in the credit where credit is due department, a non-reader by the name of adam bedient must be attributed. that is not to say, selfishly, that the idea did not arise organically within my own head. a casual stroll through times square earlier this evening was enough to notice a certain trend. there may be no greater samaritan than the one who, seeing three of a family's four members striking a pose while the fourth tries to frame his/her loved ones just so, politely offers to use the camera to capture all. such acts of random kindness may occur in restaurants, beaches, and hiking trails in the developing world, but not in times square. the crowd density and anonymity is simply too great to offer a valuable possession such as a camera to a complete stranger, however well intentioned they may seem to be.
that does not mean that there may not be other ways. entonces, if you were in times square around six p.m. this afternoon, i may have captured your group. if you were not, then join me in sharing in some other people's memories.
golazo!
fifa reached agreements with various networks whereby they would be able to stream every single second of world cup action live over their websites. unfortunately, espn (the network) and time warner (my internet provider) got their panties in a bunch over something that must be of incredible importance with the result being that hundreds of thousands of households cannot access the games online. no big deal for most, right? bigger deal for me: world cup fanatic and television non-owner.
fortunately, i soon discovered that univision was streaming the games with crystal clear quality and unmistakably in español. over the past few weeks, i have caught as many games as possible at home, though occasionally had the opportunity to grab a burger and a beer at a bar before work. in the latter setting, the broadcast is invariably in ingles.
i must first say that i love my mother tongue, but i can see why it's harder for u.s. americans to get into the sport. the english language is a beautiful instrument to precisely describe fixed objects and fleeting moments. español, on the other mano, is much better at describing the flowing of a river. it would be reasonable to say that it is an overly florid and longwinded way of explaining something that is happening that may truly not be all that significant. but that is also what the game of futbol is. it is movement that does not necessarily lead anywhere. it is endless stretches of stagnant fluidity punctuated by sporadic spurts of exhilaration. so while the english speaker must endure ninety minutes of commentary in which we long for those sentences to be completed and those thoughts to be harnessed, the hispanohablante can settle back and listen to a commentary that flows just like the game. the difference is so distinct and one-sided that were the two monolithic corporations to decide to play nice for the remainder of the tournament, i would stick it out with my amigos from the south. it's simply a better broadcast. that being said, i would never opt for the mexican broadcast of the rose bowl. there is no ship like english for the airwaves above the gridiron.
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