2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

[CielOnTap]

You make a good point, Smitty, about how emotions over the outcome of a sporting event seemingly causes people to disobey traffic regulations and scares the drivers about what the suddenly strange pedestrians are doing. What they are doing is scaring the living daylights of people driving on the road or walking on the sidewalk. Everyone else is forgotten. It seems to be a skill to celebrate publicly or to mourn without impinging on fellow citizens' rights to carry on with the agreed highway rules.

I still marvel that fans in Toronto were able to stand atop a streetcar after the World Cup final. Not logical nor safe, as taxpayers needing that streetcar to provide service are going to have to do without while fans get to have their jollies.

Since the CBC Soccer Nation was on Wellington St. W., presumably CBC got a street permit to close down the area for such fan activity. Pity about the streetcar.

As for the officials greeting the two teams:
1) I was surprised to see Jacques Rogge next to President Zuma in the medal draping line;
2) The Spaniards had no restraint in hugging royals in the receiving line. Papers probably had a field day over that.

[Smitty]

You are right in a sensible post on this matter for to me the two explosives, as planned previously (probably good idea to look for some there are there, but not used) & the women going simply crazy in their team loosing. Possibly not becomming over excited about anything is one reason why I find it hard to accept.

Being a driver with males & females sceaming as they run across the traffic would teriffy me, without question. I am still thinking of some idiot with a large RV that tried to beat the red light at a 4-way crossing. Only the Green light had gone for me as this RV came out from the right, hit a sort of centeral concrete curb, to to to the opposit side to bounce off it & in this situation I had vehicles behind me know it was a Green light for them as well.

So by this time being one two wheels of my sportbike I could not figure what was going on for once he had hit the tall curb on the right he was NOW going to the left & suddenly I was looking at a broken down car & an Ambulance. THAT is when you should stop & same if the RCMP have a vehicle with all lights blinking.

Still if I had actually stopped (remember with the massive disc brakes on a sportbike I can actually stop on a dime) then I would be receiving a free flight into the air at the truck behind me would not have been able to stop like I had & it would be ANOTHER of me being hit from behind.

So males & remales almost committing suicide because their team did not win is the most sensless thing in my mind.

This does remind me of some years ago I believe in Africa of some country when the leader stood up to talk to the big crowd & suddenly everything exploded (yes this was a few yrs ago) for in building the stand & such someone planted an explosive & waited for him to step up then hit the button or whatever.

[Smitty]

Opps an error or two on my posts for not one normal finger or thumb on either of my hands. I actually do try to spot the drrors & cannot spot anywhere I can key in for a spelling error unless some of you can tell me.

So in the last one a male is a male we all know that, but a "remale" is questionable & what I meant to be female---sorry my smasked up fingers tend to make slight errors on the normal key-board.

Must admit that it is basically impossible for me to assume soccar fans can go so crazy over a win or a loss. Though know they thing to do is to stay away from crowds of people or maze of fans for the crazy one will be out to cause trouble, distruction to you name it including buildings, businesses or if they could tear down street lights they would. For some reason or another so many a born with vandolism in them to some with even more. Some of us are NOT & simply will not hag around to praise those that do the damages FOR without the onlookers the vandals would not have a good reason to do such distruction.

Look at the G8/G20 vanolism on a saturday of where they were on top of police cars jumping up & down to also injoy the cheers from their onlookers

Example would be some yrs ago at a store where Father & son were purchasing a DVD or whatever it is called. Some rowdies that had nearly run into their truck tried to get into a fight with the small son, but Father broke it up.

So at school grounds this same day the main rowdie was saying he would do this or that & had the onlookers wanting him to cause the trouble. The onlookers or those that cheered him simply followed him till he reached the home of the Father & son & as the father came out to tell them to get off his land the head of an axe (the father used for chopping wood) was what hit his head. He has been crippled & cannot think properly let along get a job.

No fines or whatever to the rowdie himself or his followers. Something wrong there, but if no rowdies & NO FOLLOWERS then things would not be that wild in life of this part of Canada let alone the Okanagan Valley.

[CielOnTap]

The rowdie should have been charged with threats and assault causing bodily harm and also be on hook for medical costs. The onlookers also needed to get something but without video proof, it is hard to get them on anything. Sad case of pack mentality like in Lord of the Flies. Sounds like the police did not make an effort to get the perpetrator to court.

[CielOnTap]

Beyond the cocoa seller on the cold winter night, grandmotherly knitters did some brisk trade in scarves during the World Cup. Good for them to have that income.

World Cup chill was a moneymaker for poor grannies
Published: Wednesday, Jul 14, 2010, 21:19 IST
Place: Soweto | Agency: Reuters

Soweto: Hundreds of poor South African grandmothers made more money than they'd seen in their lives selling homemade scarves and hats to soccer fans who came unprepared for freezing conditions during the World Cup.

Project Gogo (meaning grandmother in Zulu), which teaches knitting to elderly unemployed women in impoverished neighbourhoods of Johannesburg, sold more than 20,000 scarves and hats in the month of the tournament that ended on Sunday.http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_world-cup-chill-was-a-moneymaker-for-poor-grannies_1409801

SA gets even more from Cup
Soccer tournament left a legacy of efficient service
Jul 14, 2010 11:25 PM | By BOBBY JORDAN and CAIPHUS KGOSANA

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Smarter justice, faster transport and more cops - South Africans will continue to score, thanks to the World Cup, senior government officials said yesterday.

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At a briefing yesterday, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe said the 56 dedicated courts set up in the nine host cities to deal with Cup-related crimes would continue beyond their planned July 25 life span.

He said the specialised courts would complement initiatives such as the creation of new high courts to help clear massive case backlogs.

The World Cup courts heard 205 cases and pronounced 122 convictions. http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/article551017.ece/SA-gets-even-more-from-Cup

Govt: World Cup pumped R93bn into economy
Jul 14, 2010 2:27 PM | By Sapa

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The World Cup has pumped an estimated R93 billion into the local economy, government spokesman Themba Maseko said on Wednesday.

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South Africa’s successful hosting of the event would also lead to an increase in foreign direct investment, and see more foreign tourists visiting the country, he told a media briefing in Pretoria.

“Initial calculations [show] that R93 billion was pumped into the economy just before and during the World Cup.

“However, the minister of finance [Pravin Gordhan]... is still doing the final calculations, and we expect that within another month or so we will be able... to verify those figures. So this is an initial estimate at this point in time.” http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article550309.ece/Govt--World-Cup-pumped-R93bn-into-economy

After all of the expenses are deducted, will the country have made money on the tournament? Remember the fireworks, there were lots of colours used for the final.

[Smitty]

Ciel, I really did like project "gogo" for it made people money. Wonder if others will use the same at later games in this world? After all some women have that knack of knitting no matter what all the darn time.

[CielOnTap]

The Spanish are really happy with Paul the Octupus' predictions for their team. A zoo in Spain has offered to buy Paul. Might Paul miss his current home or companions or be raring to try a new tank?

Madrid zoo bids to buy Octopus Oracle
Thu Jul 15, 2:36 PM
By The Associated Press

MADRID - The Madrid Zoo has made an offer to buy Paul, the octopus who became a pop culture sensation by correctly predicting the outcome of as many World Cup matches as he has legs — all seven of Germany's games plus the Spain-Netherlands final.

The zoo said it received dozens of requests from Spaniards for Paul's transfer from a German aquarium after Spain won the World Cup last Sunday. Paul's a celebrity

[Smitty]

Yes it will be interesting is the sponsors of the World Championship of Scoccar will pay off. This is something I worry about when Canada spends a maze of money in sponsouring some thing of another.

To me the eleborate fireworks all around the world can be scratched, for guess who is making money from it----yes the Chinese with all the fireworkers.

Some towns or cities do NOT realize how some of us need to put on ear-muffs good enough for us when shooting indoors & believe me THAT is loud.

True when it comes to the trible sounds, in hearing I cannot hear them, but can hear the base sounds-----this I know as I am close to being deaf & if I want to obtain a Drivers License next year I will have to spend a fortune in two hearing aids, but of interest when riding a m/c I will wear soft ear plugs & probably do the same thing when driving my car. Doubt if I will wear them at home either for with wax out of my ear my hearing is good enough to my mind & especially when I pick up the telephone.

[deja vu]

More than 5,000 people have been arrested across Asia as part of a World Cup operation against illegal gambling. Almost $10m was seized during the crackdown in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, the international police force Interpol said. Police in those countries "identified and raided nearly 800 illegal gambling dens", Interpol announced. It is not clear whether results on the pitch were influenced - Interpol said that would form part of a wider probe.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10660322



Does anyone know what the penalty is if they discover someone did fix a match?

[deja vu]

Fraud police in Nigeria have seized the passports of four top football officials sacked after the country's poor performance at the World Cup. Nigerian football has been in turmoil since the team left the competition without winning a game. The president initially banned the team from international competition, but changed his mind after pressure from the football world governing body. The officials face questions over how more than $8m (£5.2m) was spent.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10665791



These are supposed to be adults that understand only one team can will the big prize? Talk about bad sports, and they are not the only country with that problem. What difference does it make about the money? The team did the best they could, they just ran into stiff competition. Instead of looking to lock someone up they should be looking at how they can improve.