Mamá triunfé!
Here is my first short film that I did using my friend’s handycam (Sony DCR-HC46). Ok it is not a short film, it is just me showing you my house in Austin.
Sorry but I speak spanish in the video.
The video format is MP4 (requires QuickTime), the size is 22 MB and the lenght is 10 min.
I was contacted a few weeks ago by AgoraVox, a news web site based on blog entries from authors all over the world. They wanted me to join their community and since all it was required from me, was to allow them to use content from my blog I accepted and joined them.
Today I got an email from them saying that they have published the entry I posted last night about the World Cup final.
Cool! 
Another World Cup is over and that only means that we have four boring years ahead!
Today the Italians won their 4th World Cup 24 years after they won their last one back in 1982. I must say that the Italian team was very compact and well organized in defense. They played very good as a team and they had their top match against Germany. I think Germany, Argentina and Spain were better teams but Italy had other elements playing in their favor like the referees always favoring them and the luck of playing weak teams in the finals (Australia and Ukrania).
If the Brazilians are the masters of the ‘Jogo Bonito’, Italians are the masters of the ‘Jogo Feio’. It is sad that they use so many cheap tricks when they have enough talent to win games fair and square. Today in the final Materazzi used his big mouth to insult Zinedine Zidane and the french lost its cool and attacked the Italian with his head like a bull. None of the four referees saw the incident and the Italian goal keeper Buffon asked the 4th referee to check a video replay of the situation. Then the 4th referee explained the incident to the main referee Horacio Elizondo and he pulled a red card on Zidane. FIFA has never allowed the use of video replays during soccer matches to make decisions, so I think it is terrible that they allowed this rule to be changed on the fly on the most important game of the World Cup. Shame on FIFA! I think it was horrible what Zidane did, but since none of the referees saw the incident nothing should have happened.
Anyway, I have this feeling that neither Italy, nor France deserved to win this World Cup. I think Germany should have won it. But again, Italy beated Germany fair and square, so I guess they did deserve it at the end.
Update [07/10/06 - 11:52 a.m.]
FIFA is now claiming that video replay was never used to pull the red card on Zidane. I hope this is true.
Here are the final numbers comparing both confederations:
CONCACAF: P:13 W:1 D:3 L:9 Pts:6 (0.48 points per game)
CONMEBOL: P:16 W:10 D:1 L:5 Pts:31 (1.94 ppg)
The World Cup 2006 is almost over with only four games left.
It’s going to be an all-european teams semi final which proves again that European countries are very strong when they host the World Cup. Only Brazil has been able to win a WC in Europe when they did back in Sweden 1958.
The semi finals are:
Germany vs Italy
The only favorite left. Being the host country can play in your favor or against you. The referees are always going to be localists, but playing at home has the extra preassure that your crowd expects you to win. Germany has won all their games easily except the game with Argentina. In that game the Germans looked nervous and didn’t play the great soccer they have shown in the other matches.
Italy had to play in one of the most difficult groups in first round and they have not lost a single game so far. They have been helped a lot from the referees, specially in the games with Ghana, USA and Australia. The Italian defense and goalkeeper are very strong and has only allowed one goal (scored by one of their defenders) and their strickers have done their part scoring.
If Germany plays as nervous and conservative as with Argentina, this game could end up with a tie (0-0, 1-1) or with one team winning 1-0. If the game goes to penalty kicks, we are going to see two of the worlds best goalkeepers Buffon and Lehman.
France vs Portugal
France had one of the easiest groups of the WC but they played horrible, and made it to the second round in second place after Switzerland. But then it was like the French team turned on the ‘Jogo Bonito’ switch and they played perfect games against Spain and Brasil, two teams that we all thought were favorites to win the WC. Zidane showed his best soccer against the Brazilians and proved the world that he still has lots of soccer to give.
Portugal had to play against two very physical teams: Netherlands and England, and they won both games with lots of guts. You can tell the Portuguese have fun on the field and I think it is because of their coach Scolari. I think Portugal has a much younger team than France, although they do have a man with lots of experience like Figo.
Figo vs Zidane, Ronaldo vs Henry…
