Oh, oh, oh, oh, what a referee!

You could be forgiven for thinking that this post is another part of my music series (the heading was also the title of a popular song in England in the 1950s), but I refer of course, to the World Cup.

I will not comment on England's performance(?), but even though the disallowed "goal" would probably have made no difference, the decision was a disgrace. One of many appalling decisions made during this competition in front of probably the biggest sporting audience ever. Yes, the referee did admit he had got it wrong, but his assistant was the prime suspect in my opinion. I don't blame them - they have an extremely hard job, have to make split decisions and are under tremendous pressure.

But, for the good of the sport, wake up FIFA - use the technology!

Looks like Argentina are living up to expectations, and all credit to them, but wasn't there some controversy in their win over Mexico? Isn't this is where we came in?

One more thought - I'll be shouting for Spain - just refer to my original post.

Eggs by the dozen?

Headlines from UK daily newspaper:

EU to ban selling eggs by the dozen: Shopkeepers' fury as they are told all food must be weighed and sold by the kilo.

And to think I imagined that England was governed from the Palace of Westminster.

It has a sense of April 1st about it. Unfortunately, it's June 26th.

Exit USA

The ball, the referee, bad luck? No, none of these reasons. Today, the US were outplayed after letting themselves down with conceding yet another early goal.

I'm still impressed by their spirit, their determination, their passion and indeed, their skill, but Ghana deserved the win.

Okay, I sincerely hope England win tomorrow against arch rivals of many World Cups, Germany. How can I not hope that?

I'm still tipping Spain to lift the title, but England's other arch rivals, Argentina, look good to me.

World Cup - why the surprises?

New Zealand draw with the mighty Italy. Switzerland beat Spain. England look second rate in their first two games and now there is talk of mutiny in the camp. The French team arguing and performing badly. Why the surprises?

A simple man I may be, but it seems quite obvious to me that these "super football powers" are dominated by prima-donna's, whose egotistical belief that they have a right to play (and I use that term loosely) for their country, is the cause of the "poor results", or more correctly, the lack of.

Let's take nothing away from those "small" countries (in football terms) who have performed well. Apart from their obvious basic footballing skills, such as being able to control a ball, passing it to their own team mates and not to their opponents, they have passion and a desire to do their best for their country.

This is already becoming a memorable World Cup (one which I am watching with the sound turned off) for all of the above reasons and for some appalling refereeing decisions.

Having said that, how I wish players would get on with the game, stop blaming their coaches, the ball, the crowd, stop play acting, stop trying to get opponents booked by dubious falls (oh referee, he hurt me) and yes, stop cheating. When that whistle blows it is their responsibility. Not one player in the history of the game, from whatever team, from whatever country, has ever learnt this simple fact - that a Referee's decision, however good or bad, is almost never likely to be overturned.

Get on with, enjoy it, and follow the example of the likes of Slovenia, the USA, Algeria - play with some pride and passion!

And yes, I still think the USA can qualify from the group stage (and I really hope that England at least will recover some of their pride) and I still have high hopes of Spain being in the final.

More on food

I first wrote about food comparison between England and North Carolina last August (Food, Glorious(?), Food), but feel I must share my love of food once more.

What has prompted me? Stuart and Leslie buy me a wonderful birthday gift each year - a annual subscription to the excellent Our State magazine. A feature in this month's edition is entitled 100 Foods You Must Eat in North Carolina's 100 Counties.

But first some geographical comparisons:

	England	North Carolina
Area	50,346 square miles	53,865 square miles
Population	51.45 million	9.38 million
Density	1,023 per square mile	165 per square mile
Counties	48	100

Getting back to the food. The delights of the Old North State include such wonders as Appalachian Chicken, from the delightfully named Vance Toe River Lodge Restaurant, in the even more delightfully named Alleghany County; Nutty Blue Chick (Avery County); and wait for it - Chocolate-Stuffed Sourdough French Toast with Pecans and Maple Syrup (Anson County) and that's just some from the six counties beginning with A!

How about Lightly Salted Southern Blister-Fried Peanuts from Bakers Southern Traditions Peanuts, Roxobel in Bertie County; Conch Fritters and Honor-system Beer, provided at the Yacht Basin Provision Co., Southport in Brunswick County; or Moon Pie Ice Cream from the Cabarrus Creamery, Concord in Cabarrus County (if you haven;t had Moon Pie, you haven't lived)!

I could go on (and on), for example Aunt Ruby's Raw Shelled Peanuts, Twice-baked Grits Souffle with Wild-and-Exotic-Mushroom Ragout, Aged Sherry-Mushroom Emulsion and Shaved Confit Foie Gras, Muscadine Grape Hull Pie, Zucchini Marmalade, Corned Herring, Vinegar Pie, Foot-Long Pork Barrel Sausage on a Lobby Bun, Crispy Cornbread Crab Cakes, etc., etc. But this is making feel quite peckish and I've only just had breakfast!

I did notice that many of the 100 "Don't Miss" treats are desserts. To a Southerner a "pie" is usually a dessert, invariably loaded with sugar. That's why this English ex-pat misses "pork" pies, "steak and kidney" pies, etc. Have I mentioned this before?

Self serve, self destruction

Self serve has been with us for some time I know, but it now seems to be manifesting in many areas. I refuse to use the term "self service" as to me, this seems an oxymoron. It's "do-it-yourself" - service doesn't come into it.

I've gradually got used to the self-scan registers in grocery stores. Even when I have a cart full, I can manage these without the help of the one associate who is given the task of supervising eight or so self-scan units.

The latest use of this technology is at our local library where self-check out is the order of the day. It's very easy to use and so much quicker so Durham County Library get a vote of thanks from me.

I had reason to drive down Highway 55 this afternoon. A 50 mph limit seems adequate, but I wish drivers who decide to pull onto the highway from various outlets would be better judges of speed of approaching traffic. Infuriating when there is no following traffic and that driver (very often with a cell phone glued to his/her ear) decides that they suddenly have a calling to become a kamikaze. Why do drivers risk their lives and the lives of others to gain a few seconds?

Stuart, who drives this road daily, says it's always like this. The miracle is that there are not more wrecks.

Sad Day

An eventful morning at church today.

Our wonderful Vicar's last Sunday with us. There were, of course, a few tears, but mostly we treated this as a celebration of her three and half years serving St. Joe's.

She has been a tremendous influence on many people's lives, certainly on mine, and I wish her well.

A new chapter opens for her, a new chapter starts for us. Bless you dear Rhonda.

World Cup Fever? - 2

Okay, perhaps not fever, more of slight cold. A 1-1 draw was a fair result in my opinion. As one of the commentators said here, "It was a game of two goalkeepers".

Just minutes before Robert Green's Under-9s-style blunder, I happened to say to Gail, "I'm so pleased that Green (ex Norwich City) has been given a chance - I saw him play against Great Yarmouth Town Youth in the mid-nineties and was very impressed even then!" Well, that will teach me to keep my mouth shut - although I doubt it.

One glaringly obvious point about the game was that the USA did play like a team, whereas England played like a load of prima-donas. That will need sorting out before the next game if the banana skin is not slipped on.

I read where in England, ITV audiences actually missed "the" goal whilst commercials were shown. How ironic, that here in the US, where generally, commercials rule, both halves of the game were commerical free. Excellent coverage by ESPN, although I wasn't too impressed with the "Brits versus Yanks" phrase which was repeatedly trotted out. I must remind those here that the "Brits" (Oh, how I hate that term) haven't got a soccer team - there were no Scots, Welsh or Irish playing - it's ENGLAND! And what's more, it's like a red rag to a bull for a Southerner to be called a Yank.

World Cup Fever?

Not quite. I will however later today be watching the match between England and the USA.

Who will I be cheering on? This may surprise a few, but I will be wanting my adopted nation to win. Strange? Well I don't think so. I will have mixed emotions no doubt, but have always considered the country where our home was, to be our home. When we lived in Spain, we considered Spain home. When I was asked there, "Do you go home much?", my stock answer was, "Yes, every evening". We feel the same now we live here in NC.

Do I see the US team winning the Cup? No, although I would love that. Do I see England winning it? No, although I would be pleased if they did. Who then do I think will?

Well, Spain, of course!