Wal-Mart, erm… I mean, “Walmart”… wait, my Grandma says “Wall marks”… anyway.

The giant, evil, big-box, megalo-maniac lovely referred to as “Wal-Mart” is indeed moving to a new identity. Armin @ Brand New has a good blog on the logo and a look at the history of the Brand (read: a history of awful logos). I thought this screencapture from the Brand New comments section tells the entire story

Euro 2008 Final: Spain 1, Germany 0

The post-match atmosphere in Astoria wasn’t hampered by the heavy downpour. As Spanish fans tumbled out of a local Masonic hall on 41st St, they used their rain-soaked flags as if they were matadors taunting giant gasoline-powered bulls. Some fans slowly ran their flag over the curves of the passing cars — making a sensual connection between the celebration and the traffic.

Some drivers honked for Spain. Some where stopped by the joyous mob until they honked. Each vehicle passed to a shout of “Olé!”. And as the rain accumulated, so did the crowd — coming from side streets and out of buildings. Some came to watch, some to partake. They celebrated Villa and Torres and Casillas and Sergio Ramos. They celebrated being the second team to win every match in the competition. They celebrated their first major title in 44 years.

We celebrated the Germans losing.

Yesterday, in Sarah D. Roosevelt Park in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Steve Nash and Claudio Reyna held a celebrity soccer match. Among those in attendance were Theirry Henry, Raja Bell, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Leandro Barbosa and ESPN’s Mark Stein. Word of the match spread quickly and before kickoff, every scalable part of the neighborhood held a curious soccer fan.

More images after the jump

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When Daniel Levy went to Zagreb, Croatia to settle his deal for Luka Modric, it wasn’t just business – it was theater. It was Inigo Montoya facing Count Rugan to avenge his father. It was Kobayashi approaching Dean Keaton and the rest, armed with nothing more than a briefcase and knowledge, evoking the fear of Keyser Soze.

With all the usual suspects in line for his signature (Arsenal + Chelsea making the most noise), and after several prior talks, Mr. Levy approached Zoran Mamic in Zagreb with this statement:

“I come for Luka Modric.
If I don’t do it now, we’ll never meet again.“

Needless to say, Luka will be in Lillywhite next season. For a good read on the negotiation, read this article in Nacional Neovisni News Magazine: Midnight transfer at Hotel Westin

Remi Gaillard takes to the streets of France, putting soccer balls into curious places. Looks like some of the shop owners, workers, and police didn’t think it was “très chic”