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The mighty FC Barcelona are sitting pretty at the moment, both domestically in Spain & in Europe.
They are currently on top of the Spanish league, holding a 6 point lead. Just a few weeks ago, the lead was 12 points, but thanks to a couple of bad results (which perhaps suggest that FC Barcelona are not that mighty....haha), Barca's lead have been reduced. But hey, being 6 points in front is quite handy, & I'm happy with that lead. Hopefully, Barca will keep the lead for the rest of this season.
Barca are also through to the Spanish Cup final, after going past Mallorca 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals (won 2-0 at home, & drew 1-1 in Mallorca). Mallorca deserve some credit for making it hard in the second leg, scoring first & reportedly giving Barca some hard moments before Barca equalised. Athletic Bilbao will await Barcelona in the final.
And then, in Europe, Barca comprehensively dismantled French champions Olympique Lyon in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Barca got a 1-1 draw in Lyon in the first leg, & beat them 5-2 at home in the second leg, to complete a 6-3 aggregate win, & a safe passage to the quarter-finals. This is quite remarkable - even though Lyon are not as strong as they used to be, when was the last time anyone beat Lyon like that?? The first 45 minutes of that second leg, in particular, showcased Barca's deadly attacking football as they built a 4-1 half-time lead. If Barca can maintain this form, then surely no one can stop them from becoming champions of Europe.
So all of the above means that FC Barcelona are well on track for a treble of trophies. Whether they succeed in achieving that remains to be seen. It will be extremely difficult. There are no guarantees that Barca will win them all (although I would like them to, of course!). But what is much more certain is that Barca will entertain in trying to do so, with their enterprising, attacking football.
Yes, my TV is still on. I also just heard the unbelievable story of an umpire who attacked a spectator in a recent Australian Rules game in Brisbane. The game was a pre-season game involving local clubs, & the game took place at St Lucia. I didn't catch the full details, & at this stage it's not clear why the attack took place. But it's terrible that it happened at all.
Never heard anything like this before. You do hear talk about protection of umpires every now & then; that is, protection of umpires from abuse or attacks from players & spectators. And fair enough, too. But here, we got a reverse situation - a situation where the umpire instigates an attack on someone in the crowd. Terrible.
I hope the umpire gets a long-term ban or a heavy punishment for his actions.
The current premier of our state of Queensland, Anna Bligh, recently retained her post after winning the state election. She might not be everyone's cup of tea - then again, one can say this for just about every politician in this world. For me personally, I cannot say whether she is much better or much worse than her main rival in the state election, Lawrence Springborg - they are a much of a muchness, really....
Like her or not, at least give her some credit for announcing plans to outlaw bikie gangs in Queensland. Laws to outlaw the bikie gangs will be introduced not immediately, but over time. I just heard this over the news a few minutes ago (my TV is still switched on as I type).
I think this is a good decision by Bligh, & I applaud her for taking this stand. I mean, look at the recent happenings at the Sydney Airport, where rival bikie gangs were seen fighting, leaving 1 person dead (I heard that the deceased is related to a member of those bikie gangs, though he is not actually a member of any of the gangs). The fighting took place in front of a lot of people at the airport. Some of those bystanders include children. It's appaling that children should have to witness such monstrosity, & it's appaling that members of the public should be put in a position where they might fear for their safety. The bikie gangs are a menace to society. They contribute nothing to civilisation. I mean, what do they actually do? Ride around with their big helmets & leather jackets, rob & steal from members of their public, beat people up. That's what they are good for. So good on Bligh for recognising the problem & taking a stand against them. Another possible good thing is that outlawing the bikie gangs could create more jobs, as more police personnel might be needed.
By the way, I want to make it clear that my "rant" above applies to criminal bikie gangs. They do not apply to legitimate, law-abiding motorcycle clubs - these can stay, I have absolutely no problems with them. I mean members of those motorcycle clubs come together for friendship & social purposes - that's absolutely fine. But criminal bikie gangs? Nope, no way.
Spain will play Turkey twice in back-to-back World Cup qualifying matches over the next few days. The matches certainly captured my attention because these are 2 teams who produce the sort of football I enjoy watching - attacking, short-passing football.
Spain host Turkey in Madrid on 28/3/09, & the return match will be in Istanbul on 1/4/09. The Spaniards would be favourites, & rightly so. After all, they are the European champions, having won Euro 2008 in such fine style. That tournament was where Spain put an end to years of underachievement. And since Euro 2008, Spain have continued to impress, winning all their World Cup qualifying matches so far & beating England in last month's exhibition match. On current form, many say that Spain are the best national team in the world. I would not disagree. Turkey, on the other hand, are more inconsistent & very unpredictable. Best remembered for their semi-final exploits of World Cup 2002 in Korea & Japan, the Turkish team are capable of producing the mundane one moment & scintillating the next. You just never know which Turkey would turn up against Spain. Will it be the one which hammered Greece in Athens in March 2007 & reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008? Or will it be the one who could only managed draws against the likes of Malta & Moldova?
It is difficult to see Turkey winning in Madrid; their best bet for success would be the matchin Istanbul. I would expect Spain to win in Madrid & get a draw in Istanbul. But whatever the results, I hope both sides produce their top form & serve their share of entertaining football.
An axe murderer is at large! The realisation of this struck terror in the little coastal town of Kaalbringen. All in all, 3 people had been brutally murdered, all in cold blood. Welcome to "Borkmann's Point", a crime thriller made in Scandinavia, courtesy of one Hakan Nesser (translated from Swedish to English by British translator Laurie Thompson).
The book kicked off with the ghastly slaying of Ernst Simmel, a wealthy real-estate mogul. A very bloody way to begin the story. This killing of Simmel was the second axe murder in Kaalbringen. The first was the murder of Heinz Eggers, a shady ex-convicted criminal. It was the slaying of Simmel that raised alarm bells, it was this slaying which sparked off speculation that there was a serial killer in town. Chief Inspector Van Veeteren happened to be on vacation nearby. After Simmel's murder, Van Veeteren was summoned to assist the Kaalbringen police force.
Despite the best efforts of all involved in the investigation, there were absolutely no clues which could link the 2 murders. One of the few things Van Veeteren managed to learn was that Simmel (the second victim) was not a particularly nice individual with questionably morals. Then a third person was butchered to death, this being Dr Maurice Ruhme. Investigations fail to come up with any links to the first 2 murders, let alone clues as to whom the axe murderer might be. Van Veeteren & his team of investigators would come under pressure (from the media & the public) to solve the case, especially given that the local veteran police chief is on the verge of retirement & would like the case solved before he calls it a day. To complicate things even further, one of Van Veeteren's fellow investigators, Beate Mork, then went missing - possibly abducted by the killer.
When I picked up the novel "Borkmann's Point" from the library & looked at the front cover, my first thought was that it was a infamous spot where terrible crimes were committed. As it turned out, it was not actually a place. It was an old rule which Van Veeteren inherited from an old police officer, Borkmann, whom he had come across in the past. More accurately, it was not really a rule, but more of a comment, a landmark for tricky cases. Borkmann's Point was that in every investigation, there comes a point beyond which one does not really need any more information. When one reaches that point, one already know enough to solve the case by means of nothing more than some decent thinking. A good investigator should try to ascertain when that point has been reached or passed. According to Borkmann, it is precisely this ability, or lack of it, which distinguishes a good detective from a bad one.
Easier said than done, though, given that all the investigative work done by Van Veeteren & his team had come up with precious little clues. But after Mork's disappearance, Van Veeteren would crank things up. Using all his wit, Van Veeteren would eventually reach Borkmann's Point & solve the case.
Overall, I found "Borkmann's Point" to be a good read. The details of the killings were very gory - perhaps more so than any other crime novels I have read. But that's axe murders for you - brutal to the extreme. The ending was a bit too quick for my liking (it just came like that). It's because of the Borkmann's Point theory - for a long while, Van Veeteren & his crew dug & dug for information. Everything was right there, but needed some thinking in order to reach Borkmann's Point & solve the case. I never managed to guess who the killer was - then again, I hardly succeed in all the books I have read.
The book has an obvious European flavour. Interesting, Mr Nesser would use the setting of a fictitious Northern European town. Apparently, that is his style - he sets his books in fictitious places. The character names in the book are mostly either Swedish, Dutch or German. However, when I read the book, I imagined the story as being set in the Netherlands, mainly because of the surname Van Veeteren. The town Kaalbringen sounds either Dutch or German, & the author is Swedish. Hhhhmmm, oh well, "Borkmann's Point" is European. A good European crime novel, one worth reading.
Newsflash! A British volleyball talent was spotted this past Saturday at Craven Cottage, Fulham, London. His undoubted ability with his hands was quite astounding, & was one of the biggest highlights of the evening at Fulham. The display of the red-headed volleyball sensation would surely have not gone unnoticed by the British volleyball fraternity, with the London 2012 Olympics just 3 years away. Just look at the first 3 the pictures below - such poise, application & execution. Very impressive, I must say. This guy must surely be a good bet for selection in the British volleyball team for London 2012. His name? Paul Scholes, of Manchester United.
Actually, to be fair, the performance at Fulham wasn't the first time that Scholes showed glimpses of his volleyball talent. If memory serves me correctly, the first occasion that Scholes showed talent with his hands was in Monaco in August 2008, when his Manchester United team were contesting the European Super Cup with Russian side Zenit St Petersburg. Below is the picture from Monaco. Just look at that - showcasing Scholes' the skill in doing the volleyball serve, or one-handed punch, whatever takes your fancy. 
For the record, Manchester United lost on both occasions (2-1 to Zenit, 2-0 to Fulham), but the highlight on each occasion is Scholes' decision to audition himself for the UK volleyball team. And Scholes got the red-card on each occasion for his efforts. The difference is, while the red card was not such a big influence on the Zenit result (Zenit were already leading before the red card to Scholes), it did have a huge bearing on the outcome at Fulham (score was 0-0 when Scholes showed his hand).
Good technique, wrong sport.
Muppet.
Jo Nesbø has been described in Daily Express, a British newspaper, as Norway's finest crime writer. That was after he wrote "The Redbreast", the third novel in the Detective Harry Hole series. High praise indeed.
Before I proceed any further, I should say 2 things. Firstly, I have not yet have the chance to read any books written by any other Norwegian crime writer apart from Mr Nesbø - so strictly speaking, I would not yet be able to agree or disagree that Nesbø is Norway's best crime writer. Secondly, I have not yet read "The Redbreast", so I am not yet able to see what is it about that particular book that drew such acclaim from Daily Express. Having said these 2 things, I can definitely understand Daily Express' sentiments. That is because I have just finished the fourth novel in the Detective Harry Hole series, "Nemesis". It was brilliant, & Mr Nesbø deserves much praise for his work.
"Nemesis" started with a bang, with a bank robbery in Bogstadveien, Oslo which culminated in the cashier being brutally murdered. Video footage of the robbery would reveal just how savage the killing was - the robber held the cashier at gunpoint & asked her to count to 25 while demanding the bank manager to give him all the bank's money before the cashier finished counting. She would be blown away shortly after, when the robber did not receive the money in time. Oslo Police assigned Detective Harry Hole to solve the robbery.
But not only has Harry had to contend with investigating the robbery. He would have to contend with the death of Anna Bethsen, his former girlfriend. Hole had dinner at Anna's home one evening, but then later woke up in his own home with no recollection of what happened during the last 12 hours. The same day, Anna was found shot dead in her own bed.
So Harry now has his plate full with the bank robbery & Anna's killing. Harry would later receive cryptic, mysterious emails from an unknown source relating to Anna's killing. It seems that the sender of the emails knows something about Anna's death - the sender might possibly have been the killer or at least had been present at the scene where Anna had died. It would later transpire that the sender of the emails was trying to frame Harry for Anna's death, by setting things up to make it look as if Harry had killed her & that Harry had tried to frame another individual for the killing. It would be a challenge for Harry to avoid being incriminated for Anna's death & simultaneously get to the bottom of the mystery. All the while, the bank robberies escalate in Oslo, thus adding more & more to Harry's plate.
Harry was aided by his new colleague, Beate Lønn, in investigating both cases; the search for answers to the robbery would take both Harry & Beate as far as Brazil. To add to the twists already in the story, Beate is the daughter of a former Oslo policeman who was killed many years ago during a bank robbery. The criminal connected to that particular robbery, one Raxhol Baxhet, appeared to have known something about the Bogstadveien robbery. Another twist - Raxhol is related to the dead Anna Bethsen!
"Nemesis" is absolutely thrilling & chilling, unpredictable & rivetting. It is thick (about 470 pages) but not difficult to follow. I would say that "Nemesis" shows that Jo Nesbø is indeed a master of his craft. This is a must-read for lovers of crime fiction.
Yet another wrestler has passed away. This time, it is the former WWE wrestler Andrew Martin, known during his time in WWE as Test. He was found dead in his Florida apartment on 13/3/2009, just 4 days from what would have been his 34th birthday. The cause of death is yet undetermined (suspected overdose).
Another one gone at such a young age. More's the shame. The giant, 6 ft 6 in, Canadian-born, Andrew Martin retired from wrestling in December 2007. Prior to that, he wrestled with WWE & then TNA. He held a few titles whilst in WWF/WWE , both at singles/solo & tag-team level. He was once bodyguard for the band Motley Crue, back in 1998. I still remember Test's first appearance in WWF back in December 1998 (complete with a pony-tail), when he assisted the Rock during his match with Triple H by attacking the latter. He would continue with WWF/WWE until 2004, leaving in 2005 before then returned to WWE in 2006, & then leaving again in 2007 to join TNA, before his retirement at the end of 2007. I have never heard a bad word being said about him. Maybe he wasn't the greatest wrestler around, but he still had something to give to the wrestling industry. Sadly, he is no longer around. RIP Andrew Martin.
Occasionally, some people do get killed while on duty. You often hear that about soldiers & the police. The one that happened recently is shocking & something which really saddened me: a pastor shot dead in a church in the US.Pastor Fred Winters was fatally shot in a church in the state of Illinois, in Midwest America, as he was delivering a sermon about happiness. The gunman just walked up the aisle, spoke briefly with Pastor Winters & shot him point blank. The audience at first thought this was part of a church skit. Winters managed to deflect the first shot with his Bible, but subsequent shots hit him in the chest. After the gun jammed, the killer took out a knife & stabbed/slashed him. It was then that a couple of people from the congregation tackled the killer & held him until police arrived. They received some wounds for their troubles. It is not yet known if Pastor Winters personally knew the killer, nor is it known what the motive for the killing is.There u are. A man of God, a warrior for God, somebody's husband, somebody's son, somebody's father, somebody's friend, pastor to his church - killed while on duty, killed while serving God faithfully. I am very very sad to learn of this. It is simply senseless - why did it have to happen??? But Pastor Winters is now in a far far better place, & one day I will meet him there. And I hope that Winters' love for the Lord will have touched the hearts of those he left behind & many more. May God comfort Pastor Winters' family, friends, church members & others affected by the tragedy. It can only be hoped that God will use this tragedy to bring more people to know Him.Pastor Fred Winters, rest in peace.
OK, so Melbourne Victory beat Adelaide Utd 1-0 in the 2008/2009 A-League grand final, thus becoming A-League champions. Fair game to them. But I can't help but feel that the referee wrecked the grand final. He sent off Adelaide player Cristiano after only 10 minutes, thus ruining grand final. This referee is killing football.
A replay of the red card incident showed that Cristiano merely leapt to challenge for the ball, as is his right to do. What else was Cristiano meant to do - stand by like a pole & let the opposition get the ball just like that??? True, there may have been an elbow connected to the competing Melbourne player, but it was never malicious & the elbow is a product of Cristiano jumping to challenge for the ball. Sure, to be fair, the ref's decision might have been influenced by the linesman whom he consulted before brandishing the red card - & in that sense, the linesman should also take some of the blame. But all is said & done, the ref is responsible for his decisions. And the red card decision is a very bad one. If the ref has any doubts whether or not Cristiano should have been sent off, then he shouldn't have proceeded to eject the player. It is a grand final, for goodness sake. Both sides worked hard to get to the stage - so why not allow both teams to give their best account of themselves???To call this referee incompetent or amateur would be to damn him with faint praise. And undeserved faint praise, at that. Put it simply, the ref is a disgrace. He should go back to refereeing kindergarden football matches before being allowed back to officiate in the A-League. Correction, the referee should start from scratch & learn how to officiate kindergarden football games. He should be made to earn the right to officiate kindergarden football, before progressing up the ranks to high school football, then university football, then state league football, & whatever else comes before A-League football. The Foxtel commentators were also critical of the referee's red card decision, & correctly so. I feel sorry for the Adelaide Utd players & supporters that their grand final has been ruined by moronic incompetence of a match official. There are few things which annoy me more than incompetent match officials. I have seen too much of this in the A-League. This has to stop. And the sooner, the better. If not, then the Hyundai A-League might as well appoint penguins to replace its current referees. The penguins can't possibly do a worse job.
The mighty FC Barcelona are sitting pretty at the moment, both domestically in Spain & in Europe.
