Amazon's Global Kindle Reader

I heard that Amazon now has a global version of Kindle. I was disappointed to find this morning that the new version still will not work in my country.

Since I’ve wanted one for some time, but have been waiting until they got a version that would work in my country, I checked out their website this morning, only to be disappointed again. Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new Global Kindle for a Christmas gift this year, since the new version will only work in SOME countries, I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S., Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

Ljubljana is also considered as the largest city in Slovenia that has at least 270,000 inhabitants. Because of its location, Ljubljana’s culture has many influences including the Slavics, the Germans, as well as the Latins.

There are different arguments about the origin of Ljubljana’s name. Some historians actually believe that the name of Slovenia’s capital came from the name of the old Slavic city which was called the Laburus. There are also some historians that Ljubljana came from the Latin word Aluviana. But even though they have different beliefs regarding the name origin of Ljubljana, they all have one story to tell about the legend of the city. The founder of Ljubljana was said to be a Greek prince named Jason along with his Argonauts. According to the legend, Prince Jason fought a dragon when he once travelled going to Ljubljana. The dragon now serves as the city’s symbol and can be found at the Zmajski Most or the Dragon Bridge.

The size of Ljubljana is enough to have everything that a country’s capital must have. However, Ljubljana is still small enough to protect its inhabitants’ individuality. Unlike the other cities in the world, Ljubljana has the soul and gives great importance to its heritage. Until now, Baroque Old Town located at the Castle Hill’s foot is well preserved and considered as one of the tourist attractions in Ljubljana today. There are also some preserved masterpieces of the popular architect named Joze Plecnik and Art Nouveau mansions as well.

Slovenia is rich with several cultural heritages and most of it can be found in Ljubljana. One of the most famous cultural sights is the Cathedral of St. Nicholas. It is a religious site that was built for the patron of saint of boatmen as well as fishermen. It used to be a chapel but during the 18th century, they replaced it with a Baroque Church.

If you want to know more about Slovenia, particularly about Ljubljana, then you must head in one place – the National Museum. At the entrance of the museum, you will immediately see the four allegorical figures such as the Work, Art, Natural Science, and History. There are different artefacts that can be found here in the National Museum. However, some of the most important displays include Vace’s bronze situla, the mammoth skeleton, the mineralogical collection from Zois, and the Ljubljana Moor’s wooden boat.

You will also be fascinated with all the natural wonders of Ljubljana. At the Ljubljana Moor, the biggest swamp in Slovenia, you may see and encounter various bird species, different kinds of plants, and other animals living near the swamp as well. Houses called Kolisca that were built thousands of years ago by the first inhabitants of the Ljubljana Moor can still be seen in the area.

The train ride to Venice was lengthy and required me to make several stops along the way. I stopped in Bologna for the second night in a row. The train station was clean enough, but I didn’t know the town well enough to explore at 1:30am, so I stayed in the train station and slept on the floor. The first night I was a bit nervous about sleeping on the floor near other homeless people, but they seemed pretty well passed out. Keeping my guard up while I slept I got a few hours of necessary relaxation. At 3:18 am I boarded a train heading to Venice (Venezia).

I snatched a room all to myself. I was excited about being able to fold the seats down and sleep for the ride. But just as the train started to move, one other passenger came into my area. She was a nice girl about my age doing roughly the same thing I was doing. After a bit of nice conversation with her I slept quite soundly for an hour or so. I awoke to her telling me that the train was splitting in two sections, one section going to the main city Venice and another one going to the old city of Venice. Thanking her I jumped off and boarded another section of the train. Unfortunately I had to sit in a crowded room, but they were all nice people, and surprised that I was traveling with only one backpack and for so long. Everyone else had huge suit cases and several other bags.

Arriving in Venice at around 6:00am it was still dark. The streets were bare and quiet. I took advantage of the solitude and grabbed several shots of Venice in the morning light. I wandered along the narrow winding streets, surprised to find travelers like myself sleeping in random areas throughout the city. Some were sleeping on stairways; some were sleeping in the streets in groups. Seeing them gave me confidence about my new practice of sleeping in train stations and on trains.

Venice is confusing. The streets and passageways are set up in no logical manner. Venice was built on 117 islands with 150 canals and 400 bridges. The addresses are meaningless as well, so finding your way through logical street signs and such is nearly impossible. Fortunately there are giant, although confusing, signs pointing toward large squares and attractions.

I spent the majority of my morning confused and looking at a simple map of the area trying to figure out how to arrive at some of the prominent squares. I led myself in circles and even found myself walking down narrow side streets that dead ended at a canal with no way to get across.

Taking pictures along the way drained my battery and I was yet again in search of a stray outlet. I found several in the streets that were inoperable. I finally found a small café that was just opening. Two men were setting up chairs and tables outside for the morning visitors. I ducked inside and asked the older gentleman if he had an outlet. I mainly used motions and pointed to my charger; he took it from me and plugged it in. While it was charging I read my lonely planet guide on Venice several times as well as some of the other cities I would be going to. For his hospitality I decided to buy a chocolate filled croissant and a small macchiato just as a way of saying “thank you.”

Leaving recharged from the coffee I continued touring myself through the winding streets to several of the squares (piazzas) and other historic markers. I wound up in a fish market along the main canal, it was full of people yelling and selling fish. It took me a long time of getting lost and turned around to find the main piazza, the one all of the pictures are taken from. It was magnificent. The beautiful ornate buildings surrounding the plaza were impeccable. There were hundreds of pigeons in the center being fed various things by the tourists. Several Asian couples holding food up had pigeons perching themselves on their arms and shoulders. The gondolas are just cool as you think they are, small boats with men in Venice-specific hats roaming the canals. Occasionally you can hear one of them singing, but it was a rare site to see.

Several people had told me that Venice was dirty and it smelled bad. I did not smell anything, other than the salty sea water, which if you are not used to can smell a bit unpleasant, but all in all I thought Venice was not terribly filth ridden or smelly. However there were some areas that did have a large quantity of trash in them, but they were being swiftly taken care of my city workers with brooms.

Because I was alone and I walk fast, I was pretty much done with Venice by the afternoon. I took a nap on a bench that was facing the water and away from the tourist section. Hot and tired, I decided that I wanted to swim, but the water in and around Venice was a little too heavily used to be anything I would want to swim in. I got out my trusty Lonely Planet guide book and searched for a nearby coastal city that the train went to. I found a town called Trieste, on the border between Italy and Slovenia.

I headed back to the train station and jumped on board a train to Trieste.

Lake Bled – July 25th, 2009.

After a good sleep in and some Yoghurt, I start to head off around the lake. But end up going with the UK boys in my room. After a brief pit stop at the supermarket – to stock up on food. Well lunch. Before making our way down to the lake.

The festival is in swing already and they are having boat races out on the lake. I mean Gondola races. We start our walk around, before hitting a baby swans with weird feet. And keep walking. It takes about an hour or so to get to the far end.

Pier, Couple and Lake Bled.

The Church through the trees.

My plan was to climb to a lookout point at this end of the lake. Its basically where a lot, 90% of postcards are taken from, and I find a little path that has the name of the lookout, Osojnica Viewpoint. So I ditch my new buddies and head up (they fear its gonna be too long as the sign says 7km).

The walk up is pretty hectic, its hot and its humid. My shirt gets pretty sweat soaked. But its not long til I get to the top of the curving dirt path to a set of seriously step steps.

Step ass steps.

At first, I think I am at the lookout, til I see another arrow pointing to the proper viewpoint. But the view is so good here, that I decide to chill, suck back some h20 and eat some food.

I head up to the other viewpoint, and then get completely blown away at the emerald green Lake Bled, Bled township, castle and the Julian Alps in the background. I just soak up the view as it is tremendous. Seriously amazing. So worth the hike up to the top.

At the top viewpoint.

No words needed. Gorgeous.

I make my way back down, and it is a lot easier to get down. And continue to make my way around. There are a tonne of people chilling by the river, swimming and mucking around. I try to find Georgie and Clare, but no luck. So I keep walking back.

Small boat on Bled Lake.

I get back to the hostel and chill out at the hostel bar with a few brews with the UK guys. Sitting outside on the patio and sinking back a few beers, always a good way to end the night. And we end up going to get Pizza, again its fantastic.

I go and catch up with Georgie and Clare at their hostel, and they wring my arm to come and do Canyoning tomorrow. So I go and check out my options – go canyoning and get the night train to Zadar, Croatia OR Go to Pula, Croatia. In the end I end up deciding to go Canyoning. I ditch the girls and go for a walk to get money out, but the ATM/Cash point is dry – festival ate it all up. So I chill out and walk around the festival – its closing up and most of the stalls are packing up shop, but there is a few good things to see and eat/drink.

Lit up Tree at night in Bled.

The following is what are likely to be the seedings for the draw for the World Cup on 4th December:

Pot 1:    South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, England, France, Argentina

Pot 2:   Portugal, Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovenia, Greece, Denmark, Serbia, Slovakia

Pot 3:   Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Algeria

Pot 4:    South Korea, Japan, Australia, North Korea, Mexico, USA, Honduras, New Zealand

What do you reckon would be good, and bad for England?  Can you spot any potentially juicy ties?  What about Spain v Portugal?

I think a fascinating, and historical, group for England would draw us with Portugal, Cameroon and Australia.  What are your thoughts?

Russian players look on after their loss

My referee rant stems from this week’s results of not only the France/Ireland match but also the Slovenia/Russia play-off. During the match-up in Maribor, the referee, Terje Hauge, yet again made horrendous calls and sent-off 2 Russian players.

The first instance was on a challenge by Alexander Kerzhakov on the ball as it was nearing the goalkeeper. The ball was up for grabs and when the challenge happened both the goalkeeper and a defender took a push/punch at Kerzhakov. Clearly tempers and emotions were running high as the Russians were in attempts to launch a counter-offensive in the second half after going down 1-0.

The second call was in the 92nd minute which led to Zhirkov being sent off for shoving a substitute in order to get the ball back into play after the substitute threw the ball over Zhirkov. With Hauge’s horrendous decisions, he dashed Russia’s hopes of reaching the World Cup next year in South Africa. His inability to keep control of the game led to these tense circumstances.

Yet, this is not the first time Hauge has been the target of handing out red cards like Halloween candy or ones towards the Russian national team. In 2006, he controversially sent off Asio del Horno of Chelsea after his collision into Lionel Messi in the Champions League. In the Champions League final of the same season, he sent off Jens Lehmann of Arsenal, cancelled a goal and ordered a penalty. Later, he admitted he could have taken more time in making his decision. Since then, UEFA has not allowed him to referee anything above the group stages.

Ovchinnikov being sent off unjustifiably

In the Euro 2004 match against Portugal, Hauge also sent off Russian goalkeeper Sergei Ovchinnikov for an alleged handball but was clearly absent in any video replays. Clearly Hauge has a history of jumping the gun on his decisions and/or might have a problem with Russians. If so, he shouldn’t be refereeing any future Russia matches or decisive matches.

Russian and Soviet teams have been victim of biased refereeing in the past. In the 1990 match between the Soviet Union and Argentina, there is a clear handball by Maradona in the box from the taken Soviet corner kick. The referee is standing on the endline looking directly at Maradona during the instance yet no call was made. You can see it clearly at 5:05 on this clip.

So what needs to be changed?

1. Get the Best Referees i.e. not Terje Hauge

Referees with a proven history of excellence and no previous instances of questionable decisions for any speculation of bias especially for important matches.

2. Video Playback

Many sports have this today. All what would be needed is an extra official who can review an instance quickly and communicate to the referee via headset. This, like any other normal stoppage, would hardly disrupt the flow of the game.

3. Extra Referees on the Endlines

UEFA has started testing this in the Europa League and would be a more human alternative to any reservations towards technology in soccer/football.

4. Consistency in the World Cup play-offs

The Irish were the only non-seeded team to play their second game away. Trapatonni, head coach of Ireland, also has stated teams should go straight to penalty kicks after the second leg if the scores are tied.

5. Hawk-Eye Technology

Used in cricket and tennis, this system predicts and would notify the referee immediately if a soccer ball crosses the goal line or not.

FIFA and UEFA need to get their heads on straight and modernize the game in order for this beautiful game to truly be the best game in the world.

Ljubljana and Lake Bled – July 24th, 2009.

So I wake up, chill out, and head down the road to a cafe for breakfast with my american hostel buddy. Before heading back, packing the bag and going to explore Ljubljana.

I take the bus in, and go straight for the Dragons Bridge. And my first impressions and now placed in the gutter as this part of Ljubljana is amazing. Its a gorgeous little bit of the city. The Bridge itself is small, no traffic and two dragons protecting it. With the castle in the background and river below, its pretty special.

Dragon Bridge, Ljubljana.

I make my way through some markets and head to the Furnicular, to head up to the Castle. Its not a long wait, and its not long before we’re making our way up to the top of the hill. The hill is basically the centre of the town. And you get a pretty splendid view of the surrounding area. Despite the gloomy look of the majority of the city.

Ljubljana from the Castle.

I walk around the Castle, its courtyards are free, and the buildings you pay to go in. Being on a tight schedule, I opt to just walk around, then head off down to the city below. Its a pretty green walk down to the bottom, with plenty of vantage points of the city.

Chilling on the walk down.

I get down to the bottom of the hill and cruise around. There are these cool little markets around, so I go off and explore them. Before hitting a Mariachi Band and stick around and watch them do their thing y’all.

Mariachi El Ljubljana.

I get in a hurry and go off to get my bag, and head to Lake Bled. I get to the station, and call up the hostel (they have free pick up). However upon the guy arriving, he says “I can’t take you cause we’re full. I’ll drive you to town and you can get a room there”. Oh just fricking great. I spend the next 30-40 minutes searching for hostels and just staying at the first one I find. It’ll do the trick.

I go for a walk down to the Lake and it is pretty impressive. A bright, glacier blue lake that is just waiting to be dived into. There also seems to be some sort of Festival going on with lots of stalls and market shops around.

First view of Lake Bled.

I go around the corner to the supermarket to get some food and a cheap beer or 3. And on my way back I run into Clare and Georgie (two girls I met at Cesky Krumlov). We finish off the beers and head off to have some pizza at Rustic Pizza. Even though its slightly pricey, the pizza is unbelieveable. By far the best I have had (until I get to Italy). And goes down pretty well.

We go grab a jumper as its getting cool – before heading down to the Lake to watch the fireworks and get into the spirit of a festival – that is drink copious amounts of alcohol and have a good time. We grab some Mojitos to go, and beers before seeing the whole lake being flood with light.

Thousands of candle lit egg shells.

The whole lake is being covered in little egg shells with candles in them. The photos do not at all do them justice at all. Something  that you don’t see every day, but literally mind blowing.

The candle lit egg, in a plastic beer glass. All class guys.

We drink some more, and wait around for the fireworks, over the castle and monastery on the lake. Which go off pretty well. Before going to a pub and drinking some more beer. Its a pretty early night -there isn’t a lot of ‘bars’ here. But it is a pretty fun night.

Fireworks over the lake.

Fireworks on the Lake.

Salzburg and Ljubljana -July 23rd, 2009.

So a quick stop at breakfast – usually YHA usually do damn good breakkys, but this one is disappointing. Utterly shit. So I head off to media markt to buy a camera. And then leave salzburg for greener pastures.

I head to the HBF and get on a train to Ljubljana in Slovenia. The train to the border was fantastic – even allowed a bit of a charge of the camera. So I get a few photos of the Austrian countryside.
First impressions of Slovenia, were its rather green and forestry. However upon arrival in Ljubljana, it feels like a eastern europe standard bloc like city. I make my way to the hostel, which is out in the suburbs 0 but its a really cool hostel and the fact its in the ‘burbs is appealing as thats the real Ljubljana.

I end up hanging at the hostel – not doing a great deal. Chilling, talking and organising thetrip. I meet some awesome americans and we watch some hilarious Slovenian show before setting off to bed. So I can get off early and see Ljubljana.

LJUBLJANA, Nov 19, 2009 (AFP) – Minnows Slovenia will leave for the World Cup in South Africa with clean boots after Prime Minister Borut Pahor was forced to eat his words and get polishing following his country’s play-off victory over Russia.

The Slovenians pulled off a 1-0 win over Russia on Wednesday and qualified on the away goals rule after the aggregate score of 2-2, playing an attacking gameplan that had commentators purring.

Slovenia’s team celebrate after their World Cup 2010 qualifying play-off second leg football match between Slovenia and Russia, in Maribor (AFP photo)

“Irrespective of the shortfall in youth and experience the Slovenian national football team very quickly understood the legality of modern football at the highest level, and played aggressive soccer, which attracts viewers,” said Slovenian daily newspaper Dnevnik.

“This is no longer a defensive posture waiting for the counterattack.”

The newspaper’s front page headlined with “To Africa with clean shoes”, in reference to Prime Minister Pahor’s promise to the team that he would polish their boots if they won.

Pahor dutifully carried out his task immediately after the game, the paper reported.

“Superb performance in (the Maribor stadium of) Ljudski vrt. South Africa, here we come,” said Slovenian daily Delo.

Former international Branko Oblak, writing in Delo, said Russian coach Gus Hiddink had made the mistake of continuing to pick the wrong players, such as Arsenal’s Andrei Arshavin.

“The Russians did not attack us at all. They sought to play with technique which they do not have.”

Slovenia’s sole sports daily Ekipa predicted that “next summer would be a Slovenian summer”.

“Watch out Brazil, Spain and Argentina. South Africa, prepare, Slovenia is coming.”

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Yesterday the second leg of the World Cup qualifiers were held (in Europe, at least). We now know each and every team which will be present at the World Cup next year… and there are a few surprises, but mostly it’s the teams you’d expect to see, given FIFA’s newly instated practice of seeding the qualification playoffs. The seeding did what it was supposed to do, for the most part – that is, benefit larger nations with bigger and more prominent stars. I’m more than a little bitter, but nevertheless, let’s get on with a rundown of what happened. Oh, and sorry it’s a bit belated.

Portugal 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina (2-0 Agg.) – Well, Bosnia & Herzegovina’s World Cup dreams have been shattered. Many of the Balkan states have faltered this year, with only Serbia getting through in initial qualification. I’m sure Edin Dzeko & Co. would have liked to seize their chance for revenge on home soil, but it was simply not to be. The Portugese cruised to South Africa with an easy win despite their host’s best efforts and the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. All it took was a lazy tap in from Raúl Meireless on 56′ to give Portugal a lead which the Bosnians would find insurmountable. Bosnia’s usually-fierce attack was largely subdued, with the only clear-cut chance falling to star man Edin Dzeko ten minutes from full time; he promptly duffed it. And so, while Portugal clearly deserved the win last night, I will proclaim Bosnia-Herzegovina some of the first victims of FIFA seeding.

Slovenia 1-0 Russia (2-2 Agg.) – Slovenia edged past Guus Hiddink’s Russia on away-goal advantage to book their place in South Africa and send the Russkies home to cry in their vodka. Russian fans came into this match with a lot of trepidation; Slovenia is best remembered in Russia as the team who in 2002 were inexplicably awarded a penalty by referee Graham Poll in extra time to defeat Russia and knock them out of World Cup qualification. So, despite the fact that Graham Poll was definitely not officiating last night’s match, one can understand a little Russian nervousness. And maybe Slovenia sensed it, because they put in a stolid performance, muscling the visitors off possession and doing a good job disrupting Russian build-up. Zlatko Dedic gave the home side a deserved lead on 44′, poking the ball home from within the 6-yard box. After the half things would only get worse for Russia, as substitute Aleksandr Kerzhakov was sent off after lashing out at Slovenian keeper Samir Handanovic. Hiddink poured men forwards, playing three in the back, but to no avail. With just seconds left to play emotions were running high, and Chelsea-man Yuri Zhirkov received his second yellow of the night – for pushing over a Slovenian sub standing on the sidelines – and was promptly sent off. With that, 9-man Russia were sent packing as well, with the bitter taste of irony in their mouths – this tmie it was the right calls against them which turned out to be costly.

"The France team will go to South Africa courtesy of unquestionable cheating which highlights the downward spiral affecting football today." - Union of French Teachers

France 1-1 Republic of Ireland (2-1 Agg.) – Well, if the Russia-Slovenia match was less contentious than expected, it was more than made up for by the match that took place in St. Denis, just outside of Paris, France. Les Bleus came into the match with a 1-0 aggregate lead, thanks to a Nicolas Anelka goal in the first leg. However, it didn’t take long for the Irish to eliminate that lead; after a fluid movement by the Boys in Green down the left side of the pitch, Robbie Keane stepped up to sidefoot the ball home on 33′. 1-1. And that was it. For the rest of regular time, the score remained the same. Cue overtime. On 103′, a long, arcing ball was sent into the Irish box. Thierry Henry met the end of it. With his hand. Perhaps it was unintentional, that first touch. But then he touched it again, tapping the ball gently with his left hand, stopping it from going out of bounds and putting it directly to his foot. Then to William Gallas. Who scored. France, you are going to the World Cup. And you should be ashamed. Henry’s handball was the most blatant example of that offense I’ve seen since, well, probably Diego Maradona. You can call him crafty, you can say it’s a part of the game, but I call that poor sportsmanship and I do not think France deserve to be going to the World Cup. Hell, Titi even celebrated wildly, going mad after Gallas put the ball in the net. I call bullshit. I’m sure tons of people will be calling for instant replay to be introduced after this blatant incident of cheating, and while I am still against it, I am starting to think they have a point. Ireland is asking FIFA to declare the match null & void and have a rematch, but it seems unlikely. Normally, I would insert some kind of hopeful point here, some bright side or silver lining. But there is none. There is nothing to be but bitter.

A strategy only a mother could love.

Greece 1-0 Ukraine (1-0 Agg.) – Greece bores me to death. And apparently, they bore the Ukraine to death as well. Otto Rehhagel’s men did it again, squeaking by on a single goal over two legs to knock all Slavic representatives out of next year’s World Cup final. Unfortunately, my predictions that the home side would be buoyed by their vociferous supporters fell flat. Though the crowd at the brand-new Donbass Arena in Donetsk was more than vocal, their voice alone could not lift their flat-footed squad, who fell prey to the clever, but undeniably dull, Greek strategy. Dimitris Salpingidis would be the man who made the difference for Greece, scoring on the back of a deadly combination of well-timed throughball and better-timed run (31′). Rehhagel’s defensive strategy took over from that point on, and though the home side had their fair share of chances, the Greek defense proved inpenetrable. Last night’s victory means that the Greeks are going to their first World Cup in 16 years; the Ukrainians will probably go take a nap.

And with that, Internationals are done until the new year (good riddance!). I’m glad to say good-bye for now; and the next time we meet will be in South Africa.

Most of the world tends to think of boundaries in terms of nationality. I’m Portuguese. It’s from Germany. The fox is French. The wine world thinks in this way as well. Restaurant lists, wine stores, and importer’s portfolios are organized and separated by country.

Sometimes, though, these distinctions can be useless.

Take, for example, Movia. The winery is officially nestled in the hills of Slovenia. If you want to send Movia a piece of mail (say, a love note), you would jot down a Slovenian address. But, if you ask Ales Kristancic (pronounced alesh chris-stan-zick), the gregarious and charming proprietor of the estate, Movia’s identity, terroir, and juice is not tied to a particular nation. Instead, it’s tied to an appellation.

Perhaps you’ve heard of Collio? An appellation that straddles the border between Italy and Slovenia, Collio is famous for its crisp, lush, and mineral-driven whites: Tocai Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Malvasia, Sauvignon Blanc, Ribolla Giallo.

Ever heard of Brda? Probably not. It is the Slovenian name for Collio. Among the sommelier set, the name has emerged as one of the most promising wine producing regions in the world right now, due in large part to the wines (and the personality) of Ales Kristancic. An outspoken champion of indigenous grape varieties, terroir-driven winemaking, and nothing but the most natural, organic, and biodynamic processes, Kristancic could be called a traditionalist.

He could also, perhaps just as justifiably, be called a radical. He leaves his white wine to age on its lees for up to two years (a looooong time) in 600 liter Slavonian oak casks. He performs his filtering by hand and in a limited manner, as dictated by the atmospheric pressure associated with moon cycles. And — get this — Kristancic bottles one of his sparkling wines undisgorged. This means the bottle arrives in the hands of the consumer with a ball of yeast in its neck. The longer a wine spends with said yeast, the more complexity it is thought to attain; Ales is maximizing this time by releasing bottles that have yet to be disgorged. The consumer must submerge the bottle in water, pop off the cork, and quickly bring the bottle upright. The yeast is released under the water, and the bottle emerges freshly disgorged and ready to be drunk. Oh yeah, you have to store the bottle upside down (try a large mixing glass or something similar) for two days before opening it to condense the yeast.

Crazy? Perhaps. Brilliant? Probably. Effective? Absolutely. The Movia ‘Puro’ (100% Pinot Noir bubbly) is one of the coolest wines the Lushes have tried this year. Yeasty, bready, yet fresh, with piercing minerality, and a mint/ginger spice on the palate. This bottle has not hit the LUSH shelves yet, but look out for ‘Puro’ (and a demo of it being opened!) at our West Town launch party on December 4th.

The Movia wines we have in stock right now include the Quattro Mani ‘Toh-Kai’ 07, a project involving four winemakers making wine from indigenous grapes around the world. I once read this wine described as ‘bizarrely delicious’ and I think nothing could be more apropos. Mint, white chocolate, apricot, menthol, green tea, and lemon peel all intermingle in an odd yet entirely satisfying progression of aromas and flavors. For $13, there may not be a better deal this year.

We also currently have the 04 Veliko Bianco (“Big White”) and the 04 Lunar. Both wines are made with the Ribolla Giallo grape, a native varietal that tends to produce creamy, rich, dry wines with great acidity. In the hands of the right person (ahem, Mr. Kristancic), these wines can be remarkably ageable. The Veliko Bianco is also blended with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and vinified according to the methods I mentioned above. The nose suggests a certain sweetness: honey, after-dinner mints, tangerine. The palate is dry and fierce, yet not without serious richness. This wine is lifted in a way that’s hard to describe: it’s almost like there is a layer of white flowers and menthol that sits between the wine and your tongue. It’s a pretty incredible sensory experience. Weird, yet utterly delicious and drinkable.

The Lunar is a different beast. 100% Ribolla Giallo. As an experiment, Kristancic wanted to make a wine that had no human intervention except at harvest and at bottling. The grapes were hand selected and then left to their own devices until spring in specially designed barrels. No pressing. No added yeasts. At bottling time, the juice is drawn off its skins using a vacuum and bottled with no sulfur dioxide. What emerges is nothing short of glorious (and nothing short of extreme): a wine that pours a rusty orange color, more reminiscent of beer than it is of wine. A bizarre confluence of tannin (from the extended skin contact), slightly oxidized flavors, rich, ripe fruit, piercing acidity, and residual carbon dioxide, this wine is mind-boggling. Cerebral yet still accessible, this wine will undoubtedly evolve for decades to come.

Join us in exploring this frontier of winemaking. We are very excited to offer these wines at LUSH, and hope that you enjoy them as much as we do .

Cheers!

Jane

Republic of SLOVENIA

stamp: 50 tolar

year: 1996

reptile: turtle - Emys orbicularis

FIFA got its way last night as France and Portgual both progressed through the play-offs and into next year’s World Cup.

Although Russia succumbed to Slovenia, leaving Guus Hiddink questioning if it was really worth leaving Chelsea, seeding the play-offs worked out for FIFA’s bean counters, as the two heavyweights made it through.

Portugal negotiated their way past Bosnia with surprising ease, even without Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo’s status as the world’s best player has resulted in many saying the World Cup would be significantly worse without him in it and I agree, but not for this reason.

I am in favour Portugal’s qualification, as it will surely reduce the chance of Ronaldo being photographed in his tighty-whiteys next summer.

France’s victory over Ireland was infinitely more controversial, as Thierry Henry’s juggling allowed William Gallas to grab the crucial equaliser, proving that the “luck of the Irish” is an urban myth like Saddam Hussein’s gay porn career.

Today the FAI called on FIFA to replay the match, which could be staged in Sudan for no known reason, as with the Algeria v Egypt play-off.

There is more chance of Sepp Blatter impregnating Giovanni Trapattoni than there is of him agreeing to replay the match.

There will no World Cup newbies appearing in South Africa, but New Zealand only having to defeat New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuatu and Bahrain to claim a place shows that there will be much weaker sides than Ireland at the tournament.

Ireland claimed two draws against reigning champions Italy in qualifying, whereas New Zealand were defeated 2-0 by Fiji.

Greece and Ukraine competed for Europe’s final qualifying slot, with Greece sneaking through 1-0 on aggregate.

Greece, as Euro 2004 champions, were the seeded side, but in Andriy Shevchenko Ukraine had the only past or present superstar in either team.

Greece has never produced a footballing superstar and after a history of producing superstar mathematicians, philosophers and scientists to begin doing so now would take dumbing down to a new extreme.

Regardless they will take their place in South Africa, along with France, Portugal, New Zealand, North Korea and Honduras, but alas not Ireland.

Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor makes good on his vow to clean the national football team’s boots after a World Cup play-off victory over Russia…. From BBC News. Full story

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Un aggiornamento sulle squadre qualificate:Le bandiere delle 32 nazionali qualificate per i mondiali del 2010 sventolano a Johannesburg. Poche ore dopo la fine degli ultimi sei spareggi, gli organizzatori della Coppa del mondo sudafricana hanno tenuto una cerimonia di alzabandiera davanti al nuovo stadio di Soccer City, tra Johannesburg e Soweto, che ospiterà la gara di apertura e la finale dell’11 luglio. Sarà il primo mondiale nel Continente nero. Il presidente della federcalcio sudafricana, Kirsten Nemantandani, ha letto un messaggio di benvenuto alle squadre qualificate del premio Nobel per la Pace, Nelson Mandela.

Queste le 32 nazionali che parteciperanno alla fase finale della rassegna iridata:

AFRICA – Sudafrica (paese ospitante), Ghana, Costa D’Avorio, Nigeria, Camerun, Algeria.

EUROPA – Italia (campione del mondo in carica), Olanda, Inghilterra, Spagna, Germania, Danimarca, Serbia, Svizzera, Slovacchia, Grecia, Portogallo, Slovenia e Francia.

SUDAMERICA – Brasile, Paraguay, Cile, Argentina e Uruguay.

ASIA – Australia, Giappone, Corea del Sud e Corea del Nord.

CENTROAMERICA E CARAIBI – Stati Uniti, Messico, Honduras.

OCEANIA – Nuova Zelanda

I går ble de siste VM-lagene klare. Det var få overraskelser, men det er litt trist at en hands fra Thierry Henry avgjorde kampen mot Irland. At Irland i det hele tatt greide å komme tilbake og vinne kampen 1-0 på bortebane er så imponerende at det er tragisk at en slik hendelse avgjør kampen, som burde blitt avgjort på en skikkelig måte.

Ellers er jeg overrasket over at Russland tapte kampen om VM-plass mot Slovenia, og selvo m jeg gleder meg over at den tidligere kanrifuglen, Robert Koren, er VM-klar kommer jeg til å savne et russisk lag i fremgang som spilte fantastisk fotball i EM.

Også kampen mellom Russland og Slovenia var dramatisk. To russere ble utvist, og Slovenia gikk videre på bortemål. At det var Terje Hauge som dømte kampen er jo interessant…

Jeg synes ikke vi skal dømme Henry for hardt. Ingen spillere ville gjort noe annet. Og det er dommeren sitt ansvar å ha oversikt. Jeg skulle likt å se den spilleren som i ekstraomganger ikke gjorde noe liknende. Dessuten ville vel de fleste spillere ikke gitt lyd fra seg. Men det er trist at det avgjør kampen, og aktualiserer debatten om videodømming.

Nå er det også på tide at Norge kommer til mesterskap. Jeg savner spenneingen med å ha landslaget i EM og VM. Det er fantastisk. Håper Drillo kan få det til.

Online gambling in Slovenia is a different story. There are currently no gambling websites hosted in Slovenia, and the government does not grant licenses that allow local companies to offer gambling online. In fact, the Slovenian government used to be actively against letting its citizens gamble at foreign internet gambling websites. In 2006, the government sent orders to the major ISPs in Slovenia telling them to block some of the major internet gambling websites. Most ignored the orders, however, and the ban never caught on.

Today, online gambling in Slovenia is a gray area, neither legal nor illegal. This lets players in Slovenia enjoy offshore internet gambling sites without problems. While there are very few internet gambling sites that offer their services in the Slovenian language, there are a handful of large, international casinos and sportsbooks that do cater to Slovenian players, letting them gamble on the internet in English. Read more…

A Heartfelt Embrace

Mr. Blatter, your results are served. How do you think your little scheme has fared? Quite well if you ask me, after all, the top two reasons (Portugal and France) this abominable seeding system was adopted in such a hasty last minute fashion have secured their tickets to the big dance in South Africa, while bumping their (equally) deserving ‘minnow’ nation counterparts from proving just how advanced the beautiful game has become in the oft neglected corners of the European football universe. Everybody at FIFA headquarters in Zurich surely winced when it became obvious the tournament would loose star Russian forward Andrei Arshavin, but were quickly relieved when Portugal and France qualified ensuring appearances from top draw players like Christiano Ronaldo, Raul Miereles, Deco, Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka and Franck Ribery. Read on for a breakdown of today’s results.

THE BREAKDOWN:

Ireland v France: Les Blues, Les Blues, I suppose, that for the time being at least, the bell does not toll pour vous. After suffering drive after drive by the Irish squad, France managed to win the match  by playing very well for only 30 minutes of the match… in extra time (to be fair… the loss was more than partly due to a piss-poor officiating – See Hand of God). Kudos to an Irish team that should be proud to have put on the performance they did. I realize that it will offer little consolation to players like Robbie Keane or Damian Duff who will likely never see a World Cup Final again.. but take solace in the fact that France will struggle to advance past the group stage when it comes time for them to put-up or shut-ip.

Slovenia v Russia: Perhaps the most stunning match of the evening. Guus Hidink has failed to qualify his Russian squad through to the finals, a happenstance that has never occurred! Arshavin and company were no match for a clearly determined and salivatingly hungry Slovenian squad. While not the end of Arshavin’s international career, you dont get many chances to play on the world’s biggest stage, and don’t think that this loss doesn’t sting the diminutive forward in the worst way.

Andrei Loses His Shirt...

Portugal v Bosnia-Herzegovina: An unfortunate end to the Cinderella-like run put on by the Bosnians. Edin Dzeko and his crew are now forced to watch from the sidelines as Portugal moves through to one of the coveted final berths. Take comfort in this Edin, your time will come.

Portugal Edges Bosnia

Greece v Ukraine: One goal to win it all, one goal to bind them. Greece has secured a trip to world cup after a decent showing in the qualifiers against the Ukraine. A match that was touted as the most even among the European Qualifiers did not disappoint as the ball was constantly hunkered down in the midfield. Nevertheless, an early goal from Salpingidos sealed the deal, and bumped Ukraine from a second straight appearance in the finals.

ROBERT GRECO’S PREDICTION RATING:

1 for 4: A disappointing run for me personally today. I was shocked to see some of the final results, though as I mentioned, many of them were tough matches, and all of them were in fact decided in truth on the return leg. Keep checking cheddarbomb.wordpress.com for more football crystal ball.

Next Up: Champions League Match Day 5.

Portugal, Slovenia and Greece win their respective play-off ties to book their places at the 2010 World Cup…. From BBC News. Full story

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Am vazut prima repriza la Bosnia- Portugalia si a fost o pierdere de timp. Acum a inceput repriza a doua si ma astept ca portughezii sa marcheze vreo doua boabe desi joaca pe contraatac. Acasa cu Dzeko!
Franta e condusa acasa de niste “betivi irlandezi” care ne demonstreaza ce inseamna sa joci cu inima dar mai ales cu mintea.
Dedic este eroul Sloveniei pana acum insa ma astept ca magicianul Hiddink sa mute decisiv!
Grecia s-a calificat in dauna Ucrainei. Sheva poa’ sa aiba acum o vacanta linistita alaturi de nevasta lui la vara.

UPDATE:  E 1-0 pentru Portugalia… Hossu Longin a anuntat golul ca un comentator obosit si plictisit . O sa fie cum v-am zis io, acasa cu Dzeko!
A inceput repriza a doua  la francezi. Stream-ul merge ca naiba dar ce conteaza? Important e ca TRAPP sa le fi zis ce tre’  la pauza!!!
Kerzhakov a luat rosuuuuuuu!!! Osterc, unde esti sa le dai lovitura de gratie?
Ce ocazie a ratat DUFF! OFFFFF!E TOT 0-1
Intra McShane in locul lui O’Shea. Oh, nuuuuuuu…
Salihovic a luat rosu si Portugalia e calificata
ROBBIEEE KEANEEEEEE, ce ocazieeeeeee !
Hent la Henry, Franta egaleaza la 1. FIFA E O RUSINE!!! Si un copil de 3 ani ar fi vazut ca Titi si-a oprit mingea ca la handbal. La baschet s-ar fi dat dublu dribiling!!!
Inchei aici. Mi-as dori sa fiu irlandez pentru o zi!

watch Slovenia vs Russia online live stream TV sport 11/18, 18 Nov 2009. This Sport Games Starting time will be at 14:45 ET(US) /20:45 CET(Europe). We will update the link several hours/minutes before the scheduled starting time. The live stream feed provided from free video tv hosting sites like ustream, justin tv, p2p, sopcast, tvu, tvants, uusee, etc. You can watch online Sport Live TV stream channel on November, 18 2009. The sport tv we cover here is NHL, NBA, KHL, NFL, AHL, NCAA, MLB, AHL, MLS, Soccer, EPL, Champion, UEFA, FIFA, U20, U17,  Football, Hockey, Basketball, SERIE A, NASCAR, F1, GP and others. If there is any of free tv hosting that airs these sport tv channel, we will update the link for you. Dont Miss to watch live sport tv between Slovenia vs Russia online . Please click on below link to watch, online, free, live, stream, sport, tv, at 11/18 2009, Slovenia vs Russia.

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There are thousands collections of Live internet TV hosting sites and video feeds. You can Watch Live streaming TV Stations or channels from many source. But to search and point your intended channels sometimes is very difficult since one site can offer thousand of free TV sport channel in just one day.  So Here, we provide summary of links that will provide free live streaming TV sports. In this site We focus on the  Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, soccer and other more spesific segment. Most watch free TV stations we cover for  Sport here are from, USA & Canada and some other popular sports in Europe and arround the world. Check out our featured free tv sport online live stream today 18 November 2009 (11/18) for Slovenia vs Russia.  We will find the links from ustream, justin tv, p2p, sopcast, tvu, tvants, uusee, etc. So don’t need to worry about miss one of our favorite TV sport game match, we can now catch them online, usually just 24 hours later it will be stored in the hosting site, it depends on their policy. You can easily select and click to watch Slovenia vs Russia and others sport channel online stream here.

Sport alternativi e adrenalinici: bowling sul ghiaccio a Bled, snowrafting a Mallnitz, snowbike a Neukirchen, lama trekking a Werfenweng.

Vette innevate, piste immacolate, paesaggi integri, boschi incontaminati. Il sogno di tutti gli appassionati degli sport invernali si può avverare con una vacanza nuova, che coniuga il divertimento sulla neve con la tutela dell’ambiente. È la proposta di Alpine Pearls (www.alpine-pearls.com), l’associazione transnazionale che promuove la mobilità dolce, con una vacanza a basse emissioni in 21 località  accuratamente selezionate dell’arco alpino. Un vero e proprio paradiso nella neve con oltre 1.000 km di piste, 874 km di piste da fondo, piste da slittino, percorsi per escursioni, sentieri dove passeggiare con le ciaspole e il meglio di tutti gli sport invernali con continue novità. Per i più curiosi il bowling su ghiaccio a Bled, in Slovenia, per i più temerari lo snowrafting a Mallnitz in Austria e il parapendio a Les Gets, in Francia. Numerosi i pacchetti per scoprire questi luoghi, che offrono agli ospiti paesaggi incontaminati in cambio del totale rispetto per l’ambiente.

Tutti i numeri delle Perle sulla neve – Sono oltre 1.000 i km di piste che aspettano gli appassionati di sci alpino, dai 250 km della svizzera Interlaken ai 110 km della francese Les Gets. Per chi ama sciare tra i boschi di queste località, scelte per il loro paesaggio naturale perfettamente integro, ci sono 874 km di piste da fondo, tra cui spiccano quelle delle sudtirolesi Nova Ponente (100 km) e Racines (68 km). A Neukirchen, in Austria, si trova la più lunga pista da slittino del mondo (14 km) e il più alto numero di piste da slittino delle Perle (16 km su un totale di 182 km). Non mancano poi i percorsi per indimenticabili escursioni invernali: 885 km (120 km a Berchtesgaden). E per chi vuole attraversare i sentieri innevati niente di meglio delle ciaspole. Nelle località Alpine Pearls ce ne sono ben 764 paia a disposizione per il noleggio: a Tires (80 paia a disposizione) ci si può lasciar affascinare dai sentieri immacolati che conducono alle malghe, nel cuore delle Dolomiti patrimonio naturale Unesco.

Bled, giocare a bowling tra i ghiacci – Si è sempre pensato fosse uno sport di città, ma oggi il bowling approda anche tra le montagne innevate. A Bled, in Slovenia, tra una romantica passeggiata intorno al lago e una sciata nei vicini comprensori, ci si può divertire con un’insolita partita a bowling su ghiaccio. Il gioco è sempre lo stesso, ma la palla deve scivolare su una pista completamente ghiacciata.

A Mallnitz si scende in pista con il gommone – Contrariamente a ciò che si crede, i gommoni non sono ideali solo per piacevoli giri sull’acqua. Basta un esemplare un po’ più resistente ed ecco che la discesa cambia: non più torrenti, ma piste innevate, non più rafting, ma snowrafting. Uno sport fatto di divertimento e adrenalina, che si può provare a Mallnitz, villaggio alpino adagiato tra le montagne del Parco nazionale degli Alti Tauri, in Austria. Grazie alla neve sicura del comprensorio sciistico dell’Ankogel, Mallnitz è anche una meta privilegiata per tutti gli appassionati di sci alpino e per gli amanti delle discipline nordiche grazie ai suoi 20 km di percorsi per il fondo, divisi tra piste per lo stile classico e per lo skating.

In slitta a Neukirchen - Per chi è stanco degli sci e vuole riprendere lo slittino, come faceva da bambino, Neukirchen in Austria, è il posto ideale. Qui all’interno del Parco Nazionale degli Alti Tauri, su una delle montagne più belle della zona, il Wildkogel, c’è la pista da slittino più lunga del mondo, ben 14 km con 1.300 metri di dislivello. Gli sportivi più allenati e gli amanti della due ruote possono poi anche tentare di avventurarsi tra i sentieri innevati nelle valli del Parco con la snowbike, che si può noleggiare sul posto.

Racines, prima neva scontata nel paradiso del fondo – Una nuova cabinovia da 8 posti, 25 km di piste da sci adatte ad ogni preparazione e difficoltà, 8 impianti di risalita, 68 km di piste da fondo. Racines, tra le Valli Ridanna, Racines e Giovo, è un vero paradiso per gli amanti degli sport invernali, in particolar modo per gli escursionisti e gli appassionati dello sci nordico, che possono provare la pista panoramica d’alta quota lunga 16 km. E chi vuole cimentarsi in un’esperienza nuova, può scoprire tutto il fascino del biathlon, questo sport di origini antiche che combina lo sci di fondo al tiro al poligono: divertimento e emozioni garantite!

Lama trekking tra i boschi di Werfenweng - Passeggiare sulla neve in compagnia dei lama tra i paesaggi innevati di Werfenweng, idilliaco villaggio alpino del salisburghese, sarà  un’esperienza indimenticabile. Questi docili animali si lasciano condurre molto facilmente e sapranno regalare momenti davvero unici a contatto con la natura: un’escursione sulla neve da non perdere, pensata soprattutto per i bambini, ma non solo. Con il pacchetto SAMO (mobilità dolce), oltre all’escursione con i lama si possono fare fantastiche discese con gli sci e romantiche gite su slitte trainate dai cavalli. La proposta comprende inoltre il noleggio gratuito dell’attrezzatura per lo sci da fondo, lo slittino e il pattinaggio, utilizzo delle piste incluso.