Dutch Soccer Scoreboard: PSV Beats Rival Ajax Amsterdam 3-1

Greetings to those of you checking out our blog in Denmark and Italy.

Even though it is very early in the season the two most storied franchises in Dutch soccer history played over the weekend (we were hoping the most would be on ESPN3, oh well!) as PSV Eindhoven beat out defending champs Ajax Amsterdam 3-1 thanks to the go ahead goal from Dutch national Luciano Narsingh (pictured top).

Den Haag, a team in Holland's other capital The Hague which is captained by Roland Alberg (pictured center) had a rousing 3-0 victory over Groningen with two goals from Micheil Kramer in the waning minutes of regulation time.

Finally, Rodney Antwi (pictured bottom) scored in the winning goal of the 72nd minute to lead road side Utrecht to a 2-1 win over Feyenoord, and, it was a disastrous weekend for American star Jozy Altidore's former team AZ Alkmaar as they fell to Willem II 3-0. Altidore now plays soccer in England.

Here are the scores from weekend play in the Eredivise:

1) Ajax 1 PSV 3

2) Den Haag 3 Groningen 0

3) Feyenoord 1 Utrecht 2

4) Zwolle 2 Vitesse 1

5) Breda 1 Twente 1, tie

6) Go Ahead Eagles 0 Dordecht 0, tie

7) Heracles 0 Cambuur 1

8) Heerenveen 2 Excelsior (Rotterdam) 0

9) Willem II 3 AZ Alkmaar 0

Top Ten Things To Do ...........for the rest of the week...........

Even though it is Wednesday, we thought we'd go ahead and share ten things we need to do for the rest of the week. Assuredly, there are other things that will come to mind as we type this list up!

1. Work-out at the gym

2. Take the trash down and recycle

3. Buy groceries (image #1, ironically, we don't have a Trader Joe's here in this zip code)

4. Look into day trip to Winston-Salem, NC

5. Oil change and wash car

6. Get over the summer time blues (image #2, the late John Lee Hooker)

7. Continue writing 750 words a day

8. Send card to Dutch Ambassador Rudolf Bekink for his country's third place finish at the World Cup

9. DVR "Scarface," the 1983 Al Pacino version directed by Brian De Palma (it airs at 2:00 a.m. Thursday night/Sunday morning eastern time on TCM)

10. Go to a minor league baseball game (#image 3, the mascots for the Akron Rubber Ducks, a AA team for the Cleveland Indians in Akron, Ohio, that was previously known as the Akron Aeros)

World Cup Lists (3 of 4): Dutch League Players

Though Aron Johannsson didn't play today for Team USA in a heart-pounding 2-1 loss to Belgium in extra time in today's World Cup action, he is one of many players seeing action in Brazil from Erendise, the Dutch Premiere League.

Here is a full list of 11 players who also play pro soccer in the Netherlands:

1) Aron Johannsson. 23. AZ Alkmaar. USA (pictured top)

2) Christian Atsu. 22. Vitesse. Ghana.

3) Alireza Jahanbakhsh. 20. NEC Nijmegen. Iran.

4) Bryan Ruiz. 28. PSV Eindhoven. Costa Rica (pictured middle, team captain)

5) Uche N'nofar. 25. Heerenveen. Nigeria.

6) Renato Ibarra. 23. Vitesse.Ecuador.

7) Memphis Depay. 20. PSV. Netherlands (pictured bottom)

8) Jasper Cillessen. 25. Ajax Amsterdam. Netherlands (plays goal-keeper)

9) Daley Blind. 24. Ajax. Netherlands.

10) Daryl Janmaat. 24. Feyenoord. Netherlands.

11) Jordy Clasie. Feyenoord. Netherlands.

Best Comics from the Sunday Washington Post (....and, how you can win a free trip to Amsterdam)

Thanks again for taking a look at this blog as we post our long-overdue entry on he best comic strips from the Sunday Feb.2nd edition of "The Washington Post"...........oh, about that trip to Amsterdam, we sort of used that just to get your attention (there is no free trip to Holland). Our apologies to Rudolf Bekink, the Dutch ambassador to the USA, for that! But, perhaps, you can go there and see an Ajax Amsterdam soccer game on your own dime:)

This Sunday, 1) Lio invited some ghoulish friends to watch the Super Bowl; 2) Hagar the Horrible reused to do the laundry (that strip did not make the top ten); and 3) there was a family feud in "Foxtrot" over whether to watch the Super Bowl or "Dowton Abbey." Of course, since the Seattle Seahawks won the 105-3, this proved to be a mute point in reality.

Here is the top ten:

1) Lio

2) Foxtrot

3) WUMO

4) Sherman's Lagoon

5) Brewster Rockit: Space Guy

6) Pearls Before Swine

7) Reply All

8) The Argyle Sweater

9) Prickly City

10) Dustin

http://www.washingtonpost.com

Let's Check Out the Times Around the World Again

Since we listed various times from around the world like two weeks ago when the time last changed (forgiven the Americancentric sense of humor, well really it's just our own actually).

The images above are a map of Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Holland), the Dubai Mall and an antique grandfather clock that one may find at the Wheatland Antique Mall in Topeka, Kansas, where it's 9:00 p.m. now (Monday).

But, rather than Topeka, we will use New York as the city of comparison; it is now 11:00 p.m. in the Big Apple right now.....all times sprang an hour forward in the United States yesterday.


Here we go:

Athens, Greece: 5:00 a.m.

Barcelona, Spain: 4:00 a.m.

Auckland, New Zealand: 4:00 p.m.

Beijing, China: 11 a.m.

Bucharest, Romania: 5:00 a.m.

Cairo, Egypt: 5:00 a.m.

Dubai 7:00 a.m.

London 3:00 a.m.

Moscow 7:00 a.m.

Paris 4:00 a.m.

Rotterdam, Netherlands 4:00 a.m.

Tel Aviv, Israel 5:00 a.m.


http://www.visittopeka.us

http://www.shopbrookwood.org

http://www.antiquesoftopeka.org


http://www.mw.nl

Quote of the Day/Week- Vincent van Gogh

Today, we continue quoting famous people from each of the 16 countries represented in the Euro 2012 Cup_ a continental soccer championship being played as of right now in Poland and Ukraine.

The Netherlands/Holland lost to Denmark by a 1-0 in Group B, a group of death which also includes Germany and Portugal.

Our subject today is the artist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) who died very young at age 37. The painter is known for "The Starry Night" and a series of sun flower paintings. The above image is a self-portrait.

Here is his quote:

"For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."

http://www.vangoghgallery.com

UEFA Madness- Our 2,000th Entry

Perhaps, of all the millions of blog entries posted from Denver to Diyarbakir to Dubai to Pyonyang, this is the very first one to feature both Ciao, the mascot of the 1990 World Cup in Italy and Nasreddin Hoca, the famed Turkish folk figure, who is known for riding a donkey backwards.

We are using Ciao because yesterday proved to be a very good one for the Italian soccer team Napoli (more on that later), and we are utilizing the Hoca because this is our 2,000th entry. We were trying to think of a person who could represent longevity and it came down to the Hoca and Noah, of Noah's Ark fame. Ironically, Noah's Ark landed on Mount Ararat which is in modern Turkey.

Getting back to futbol, Napoli beat the Spanish team Villareal 2-0 yesterday with goals from Gokhan Inler (65th min.) a Swiss national of Turkish heritage, and Marek Hamsik, the Slovakian superstar, who is co-captain of Napoli and captain of the Slovakian national team (we almost mistook him for a Czech!).

With the victory, Napoli was able to advance to the round of 16 along with Bayern Munich who won Group A in spite of losing to Manchester City 2-0.

But, the strangest game of the day occured in Zagreb, Croatia, where the home team Dinamo Zagreb shockingly got savagely beaten by a Hungry Lyon as the French poured it on in a 7-1 victory. Though Lyon was expected to win, only the most partisan Lyon fans could have expected such an outcome. The game was a particularly glorious one for Bafetimbi Gomis, as the French player of Senegalese heritage scored an amazing four goals (45th min; 48th min; 52nd min; and 70th min.). With the lopsided win, Lyon was thus able to pass Ajax Amsterdam and get the second slot in Group D behind Real Madrid.

Despite resting many superstar starters, Real Madrid went to the Netherlands and came out with a 3-0 win over Ajax Amsterdam. The star of the day for Real Madrid, a team that won its league with a perfect 18 points (each team gets three points for a win, and one point for a tie), was the Spanish player Jose Callejon, who scored in the 14th minute and in the 92nd minute (extra time) of play.

Jose Callejon's twin brother plays for Hercules, another Spanish League team. His club teammate Hamid Altintop, a German-born Turkish national, also has a twin brother Halil Altintop, who plays soccer. Alas, for Halil Altintop, Wednesday was not much of a celebratory day as his team Trabzonspor (Turkey) tied Lille (France) by a score of 0-0 in Group B, which knocked both teams out.

Here is a complete list of scores from Wednesday's UEFA action; the other games not mentioned in this entry are covered in our sister blog "The Daily Vampire:"

*-Denotes team which advanced

y- Denotes team that won its group

z-Denotes that winner won an upset

Group A

*Napoli 2 Villareal 0

Manchester City 2 *y Bayern Munich 0

Group B

*z CSKA Moscow 2 *y Inter Milan 1

Trabzonspor 0 Lille 0, tie

Group C

*y Benefica (Portugal) 1 Otelul Galati (Romania) 0

*z FC Basel (Swit.) 2 Manchester United 1

Group D

*y Real Madrid 3 Ajax Amsterdam 0

* Lyon 7 Dinamo Zagreb 1

DC Diary_ Welcome to Kandahar Province

We are continuing our look at a hectic Day Two of our family DC trip (see "The Daily Vampire" for additional misadventures) with a look at some of the more unusual things that occured on Tuesday.

After visiting a staggering three Smithsonian in one day, we stopped by the Freer Gallery where we saw an art exhibit from avant garde Dutch artist Fiona Tan, which included a video came up of black and white Japanese schoolgirls from the 1960s, as well as a glance into the life of a Turkish immigrant shopkeeper in Amsterdam.

While visiting the gift shop of the gallery, which included many expected things like a cd from Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar, I noticed much to my immediate shock that there was a Lonely Planet Guidebook to.......Afghanistan?!

Of course, like everyone from Dubai to Anchorage, I was wondering what kind of insane lunatic would risk their lives for a frivilous travel adventure, and this coming from someone who went to Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2008!

After doing some web research, I did indeed confirm what everyone knew: there is a State Department advisory against travel to Afghanistan, hmmm....perhaps a war, the resurgence of the Taliban and armed warlords has something to do with that. Additionally, Wikitravel states that one should: Be aware of snakes and insects in Afghanistan, especially scorpions!

But, The Lonely Planet's tourguide for Afghanistan's web site says there are three places which are worth seeing presuming there is a ceasefire in the country for the day. These include the scared sites of Mazar e-Sharif, the caves of Samagan and the ruins of Bamiyan.

Additionally, I found much to my shock that there is an English pub in Kabul called Hare and Hounds (hmmm...I don't think that would be a good place to meet single women, irregradless if they are wearing a burqa or no burqa) and a German restaurant called Deutsche Hof. And, lastly, there is an outdoor cinema in Kabul called the Aina Media Centre where I expect "Brokeback Mountain," "Porky's" and "Debbie Does Dallas" never played.

One can also fly into Kabul from Frankfurt, Istanbul or Dubai, but your travel agent in Toledo, Ohio, might not be sure what to make of your mental state if you tell him your iteniary.

50 Beers Around the World- Heineken (The Netherlands/Holland)

The Dutch beer Heineken might well be the most popular brand we've featured in this series yet! The brand sells 250.8 million liters around the world, and it is perhaps the one European item that Republicans have no issues with.

Heineken was first made in 1873, and it consists of purified water, malted barley, hops and yeast.

You might even find it in Orem, Utah (just outside Provo).

Things We Learned From the BBC Today- Naomi Campbell Can't Be Photographed

The British supermodel Naomi Campbell, 40, is scheduled to testify this week against former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor in The Hague, Netherlands (Holland) on Thursday.

But, photographers will have to refrain from taking pictures of here according to a judge who will preside over the trial.

Campbell is testifying because she allegedly recieved a 'blood diamond' (that originated from Sierra Leonne) from Taylor in 1997 during a celebrity dinner in South Africa.

SIDEBAR: Though Twitter is banned here at the Pyongyang Public Library (actually a library in North Carolina), I did get word today from "The Hill" that Cong. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) tweeted that she is pregnant yesterday. McMorris, the third-highest ranking Republican in the House said the following in her tweet:

"Brian and I are excited to announce we're expecting. Cole will have a baby sister for Christmas."

Though I'm a Democrat, we wish them the best and perhaps they can watch that 'socialist propangandist' (according to a radical teleevangelist in Charlotte, NC) Barney the Dinosaur together as a family.

Viva Espana!

Kudos to Spain for winning the 2010 World Cup and Xica (pictured here) who was named the tournament's most valuable player.

South Africa's president Jacob Zuma declared the World Cup a victory for the host country as well:

"Let us keep celebrating, let the vuvuzelas keep blowing and let the football festival continue at Soccer City...This has been a truly inspiring, moving and uplifting month. Well done, South Africa."

Paul the Octopus had predicted a Spanish win over Holland in the World Cup final. One English handicapper said that if a gambler had bet according to Paul's predictions, they would have earned themselves $4,500!

World Cup Players Worth Remembering

Today, we have two special blog entries dedicated to 12 memorable players from The 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The other six players on our other blog "The Daily Vampire," which for some reason gets six times as much traffic as this blog!

1. Mesut Ozil (pictured here). Germany. Age 21. Wears # 11. Plays for Werder Bremen (German team which finished third in Bundasliga). Scored two goals in 14 international games, one of which included goal in 2-1 World Cup win over Ghana. He also set up fourth goal in devastating 4-1 victory over England. Dubbed a 'polite young man' by the German press, Ozil was caught up in 'custody battle' between Germany and Turkey, the country of his parents. Though he was scorned by Turkish nationalists in the motherland, Turkish-German parliamentarian Cem Ozdemir praised his decision because it showed the friendship between the two nations. Germany has a large Turkish minority, and Ozil was the center of a story which aired on the NPR show "The World" which aired this week about that unique diaspora.

2. Wesley Sneijder.The Netherlands (Holland). Age 26. Born in large Dutch city of Utrecht. One of my favorite players. He plays for Internazionale (Italian team based in Milan). His club teammates include Brazilian goalie Julio Cesar and star Cameroon player Samuel Eto'o (profiled here on Monday). Wears number 10. Ironically, he scored the game-winning goal against Cesar in Holland's brilliant 2-1 win over Brazil which was a minor upset. Also scored in World Cup play against Japan and Slovakia.

3. Luis Suarez. Uruguay. Age 23. Plays for Ajax Amsterdam (Holland). Has been named Dutch Footballer of the Year. Got red-carded in controversial play where he hand-balled to prevent a game-winning goal by Ghana in the 121st minute of play yesterday. Scorned by international media as a result, but he has been hailed as a hero in Uruguay. Will not play in the semi-finals against Holland. Scored both goals in 2-1 win over Mexico in the first knock-out round.

4. Kaka. Brazil. Age 28. Plays for Real Madrid. Has scored 27 goals in 82 international games. Known for humanitarian work, and is an ambassador for the U.N. Food Program.

5. Keisuke Honda. Japan. Age 24. Plays for CSKA Moscow. Has scored an impressive six goals in just 19 international appearances, including World Cup goals versus Cameroon and Denmark.

6. Park Ji-sung. South Korea. Age 29. Plays for Manchester United. Played in third straight World Cup. Scored in team's 2-0 win over Greece. Is first Asian player to score in three consecutive World Cups.

My World Cup Final Four Picks

Before I reveal my picks here, I want to applaud David Zirin of "The Nation" for rightfully putting "Washington Times" sports reporter Thom Loverro in his place.

On a sports talk show in reference to Team America's win over Algeria in the qualifying round last week (before the U.S. team lost to Ghana in the round of 16), Loverro said the following about Algeria: "When I think of Algeria, all I think about are terrorists and Abbott and Costello movies."

Like Zirin, I am sickened by such comments and they certainly don't reflect the views of all Americans. Similarly, Andrew Sullivan of "The Atlantic" reported that some demented person hacked the Wikipedia page for Ghana after they defeated Team America 2-1 in extra time on Saturday and used an epithet against the west African country.

There is absolutely no place for this sort of thing in today's world whatsoever.

As for my picks, like Zirin who said he believes Argentina will win The World Cup, I am also picking Argentina to win it all even though I really like Germany (who they place next) especially the star Turkish-German soccer player Mesut Ozil who is just 21 years old.

My other picks are Holland (over Brazil!), Spain and Uruguay.

The Dutch player Wesley Sneijder is pictured above. He has lead Team Holland in scoring so far, including the first goal in The Netherlands' 2-1 win over Slovakia on Monday.

Quote of the Day- Rutger Hauer

We continue our series of 32 quotes from people, who may be dead or alive, associated with one of the 32 countries in the 2010 World Cup.

For The Netherlands (we prefer to call it Holland), we go with '80s action film star Rutger Hauer, seen here in the original 1986 version of "The Hitcher."

Holland is off to a good start in the World Cup as they beat Denmark 2-0 on Monday.

Hauer is also known for his role in the 1982 science-fiction film "Blade Runner," which has become a cult classic.

Here is his quote:

"Good guy or bad guy, hero or anti-hero; it doesn't matter to me, what role I play, only the character have something magical."

SIDEBAR: Apparently, North Korea recruited many soccer fans to support their country's appearance in the World Cup, but since there are severe travel restrictions on the citizens of the isolated nation, many Chinese people have come to support 'The Boys from Pyonyang.'

China did not qualify for the World Cup. The BBC talked to Wang Qi, a Chinese man who has professed loyal support for North Korea. At the last minute, North Korean officials decided that they could send a delegation of fans from their own country to South Africa after all. But, in spite of the support of the imported Chinese fans, North Korea still lost 2-1 to traidtional powerhouse Brazil yesterday.

But, there was a bright spot for the North Korean team as Ji Yun-Nam scored a goal for them in the waining minutes of the match which assuredly came as a surprise to soccer fans in Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Sao Paolo and perhaps just about everywhere else!