Que Copa hein!

Excellent action so far. I'm thrilled by the quality of the matches and of the strikes. And it's also great that favorites are generally winning, and well. Generally.

My favorite World Cup things so far (not in order):

• Ivorian defenders and defensive midfielders- short but quick and industrious. Will go far, definitely.
• Tomas Rosicky - I can only dream of him playing alongside Henry, Fabregas, Hleb et al next season.
• Kaka - when I said in 2002 he'd be better in his prime than Rivaldo in his prime, I was laughed at. Laugh now suckers.
• Online narratives by The Guardian - a no-miss. Brit humor to its prime.
• Pundit blogs by The Guardian - same
• The Leipzig stadium - too bad it'll host only third division matches.
• TV Terra: free online videos of best moments and goals one minute after the match - a blessing for workers. I can type in my spreadsheet and check Togo missing a handful of goals at the same time!!!!
• Lastly: The Iranian pennant - a piece of a Persian rug! As the Guardian (brilliantly as always) put it,

It's not often that other countries are urged to follow Iran's lead, but in the world of football pennants, the Middle Eastern minnows are blazing an impressive trail. Before Iran's opening game against Mexico, captain Ali Daei received the lacklustre, traditional triangular number from Mexican Rafael Márquez. The Iranian, meanwhile, proudly handed over a huge, ornately decorated picture frame housing what appeared to be a bit of carpet with some squiggles on. Márquez looked a little embarrassed, like someone who'd brought a four-pack of Foster's to an ambassador's reception. Other teams should follow suit. When England play Trinidad & Tobago, David Beckham should ditch the Three Lions flag and give Dwight Yorke a picture of the tennis player scratching her backside, that one of the hunky man holding a baby, or, even better, a Jordan calendar.