe. Some parents can put aside themselves enough to accommodate that. Hell, disaster happens on football fields every day and we don't ban that.

Read the article HUFFINGTON POST/Abby Sunderland found alive and well by search plane

I"m not sure its a great idea to promote 'the youngest' record thing. I do wonder about parents who will let (or encourage) their kids to risk everything for a record.

ON THE OTHER HAND... We have to understand that this isn't a weekend boater family. Dads a boat builder and the family runs a yacht club. Abby has been on the water since she was a baby. She has 16 years of training that many 'adult' boaters don't have. But there are other remarkable things about this young woman. At sixteen, she blogs about her experiences with the skill in writing that matches her sailing. Her blog comments reveal an extraordinarily smart and knowledgeable young woman.

One important takeaway here is that kids can understand and do far more than we assume from years of overprotecting them and creating a childhood that is entertaining rather than challenging. Unplug the computers and the tv....forget the 'elite' soccer teams. Get your kids doing things with their bodies and their brains. Urge schools to teach up to kids' abilities rather than down and ensure that High School graduates can write and think as well as Miss Sunderland. Its not that hard, they are ready for the task if we'd just quit letting them live down to our expectations.

Read the article HUFFINGTON POST/Abby Sunderland found alive and well by search plane

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I am very, very glad that she was found alive and well.

For those of you grousing about the cost of saving her life, what exactly is it that you keep where your heart ought to be? To read what you are writing, it sounds like BP found a great aftermarket for the sludge being scraped off the Gulf Coast beaches.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter WHY she was in need of help, or how she got there or anything else, anymore than it does for anyone or anything else who ends up in need of rescue and lifesaving assistance. All that matters is that a life is in jeopardy, and the ability to save it is there. all that matters is that the life in the balance lives and breathes to see another day.

Read the article HUFFINGTON POST/Abby Sunderland found alive and well by search plane

JUNE 6, 2010 -- JUNE 13, 2010

"I JUST COST THAT KID A PERFECT GAME"

If the runner were really safe and was called out, mistakenly giving the pitcher a perfect game, that would be hard to reverse because you're not going to resume the game at a later time with the runner on first. The outcome of the game could also be affected.

But in this unique case, since the disputed call was the last out, by reversing the decision the game is over and the outcome is not changed.  

Read the article USA TODAY/Poll: Fans want umpire's blown call overturned

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Setting the stage: Wife and I have been life-long, die-hard Tigers fan for 40 years, and hope to continue for another 40. We were livid with rage at the call - she was in tears. We take our team - and our game - quite seriously.

HOWEVER: Under no circumstances should the call be reversed. The basic integrity of the game is at stake - over 100 years of quirkiness just cannot be run over by a temporary uproar. Baseball tradition is filled with colorful events, most of which probably brought tears of joy, anger, rage and elation to all those involved - but the game endures - the tradition endures - because at the end of the day, "that's baseball"

Galarraga is one of the most kind, gentle and professional players in the game today; Jim Joyce is one of the most conscientious umpires in the major leagues. These two facts alone make this an extremely bitter pill to swallow, but the game of baseball demands we take it and move on. Life isn't fair, and honest people make honest mistakes, and we have to accept that.

Read the article NPR/Baseball's Selig doesn't change perfect game call -- yet

MAY 31, 2010 -- JUNE 6, 2010

THE BOY ON TOP OF THE WORLD

First and foremost: THIS IS 100% full of Awesome! Another amazing kid bucking the trend of the sedentary youth culture and their overprotective parents who grew up on cable television, fast food, and video games.

All this bickering back and forth about parents being irresponsible and he's too young, along with the case of the Australian girl with her pink boat - all is such nonsense. Just because an average American 13 year old is assumed to be eating Ding Dongs and playing their Playstations doesn't mean that young people can't do awesome things.

Who are any of us to tell a young motivated person that they can't do something because of, gasp, their age. Why take away from this kid's awesome achievement? An achievement that he did with his dad. When we're old and cranky talking about the stuff we did with our fathers we might mention a neat trip here or a ballgame there. Jordan Romero can say, "Yea I got you all beat. I stood on top of the world with my dad." That's pretty freaking cool.

Don't hate on this kid and his father. We should celebrate it. I know I will.

Read the article BOINBBOING/13-year-old becomes youngest to summit Everest

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It is up to parents to protect their children, but it is also up to them to encourage them, and help them achieve their goals. Some kids have goals of being an Olympic gold medalist, and while they go out there and wow the crowds, we all cheer them on.
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While the dangers associated with gymnastics aren’t quite as severe as climbing mount Everest, it is through training and practice that anyone achieves their goals. Do you think that gymnasts at the Olympics just woke up one morning and decided to win the gold medal? No, they practice for years, from very early ages, and long hours, taxing their bodies and minds. They have the mental ability to not crack under the pressure placed on them in the world arena through years of practice, training and having done other competitions.
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This kid and his parents didn’t just wake up one day and say “let's climb a mountain!” they planned, trained and likely spent years preparing for what they have accomplished.
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This kid may amount to nothing in life, but he sure has a great head start by being given the opportunity to experience life, and being able to challenge himself, instead of being told it is too dangerous.
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I can only hope that when I have kids they are as enthusiastic about something in life, and I can only hope that I still have an attitude of adventure to help them keep their enthusiasm for experiencing life.

Read the article WIRED/Would you let your kid climb Mount Everest?

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