Racist Sports Fans

Lately a disturbing trend has resurfaced loudly in football (soccer) stadiums in Europe. In Spain and England, black football players have been taunted by monkey chants from fans of the opposing teams (despite the fact and irony that some of the opposing teams field black players).

Surely racism has always existed in stadiums but rarely in this magnitude. During England and Spain’s national team match at Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium it was reported hundreds – not just the usual handful – of Spanish fans started the monkey chant whenever some English black players touched the ball. Not exactly what I would call a friendly.

After the game, certain English ministers (sports and prime included) all complained to their Spanish counterparts, as well as to FIFA, the football governing body. And it only ironic that shortly after in one of England’s domestic Premier League games featuring Blackburn vs. Birmingham, Birmingham’s Trinidad-born black striker Dwight Yorke was racially abused by a two Blackburn fans. However, unlike the Spanish authorities who did nothing in Madrid, the English quickly arrested those two problematic fans and one of them was handed down stiff fines as well as a five-year ban from attending football games.

This sickening situation might just escalate all across football stadiums in Europe after the England-Spain match. In another big Spanish League game hosted by Barcelona against Real Madrid last week, the game announcers reported that monkey chants were heard in the stadium whenever Real’s black Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos touched the ball. The same racist Barca fans, however, were much more civilized when Barcelona’s black Brazilian forward Ronaldinho kicked the ball around.

UEFA, FIFA and other national football governing bodies should work together with local governments to rid racism in their stadiums. It’s time they think about the future of the sport not in terms of financial numbers but moral values as well.

www.sorryeverybody.com

Check out this site containing a gallery of captioned photo shots submitted by random Americans who apologize to the world for the election results.

For the other side, there is also
werenotsorry.com.

However, I have to say, the sorry people are much funnier.

UPDATE: After going through ten or twenty pages in the gallery, I must add that this site is incredible in the sense that how many Americans actually feel the same way about George Bush, and they actually take their time to write and take a picture for submission. As my friend Eddy puts it, “there’s hope” in USA after all. Equally touching are the “you are forgiven” photos from non-Americans. Bravo!

UFO@4 months old

UFO turned four months old this week.

Since my last text update three months ago UFO has evolved into a suck-a-thon master. He initially started nibbling off a finger, then discovered that his pleasure could be doubled or tripled if he put two or three fingers into his little mouth at once. Recently he even managed to swing his legs 180 degrees to his face and then – you guessed it – enjoy the taste of his toes.

When he is not busy sucking, UFO likes to extend his tongue and lick everything in sight. Talking about sight, he is a curious baby and loves to travel and see new places, even if travel means walking around the bedroom. Now if we leave him too long on the bed he cries and begs to be carried. And one must not hold UFO without walking around, for his sophisticated motion sensors will inform you to do so through – of course – more nagging or crying. Motion breeds joy in his world.

The past two weeks UFO has also discovered a new way to avoid boredom when lying on the bed: flip around. He can do it quite well flipping over to his left by first swinging around his legs to the side, followed by his body and head. Almost always his arms will be stuck underneath his chest after the flip, but UFO has learned to – with a bit of effort – free his arms by pulling them out. He is more happy to be on his tummy, and even happier to be sitting on my shoulders or lying on his tummy on top of me. That is why my brother Jas (UFO’s uncle) thinks that UFO exhibits “alpha male” behaviour.

In the crawling dept., UFO’s top speed so far is about a couple inches per hour. Not much, but lately he has discovered a way to prop up his butt with his legs; if he figures out how to keep his chest and butt up at the same time, then we will have a little truck cruising and crashing about in the house. When that happens, God (or insert your favorite deity here) help us!