Paul the Octopus

Again, that World Cup post-partum blues.

That sense of emptiness, the brain progressively training itself to intercept signals involving other things than soccer balls, the effort even tougher this time because of those damned vuvuzelas (time difference ? I kind of got used to it after my tenth World Cup).

The embarrassing realization that I've been outsmarted by a squid in my predictions.

The embarrassing realization that 2010, a great year for African soccer, started with shootings at Togolese players in Angola, and continues with the murder of fans in Uganda. A Christmas tree at the DRC Soccer Federation ? Thanks, but no thanks.

The embarrassing realization that, while players tried to understand the tricky aerodynamics of Jabulani, our small planet kept moving in its very predictable way :
- The First Scrabble Wars ended with a draw between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
- Again, Barack Obama welcomed Benjamin Netanyahu who, again the previous day, promised that this time, he would be a nice guy.
- As videos of Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest rocked the web, Haiti's Daily Eating Challenge only got a few clicks.
- US citizens let Tony the Octopus spill as much ink as he could in the Gulf of Mexico. As if Tony Hayward had a clue about what was at stake if BP picked this well instead of that one.


blogules 2010

Red blogule to Hallyu Expo in Asia and Wacko Jacko Bae Yong-Joon

Seogwipo is a convenient place to welcome Asia's Hallyuwood lovers, flocking in by entire charters (mainly from nearby Japan) through Jeju-do's main airport.

His Royal Lowness Yonsama managed to ruin the Governor's inauguration speech with his Liz Taylorish late arrival. Ponytailed and white gloved, Bae Yong Joon resembles more and more Michael Jackson. But Korea's lousiest actor doesn't need any plastic surgery : he just needs to put his copyrighted fake smile on, the one that make his fans faint and his jaws ache.

I may infuriate some of my readers from Uzbekistan or Japan, but Hallyu Expo in Asia is both the Graceland and shame of this country. A profitable exhibition certainly, but an anticultural event nonetheless. Once again*, Korean culture deserves (and has) much better ambassadors.

* see "Red blogule to Bae Yong June Airlines" (20050426) or "Blogule rouge à Bae Yong June - Vide Sidéral" (20050109)
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Seoul Village

Red blogule to the 2006 Cold War - Gazprom and Gazpogrom

Because Viktor Yushchenko refused Putin's diktat, Gazprom just cut their Ukrainian pipes. Vlad the Impaler wanted Yushchenko dead but could just alter his face : now he doesn't care whether people die in this indecent and unfair armwrestling contest.
Russia is back to fascism but no one seems to care. Germany ? Gerhard Schröder just joined the board of a Gazprom subsidiary. The US ? Dubya can't locate "Ukrainia" on the map of Texas and has trouble translating his one-size-fits-all terror / freedom / democracy speech in Uzbek (hell, making friends with local despot Islam Karimov fulfills his understanding of Islam agenda). France, then ? Duh ! We're not interested in human rights either... actually, we're not even fighting for our gas or oil supplies anymore since we found the best way to solve both heating and gas consumption problems : we burn our own cars.
Sign of the times, Jews are fleeing Russia. Those who didn't reach Israel's shores land in Germany, where the Berlin community is blooming a beautiful way.
Back to Red Square One. So much for the U-turn of the Century.