Week of 2007-08-11 16:00 to 2007-08-18 15:59

“¡Chivas Explosivas!” is definitely catchier than “We Are The Galaxy” — download all 13 songs here and pick your own fave:

http://www.adidas.com/us/campaigns/mls/content/default.asp

Via The Offside, “MLS Represent: Team Anthems, Oh Yeah” (thanks Bob)

Scroll.

I need a hardcopy of this.

Richard Henry Dana (for whom Dana Point was named) wrote Two Years Before the Mast as a diary during a sea voyage. I’ve not read it yet, though I will definitely be checking it out soon, if for no other reason than the portrait it contains of early 19th Century California.

In the book, which takes place between 1834 and 1836, Dana gives a vivid account of “the life of a common sailor at sea as it really is”. He sails from Boston, around Cape Horn, arriving in California when it was a remote Mexican land, and San Diego, San Pedro, Los Angeles, and San Francisco weren’t much more than a few sheds. He gives descriptions of landing at each of the ports up and down the California coast as they existed then. In the book, he makes a tellingly accurate prediction of San Francisco’s future. He also gives a nice description of a society wedding amongst the “Californios.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Years_Before_the_Mast

The text is available at Gutenberg:

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/4277

Next time you starting wishing your favorite team’s horrible owners would “disappear” for reals, thank your lucky stars you aren’t among the fans of Manchester City. Their ownership makes the owners of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (for example) look like your favorite babysitters from childhood.

Of course, he’s spending money, which puts him one up on the Devil Rays.

Via The Offside, “Arrest Warrant issued for Manchester City Owner”—

Thaksin Shinawatra is known to football fans as the guy who bought Manchester City earlier this year and who has opened his extensive wallet to lure Sven-Goran Eriksson and a bunch of new players. In the non-football world, he is known as the guy who used to be the prime minister of Thailand until he was overthrown in a peaceful military coup last September.

These two worlds might collide if Shinawatra is forced to go back to Thailand where he is charged with corruption. This could lead to him having to relinquish his assets in the UK, including his shares of Manchester City.

Thanks to LAist for posting about ORESKABAND — Ska is alive and well in Japan: