Author: Newley

The “Austin Powers in: Goldmember” trailer is now available.

David Lacey, a journalist who has covered the last 10 World Cups, offers his top six memories from the tournament.

“Puncturing Web Ads Before They Pop Up,” (NY Times; free registration required) is a good overview of ad-blocking software options. Ironically, when I viewed the article, it launched a pop-under window–the very sort of annoying advertising the article discusses combating.

The World Cup final is set. Germany beat South Korea 1-0 yesterday, and today, Brazil defeated Turkey by the same scoreline. The Germans meet the Brazilians on Sunday morning at 6:30 a.m. Eastern.

For ongoing coverage, check out Bill Davis’s amazingly comprehensive World Cup Weblog.

In “The Politics of Futbol,” William Safire says, “Set aside the game itself; this is not the sports page. Consider instead the intelligence, geostrategic, cultural and diplomatic ramifications of futbol, with its World Cup played, as always, halfway between U.S. presidential elections.”

This World Cup has unquestionably been one of the most exciting ever. In the 72 years since the tournament’s inception, only seven teams have ever won the title: England, Brazil, Germany, Italy, France, Argentina, and Uruguay. This year, only Germany, England, and Brazil have made it to the quarterfinals, where they’re joined by Spain, Senegal, S. Korea, Turkey, and the US. England plays Brazil tomorrow morning at 2:30 a.m. Eastern, and the American team battles Germany at 7:30 a.m. Eastern.

The current New Yorker fiction issue contains some powerful writing: Charles D’Ambrosio’s mournful “Documents;” “Alone at the Movies,” a moving piece by Jonathan Latham; and the lyrical, dark “I Bought a Bed,” by Donald Antrim (not available online).

For the first time since 1930, the US men’s soccer team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. They beat Mexico 2-0 today and will face Germany on Friday.

World Cup update: the US tied South Korea 1-1 today. Clint Mathis scored in the first half, and Brad Friedel’s brilliant play in goal salvaged the draw. With one game left in group play, the American team is likely to advance to the second round of the tournament.

“BEIJING (Reuters) – Beijing’s most popular newspaper has unwittingly republished a bogus story about U.S. Congress threats to skip town for Memphis or Charlotte unless Washington builds them a new Capitol building with a retractable dome. The source? America’s celebrated spoof tabloid, the Onion.”

In World Cup action, England beat Argentina 1-0 today. Great game.

The BBC site features some excellent photo galleries for all of the matches to date.