Worl Cup '10-All The World is a Stage

I remember growing up watching the news about apartheid in South Africa. I remember the international call and movement for an end to the apartheid. I remember it all coming to an end and this man, Nelson Mandela being released after a nearly 30 year stint as a political prisoner. The world celebrated. We'll most of it did. Obviously some people were upset that they had to give up their reign.

That was about twenty years ago, and South Africa has come a long way. They've got to the point that the are going to host a global event. This is big news. I remember ten, fifteen years ago reports that had South Africa and Colombia vying for number one in murderous crime.

So the Would Cup is coming to town. And tickets are on sale. They range from about $20 to $900. The lower end prices being reserved for residents. And although South Africa still has a high crime rate, the government garantees 100% safty for guests.

"So, if I have 100% information on your movement, I can give you the guarantee that you will be 100% safe."


Although I am not the hugest football fan, I do enjoy world cup competition. I never thought that I could get hung up on the play by play scenarios of a game, but I did. Seriously, I am into it. Am I going to watch every game all the way though? Probably not. But I will definitely be down to watch marquee matches involving a handful of key teams. The US team first of course.

As far as the Cup being in South Africa goes, I would love to go for the experience. But in reality. In bitter reality, there is no way I could afford such a trip. And even if I could, I am not sure that I would. I've gotten to the point that I am turned off by the huge crowds. That isn't to say that if someone handed me plane tickets for those dates, that I wouldn't seize the opportunity. But I am not going to hold my breath, or spend a small fortune to make it happen. I'll watch the games at my local pub or take a drive into the Foggy City depending on who is in it towards the end. Either way I am excited for the event and for South Africa.

Big Money, Big Prizes

As a child and teenager, I used to collect money from all over the world.You know. A coin collector. But not only coins, I collected bills(paper money) as well. In fact, the paper was my favorite thing to collect. It always made me think when I would look through my collection how strange it is to have denominations of 1,000, 10,000, even 25,000. The one the held my fascination the most was a note that I have form Peru for 500,000 intis. That's right! Half a million units represented in one note. In a time that I was very happy to have a bill that represented $10, a note that big was almost incomprehensible. That bill was released in 1988. Well, That's nothing. Today the Government of Zimbabwe has released their $100,000,000,000 note. That's right:! 100 billion. They say it cant even buy a loaf of bread.
Happy spending!