Bhavisco

That would be my name if I was Brazilian. What's yours?

Found the link via India Uncut (otherwise known as Indiildo).

Disclaimer to my previous post

Mind you, that was back when I thought the clip below was the best action sequence of all time. Still, He-Man was awesome.

Happier times

"By the power of Grayskull. I HAAAAVE THE POWERRRRR!!!!!".

Spain vs. France

Half an hour to go. Spain are going with an attacking 4-3-1-2 formation. Raul is going to play behind Torres and Villa. Xavi, Xabi Alonso and Cesc in midfield. Marcos Senna and Luis Garcia drop to the bench. The back four remains unchanged from the first two group games. Once again, it will be upto Pernia and Ramos to provide the width for Spain.

France have left Vikash Dhorasoo on the bench again, so VIVA ESPAÑA!


EDIT: France 3 Spain 1. I don't want to talk about it.

Brazil vs Ghana

Brazil go through, but the 3-0 scoreline is unfair on the Ghanaians. It was a good, hard-fought football match which had plenty of skillful moments and was highly enjoyable to watch. Ronaldo beat Gerd Muller's record by scoring his third goal of the tournament, and is improving with every game. John Pantsil must feel he could have done better - he was at least ten yards behind the defensive line and played Ronaldo onside. Ghana could and perhaps should have scored a couple, but fantastic approach play was let down by poor decision-making in front of goal. Dida's fortuitous save from Mensah's header near the end of the first half was a turning point in the game. Brazil managed to survive that scare and scored a second goal on the stroke of half-time, in spite of overwhelming evidence that Adriano was offside twice during the move. Adriano might feel he should have been awarded a penalty earlier, when a run into the box ended with him tripping over the body of goalkeeper Richard Kingson. Replays proved inconclusive, and I'm sure that the referee kept yesterday's incident in mind when making his decision.

Ghana continued to attack and their midfield, as always, looked lively. Unfortunately, they took selfish choices far too often, deciding to go for glory from distance when passing the ball would have been a better option. Haminu Draman was one of the biggest culprits, twice trying audacious shots from an improbable angle. Brazil could not settle into their normal passing rhythm until midway through the second half, and from that point on there was only ever going to be one winner. A wonderful passing move (25 passes in total) resulted in a chipped ball to Ze Roberto, who sprung another woeful offside trap with ease and made it 3-0. The score may have been harsh on the Africans, who would have gone further in the tournament had the draw been slightly different, but Brazil showed them a thing or two about ruthlessness in front of goal. Ghana would also do well to sort out their offside trap, which was easily beaten by the Brazilians for two goals. Brazil weren't at their best today, but they were good enough to go through to the quarter-finals, where they shall meet either Spain or 1998 winners France. As the old cliche goes, there are no more easy games here.

English Excuse #2

Paul Robinson gets in on the act. Apparently the pitches in Germany are affecting England's passing game (ha!) because they are too dry. I wonder what the Spanish, Brazilians and Argentines would say about that. Besides, I never thought the dryness of the pitch would be a factor if a team's 'passing game' relies on 70 yard long balls.

I have nothing against England, but I cannot stand their constant excuses every time a major tournament comes around. Just get on with it and play the game. Every team has to face the same conditions and I don't see anyone else complaining.

Religion in The Mutiny

Amardeep Singh (Sepia Mutiny) has posted a fascinating article on religion, the Sepoy rebellion and William Dalrymple. An excerpt from the end:

"Dalrymple talks about the total indifference to the past that many contemporary Indians feel. As Dalrymple puts it:

I find it heartbreaking: often when I revisit one of my favourite monuments it has either been overrun by some slum, unsympathetically restored by the asi or, more usually, simply demolished. Ninety-nine per cent of the delicate havelis or Mughal courtyard houses of Old Delhi have been destroyed, and like the city walls, disappeared into memory. According to historian Pavan Verma, the majority of the buildings he recorded in his book Mansions at Dusk only 10 years ago no longer exist. Perhaps there is also a cultural factor here in the neglect of the past: as one conservationist told me recently: “You must understand,” he said, “that we Hindus burn our dead.” Either way, the loss of Delhi’s past is irreplaceable; and future generations will inevitably look back at the conservation failures of the early 21st century with a deep sadness. (link)

Cremating the dead is one thing — but forgetting them entirely is quite another."

Full article.

Yawn

You know the World Cup is in a bit of a lull when even penalty shootouts are boring. The Swiss created a record of sorts, being the first team to be knocked out of a World Cup without conceding a goal. Pity they weren't as good at putting it in the back of the net, though.

For all the exciting play we have seen in the tournament - and there has been plenty of it - there have been a disproportionate number of goalless draws (6 in total). Let's hope there are no more from here, especially not in tomorrow's matches. France vs. Spain and Brazil vs. Ghana. Both promise to be classics.

World Cup Nostalgia Part 2

We've had some great goals so far in World Cup 2006 (Cambiasso, Torres, Joe Cole, Maxi Rodriguez, etc.). Here's a classic from USA '94 - Saeed Owairan of Saudi Arabia against Belgium.




One of my favourite games from France 98 was the group game between Spain and Nigeria. Great goals and a great match.

British army demotes goat

No, really. They've come a long way from the days of the Raj, I'll tell you that much. Apparently goats aren't as obedient as humans. You learn something new every day I guess, like when the English football team discovered that summer is indeed warmer than winter. 30 degrees? Where I come from, we get the woollens out if the mercury drops below 35. Cry babies.

Also posted on India Uncut.

The blunders continue

Another day, another refereeing howler. Italy, down to ten men and under seige from Australia, got one of the softest penalty calls you are ever likely to see, right at the end of the game. Fabio Grosso made no attempt whatsoever to get past Lucas Neill, once the opportunity to go down presented itself. The referee seemed to be placed well enough to make the right call, but instead he pointed at the spot and Francesco Totti scored with the final kick of the game. Four years ago the Italians complained of poor refereeing, but you're not likely to hear a peep out of them now. A fantastic World Cup is now in danger of being ruined by controversial incidents such as this.

Australia will feel hard done by, and so they should. They played their hearts out for ninety minutes and were the more enterprising of the two teams in the second half. There should be no regrets for them after this World Cup. They have exceeded expectations and given a bit of luck could have gone much further. Now all they can do is go home and plan for the next qualifying campaign, which sees them take on Asia's best. If anything, the change of confederation has improved their chances of qualifying for South Africa 2010, as I cannot see too many Asian teams stopping them from taking an automatic qualifying spot. Guus Hiddink moves on to coach Russia, and it remains to be seen who Soccer Australia will choose to succeed him. Whoever it is, he will have a tough job emulating the Dutchman.

Superheroes

So apparently this is the first Indian superhero Looks more like Conan the Barbarian's wussy younger brother to me. Anyhow, the whole 'first Indian superhero' thing is a blatant lie, because as we all know, Superman (or 'Bunty' to those who know him well) was the first desi who inspired others to jump off buildings. Here's why Superman was Indian:

1. Parents sent him abroad - Indian!
2. Wears a chaddi - Indian!
3. Hair always neatly combed - Indian!
4. Could have had any alter-ego he wanted, but chose a desk job - Indian!

Regardless of Superman's citizenship, I'm sure the Holy Trinity of Indian Superheroes would be mightily displeased at being overlooked by the media. Rajnikant (the fearless leader), Mithun ( the badass rebel) and Dr. Rajkumar (hey, the group needs a comic sidekick - remember Batman and Robin?) have been fighting crime and bad writing for longer than certain three-thumbed superheroes have been alive, and this is the thanks they get? Shameful.


Cross-posted on Namita's blog.

Ridiculous

Sixteen yellow cards, and four red. Valentin Ivanov really outdid himself today, even by his own lofty standards. In truth, it hasn't just been Ivanov handing out harsh yellow cards left, right and centre. The problem really stems from FIFA's 'fine-tuning' ahead of the tournament, and their drive to ensure that the new guidelines are followed closely.

It could have been a great match, but the constant yellows had an effect on the players' psyche. They started going down easily in an attempt to draw a free kick from the referee, increasing the opposition's frustration and eventually leading to scuffles, and more cards. There was nothing wrong with the way football was being played before this tournament, so why did FIFA go ahead and meddle with the way referees work, and why did they do it so close to the start of the tournament? Surely it makes more sense to introduce these guidelines at least one year before the event so that you are certain that there won't be any mishaps on the biggest stage of them all. It's similar to the case of the new football at every tournament - why mix things up at the last moment?

Nothing can be done now. Portugal are through (and one can't really say they didn't deserve it), though the Dutch will have every right to feel aggrieved. For a side that have so much talent, they were desperately unlucky to have one of the toughest draws of the entire World Cup. Drawn in a group with Argentina and Cote d'Ivoire and then scheduled to meet Portugal in the next round. But as the cliche goes, if you're going to be the best, you might as well beat the best. Luckily for their young squad, there will be other World Cups, and they should be a force to reckon with in Euro 2008. Portugal meanwhile have had their chances of progressing to the semi-finals affected by the sendings-off of Deco and Costinha, and the injury to Ronaldo. My personal feeling is that Ronaldo will be the toughest to replace. Deco and Costinha have ready-made replacements in Tiago and Petit respectively, but Ronaldo's understudy, Simao, still fails to impress me as a winger. Still, the Portuguese should have enough about them to emulate Eusebio's team of '66 and reach the semi-finals.

Passing Time

Taking a break from study to say "Come on Ecuador!".


That is all.

Don't try this in your multi-million dollar home

Funny that. I remember doing something similar when I was 14 or so. Except I took a shortcut and broke the lightbulb itself. Sometimes I would break a lampshade, but that was a bonus. Needless to say, the folks didn't appreciate my burgeoning genius, and I spent the rest of the year in the garage. So here I am, writing a blog, when I could have been guiding India to the World Cup Final.

Hey, a man can dream, right?

At least there's some desi representation this year.

They're back

It took them a while, but Brazil finally reminded the world what they are capable of. They may have been down by a goal early on, but the manner of their play suggested that they were bound to score at least a couple before the end of the match. As it turns out, it was as complete a performance as any from the Selecao in recent times. Ronaldo put in a vastly improved shift, and was rewarded with 2 goals, even though he still looked a little off the pace. Given his injury problems, perhaps it is unrealistic to expect him to recapture the form he had in 1998, or even 2002, but the football fan in me still yearns for the days when he could beat an entire defence with sheer pace and skill, and deposit the ball in the bottom corner. He may no longer be the player he was, but you cannot argue with his return today. He did the job for the team, and most crucially, got the equaliser before half-time, handing Brazil an invaluable boost before the break. The second half was an exhibition in short passing and movement. Cicinho was brilliant in the right wingback role, and Juninho acquitted himself rather nicely in the centre of the park. But the two standout players for me were Ronaldinho and Robinho.

Robinho's inclusion in the team was just the shot in the arm that Brazil needed. Unlike Adriano, he constantly dropped deep to gather the ball and run at the defence, drawing defenders away from Kaka and Ronaldinho. When Ronaldo and Adriano play together, there is a gap between midfield and attack , as Brazil usually employ two holding midfielders and no central playmaker. This time, Robinho, Ronaldinho, Kaka and Juninho all got forward and tortured the Japanese with their inventive passing and movement, providing fans and neutrals alike with a wonderful display of football. More importantly, Ronaldo had a supply line that he could depend on, and a strike partner who could do most of the running for him.

Japan weren't without their own goal threat, however, and the Brazilian defence had trouble tracking the runs of Maki and Tamada on the counter-attack. The Ghanaians will pose a much greater threat down the wings so it might be advisable for Brazil to continue with Cicinho and Gilberto in the wingback positions, as Cafu and Roberto Carlos probably don't have the legs to keep up with them.

Brazil have finally announced their arrival in Germany, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Sanity prevails(?)

For the time being, at least. I wouldn't be surprised to see the AP High Court banning the Da Vinci Code for being one of the worst films of all time. Then again, they might have to extend that to 90% of Hindi films.

A bit of World Cup nostalgia

Heh...this is a great piece of commentary. The goal wasn't bad either. Link via the New York Times' World Cup Blog.

Brazil's conundrum

Here's an excellent post on the World Cup Blog regarding Brazil's performances so far. I agree with the author that the commercial hype surrounding the team has raised expectations to unrealistic levels, and the last two games have shown that Brazil aren't a country mile ahead of the opposition. There is, however, a feeling that the team is not playing to its full potential, and hasn't even reached the level of the 2002 side. But Brazil have time. They have safely negotiated the group phase without too many scares. Sure, their attack hasn't clicked and we haven't seen the beautiful play that the Selecao are famous for, but they have been solid in the centre of the park, and that is where football matches are won and lost. It doesn't matter if you play one up front or four - if you don't have good central midfielders, you don't stand a chance at this level. Brazil are blessed to have both Emerson and Juninho Pernambucano, although the latter spends most of his time on the bench, due to the excellent form of converted left-winger Ze Roberto. As the World Cup goes on, Brazil's strength in depth in midfield and attack will start to play a more decisive role in games, and they should be there or thereabouts come the final stages of the tournament. It won't be an easy task, though. They will have to overcome Ghana and probably Spain along the way, and are likely to face Portugal or the Netherlands in the semi-finals, should they make it that far.

Spain have been very impressive, and their midfield is perhaps the best of the tournament. Barring the playmaker's role, they are probably better than Argentina. It would be nice to see them play with wingers though. Four central midfielders is overdoing it. That said, the ploy has been working well, and Spain are one of only two or three teams at the World Cup that have shown the ability to consistently create goalscoring chances through the middle of the park. With the centre of midfield being as congested as it is in modern football, teams have resorted to much wider play, choosing to cross the ball and hoping to find a man rather than playing around with it in front of the area. When done well, it can produce some dazzling play from wingers, but when done poorly, you get England. Still, there's nothing better than watching teams being ripped apart through the middle with a series of short passes. Argentina's second goal against Serbia and Montenegro was sublime, as was Fernando Torres' second goal versus Ukraine. Long story short, the hypothetical Spain versus Brazil quarter-final is a mouth-watering prospect.

For my money, Argentina have the best squad at the finals. No other team can boast of having two class players for almost every position. That doesn't mean they are certain to win it either. Their path to the final will most likely include Germany and Italy, so there are no guarantees there. The World Cup has been tremendously entertaining so far, and I hope it continues like this all the way till July 9.

Brace Yourself

Not only am I sad to see the Czech Republic make an early exit from a tournament in which they promised so much, I'm dreading the headlines tomorrow morning. Brace yourself for awful puns involving Czechs and bouncing.

"Czechs Bounced"
"Bouncing Czechs Bow Out"
"Czech This - They're Out"
"Czech Mate" (this would have been even better if they had played Australia)
"How many Italians Does it Take to Bounce a Czech?"
"United States...Czech. Ghana...Czech. Italy....Czech. Early exit...Czech"
"Bruckner to Team: Let me See you Bounce"


Okay, I'm no better than those hacks over at Reuters and Soccernet. Don't judge me.

Jesus Christ!

Argentina were frightening earlier today, hammering Serbia & Montenegro 6-0. I have never seen a destruction as clinical and beautiful as this, and the Argies have got to be serious contenders for the big prize now. The second and fifth goals were especially breathtaking. Check them out.

Why England will not win the World Cup

Before I get around to answering Amit Varma's question, let me just say that England are not going to win it. I'll just let that thought sink in for you England fans. They simply aren't good enough.

A team whose fortunes live and die with a 20 year old, however talented, cannot seriously be considered contenders for the world's biggest prize. Contrast the Rooney situation with Argentina's handling of Leo Messi and Carlos Tevez. Two of the brightest young talents in Argentina were injured before the tournament began (Messi with a hamstring strain and Tevez with an upset stomach), but there was precious little media frenzy regarding their fitness. Argentina's manager Jose Pekerman did a fantastic job of diverting attention away from Messi and Tevez's unavailability for Argentina's opener, choosing instead to talk about what Crespo and Saviola could do for the team. The result was a convincing victory in their opening match against Cote d'Ivoire. Only when Messi and Tevez were fully fit did Pekerman unleash them on a bewildered Serbia & Montenegro. Now you may say that Argentina have far more options up front than England, but that's England's own fault. A quick glance at the players that were left out of the squad by Eriksson tells the story - Darren Bent, Jermain Defoe and Andrew Johnson are all watching the World Cup on television. Instead, of England's four forwards, two are recovering from long-term injuries, another has never even played in the Premiership, and their only fully fit, experienced striker is a 6 ft 7 in beanpole who - let's face it - is well short of being world-class. Compare that to Argentina's forward line - Messi, Tevez, Crespo, Saviola, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, Palacio. Brazil have taken Ronaldinho, Kaka, Ronaldo, Adriano, Fred and Robinho. All top-class players, and all of them have been proven at their respective clubs.

England's central midfield should be a cause for concern. Frightening on paper, insipid on the field. Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are world-class box-to-box midfielders for their clubs, but they just cannot play together unless one of them curbs his natural attacking instincts. At club level, both of them play with a defensive midfielder to provide cover for their forays into the opposition third. Gerrard has Momo Sissoko at Liverpool, and Lampard has Makelele at Chelsea. England have no such cover, as their most defensive-minded player is probably Beckham on the right wing. Until England play a holding midfielder behind Lampard and/or Gerrard, they will continue to look lost on the pitch.

Beckham on the right wing - there's an inspired selection. There are at least two right wingers in England who are miles ahead of Beckham and offer far more to the team going forward. I'm talking about Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips. Lennon is in Germany but is a substitute, while Shaun Wright-Phillips has been out of contention ever since he quit professional football for a bench-warming job at Stamford Bridge. If Eriksson absolutely has to play Beckham (and apart from his free kicks I can't see why he should), then his best position would actually be as the aforementioned holding midfielder, behind Gerrard and Lampard.

England's defence is fine - no problems there, unless Sol Campbell gets a game

My next point is regarding England's style of play. In a nutshell, boring and uninspired. A lot of this has to do with the wrong players being on the pitch, and the squad being short of world-class strikers. The major problem, however, is the presence of Peter Crouch. Don't get me wrong - I think Crouch is a very useful player, but he seems to give Beckham and co. the idea that he's better in the air than he is on the ground. It is mind-numbing to see long ball after hopeful long ball punted up towards Crouch, just because he's huge, all the while knowing that if England kept the ball along the ground and showed some creativity, they might just give Crouch and themselves a better chance of scoring. If they continue to play like this, they'll be ripped apart by the likes of Czech Republic, Argentina, Spain and, needless to say, Brazil.

So, a team that depends on a single, half-fit player to create chances, with a lightweight squad, poor team selection and an outdated style of play is one of the favourites to win. This should be fun to watch.

I'm still alive

I'm still here, but haven't posted much due to exams. I'll start updating more regularly from Monday onwards, and that's a promise.

Upcoming posts: Why England won't win the World Cup, Why Argentina, Brazil or Spain just might, Roy Keane's retirement and some random newsclips I find on Reuters or Google.

Stay tuned...please.

It's off to a great start

Surely an early contender for goal of the tournament. One of the cleanest strikes you're likely to see.

Random thought

While I was watching the match between Germany and Costa Rica, the commentator mentioned that players were complaining about the official match ball. Apparently it swerves too much in the air. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't that exactly what they said about the Fevernova during the last World Cup? If the ball really is causing problems for players, FIFA should perhaps rethink their strategy and make the ball mandatory for all international matches one year prior to the big event. Teams can then adapt to the ball and minimise mistakes, especially those by goalkeepers. What do you think? Should FIFA allow teams more time to adapt to the ball? Should things stay the way they are? Am I just trying to pass time between matches by raising irrelevant points? Leave a comment and let me know.

West Punjab!

A very lol-worthy effort. Holla! Holla!

The wait is over

What a first half that was. It's certainly been the best opening match in my lifetime, and if they keep this up, we could be in for an even better second half.

Germany have looked strong in midfield and going forward, but they've looked square at the back. Paulo Wanchope caught them out once, and he continues to threaten. Costa Rica were overplaying the ball in defence initially, but they've improved since then. They seem content to sit deep in their own half and let Germany come to them, but the right side of defence is being ripped apart by Schweinsteiger and Lahm. Marin's had a good game so far, barring a mistake in the opening stages of the match, and the key man here is Wanchope. He has made a couple of great runs, and was unlucky to be called offside when he was clean through on goal. World Cup 2006 is off to a fantastic start, and I'm going for a draw in this match.

VAMOS TICOS!

EDIT: That was most definitely worth the wait. What a match! Costa Rica played much better in the second half, although they still allowed Germany way too much space down the right. Wanchope was immense, and Centeno did well in central midfield. It was Centeno's vision that released Wanchope for his second goal, and Costa Rica will perhaps feel hard done by the eventual 4-2 scoreline.

The Germans, as before, were good in midfield and attack, but their defence has got to be a worry for Jurgen Klinsmann. Caught napping twice by Paulo Wanchope, one wonders what a team with a better midfield could do to this defence. On the other hand, Phillip Lahm had a great game, ripping apart the Costa Rican defence at will. His overlapping runs with Schweinsteiger tormented the Ticos, and were probably the difference between the two teams. Torsten Frings's goal will be up there as one of the best goals of the World Cup. Their midfield performed decently, but it remains to be seen how they will perform against a more physical side. All in all, an encouraging start for the Germans in their home World Cup.

Both teams should be congratulated for their commitment to aggressive, attacking football. It was a treat to watch, and the rest of the World Cup has a tough act to follow. Four years ago, Costa Rica played a part in one of the best matches of Korea/Japan 2002 and once again, they have helped create a lasting memory for football fans. Here's hoping for more of the same.

Who wants $25m?

Am I eligible? Here's an idea - if an agency doesn't want $25m, can they invest some of it into their health and/or welfare system? Obviously, a far greater investment will be required to get America's social security up to scratch. Looking at their social welfare structure, I thank my lucky stars that I (currently) live in New Zealand. Even though I'm not a citizen, I know that, should I fall upon hard times, the state will look after me for as long as it takes to get back on my feet. If I get injured, I'm automatically covered by the government for essential medical care. It's the sort of social welfare you'd expect from the so-called 'Greatest Country on Earth', isn't it?

That said, the nightlife here sucks. But hey, we all have to make sacrifices, right?

Need a blunt weapon?

If this is true, he gets an A+ for imagination. You'd have thought he'd dispose of the murder weapon easily enough, though.

3 and a half hours left...

4 years of waiting are almost at an end, and it's around about this time that the seconds just refuse to pass. This is going to be the longest 3 and a half hours of my life, so I plead to FIFA - just start the damn thing already! In the meantime, I'll leave you with a few of my (ill-fated) predictions for the tournament:

Golden Boot: Milan Baros (CZE)

Golden Ball: the man himself - Jerko Leko (CRO)

Most disappointing big gun: England/Italy (then again, considering their recent record, what constitutes a disappointment?)

Most surprising team: Ivory Coast

Best fans: Trinidad and Tobago

Germany shall be eliminated in: the quarter-final

Dream final: Brazil vs. Argentina

I'll be supporting: Brazil

Eventual winner: Argentina (figures)

Who are your picks? Leave a comment and let me know.

Rooney's scan and other World Cup matters

So I was wrong - Wayne Rooney will be fit in time for the second round of the World Cup. I guess playing one game is better than nothing (I'm kidding!).

In other news, Djibril Cisse's out of the World Cup after breaking his leg in a friendly against China. Not that France are hard-pressed to find a quality replacement - they have Trezeguet and Saha who can both partner Henry up front, and it's possible that either Anelka or Giuly will be called up as a replacement. Still, it must be hard on Cisse. He was a substitute during their disastrous campaign four years ago, and his career has hit a bit of a stumbling block recently, so the World Cup would have been the perfect stage for him to prove his critics wrong.

Harsh as it may sound to poor Cisse, France have far bigger problems than replacing him. Their defence is probably their worst in living memory, and they have serious problems in central midfield. Zidane has been rusty all summer, but is untouchable when it comes to team selection. Ribery - the better bet by far - is likely to sit on the bench as an erstwhile colossus of the game fumbles and tries to recapture past glories. For the sake of the tournament, I hope Zizou plays well, but that's not likely to happen.

I may be biased and deluded, but I'd like to see Vikash Dhorasoo start for France, purely because of his desi origins.

I think I speak for everyone when I say.... "yay"

The world's leggiest millipede. I sense a Disney movie.

World Cup Watch: Funny Names

Gilles Yapi Yapo. 'Nuff said. Still, he's not as unfortunate as this guy.

Slow news day? You bet

Hardly anything susbtantial to write about today. Might as well study for my exams.

Oh yeah, apparently Harvard's carrying forward with stem cell research. All of humanity could be saved and all that.

Thriller in Antigua

What a match. I was on the edge of my seat through the last two sessions - at least, I would have been, if the good folks over at Sky had secured the rights to the series. Being an Indian fan in New Zealand is an experience rather similar to being an Englishman in the United States. While English expatriates are finally getting a decent dose of football on American television, Indians in New Zealand are still starved of decent cricket action. It's a pretty rigid schedule on Sky - Australian home season, New Zealand home season, New Zealand tours and now the English home season. In the process, we miss out on anything involving India, Pakistan, the West Indies, Sri Lanka and South Africa, unless they tour this part of the world. It isn't just the fans that miss out. Sky's losing out on a sizeable chunk of viewers - including neutral observers - who would want to watch India vs. Pakistan or Australia vs. South Africa. By neglecting the large immigrant population in the cities, Sky Television is only hurting itself.

He's finally on his way here

Good news for those of you in New Zealand - Russell Peters is touring Auckland and Wellington in July. If you haven't already heard of him, I suggest you check this out.

If you have to commit a crime, do it in Greece

I don't really know what to say about this. I might start believing Hindi films now.

DISHOOM!

Microsoft vs. Adobe

Adobe seems to have won the battle over the inclusion of PDF support in Microsoft Office 2007 - in other words, there won't be any. As a user and university student, this is a disappointing development. I was hoping Microsoft and Adobe would make everyone's life easier by including PDF conversion in Word 2007. Guess we'll have to make do with online resources for now.

I do understand where Adobe is coming from. It would be business suicide to allow Microsoft to basically hijack their best-selling low-end product. I know Open Office has included PDF functionality for a while, but how many people use Open Office in the workplace anyway? It'd be an understatement to say that Microsoft is a far bigger competitor, and Adobe would definitely feel the pinch if it was to allow them to get away with this. They have every right to protect their business interests, especially from a company that is set to release its own open document format. The result of all this is that Microsoft will release the PDF converter as a downloadable plug-in, most probably at an extra cost. Consumers lose again.

Jerko Leko

His parents named him... Jerko!

Jerko!!!!
Jerko!!!!
Jerko!!!!
Jerko!!!!

I'll stop now....Jerko!


Okay, this time for real.

THE WORLD FREAKIN' CUP!

It's almost here. For over 2 weeks, football fans have had to put up with cruel transfer speculation (Vieira, Diarra, Riquelme, Ribery, Gudjohnsen, Kerlon AND Zokora to Manchester United? No wait, Chelsea just signed Ballack, Mikel and Shevchenko). As if that wasn't enough, we've been subjected to training ground hijinks (does a mock kidnapping of the England captain in the middle of Manchester count?). Add to that the Italian betting scandal, Wayne Rooney's fitness race (get over it, England. He's not going to Germany) and Sven's idea of a World Cup squad and you can understand why football fans just want the action to begin.

Brazil promise plenty with their attacking depth, but do they have a defence that can handle the best attacks in the world? They haven't done badly so far, though it's been against fairly tame opposition. Argentina are a supremely talented team with a point to prove after the disaster four years back, and Italy are hoping their top players return in time for the tournament. Not that they have many injury problems - they're still over at William Hill discussing the odds on Wayne Rooney making the World Cup. Portugal, Holland, Czech Republic and Germany will all fancy their chances too.

Just four days left till the big show. Let's just hope that Jerko Leko doesn't get injured (I had to find a way to include his name. His parents named him Jerko!)

Teens obsessed with self-abuse

Ouch. Back in my day we were content with TV, sport and iPods (I'm not that old!).

Rahul Mahajan

It appears the door is shut on Rahul Mahajan's political career after his little drug-related mishap. While this could well be another case of media sensationalism, especially after one considers Vajpayee's comments, wouldn't it be nice if similar standards were applied to mass murderers? If Mahajan wants to kill himself by mixing drugs and alcohol, more power to the man. Hell, he should invite Lalu Prasad and Narendra Modi to his next get-together.

Besides, great things can happen to cokeheads.