The 42nd Annual International Children’s Games finish up today, so this is your last chanceto see the basketball and soccer (aka football, futbol) finals up at the University of San Francisco.
The kids from Brantford, Ontario, Canada deflect a spike under the menacing eyes of evil soccer boy:
See you there!
The International Children’s Games are going on right now in San Francisco.
Click to expand. From Opening Day:
The San Francisco JROTC was there as color guard for all the colorful flags. Phasing them out wasn’t quite the breeze some anticipated.
The last flag you’ll see in this entry:
Oops, more flags. It looked like a Quidditch Invitational over by Kezar Stadium.
At USF:
This soccer ball as your head thing is getting out of hand:
O.K, no more flags after this:
This lad at the 42nd Annual International Children’s Games appeared to be pleased with the new haircut he got at Kezar Stadium last night.
Citius, Altius, Fortius.
Participants are warming up now for the 42nd Annual International Children’s Games in our little burg.
The spirit of athletic competition that will sweep the world in August is coming to San Francisco in July. On Friday, July 11, the 42nd International Children’s Games kicks off with the Opening Ceremony at Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park. The International Children’s Games, this year held in San Francisco, brings together more than 1,200 youth athletes (between the ages of 12-15 years old) from 84 cities in 42 countries, and representing all six inhabitable continents.
Why don’t you buy yourself some tickets?
They aren’t all that expensive, and you’ll be able to see an international competition just like the Olympics but without all the drugs and the G-word issue that has Mia Farrow and the New York Times so upset these days. And who knows, maybe you’ll meet Brandi Chastain, winner* of the 1999 World Cup (thanks to a terrible noncall on keeper Brianna Scurry shown at 2:15 here).
Soccer practice at foggy, foggy University of San Francisco
Everything kicks off tomorrow. The Opening Ceremony at Kezar will feature Mayor Gavin Newsom and Assemblywoman Fiona Ma.
Mobile phone users: Feel free to sign up to receive updates about schedules and match results by sending a text message to code 95294 with the keyword “KIDS” in the body of the text message.
Will you root for the team representing San Francisco, Oakland, or somewhere else?
See you there!
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Look ma, the optional tummy paddle let’s me drive around hands-free! Photo of “Anti-Terror Assault Vehicles” via knife tricks
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Reports of the rise in China’s cheerleading prowess have been circulating for a while, but now it’s official - Western-style cheerleading is coming to the Beijing Olympics. No, not as a medal sport itself, despite the efforts of Beijing’s hardworking ”Olympic Sport Demonstration Cheerleading Volunteer Performance Demonstration Team.” But just as leaders of cheers, continuing the recent trend.
For example, check out this scene from 2004, when cheerleaders in Salt Lake City had a decidedly non-NCAA, “pro” look. (Oops, too many of you clicked over and wore out that link, try this instead) And in 2006, spectators in Turin, Italy saw moonbooted cheerleaders who looked like this.
Now, last year, people thought the 2008 Olympic cheerleaders would appear like this, or like these athletes in Beijing from a recent photo:
From Micah Sittig’s Flickrstream
However, it now appears that BOCOG has selected uniforms like this for the 585 cheerleaders. That’s right, they’re in blue jeans. But hey, do you notice somebody in the background, behind the “lion-like character” Dongdong?
Isn’t that Jin Jing, everybody’s favorite torchbearing “angel in a wheelchair”? The very same Jin Jing who followed orders from the Sacred Flame Protection Squad to not give away her torch to anybody, and the very same sentinent adult who claims she never heard of the Tibet independence movement until participating in the torch relay? Signs point to yes.
And hey, speaking of torchbearers in wheelchairs, what about this guy, Andrew Michael, from this bit: Chinese Paramilitary Police Operating on the Streets of San Francisco. Shouldn’t he be famous too?
His actions on the streets of San Francisco are something to think about when you’re rah-rahing next month.
Just saying.
Normally, teens never sit around on sidewalks in the Haight, but today was special so these kids made themselves right at home on Ashbury Street.
The favorite flavor of the thousands of patrons? That would have to be Cake Batter, one of the best ever. And almost definitely salmonella-free.
Check the video of Ben and Jerry’s recent visit to the Bay Area. Why not?
Happy 30th birfday, B&J!
It’s on. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream is having it’s 30th annual Free Cone Day on Tuesday, April 29, 2008.
Founders Ben and Jerry were most recently in the local news for launching an Olympic protest during our recent torch relay. (You hear that Coke? You don’t need to sponsor every Olympiad that comes down the pike.)
Anyway, there’ll be five places in San Francisco for you to get your cone on. Click onward to see the locations for the South, East and North Bays on the jump page or just go here to see all locations in northern North America.
This udder will be equipped to dispense the four newest flavors: Coconut Seven Layer Bar, Imagine Whirled Peace™, ONE Cheesecake Brownie™, Cake Batter:
See you there!
West Bay:
Ben & Jerry’s Argonaut
475 Jeffersont Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Ben & Jerry’s Jefferson Street
79 Jefferson Street
Rocket Shop
San Francisco, CA 94133
Ben & Jerry’s Fisherman’s Wharf
Pier 41
San Francisco, CA 94133
Ben & Jerry’s Macy’s
Macy’s Department Store
San Francisco, CA 94102
Ben & Jerry’s Haight Ashbury
1480 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
News of the day:
Chinese torch officials have been warned their paramilitary “flame attendants” will be arrested and hauled away if they touch an Australian during the torch relay.
So that’s clear. There’ll be no manhandling Down Under in the name of “protecting the sacred flame” or whatever job description these Men in Blue have.
But check out this scene on the streets of San Francisco a few weeks back - at least one member of the Chinese People’s Armed Police Force (PAP) in a physical altercation with an American citizen, Majora Carter.
Apparently, the handler (a Chinese woman who sits in a car and issues commands via radio) of these so-called “goons“ didn’t get the message they weren’t to assault Americans during the visit to San Francisco. Wonder why.
Desmond Tutu, Richard Gere, and Majora Carter all happy as clams under the watchful eyes of Fake Bono during a pre torch-relay shindig in San Francisco
Anyway, Coke now takes a dim view of the activist they recruited for the torch relay:
A Coca-Cola spokesman, Kelly Brooks, said, “It’s unfortunate that Ms. Carter used an invitation to participate in the torch relay as a platform to make a personal political statement. We firmly believe the Olympics are a force for good that celebrates the best in sports, and we are proud to support the Beijing 2008 Olympics.”
Were the 1936 Olympics “a force for good” also? It seems Coke might have had hand in that fiasco as well. We’ll all just have to ponder that one.
But it turns out that Majora signed a “code of conduct” that prohibited torchbearers from displaying political or religious signs. So what’s Coke’s next move? Extradition to Atlanta, Georgia? Rendition to Beijing? How are they going to make Majora pay for speaking out cause, you know, she signed a piece of paper.
The world wonders.
That’s not nice. But that’s what Xinhua (formerly known as Red China News Agency) just said. For the record, Xinhua reports directly to the Communist Party of China’s Public Information Department.
Now, that’s no way to run a Genocide Olympics. Can’t we all get along?
Nancy Pelosi, avec le rag du do, as Rosie the Riveter to celebrate her ascension to Speaker of the House.
