CODA’s single ‘Blow Your Vuvuzela’ has become Cape Town’s unofficial anthem to the 2010 World Cup! Composed by hit-maker Gabi Le Roux ‘Blow Your Vuvuzela’ features CODA with Given Phike and Zami Mdingi.

It’s depressing to wake up at half past three in the morning hoping to catch a Manchester United victory and the first two names you see on the teamsheet are Ben Foster and Gary Neville. It’s even more disheartening trying to get back to sleep two hours later having seen them lose their first Champions League group match at home in eight years to a team who lost 8-0 to Liverpool on their last visit to England.

Still, Besiktas should be allowed to enjoy their moment, which undoubtedly their maniacal supporters will be doing. After all, smaller sides seldom feature in the Champions League headlines and a win at Old Trafford is a remarkable achievement considering that no Turkish team has won in England for eight years.

Top spot in the group should have been sealed last night but Fergie’s fledglings, in baseball terms, stepped up to the plate and struck out. There was a real lack of urgency and pressure from the men (or boys) in red which translated into a flat, disjointed performance against the Turkish champions. I guess Wolfsburg’s defeat in Moscow just prior to kick-off gave the players a false sense of confidence.

Gabriel Obertan and Danny Welbeck were the only ones to really emerge with any credit on a night when Anderson showed the world that having bags of potential alone is not enough to make one a quality footballer. He was the senior man in the central midfield and should have stamped his authority on the game but was time and again let down by his poor touches and wayward passing. I wonder if we will still be talking about how the Brazilian could be a great player when he is in his thirties.

Someone who is in his thirties but no longer a great player is Gary Neville, who looked as lost as Kanye West at a Taylor Swift concert. Today’s game, today’s players and today’s balls are all too fast for the club captain and retirement sooner rather than later is the inevitable option.

One thing that Neville can teach Federico Macheda is that you give 110 percent for that badge on your jersey situated above your heart. The young Italian displayed a defiant and petulant attitude that would even put Mr Grumpy himself – Dimitar Berbatov – to shame. It looks like he thinks he’s better than he actually is. It will be a waste to see a player with so much undoubted talent fall by the wayside and I hope Sir Alex Ferguson will be able to polish this gem and maybe add some detergent to clean his mouth.

A week after Ben Foster describe his life at United as frustrating, I would use that very same word to describe his performance on the night. The Turkish champions had two shots on goals in ninety minutes and he let one of them in. It might have taken a slight deflection off Rafael but he was nonetheless flat footed and not quick enough to get across the goal, not helped by his dubious starting position. It’s a testament to just how dire the England goalkeeping situation is that he still looks a certainty to be on the plane to South Africa next summer.

A bright spark on the night was Obertan who, despite some misplaced passes, provided good width and penetration down the right flank. It was a positive performance from the former Bordeaux starlet who not only displayed some excellent off the ball movement but also the confidence to want the ball played to him at every available opportunity.

I don’t agree that there was very little at stake in this match. Finishing as group runners-up not only increases your chances of facing Barcelona or Real Madrid in the next round but also means that United plays their first leg at home, where away goals could play a big part.

Of course, winning the group could still see United being paired up with either of the Milan sides. But compared to last season, I cannot confidently say that the Red Devils can get a goal or two at the Nou Camp or San Siro.

The youngsters whom Sir Alex placed his faith should have grabbed this opportunity on the big stage by the scruff of the neck. Instead, we are left wondering about the long term futures of the likes of Darron Gibson, Macheda and most alarmingly, Anderson. There is definitely potential in these players but what differentiates the Messis and Kakas of this world from the rest is the realization of that ability and performing when it matters most on the pitch.

This defeat has made it a somewhat drab Thanksgiving for Sir Alex as he gathers for dinner with wife Cathy and his three sons. Still, it’s a much happier place to be than at the Benitez household.

For the Pan-Arabists, I am just about 100 percent sure that the events following the Algeria-Egypt playoff in Khartoum, Sudan is just pure embarrassment. In the below picture obtained from AlJazeera, the sign this very intelligent woman is holding says: we ask for the Algerian Ambassador to leave and every Algerian in Egypt Out of Egypt.

Egypt has qualified for the World Cup only twice: in 1934 and 1990. There have been pictures of Egyptians burning Algerian flags (see here also) as the protests continue. In no way can we judge an entire population for the actions of these few individuals.

As a football spectator, I was undoubtedly excited by the guarantee that at least one Arab team was to make the trip to South Africa. There was the possibility of Bahrain as well, yet that dream ended by one measly goal to New Zealand.

The very idea of having this nationalist rivalry between two Arab States is absurd, as reflected in this article by As’ad AbuKhalil.

After the playoff in Khartoum, Hosni Mobarak summoned his ambassador in Algiers so that Egypt could “protect the welfare of its citizens.” Algeria responded to the protests at Algerian embassies and media campaign by pulling its own ambassador from Cairo. It was reported that Bouteflika called his counterpart twice to discuss the crisis.

Yes, because the post-match “violence” is the only important issue going on in the Arab World right now (with the exception of Western Sahara, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, etc, etc, etc…). Maybe Mubarak is just one hell of a football fanatic and a sore loser.

The handball that lead to the match-winning goal

I’ve been meaning to comment on this for the last week. For those that missed it, last week Ireland and France played for the final European spot in the World Cup finals. The game was decided by a blatant handball by French star Thierry Henry (two, in fact, in addition to the fact he was offside) in extra time which led to a French goal. Video is here.

This is exactly what is wrong with soccer (or, depending where you live, football). Referee’s make mistakes in every sport, but in soccer the low-scoring means these mistakes are too-often decisive. No matter how beautiful the sport may be, a 1-0 or 2-1 result as a result of blown call by a referee is an unsatisfying result for everyone. (On a related note, this is also why soccer is so easy for corrupt ref’s to fix – UEFA is currently investigating 200 possibly fixed matches in Europe).

The whole incident reminded me of the heart-breaking way Australia was eliminated from the last World Cup, an obvious dive for which Italy was awarded a penalty with less than a minute to go in extra time, giving them the win in the group of 16 match:

Here’s a nice re-enactment.

See how Team Canada is preparing for the T-20 World Cup qualifying at SPC

Sergio Garcia wants to end the bad year he’s had and bring the World Cup back to Spain after the nation has struggled for 25 years to recapture the Cup.

Last year was an amazing year for Garcia after seeing him take the number-two ranking in the world from Phil Mickelson. Garcia had won the HSBC Championship late last year in Shanghai and there were talks of him winning a major this year.

The 29-year-old Spaniard hasn’t added any tournaments this year to his 19 career titles but looks to change the bad World Cup history for Spain and be the first team to win it since Jose Maria Canizares and Jose Rivero captured it in 1984.

“It would be a nice way to finish the year,” said Garcia and, will be partnered with F’dez Castano in the $5.5 million competition.

“It has been a hard year overall, but at the same time I think it’s been very positive. I think that it’s made me grow a lot, not only as a player, but as a person.”

“Obviously looking at the results, it has not been a very good year. But I feel like my game in the past probably three-plus months has been improving, and that’s a positive for next year.”

I thoroughly enjoyed the MLS Cup Final this past weekend – and congrats to Real Salt Lake on their first trophy. I’ve got lots of thoughts on the game, but want to voice my opinion on what was in my mind the most unbelievable moment of the night – Landon Donovan’s penalty-kick miss.

I was extremely disappointed with Donovan’s performance in the 2006 World Cup. I’ve always thought his status as the savior of American soccer to be a bit overblown and a good deal undeserved. Seeing the negative reaction to this latest PK miss, however, I can’t help but speak out against what I see as much more overblown and undeserved criticism being heaped on Landon over the past few days.

First of all – Landon Donovan did NOT blow the MLS Cup for the Galaxy. His miss certainly didn’t help things, but it was his perfectly-executed cross that set up Mike MaGee for an easy goal to put the Galaxy on the board. Without that cross, the Galaxy would never have gotten to PK’s in the first place.

Second – although this miss was an unfortunate one, it cannot undo history: Landon Donovan is one of the USA’s most dependable players when it comes to penalty kicks, especially in international play. In any sport, the greatest players sometimes fall short – and Donovan is no exception. But to doubt the deservedness of his position as the designated player for penalty kicks for the national team – as some people have since this weekend – is foolish. Landon Donovan should and will continue taking PK’s for the national team – and given his past record, he will miss them very, very infrequently.

Third – despite the miss, and in spite of what his critics say, Landon Donovan is still the best player the USA has. Like him or not, the USA’s success in the 2010 World Cup will hinge largely on his performance. When he’s in form, he can control the pace of the game like no other midfielder on Bradley’s roster. His passing instincts are good, his speed and fitness are top-notch, and he has demonstrated the ability to convert scoring opportunities into goals rivaled only by the injured Charlie Davies. I can only hope that Donovan can rise above his critics – and any self-doubt misses like this are sure to create – and realize his full potential in South Africa next summer.

Bristol’s world cup host city bid has been signed by the city’s council leaders, before submission to the FA tomorrow.

The Council’s Lib Dem leader Barbara Janke and Labour leader Helen Holland officially signed the document on Wednesday lunchtime. Tory leader Richard Eddy was unable to attend, but sent a message of support for the bid.

It will be officially presented to FA bosses during a ceremony at Wembley on Thursday.

Barbara Janke said the bid was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for Bristol and would bring “confidence, investment and income” into the city.

But she admitted there were financial risks, with hosting games in the tournament estimated to cost at least £17m.

She said: “There are clearly significant risks, with big sums of money at stake. It is clearly our intention that council tax payers are not going to have to carry the cost of this.

“We are starting from now to look at how we can raise the necessary funds with businesses, partners and other interested parties so that in nine years time we can fully finance the world cup matches.”

She also confirmed that Portsmouth’s decision to withdraw its hosting bid would make no difference to Bristol.

Portsmouth councillors last night pulled out of the process, with Conservative leader Steve Wemyss saying: ” I would love the World Cup to come to Portsmouth, but not at any cost.

“We are deceiving the council taxpayers if we think we can afford this. Let’s say no rather than have to cut other services to pay for this. We have to be realistic.”

Barbara Janke said: “I think Portsmouth is in a different position from Bristol. The financial pressures on them are bigger than we have here.

“There are also issues about the football club and the stadium, as I understand it. I still think there is a lot of confidence amongst the cities. There are still 15 others involved.

“When I spoke to colleagues at the Core Cities conference a few weeks ago, everybody still seemed very keen and ambitious. They want to take this forward for their own cities and put their cities on the world stage, which is what we want to do in Bristol.”

Barbara Janke also gave more details on how Bristol would finance its bid, without asking council tax payers for the full sum.

She said: “We have opportunities with the business rates, but we will have to take a ballot on that. We are also hoping the government might make lottery money available.

“We have been told that we can raise the business rates locally, so we will have to have a ballot on that. The difficult thing is that the city council does not keep the business rate. It’s kept by central government and reallocated on a per capita basis.

“If we were able to keep the business rate, we would be in a very strong position to finance events like this, but sadly that’s not the case at the moment.”

Audio: Martin Jones interviews Barbara Janke

Without anticipating a potential disaster during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Western Cape’s 2010 health planning unit has warned emergency services, civilians, visitors and enterprizes to be ready for disasters at all times.

According to Dr Wayne Smith, who heads the unit, the possibility of a disaster – such as crash landings, stampedes, bombings, and widespread violence – is far greater  during the World Cup than for previous sporting events that were hosted by South Africa.

He spoke during a panel discussion at the World Conference on Disasters and Emergency Medicine, which took place in Cape Town from November 23 – 27, 2009.

Smith stressed that emergency services, and in particular medics, will have to be permanently on stand by, underlining that it was  dangerous for authorities  to be over confident in South Africa’s medical ability to deal with disasters. He said that the fact that there were no incidents during the Rugby and Cricket World Cups which South Africa hosted in the past, did not mean the World Cup Soccer will run as smoothly.

“A soccer World Cup is a completely different environment with far more risks,” he said. “If we look at the history of football tournaments, we see that a lot of deaths and injuries have been recorded. A lot of people follow soccer, and lives are often lost if the correct measures are not taken.”

“Alcohol abuse will be one of the main risk factors,” he added. “But we are preparing for medical emergencies and disasters of any kind.”

In the meantime, South African authorities are preparing themselves when it comes to crime and the 2010 world cup: 50.000 extra cops are being trained as we speak, specifically for 2010. Secondly, South Africa is to set up 54 special courts to efficiently deal with crimes committed during the 2010 World Cup.

Source: Cape Argus

Bristol’s World Cup bid boss has insisted local businesses will reap the benefits of hosting the tournament in the city.

Stephen Wray was responding to concerns that the contract Bristol must sign with FIFA contains “draconian” clauses which could leave council tax payers and local businesses footing enormous bills.

City councillors last night rubber-stamped Bristol’s world cup bid, and will formally submit it to FIFA at a Wembley ceremony tomorrow.

The city is committed to spending at least £17m if chosen to host the tournament. According to Mr Wray, this includes the cost of upgrading Bristol City’s new stadium at Ashton Vale to FIFA standards.

However, last night’s meeting saw disagreements between politicians and business leaders over who should foot the bill for the tournament.

But a report submitted to councillors by accountants PriceWaterhouseCoopers claims the city will see that money repaid many times over, and that hosting the tournament should be worth £250m to Bristol.

They estimate £150m will be spent in local firms, with a further £100m brought into the city through construction jobs.

Nonetheless, concerns have been expressed over the terms of the deal Bristol, and the other host cities, would be required to make with FIFA.

One clause in the contract says Bristol would get no compensation if matches were cancelled, even if FIFA were shown to be at fault.

Another will require the city to introduce by-laws preventing local businesses “ambush marketing” around the stadium, reserving it for official sponsors only.

Yet the man in charge of Bristol’s bid dismisses these concerns. Bristol bid director Stephen Wray told #SITE_NAME#: “The bottom line is that unless a city is prepared to sign these agreements, you cannot hope to host the world cup. It’s an absolute non-negotiable factor.

“What we have been doing is talking to the government, the DCMS and the LGA and we have got sufficient guarantees that the city’s interests will be protected.”

And he remains adamant local firms would reap massive rewards from games being held in Bristol. He said: “It will be local businesses. That is the money [£150m] that will accrue to the restaurants, bars, hotels, commercial centres, shops and visitor attractions.

“That is the general spending that will take place around a world cup event when you have visitors based in a city over that period of time.”

As the game progressed the Egyptians looked more sullen and spoke even less.

I poked my Canadian coworker.

This is strange. It’s like the Egyptians are bottling their anger and disappointment.

Though no sports fan, I enjoy sitting back and socializing over games with enthusiastic friends, sharing their excitement and learning a thing or two about the complicated world of sports so many swear by. (It’s similar to my fascination with religion…)

Yet, this game,the outcome of which would determine whether Egypt or Algeria would compete in the World Cup in South Africa, was different. No one talked, snacked or drank and tension filled the air. Though all day Egyptians had laughed, dawned flags and face-paint, now few looked like they were actually enjoying the action.

When Algeria scored the single goal toward the beginning of the match, there was complete silence. Did that really, happen? I squinted at the new “1” marking Algeria’s score, the replays and those around me. Though I was at an extremely crowded outdoor cafe, with tons more surrounding, there were no boos, or any other insults yelled at the offending goal.

Maybe they’re collectively not optimists? I wondered. During the previous game, which led them to this tie breaker, they scored in the first moment and last. They had needed to win by at least two points to advance and they had done it. After such a victory, the lack of optimism throughout the entire game surprised me. Rather than being a fun, social experience, the game seemed intensely personal to the Egyptian viewers.

The game ended and spectators rose and dispersed. The loudest noise was employers at the cafe forcefully stacking the cheap plastic chairs. We hurried out of their way.

Leaving the game my Egyptian friend confided he was relieved Egypt had lost.

The people can’t handle it, he explained. They’d go crazy. There’d be riots.

He also thought it would lead to less opposition toward Mubarak because as the primary supporters of the football team, Egyptians would environ the regime with their nationalistic aspirations for the team. Driving away from the cafe, our cab driver shared his views.

The next evening, another Egyptian friend and I sat in traffic in Zamalek. A natural occurrence in Cairo, we didn’t think much of it until we encountered riot police blocking entire streets and gangs of screaming boys dawning Egypt flags and loud words.

In the past days, what seemed like it was going to be a losing M3lesh (whoops) for Egypt, quickly blocked from memory, has turned into a national and international attention steeling  debacle. Though security concerns were present from the beginning, (BBC reported 15,000 security forces were at attention at the game in Sudan) because of pre-game violence, including Egypt attacking and injuring Algerian players in their bus and Algerians ransacking Egyptian businesses in Algeria, the level has quickly escalated and gained international attention.

Last week both nations recalled their ambassadors, leading the debate to switch from football to Arab unity and the secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, used the opening of the World Economic Forum to call for peace between the two Arab nations. BBC has also reported that Amr Moussa asked Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi to mediate. So practical…

Verdict of the moment? Seems like Egypt might as have well won the match for all the trouble and politics being squeezed out of the plays.

Some links I referred to–though I’m in no way saying they’re all reliable news sources–part of the fun is the rumors. Part of the interest is the unverified facts and motives of the reports.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSGEE5AL0EV

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8366739.stm

http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2009/11/24/feature-02

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8377211.stm

http://www.echoroukonline.com/eng/index.php?news=8489

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091120/wl_africa_afp/egyptalgeriaunrest

Visitors to South Africa’s premier holiday destination who are worried about becoming victims of the country’s high crime rate could find themselves instead robbed by a more furry kind of felon: baboons.

The cheeky primates have learned how to open car doors and jump through windows in pursuit of tasty sandwiches and snacks.

City officials are battling to control the increasingly aggressive troupes and there are fears the problem will only worsen with the influx of visitors to Cape Town during the World Cup next year.

On Tuesday, a troupe of 29 baboons raided four cars outside Simon’s Town, a small coastal neighborhood. A baboon dubbed “Fred,” the leader of the group, opened unlocked doors and jumped through windows to search for food.

He ransacked a bag in the back seat of a red car as a couple panicked about their passports. A girl screamed nearby as a baboon hopped into her car through a back window. Others climbed on car roofs and hoods, looking for ways inside.

Many of those who stopped to watch the raid had their own cars broken into by other baboons.

“We spend the whole day basically rescuing tourists,” said Mark Duffels, a volunteer who monitors the baboons in an effort to keep them at bay.

There are about 420 baboons in 17 troupes that roam the city’s outskirts, especially the popular scenic sites along the coast. Baboons are a protected species under South African legislation but their persistent pursuit of food has led to conflict with residents.

The baboons associate humans and cars with food although people are strongly discouraged from feeding the animals.

But Justin O’ Riain, head of the baboon research unit at the University of Cape Town, fears that the influx of visitors next year will only feed the primates’ taste for human foods even more.

“Tourism is going to go through the roof, and this equals exposure to naive people and rich pickings,” he said. “People who stop the car, they’re going to get raided.”

Concerned Simon’s Town residents asked Monday for a crossing gate to be put up on the road that leads to the nearby Cape of Good Hope nature reserve.

Cars would be stopped before they enter baboon territory and given a brochure in their native language explaining why they should stay in their cars, lock their doors and close their windows if they see baboons.

“We’re so anxious about tourists who can’t read or understand English. It puts them at risk,” said Liz Hardman, who is leading the campaign. “The perception is that the baboons are harmless and they’re not. They’re wild animals.”

We Irish are fit to make a middling fist of cynicism. After all, it’s a well fashionable attitude. But at heart we are anything but. Tell us a good myth and we will buy it, hook, line and most probably sinker. We believe in the dream. Whether it be the American Dream, the Roman Church Dream, the Celtic Tiger Dream or the Good Intentions of Fianna Fail Dream. Now that the dust has begun to settle slightly on the Main de Dieu affair, what lessons are we to take from the sorry tale of Ireland’s unfair departure from the World Cup?

For a start, let’s agree that the let’s-get-a-grip people have a point. It is not the end of the world that we missed out on qualifying for the World Cup. Yes, it cost us a lot of money. Yes, it was unfair. But there are so many more serious issues facing us; floods, global warming, the financial crisis, list them yourself. But football, as has been observed before, is a metaphor for life. Football makes us feel good. Football in the 1980’s was one of the absurd things that gave us a previously lacking belief in ourselves, that took us out of the post colonial doldrums. It has sometimes been said that Jack Charlton and – for entirely different reasons – Mary Robinson started the Celtic Tiger. And whatever about these big brush strokes one thing is sure. A strange tinge of regret will linger in Irish hearts as we watch Henry, Gallas and friends go about their business in South Africa 2010. Our minds will inevitably drift back to a November evening in 2009.

Remember? First off, we sang. The 5000 or so of us who had forked out and travelled to the match sang their lungs out for Amhrain na bFiann, but they sang Les Marseillaise nearly as lustily, shoulder to shoulder with our hosts. They bought into the occasion, into the pageant, into the competition with our traditional belief, commitment and humour. The rest of us sang along mentally with the TV. The country is small, and many of the Irish soccer fans would also have watched rugby matches at the Stade de France. We like the French. We knew a lot of their players, some in particular from their high profile gigs in England. The feeling in our hearts was more of hope than of conviction, being 1 – 0 down from the first leg. But we do the role of underdog well. When no one expects much from us, we are always good.

The world of the top flight professional footballer is one far removed from the world inhabited by most football fans. Millions of words have been written about the fishbowl of celebrity. But, like a lot of things, you probably need to be there to really understand what being a famous footballer is all about. We know, but don’t understand their world, a world in which they (generally) start out young, leave (an often modest) home, never grow up and dedicate huge work to their skills and fitness. They pretty well sacrifice everything to become one of the few, the very few who graduate, get through the eye of the needle and fulfil their dreams of fame and riches.

It might be useful to contemplate here some of the threads that bind the fans and these remote football stars together. One such is obvious. It is memory. Most footballers were once fans themselves. They stood on the terraces and dreamed. Another link are the referees, the middle-aged lads who puff and huff through the game blowing (or not blowing) whistles and raising flags. Most of these are part time (although FIFA are said to favour more professional referees), and they are modestly paid, especially in comparison to the celebrities whose play they regulate. Theirs is the epitome of a thankless job. Sometimes all that opposing fans agree on are the failures of the ref and his team.

Another link between fans and players are the managers. However high-flying and however famous a manager, he dare not incur the displeasure of the fans. Losing the dressing room is one thing; but losing the terrace is even more threatening for the career of a gaffer.

At some stage in the Stade de France on 18 November, it dawned on Thierry Henry that he was not playing in a superleague, Spanish or English or French. An international, especially this kind of international, is a different beast. Here you play with the honour of your country at stake. And to most people, even today, that means something. The Irish fans are not cynics; but neither are the French. They too, sang. They too, believed. And from their reaction in various blogs, in overwhelming votes on the Internet, in their calls for the match to be replayed, it is obvious that a sporting occasion, not a win-at-all-costs one was what they thought they were attending. Fans across the globe, English fans, Hungarian fans, Japanese fans, all voiced their outrage and disquiet at the injustice. These are not cynics either. A small minority, of course, insisted on a display of world-weary cynicism. But, as a number of people pointed out, a large proportion of the consumers of football and its associated merchandise are children. And they are not cynical either.

It was informative to listen to a series of professional footballers deliver their verdicts on the subject of the Henry foul that got away. Because of the sacrifices they have made, perhaps because they have had to re-invent super-flexible versions of themselves to get through the eye of the needle, the top players and ex-players have become as cynical as soldiers. Be it Roy Keane or Mick McCarthy. Be it Ronnie Whelan or David Beckham. And this sorry affair gives us a glimpse behind the clichés of football at the real people who perform week in week out for the clubs. You can detect the egos, the arrogance of course. But you can also detect self doubt, self loathing, even in the words of Roy Keane. He seems to be forever fighting a shadow Roy Keane who forgot to bring the footballs to Saipan or who is afraid to win, or who might have let the ball hop in the six yard box, once, at the end of a tired game, and lost everything. He had a fantastic playing career, and has entered the hall of fame as one of the true greats of Ireland and of Manchester United. He always seemed to have time on the ball, even in the most crowded midfield. He had authority on that field of dreams. Yet he left his last management job with an air of Hari Kiri about him. Roy needs to give himself a break. And give others a break, too.

Likewise Stephen Ireland, in a totally different way. Ireland just can’t believe he got through the needle’s narrow eye. He with his gawky body and prematurely receding hair. To convince himself, he keeps flaunting absurdly expensive cars, and giving interviews explaining why he’s not coming back to play for his country. He once said (perhaps in jest) that he hates football. He is every inch the star but all his body language betrays is fear. He is afraid of breaking the spell. He is afraid to play for Ireland, because he might be found out. He might not be good enough. You have to think for a second, when you try to name examples of people at the very top who seem to have kept their innocence and personal balance. But, from a distance, we can venture Ryan Giggs, Richard Dunne, Shay Given. Others have had their difficulties and recovered and carried on. It must be a strange place these lads occupy.

Thierry Henry seems basically to be a nice guy. His post match comments regarding his actions and even his apology for his celebration show that he is a man with a conscience and a sense of justice. It is true that his reaction was confused. He played up the goal, then later sat beside Richard Dunne on the pitch and tried to engage him in discussion. Not because he is a cynic, but because he knew by then that he was a loser, too. He had heard the singing and remembered the faces of the Irish fans. Later he saw the tears of the Irish. The uproar and genuine anger across the world did hurt him. There is no doubt about that. He was the captain in a very real sense of the French team. It is he, reports claim, rather than the vague Domenech, who really leads – and perhaps even picks – the French side. But once the storm broke Henri found himself isolated and abandoned, by the French FA, and – by the tone of his remarks – perhaps even by his playing colleagues. Everyone had to wait to see if he might have to be sacrificed. At this level, the players may be cynical. But the blazer brigade, made up of ex players and wannabe players are cynical squared. Cynical magnified to grotesque levels.

Korea, the World Cup host nation, were cheated into the closing stages of the World Cup finals in 2002, at the expense of Italy. Byron Moreno, the referee of the match, wrongly disallowed a perfectly good Italian goal by Tommasi, and sent off an Italian player unjustly. The Italian coach at the time was one Giovanni Trappatoni. Moreno was later banned for 20 matches in his native Ecuador for playing excessive (13 minutes, after 6 had been signalled) extra time, thereby affecting the results of a match between Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito and Barcelona Sporting Club.

The seeding made half way through the 2009 World Cup qualifying competition was clearly designed to affect the results. In the days before the match, the French newspaper Le Figaro wrote that the seeding of the playoff draw had been deliberately loaded in favour of the ‘big’ teams; and they questioned the influence of Adidas, sponsors of the French team. Right from the start, the preference of the world governing body were clear. This put – even if no pressure other than this was exerted – a terrible strain on one of the key links between the fans and the never-never land of top level football. The referee.

On the night of the match the Swedish official Hansson decided to employ a conventional ‘left handed’ diagonal system of control to monitor and regulate play. This system basically breaks the pitch into four quadrants. At the time when the French got their ‘goal’, the first two quadrants were in the Irish half (Q1 was on Shay Givens right) and the other two were in the French half. The ref was diagonally patrolling from quadrant four to quadrant one, leaving his first assistant, Wittberg, quadrant 3 in the French half and a guy called Frederik Nilsson, the second assistant, quadrant 2 along the left side of the Irish touchline. From the endless replays, Nilsson seemed to be the only one with a clear view of the incident. It was his direct responsibility to spot that two French players were offside as the ball came in. He was standing in the correct position, directly in line with the last defender. Inexplicably, though, he missed both the handball and the offside. Nilsson, unlike Hansson, is not a full time ref. He is down on the FIFA site as a ‘foreman’.

When the Irish players protested, referee Martin Hansson made a gesture as if the ball was striking his chest and the side of his body. His message was; I saw it (or he saw it), it was a good goal, you are wrong to protest. He even booked Damien Duff for over-zealous complaints. Of course video evidence seconds later showed that it was the ref that was wrong. Blatantly wrong. Did he consult with his linesman via his audio link? Presumably. There have been incidents where the officials have ‘unofficially’ used the television replay to make a judgement.  [I have since been told by a Frenchman that they don't show the slow-mo in the Stade de France]. And in the minutes leading up to that replay, somehow Hansson got a completely wrong impression of what happened. Not no impression, mark you, but the WRONG one.

Anyway, Hansson made his decision, the game re-started, and that was that. The Irish played on. In fairness to him, Nilsson had – rightly – flagged an Italian ‘goal’ by Sidney Govou as offside in the 111th minute. The referee also denied Nicholas Anelka a penalty claim when the Frenchman dived. In general, fans agreed, the Swedish officials had a good game, until the lapse in the first half of extra time.

After the world wide post-match inquest began, the focus shifted away from Henry and the Swedish referees and on to the world body and its officials. FIFA were already in their bunker. A bland version of the match was described on their website, omitting for the first 24 hours any mention of the handball. They cited the rules of the game in their statement responding to the FAI call for a replay. The referee’s decision is final, they said, pointing to the rule book. Only – the referee’s decision is not final, it turns out. Uzbekistan and Bahrain had a game replayed under the stewardship of FIFA during the 2006 qualifiers, on the basis of a referee’s mistake.

And here, I would suggest, lies the greatest danger for Sepp Blatter and the suits in FIFA. As long as The Threads That Bind the true fans to the strange world of the booted gladiators hold, their position (and those of sponsors, etc.) is safe. But break that spell, and get half a million of them baying for blood and you can forget the deals. You can forget the massive edifice that is world football. Because, like the banking system, the entire thing works on the basis of confidence. World wrestling is fun, but no one believes it is real. If the paying football punters were to become as cynical as the players, not to mention the officers of the governing bodies, the world game would not last a wet week. Stay un-cynical, Ireland fans, and true fans everywhere. Believe, for as long as you can.

Don’t point the finger at deeper ills. The violence in Cairo was just thuggery cynically fomented by President Mubarak

It really is about football. Local and international media can argue about the underlying reasons for the violence in Cairo that saw the Algerian embassy attacked, hundreds of riot police on the streets and a general atmosphere of fear. But if Egypt had beaten Algeria last Wednesday, instead of losing 1-0, it is clear that the riots would not have happened.

Reports that Egyptians were venting their anger over years of government neglect, corruption and poor living conditions are somewhat right. Egyptians may have plenty of reasons to be depressed, angry or frustrated but to blame that for the violence last week, which saw dozens of large police trucks roll into Cairo’s posh Zamalek neighbourhood, would be taking the easy way out.

The real answer is that Egyptians have had little to cheer about in recent years. Only the Cup of African Nations championships – won by Egypt in 2006 and 2008 – brought the country together more than its recent effort to qualify for next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.

The loss left a nation wounded, unable to deal with the fact that even on the football pitch, they cannot achieve success.

It is easy to blame the “other” for what occurred in Cairo last weekend. President Hosni Mubarak attempted to do just that by fomenting anger and hatred toward Algeria over alleged attacks on Egyptian fans in Sudan following Wednesday’s match. Actors and other “stars” of Egyptian society went on national television detailing attacks against Egyptians by Algerians. This is what the government wanted: to whip up fear and anger over football. And the media helped them out, with headlines such as “Algerian terrorism” following the loss, and reports of violence in Sudan.

The result was a preoccupation with football and raw nationalism rarely seen in the country. Mubarak and the ruling party took the opportunity to enrage a segment of society that has long been excluded from any political or social advancement. It was a chance to create anger against the “other” (in this case, Algerians) for what may or may not have occurred.

The false sense of nationalism created in the wake of the defeat in Khartoum created a wave of angry supporters who remained at home on Thursday morning, lamenting their national team’s failure to secure a place in South Africa. It was about football then. By the evening, when word spread that Egyptians had been attacked by Algerians, all hell broke loose.

As the riots raged, the Egyptian leadership were most likely sitting in their villas smiling, knowing that for now, the Algerian conundrum would occupy the people, take their minds away from the real issues at hand and create weeks of “diplomatic” tension with Algeria.

On Friday evening, when I traversed the “war zone” in Zamalek, the generals were cordial, pointing the direction to go. As a foreigner, I found it easy to slip through the checkpoints at every corner. The Algerian embassy was damaged, but not too badly.

Talking with local shopkeepers, who stood only metres from destroyed windows, what they said was shocking but highlights the entire situation of Egyptian denial. “Nothing happened here, it is all the media’s hype trying to show how bad the Egyptians are,” said one shopkeeper. This, of course, was said as scores of soldiers blocked the middle of the street.

A number of Egyptians, when the reporting began to analyse the riots, began talking about the need to put it all in the proper “context”. They said the mob was responding to the attacks against their fellow citizens in Sudan. Yes, they probably were, but to attack one’s fellow citizens, their shops and their property because of reports from celebrities does not seem the proper response.

Many people agree that it was barbaric and childish, but they still want to argue it away as an attack against the government. No way was it an attack against the government. It was simply a riot out of depression for the loss of a football match and the loss of one’s perceived honour.

Women’s activists rightly object when sexual harassment is described within the context of frustration; the canard of young men and boys harassing women because they “have no other outlet”. Similarly, why should a riot against Algeria and Algerians be argued away as the frustration of a people? It cannot and should not.

In the end, observers and analysts, Egyptians and foreign, should put the blame on the people who fomented the anger and hostility, on the government and on the rioters themselves. Police did their job properly on Friday and we should not condemn the heavy hand of the state in this, but we should condemn the government for not openly chastising their own citizens who took the loss of a football match as a chance to lash out at the enemy: Algeria.

By next June, after the anger toward Algerians is spent, Egyptians will be supporting their Arab counterparts for the World Cup: Algeria again. [Source: Guardian Nov. 24 2009]

In football, the saying, to the winner go the spoils couldn’t be more true. The minute a footballer scores a few goals, he is immediately put in the same league as the greats of the game. And God forbid, if he makes a mistake in the heat of the moment, all his past greatness is forgotten and he is immediately an overrated talentless footballer. The headlines in the past week have been dominated by two individual footballers, Thierry Henry and Jermaine Defoe. Thierry Henry had his moment and could have become a hero cherished by millions (minus the French) for eternity or he could have fallen from grace for millions. Unfortunately for Henry, in the heat of the moment he didn’t think selfishly enough and now he is being termed a cheat, a liar, a shame, a no-gooder, an unethical person and a villain of the worst kind, an overrated footballer who was never really good enough. It seems everyone is trying hard to forget the magic of Arsenal’s all-time leading goal scorer with 226 goals in all competitions, the two time winner of PFA Players’ Player of the Year and three time winner of the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year - Theirry Henry. Ironic, how almost all football journalists now seem to want to remember Henry only by the recent mistake that he made.

As is true of life, when a hero falls, a replacement is quickly sought. Jermaine Defoe’s 5 goals in the second half of the, 9-1 thriller between Tottenham Hotspur and Wigan Athletic couldn’t have come at a better time. Defoe’s horrible stamp on Aaron Mokoena in his return match against his old employers at Portsmouth which earned him a three match ban has been long forgotten and he is enjoying his sudden rise from a villain who manager Harry Rednapp had been absolutely livid with for the misdemeanor to a hero who manager Harry Rednapp is now busy hailing as the “best finisher” in the English game. His captain for the day, Jonathan Woodgate was even more generous with his praise saying, “I think he’s the sharpest striker not only in the Premier League but probably in the world. He’s that sharp he simply doesn’t miss, in training or in matches.”

The winner takes it all and I can’t begin to imagine what praise would have been directed the strikers way had he got a Premier League record sixth goal of the afternoon. On the other hand, Wigan Athletic players who suffered their worst result  in club’s 31-year league history, making them the first English Premier League team to concede nine goals in a single match since Ipswich Town in 1995 have decided to refund the money to supporters who travelled to White Hart Lane on Sunday (November 22) to watch their team get so completely thrashed in the humiliating 9-1 loss. Jermaine Defoe’s 5 goals were added to by goals from Peter Crouch, Aaron Lennon, Niko Kranjcar and a  painful Chris Kirkland own goal.

Wigan Athletic Captain Mario Melchiot said the players had “badly let down” their travelling supporter and will therefore provide a full refund of the match ticket price. ”This is a gesture we have to make and pay them back for their tremendous loyalty,” the Latics captain added.

Also, possibly related to the shameful result, Wigan Athletic today postponed the planned official opening of their new club store in the town. A spokesperson said: “The club apologises for any inconvenience caused to its supporters but stresses that the event will go ahead in the very near future, as soon as a new date can be arranged.” In the beautiful game, the winner is entitled to it all and then some, while the loser waits for his time to shine, good thing that it doesn’t take much to be a winner, a couple of goals can get you there.

By Cara Sulieman

A SCOTTISH teacher has said that school kids should be encouraged to use Wikipedia for school research, despite doubts over the accuracy of the information on the site.

Ollie Bray, deputy head teacher at Musselburgh Grammar, said that pupils should use it to learn how to evaluate the credibility of information.

But the online encyclopaedia has a reputation for being unreliable as anyone can edit the information it carries, and parent groups say it makes their kids “lazy”.

There have been a number of high profile mistakes on the site – just last week Thierry Henry’s entry had to be locked as angry users vandalised his profile after his handball during the France Ireland football game.

Discussion

But Ollie insists Wikipedia is a valuable teaching tool – and reckons it is better to teach pupils how to use it properly rather than ban it.

He said: “We, as teachers, should be looking at these disclaimers and working with young people to discuss why articles are disputed or contradict themselves.

“If we start with the belief that everything is subject to opinion, then we can work on how to validate it.”

He suggests teachers and pupils study the “discussion”, “source” and “history” tabs on the website.

The discussion tab will show the youngsters how much debate goes into reaching a compromise when changing disputed facts.

Better access

And he thinks that these skills should be taught alongside internet safety and responsible use, as biased information could also be seen as “inappropriate content”.

He said: “There is extreme content on the internet, but kids only find it because they go looking for it.”

And the teacher – who is currently working for Learning and Teaching Scotland as a national adviser for emerging technologies – also wants kids to have better access to sites such as YouTube, which is banned in some schools and allowed in others.

He said: “Why is it fair that children in East Lothian can get access to hundreds of hours on Channel 4, National Geographic or the Scottish Parliament, when other schools and teachers have not got access to these resources?

“It means that children don’t get to benefit from it, or the teacher or head has to spend time procuring resources which are available for free.”

IT savvy

But the internet site has been blamed for making Scottish schoolchildren lazy, with parents worried that their kids are relying on someone else to do all the hard work for them.

Eleanor Coner from the Scottish Parent Teacher Council said: “Children are very IT-savvy, but they are rubbish at researching.

“The sad fact is most children these days use libraries for computers, not the books. We accept that as a sign of the times, but schools must teach pupils not to believe everything they read.

“It’s dangerous when the internet is littered with opinion and inaccurate information which could be taken as fact.”

Although Wikipedia is edited by its users, the site monitors the changes and responds to inaccuracies when it can.

A disclaimer on the site says: “While Wikipedia articles generally attain a good standard after editing, it is important to note that fledgling, or less well monitored, articles may be susceptible to vandalism and insertion of false information.”

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

 This will be the third consecutive year that the Omega World Cup will be held in China at the Mission Hills Golf Course and the two Swedish stars Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson are back to defend their title.

The two Swede’s posted a final round 63 last year to come back from six shots behind the leaders and pulled off one of the most memorable victories in World Cup history.

So who can we expect to be in the mix on Sunday?

England’s Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher has to be one of the firm favourites this year with both of them having a remarkable year and winning tournaments all over the world. Fisher had won in China only a few weeks ago and so did Poulter.

South Africa: Rory Sabbatini and Richard Sterne has had tough seasons this year but when the World Cup comes around you can always expect the fighting South Africans to be in the mix.

Ireland: Rory McIlroy has had a dream of a season and might be a little down after losing out the European number-one position but he’s still one of the form golfers in the world today. Playing partner Graeme McDowell is a very gritty team competitor as we saw in the Ryder Cup and he will definitely get McIlroy stirred up for this big event.

Spain: Sergio Garcia has had a terrific year and finished 7th on the Race to Dubai standings so will definitely feel on top of his game and ready for this. We know Sergio also as being a strong team player. F’dez Castano finished 17th on the Euro money list so both players in form.

Germany: The pairing of Alex Cejka and Martin Kaymer will definitely be one to watch. They finished 5th last year and stand a great chance being in contention this year. Kaymer finished in the top five in Europe this year so definitely keep your eyes on the Germans.

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak ratcheted up the diplomatic tension with Algeria yesterday as football-related violence continued to spread across both countries. In a statement to parliament, he told cheering MPs that “Egypt will not be lax with those who harm the dignity of its sons”.

It is the president’s first public intervention in a row that has seen thousands of protesters flood the streets of Cairo and Algiers and a wave of attacks against Egyptian targets in Algeria and vice versa. The trouble started when Egypt won a World Cup qualifier against Algeria in Cairo, setting up a play-off between the two sides in Sudan to decide which country would progress to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

Last week Egypt recalled its envoy from Algeria after expressing its “outrage” at the treatment faced by Egyptian fans in Khartoum, where Algeria won 1-0. Despite appeals for calm by the general secretary of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, rioting has spread to both capitals. In Algiers the offices of Egypt’s national airline were destroyed, while in Cairo security forces battled with protesters trying to reach the Algerian embassy, which was reportedly hit by firebombs. Parts of the city are under police lockdown.

Mubarak’s speech did nothing to calm the frenzy, as he swore to protect the rights of Egyptians. “The welfare of our citizens abroad is the responsibility of the country,” he said.

However, there were signs last night that a public backlash against the government’s handling of the football storm was gaining strength. “Hosni Mubarak’s thugs have beaten and killed more Egyptians than any hooligans,” said Hossam el-Hamalawy, a journalist and opposition activist.[Source Guardian | Nov. 22 2009]

Nothing makes you a hero or a villain faster than football. Unfortunately for Henry it was his time to play the villain. He made a mistake. He handled the ball in the World Cup playoff decider against Ireland,which put his country in next years World Cup in South Africa. He probably didn’t do it  intentionally (no one can plan such stuff) and may be he should have owned up to it immediately instead of waiting till the end of the match but no one can understand what was going on in his head at that time. It was a big game, the result of which was crucial  and he can’t really be blamed for not being strong enough to be honest but that doesn’t instantly make him a cheat, a liar, a good-for-nothing footballer with no ethics who was never really good enough.

Another dilemma to this question of him owning up is that  as a professional footballer, his duty was to do whatever it took to put France in the World Cup Finals. If he had owned up to the handball, would it have been fair to his countrymen? Its easy to judge sitting on the periphery and when the stakes aren’t very high for you. Hell, I confess that there are times when my team (Chelsea), get decisions in their favor because the referee was daft or blind or both and I refuse to criticize the player and the referee, just glad that my team are ahead.

Understandably, the French supporters feel like Henry has done nothing wrong and may be some even consider him (at their own risk),something of hero while the Irish are disgusted and feel cheated and football fans around the world are livid. Some even going far enough to make personal sacrifices as vowing never to use a certain shaving product promoted by Henry (a lot of very hairy football fans in the future).  Had Henry owned up to the handball immediately, he would have proven to the world that he was an extraordinary human being. Henry is not a cheat, he is not a liar, and he is not an extraordinary person, he is simply a professional football player.

Henry did what he had to do for his country and is not to blame. The referee, however didn’t do his job well enough and  FIFA, haven’t done their job for a while now by rejecting a replay of the match  and by continuously rejecting the introduction of technology in football.

Normally I try to make sure my blogs have a neat conclusion, an attempt to reconcile something I’ve seen or heard against the greater backdrop of post-Apartheid South Africa and all its nuances. I fear this one will be different. I can only describe what I saw and heard, and will struggle to make any sense of it. Yesterday I took a group of Oaktree volunteers and supporters to Umthombo, an organisation dedicated to Durban’s street children. They do community outreach, provide basic health care and nutrition, do activities such as soccer and surfing, and advocate on behalf of Durban’s 500-odd street kids. They need someone to stand up for them, particularly in the lead up to the World Cup, as the usual tactic used by the municipal police to combat street children is to round them up, beat them up, and dump them in the sugar cane fields. Umthombo aim to reconcile street children with their families and provide trauma counselling to these kids who have often escaped horrendous situations. We toured Durban with outreach workers, some of whom are former street children. I had heard about the problem of glue-sniffing, and although it wasn’t noticeable at first, after a few minutes with some of the kids I noticed just about all were inhaling glue from juice cartons, and the area around us was littered with jars of glue. It was like one of those 3D ‘magic eye’ illusions where you look at a scene, and slowly the parts that blend into the background emerge and form a new picture in front of your eyes. We were hearing about one of our guides’ own stories about ending up on the streets after his parents’ marriage broke up. He ended up getting involved in crime, going to jail, and even getting shot. While he was telling us this, one of the other guides ran over to say a girl had just been hit by a car. She is known to Umthombo, about 21, and lives on the streets. All hell broke loose as business owners clashed with the street kids and waved around big, scary-looking batons. We stood by unable to do anything but watch the Umthombo guys deal with the situation. Fortunately the police and emergency services came and the girl was taken to hospital with an injured leg. We continued on our way and saw a group of tow trucks parked on the sidewalk. As we went past one, I noticed a girl sitting in the cab with one of the drivers. The look the guy was giving this girl, who would have been no older than 14, a look that could only be described as sleazy. Umthombo estimate 99% of the girls on the streets end up becoming prostitutes, and sexual abuse of boys is also common. I felt sick that people would take advantage of these kids, and angry at the myriad social conditions that lead them all to the streets. There are too many to spell them out.

Women World Cup Final

I took up a fencing course in January and it lasted unti May. I have not kept on fencing, but had an excellent opportunity to take pictures in the Junior World Cup in Helsinki last weekend. This shot is from the women’s final.

I’m back in the Estados Unidos after a productive and enjoyable trip to Argentina.

What did I learn while I was there?

One, the sun is very powerful in South America.  I spent my last afternoon there to take a quick tour on one of those turistico buses (highly recommend, especially if you’re short on time).

You know, the kind with no tops on them, where the sun can shine right down on your head and forehead?

Yeah.  Estupido turista.

Two, I learned that while the social media is alive and well in Latin America, I would suggest based on my observations and discussions with our teams there that its use is a little more tepid and cautious in Latin America, particularly within business.

Personally, particularly with sites like Orkut and Twitter, there’s substantial and widespread use, but the business uptake is slower than other parts of the world.

Three, the Internet communications and marketing opportunity is much more substantial in the mobile space than in the land-line Internet (that is, if you’re interested in raw numbers).

By way of example, EMarketer’s “Digital Atlas,” which I consulted before I headed south, reveals that Internet users in Brazil last numbered around 67M, while mobile phone users were in the range of 150M.

Similar disparities between mobile and landline access exist in other countries in Latin America as well, including Mexico and Argentina.

Four, I reaffirmed how much it sucks to get sick while traveling abroad.  But, as mentioned in this blog, I was fortunate to be able to head over to Dr. IBM right there on the site to get some medicine to stave off the nastiness.

Here I am, a week later, still illin’, but I was very thankful to stave off the illness while on the ground there.

Five, I learned that it is possible to get a full night’s sleep in economy class, particularly with the help of some other medicine (in my case, doctor-prescribed sleeping pills).

In fact, such sleep can make all the difference in the world (although admittedly, it’s easier when you’re not jumping so many time zones).

Personally, I don’t mind so much the long flights, but in coach they can be quite painful if you have legs longer than 2 feet, so the ability to totally sack out can help put about 70% of the time on the plane into unconsciousness, which is the perfect way to shorten the plane ride.

(As for you people who stay awake for the duration of 10-13 hour flights, you may want to check to see if you’re related to some of the characters on “True Blood” [vampires].  I don’t know how you do it.)

Six, I can’t or don’t keep up with what’s going on in the world very well when I’m on the road.

Despite having a BlackBerry that lives up to its promise as a “world phone” (Since I got it in January, it HAS worked in every city I’ve been to around the globe), one simply doesn’t have much free time to check in and keep up when you’re bouncing from one meeting or dinner to another.

The whole point of making these trips is to meet one’s colleagues on the ground and spend quality time, so that’s the priority.

So, I’m still playing catch up on the news flow (email and otherwise).

Seven, I still love my Nikon CoolPix camera and my FlipVideo camera…both allowed me to easily (and very portably) capture sights and sounds from the journey without having to lug around a lot of equipment.

Eight, I can’t wait for the World Cup next summer.  I really enjoyed being around a bunch of honest-to-God futbol fans, and my excursion to see the Boca Juniors play Arsenal was a highlight of my trip.

If anybody needs a blogger to cover next summer’s World Cup, I’m so on that plane to Johannesburg…business, coach, or even luggage class.

And nine, regarding my iPod Touch: I don’t leave the country without it.

Since I got the “touch,” it has become my best friend while traveling.  I now download books, games, music, podcasts, and even movies to carry with me on the road and to help pass the time, to Tweet, to read, to chill…it’s one of the first things I pack just to make sure I don’t forget it.

All that said, it’s nice to be back in Austin in time for the Thanksgiving holiday and a whole meal of American football.

2009 is drawing to a close, and 2010 is waiting in the wings… Our dynamic team at Badec Bros Deco will be taking a well-deserved break from 18 December 2009, until 6 January 2010. You have until Thursday, 26 November 2009 to place your orders for delivery in 2009! From next week on, we will be taking the orders for 2010.

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