Article: Australian houses 'world's least affordable'

Australian houses 'world's least affordable'
By Stuart Fagg, ninemsn Money

Australia has the least affordable houses in the world, according to a ranking of international housing markets.

From a total of 23 Australian regions included in Demographia's Sixth International Housing Affordability Survey, 22 were labelled severely unaffordable and Australia scored the worst housing affordability rating in the world, followed by Canada.

Demographia calculated the ratings by diving median house prices by annual median household income and named Vancouver as the least affordable market in the world.

Sydney was ranked second, with the Sunshine Coast, Darwin and the Gold Coast rounding out the top five.

Melbourne and Wollongong also made the top ten, coming in at eigth and tenth respectively.

In Sydney, nearly 57 percent of the average income is needed to pay the mortgage on the average house, compared to just 13.4 percent in Dallas, Texas, one of the most affordable major city housing markets in the world.

The average dwelling price in Sydney rose 11.6 percent last year to $475,000, just above the national average of $439,000, according to RP Data.

Experts said housing affordability is being eroded by a lack of supply.

"Residential land release in Sydney has been reduced from an historic average of 10,000 lots per year to less than 2,000 in 2007," said Dr Tony Recsei in the preface to Demographia’s report.

"In the face of the scarcity resulting from such a miserly allotment it is unsurprising that the land component of the price of a dwelling has increased from 30 percent to 70 percent. The result has been a cost increase of some three times what it was a mere ten years ago."

Demograophia added that land release and planning issues are making the situation worse.

"In Australia, there is consensus in both the government and the private sector that there is a severe housing crisis, with rampant unaffordability and a housing shortage," the report said.

"It takes from 6.25 to 14.5 years to convert urban fringe land into new houses, which compares to less than 1.5 years before urban consolidation, and which remains the case in the 'demand-driven' (more responsive) markets in the United States."

Demographia urged governments to free up land use rules in order to ease affordability problems without causing a housing market crash.

"The restoration of near historic housing affordability in some markets provides an opportunity to repeal more prescriptive land regulation policies, which would not only minimise the potential for future busts, but would also ensure housing affordability for future generations," the report said.

Paint joke - A lesson for us all!

I got this forwarded to me last month from a friend, who got it from a friend, who got this forward from Wales. It's funny!


Tom was short of money and the Vicar offered him a job painting the inside of the church. Tom borrowed £200 off the vicar and bought what he thought would be enough paint to cover the church. But he soon discovered hat he was using more paint than he expected, so he added a bottle of thinner to the paint and that seemed to work. Problem was, Tom was still using more paint than he wanted, so he added yet more thinner to the paint. The paint was a little too thin to cover the church walls well but Tom kept on painting. All of a sudden Tom was surprised was a bolt of lighting and a loud voice from the roof proclaimed: "Repaint and thin no more!"

Article - Long-term health risk tied to computer use

I already know a bit about the issues that a sedentary lifestyle brings. So when I bumped into the article below a few weeks ago, it served as an ominous reminder. And yeah, I can definitely see problems for myself down the track :P

Long-term health risk tied to computer use
12:30 AEST Wed Dec 9 2009
By Henri Paget, ninemsn

Workers who spent long hours in front of a computer screen over the past decade may suffer serious long-term health problems, experts say.

Weak muscles, sore eyes and depression are just some of the symptoms associated with what has been labelled the "dark age" of computing.

"People have spent a decade chained to their chair, chained to their keyboard, chained to their mouse," Curtin University's Leon Straker said.

"Human bodies weren't meant to be sedentary like that ... people are simply not as active as the older generation."

Professor Straker, who specialises in the effects of computer use on physical health, said some workers will face muscle and bone problems earlier in life than in previous generations due to prolonged computer use.

"Sitting in front of a computer increases stress around the neck and shoulder area," he said.

"In the future it is likely there will be more people with poorer, slumped posture, as well as weaker back muscles and lower bone density."

People who spend long, uninterrupted periods staring at computer screens should also be wary of sore or tired eyes and blurry vision, said visual ergonomics specialist Jennifer Long.

The mental health effects of long-term computer use are not well established, but some studies have linked it to depression.

Research from Sweden in 2007 found that online chatting, SMS use and emailing were related to increased levels of stress and depression.

In Australia, Deakin University PhD student Megan Teychenne has examined links between depression and computer use among women.

Her research shows that women reporting more than 21.5 hours of computer use per week had a higher rate of depression.

"However, we weren't able to determine whether it was because women became depressed using computers or whether women who are already depressed use computers more," she said.

Health experts say workers should take every opportunity to step away from the computer screen, preferably once every half hour.

Togo pulls out of 2010 African Nations Cup

The 2010 African Nations Cup in Angola is fast becoming a debacle. Togo, one of the competing teams, has decided to pull out after a violent gun attack by some Angolan rebels on the Togo team bus that was traveling through Angola. The attack killed the bus driver, the Togo assistant coach & another Togo team official.

The Togo football squad are understandably shaken by these tragic developments. They have decided that their safety is of paramount importance & that the best way of ensuring their safety was to withdraw from the tournament.

Such a shame that things have happened the way they did. I can't blame Togo for their decision to withdraw. Hopefully Confederation of African Football will understand Togo's decision & do something to ensure that all participating teams in future African Nations Cup tournaments will have assurances of their safety & protection.

Indian cartoon likens police to KKK

Recent attacks on Indian university students in Melbourne have made news headlines over here. Even more recently, Indian student Nitin Garg has been murdered. In the wake of that killing, the above cartoon was published a couple of days ago in the Delhi Mail Today. It shows a person in a Ku Klux Klan hood wearing a police badge, with the following caption: "We are yet to ascertain the nature of the crime." The cartoon has caused lots of controversy & has been condemned by Australian police & political leaders as being deeply offensive. The view is that it is outrageous & inappropriate to liken the police to KKK.

The cartoonist, R Prasad, had told the media that his cartoon depicted an official acceptance of racism by failing to act against racially-motivated attacks. When asked why his cartoon showed Australian police as KKK members, he said that this was a "terribly wrong interpretation" & cartoons were always exagerrated. Mr Prasad added that cartoons offer "an artist's comment on news". He also then said that "the hood or the cloak of the Ku Klux Klan is a globally known and recognised cultural signifier that represents racism & that "the police badge on the cloak is a symbol of official acceptance of racism by not acting against race attacks".

My view: Hahahahaha!!! Very smart & witty, Mr Prasad. I like the cartoon, & I think it is funny. I'm not offended by it, & I don't see what is so offensive about it. And I don't think criticisms levelled toward the cartoonists are fully justified. Mr Prasad, the cartoonist, is fully entitled to his opinions. As a cartoonist, it his job to, as he said, offer an "artist's comment on news", & often such cartoons depict news/recent happenings in a humorous light. Mr Prasad is not saying all the police force are part of the KKK. He is just offering his view of the recent happenings in Melbourne, & of how thinks the police are handling the investigations. If he doesn't think the police are doing enough, & has some basis to support his viewpoint, then he as a cartoonist is entitied to depict his views creatively/artistically. Some people need to get a grip.....they are so sensitive. It's only a cartoon!!! In any case, there are bound to be some police in Australia & any Western country who are racist & hold white supremacist views. So tell me then, what is so wrong about this cartoon???

Attacks on churches in Klang Valley, Malaysia

I am hearing of a spate of attacks on various churches (Catholic & Protestant) in the Klang Valley area in Malaysia. Apparently, it has something to do with a Malaysian court decision which held that government regulations banning non-Muslim publications from using the word "Allah" to be unconstitutional. I have also read that some Catholic publications have made mention of the word "Allah", & the publication that word did not go down well.

Anyway, the church attacks are appalling & deplorable, absolutely disgraceful! They are nothing more than cowardly displays of intolerance, & deserve all the condemnation they can get. They are so uncalled for - just because there are objections to a particular word being published in a particular publication, does not call for places of worship to be attacked. Those attacks are just the latest display of hostility & persecution against the Lord & His people.

At least we Christians can take comfort in knowing that God's justice will be done one day, that God loves His people, & that God will protect & comfort those affected by the church attacks. Vengeance for these attacks shall be God's.

Christian One-Liners‏

Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case.

Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.

Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.

It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.

The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.

When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.

People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church ...

Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.

Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

If the church wants a better preacher, it only needs to pray for the one it has.

God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?

Some minds are like concrete -- thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

Peace starts with a smile.

A lot of church members who are singing 'Standing on the Promises' are just sitting on the premises.

We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

Be ye fishers of men. You catch them -- He'll clean them.

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.

Forbidden fruits create many jams.

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

God grades on the cross, not the curve.

God loves everyone, but probably prefers 'fruit of the spirit' over a 'religious nut!'

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

He who angers you, controls you!

If God is your Co-pilot - swap seats!

Prayer: Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty!

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.

We don't change the message, the message changes us.

You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.

The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4-given.



IN GOD WE TRUST

Alcohol & chocolate - great combination!

After Christmas lunch, I managed to remind myself again that alcohol & chocolate makes a great combination. And no, I am not talking about liqueur chocolate either. What I am talking about is taking some alcohol & chocolate, putting it in your mouth at the same time, enjoying the taste of both together, then gulping everything down.

More specifically, what I had after Christmas lunch were some Orlando Trilogy sparking rose wine & Lindt chocolate. I put the Lindt in my mouth & chew for a bit. While still chewing, I took a sip of the Orlando Trilogy wine (which on its own has a mild & balanced taste) & enjoyed the alcohol & chocolate combination. It was superb. The Orlando rose wine tasted even better with the Lindt. Or was it a case of the Lindt tasting better with the Orlando rose wine??? Ooohhhh well, let's just say I enjoyed the combination.

That wasn't the first time I combined alcohol & chocolate at the same time. A long time ago, I had Heineken beer & a Ferrero Rocher chocolate. I put the Ferrero Rocher in my mouth, then gulped down some Heineken & then chewed on the chocolate while the beer was also in my mouth. It was superb.

Alcohol & chocolate....I must do this again sometime!

Boxing Day shopping - not all that great

So I went out to Boxing Day sales today, at the Indooroopilly Shopping Centre. The sales seem to get worse over the years (though this time last year, I was in Malaysia so I can't comment on how good or bad the Boxing Day sales were in Brisbane last year). I was at Myer, & I didn't see any earth-shattering bargains to get excited about. In fact, I'm not certain if anything I saw can be classified as bargains. So I hardly bought anything from there this year.

I, did, however, manage to bump into church friend Chris Ooi at JB Hi-Fi, just across the road from Indooroopilly Shopping Centre. I was scouring through the DVDs & CDs when I looked around & saw a grinning Chris. I was in "dream mode" at the time, so it took me 1-2 seconds to realise who he was. He was there looking for a giant LCD TV (or did he say plasma?). We chat for a while, before he moved on to look at the selection of TVs on offer, while I left with some Seinfeld DVDs which I partly paid with a JB Hi-Fi gift card that I got for Christmas.

Apart from that, nothing really to get all excited about. Hopefully the sales will be better next year.

UEFA Champions League 2009/2010 - the draw for knockout stage

Here is the draw for the knockout stage of the 2009/2010 UEFA Champions League (ties to be played on a home-and-away basis):

Bayern Munich (Germany) v Fiorentina (Italy)
AC Milan (Italy) v Manchester United (England)
Olympique Lyon (France) v Real Madrid (Spain)
Olympiakos (Greece) v Bordeaux (France)
Internazionale (Italy) v Chelsea (England)
CSKA Moscow (Russia) v Sevilla (Spain)
FC Porto (Portugal) v Arsenal (England)
Stuttgart (Germany) v FC Barcelona (Spain)

Pedro Rodriguez - remember the name

In scoring Barcelona's equaliser against Estudiantes in the 2009 Club World Cup final, young FC Barcelona forward Pedro Rodriguez has done something remarkable. He became the first player to score in 6 different competitions in 1 single season.

Pedro is very new to FC Barcelona's first team squad. He made his first team debut during Barcelona's 2008/2009 treble winning season, & overall appeared 14 times during that season. But since season 2009/2010 started in July 2010, Pedro has slowly but surely been making his mark, culminating in that achievement of scoring for Barcelona in 6 different competitions.
Firstly, in August 2009, he scored against Atletic Bilbao to help Barcelona win the Spanish Supercup.
Then, in the same month, he came on as a substitute & scored in extra-time against Ukrainian club Shaktar Donetsk in the UEFA Super Cup.
Next, in September 2009, he came on as a substitute in the Champions League against another Ukrainian side (Dynamo Kiev) & scored.
Then in early October 2009, Pedro scored his first Spanish league goal, a brilliant strike against Almeria. Later in the same month, he scored a couple of goals in the Spanish Cup against a lower division opposition.
And finally, the strike against South American champions Estudiantes ensures that Pedro became the first to score in 6 different competitions in the same season. Let's run through all the competitions again: La Liga, Spanish Cup (a.k.a. Copa del Rey), UEFA Champions League, European Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

That is a remarkable achievement. But never mind the achievement, it is his footballing ability which fans are happy with. He is flexible & can play in a number of attacking positions - centre forward, supporting forward, or on the wings. He still has some way to develop, but already has all the makings of a top star for club & country. I hope he has a long & rewarding career with FC Barcelona & Spain!

Remember the name, Pedro Rodriguez.

FC Barcelona wins 2009 Club World Cup

Spanish & European champions FC Barcelona have won the 2009 Club World Cup, beating South American champions Estudiantes de la Plata (of Argentina) 2-1 in the final after extra time. Estudiantes took the lead in the first-half through Mauro Boselli. Pedro Rodriguez equalised for Barcelona just 1 minute before the end of normal time. So the game went to extra-time, where the Argentine wizard Leo Messi scored the winner, & with it, the Club World Cup for Barcelona.

The 2009 FIFA Club World Cup had taken place in Abu Dhabi, UAE between 9/12/2009 & 19/12/2009. As expected, both Barcelona & Estudiantes got to the final. Barcelona had beaten Atlante of Mexico (CONCACAF champions) 3-1 in the semi-final, while Estudiantes beat Korea's Pohang Steelers (Asian champions) 2-1 in the other semi-final.
The final was a hard-fought affair, with Estudiantes pushing Barcelona all the way before succumbing in extra-time. Commiserations to Estudiantes for the final defeat, but they have done Argentina & South America proud for the way they provided Barcelona with stiff resistance. They certainly gave Barcelona more problems than Manchester United did in the Champions League final.

Barcelona's Club World Cup win means that they are now champions of Spain, champions of Europe & champions of the world. It also meant that they have won 6 trophies in the 2009 calendar year - a record trophy haul. What a great year 2009 has been for them!!!! Barcelona's trophy cabinet must be really bulging now!! I am extremely proud of them!!

Visca Barca!!

Football Manager 2005 - Feyenoord wins treble! (season 2029/2030)

Remember Feyenoord's 5-1 win over archrivals Ajax in season 2028/2029? (refer last month's post: http://daplanetdt.blogspot.com/2009/11/football-manager-2005-feyenoord-5-ajax.html).

After that astonishing result, it was thought that Feyenoord would go on & complete the treble that season. Well, it didn't happen. Feyenoord got knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by AC Milan. They finished second in the Dutch League, 1 point behind champions PSV Eindhoven. They did win the Dutch Cup, beating NAC Breda in the final (2-0, i think). So after all the hype & hysteria from the Ajax demolition, Feyenoord ended season 2028/2029 with just 1 trophy. Injuries & bad luck didn't help.

Feyenoord headed into season 2029/2030 with added motivation to succeed where they fell short in season 2028/2029. For season 2029/2030, Feyenoord kept most of the key players in the squad but sold a fair few players, including Serbian forward Milovanovic & Czech forward Krejcik. Those forwards would be replaced by youngsters Simek (another Czech forward) & Chinese striker Li Wei. Both chipped in with their share of goals, though Simek is more regular than Li Wei. The chief attacker is still Roy Van Der Linden (worth more than 13 million euros). The emergence of Dutch young forward Bert Rijsbergen is particularly encouraging - he has a mixture of the pace of Fernando Torres & the aerial ability of Nicolas Anelka. Feyenoord has other quality forwards, too. The midfield department is also very competitive, where young midfielders like Dutchman Bert Bakker & Martijn Verhoeven had an excellent season 2029/2030.

In fact, Feyenoord had a lot more than just these players - most of the squad had an excellent season 2029/2030. Why??? Because Feyenoord won the treble!! Yes they did!! Dutch championship, UEFA Champions League & Dutch Cup. All in 1 season!!!

Feyenoord won the Dutch championship with a few games to go. They regained the Dutch title after beating Ajax 1-0 thanks to a goal by Verhoeven (for Ajax, it's better than losing 5-1 last season). That win meant that no one could catch Feyenoord on the table, & how sweet it is to clinch the title by beating your greatest domestic rival. Feyenoord ended up 20 points ahead of second-placed Roda JC & 21 points ahead of Ajax, who finished third. But this Ajax are no mugs - they reached the Champions League semi-finals before losing to Milan. Feyenoord's comprehensive semi-final aggregate win over Roma prevented an all-Italian final. So the Champions League final took placed in Lisbon on 22 May 2030, & it featured Milan (representing Italy) against Feyenoord (representing the Netherlands). Feyenoord won after a nail-biting penalty shoot-out 3-2, after the scores were 1-1 after 90 minutes & extra-time. That was revenge for losing to Milan in last season's Champions League quarter-final. So that is the second trophy in the bag, & Feyenoord are 2029/2030 champions of Europe.

The magical treble was secured on 25 May 2030 (a day to remember for Feyenoord fans), when Feyenoord beat PSV Eindhoven 3-2 in an entertaining, closely fought Dutch Cup final. Each time Feyenoord take the lead, PSV Eindhoven equalised. However, PSV could not respond to Feyenoord's third goal, so the final result was 3-2 to the Rotterdam side. Worthy but vanquished opponents PSV finished a disappointing fifth in the Dutch championship, & were beaten by Milan in the Champions League. That's interesting......Milan had to face all the big 3 Dutch clubs in the Champions League. They got past PSV Eindhoven in the quarters & Ajax in the semis to get to the final. But once there, they could not overcome Feyenoord, although perhaps Feyenoord did have a bit of luck in the Champions League final.

The next challenge is to do it all again, & this time to win the Champions League without the penalty shoot-out. Meanwhile, season 2029/2030 is Roger Kronendijk's best ever. He is the most successful manager in the Netherlands, in Europe & in the world. He has led Feyenoord to 20 Dutch championships, & champions of Europe for 5 times!!

Feyenoord Rotterdam, treble winners of season 2029/2030. Champions of the Netherlands! Champions of Europe!

Failed Plans; God's Plans

Interesting article from the Gospel for Asia website, which I saw a few months ago....but only now managed to post it up here.

Failed Plans; God's Plans
July 20, 2009

A prayer tower stands tall in Sabal's field, reminding him of who he used to be and the grace that changed him. Now a church leader, it wasn't long ago that Sabal was a drunk and a debtor, with the structure of his life crumbling before his eyes.

Sabal was a businessman who always had new ideas for success, but his drinking problem ensured that they all failed. With each new endeavor he borrowed more money from his friends to get the business running, and he soon found himself bankrupt.
Sabal never panicked. Like any good businessman, he had a back-up plan to pay off his debts and, perhaps, start another business. This time it was a farming venture. His crop was small, but he was certain the high-demand plant would give him a large return come harvest time. All he had to do was wait.

Before long, though, the crop was attacked by pests. This time Sabal was out of ideas. As he watched the leaves of the thriving plants turn yellow, Sabal began to lose hope. Pastor Jaideep, a Gospel for Asia–supported missionary, arrived in the village just in time.

Sabal asked the pastor to pray for the dying plants, and within a few days, God healed them. The leaves became healthy and green, and Sabal was able to pay back all his debts. He gave his life to the God who had saved him from ruin, and built a tower in his field where he prayed for hours.

The change in him was impossible to ignore, and his friends and neighbors became jealous when they saw the great blessings taking place in his life. As Sabal prayed for his neighbors, many of them chose to receive Christ, too.

One day, Sabal invited Jaideep to a prayer meeting with three other pastors, and 50 believers came. When a group of religious fanatics heard praises to the Lord coming from Sabal's house, they tried to disrupt the meeting by throwing sand, stones and clay at the believers. One even grabbed Sabal's neck and threatened to kill him, but the believers ignored the commotion and continued to pray.

After an hour, the fanatics realized they weren't having any effect, and they left. The Christians thanked God for His favor and mercy. They knew God had protected them, just like He protected Sabal's plants.

Please pray for the continued protection of the believers in Sabal's village, and that the fanatics, along with the rest of the village, will come to know the Lord soon.

Link: http://www.gfa.org/news/articles/failed-plans-gods-plans/

RIP Eddie Fatu (aka Umaga)

I cannot believe it. I simply cannot believe it. Former WWE wrestler Eddie Fatu (ring name Umaga) has died, only age 36. Heart attack claimed his life, according to reports.

The wrestler, also known as The Samoan Bulldozer, was actually my favourite when he was in WWE. He was a good worker, with good moves & very underrated. In case u don't know, Eddie Fatu is the cousin of Dwayne Johnson. Yes, that very same Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock during his WWE days. The very same Dwayne Johnson who featured in films as The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King & Get Smart (as agent 23).

I will remember Umaga for his match at Wrestlemania 23, in 2007, against Bobby Lashley, in a hair match.

There u are.....another person who died prematurely, way too young. Very very sad.....this well & truly sucks. It's as if someone has to die every few months. Umaga will be sadly missed by his family, relatives, friends & wrestling fans. Wrestling is poorer for his passing.

My thoughts & prayers are with his family. RIP Eddie Fatu. You will be very sadly missed.

2010 World Cup draw

I woke up early this morning to watch the draw for the 2010 World Cup finals, live from South Africa.

Here is the draw:

Group A
South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay
France

Group B
Argentina
Nigeria
South Korea
Greece

Group C
England
USA
Algeria
Slovenia

Group D
Germany
Australia
Serbia
Ghana

Group E
Netherlands
Denmark
Japan
Cameroon

Group F
Italy
Paraguay
New Zealand
Slovakia

Group G
Brazil
North Korea
Ivory Coast
Portugal

Group H
Spain
Switzerland
Honduras
Chile

Ibrahimovic strikes El Clasico winner for Barca

Zlatan Ibrahimovic came off the bench to score a superb volley to give Barcelona a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the latest El Clasico.

The match was a battle of Spain's 2 biggest clubs & most bitter rivals. On this occasion, it was also a battle of Spain's best side (Barcelona, treble winners previous season) against the most expensively assembled side in club football (Real Madrid, who has splashed €300 million on new players in the wake of Barcelona's treble success). Hence the build up & the hype in the lead up to the match was absolutely enormous. It was Spanish football's glamour match & apparently, it was the first time that cinemas all over Spain would be showing the match live.

The list of players on parade for the match reads like a "who's who" of world football: Messi, Iniesta, Xavi & Henry for Barcelona; Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso & Benzema for Real Madrid. The match was end to end stuff, with Barcelona the home team trying to show who is boss & Real Madrid having something to prove, especially after last season's epic 6-2 drubbing by Barcelona at their home ground. Barca didn't play to their best level, yet were good enough to get the narrow win. They, as always, showed enterprise but never really carved Madrid apart, as Madrid defended well. Real Madrid had a couple of good chances in the first half to open the scoring, but missed them.

Barcelona were even down to 10 men just shortly after Ibrahimovic's goal, so they had to battle hard to earn the win. Interestingly, they were more convincing when playing with a men less. Meanwhile, the jury is still out on Ibrahimovic. Notorious for no-showing in big matches, he scored when Barcelona needed a goal. To be honest, a draw would probably have been a fair result - Real Madrid showed plenty of enterprise & must be commended for that. But hey, I am happy with the result. No repeat of the 6-2 scoreline, but 1-0 will do here, especially considering that Barcelona did not produce their greatest performance, while Real Madrid did play very well. At the end of the day, the win meant that Barca draws first blood in this season's Spanish title race, but there is still a long way to go. There were patches during the match where Barcelona were hesitant & inattentive, which allowed Madrid to have shots at Barca's goal. They need to cut down on those moments. And, I hope Barcelona will be able to use this win to spur them on to greater things.

See through tyres

This was emailed to me a few months ago. Interesting concept, but the types don't look great & it will most probably be very expensive.


*********************************

Radical new tyre design by Michelin. The next generation of tyres. They had a pair at the Philadelphia car show.


These tyres are airless and are scheduled to be out on the market very soon.. The bad news for law enforcement is that spike strips will not work on these tyres..

This is what great R& D will do, and just think of the impact on existing technology:

A. no more air valves...
B. no more air compressors at gas stations...
C. no more repair kits...
D. no more flats...

SCAN DOWN & SEE

These are actual pictures taken in the South Carolina plant of Michelin.

Football Manager 2005 - Feyenoord 5 Ajax 1 (season 2028/2029)

In real life, Ajax recently thumped Feyenoord 5-1 in a Dutch league, a painful result for fans of the Rotterdam club.

On Football Manager 2005, the complete opposite happened. We are in season 2028/2029. Look at the scoreline from the most recent Klassiker (see attached pic) - Feyenoord 5 Ajax 1. So there's no doubt who's the boss in the Netherlands. What's remarkable about this win was that Feyenoord were without a number of injured key players.

Coached by Roger Kronendijk (the greatest football manager of all time!), Feyenoord are the best club in the Netherlands & Europe. This season, everything's going well so far. In the Dutch league, they are neck & neck with PSV Eindhoven. In the Dutch Cup, Feyenoord beat Ajax before Christmas (this time, 1-0 in Amsterdam) to set up a February quarter-final against PSV Eindhoven. In Europe, Feyenoord won all 6 of their Champions League group matches against Panathinaikos (Greece), Ferencvaros (Hungary) & Banik Ostrava (Czech Rep). Feyenoord are well on course to regaining the Champions League title which they lost last season after being eliminated by Lyon in the quarter-finals. They will play Arsenal in the round of 16.

If all players are fit & available, surely no one can stop Feyenoord from sweeping all before them & winning the treble this season!!!!!!

Bedlam in Africa, & THAT handball - what a week in football

Phhheewwww.......what a week it's been in football.

Firstly, there was bedlam & turmoil in North Africa, courtesy of the qualifiers between Egypt & Algeria. The 2 nations have a deep history of animosity & mutual loathing, so the qualifier in Cairo on 14/11/2009 was filled with tension. To add further fuel to the fire, Algeria's team bus in Cairo was attacked, & there were allegations that Egyptian security had disappeared to allow the home fans to stone the visiting team bus.

Going into the Cairo match, Egypt were 3 points behind Algeria & needed to win by a 3 goal margin to overtake Algeria & go straight to the World Cup. Algeria would go through if they win, draw or lose by no more than 1 goal margin. A 2 goal win by Egypt would mean playoff in a neutral venue. Algeria was losing 1-0 & looked set to book their tickets to South Africa, when Egypt dramatically scored the vital second goal deep into stoppage time. That sealed a 2-0 win to Egypt, which meant both teams are level on points, goal difference & goals scored. A playoff in neutral venue was needed to decide who goes to the World Cup. So near & yet so far for Algeria.

So the tension continued into the playoff on 18/11/2009. Algeria preferred Tunisia as the neutral venue, believing that the Tunisian public would side for them against Egypt. Egypt preferred nearby Sudan & got their wish. The momentum looked to be in Egypt's favour. But Algeria stunned their more fancied arch-rivals with a 1-0 win, & so seal a place in the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986.

And then, there is the handball by Thierry Henry in the lead up to France's decisive equalising goal in Paris against Ireland which allowed them to qualify for the World Cup. The French finished second in their World Cup qualifying group European zone, & so enter a two-legged playoff against Ireland (who also finished second in their group) for a spot in the World Cup.

France won the first 1-0 in Dublin. In the second leg, Ireland was leading 1-0 after the normal 90 minutes. So the game went to extra-time, & just 7 minutes from the end, Henry controlled the ball with his hand before setting up France's equaliser. That goal proved to be decisive, for the match finished 1-1 & allowed France to qualify 2-1 on aggregate. It was claimed that any professional in Henry's position (with so much at stake) would have done the same thing as Henry did. It was also claimed that it was up to the match officials to spot the handball & disallow the goal. They didn't, so the goal stood, & therefore denied Ireland the chance to take the match to a penalty shoot-out - which would have happened had France's equaliser been disallowed & had Ireland retained their 1 goal lead to the end of extra-time.

Henry's handball controversy created massive headlines in the Irish & British press (who were quick to sympathise with Ireland), with headlines like "The Hand of Henry", "Le Hand of God" & "Le Hand of Fraud" flashing out prominently. Most French fans were embarrassed by Henry's actions. But at the end of the day, France are going to the World Cup, despite some ordinary performance in the qualifying matches.

Someone once said a week is a long time in football. Well, this has been one hell of a football week!