Category: 2sb News

World Cup 2002 is off to a fantastic start with Senegal’ 1-nil upset of titleholder France. Despite the fact that 1/3 of Arsenal plays for France, I couldn’t be happier. In your face, Le Beouf and Barthez! My sleeping habits are going to be insane for the next few weeks, so if i seem a little testy, I hope you’ll understand.

Man, rally season is in full swing, the MASS race at Blackhawk Farms this weekend, and next weekend is Hoosier Daddy? already. Chad’s updated the site with campground info and more details.

We all missed Mike Watt’s show at the Double Door because some ninny scheduled the Galewood rally the same night. But did Watt miss us? I think not. (From the mighty hoot page tour diary.) Sunday night, I missed my body double from The Reputation.

Thanks to everyone who came out! I’ll have some picures up soon!

OeMy garage is the Guggenheim. Another Akyana find: The BBC’s story about the Royal Academy’s “Paris” exhibit features Christo’s Wrapped Vespa. Here’s another view from Michelin Magazine.

Strange things are afoot in the Indian two-wheel market. Bajaj Auto’s long-held worldwide “#1 two-wheeler production” spot was taken earlier this year by Hero Honda, an Indian-Japanese joint venture. Bajaj is still #1 for scooter production, and reporting record earnings, but their scooter sales are losing share to the 900.000 Kawasaki-tech minibikes and motorcycles they plan to produce this year. Get the full story from BBC News. (Thanks to Akyana for the link)

Well, we’re almost clean, warm, and dry. I’ll post a full recap soon, but for now, here are a buncha Niagara Rally Pictures on Scoot.net. There are so many pictures from so many people, you can relive the whole weekend, Memento-style. Whether that’s good or bad is your call. Sorry, no “glass” pictures from my camera, but Phil posted a few “arty” ones. Thanks to Ian and Rob, Michelle, all the ToSSers, sponsors, and friends, and to Phil for putting us up for the night.

We haven’t had time to post everything about Niagara 2002. While you’re waiting, check out this online dictionary of British slang.

Another tip from James in NYC: “I cannot look, yet I cannot turn away. I am somehow drawn to the pure, unalloyed malevolence of this object. I feel it is trying to broadcast evil messages to me from afar, like that crazy obelisk in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey. (Did I mention that there are two of themothe scooters, not the obelisks?)”

Italy’s national soccer team coach, Giovanni Trapattoni, has ordered abstinence for Italian team members (no pun intended) during the first round of the World Cup.

this is a test. ignore it.

Criterion is releasing a deluxe 2-DVD set of The Royal Tenenbaums on June 9th. If you don’t love Wes Anderson, your store could use some fixin’. In the meantime, here’s the best desktop background ever.

Chris Esposito of Malaguti USA: “Unlike the other European brands introduced in to the U.S. market, Malaguti remains true to the Mod heritage of the scooter.” By making this? Ok, it’s quite cool looking, but someone needs to bone up on their scooter history, Mods didn’t invent scooters, they just turned them into a fashion accessory for spoilt teenagers. Oh, wait, maybe he is right.

I’m reading Stoned by Andrew Loog Oldham, the Rolling Stones’ manager who coined one of my favorite phrases “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” It’s a good read so far, and I’m not even to the Stones part yet. All you Mod types might dig it.

A link for all the Yamaha Vino owners out there (this means you, James Ballot of NYC.): ProvoScooter.com, the web’s only complete Vino resource. Info on deregulating, tuning, and riding in a fish costume.