McDonalds prices to increase in some suburbs

Just heard that McDonalds are proposing to increase their prices in some suburbs here in Brisbane (& possibly in other cities in Australia?). Big Mac has been mentioned more than any other product lines as being subject to the price increase, but probably the prices of some other product lines will also go up. Apparently, it is the poorer suburbs that will face the price hike. According to reports, the price rise will happen in those areas because McDonalds think that consumers there are more likely to accept or tolerate the higher prices, while consumers in more affluent suburbs are more likely to complain.

With the current economic crisis worldwide, fast food sales have reportedly gone up, & so fast food retailers like McDonalds are raking in the profits. So perhaps McDonalds are out to make more money by upping prices in suburbs more likely to tolerate price hikes. Who knows??? Still, all talk about the price hike seems "weird" because I can't quite imagine that a Big Mac would have a different price in different locations. As far as I know, McDonalds prices have been pretty much the same everywhere in Brisbane. Then again, people are always free to make their own choices - if they don't want to pay higher prices at McDonalds, then go to KFC or Hungry Jacks. Or consume something healthier.

Anyway, thank goodness the prices don't seem to have been affected in the areas/suburbs that I frequent: Brisbane CBD, Jindalee, Mt Ommaney, Sinnamon Park, Indooroopilly, Toowong, Milton. Or have they??? Those are not poor suburbs by any stretch of the imagination. All the same, I shall check when I next get the chance. Then again, I don't consume McDonalds that often, so even if prices go up in those areas, it won't affect me too much.

UEFA Champions League 2008/09 - knockout stage preview

OK, we have been through the group stages of the UEFA Champions League. We are now into the first knockout round, i.e. round of 16. As usual, matches will be played on a home & away basis.

The first knockout ties are set out below. Winners advance to the quarter-finals:

Chelsea (England) v Juventus (Italy)
Villarreal (Spain) v Panathinaikos (Greece)
Sporting CP (Portugal) v Bayern Munich (Germany)
Atletico Madrid (Spain) v Porto (Portugal)
Lyon (France) v Barcelona (Spain)
Real Madrid (Spain) v Liverpool (England)
Arsenal (England) v Roma (Italy)
Internazionale Milan (Italy) v Manchester United (England)

I actually saw the draw for the knockout stage live from a hotel in Brunei back in December last year (when I stayed in Brunei overnight on the way to KL). I remember feeling reliefed that Barcelona managed to avoid, say, Arsenal, Chelsea or Inter, while acknowledging that Lyon would not be a cakewalk. I also remembered being stunned that Liverpool have been drawn against Real Madrid - these are 2 giants of the European game. I also remembered feeling slightly astonished that Manchester Utd were drawn against Inter, given the rivalry between United boss Alex Ferguson & Inter coach Jose Mourinho from Mourinho's days as Chelsea coach.

Anyhow, without further ado, I think the following teams will go through to the quarter-finals:

Chelsea
Villarreal
Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid
Barcelona
Real Madrid
Arsenal
Inter Milan

He's gone - Chelsea sack Scolari

Chelsea just sacked their head coach Felipe Scolari. The sacking came in the wake of this weekend's 0-0 result at home to Hull. He only got appointed Chelsea coach at the start of the season, replacing Avram Grant who had taken Chelsea to second place in the English Premier League & runner-up spot in the UEFA Champions League in the previous season. On both ocassions, Chelsea had finished second to Manchester United. Grant paid the price because those second place finishes had not been considered good enough by the Chelsea fraternity. So out went Grant, in came Scolari. That was last year. And now, it's Scolari's turn to be shown the door, with the Hull result appearing to be the last straw for the club. So I now have lost count of how many coaches have taken charge of Chelsea over the last 5 years.

The funny thing is, there's still 3 months left to go in the current season, so even if Chelsea are currently out of form, there is definitely plenty for Chelsea to play for. Hence the shock lies more in the timing of the sacking than the fact that the sacking took place. Under Scolari, Chelsea started the season with a bang with stylish attacking football. Then they started floundering & performance & results have deteriorated. Still, there's plenty to play for between now & the end of the season.....

This is not just simply another coach who has been dismissed from his post. We are talking about a World Cup-winning coach - Scolari coached Brazil (Ronaldo, Ronaldinho et al) to win the World Cup in 2002. It seems not even someone of his stature is safe from the demands of European club football at the highest level. I think this is the latest of a disturbing trend of impatient, "results come first" mentality that is rife in football at the highest level. Few coaches these days are given enough time to build a team. As far as the top club sides are concerned, results are paramount, & if the result are not good enough, out goes the coach. The incoming coach doesn't always guarantee improvement in results; in some cases, the new coach fares worse than his predecessor. When that is the case, that coach also gets shown the door, & another coach is sought. And the same cycle of hiring & firing coaches start again. If turnaround of coaches or managers are high, is that conducive to cohesive team building & squad spirit? I think not.

Planet DT's 2nd birthday/anniversary

Wow, it's now 2 years since I started blogging. Time really flies.

The blog has been lucky enough to get some hits from various places around the world. Thanks to those of u who pop by for a visit. Hopefully, u have been entertained or edified by the things I put up on this blog (or at least by some of them).

Remember how that great comedy Seinfeld is known as "a show about nothing?". Well, to a certain extent, Planet DT is the same - that it is a blog about nothing. The blog's focus (if there is one) is on nothing - or nothing in particular, with lots of posts covering on all sorts of things & stuff in life, however minor they may seem, just like it is with Seinfeld.
You will find pretty much "anything & everything" on Planet DT - from football, jokes, book reviews, things I see, sermon summaries, personal thoughts, silly stuff, all sorts of things. It's not meant to be a football blog, it's doesn't contain only jokes, & it's certainly not a Christian blog (even though I'm a Christian & do post some Christian stuff every now & then). This blog has a combination of those things, & more. It's a blog that has "anything & everything", & it's meant to reflect me & the things in & around my life.

I try desperately not to offend anyone intentionally with my blog posts, & apologise if any readers find any of my posts offensive. I try also not to be negative & try not to deliberately condemn or insult any person or group for no reason (except for football referees who make bad mistakes, or whenever my football team loses). Nope, I don't want my readers to feel condemned or offended; I want them to have a laugh or feel edified/encouraged in some way. Failing that, at least to read my blog to pass some time if u find yourselves with nothing better to do between midnight & 2am ;)

Ohhh well, 2 years already & still going, so here's to the future. I hope that u visitors will continue to pop by every now & then. Feel free to post some comments, even if u don't know me personally. By all means, put some critical comments where u see fit to do so, as I think I got thick skin (or am well on the way to getting some). And please, no virus, thanks. What's virus good for, anyway??

Tragedies in North Queensland & Victoria

Some tragedies have made news headlines recently, over in North Queensland & Victoria. In terms of location, Brisbane is "caught in the middle" of the unfortunate events in both places, & are fortunate to be well away from those tragedies.

There are the huge floods up in North Queensland. A huge tropical cyclone & some heavy rains have caused all that flooding, in the Ingham area in North Queensland, resulting in widespead damage to property & infrastructure. In unrelated news, I heard of a child in North Queensland being taken by a crocodile. That is horrible; pity the family.

Meanwhile, there are some horrific bush fires over in Victoria. In fact, it is so bad as to be the worst bush fires ever in this country, with a record death toll - already more than 100 dead, & the death roll is still rising, with final count possibly exceeding 200. Apparently, arson is suspected. Frankly, I cannot begin to understand how anyone could be so callous & twisted as to start lighting fires in dry, hot weather, knowing what the consequences of their actions would be.

I pray for the people in both places who are affected by the tragedies. May God comfort them in this times of trouble.

CM5 - Season 2023/2024 - Freiburg win treble!

On that PC game Championship Manager 5, I've been coaching German club side Sport-Club Freiburg, using the name Roger Scherzinger. Since starting in season 2004/2005, it has been a struggle to establish myself at SC Freiburg, as the German league is very tough. It took me a while to win the German League championship, but I finally did. Then in season 2023/2024, SC Freiburg won the treble for the first time - German League championship, German Cup & European Champions League.

SC Freiburg won the German Division 1, finishing 10 points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen. On the way to winning the Division 1 championship, SC Freiburg scored 94 goals in 34 league matches - far & away the most goals in the league. They became European champions by demolishing Manchester United 6-1 in the final. Then, the treble was secured by winning the German Cup, beating Division 2 side Kaiserslautern 3-0 in the final. Kaiserslautern won promotion to Division 1, & will play there next season, in 2024/2025.

The successful 2023/2024 season earned SC Freiburg the right to consider themselves the best club side in Germany & Europe. See pics below:

Goalless in Indonesia; future squad selection

Australia recently drew 0-0 against Indonesia in Jakarta. That was their first qualifying match for the Asian Cup 2011. They are in the same group as Indonesia, Kuwait & Oman. Teams play each other home & away Only the top 2 teams in the group qualify for the tournament. The 0-0 draw represented a good point gained, according to some. The result may not be greatest, & the uninspiring performance of some of the Australian footballers have attracted criticism from some quarters. Whether those criticisms are justified or otherwise, the bottom line is that they came out of an away match without losing. In qualifiers, it is the results that matter, & Australia at least got a reasonable result.

The Australia head coach apparently intends to use mainly home-based players in all the Asian Cup qualifying matches, starting with that goalless encounter in Jakarta. They will use the overseas-based players for the World Cup qualifying matches. Perhaps some overseas-based players will be drafted in to the Asian qualifiers as & when the need arises. Fair enough, & the 1 good thing I support about that selection policy is that it does give the A-League players some valuable exposure to international football. That exposure can only benefit them & improve their level. And who is to say that some of the A-League players will not seize the opportunity to make a name for themselves? That can only be good for the Australian national team.

However, when Australia qualifies for the Asian Cup (& they will certainly be expected to), one wonders what then will be the selection policy of the national squad? Which players will get selected for the Asian Cup tournament? Will it be mainly overseas-based players, because they are more experienced than the local-based players? Or will the coach stick with the home-based players who played the Asian Cup qualifiers? If the coach goes with the former, how will the local-based players feel about being cast aside? They most probably won't like the prospect of being selected to play in the Asian Cup qualifying matches, only to then have to stand aside for the overseas-based players for the Asian Cup tournament itself. Is that fair? It doesn't seem so. Will that be good for overall squad morale? I don't think so. The future squad selection will be a dilemma for the Australia head coach. Something to really think about.

Whatever the coach decides, I personally think the squad for the Asian Cup tournament (assuming Australia qualifies) should definitely include home-based players (the best ones, that is). Perhaps the best approach would be to strike a balance, in selecting a mixture of home-based & overseas-based players. Select those overseas-based players who are playing regularly for their overseas clubs. And also select the best home-based players, especially the youngsters with promising futures. That way, the young home-based players will develop & learn as they train & play alongside the more experienced overseas-based players. That might be the way to go. Just my 2 cents.

Snow in Europe!

While I put up with the summer heat here in Brisbane, I look at all the snow that is falling in Europe. The UK, for example, has had the heaviest snow for decades.

It would be nice if it snowed a bit over here - a bit, but not too much. Anyway, here are some pictures I found on the internet:

Newsflash - Phelps is a dope!

Newsflash - Michael Phelps, that record-breaking, multiple Olympic gold medal swimming sensation, is a dope! Phelps is a dope! Well, maybe it's not newflash for those who dislike him. I'm not one of them, as I've never had anything against him personally. (well, maybe it's a bit different now)

But Phelps has apparently been caught smoking dope in broad daylight. Picture of Phelps performing the "indiscretion" were published in a British newspaper. Many would be shocked & dismayed that such an esteemed role model would stoop to doing something like that. Indeed. I think that's very foolish, very irresponsible, poor form & a big letdown for those who look up to him. What example is Phelps setting?

And frankly, if he wants to smoke all that stuff, why do it in daylight when one is much more susceptible to being caught? If u want to do it, why not do it behind closed doors, in the private seclusion of your own bedroom?? Make sure no one's around, lock your doors, then go ahead & smoke. I mean, I've been doing that for the last 2-3 years & managed to get away with it! Hahahaaha!!

Article - UK faces return of 3-day week

See article below - the UK is getting employers to cut staff's work hours, instead of cutting jobs. Now, I don't how how well this would work, as I'm sure there will be job cuts here & there in the UK just as there would be job cuts in various places worldwide. But at least the UK government is trying something "new" in order to keep jobs. They should get credit for being pro-active & considering the well-being of the working people. I'm not sure if the same can be said of the Australian government - no signs of something similar being considered by the Rudd government.

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UK faces return of three-day week
27/01/2009 1:55:41 PM

British workers could have their working week cut to three days under plans being considered by the government to help companies cope with recession.

The government is understood to be considering paying firms to cut the working hours of thousands of staff instead of retrenching them in an attempt to stop unemployment soaring past two million.

Now business secretary Peter Mandelson is facing calls to offer compensation for workers who have their hours cut.

Unnamed ministerial sources told The Observer newspaper that a compensation scheme for workers was an option being discussed but was "not imminent".

"Government sources said there were issues about whether to restrict compensation to the car industry or apply it to all firms," the newspaper said.

The Department for Business is already advising employers on its website to consider cutting staff hours as a way to save money, saying it might be better than making staff redundant.

Similar measures were after a series of crippling strikes by mine workers in the 1970s which had dramatic knock-on effects through the rest of the nation's economy.

Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher introduced a short-time working directive in the 1980s to cover earnings lost through shorter hours.