Cyan

The third and final game of the group matches for the World Cup.  This will determine who advances and who will be sent home packing.  Who’s advancing from each group?  Find out now…

Mexico vs. Uruguay:

Mexico builds off of its beat down against France to win and clinch a spot in elimination.  It doesn’t come easy as Uruguay puts up a battle in hopes to move on as well.  Mexico prevails 2-1.

France vs. South Africa:

France tries its hardest to make a push into the elimination but just like Anelka, the French are sent home.  This game ends up being a defensive duel but no goals are scored.  Draw 0-0.

Nigeria vs. Korea Republic:

In another close battle of teams fighting to advance, Korea Republic takes the narrow victory with a late goal.  Korea Republic 1-0.

Greece vs. Argentina:

After their first World Cup victory ever, the Greeks look to continue their success and win to advance to the elimination round.  Argentina kindly reminds them this is not Dreamland and gives them a dose of reality.  Argentina 3-0.

Slovenia vs. England:

I’ve been sitting here waiting for England to show any signs of life in this tournament.  They have plenty of individual talent but it seems like they cannot bring it all together as a cohesive unit.  I’m still not sold on Slovenia and I feel their opponents have beaten themselves more than they have beaten their opponents.  I don’t think Slovenia can win this game, but I also have zero faith in the Three Lions as well.  I will still go with the Brits in a narrow 1-0 win in a boring game where defense doesn’t prevail, but sloppiness on offense keeps this game this close.

USA vs. Algeria

Plain and simple, if the US wins they move on.  If they don’t, they have to get lucky.  After a stunning and near flawless seond half against Slovenia, I think the USA will continue to play well in this game.  In my mind, defense wins championships and no player has more heart this World Cup than Tim Howard.  Algeria plays way above their talent level but still fall short 1-0.  USA wins and advances to the elimination round.

Ghana vs. Germany

It’s win or go home for the Group D teams.  Germany stumbled in the last game and will not go home early.  Ghana puts up a valiant effort but the favorites will not be denied twice.  Germany wins 3-1.

Australia vs. Serbia

Serbia continues to impress in this years tourney.  Playing for a chance to advance, the Serbians crush the Australians and send them back down under.  Although it doesn’t really look like it, Australia tries to win this game but they just don’t have the skills to make it.  Serbia wins 2-0.

Denmark vs. Japan

In the battle of “Which Team from Group E Will Be Eliminated in the Elimination Round First,” match these two teams battle till the end.  It is Denmark who earns the right to be clobbered in the elimination round while Japan goes home.  Denmark wins 2-1.

Cameroon vs. Netherlands

And Cameroon achieves the rare sweep in this World Cup!  3 matches played all three resulting in…losses.  The Netherlands could have picked 10 people out of the crowd and fielded a better team in this 4-0 massacre.

Slovakia vs. Italy

 In a match up of two teams from the worst group in the World Cup, neither team really looks like it knows what is going on.  They both look lost and cannot pull a string of good offensive plays together if a gun were pointed at their heads.  In result, the two teams tie in a thrilling(snore) match 0-0.

Paraguay vs. New Zealand

Another two teams from the, mediocre at best group, battle for a chance to advance.  If Paraguay wins, they’re in.  If New Zealand wins, they have a shot to get in.  The Kiwis prevail in this one, shocking Paraguay in a close game.  New Zealand wins 2-1.

Portugal vs. Brazil

This might possibly be the best game in the entire World Cup(minus the championship game obviously).  These two teams turn a game into an act of war.  Offensive onslaughts keep the shots a flowing the entire game but the defense rarely breaks.  At half the teams are tied 1-1 and Portugal starts very strong offensively getting many opportunities but never able to hit the back of the net.  But in the end Brazil is the better finisher and is just too strong and too balanced for the full 90 minutes.  Brazil wins 3-1.

Korea DPR vs. Cote d’Ivoire

Another game of inferior teams, and another tie.  And no one seems to care.  Due to apathy, I’ll keep it short: 1-1.

Chile vs. Spain

Like I said earlier, Spain won’t be embarrassed again in this opening round.  They’re saving that for the elimination round.  Chile doesn’t seem like much of a contender and Spain wins 3-1.

Switzerland vs. Honduras

I will also pose a repeat for this one.  The Swiss only get lucky once.  Honduras 1-0.

Ba-gel [bey-guhl] -noun: a round leavened roll made of dough that is boiled and then baked.  More commonly known as: the perfect food.

The O shaped delight has the perfect balance of textures with the excellent crust and the chewy inside.  It’s versatility makes it second to none.  You can simply cut it in half and add your favorite toppings(anything will do really), you can toast it, you can use it as the bread of your favorite sandwiches, they come sweet and the come savory, there is literally nothing wrong with a bagel.

Now that I have you attention and you are salivating at the thought of a bagel, I thought it would be a good idea to suggest you to one of my favorite bagel shops: Kettleman’s Bagels. 

Kettleman’s is located just a few blocks away on the corner SW 4th Avenue and Taylor and has a wide variety of bagels to choose from.  Whether you want the classic plain bagel or something more out of the ordinary like a pumpernickel bagel, Kettleman’s has it.

They have a wide variety of cream cheese schmears and many other toppings such a peanut butter, jelly, egg, veggies and the classic butter to select from to make that bagel even better.

Kettleman’s is opened 7 days a week to fulfill your every bagel craving.  Additionally, if you go near closing they have been known to give away packs of day old bagels to a few select lucky customers…

For more information about Kettleman’s Bagels or to check out all the items they have to offer, visit the Kettleman’s Bagels website.

Looking for a quick and delicious meal?  Check out Cafe Yumm, located only two blocks away from Cyan/PDX.

Cafe Yumm has a wide variety of healthy meals to choose from including their Cafe Yumm bowls, salads, sandwiches, wraps and bento bowls.  I had their Hot and Jazzy Yumm bowl which was absolutely amazing.  The bowl is filled with jasmine rice and black beans then topped with their special sauce, tomatoes, sour cream, chedder cheese, olives, cilantro and avocado.  It is the perfect midday meal leaving me full and nourished for the rest of my day.

I highly suggest you take a stroll to the Portland State University campus and taste for yourself all that Cafe Yumm has to offer.  To view the entire menu, and find more information, visit the Cafe Yumm website.

As the first round of group play has come to an end, we can now move on the to second games and see who will continue their dominance and who will flounder.  I know I am a bit late, so I am guaranteed to have one correct match…

South Africa vs. Uruguay

South Africa is no match for any country from South America.  Even with the vuvuzela blaring you cannot silence the sound of a Uruguayan goal. Uruguay wins 3-0.

France vs. Mexico

The Mexicans are upset about their last tie and come out seeking revenge.  The French are too busy complaining about all that loud noise in the stadium to notice they’ve lost so badly.  Will then blame their loss on the ball afterwards. Mexico wins 2-0.

Greece vs. Nigeria

After a narrow loss to the heavily favored Argentina, the Nigerians continue to out play themselves and their opponents.  At half time, Greece realizes it has no shots and opens some bottles of Ouzo for some shots.  OPA! Nigeria 3-0.

Argentina vs. Korea Republic

Another close win but the Argentinians who leaves the world asking, “They’re one of the favorites?”  I’m still confused which Korea is to be considered good Korea and which one is bad Korea as apparently Americans are the only people who calls one North and the other South.  Either way, Argentina wins 2-1.

Slovenia vs. US

In the previous pick I told you how I was confused about which Korea is which.  Here is an even more baffling question: Where is Slovenia located?  I’m still not sold it’s a real country.  Needless to say the Yankees take this one easily 3-1 with the only goal coming again the back up goal keeper when we pull Howard at half to give him some rest.

England vs. Algeria

The lone representative of the United Kingdom has finally shown some heart.  After an “oopsie” block against the US (you say luck, I say skill), Green put on his big boy cleats and decided to play real soccer.  Rooney still can’t remember how to score but the offense plays well enough for the W. England 2-0.

Germany vs. Serbia

You know what happens when you put one powerhouse with a bunch of mediocre at best teams?  The powerhouse scores and the others don’t.  Germany over Serbia 3-0.

Ghana vs. Australia

I’m still not sold that Australia even knows how to play soccer.  If this were a snorkeling match I would pick them.  Kangaroo hop? Australia.  Real sports. Any other country.  Ghana with the 2-0 win.

Netherlands vs. Japan

Now that the Dutch have lost the man advantage(cheap shot at the Danes for the own goal!) they have a bit more competition.  They still pull out the victory against the Japanese 2-1.

Cameroon vs. Denmark

Denmark had a tough enough time determining which goal was theirs last game and their opponent was wearing highlighter orange.  On the plus side they are playing a weaker opponent so they should play a bit better.  Unfortunately, better means not scoring against yourself.  Luckily, Cameroon can’t score either.  Draw 0-0.

Slovakia vs. Paraguay

Both teams played to draws in the opening round so one would think this would be an even game.  The difference being Paraguay tied the reigning World Cup champions and Slovakia tied Australia Jr.  I think you know where I’m going here.  Paraguay wins 2-0.

Italy vs. New Zealand

I’m not as sold on Italy as most others are.  Luckily for them the other countries in their group don’t have real soccer teams but rather are a collection of names out of a hat.  They gain a much needed 3 points here with a 3-0 victory.

Brazil vs. Cote d’Ivoire

Normal folk would choose Ivory over Kaka, but not this guy.  The game remains close in the first half but Brazil breaks the tie late in the 70th minute to win 2-1.

Portugal vs. Korea DPR

Do you know what you get when you mix one great player with a bunch of okay players? The Portugal national team!  Korea DPA is playing with pure heart and no talent, Portugal is playing on pure Ronaldo and nothing else.  Draw 1-1.

Chile vs. Switzerland

Dear Switzerland,

You only get lucky once.

Sincerely,

Chile

Chile wins 2-0.

Spain vs. Honduras

Oh Spain.  Oh oh Spain.  I say good things about you in round one and you turn around and stab me in the back.  I thought we were friends?  Luckily I am a very forgiving person and I don’t believe in heavy favorites choking twice.  You may have actually done yourself a favor and put a chip on your shoulder and made yourself the underdogs… Just kidding, you’ll make it out of group play but get killed in elimination.  Good luck in 4 years!

Spain wins 1-0.

Not sure what to eat for dinner tonight?  Why not eat something that’s in season?  Choosing from fruits and vegetables that are currently in season offers a large amount of benefits.  For one, these fruits and vegetables will taste better as they are picked in the peak of their growing season.  But choosing fruits and vegetables in season can be sustainable as well.  If the fruit or vegetable that you are about to eat is not in season, then that item has traveled from far away lands.  The farther your food has to travel to get to you means the less sustainable that food is.  If you go with what’s in season in your area, you’re getting better tasting food while also helping the environment.

So how do you know what’s in season?  The Seasonal Fruit and Vegetable Calendar can help you determine what is the freshest at any point in the year.  This will help you determine what fruits and vegetables to look for in the stores to purchase.  You could also read the stickers and other labels on the produce as well as shopping at farmer’s markets to purchase more locally grown produce.

Click here to visit the Seasonal Fruit and Vegetable Calendar.

A while back I signed up to receive the updates from the website Groupon.  Many times I have seen the offer, thought the restaurant or service they were selling sounded good but never pulled the trigger.  Last night I was laying in bed bored and decided to check out the Groupon page to see if anything interesting was posted.  There I found “Pudding on the Rice,” a shop located close to Cyan/PDX that offered crepes, fro-yo and rice pudding.  I figured it would be worth the $5 for a nice little lunch so I bought the coupon.

When my lunch break finally came at work I printed out my Groupon and took a little stroll to the Park blocks to Pudding On The Rice.  I arrived at my destination and was ready to eat.

When I walked into the door I was a little overwhelmed.  There were over ten different types of puddings to choose from.  Now I do have I say, I was a little hesitant about the pudding.  I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I thought for sure either Bill Cosby was going to jump out from behind the counter and start pushing some of his pudding pops.  But I was pleasantly surprised when I actually tasted a few of the flavors.

The pudding was absolutely delicious.  The recipe was the owners grandmother’s recipe with a few flavor upgrades.  I had the Bittersweet Symphony(Double chocolate) and the Patience Grasshopper(Cookies and Cream with a hint of mint).  I loved every single bite I had.

For lunch I had one of their savory crepes.  I went with the Bruschetta Crepe, with the tomato mixture, Italian cheeses and Basil.  This dish was a very interesting balance of textures.  The crepe was crispy yet delicate which made this dish feel like a compromise of the general texture of bruschetta but also like an Italian pasta as well.  I found it very delicious.

If you would like to learn more about Pudding On The Rice, including thier menu, visit the website: http://www.puddingontherice.com/

Being an avid fan of all things that are sports, look no further than here for the 2010 World Cup picks.  Experts?  Who needs them!  Sure, I may not be able to name 10 players in this year’s World Cup field.  But the World Cup is like March Madness, you pick you winners based off of whose flag looks the coolest(or based off of which countries you would like to visit most…).

And now with out further adieu, Joe’s round one World Cup picks:

South Africa vs. Mexico:

Mexico is one of my sleeper picks so I have them taking the victory in the opening round match.  The home field advantage of South Africa aids in keeping this game close, but Mexico still over powers them to win 2-1.

Uruguay vs. France:

France has that chip on their shoulder after the last World Cup and comes out strong to display their retribution.  Uruguay doesn’t stand a chance in this opening round romp.  France wins 3-0

Korea Republic vs. Greece:

The economy isn’t the only thing faltering in the Aegean these days.  Greece takes a huge stumble while the Korea Republic takes the upset 4-1.

Argentina vs. Nigeria:

Argentina is out to prove that this year is their year and will take no prisoners in this battle.  Nigeria tries to fight back but cannot keep up with the Argentinian battalion.  Argentina take this one 5-2.

England vs. THE United States of America:

USA! USA! USA! This close battle of the Kingdom vs. the Colonies goes down to the last minute with The US scoring their third goal to break the tie during stoppage time.  David Beckham is seen on TMZ the following day crying in Posh Spice’s arms in Los Angeles.  USA wins 3-2.

Algeria vs. Slovenia:

These two closely ranked teams play to the first tie of the 2010 World Cup.  Algeria attempts to break the tie with a barrage of shots in the closing minutes but the Slovenian defense stands strong.  Tie 1-1.

Serbia vs. Ghana:

Ghana never stood a chance in this one.  Serbia makes a statement with an opening goal in the first 4 minutes and never looks back.  Ghana tries to make it respectable but the score makes the game look closer than it really was. 4-2 Serbia.

Germany vs. Australia:

Some of the Australian team forget this is futbol and plays football(rugby) rules as two players are tossed with red cards.  Germany cruises to a 4-1 victory despite playing the reserves the second half.

Netherlands vs. Denmark:

Despite the soft spot I have in my heart for the Danes, the Dutch are her to play.  They no longer wish to be the talented team that chokes and puts on a relentless display of soccer for all to see.  The Dutch take the open round goals lead and beat Denmark 6-3.

Japan vs. Cameroon:

The game opens with a scoring frenzy with each team scoring two goals a piece.  Both teams step up their defense but Cameroon squeaks one by the Japanese goal tender to take this match 3-2.

Italy vs. Paraguay:

Italy opens their World Cup title defense with and offensive and defensive onslaught.  Paraguay tries to fight back but it looks more like swimming in a hurricane.  Some battles were meant to be lost. Italy prevails 3-nil.

Cote d’Ivoire vs. Portugal

Portugal never really stood a chance.  The Ivory Coast coasts by this opening round 2-1 with Portugal’s lone goal coming off a lucky bounce.

Brazil vs. Korea DPR:

The favorites of this year’s World Cup tournament stumble out of the gates early but pick up the pace to gain the victory.  After falling behind 1-0 early on the Brazilians score in the 38th minute to tie the game before halftime.  The finish the second half with 4 unanswered goals to win 5-1 in their opening match.

Honduras vs. Chile:

A disappointing opening round for the Chileans, hoping to gain valuable points to help them advance.  Sloppy play leads to a 3-2 loss to Honduras, Honduras’ only victory in the Cup.

Spain vs. Switzerland

Switzerland is known for many things: Chocolate, watches, knives, not showing up for wars and not showing up for soccer games.  It also didn’t help by playing a heavily favored Spanish armada.  The Spanish take this match easily 4-1.

So these are my official picks for the 2010 World Cup.  Don’t trust anything else anyone else tries to tell you, as these are the best picks you will find.

Are you ready to Watch the World Cup live?  Want to compare my picks with what really occurs?  Come join us!  We’ll be watching the opening round matches on Friday June 11, 2010 starting at 7am.  Breakfast snacks and beverages will be provided!  Meet us in the Cyan/PDX living room for some opening round soccer action!

For more information about the 2010 World Cup, visit the FIFA website.

The Columbia River Crossing is one of the larger controversy filled issues in the Portland area.  It has been argued whether the $4 billion investment will really create the intended effects of this money.

Two months ago, the Architecture Foundation of Oregon and PDXplore brought in many professionals to hold an educated discussion about the effects and consequences of this project.  This discussion, Crossing the Columbia, What Does it Mean? was filmed so that others could gain the insight of this event even if they were not in attendance.  The final edited version is 19 minutes long and offers a lot of information about this project and what it could entail when it is completed.

The video is currently available to watch and comment on the Columbia Crossing: What does it Mean?page on Vimeo.