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Brendan,
You are definitely not the first person in this thread to fantasize about robbing those guys!
Dope new instrumental album:
Damn, thats actually a pretty good team. Not a ton of durability though.
Our team is definitely not as deep this year as in the past. Our bets could easily be swayed one way or the other by a few absences on one side or the other come game day.
Yeah, all bluster aside, I have nothing but respect for AM.
He is a great footballer, and his team’s weakness over the past two years are not attributable to his performance.
I admit, the addition of Nick and Alan greatly strengthens your team, and makes it into a much closer contest. But with the departure of the WMD FC guys, who else are you guy adding to fill the roster?
You should check with Koko. I know that she knows a place that does nails. She also might be interested in going with you to get a facial.
I know a guy who is a Nigerian prince, and if you wire the money to him, he will give you a share of his inheritance, which is currently locked in a Swiss account. #Trolling
Quote:Physical fitness has never been something I’ve based my game on.Can’t argue with you there.
Quote:it is something I can easily improve with a bit of hard work.Yeah, everyone knows nothing is easier than hard work.
Quote:Try as you might, you’ll never be able to improve your poor passing, ball control and shooting.I get by.
Quote:I remember it being 8-3 last year?That sounds about right. A real nail-biter.
Quote:the Norwegian got 5, did he not? How will you cope without him?I guess Ill have to feed the assists to Chris instead.
Quote:100 says I score more goals than you over the season.You mean score more goals than me in the CIFL season, right? I suppose it goes without saying that I will outscore you in the 11 vs 11, full field, FIFA approved version of the sport that we play in the Chengdu city league, since I have done so by such a large margin over the past 3 years.
Well since I play defense and you stand in your opponents half with your hands on your knees waiting for someone to feed you the ball, its pretty safe to assume that you will have more scoring opportunities in the CIFL than I will. Still, Im willing to bet 100 RMB that you will not score more goals than me, if you are willing to bet 100 RMB that your team will concede fewer goals than my team concedes. Agreed?
Thank you for drawing that important distinction between the consulate protest here, and the ones that we have seen recently in the Middle East.
I think Ito Yokado’s business will probably return to normal soon after they re-open. Chinese consumers have not shown that their purchasing patterns are really effected by occasional outbursts of extremist rhetoric. During the protests two years ago, Ito Yokado was thronged with angry protestors shouting slogans and holding signs… and just a few weeks later it was thronged with calm consumers, filling carts and buying goods.
Does anyone know when is Ito Yokado re-openning?
Do you think there business will be adversely affected by the protests?
Andy,
If this were back to the future, we would have to be at the beginning of the first movie, since all we have have seen so far is the character of your team getting mercilessly bullied publicly by mine. And if this is back to the future, then you must have a time machine, which would make sense, as that is exactly the tool that you will need to recapture the physical fitness necessary to challenge my team and I on the field of battle.
Im not joking when I say I don’t remember how many goals our team scored on you guys last year – was it 7, was it 8? I lost count. All I remember is that at least two of them went through your goalie’s legs, and I kicked one of them.
As far as the bets, sure I accept. 100 on UK Ireland to beat North American Scum, 100 on Andy to score a goal in the game. Both bets contingent upon both parties playing.
While you are drunk, are there any other wagers you want to make?
Two hundred kuai richer,
Eli
@ Charlie
That cartoon really does a great job of summing up why the public furor over this issue seems so embarrassingly overwrought. It’s also a good example of the backlash created by the unnecessary destructiveness of the protests.
My girlfriend was looking at the feed as info was coming in on Sunday and she said, ‘these guys think that they are the Red Guard.’ I think that is true in some ways – the angry youth are acting out a kind of passion play, based on how they imagine loyal patriots would act in a time of crisis. Also, similarly, it seems like the popular momentum has somewhat spiraled away from the control of the central authorities.
I had not heard that China Unicom sent that message out. Fomenting nationalism is a dangerous kind of pandering, and it is worrisome to see such politically charged rhetoric coming from a large institution. But I think that most of the most extremism is coming from the grass roots, and is not necessarily part of a coordinated plan.
Though it might seem counterintuitive, I don’t think the central government really wants people to keep fanning the flames quite so hard right at this point. I don’t think the government is thrilled about these kinds of demonstrations (despite their nationalist bent) – because the technocrats that hold sway over the direction of the party are largely pragmatists – and these public displays put party leadership in an awkward position. What they stand to gain by pushing the hawkish line demanded by the vocal (and violent) masses seems to be dwarfed by the potential economic and political consequences that the ongoing conflict that such a position would clearly lead to. I imagine some leaders wish this issue would just disappear. Surely some factions of the party are pleased. But undoubtedly all of them are paying very close attention.
These incidents are another piece of data in an organic experiment combining social media and the world’s largest population. In nationalism, or in Japan, we have discovered a clear catalyst.
Again, my hope is (and there seems to be some evidence to support the notion) that the extremism of public response is producing a counter current of moderation, like a whirling eddy within a fast flowing river.
I was impressed with the shirt of your colleague. It is not always easy to be a part of the counter current, and that kind of dissent deserves to be saluted.
@ Brave Chengdu – I think that discussion is taking place mainly in the social media sphere, Weibo and the like. Those feelings being expressed – of national pride or national embarrassment – make up opposing perspectives in the discussion.
It is not exactly Oxford style debate, but it is certainly more candor than you could have expected to see openly expressed in China 10 or 20 years ago.
Here is another optimistic perspective on the issue… at least right now there is a public discussion about the reaction to the issue (the protests) in addition to the discussion about the issue (the islands) itself. This speaks to a self awareness that can grow out of even the most polarized debate.
@ Iameric – You’re right. I think it is safe to assume that everything we say in an internet forum is a matter of public record.
You mean like a bet? Sure.
I bet my team dominated the inaugural season of the CIFL. I bet your team was the bed pan of the league last season.
I bet you’re pretty disappointed that Robin is still playing on the ROTW team, and I bet youre disappointed that Alan was recruited by Iker.
What kind of wager do you have in mind? We can make it a matter of public record. How about we replicate the bet that your countryman Matt Spann lost to me last year – 100 RMB that you personally will not score a goal against my team. (With the caveat that both of us play in the game.) Any interest there?
– North American Scum
My thoughts: Chinese youth want to be a part of something, and this issue has acted as a lightning rod for that pent-up energy.
Few of the ‘activists’ participating in these protests have any stake in the fishing islands issue – it is just a rallying point for blind nationalism. To me, the eagerness of Chinese citizens to take to the streets is more significant than the specific issue at hand.
I’m sure that someday the Chinese citizenry will take to the streets in support of something more politically important (and less malignantly xenophobic,) and that is a good thing.
We cannot expect the vocal masses to always land on the right side of politically contentious issues. After all, we just had millions of Americans go out and buy fast food to show opposition to gay marriage. People rally for questionable causes all the time. It is at least heartening to see that these protests have sparked open discussion on both sides of the issue, and opened a debate on what shape public protest should take in China’s emerging civil society.
Seen from an optimistic angle, this spate of destruction may just be a bump in the road towards greater citizen participation in the political sphere.
So Brendan is estimating, on the conservative side, that he plans to eat about a pound of meat per day… that is an ambitious consumption plan. Let us know how the cooking goes.
Maybe next time we can buy in bulk and split it up. Charlie has expressed interest in partaking as well. Some of the shops there have quite a variety of cuts in the freezer, so Im interested in trying some different kinds.
Nice work Brendan! You win!
Isn’t it a great feeling? Whenever I go to that market I feel like I am beating the system.
Looks like you got an even better deal buying in bulk. I think we might need to organize a meat club.
