London Ninja

For some reason the UK does not celebrate the day Americans give thanks for getting the F out of the UK 300 years ago. Not sure why. Brits only seem to celebrate failed assassination attempts.

What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than some good old British-bred turkey. Oh oops, turkeys are diseased like every other meat here in the UK.

If there was ever a time in my life to go vegan, this is probably it. Produce and dairy have been much better than the US but the meats have been pure shite.

Guess I’m eating yoghurt for Thanksgiving. Cheers.

Last weekend, the Miami Dolphins squared off against the New York Giants in Wembley Stadium here in London to showcase the NFL to perhaps bring NFL back to the UK. Yes the Britons cheered and jeered, but ultimately this country does not need another American sport. It’s like football/soccer in the US. Who needs another sport?

I think the sentiment was well reflected when flipping through the usual daily publications that everyone reads on the way to work. Every reference to the NFL game had a picture of….not Eli Manning or Jason Taylor….it was…yup, you guessed it….the cheerleaders.

Cheer for the Tight ends!!!

There was one other American element that was brought over to London that was very amusing for the Brits:

Ultimately the NFL is really just a circus that came through town. It’s never going to stick in London, but I reckon the dance performed by the streaker may. Blimey!

Update(Nov 3): ODJ showed me a even better version of the streaker. I gotta say I like the moves this guy’s got.

The Rugby World Cup starts today in the UK. In case you don’t know what rugby is, it’s something like football (not soccer), except no pads, no body armor, and no black people. That last piece might not be true. Guys generally aren’t as big as they are in the US but rest assured they are much bigger than the London Ninja. The game is revolved a bigger version of the football and…um….that’s about it. I’m not sure exactly how the game is played but I plan on being at a pub on Saturday to experience it. It is apparently a game for the toffs as opposed to a game for the common folks.

8 September:
England v USA, Lens, Pool A (1700 BST)

If you’re able to watch it (not sure how), you might want to watch it. If you do, let me know how rugby is played, cuz I still have no idea.

Oh, and don’t confuse rugby with Aussie rubgy, football, or gaelic football. There are also different rugby leagues in the UK and different rules.

Bottom line: don’t ask me any questions about it cuz I don’t know shit about rugby. Cheers

When I say “bloody Brits”, I mean it with the highest sincerity. I also mean it with the highest level of WTF. And by bloody, I mean “hella bloody”.

Apparently the bloody Brits are striking again. This time it is targetting the Tube, only the key form of transportation in London. Brilliant.

When I first arrived in the UK, the Postal strike was occuring and now this. WTF. Apparently, the postal workers here have not yet figured out that you just have to go Postal to get some change.

The Ninja opinion:
If you aren’t happy with the pay, then you should walk out and get a job somewhere else. I can sort of understand some factory jobs needing some type of reform in high-unemployment, low-working-standards type of eras(or countries), but we’re in London! This is like striking in San Francisco because they put too much chutney in your rocket salad, or too much au jus on your steak tar tar. It’s like striking because the fois gras on their canapé is a bit too tender. I can go all week.

I would write more but I reckon I have to complete my tube travel before 5pm as not to disrupt my commute home. Blimey.

Ok, so the US Dollar hitting an all time low against the Euro is not necesarily London-related, but it did hit a 26 year low against the GBP.

Along with the rise in the British pound, which has been trading above $2 amid robust growth in the British economy, the stronger euro also makes visits to much of Europe more expensive for travelers from dollar-denominated countries, and makes shopping trips to the United States more appealing to Europeans. The pound touched $2.0275 against the dollar Tuesday, its highest in 26 years.

FDAT

London has just been named the top poker destination in the world. I haven’t gone to any casinos yet, but there are tons of them around. There are two right on the high street here in Notting Hill. There’s also the big one in Leicester Square. I think the procedure is that you have to apply for membership before you can actually play. That application takes a day to clear. I guess that gives you a “cool-off period” before losing your arse to the Johnny Chans of the world.

LONDON, England — (PRESS RELEASE) — Bluff Europe, Europe’s most widely read poker magazine, has named Europe’s top five poker destinations based on a number of criteria and on the general level of poker enthusiasm in the city.
…

1. London

“It was a difficult decision naming the top five poker cities in Europe,” said Michael Caselli, Editor-in-Chief of Bluff Europe, “but poker in London is like poker in no other city on earth. From the major TV tournaments like the European Poker Tour, to the gorgeous new poker room at the Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square, right through to the grassroots home games, private club games, pub tournaments and online games – which are going to be regulated by the British government come September – poker is quickly becoming one the city’s most popular past times. If you want a game, anytime day or night, you’ll easily find one in London.”

Furthermore, changes in the UK gambling laws have paved the way for “Vegas-style” casinos to slowly make their way into the country, as well as to allow more licensed terrestrial poker. Poker’s growth in the UK has been recognised by the World Poker Tour® (WPT) which is expected to finalise a distribution deal with Challenge TV; and World Series of Poker, which has elected to hold the first ever WSOP Europe in the capital.

All that said. I don’t care what anyone says. There’s only ONE destination for gambling…Vegas, baby, Vegas!

Apparently, a recent study has concluded that London is the second most expensive city in the world to live. London is estimated at 26 percent more expensive than New York, and climbed three spots to second place on a strengthening British pound and steep rental prices.

The problem here is not how expensive London has become, it’s that we got beat by Moscow! Moscow??!?! I thought we nuked them into like 90 small fragment countries? Here’s a snippet of what that means:

Moscow, once a by-word for frugality, beats London not only in the property stakes – renting a flat costs £57 more a month – but also when it comes to a cup of coffee and newspaper. A daily dose of caffeine in the Russian capital will set you back £3.14, which puts the London cost of £2 in the shade.

Moscow has taken to its new-found status with great panache: it is now a city that revels in its image of brash decadence and sheer opulence.

There cannot be many other places where not only do they sell dresses made out of 500-rouble (£50) notes but people actually buy them too.

Ultimately, the dollar sucks and that is why these other cities have trumped NYC. For me personally this is a double edged sword. Because I have a lot of assets in the US, the decline in value of my assets sucks. On the other hand, I will be getting paid in GBP and so a strengthening pound helps me, but only if I want to take it and spend it in the US (which I do). I also want to make a dress out of dollar bills with a belt made out of nickels and strut it around Picadilly Circus. That’s sheer opulence for you, folks. I can sell you one but you have to get on the waiting list.

The research used New York as the baseline, which sort of confirms New York as the center of the world. I heart NY.