Indy's Fraternity

Van2010 – Recap

2010-03-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

Here’s a nice snapshot of the recently concluded Vancouver Winter Olympics by Dr. Jonathan Dugas of Science of Sport. Please do pay them a visit. Relive…

History, both real and fabricated

Often times the stories that come with the Olympics compete with the games themselves, and this year was no exception to this. It started tragically with the death of Georgian luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili, who was killed during a training run just a few hours prior to the opening ceremony. Thankfully this is an extremely rare event with the list of deaths containing only seven athletes since 1912. (This excludes the 11 Israeli athletes who were killed by a Palestinian group in Munich in 1972.)

The "fabricated" historical events then lead the way, with everything from the "most medals by a [enter nationality here]" to most golds to most medals over most games to whatever category one can dream up. Admittedly, it is interesting to know some of these stories as for some countries the medal drought has been particularly long and sustained, and knowing that an athlete has just won the first medal for his or her country in 36 years adds a more human aspect to the performance.

The Vonn rope-a-dope?

Anyone watching in the USA is likely suffering from Lindsey Vonn fatigue. She gets mentioned any time alpine skiing is the topic and I feel she lays it on pretty thick in her interviews. Going into the games it was all doom and gloom as she claimed to a have serious shin bruise that would hamper her chances of even competing. However when it came time to perform she won gold in the downhill by 0.5 s, which is quite a margin, before going on to claim bronze in the Super G.

One has to ask if she exaggerated the effect of the bruise to psych out her competitors, because how can her status go from questionable to start to winning by half a second? Is she so much better than the others that even injured she beats them handily? Tactic or not, she was successful and might still pick up a medal or two in her remaining events.

On the topic of alpine skiing, seldom does a sport demonstrate the tiny differences between athletes at the top. The margins of victory are often in the hundredths of seconds, and one has to ask how on earth you make up 0.04 s in that event. It seems that even the smallest mistake, a missed edge somewhere, or a barely noticeable mistake on a landing from a jump, is the difference between gold and silver. And this brings up an interesting aspect of high performance sport and the management of athletes and performance.

Assumption: Everyone trains hard

Going into the high-profile events we have to assume that the top five athletes are all "equal," meaning they are all talented, trained hard and long, and are all motivated to win and believe they can win. Of course the results do not reflect this equality as we never see ties and in the end someone walks away with gold. So we have to look at how to gain an advantage at this very top of the sport, and to that we look to other intangibles outside of physical training, such as the role of management and sports psychology. Our resident maven Jim Ferstle sent us this article that highlights the role of sports psychology. I suspect the different techniques and methods the sports psychologists use are as varied and diverse as the athletes in the Olympic village. The take-home message is not that one has to believe in oneself to win, although that is certainly a prerequisite for success. Rather, the message is that that at the top of any sport the opportunities to separate yourself from the competition are small and rare, and any approach that can indeed produce some degree of separation is beneficial.

No dopers caught---yet

Over halfway thru the games and not one positive test has been returned, and this brings the normal cries of triumph (mostly by the IOC) that the games are clean. Nothing could be farther from the truth and by now we hope our readers understand fully that the number positive tests is in no way related to the number of athletes doping, because by now we have enough evidence of athletes who have admitted to doping without ever being caught, as well as national federations covering up positive tests. However there is now a test for human growth hormone, and in fact English rugby player Terry Newton tested positive in November and has been banned. We do not know much about the details of this test, and no one knows if it will be used on the samples from Vancouver, so perhaps down the line we will see some positives as the games end.

F1 Financial Management 101 by Sir Richard Branson

2010-03-09T21:47:00.000-08:00

He's at it again - leading from the front. Many thought that Mr Branson was off for backing the Brawn GP F1 team in 2009. Virgin was the ONLY prominent logo on the car. Against all odds, they WON !!! This year he is at it again, with the smallest budget of all other teams -- will he pull off another coup? Let the F1 race begin. Again, thanks to the folks at Sports Pro Media.

Virgin Racing has the smallest budget on the grid and will be very much the financial underdog in 2010, just as Sir Richard Branson likes it. He spent only a six figure sum in 2009 to sponsor the Brawn GP team, generating masses more in publicity and exposure as the team became a competitive force. For this year, the best estimates suggest Virgin Racing will work with a budget of around US$66 million. Virgin itself is thought to be contributing around US$8 million to the project.

In December the Lloyds Banking private equity arm, Lloyds TSB Development Capital, invested around US$16.25 million for what is believed to have been a 20 per cent share in the team, a decision fuelled by the firm’s desire to “seek out unusually attractive market segments and then back British business”. Lloyds has installed Etienne de Villiers, former chairman of the Association of Tennis Professionals, as team chairman.

When the team was officially unveiled in December, a raft of sponsors were announced including investments broker Oxigen; Russian luxury car manufacturer Marussia; and, perhaps most significantly, former BMW Sauber sponsor FxPro. It said much for the pulling power of the Virgin brand: more sponsors and innovative tie-ups are expected as the team begins racing.

As Branson has put it: “I think the Virgin brand helps Formula One generally because it has lost some good brands and it’s good to start attracting brands like Virgin to Formula One. Virgin is a cutting edge brand. I think we can bring a lot of sponsors into the sport who are not in the sport at the moment. We can bring some fun to the sport; we started off in the music business so we know a lot about music. A little bit of rock and roll – why not?”

The 2010 Formula One Black Book, published in April, will provide an in-depth team-by-team business preview to the new Formula One season. The Black Book also includes a comprehensive review of the 2009 championship, detailed analysis of every Grand Prix event and contact details of over 3,000 of the motorsport industry's major players.

BOA and USOC joining forces !

2010-03-09T21:42:00.000-08:00

From Sports Pro Media -- should be a good tie-up but wouldn't it have been better for these organizations to help some under develop country's Olympic programs, instead of each others? Comments..??

The British Olympic Association (BOA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) have signed a “groundbreaking” agreement to aid the development of Olympic sports in both countries.

The deal penned by USOC Chairman Larry Probst and BOA Chairman Lord Moynihan in San Francisco, following the closing of the Vancouver Winter Games, will see the two organisations sharing a “commitment to support the growth of the Olympic Movement” in the build up to the 2012 and 2014 Olympic Games.

Specifically the agreement aims to establish a congress to take place in London in 2011 in order to develop and share information on best practices in national governing body leadership, establish joint forum to share the best practices in the development of youth and education programmes in sport and recreation, as well as paving the way for the formation of a British skiing and snowboarding governing body following the collapse of Snowsport GB.

Lord Moynihan said, “For the BOA, this agreement also represents an invaluable opportunity to provide an additional pathway of critical support for our winter sport athletes and, in particular, those athletes affected by the recent collapse of the former national governing body for ski and snowboard sport in the UK.”

Probst added: “Our goal coming into the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games was to continue our efforts to engage the global Olympic Movement, learn from other National Olympic Committees and, where possible, share our own expertise.

“With this agreement, and others we’ve signed during these Games, I believe we have made progress against that objective. I look forward to working closely and collaboratively in the coming years with Lord Moynihan, [BOA chief executive] Andy Hunt and the entire BOA.”

CNN teams-up with The Lotus F1 Team!

2010-03-04T01:58:00.000-08:00

This must have been welcomed news for the Lotus F1 Team (Malaysia) - this means definite exposure on CNN Sports ! Again from our friends at Sports Pro Media - thanks.

American news broadcaster CNN has agreed a sponsorship deal with Formula One newcomers Lotus Racing.

The "long-term" agreement will see the CNN logo appear on the front-wing of the T127 race cars, the drivers overalls and visors, and on all team clothing in the coming season. It is unclear whether the deal involves a cash sponsorship or coverage for Lotus or associated brands on CNN. However, the annual value of such a sponsorship would ordinarily be around US$2 million.

Rani Raad, senior vice president CNN International Advertising Sales, said: "The combination of two such iconic and aspirational global brands fits perfectly with CNN International’s worldwide reach and brand positioning. This unique partnership with Lotus Racing takes CNN International into a new era of marketing and promotions and puts us in front of a worldwide audience of millions."

Lotus Racing team principal Tony Fernandes said: "We are very proud to welcome CNN into the Lotus Racing family. It is a sign of the positive impact we have already made in the global business market that such a prestigious brand, familiar to millions around the world as the definitive source of news and current affairs, has made the decision to partner with us. The whole team and I are looking forward to working with CNN in the months and years to come on some very exciting campaigns."

Michael Jordan agrees to buy the Charlotte Bobcats

2010-03-04T01:52:00.000-08:00

Its homecoming for Air Jordan - buying the Bobcats - his home team. Must be great news for the team as well. From the folks at Sports Pro - thanks.

Michael Jordan has spent some US$250 million to take his stake in the Charlotte Bobcats to 70 per cent, giving him a controlling stake in the franchise.

Jordan, already a minority owner and responsible for running basketball operations at the Bobcats, agreed the deal with owner Bob Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, who paid US$300 million for the expansion team in 2004.

As a shooting guard at the Chicago Bulls, Jordan won six NBA titles and five MVP awards. Jordan is believed to have earned more money than any other athlete in history with the exception of Tiger Woods.

"We have been anticipating an agreement for transfer of a majority interest in the Bobcats and are pleased it has occurred," said NBA commissioner David Stern in a statement. "Bob Johnson brought the excitement of the NBA back to Charlotte and I am certain that as Michael Jordan returns to his home state as the principal owner of the Bobcats the team will continue its growth as a success on the court, as a business success and as a valued community asset.

"We expect the expedited approval process to be completed by the end of next month," Stern added.

Why on earth has Accenture ditched Tiger Woods?

2010-02-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

I know, I know - there has been sooo much written about the Tiger...but this is classic...pun intended of course - Enjoy! (There will be NO more blogs on this issue till Mr Woods announces when he will be back), for Golf, we hope sooner rather than later.

Curtesy of Forbes.com - From witty British adman Rory Sutherland comes this jargony rationale for Tiger Woods' trangressions:

Surely Tiger's decision to outsouce sexual services to a range of competing providers is in line with Management Consultancy's established best practice?

Previously he had been tied to a monopoly Scandianvian supplier - with the cripplingly high social costs this usually entails. Moreover, given his wife's age, it is possible that she was on the brink of becoming a depreciating asset who needed to be moved off the balance sheet as soon as possible.

Admittedly he could have off-shored more - to girls from low-wage economies. But the arrangement where he could have anything from nil to three girls on call at any one time allows for better load-balancing, enabling him to handle the peaks and troughs of demand better than under the previous inflexible arrangement. By sourcing girls locally, he was also reducing distribution costs and helping the environment...... while allowing him to adopt a best-of-breed approach to sexual delivery, rather than depending on a single source.

The image rights of players

2010-02-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the theme of the past few entries, here's more 'biz-bites' (as I like to call them), to know how much footballers actually make (in addition) to their salaries, that is!! Enjoy!

The monthly income of a football player is made up of several parts, including his salary, the bonus game and signing of the contract and the percentage of the image rights of the player. The latter is related to the use of player image in advertising campaigns and marketing activities of the club.

Beckham Brand Ltd

There are however players with their image rights worth millions of Euros and in need of a more professional management of personal income. It is the example of David Beckham, who through his company Beckham Brand Ltd, controlled by the Company and 19 Entertainment, operates and manages his image rights.

To get an idea of figures in motion by Beckham Brand Ltd, (not including all advertising contracts of players such as the Adidas and Motorola among others), in 2008 the company generated revenues of Beckham for 11, 3 million Euros. Still in season 08/09 all revenue from the player's image rights amounted to 32.4 million Euros (ver. income of players with advertising).

Percentages

Other cases of media is that of Cristiano Ronaldo. The image rights of Portuguese player before moving to Madrid were completely managed by his agent Jorge Mendes. The time of their appointment by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has ensured 50% of the image of the player. Currently the image rights of Cristiano Ronaldo is estimated between 80 and 90 million Euros, which exemplifies the importance of image rights of players in current football industry.

Taxes

Another case related to the image rights of players comes from Brazil. The average income of a player to play in Brazil is made up, 26% in salary, 7% in premium games, 7% in contract awards and 60% corresponding to the image rights. This difference in percentages is only one way the club and the player saved about 15% in taxes, with the club to sign a contract with the company representing the player for the exploitation of his image rights.

NFL vs EPL

2010-02-18T07:19:00.000-08:00

Andy West spent a decade as head of communications for Reading Football Club, including two seasons in the English Premier League (2006-8). Now a freelance football writer and commentator, he's looking forward to finding out whether England really has any chance of winning the 2010 World Cup.

‘Super Sunday’ showcases contrasting sporting philosophies

FEB 6 — This weekend sees the arrival of another richly-hyped ‘Super Sunday’... but, for once, the global sporting scene’s spotlight will not fall on the table-topping Premier League fixture between Chelsea and Arsenal.

Although live television coverage of the game at Stamford Bridge will attract millions of fans across dozens of countries in all corners of the planet, on this particular weekend its viewing figures will be eclipsed by events taking place 4,400 miles across the Atlantic, as the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts contest American Football’s NFL Superbowl in Miami.

A comparison of the structures of the EPL and the NFL (the two most globally popular sporting leagues currently in operation) reveals a distinct and profound clash of philosophies. Although the two leagues are similar in the way they’ve enjoyed huge commercial success in the international market, in nearly every other way they could not be more different.

The contrast can be summarised as follows: in the UK, the clubs control the league; in the US, the league controls the clubs.

The English Premier League, as an administrative body, is virtually powerless. Clubs, providing they operate legally, can quite simply do what they like. Even the most incompetent of administrators can run their business however they choose, and nobody has the power to stop them.

This is due to the constitution of the league, which requires 12 of the 20 member clubs to sanction new regulations before they can be introduced. EPL Chief Executive Richard Scudamore therefore has his hands tied in terms of instigating truly meaningful legislation because the deciding vote always goes to the clubs, who are unlikely to approve a measure that they perceive as hindering their freedom to act according to their own wishes.

Even in the current laughably shambolic situation at Portsmouth, who are now under the control of their fourth owner of the season, the Premier League’s opportunity to intervene is very restricted. The league has succeeded in withholding portions of Portsmouth’s television payments to pay some of their outstanding debts to other clubs, but can have virtually no influence over how Portsmouth go about managing the debt they’ve accumulated so recklessly.

In stark contrast, NFL clubs are forced to operate within strict parameters. The NFL as a league body has absolute power, and uses that control with one chief goal in mind: to ensure a level playing field between member teams. ‘Parity’ is the ultimate objective for NFL administrators, and every strategic decision made is aimed at maintaining a competitive balance between the 32 clubs.

The NFL’s determination to create parity has resulted in an environment where the last ten Superbowls have been won by eight different teams, and no team has ever lifted the trophy more than two seasons in a row. That is clearly not the case in the EPL, where the last ten titles have been split exclusively between just three clubs (Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal).
The differences between the leagues can be distilled into four key points.

1. Salaries: NFL teams cannot exceed a level set by the league on total player wages. This means that star performers are spread relatively evenly across the league and prevents the leading clubs from hording all the best players, as well as protecting clubs from the kind of reckless overinvestment that is currently bedevilling Portsmouth. In contrast, EPL clubs are allowed — almost impelled – to spend as much as possible on player wages, even if they can’t afford it.

2. Player recruitment: Rather than operating their own youth systems and progressing players ‘through the ranks’ in the way that David Beckham, Ryan Giggs et al developed at Manchester United, NFL teams recruit young players from the nation’s colleges in an annual draft, which is purposely designed to give the previous season’s worst teams the best of the bunch: if you finish last in the league, you get first pick; if you win Superbowl, you pick last. There are also no transfer fees in the NFL – players do frequently move between clubs, but draft selections and other players, rather than money, exchanges hands.

3. Fixture schedules: The NFL comprises of 32 teams, but they don’t all play against each other as the regular season contains just 16 games. As with everything else, the fixture schedules are weighted to encourage parity – the previous season’s worst teams play against each other to give them a better chance of winning more games, while the current powerhouses are stacked up in opposition to ensure that somebody has to lose. It’s the equivalent of Arsenal and Chelsea having to play each other four times in a season, but only playing Portsmouth once.

4. Relegation: There is no relegation in the NFL – the 32 teams are the 32 teams. This results in a number of meaningless end-of-season games in which neither team has much to play for, but it also prevents clubs from taking desperate short-term gambles. Long-term planning is more prevalent in the NFL than the Premier League, because clubs can afford to endure one or two transitional seasons when they don’t win many games.

The American model certainly encourages greater levels of competition, demonstrated by the wide variety of Superbowl winners from year to year. But the constant drive towards parity is entirely artificial – in striving to prevent the silverware from always going to the same teams, the structure of the NFL actually penalises clubs who are successful, forcing them to release high-wage players, recruit lesser talents and fulfil a more challenging fixture list, whilst simultaneously giving low-achieving clubs an undeserved helping hand.

But is that fair? Portsmouth, to return to a topical example, are currently in an absolute mess entirely of their own making – why should they get rescued by the league when their problems are all self-perpetuated? They don’t deserve it. And would it be right for Manchester United to be forced into releasing Wayne Rooney, as they would under the NFL model, just because they’ve been successful? Clearly, the answer is no – unless your sole priority is protecting the competitive balance of the league.

So, which is the better model? I’ve thought about it long and hard, and...I don’t know. I like the fact that the NFL gives every team a realistic chance of becoming successful. But I also like the fact that Premier League teams (with money) are able to gather superstar squads – being able to watch Drogba, Ballack, Lampard, Anelka, Essien and Deco all playing for the same team is more appealing, as a spectacle, than seeing the best players spread evenly across the league.

Who would really want to see Cesc Fabregas playing for Blackburn...?

I like the fact that NFL teams can plan for the future and endure a poor season because they’re not haunted by the pressures of relegation. But I also like the EPL’s end-of-season relegation battles, which are often among the most intensely contested sporting occasions of all.

And I like the fact that NFL clubs are structurally prevented from entering into financial meltdown by overspending in pursuit of success. But then again, I like the fact that individual clubs in the UK have to face their responsibilities and I have little sympathy for badly managed clubs who run into financial problems.

Sorry to sit on the fence, but I like them both. One of the leagues encourages fair competition and gives every team a chance of winning; the other is dominated by a handful of high-achieving, consistently successful superstar clubs. I’m happy to celebrate the difference and enjoy them both for what they are — it’s nice to have the variety. Just don’t make me decide which I prefer!
* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

The 10 Most Valuable Clubs of All Sports

2010-02-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

Some fresh data from the folks at Futbal Finances dot com - pls do pay them a visit. It has a very 'NFL vs EPL' look to it and not a whole much else. Surprised not to see any F1 teams in the top 10.

Forbes magazine recently published a list of the most valuable club in the world, taking into account all the sports practiced on the planet. Although there are clear criteria taken into account when drawing up the ranking, the authors of the study certainly used the evaluation in 2009 (at least with regard to football clubs), which listed the 25 football clubs in the world's most valuable .

According to the ranking only three football teams entering the top 10 most valuable teams in the world in all sports. The English champion Manchester United appears in the first place estimated at 1,296 million Euros, followed by American football team Dallas Cowboys, valued at 1,144 million euros.

1. Manchester United (England / Football) - 1,296 million Euros
2. Dallas Cowboys - (USA / American Football) - 1144 million Euros
3. Washington Redskins - (USA / American Football) - 1074 million Euros
4. New York Yankees - (USA / Greyhounds) - 1.040 million Euros
5. New England Patriots - (USA / American Football) - 943 million Euros
6. Real Madrid - (Spain / Football) - 938 million Euros
7. Arsenal - (England / Football) - 831 million Euros
8. New York Giants - (USA / American Football) - 820 million Euros
9. New York Jets - (USA / American Football) - 811 million Euros
10. Houston Texans - (USA / American Football) - 797 million Euros

Although this ranking in leave some doubt because they are not specified the methods for evaluating the clubs, at least serves to reveal the economic vitality of North American sports, particularly of American Football.

Yet we never hear of acquisitions Football League clubs by 880 million, as was the case with Manchester United, or the acquisition of players worth 94 million Euros, as with the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo.

In Defence of Tiger

2010-01-01T02:50:00.000-08:00

An interesting look at the this whole saga by Fahri Azzat, who blogs at loyarburok.com and also writes for the Malaysian Insider. Pay Mr Azzat a visit.

An attempt of a spirited defence of Eldrick Tont Woods’ recent indiscretion.

There has been much urgent malicious in the media about and against Eldrick Tont Woods, ‘Tiger Woods’ sexual infidelities. None of it is justified. Let us review what he is actually being vilified for.

Firstly, the intensity of the schadenfreude is most likely a reaction to the Tiger Woods media machine that used to rule the media waves and has annoyingly squeaky clean image that he tries to portray. In a word, they are getting their back on him for being a hypocrite.

But what is a hypocrite? It is someone who gives an untrue impression of what they really are or believe. And who amongst us is not a hypocrite or has been one? Our social environment demands that hypocrisy of us. Our social relations insist upon it. Have you said something you didn’t really mean in a social setting (i.e. call me? yeah, let’s meet up? nice to meet you!)? Have you smiled when you didn’t want to? Have you shook hands when you didn’t want to? Have you acted blameless or innocent when you have done wrong? We have all done these things. We are all hypocrites at one point or another. We flatter ourselves by using the word manners. So if we want to accuse him of hypocrisy, let’s put the cuff on ourselves first.

And why are we hypocrites? Usually it is to avoid offence and upsetting people. We do it sometimes to encourage those we like to like us back. We do it sometimes to achieve a greater purpose. Hypocrisy is ugliest when it is only for one’s self interest and nobody else’s. Tiger has used this hypocritical image to energize and attract interest in golf amongst the youth and turned it into one of the biggest richest sports events on earth. He sets up the Tiger Woods Foundation to further his ambitions to create a benign and encouraging environment for children. His false image must be weighed up against all the good work he has done using that false image. Just as literature tells a ‘lie’ to tell a truth, humans commit smaller indiscretions to achieve what they feel are higher purposes.

This brings us to the question of why we cannot help but commit these indiscretions in the first place. But to ask such a question betrays a lack of understanding of human nature which is fallible, inconsistent and prone to failure. All religions remind us of our imperfection, our error prone nature, our distracted nature. All religions encourage us to struggle with our darker impulses and overcome them. Constantly. For some its sex. For others its power. For many its money. Most of humanity struggles with all these impulses. Tiger is no different. In fact, because of his immense privilege and talent and management team, it just may be that he has to struggle greater with controlling these impulses. Let us not forget that he is only 34 (just, his birthday was on 30 December 1975), which though is old in sporting terms these days, is still a young human being. The worse thing a human being could do with their youth is to live a perfect life without error, struggle or dilemmas.

So it is good and in keeping with Tiger’s growth of his maturity. Hopefully he makes the right decision and ends up wiser. He will hopefully see that his biggest mistake in all this was not his sexual intensity or even his discretion but his insistence on perfection outside his life of golf and to believe in it. But these are the usual sins of youth committed during our reverie of immortality.

The other thing they are vilifying him for is that he was unfaithful to his wife. Part of this was a result of his media machine which played up what a great romance it was. The above arguments have similar application on this aspect. The other aspect is the betrayal in itself. I concede that it is generally wrong for either party to cheat on each other in a marriage, but we must be alive to the possibility that his sexual intensity notwithstanding, both parties may be to blame for the present predicament. And as he stands generally accused of being unfaithful to his wife, he is naturally deserving of any benefit of the doubt.

But let’s get to the crux of it: is adultery really newsworthy? On crude, intrusive level yes it is. On a civilized level, it is not. Why do I say this? Because Tiger Woods when you come down to it is a golfer. But not any golfer. He is hands down the greatest golfer ever on earth for all time. I, like others I’m sure, call him ‘the God of Golf’ but just ‘Golf’ for short. He truly is. Nicklaus’ record of 18 grand slams now looks like a literary device to merely mark off when exactly Tiger Woods crossed over to immortality (if he has not achieved it already) in the world’s great narrative. He tries to portray that he is a good human being, great father and husband, etc. but really all that is irrelevant to him as a golfer. It’s the distracting annoying unhealthy icing on the cake. Golf is the cake. Tiger doth baketh a cake. And lo’ and behold it was very good cake. So we ignore the icing.

And more importantly, adultery is as old as the notion of marriage, and a wholly private matter between two people.

So the whole media storm was simply about a hypocrite who cheated on his wife.
What an utter waste of time.

Now let’s also face facts. Forbes has estimated that by 2010, Tiger will be sports first billionaire. He is young. 34. The greatest golfer ever. He picks up millions like spare change. He is (or used to be) adored by millions. He is in his physical prime. He is good looking. For every good virgin woman who can adore him by a picture there are double the amount of women who would like to bang him simply because he is Tiger Woods. And these are very good looking women who are probably prepared to do just about whatever he wants, conversation even.

Oscar Wilde once said the best way to be rid of temptation is to yield to it.

Tiger should have gotten Wilde before getting married.

Save The Tiger!

2009-12-10T22:13:00.000-08:00

Who should worry most about Woods and his 'transgressions'? His rivals on the PGA Tour --Kurt Badenhausen

Tiger's cat is out of the bag. Without saying exactly what he did, Tiger Woods revealed Wednesday that he "let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all my heart." Tabloids sketched the rest: a cocktail waitress, a party planner, an angry wife, a golf club, a car crash, the cops.

At least Woods won't fret the fall of his business empire. Over his golf career he has earned a cumulative $1 billion from prize money and off-the-course deals. The taxman and his agent have taken their respective shares and we estimate that Woods net worth is $500 million. Barring a catastrophic injury (or a divorce from wife Elin that results in a massive settlement) Woods is still on track to become a billionaire within the next decade.

Yes, the bulk of the $130 million he earned in 2009 came from corporate America, notoriously loath to be associated with any hint of scandal. But his sponsors, including Accenture ( ACN - news - people ), Electronic Arts ( ERTS - news - people ), Nike ( NKE - news - people ) and Upper Deck, have long-term deals with Woods. Nike has built an $800 million (sales) business on his back. The Tiger Woods EA Sports PGA Tour series--now in its 12th incarnation--is one of the most popular videogames on the market. PepsiCo ( PEP - news - people ) launched a line of Gatorade Tiger sports drinks last year. None of them are about to walk away over his "transgressions."

Who should be worried? His PGA rivals. In 1995, the year before Woods joined the Tour, the top golfer, Greg Norman earned $1.7 million while the No. 100 ranked player, Paul Azinger earned $182,595. This year those numbers were $20.5 million (Woods) and $838,707 (Ted Purdy). Total prize money has gone from $70 million to $275 million. When Tiger wins, there is more money for everybody to go around.

The second half of 2008, when Woods was recovering from knee surgery, gave a glimpse into the future of the PGA Tour without its best player. It was not pretty. Padraig Harrington won the 2008 PGA Championship in thrilling fashion with Woods on the shelf. Yet despite the close finish ratings were off 55% from the previous year, when Woods took the title. Ratings for the Tour Championship also took a nosedive with Woods out. This year they increased 83% with Woods back in action.

Woods might be even bigger outside the U.S. He appeared at the Australian Masters last month. It was his first appearance Down Under in 11 years. The Australian government put up half of his $3 million appearance fee. Over the four days, 100,000 fans showed up and the government estimated that Woods’ appearance was worth $20 million. It is good business doing business with Tiger Woods.

The difference between Woods and everyone else is that he brings in casual fans that drive up ratings and interest at major golf tournaments. No one else can touch Woods’ star power. E-Poll Market Research tracks the awareness and appeal of celebrities. Woods’ awareness is 82% (sure to rise in their next poll). The next highest current golfer is Phil Mickelson at 25%. From there the drop-off is steep: John Daly (16%), Sergio Garcia (11%) and Harrington (7%). Companies and tournaments know that the fastest way to reach a broad audience is to partner with Woods.

Tournament sponsorship money from car and financial service companies is drying up and the PGA Tour needs Woods at the top of his game more than ever to drive interest. Total prize money was down $5 million this year and is expected to be flat in 2010. Look at what has happened to the LPGA Tour which lacks any major star power. The number of tournaments dwindled from 34 in 2008 to 27 this year. Next year only 24 events are on the schedule.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem has been in charge of the Tour since 1994 and has profited as well from the Tour’s growth since Woods’ arrival. He earned $5.3 million last year. No doubt he and the PGA Tour pros should have only one thought in mind right now: Save Tiger.

The top three TV ratings in the history of the U.S. Open were all Woods victories, in 2000, 2002 and 2008. The ratings during the fourth round of the 2008 U.S. Open where Woods competed on a torn knee ligament and a double stress fracture in his leg beat those of Game 5 of the NBA Finals played the same day between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.

Tiger -- Lost in the Woods !

2009-12-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

The impact of a scandal on sports 'poster boy' - Tiger Woods. If he does not return to the greens soon to win prize $$, he will be affected at the purse (as the report below), amongst all other areas.

By Michael ButeauDec. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Tiger Woods’ standing with the public is in freefall following reported extramarital affairs, according to a consumer research company.

The 33-year-old golfer’s ranking on a list of celebrity endorsers plunged to 24th from 6th, based on the Davie Brown Index, which marketers and advertising agencies use to gauge the ability of personalities to influence consumer behavior.

The No. 1 ranked golfer’s $110 million in annual income from endorsements and tournaments hinges on his standing with consumers. Woods ranks as the world’s fourth-highest paid celebrity by Forbes magazine in the 12 months through June 30. In October, he became the first athlete to top $1 billion in career earnings, Forbes said.

The Davie Brown Index tracks 2,800 celebrities. It was created by the Los Angeles-based marketing company Davie Brown Entertainment to provide a way to measure the use of celebrities in marketing campaigns.

Revenue$ for 2008 UEFA Tournament...

2009-08-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

An idea of how much all team who take part in the Champion$ League make and why the competition i$ $OOO inten$e !

Manchester United were handed US$$55 million from Uefa this week in broadcasting and marketing revenue from last season’s Champions League. The amount, the highest of any team in Europe, is another demonstration of the lucrative nature of the competition.

The funds created by participation in it have helped United, along with Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea - who received US$52 million from last season’s competition - to develop a virtual stranglehold on the English Premier League.

Barcelona, the tournament champions, received US$52.7 million for their efforts. United, the beaten finalists, received more because of the larger contribution of English broadcasters to the Uefa pot.

Q & A with Dr. Bengt Kayser on the Doping Dilemma in Sport

2009-08-04T22:32:00.001-07:00

Brought to you again by the wonderful folks at Science of Sport - enlighten yourselves.

Le Tour de France has now passed us by, although news from the cycling world is still coming thick and fast as rumours abound about who might and might not move to the new Team Radioshack in 2010. Also, the million dollar question is where will Alberto Contador ride in 2010? So many questions remain about Astana's future makeup---and Vinokourov's comeback---and Radioshack seems to have scooped many of the very good support riders from the current Astana. For some it might read like a soap opera on wheels, but that is part of the drama of cycling!

And we all know that drama is never far from cycling, even after the tour, because it was just announced that Mikael Astarloza, winner of Stage 16 into Bourg-Saint Maurice, tested positive for EPO on 26 June, just prior to the start of the tour. This follows on a positive test for Inigo Landaluze for CERA back in June during the Dauphine Libere stage race, announced during the Tour de France, which kind of flew under our radar. As an aside, there are very interesting Wikipedia pages listing all of the positive tests in sport, and also in cycling. Unfortunately, you have to check back often for updates!

But just when it seemed that cycling was getting things under control we see that the positives still persist and are very much still part of the scenery. Thankfully Landaluze admitted outright to his doping and saved us from any kind of protracted legal battle about lab procedures and test results.

Interestingly, the same day we received this news about Astarloza, we also received answer to a Q & A from Dr. Bengt Kayser, a medical doctor and also a Ph.D. and well published sports scientist from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Back in early June I attended the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting, and Bengt was one speaker in a symposium titled, "Anti-doping efforts: Is it worth it?" Bengt presented across from Tom Murray, president and CEO of The Hastings Institute in New York.

The symposium was not really a "for/against" debate, but both Tom and Bengt presented thorough and compelling arguments to strive to a 100% clean sport (Tom) and to consider some alternatives to the current situation (Bengt). To sum up, Bengt's main position is that attempts to prohibit doping are doomed to failure, and therefore the only pragmatic response we should be striving for is regulation or control, not prohibition. Bengt has kindly rewarded us with the answers to a few questions, which come to us just as this most recent positive test was announced.

So, is it worth it?

The primary message I took away from this symposium is that even as much as I think about doping in sport and consider myself a very well-informed fan due to my sports science background, there are many valid questions and challenges to the current situation. Mostly, these are important arguments that apply more to our society but are nevertheless important to how we frame and approach the problem of doping in sport. The problem---not how much doping, but rather the fact that it exists---is much bigger than you think when one stops and places it in the much bigger picture of life. Sport is not isolated in a little box outside of our cultures and societies, and as such the larger cultural and societal forces influence sporting culture and sporting "society." But enough social science already. . .On with the Q&A!

Sports Scientists:What are the primary reasons to permit controlled use of performance-enhancing substances?

Bengt Kayser:1) Public health aspect: because doping and doping-like practices are forced into hiding, especially outside elite sport, there is increased prevalence of dangerous behavior including sharing of syringes and the use of products of uncertain origin. The best example is anabolic steroid use for body building. Repression will not work, certainly not in a democratic society; therefore evidence-based controlled use and harm reduction must be discussed as potential alternatives for more pragmatic solutions. This is already partly being done for steroid users in the UK and Australia, with some success since more syringes are being exchanged for steroid injection than for heroin in the UK. [SS: Very interesting fact, that speaks to the larger societal issues at work in this debate.]

2) Anti-doping cannot be successful. There are limits to testing technology and in order to prevent false accusations from laboratory uncertainty (sensitivity and sensibility) the cut-off levels anti-doping uses have to remain on the safe side leaving considerable space for well-accomplished athletes to stay under the radar.

This is problematic since the aim of anti-doping is to be 100% certain that the winners are clean, but there is no way to tell that with certainty. Remember that Rasmussen and Jones never tested positive despite numerous tests. [And let's not forget Bernard Kohl, who alleges that he doped for a long time before finally testing positve--SS] Today a champion is unfortunately a suspect by definition. The discussions in the press and on the web of the 2009 Tour and other championships show this perpetual suspicion clearly.

3) The trend of anti-doping is towards serious intrusion into the private sphere of the athlete. Reporting one’s whereabouts 365 days a year is quite something. There is even talk of carrying a GPS to be tracked at all-time. Genetic profiling is being used for forensic use. This all points towards a potentially dangerous slippery slope towards wide-spread controls in society at large. I find the prospect of a totalitarian system of ubiquitous control rather disconcerting. Are we going towards urine control in students before an exam? Blood passports in kids who exhibit talent in a given sport?

SS:Do you feel athletes should be able to take any drug in therapeutic doses so long as the doctors disclose the information? If so, what will this accomplish?

BK:I presume you mean therapeutic in the sense not to treat a disease but in doses that come with acceptable risk. [Correct---SS] Yes, that is a potential way to go about it. Disclose and observe. It would lead to transparency and potential for evidence-based advice. It is very likely that the majority of the drugs on the WADA list do not have performance improving effects. If this can be proved the use of such products may become less popular.

SS:Was there a time when you bought into the current model of doping control? Or was there perhaps a time when your views were more "innocent" towards doping in sport?

BK:Before the introduction of the present coercive system I thought that the system was more or less well self-regulating. But I never believed in the current model, certainly not when I discovered the whereabouts rule and other intrusions in the private sphere of the elite athlete. But in principle, as long as the ‘no-doping’ rule is in effect I find that one should not dope. This is cheating, which is presumably not right. I find that one should, again in principle, obey to the prevailing rule, but one may question the rule finding it in part ineffective, potentially dangerous, and not anchored in sufficiently solid reasoning to accept its side effects. Rules can change and do change when it is found that they do not work as well as hoped.
I predict that the anti-doping rule will change, probably not in the next 10 years, but thereafter. Think about how the world will look like 50 years from now---not many more world records to beat since we will have reached the limit of human performance (one cannot run the 100m in zero seconds and therefore the improvement of the record will become less and less). And a prospect of a performance enhanced society, where most citizens use technology to enhance, whereas the modern gladiators still stick to ‘natural means’ while competing, looks rather unrealistic to me.

SS: When did you first realize that we needed a different approach to anti-doping, or when did your paradigm shift?

BK:I first realized what was happening when I attended a symposium at an international sports federation and heard anti-doping officials, including physicians, talk about their work and the anti-doping rules. It was truly an eye-opening experience, I was shocked. I thought we had escaped from Big Brother, but there he was. Also the way with which the anti-doping officials talked about athletes who were potentially doping was rather chilling. It all came with a strong flavor of ‘the end justifies the means’, even if this would imply sacrifice from (of) athletes.

SS: Do you feel the new biological passport is the answer to sports doping problems? What are its pros/cons, why will it or why won't it work?

BK:Again, it can never be 100%. Of course, many doping practices will become extremely difficult or impossible, but many others continue, at low levels, or undiscovered since not included in the panel of measurements.
The accusation of innocent athletes (false positives are certain to occur the more we test) is something very uncomfortable to me; the sacrifice of innocents on the altar of what is known as ‘the spirit of sport’ is in my view difficult to accept. There is also the strict liability rule that is causing quite some harm, when athletes, clearly not because of willingly doping, find themselves accused and punished with potential devastating consequences on their private and professional lives.

SS: What can you say to the sports fans who still believe that the current controls are working?

BK:Open your ears and eyes and think.

The World's 200 Most Valuable Sports Properties

2009-08-04T22:15:00.000-07:00

The list is out for 2009. There were some surprises, like the IPL (India), and some expected like Tiger Woods. But great work by Adam Fraser and the SportsPro magazine team. Enjoy!

SportsPro magazine has published the world’s first value ranking of sports properties in its July/August issue, out now.

Unsurprisingly, the National Football League (NFL) is ranked as the world’s most valuable sports property, with a value of US$4.5 billion. It is followed at the top of the table by three other American properties – Major League Baseball (MLB) (US$3.9 billion), the NBA (US$3.35 billion) and Nascar (US$1.9 billion). The newest property in the list is the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is valued at US$1.6 billion - a staggering achievement for a two-year-old property.

The highest ranked European team property is the Ferrari Formula One team (7th) at a value of US$1.55 billion, followed by Manchester United Football Club (8th) at US$1.495 billion. The most valuable American sports club is the Dallas Cowboys (10th), with the NFL team valued at US$1.278 billion.

Tiger Woods (11th) is the highest rated athlete property with a value of US$1.25 billion, followed by Jack Nicklaus (16th) at US$1 billion. Golfers dominate the athletes’ table because of the high earnings from designing golf courses; Tiger Woods is expected to earn over a billion dollars from designing courses in the next decade and will almost certainly eclipse his on-course earnings.

David and Victoria’s Beckham Brand Ltd property (88th) is valued at US$375 million.Many single annual events appear, led by the Wimbledon tennis championships (22nd) valued at US$900 million.

Unsurprisingly, the most valuable competition is the Fifa World Cup (5th) valued at US$1.7 billion, ahead of the Summer Olympic Games (15th) at US$1.04 billion. The Uefa Champions League (13th) is valued at US$1.1 billion, eclipsing the Summer Olympics due to its annual status.

Sensitivities - RE: OBAMA

2009-02-23T21:18:00.000-08:00

The jokes have started...Is the White House still the White House as Obama is in it ? etc and now all comedians, satirists, comics, cartoonists are threading thin ice when making jokes and drawing the chief executive. One can never be too careful in today's world....read on.

This cartoon image appeared in the New York Post on Wednesday. The cartoon, which refers to Travis the chimp, who was shot to death by police in Stamford on Monday after it mauled a friend of its owner, drew criticism on media websites. — AP pic

NEW YORK, Feb 21 — Cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz was in front of a classroom full of black and Latino kids, drawing presidents. He sketched Bush, then Clinton. Next came his favourite, the man he voted for: Obama. "Hey, those lips are big," Alcaraz heard a black girl say from the back of the room.

Alcaraz was disturbed. "I try to bend over backwards not to make him look like a cartoon stereotype," and certainly not a racial stereotype, he said.

Editorial cartoonists are bending over backwards a lot these days, as they try to satirise the nation's first black president. And when they don't, the result is the kind of outcry that erupted this week after a New York Post cartoon featured a bloody chimpanzee — intentionally or unintentionally evoking racist images of the past.

The problem is, cartoonists make their living by making fun of people — especially presidents — and exaggerating their features and foibles.

The best political cartoons are "like an X-ray machine," said Amelia Rauser, an art history professor at Franklin & Marshall College and author of "Caricature Unmasked," which examines the art form's historical role in political discourse.

"You have to deform someone facially in order to make a larger point about their character," Rauser said. "But that deformity reveals their inner truth and makes them look more like themselves."

The late Herblock often saddled Richard Nixon with an enormous cartoon nose. Liberals drew George W. Bush like a simpleton, or worse. There have been minor kerfluffles from the left about drawing Hillary Clinton as insufficiently feminine, and from the right about depicting Condoleezza Rice as servile to Bush.

Drawings of Obama, however, must contend with America's history of degrading racial imagery, from ape comparisons to enormous "Sambo" lips. (Caricatures of the president's admittedly large ears have so far escaped scrutiny.)

Michael Cavna, who blogs about comics for The Washington Post, wrote that "an unnerving number of North America's political cartoonists are bizarrely obsessed with Obama's lips." He followed with a detailed analysis of several cartoons where Obama's lips were large, some shade of blue, or both.

On Wednesday, the New York Post published an editorial cartoon showing a chimp shot to death by police officers. "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus Bill," the caption reads.

Amid widespread black condemnation, the Post initially defended the panel by its longtime cartoonist Sean Delonas, saying it referred to a chimp that recently attacked its owner's friend and was killed by police. The newspaper apologised "to those who were offended" after 200 protecters picketed the Post offices on Thursday.

During the presidential campaign, The New Yorker magazine was accused of racism for an infamous cartoon of Obama dressed as a Muslim, fist-bumping his wife Michelle, who was toting a machine gun and sporting a black-power Afro. The magazine said it was satirizing right-wing smears of the Obamas.

Scott Stantis, editorial cartoonist for The Birmingham (Alabama) News, said he received several complaints this week that his Obama drawings look "simian". As a conservative in a city that's 77 per cent black, Stantis has learned to consider the feelings of his audience.

"Being the typical American editorial cartoonist — doughy, white, middle-aged — I'm more than willing to accept that I don't know what may or may not be offensive," he said. "But editorial cartoons are supposed to be offensive, and provocative. We're entering new waters here. What can you use or not use?"

"All my characters look simian," he said. "I don't make Obama look nearly as simian as our former Gov Fob James, who I DID draw as a monkey, on more than one occasion. And he's a white guy ... I'm sorry, but when it comes to African-Americans, you just don't draw monkeys."

Ted Rall, president of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists, said that Obama's race has affected how his colleagues do their jobs: "Without a doubt, people are stepping more gingerly. People are tiptoeing their way through this."

Rall, who is liberal, said it's harder to take shots at Obama because he's smart, charming and handsome, "so when you attack the personality, people suspect there's only one reason: It's gotta be his race. My conservative cartoonist friends find it very frustrating."

One of those conservative friends, Mike Lester of the Rome News Tribune in Georgia, said that when he was growing up, "if we didn't make fun of you, we didn't like you."

Perhaps race relations would improve, Lester said, if black people lightened up a bit: "They're not too good (at being) made fun of. We can all take a joke."

Lester said Rall told him before the election that an Obama presidency would be good for conservative cartoonists, but "it's been just the opposite. I find myself having to temper my comments. I'm tired of it. (Obama) wants my money, he wants me to pay for my neighbour's foreclosed house that he can't afford.

"Race has nothing to do with it."

That's what Delonas said about his cartoon in the Post. So as the nation's edgy fraternity of editorial cartoonists continues to unload on Obama, lines will inevitably be crossed again.

"Being an editorial cartoonist is a high-wire act," Rall said. "If you're any good, you're taking lots of chances all the time. When you take chances, you fall and you screw up." — AP

2009-01-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

Am forwarding some amazing scientific work that is being done by experts in our discipline. It sure deserves a wider exposure. It should enthrall you! All credits to Dr. Ross Tucker & Dr. Jonathan Dugas. and their team from The Science of Sport. Enjoy!

Haile Gebrselassie's splits from Dubai

Following on from yesterday, here are the splits from Haile Gebrselassie's 2:05:29 in Dubai. Thanks to Ray for pointing out the LetsRun thread with some splits, but especially to Sean Hartnett, who kindly provided these detailed times from the race (Sean was responsible for the "RaceTracker", which was featured before the race in an IAAF article. Thanks Sean, hope your food poisoning has been conquered!)

The graph shows the splits from Dubai, compared directly to those from Berlin last year, when the 2:03:59 record was set. I've indicated the pace required for the world record with the dashed purple line, but bear in mind that the numbers you see are a direct comparison between the races.

The boxes at the bottom are the comparison. Dubai is shown in blue, Berlin in Orange, and then the green and red boxes show the time difference in the 5km intervals between the two (green when Geb is ahead of the record from Berlin, red when he is behind). At the top of the graph I've shown the overall gap between Berlin and Dubai. (you might need to click on the graph to enlarge - had to squeeze information in)

Brief analysis

It's very apparent what transpired in Dubai - the record was on up to about 30 km, and then the final 10km cost him enormous time. The weather reportedly worsened at about 35km, which would seemingly track the gradual slowing down. Bear in mind that in Berlin, Gebrselassie finished astonishingly fast - his final 10km were covered in 29:09! So given that he was 8 seconds faster than Berlin at the 30km mark, he still required an exceptional finish in Dubai.

In fact, he needed to speed up - his time at 32km was 1:34:17, which meant that he needed to run the final 10.2 km in 29:43, which is a pace of 2:54.8/km. That is the SAME SPEED as he finished with in Berlin (a 29:08 10km), and is FASTER than he'd been going up to that point (2:56/km), even without the weather complication.

Therefore, the weather ultimately put paid to any hopes that may have existed. However, as I wrote yesterday, I don't think it would be correct to say "the weather denied him the record". That assumes that the record was a guarantee, and given that he need to at least match the spectacular finish in Berlin, the outcome in Dubai was anything but certain. Very importantly, he needed it without any company (the pacemakers were gone by then. Berlin was a little different), and that would have been tough, even on a good day. So what the weather did is deny him the CHANCE - he had put himself in an excellent position, equal to Berlin, but he still needed a mighty good last 10km. I guess we'll never know.

One other observation - the early pace in Dubai was quite conservative - 14:50 for the first 5km, and then it really started to pick up. That slower than in Berlin (which was too quick), and different from previous years. I can't say that's down to anything. The other amazing thing is the consistency of pacing between about 10km and 26km. Apart from one 'aberration' at 22km, he reeled off 16 consecutive kilometers within two seconds of 2:55. Quite amazing.

Isn’t it ??
Enthralled ~ Indy

Air Force One

2009-01-21T19:53:00.000-08:00

There has been much interest in everything Obama recently, with President Barack Obama taking his oath of office on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Saw the Air Force One write up and was fascinated and I know that many of you would be too - Enjoy !

No matter where in the world the President travels, if he flies in an Air Force jet, the plane is called Air Force One. Technically, Air Force One is the call sign of any Air Force aircraft carrying the President. In practice, however, Air Force One is used to refer to one of two highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft, which carry the tail codes 28000 and 29000. The Air Force designation for the aircraft is VC-25A.

Air Force One is one of the most recognizable symbols of the presidency, spawning countless references not just in American culture but across the world. Emblazoned with the words “United States of America,” the American flag, and the Seal of the President of the United States, it is an undeniable presence wherever it flies or docks.

Capable of refueling midair, Air Force One has unlimited range and can carry the President wherever he needs to travel. The onboard electronics are hardened to protect against an electromagnetic pulse, and Air Force One is equipped with advanced secure communications equipment, allowing the aircraft to function as a mobile command center in the event of an attack on the United States.

Inside, the President and his travel companions enjoy 4,000 square feet of floor space on three levels, including an extensive suite for the President that features a large office, lavatory, and conference room. Air Force One includes a medical suite that can function as an operating room, and a doctor is permanently on board. The plane’s two food preparation galleys can feed 100 people at a time.

Air Force One also has quarters for those who accompany the President, including senior advisors, Secret Service officers, traveling press, and other guests. Several cargo planes typically fly ahead of Air Force One to provide the President with services needed in remote locations.
Air Force One is maintained and operated by the Presidential Airlift Group, part of the White House Military Office. The Airlift Group was founded in 1944 as the Presidential Pilot Office at the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. For the next 20 years, various propeller driven aircraft served the President.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy became the first President to fly in his own jet aircraft, a modified Boeing 707. Over the years, several other jet aircraft have been used, with the first of the current aircraft being delivered in 1990 during the administration of President George H. W. Bush.

Look who else is jumping on the bandwagon...

2009-01-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

With economies going south of late, many industries are showing up in Washington for a reprieve, in the form of an economic stimulus - (the car manufacturers were in town recently). Some feel that the car manufacturers were just there to 'join the band' of the many badly affected (not to mention badly managed) companies and since Washington was in the mood of giving, who could blame them?

But now, look who else is in Washington with their begging bowls...and as (creatively) they put it, may have a decent shot of the pie! Enjoy...

Porn moguls ask Washington for billion-dollar bailout

Two porn moguls including Hustler magazine founder Larry Flynt are seeking a five-billion-dollar bailout from Washington, arguing that the limp US economy has thrown cold water on the adult entertainment industry.

Flynt and "Girls Gone Wild" video series creator Joe Francis asked the newly convened 111th Congress "to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America" in a bailout move similar to the one set aside for US auto manufacturers.

"Congress seems willing to help shore up our nation's most important businesses, (and) we feel we deserve the same consideration," Francis said in a statement.

"In difficult economic times, Americans turn to entertainment for relief. More and more, the kind of entertainment they turn to is adult entertainment."

The pair were quick to admit that "the 13-billion-dollar industry is in no fear of collapse, but why take chances?"

Francis, recently imprisoned for nearly a year on a prostitution-related charge after pleading no contest in a plea bargain, cited industry figures that show adult DVD sales and rentals decreasing 22 percent in 2008, as people turn to the Internet for adult entertainment.

"With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind," Flynt said.

"It's time for Congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America. The only way they can do this is by supporting the adult industry and doing it quickly."

Flynt said people were "too depressed to be sexually active."

"This is very unhealthy as a nation. Americans can do without cars and such, but they cannot do without sex."

Scary trends ... let's work out folks !!

2008-09-18T22:04:00.001-07:00

This is a peice from the USA but I bet these things catch up with the rest of us soon enough. Eat right, stay healthy - we aren't good for our families being DEAD !

“ For the first time in human history, the number of overweight people rivals the number of underweight people.… While the world’s underfed population has declined slightly since 1980 to 1.1 billion, the number of overweight people has surged to 1.1 billion.

… the population of overweight people has expanded rapidly in recent decades, more than offsetting the health gains from the modest decline in hunger. In the United States, 55 percent of adults are overweight by international standards. A whopping 23 percent of American adults are considered obese. And the trend is spreading to children as well, with one in five American kids now classified as overweight.… [O]besity cost the United States 12 percent of the national health care budget in the late 1990s, $118 billion, more than double the $47 billion attributable to smoking.

… Overweight and obesity are advancing rapidly in the developing world as well … [while] 80 percent of the world’s hungry children live in countries with food surpluses.

… technofixes like liposuction or olestra attract more attention than the behavioral patterns like poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles that underlie obesity. Liposuction is now the leading form of cosmetic surgery in the United States, for example, at 400,000 operations per year. While billions are spent on gimmicky diets and food advertising, far too little money is spent on nutrition education.”

— Chronic Hunger and Obesity Epidemic; Eroding Global Progress, World Watch Institute, March 4, 2000 (Emphasis added)

Sports Branding

2008-09-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

Folks - am teaching Marketing People, Places & Performances this semester and below is a piece on how people (in this case Bekham of Man Utd., Real Madrid, LA Galaxy fame) is 'sold' and how all this 'hype' is created....enjoy the read...

BRAND It Like Beckham: Can the Soccer Star Sustain the Hype?

In the 2002 British movie, Bend It Like Beckham, an aspiring 18-year-old soccer player explains to a friend that "no one can bend it like Beckham," a reference to soccer star David Beckham's amazing ability to score by "bending" the ball and making it swerve as it flies through the air.

With the recent announcement that Beckham has signed a landmark sports contract worth an estimated $250 million to play soccer with the Los Angeles Galaxy over a five-year period, Beckham's knack for bending conventional approaches to soccer, business and his own lifestyle appears remarkably intact. Not only is he considered one of the world's best-known soccer players, he is a recognized global brand, with lucrative celebrity endorsements that have included Adidas, Gillette, Got Milk?, Pepsi, Snickers Candy Bar and Motorola. His marriage to former Spice Girl Victoria "Posh" Beckham, coupled with his highly publicized friendships with movie stars like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, have only added to the allure.

But what some Wharton marketing and sports experts wonder is whether Beckham can live up to the hype surrounding the deal and his move from Spain's Real Madrid soccer team to the Los Angeles Galaxy. Can Beckham, whom some consider to be in the twilight of a brilliant career, produce enough star power to not only boost the team's revenue, but also raise the profile of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the U.S.?

"It's risky. But there's always a risk when so much is riding on an individual, when everything is centered around the brand of one person," says Wharton marketing professor Lisa Bolton. "But the thing about Beckham is that he can cut through the clutter. The team doesn't have to feature him with its own advertisements in order to raise awareness of soccer. And he is already making headlines in entertainment news. It's a good fit for sports as entertainment, particularly L.A. entertainment."

Kenneth L. Shropshire, Wharton professor of legal studies and business ethics and director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative, notes that Beckham's contract is one of the biggest in North American sports. The package catapults him into a rarified league with athletic stars like golfer Tiger Woods, who makes a reported $100 million a year, and racecar driver Michael Schumacher at more than $60 million a year. Beckham's $50 million a year contract from a combination of salary, franchise royalties, advertisements and endorsements actually puts him ahead of basketball legends Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal; football quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Michael Vick and Matt Hasselbeck; baseball's Alex Rodriguez and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

What might be one cause for concern in terms of the business angle, Shropshire says, is that the deal comes "from the sport that generates probably the lowest revenue among the leagues in the U.S." But Shropshire also added that he wasn't criticizing the league's decision to hire Beckham. "These are very savvy people leading the MLS. I'm certain it's a strategic move, but one -- and this is from the commissioner -- that is not meant to be the magic bullet that turns things around and makes soccer as popular in the U.S. as it is in the rest of the world. It is part of an apparent strategy. And Beckham is probably the one global name in soccer. Even if you don't know soccer, you know Beckham."

Extra 15 Minutes of Fame

In this blending of sports and entertainment, Beckham, who played for England's Manchester United until he moved to Spain in July 2003, more than stands out. "Part of what makes Beckham a unique brand is that he is one of the few sports icons who combines this whole package of a glitzy and glamorous fantasy world -- a good athlete, Hollywood good looks, a good-looking wife," says Wharton marketing professor Americus Reed II. "He started building the brand in the context of the world's most popular sport. Moving his brand to the United States gives him the opportunity to extend his 15 minutes. It's a smart move on his part, but it could be tough. Soccer is not as popular in the U.S. as football, baseball or basketball."

Great celebrity brands, he adds, "constantly reinvent themselves. Madonna is the classic case in the music industry; she is always changing her approach to her image, her fashion style, her music. That's what Beckham is doing, hoping to import that massive global popularity to a new arena."

Reed says he can't point to anyone in basketball or baseball "who has risen to Beckham's height of global appeal. Everyone wants a piece of this. Beckham's global appeal is so large; it's a crazy, 'Beatle-esque' kind of thing. People who aren't even curious about soccer are suddenly interested. Once you cross that threshold and achieve that critical mass, the curiosity about you as a brand builds on itself. It is extremely rare."

It is also extremely risky. In what many observers are calling "star economics," Beckham has been tapped to boost a team's popularity and success, a trend not unlike when a corporate board hires a high-profile chief executive officer to rescue a failing company. But a new CEO rarely carries expectations of rescuing the future of an entire industry. In Beckham's case, his assignment -- one that he openly embraces -- is not only to increase the profile of a team but to push the sport of soccer to new levels in a country where it remains a distant cousin to other sports. The tactic has been tried before, and it didn't work. An international soccer star like Pele couldn't save the New York Cosmos in the 1970s, and star European soccer imports couldn't save the North American Soccer League before it declared bankruptcy in 1984.

Seeking to avoid these well-chartered mistakes since it was formed in 1996, the MLS has carefully controlled expenses and player salaries within its 13 league teams -- until now. Last year, the league changed its salary rules to allow each team to sign a player outside the salary cap, a move that is now being referred to as "the Beckham rule." And in a deal that the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which owns operating rights to the Galaxy and two other MLS teams, has described as "the biggest in sporting history," Beckham's $250 million five-year pact even includes a percentage of team jersey sales and ticket revenue, a buy-in Beckham sought but never secured in Spain.

The addition of Beckham is just one of the latest moves made by MLS to enhance the 11-year-old league. In the last few years, MLS has added three new teams, six new owners and four new soccer-specific stadiums. The League plans to add two additional teams by 2010. In contrast to the Pele era and its lack of broadcasting appeal, the MLS recently signed long-term television agreements with ESPN, Univision and Fox Soccer Channel to broadcast MLS games. But perhaps nothing compares to the arrival of Beckham, a unique player who appeals to men, women and youth.

"David Beckham is a global sports icon who will transcend the sport of soccer in America," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber the day Beckham's deal was announced. "His decision to continue his storied career in Major League Soccer is testament to the fact that America is rapidly becoming a true 'Soccer Nation' with Major League Soccer at the core. The addition of David Beckham represents another significant step forward for the MLS and the sport."

Sticker Shock

Garber's declaration underscores what Wharton marketing professor David J. Reibstein describes as a huge gamble. "What they have done is bet the farm," he says. "And when you bet the farm, when you are that risky, you get a lot of attention. They have done it with the most visible name in the sport. This is the perfect team for David Beckham. He is so L.A., he is so Hollywood -- both he and his wife. He is a celebrity and this is huge for the sport. The U.S. Soccer Association has been trying for years to build its awareness and popularity in this country. We have been talking about soccer exploding since Pele. It didn't happen. Then came the Olympics; they are on the map for a week and then the Olympics end. So this is a bet: If we get the most visible and attractive player in the sport, maybe, just maybe this will catapult soccer into something huge. And if that happens, this could be a really good move for everyone in the sport."

Beckham's high price tag was "intended to be a shock," argues Reibstein. "I see some parallel with this and Sirius Radio hiring Howard Stern, the most visible radio representative out there, by throwing a ton of money at him. Overnight, it legitimized Sirius Radio. The only place you can listen to Howard Stern now is Sirius Radio. And the only home team that Beckham has now is the L.A. Galaxy."

Is it worth it? "It's going to be hard for me to say that it's worth it," says Reibstein. "But I think the hype is certainly going to pay off. Whether it's enough to cover all the real expenses, I don't know."

Meanwhile, ticket sales for L.A. Galaxy have increased since Beckham signed with the team, no doubt helped by the extensive press coverage of both him and his wife. Before the ink on the deal was even dry, Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham was rumored to have signed a mega-deal for her own fashion line, while David Beckham was rumored to be pursuing a Hollywood career.
And while everyone admits that it could happen, few marketing experts expect that Beckham's high salary will be viewed negatively by other soccer players. "I don't know if they see it as a win-win, and I'm sure there will be equity issues," says Wharton marketing professor Patricia Williams. "But it's hard to argue that any player on any team will have anything like Beckham's global brand appeal. If that brings more money to soccer, to the extent that it pays off, I think it benefits everyone in the league."

Does Scoring Goals Matter?

Will Beckham's star power decline if he doesn't play well in the United States? After all, he didn't start for the majority of this season with Real Madrid, and the coach benched him after he announced his decision to join the Galaxy. Wharton professors Bolton and Reibstein argue that Beckham's appeal isn't dependent on how many goals he scores. "It matters a little," says Bolton, "but this is sports as entertainment. Obviously, you want to see good plays. But does he have to be at his peak? No." Adds Reibstein: "That's not the issue. The issue is, we have a way to market the sport."

At the same time, sports author and journalist Michael Sokolove, who recently published The Ticket Out: Darryl Strawberry and the Boys of Crenshaw, cautions that American sports fans should not be underestimated. "We think that sometimes it's all about marketing," says Sokolove. "But American sports fans -- who sometimes seem like rubes -- are really attuned to performance. They are smart enough to know that Beckham is fabulous and a global brand, but he is coming to the United States when his career is somewhat on the down side. No one has ever been a successful marketer and built up their sport unless they really delivered the goods on the field. And I guess there is some question about that with Beckham, at this point in his career. I don't know how that will play."

TV Ratings for the Beijing Olympics (US Market)

2008-08-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

Was there an interest for the Olympics ? According to Nielsen - the stats say that the Beijing Olympics were the most watched since Montreal in 1976. Read below ...

Based on preliminary overnights (Nielsen ran into many delays today with last night for some reason, and the final numbers which would normally be available, are not) the closing ceremonies in Beijing with a 15.2 household rating were the highest-rated closing ceremonies for a non-U.S. hosted Olympics since the 1976 games in Montreal (which are still probably my most memorable Olympics).

Because of the Nielsen delays, we don’t know what the final Olympic tally was in terms of total-reach, though we already do know that with 211 million through 8/23, it set the record as the most-viewed Olympics or any other television event in U.S. history. Based on the overnights, these closing ceremonies performed about 39% better ratings-wise than the Athens games in 2004.

Here’s the latest and most likely last (or next to last) press release via NBC. Especially if you’re into top local market info, please read on:

BEIJING GAMES SHOW SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN RATING AND AVERAGE VIEWERS

15.2 Rating for Closing Ceremony Best for Non-U.S. Summer Olympics Since 1976
Beijing Games Most Viewed Event in U.S. Television History; *Total Viewers Available Tuesday, Aug. 26

NEW YORK - Aug. 25, 2008 - NBC Universal’s Beijing Olympic coverage averaged 27.7 million viewers and scored a 17-day rating of 16.2/28 to post significant gains over the 2004 Athens Games. Last night’s Closing Ceremony had the best rating for any Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony outside the U.S. since the 1976 Montreal Games.

(Due to Nielsen delays, a final total viewer result for the Beijing Games is not currently available, though the 16-day total through Saturday, Aug. 23 of 211 million has established these Olympics as the most-viewed event in U.S. television history, eclipsing the 209 million of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. A final total viewer result will be available tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 26.)

“This audience record is something I thought I’d never see again, but what really satisfied me is the way in which these Olympics truly captivated and seemed to inspire our country,” said Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics and Executive Producer of NBC Universal’s Beijing Olympics coverage.

“For me, the greatest measure of success at an Olympics is the number of messages I receive from parents of young kids who have fallen in love with the Olympics. That child means more to me than anything because I think a love affair with the Olympics is the greatest in all of sports.”

“It’s a privilege to have this job because it’s one of the few ways in which you can still reach families and children in a meaningful way. If you produce it the right way, the entire family will watch together.”

MOST VIEWED EVENTS IN U.S. TV HISTORY:

1. 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, 211* million (16 days)
2. 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, 209 million (17 days)
3. 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics, 204 million (16 days)
4. 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, 203 million (17 days)
5. 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, 194 million (17 days)
*Total viewers not available until Tuesday, Aug. 26

VIEWERS AND RATING BOTH UP SIGNIFICANTLY FROM ATHENS:

The Beijing Olympics 17-day average primetime viewership is 27.7 million, 13 percent ahead of Athens in 2004 (24.6 million) and is the best primetime average viewership for a complete Olympics outside the U.S since Montreal in 1976.

NBC’s average of a 16.2 rating, 28 share in households is an eight percent increase over Athens in 2004 (15.0/26) and the best rating for a Summer Olympics outside the U.S. since Barcelona in 1992 (17.1/33).

CLOSING CEREMONY BEST NON U.S. RATING SINCE 1976:
Sunday’s Closing Ceremony garnered 27.2 million average viewers, a 39 percent gain from the Closing Ceremony night in Athens (19.6 million). The night earned a 15.2 rating/24 share, a 28 percent increase from Athens (11.9/20). In both categories, the Closing Ceremony from Beijing was the best delivery for a Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony outside the U.S. since Montreal in 1976.

OLYMPICS IN PRIMETIME DOMINATE COMPETITION:
In primetime, NBC’s Beijing Games has won all 100-rated half-hours against its entire network competition.

NBCOLYMPICS.COM ON MSN POSTS RECORD NUMBERS: For the complete Beijing Games, NBCOlympics.com has more than doubled the combined totals for the Athens and Torino Games in page views and unique users, while increasing videos streamed by more than seven times.

VIDEO STREAMS: 75.5 million for Beijing, 10.8 million for Athens and Torino Games combined (+601%)

UNIQUE USERS: 51.9 million for Beijing, 25.2 million for Athens and Torino Games combined (+106%)

PAGE VIEWS: 1.24 billion for Beijing, 561.1 million for Athens and Torino Games combined (+122%)

HOUR OF VIDEO STREAMED: 9.9 million hours of video consumed through for Beijing Games is the equivalent of 1,126 years of video.

TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR BEIJING GAMES:

T1. Denver 23.1/40
T1. Salt Lake City 23.1/45
3. Minneapolis 22.1/41
T4. Indianapolis 21.3/37
T4. San Diego 21.3/39
T6. Baltimore 21.1/35
T6. Oklahoma City 21.1/33
8. Nashville 21.0/33
9. Columbus, Ohio 20.4/35
10. Portland, Ore. 20.2/41

Future plans for Beijing Stadia

2008-08-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

You need them (stadia) for the Olympics (the mammoth games) - but the question is how are (or if at all) these facilities used post event ? The LA Olympics Moseleum is in ruins and so are many other facilities that were put up for these games all over the world. Are they maintained or torn down? Am forwarding a piece of the plans post Beijing Olympics .... cues for us to learn.

BEIJING — Where Olympians ran, swam and slept, Chinese organizers see pop concerts, a public pool, football games and luxury apartments.

Authorities are scrambling to make sure the 91,000-seat Bird's Nest stadium and other venues are put to good use after the Olympics and September's Paralympics. They want to avoid the fate of other Olympic hosts that were left with empty, debt-burdened facilities.

The NBA and private developers have been signed up to run stadiums and arenas. The Water Cube swimming centre, due to become a public pool, raised money by licensing its name for a bottled water brand. The Bird's Nest is taking bids from companies for naming rights.

"We believe that post games and for a long period of time, these venues will be used pretty well," Du Wei, vice president of the Beijing Olympic Economy Research Association, a group linked to the Beijing organizers, told reporters. "The management companies will immediately open them up for public use."

Still, Du and others say it could take decades for the Bird's Nest and other venues to pay for themselves.

"We can't expect in the short term all the investment will be regained right away," Du said.
Beijing built 12 permanent and eight temporary new venues and refurbished 11 others at a cost of US$1.9 billion, according to the city government.

The Bird's Nest will be the highest-profile test case for the city's ability to make them financially viable.

It has the advantage that it is the first big, modern stadium in a city where the main venue for rock concerts and sports has been the drab Workers Stadium, a 58,000-seat hulk built in 1959. But the new facility's huge size and potentially high user fees could put it beyond the reach of many events.

The stadium's deputy general manager, Zhang Hengli, declined to give financial details or information on planned events. But he told the newspaper China Business News it could take 30 years for the Bird's Nest to repay its $220 million cost. Zhang said it needs at least $19 million in annual revenue to cover maintenance and debt payments.

Beijing is relying in part on a timeworn strategy of forcing state companies to share the cost of public facilities.

CITIC Group, a government-owned investment company, put up 48 per cent of the money to build the Bird's Nest and the CITIC-owned Beijing Guoan football club will make the stadium its home field.

Zhang, the stadium official, declined to discuss naming rights. But China Business News said as many as seven companies are bidding. It said they include non-Chinese bidders, though attaching a foreign brand name to a national symbol that appears on China's 10-yuan note might be judged politically unacceptable.

The stadium has raised $14.5 million by selling sponsorships to companies including American conglomerate 3M Corp. and German drug company Bayer AG. Their names appear on seats and other facilities.

The Water Cube was paid for by donations from ethnic Chinese abroad, making it cheaper to convert to public use. But in a city where the average income per person is $4,100 a year, managers say ticket prices will be kept low, which leaves less for upkeep of its pool and its futuristic bubble-wrap exterior.

"If we rely only on swimming pool tickets, we certainly will lose money," Kang Wei, a deputy manager of the government company that owns the pool, said in comments on the Beijing organizers' website. "So we will have other products to guarantee the operation in the long run."
The Water Cube raised money by licensing its name for use on swimsuits and on bottled water made from Canadian icebergs.

Beijing began charting the venues' future almost as soon as it was awarded the games in 2001.
Athlete housing was designed from the start as luxury apartments, with swimming pools, tennis courts, coffee shops and shopping. Chinese media say units sold out ahead of the games for prices of $2,900-$4,400 per square meter, high even for Beijing's booming real estate market.
Some venues were built as additions to universities. The wrestling venue is to become a 6,000-seat gymnasium for China Agricultural University, while Beijing University of Technology gets the 6,900-seat venue for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics.

The coastal city of Qingdao plans to convert its yachting venue into a public marina and government school for China's future Olympic sailors.

At the Olympic green, the Main Press Center where thousands of reporters worked over the past two weeks is to become a convention centre. The International Broadcasting Center will be one of its exhibition halls.

Beijing is fighting an Olympic history that has seen even past hosts such as Sydney that were lauded for well-run games struggle afterward with debt and underused facilities.

After the 2000 games, Sydney's 80,000-seat Stadium Australia lost money, failing to attract enough rock concerts and football matches, according to Glen Searle, an urban planner at University of Technology Sydney. Its owner required a government loan to avoid bankruptcy and sold the stadium at a loss.

But Beijing, with 15 million people, still has few athletic sites at a time when rising incomes are driving a boom in spending on recreation and spectator sports.

The state company that owns the Olympic basketball venue announced a partnership in January with the National Basketball Assocciation (NBA) and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), a U.S. sports company that owns David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy and other sports teams, to develop the 18,700-seat arena for concerts and sporting events.

The arena "will become a premiere destination for fans after the Olympic Games," the company chairman, Zhao Yan, told reporters.

The Super Humans from China

2008-08-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

Read about how some of the Chinese (okay most) athletes trained for the Olympics.

"To achieve Olympic glory for the motherland is the sacred mission assigned by the Communist Party central," is how Chinese Sports Minister Liu Peng put it at the beginning of the Games.

The contrast couldn't be greater than between the Chinese and U.S. athletes. In their post-match interviews, the Americans rambled on about their parents, their siblings, their pets, their hobbies. They repeatedly used the word fun. Shawn Johnson, the 16-year-old gymnast, waxed enthusiastic about the classes she'll take when she returns to her public high school in West Des Moines, Iowa.

The Chinese athletes generally don't have pets or hobbies. Or brothers or sisters (since most are products of China's one-child policy).

While many U.S. team members hauled their parents to Beijing, most Chinese parents had to settle for watching the Games on television. Chinese athletes train up to 10 hours a day, and even the children have only a few hours a day for academic instruction.

"You have no control over your own life. Coaches are with you all the time. People are always watching you, the doctors, even the chefs in the cafeteria. You have no choice but to train so as not to let the others down," gymnast Chen Yibing told Chinese reporters last week after winning a gold medal on the rings. He said he could count the amount of time he'd spent with his parents "by hours . . . very few hours.

"The Chinese sports system was inspired by the Soviet Union. Whereas many U.S. athletes have ambitious parents to nurture their talents, China's future champions are drafted as young children for state-run boarding schools. Scouts trawl through the population of schoolchildren for potential champions, plucking out the extremely tall for basketball, the slim and double-jointed for diving -- regardless of whether they know how to swim.

The final tally gave China 51 gold medals to the United States' 36, and although the Americans won more medals overall (110 to 100), the statistics allowed the Chinese government to claim victory for what Liu called its "scientific" methods.

"The sports systems of the United States and China are very accurate metaphors for our societies. China is a society run by engineers, based on planning and coordination and central planning," said Jamie Metzl, executive vice president of the New York-based Asia Society and an Ironman triathlete.

"The state is the supreme entity and the role of the individual is to support the state.

"Truth be told, this old Soviet system works. If you are going to scan the whole population of 1.3 billion for a certain body type and then throw vast resources into training them, you will produce champions."

But the costs are higher than many Westerners would tolerate. China is suspected using 14-year-old gymnasts and falsifying their ages to get around a rule designed to protect girls' health during the transition into puberty. In sports where younger athletes are permitted, they often take risks that elsewhere would be unacceptable.

"It's too dangerous," diving coach Zhou Jihong said to a Chinese newspaper, speaking of the extreme diet that kept his 15-year-old athlete at 66 pounds. "She has superhuman willpower.

"Chinese athletes, particularly women, tend to be much thinner than their Western counterparts. Guo Jingjing, a gold medalist in diving who weighs 108 pounds, pointed out as much rather ungraciously when she referred to competitor Blythe Hartley as "the fat Canadian." The 5-foot-5 Hartley weighs 123 pounds.

Despite the validation provied by the Olympic medal count, China is probably heading in the direction of a more open system where the athletes have more freedom. Having tasted celebrity and the wealth it can bring, many athletes have balked at remaining in a system where they are treated like rank-and-file soldiers.

More sophisticated Chinese are also mindful that being an Olympic superpower doesn't necessarily translate into world dominance. The 1988 Olympics in Seoul were a huge triumph for the Soviet Union and East Germany, which won 55 and 37 gold medals, respectively.

By the time the next Olympics took place in 1992, both countries were defunct.

barbara.demick@latimes.com

Here's the 'puncher' -- Am still miffed about why India, with a similar population does not even come close ? They won 3 medal (I can't even say Golds ...) and they are saying that its been their BEST Olympic outing thus far ! Atrocious !!

The Greatest Show on the Planet

2008-08-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

The Beijing Olympics have been a super success - I expected lots more "distractions" than we had and it was indeed a blesssing. Kudos to the Chinese for organizing an outstanding games - the opening and closing ceremnies were truly the best I have seen - by a mile. Its richness, splendour and beauty was there for all to see.

I can't say much about the English...hmmm - I guess Beijing will be BIG shoes to fill indeed. I mean - Beckham...please give me a break ! I guess they have 4 years ... London can prove me wrong.

Some random pictures to say "Thanks Beijing !"

Is it a case of BUTTERFINGERS or NERVES?

2008-08-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

Whatever you want to call it - we expected much more from the 'seasoned' athletes on display on a rainy evening in Beijing. And it was definitely not the rain's fault for the 'blunders' - this will be the first time that either relay team (USA) will be without a medal. But the American's were not alone on the 'act' yesterday - so were the French women and British men. The British men held on to their baton but crossed the yellow line ... see picture below.

Although I think the Jamaican's are too strong this year, some competition would have been nice. Some pictures, if you missed the action last nite ...

Britain's sprinters lost their Olympic relay crown in the Bird's Nest stadium on a night of baton chaos. Marlon Devonish, the only survivor of the golden quartet who beat the Americans by one-hundredth of a second in Athens four years ago, failed to pass the baton on the final exchange to former European junior 100metres champion Craig Pickering, and the team were disqualified.

The Olympic champions were in good company. Tyson Gay, the world 100m champion, dropped the baton on his final exchange for the United States, the silver medalists in Athens, while Poland, South Africa, Nigeria and Italy also went out without crossing the finish line in good order.

The Americans rarely practice, relying on their superior speed, but the British invest a lot of time and money in their relay teams to overcome their slower individual speed with slick baton passing. Around £150,000 of what UK Athletics gets from the National Lottery goes on specialist coaches and practice sessions for the four relay squads.

The Americans, who admit to spending £200,000 a year on their four relay squads, miss the final for the first time in 20 years and, as in 1988 in Seoul, a mix-up between the final two runners was to blame.

Darvis Patton, on the third leg, did not find the hand of anchor Gay and the baton fell between them. 'I dropped it, and I'm a relay veteran,' said Gay, who failed to make the 100m final last weekend.

Lee Chong Wei - Silver Medalist - Badminton - Men's Single

2008-08-19T23:02:00.001-07:00

Some home news. Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong Wei returned home a proud man as he won Malaysia it's first single silver medal in badminton and Malaysia's second silver medal ever (first was also in badminton). Read on what else is in store to Chong Wei. (curtesy The Star - Aug. 20, 2008). Will discuss his performance at a later post ...

GEORGE TOWN: Penang will award a Datukship to badminton singles player Lee Chong Wei, 26, who won the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas would confer the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN), which carries the title Datuk, on Lee on Aug 30.

"The state will award the DSPN to Penang's first Olympic silver medallist, Bukit Mertajam home-grown talent Lee Chong Wei," Lim told a press conference Wednesday.

He said Chong Wei had done not only Penang but also Malaysia proud with his achievement.
"Even though Malaysians were disappointed that he failed to win the gold medal, we are proud at his singular achievement which has brought joy to both state and country.

"The state government hopes that this recognition will spur him on to break more records and achieve greater success to win greater glory for both Penang and Malaysia," said Lim.

Also in the Star (Aug. 20, 2008)

... a special ceremony would be held at Lee’s home state in Penang tonight, in which he would be presented with a cheque for RM300,000 and a monthly pension of RM3,000 – for winning the nation a silver at the Beijing Olympics.

Asked what he would do with the money, Lee told reporters that he might buy a house and live there with his parents.

When teased that he could use the cash to get married, Lee coyly replied: “No, I’m still too young for that.”

Another 'distraction' at the Olympics !

2008-08-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

The boys at the 'Fourth-Place Medal's Investigative Unit' have come up with another 'screamer' - enjoy! The Olympics does 'open doors' - looks like Ms. Franco will be making more money doing photo shoots than on the field. Will we see her at London 2012? Nah ... doubt it !

Leryn Franco is just your run-of-the-mill javelin thrower/pageant queen/model with her own calendar. But during the Beijing Olympics the 26-year old Paraguayan became so much more to the American people; she became our javelin thrower/pageant queen/model with her own calendar. So, it is with a heavy heart that I regret to inform you that our favorite Paraguayan athlete (sorry Jose Luis Chilavert) was eliminated from the Olympics this morning after failing to qualify for the javelin finals.

Ms. Franco became the object of our attention after she was noticed by NBC cameras during the Parade of Nations at the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Fourth-Place Medal's fledgling Investigative Unit and since then our schoolboy crush blossomed into unrequited love.

Leryn -- can we call you Leryn? -- didn't return our collective calls, but we didn't mind. We knew she was busy preparing for her event: the javelin throw. She competed this morning, finishing second-to-last in the qualifying round with a throw that was 12 meters short of her personal best. It was a disappointment, to be sure, but not altogether surprising.
After all, Leryn's goal was never to medal; it was to win the hearts of men and women worldwide. And in that event, Leryn Franco won gold.

How SEXY can Table Tennis possibly be ??

2008-08-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

In lieu of generating dollars from TV coverage, some quarters from the IOC are demanding (okay requesting) that table tennis players wear sexier clothing ... so that the viewership will increase. Will it really ? So, we are all NOT watching table tennis at the Olympics because the players are not sexy enough ??.....OR we ARE watching the track & field, beach volleyball (women at least) due to the fact that the players barely wear enough (wink!).

Some people will agree ... (I know who you are - smile) - but I think the IOC is taking this a tad too far. See below.

By Simon Rabinovitch (Yahoo Sports)

BEIJING, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Table tennis is desperate to attract more viewers and some in the sport believe a simple enough solution exists: get the women to wear skirts and shirts with “curves”.

Half-empty stands for women’s games at the Olympics in China, the country most obsessed with table tennis, reinforce concerns that the sport needs a make-over to shed its fusty image.
Women players mostly wear baggy shorts and shirts unlike their tennis counterparts who dress for comfort as well as style.

“We are trying to push the players to use skirts and also nicer shirts, not the shirts that are made for men, but ones with more curves,” International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) vice president Claude Bergeret said.

One player, Japan’s Naomi Yotsumoto, has taken matters into her own hands. At the Japanese national championships last year, she played in a daring ensemble of her own design: knee socks, a pleated mini-skirt and a shirt that left one shoulder bare.

'HighLIGHTING' Espana...

2008-08-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

Talk about taking it a little too far - the Spanish synchronised swimmers were planning on some 'highlights' (pun intended) during their routine ... by embedding LED's into their swimsuits - they argued that it is similar to sequins ... HELLO......??? I know a Gold medal is at stake ... but still ... read below (by Yahoo Sports)

By Emma Graham-Harrison

BEIJING, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Spain’s synchronised swimmers have been banned from wearing a swimsuit with embedded waterproof lights which they had hoped would give an extra sparkle to their Olympic routine.

“It got very sophisticated because obviously the battery doesn’t last long and then we had to look at circuits and interrupters, so we have been working on it around two months with a crack team,” swimmer Andrea Fuentes said.

“It looks a bit like Christmas lights,” added the Spaniard, one half of the team that won silver at the last world championships and are favourites for a medal in Beijing.

Swimming’s world governing body, which sets swimsuit rules for a sport where sequins are almost obligatory, said the lights were an accessory but Fuentes still hoped they might back down.

“This is a very conservative sport … their excuse that is you cannot have accessories on your swimsuit, but they are sewn in. If you use those standards, sequins are a type of accessory.”

In praise (awe) of Torres...

2008-08-19T01:05:00.000-07:00

...and by that I mean Dara Torres and not our beloved Nando Torres of Liverpool.

Dara T is a 41-year old mother of 1 who participated in her 5th olympics - an amazing feat by anyone's standard. Read about her here...

In a strange way, that might explain her amazing career, which has frog-hopped Olympics since '84. Seoul and Barcelona, yes. Atlanta, no. Sydney, yes, Athens, no, Beijing, yes.

To provide some perspective, there were 53 automobiles registered in Beijing in 1984. Now there are more than three million, and 1,000 more hitting the streets every month. The only televisions existed in the homes of politicians and dignitaries. Now an estimated one billion Chinese viewers are tuning in.

You couldn't log onto the Internet. There was no text messaging. Ronald Reagan was your president. The Sixers had just won Philadelphia's last championship.

Dara Torres won three silver medals in Beijing, eclipsing her total in all but one of those Olympics, tying her with Jenny Thompson for most Olympic medals by an American female swimmer.

She was this close to her fifth gold medal, too, out-touched in the 50-meter freestyle by the same hundredth of a second that propelled Michael Phelps into history a day before.

The Spanish offence...guilty as charged !

2008-08-19T00:45:00.000-07:00

With pun intended I'm sure...but this was surely done without any intentions to offend but will surely be taken negatively (especially by the Chinese). The picture was of bad taste and the Spanish team will upset quite a few people. Does not auger well for Spain's bid for the 2016 games.

Spain's Olympic basketball team posed for an advertisement prior to the Games which appears to show all its players slanting their eyes, a move that could offend its Olympic hosts in Beijing.

The ads, for a Spanish courier company, appeared in the Spanish-language newspaper La Marca.

As the uproar over the picture has grown today, more information about the advertising shot has come to light. The ad was sponsored by a Spanish courier company, Seur. Spain's team, ironically, also is sponsored by Li-Ning Footwear, a Chinese company founded by Li Ning, the final torchbearer who was hoisted along the top of Beijing National Stadium during the Olympic Opening Ceremony finale.

The Spanish-language paper El Mundo has a piece debating whether the ad was racist that basically calls out the British press for trying to smear Spain's good name. But they miss the point. Whether the picture was made in good fun is irrelevant. It was a ridiculous idea that was bound to upset a lot of people.

It's baffling that nobody involved in the picture -- from the photographers to the players -- even seemed to consider that this ad would be looked at negatively. Did it not occur to somebody that it might not be a good idea to mock a large portion of the continent before the world's largest athletic competition that, by the way, happens to take place on that continent. Were they not aware of an invention called "the Internet" that allows pictures taken in Spain to be transmitted all over the world for the eyes of everyone?

And now that the inevitable controversy has hit, they're still defending themselves when a simple, "the ad was in poor taste, we apologize" would have sufficed. This story would be slowing down if the Spanish Basketball team had apologized immediately. Now it's just picking up steam.

The Organization of Chinese-Americans has released multiple statements condemning the picture. George Wu, deputy director of the group, said, "it is unfortunate that this type of imagery would rear its head during something that is supposed to be a time of world unity." Response in Beijing has been muted so far.

Madrid is thought to be one of the front runners to land the 2016 Summer Games (the site will be announced next year). Could this controversy hurt Spain's chances of landing another Olympics?

Isinbaeva sets 24th personal and world record !

2008-08-19T00:22:00.000-07:00

She does it for the 24th time and with the gold medal already secured last nite. I wanted her to push for a higher record (5.10m - that was my earlier record prediction) but I guess she was happy with her effort, record and gold medal. Congrats!

Russia's Yelena Isinbaeva broke her own world record to win gold in the women's pole vault in Beijing.

Isinbaeva thrilled the Bird's Nest crowd with a record leap of 5.05metres at the third attempt.
She surpassed the previous mark of 5.04 that she set in Monaco last month.

Jennifer Stuczynski of the United States took silver with a leap of 4.80m, while Svetlana Feofanova took bronze with 4.75m on countback from compatriot Yulia Golubchikova.

He just "Bolted" them away...

2008-08-18T02:48:00.001-07:00

The world yesterday witnessed a super-human feat - a feat that was considered by many as "not being possible" (without drugs of course) and mind you there was no wind assistance. But I was furious when I saw the race - this boy is so gifted but he was sooooo silly to slow down and (celebrate) at the 80 meter point ! (But he is 21 after all - hope he does not grow to regret it!!) He could have dipped 9.5 secs. Even in the qualifying round, where he again slowed down once he realised there was no one pushing him, - he still won comfortably with a time of 9.85 secs.

I must applaud the Jamaican track & field program who are nurturing some great talent - there were 2 other runners on the men's 100m final and all 3 medals in the women's 100m went to Jamaicans - a first, without the "mighty" Americans.

BEIJING — Imagine if he had really tried. Pounding his chest, turning up the palms of his outstretched arms, mugging for the cameras before he even crossed the finish line, Usain Bolt rewrote the record books again and captured his first Olympic medal yesterday, toying with the field and running the 100-meter dash in a stunning 9.69 seconds.

His left shoe was untied when he crossed the finish line. Not that it mattered much. He could've walked across.

It was a blowout, a rout, no contest, as the 21-year-old Jamaican took a huge lead halfway through the race and finished upright, looking to his right to find not a challenger but instead a bunch of photographers recording history.

"It wasn't planned," the newly crowned "World's Fastest Man" said of his running celebration. "My aim was to come out and win. When I saw the time, I'm celebrating. I'm happy."

He broke his own record, set in May in New York, by .03 second and became the first sprinter to set the world record in the Olympics since Donovan Bailey ran 9.84 at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
"No one will get near it," fellow Jamaican Michael Frater, the sixth-place finisher, said of Bolt's record.

Bolt beat Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago by 0.2 second — more than a body length — while American Walter Dix was third. The race marked the first time six runners broke 10 seconds in the Olympics. There was no wind — the reading was 0.0

Have you wondered why...?

2008-08-18T02:48:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have noticed gymnasts passing a strange (normally brown) item between themselves and wondered....hmmm - I bet its a magic potion or it must some kind of steroids to enhance their performance, you are not totally off - it does help - but only physically as it is not ingested. Thanks to Yahoo's sports blog where they have been discussing some cool and controversial topics and here's the answer to your curiosity...enjoy.

When it comes to loving honey, Winnie the Pooh ain't got nothin' on Olympic gymnasts. Eagle-eyed viewers of NBC's gymnastics coverage have noticed the consistent presence of a honey bottle in, or around, the gymnast's chalk bucket. Collectively, they'd like to know what a kitchen staple is doing amongst pommel horses, uneven bars and Martha Karolyi.

Knowing where to turn with Olympic-related queries, the inquisitive readers flooded the comments sections of Fourth-Place Medal's Investigative Unit (yahoo sports blog) requesting -- nay, demanding -- an answer. As usual, we exist to serve. So without further adieu, FPMIU solves the mystery of the honey-toting gymnasts.

Contrary to an apparent widely-held belief, the honey is not consumed to provide a quick energy boost. There are virtually hundreds of better energy boosting options that exist (and aren't as sticky) and, frankly, somebody who is about to execute precise movements while holding onto a thin, reinforced composite plastic bar probably doesn't need to be hopped up on sugar.

The honey is actually used like Stick-um; to provide a better grip on certain elements in "hanging" events. We always see gymnasts chalk up both their apparatus (to make it easier to swing on) and hands (to prevent cracks in the skin). By placing a little honey on either their fingertips or palms (or both) gymnasts can get an even better grip on the rings or bars while swinging.

Mystery: solved. (Still unsolved; why it appears to be a German bottle of honey.)

More Golds & Records for Steph Rice

2008-08-14T02:45:00.000-07:00

Stephanie Rice of Australia won her second Gold medal is record time on her favourite event. That's all good but you've got to feel for Kristy Coventry from Zimbabwe. She has been flawless, except that there always been Rice - she has now bagged 3 silvers.

Nice to see the Italians win something in the pool for a change instead of on the field. Good job Federica, and that too in record fashion. We'll be seeing these lasses more often, I guess.

In the Women's 200m Freestyle final, Italy's Federica Pellegrini finally claimed her first gold in Beijing after smashing a world record (for the Women's 200m Freestyle) and an Olympic record (for the Women's 400m Freestyle) in the evening prelims. Her time of 1:54.82 is also a new world record.

In the Women's 200m Individual Medley, Stephanie Rice of Australia grabbed her second gold with a world record time of 2:08.45, and Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry (2:08.59) touched in second to take her third silver.

The Greatest Olympian Ever...

2008-08-14T02:18:00.000-07:00

Congrats Mike Phelps -now I hope that he actually nails 8 gold medals @ Beijing.

(BEIJING, August 13) -- After cruising to a world record win in the Men's 200m Butterfly on Wednesday morning, US swimming powerhouse Michael Phelps became the greatest Olympian of all time, with 10 Olympic gold medals under his belt.

Just an hour later, one more gold was added to Phelps's huge medal collection, as his teammate Peter Vanderkaay touched the final wall over four seconds ahead of the previous world record in the Men's 200m Freestyle Relay. After a day's rest, Phelps will continue his eight-gold quest at the Water Cube.

A tribute to this man-machine...

The deep gulps of air and fighting back of tears as Michael Phelps stood proudly upon the podium as US anthem the Star Spangled Banner rang around the Water Cube said it all.

It is a sound the 23-year-old American swimmer knows all too well. After winning the Men's 200 meters Butterfly final -- Phelps's fourth gold medal of the Beijing Olympic Games, each on a world record time -- another superlative can justifiably be added to the growing list of adjectives used to describe this amazing athlete: legend.

Phelps powered his way into Olympic history at Beijing 2008 to become the first person to ever win 10 Olympic gold medals. "I just kept thinking wow, I'm the greatest Olympian of all time, it's a pretty great title. It's pretty neat, I'm definitely honored."

"Listening to the anthem, with the medal around your neck is an amazing feeling," said Phelps, after his tenth record medal. "I am almost at a loss for words. Growing up I always wanted to be an Olympian."

He is the classic wholesome all-American boy who, for an added twist of tension, even had the audacity to win the 200 meters Butterfly despite a goggle malfunction which affected his vision.

"When my goggles filled up there was nothing I could do. All I could do at that point was swim. I tried to see something at the 150 wall. I tried to see the T on the bottom to judge my turn. I was more or less trying to count my strokes, hoping I was dead on. I'm just disappointed because I know I can go faster than that."

Faster was precisely what Phelps and his colleagues in the USA Men's 4 x 200 Freestyle team did to add an 11th gold to his list an hour after clinching the all-important tenth. They shattered another world record – Michael's 30th - by slashing an amazing 4.68 seconds off their own previous world record.

His 11 gold medals in total stand two clear of the previous best – the nine-gold-medal club consisting of four athletes: Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi, Ukrainian gymnast Larysa Latynina, US swimmer Mark Spitz and sprinter Carl Lewis.

"When you have an Olympic Gold medal, it stays with you forever. You're always an Olympic gold medalist. It's amazing and it definitely never gets old."

Indeed by the time the Beijing 2008 swimming competition concludes Phelps could also become the first person ever to win eight gold medals at a single Olympic Games, surpassing Mark Spitz's seven at Munich in 1972 and ratcheting up his overall tally to 14 gold medals.

Small wonder one of his friends sent him a cheeky text message after seeing Phelps step onto the podium for the tenth time: "Dude, how many times a day do I have to see your ugly face?"
At Athens 2004 Phelps took eight medals -- a feat only achieved by one other athlete, Russian gymnast Alexander Dityatin, in Moscow in 1980.

Perhaps the most staggering thing is that, at 23 years old, Phelps is feasibly young enough to add more Olympic medals to his collection should he decide to carry on until London 2012.

So who is Michael Fred Phelps and what makes him the greatest Olympian in history?

Born in Baltimore in the US state of Maryland, Phelps – known as the Baltimore Bullet -- suffered Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as a teenager and trained at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club under coach Bob Bowman, who was later an assistant coach to the US swimming team at Athens 2004.

He was a talented junior swimmer who became the youngest-ever US swimmer to compete in the Olympic Games when he represented his country at the age of 15 at the Sydney 2000 Games in the Men's 200 meters Butterfly. A few months later, at 15 years and nine months, he became the youngest man to set a swimming world record, again in the 200 meters Butterfly.

His first World Championship gold medal came in 2001, but the big breakthrough year was 2003, when Phelps won four gold medals and two silver at the World Championships in Barcelona.

At Athens 2004, Phelps extended that to six gold medals and two bronze (swimwear manufacturers Speedo offered Phelps one million dollars if he won all eight medals – an offer which has stayed on the table for Beijing 2008).

Indeed a succession of lucrative sponsorship deals meant Phelps could no longer train as an amateur, so when Bowman moved to coach at the University of Michigan in 2004, Phelps followed too and trained at a local swimming club in Ann Arbor called Club Wolverine.

Phelps has vowed not to work under any other coach than Bowman. "I don't think I would be where I am today with any other coach. He's always on top of things. We've been through a lot."

He maintained his grip as the world's No. 1 swimmer by winning four gold and two silver at the 2005 World Championships and then six gold medals at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. Then came this week's incredible record-breaking feats.

The bad news for Phelps's rivals is that he hasn't lost his thirst for more titles.

"This is something we've been preparing for over the past four years. The hard work is paying off and it's starting to show."

That is surely the understatement of Beijing 2008. Debate among sports columnists will rage about whether Phelps is the greatest Olympian of all time. Conjecture, of course ... but the record book is firmly on his side.

The Phelps Fact File
Full name: Michael Fred Phelps
Date of birth: June 30, 1985 (age 23)
Place of birth: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Strokes: Butterfly, Individual Medley, Freestyle, Backstroke
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 195 pounds (88 kg)
Club: Wolverine, University of Michigan

In support of Rafa Benitez

2008-08-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

A piece from Sports Illustrated (SI) about our beloved Rafa to break the monotony – plus as we approach the weekend where ‘our’ lives ignite once again…yup, you guessed it, the 2008-09 English Premier League season kicks-off this Sat. (August 16). Cheers to another 9 months of soccer-fare !! Stay tuned…

Benitez needs to be Spain's next sporting success

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) -With Spanish sportsmen enjoying a golden era, Rafa Benitez will be hoping the Midas touch extends to Anfield.

Especially as the Liverpool manager relies on Spain striker Fernando Torres for goals and Pepe Reina to stop them between the posts.

Since Liverpool finished fourth in the Premier League and was ousted at the Champions League semifinal stage in May, Spain's football team has won the European Championship, Rafael Nadal claimed his first Wimbledon title and Carlos Sastre triumphed in the Tour de France.

Benitez desperately needs to add a Premier League title to that list. If Liverpool isn't a close contender he might not be given another chance.

Already the fans, who displayed such fierce loyalty last season when the owners explored replacing the popular manager with Juergen Klinsmann, are questioning his judgment.

The most vocal and passionate supporters in the Kop used last Friday night's friendly against Lazio to roar midfielder Xabi Alonso's name, while attacking Gareth Barry - despite Benitez wanting to replace Alonso with the Aston Villa captain.

"I feel a responsibility to them, because they give so much,'' Benitez said of the fans. "It would be nice to give them something back.''

Add restless American owners into the equation and the pressure is mounting on Benitez, who hasn't delivered a title since the 2006 FA Cup.

"I don't feel any more pressure,'' Benitez said. "Every season is the same, I know I have a good squad and I think this year it is better than ever, so hopefully I can improve a little bit more.''
Co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. braced themselves for Benitez quitting last Novemeber when the first cracks in their relationship emerged.

Benitez was irritated by their failure to back him in the transfer market.

As Hicks told The Associated Press at the time: "He went to a press conference and kind of pouted, and answered the same question 20 times, 'I'm focusing on my team.'''

But the Gillett camp was unhappy with Hicks fraternizing with Klinsmann, the former Germany coach, sparking a spat which rumbled throughout the second half of the season.

On the eve of the new season, the owners have been forced to deny they were questioning Benitez's judgment after refusing to sanction the signing of Barry, reportedly deeming him to be overpriced.

Benitez was clearly frustrated at being denied Barry when he faced the media after last Friday's friendly against Lazio, giving cryptic answers reminiscent of the previous November.

Asked about the pursuit of Barry, he repeated that he wants what is best for the team.

Shielded for three years by the 2005 Champions League triumph and latterly the strife between the owners, if Liverpool ends the season empty-handed again Benitez might face a fight to survive.

Benitez defends himself by pointing to his record in La Liga that first attracted Liverpool in 2004.

"When I was at Valencia, we had Barcelona and Real Madrid to challenge and they were both in the top five in Europe,'' he said. "Nobody then was talking about Valencia winning the title. People talked of us maybe finishing in the top four, but we won the title twice and we won the UEFA Cup.

"That means that sometimes you do not need to talk too much but to do things on the pitch.''

Torres has no doubts about Benitez's ability, despite the grueling training sessions.

"There are days when you think: 'My God, this guy doesn't let you breathe,''' said Torres, last season's top scorer with 33 goals. "It's good as you need someone close to you, telling you to keep at it.

"After you score 20, Benitez is at you during the next training session and stays on top of you all day, all week. He tells you to go off on your own and do new exercises. I want to progress in life, not relax, not be complacent.''

There is a new Queen (Babe) in the pool !

2008-08-12T00:44:00.000-07:00

That's what all the men are talking about today...did you see that Rice swimmer from Australia ? Of course we did - and what a win that was.

Am also sure everyone noticed her cute dimples more than the fact that she just shattered the world record for the 400 meter individual medley on Sunday!

But can you blame anyone? Hail the new Queen Rice !!

Let's clear the air...

2008-08-12T00:32:00.000-07:00

By that - I don't mean the pollution. "He was just too sick to compete" and that reason enough to justify the Iranian swimmer, who withdrew from his 100 meter breaststroke heat. There was speculation that the swimmer wanted to avoid a Jewish swimmer, also in the same heat. But that is a good reason and we should let it rest. Let get back to enjoying the rest of the games.

BEIJING (AP) -- The International Olympic Committee has accepted the explanation of an Iranian swimmer who pulled out of an event that included an Israeli competitor.

Mohammad Alirezaei withdrew from the heats of the men's 100-meter breaststroke on Saturday just before he was due to compete against a field that included Israel's Tom Beeri. He cited illness as the reason.

Iran could have faced sanctions from the IOC if Alirezaei pulled out deliberately because an Israeli was also racing, but IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said Monday that no violation had been found.

"The athlete has withdrawn because of sickness," she said. "He confirmed this in writing to the swimming federation. We've also spoken with the national Olympic committee and they have underlined to us that all their athletes compete here in the right spirit against athletes from any nationality.

"We take both the athlete and the national Olympic committee at their word on this," she said.

Victim @ 1 at the Beijing Olympics

2008-08-12T00:14:00.000-07:00

BEIJING (AP) -- The fatal stabbing of the father of a former Olympian at a Beijing landmark cast a sad shadow over the first full day of Olympic competition Saturday, just hours after China's jubilant opening of the Summer Games.

Todd and Barbara Bachman of Lakeville, Minn. -- parents of 2004 volleyball Olympian Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman and in-laws of U.S. men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon -- were attacked by a Chinese man while visiting the 13th-century Drum Tower.

The assailant, Tang Yongming, 47, leapt to his death from a 130-foot high balcony on the Drum Tower, just five miles from the main Olympics site, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Just as I was fearing - the nastiness has begun too. Although this seems to be a 'random' act of lunacy...and not tied to any organized terror threat, this wonderful celebration of culture, race & talent has started in the worst way possible.

Whether you are there for a holiday, or there for the games, I guess added care should be applied - even though this was a sooo random and was never a part of the larger script.

May the rest to be focussed on the wonderful talent on show; Phelps, Rice, Hoff, Isinbaeva, Bolt, etc. Enjoy !

The Olympic Oath

2008-08-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

The Olympic Games Oath that will be read out today by a selected athlete from the host country.

Written by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, the Olympic oath was first taken by Belgian fencer Victor Boin at the 1920 Games in Antwerp.

Originally, the oath ended with "countries" as opposed to "teams," but due to the desire of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to eliminate nationalism at the Olympics, it changed the wording in the 1960s.

At the 110th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland on December 12, 1999, the Olympic Oath was revised to add the line "committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs," as the IOC draws attention to its ongoing fight against doping in sport.

Following the lighting of the Olympic flame, the Olympic oath is taken by an athlete of the host country on behalf of all the athletes participating in the Games. As the flag bearers of all countries form a semicircle around the rostrum, the oath taker mounts the rostrum, holds a corner of the Olympic flag in his left hand, raises his right hand and takes the following oath:

In the name of all the competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them,committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.

After the athletes' oath, a judge from the host country will take an oath on behalf of all the judges participating in the Games. It reads as follows:

In the name of all the judges and officials, I promise that we shall officiate in these Olympic Games with complete impartiality, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship.

The Olympic oath has been taken by 17 men and five women.

Let the Games Begin..

2008-08-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

Its 08.08.08 … and is supposed to be a auspicious day for some people (I know it’s an ‘ong’ date for most Chinese and hence there will be many weddings today as well. Okay enough of that..I want to share with you what you can expect for the opening of the 29th Olympics at Beijing at precisely 08.08pm today.

The piece below, courtesy of NBC News, will detail what we can expect tonight. I am excited. Let the Games Begin !!!

The Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad will be held Aug. 8 at the National Stadium in Beijing. The ceremony will consist of pageantry, a parade of nations and protocol. The Opening Ceremony will take place on 8/8/08 at 8 p.m. (The number 8 is a symbol of prosperity in Chinese culture.)

Traditionally, details of the Opening Ceremony are kept as secret as possible to allow for surprise and anticipation from the audience. However, there are protocols that are commonly followed at every Opening Ceremony, regardless of the specifics of the program.

The ceremony officially will begin when Chinese President Hu Jintao is received at the entrance of the stadium by the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, and by Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Olympic Committee (BOCOG).

The parade of nations will follow.

The marching members of the participating nations will be seated in the Olympic Stadium until the parade begins. They will march into the stadium in alphabetical order according to the language practiced in the host city; in this case, it will be Mandarin. The Greek delegation marches first and the host city marches last. Each contingent, dressed in its official uniform, will be preceded by a shield bearing the country's name and will be accompanied by its national flag.
After completing its march, each delegation proceeds to reserved seats to watch the ceremony, with the exception of flag bearers, who remain on the field.

Rogge, accompanied by Liu, will proceeds to the rostrum in front of the official stand. Liu will then speak for a maximum of three minutes, closing with these words: "I have the honor of inviting Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, to speak."

Rogge will then make a welcoming speech. He will conclude it by saying, "I have the honor of inviting President Hu to proclaim open the Games of the XXIX Olympiad of the modern era."

Hu will respond with these 15 words: "I declare open the Games of Beijing, celebrating the XXIX Olympiad of the modern era."

To the strains of the Olympic hymn, the Olympic flag will be brought into the stadium and raised.

The Olympic torch will be brought into the stadium by a runner or runners relaying it around the track before it is taken to the cauldron, where the Olympic flame will be lit. The flame will burn throughout the Games.

Beginning with the 1920 Games, a release of pigeons or doves preceded the lighting of the flame. In 1993, the IOC adjusted the format to release the birds after the lighting, partly in response to what happened in Seoul, when many of the birds settled on the cauldron and were charred to death. (How sad!) Beginning at the Sydney Games, the lighting of the Olympic flame was followed by a symbolic release of pigeons.

The flag bearers of each country will advance and form a semicircle around the rostrum. A Chinese athlete will mount the rostrum, take a corner of an Olympic flag in his left hand, raise his right hand and on behalf of all athletes, take the Olympic oath (Am posting the Oath next - do read it)

Immediately after, a judge (competition judge NOT judge from the courts - ya) from China will mount the rostrum and take a separate oath.

The Chinese national anthem, "March of the Volunteers," will then be played as the flag bearers return to reserved seats to watch the remainder of the Opening Ceremony.

IOC gets TOUGH on China about Internet Freedom

2008-08-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Some countries must learn that there are some things that we can control and there are some we just can’t…like the liberties of free speech and the free press. China is ‘new’ to this type of liberalism but they have been ‘forced’ by the world community (specifically by the IOC and risking the backlash of pissed journalist..) to not censor the Internet. They initially took a stiff stance but had to soften that stance when faced with some ‘friendly pressure’, which I am sure was applied. Read on…

Beijing today defied concerns of the International Olympic Committee and press freedom groups by confirming that the internet at Games facilities would remain censored.

Officials were challenged as to why journalists and others trying to access the internet at the Media Press Centre, the Olympic Village and other venues were blocked from seeing sites including the BBC Chinese language service, other international media and human rights groups.

Sun Weide, the chief spokesman, acknowledged that sites would remain blocked, specifically those connected to Falun gong, a religious movement which is heavily repressed in China.

"Falun gong is an evil cult so their sites are blocked and will remain so," he said, though he refused to give specifics about other sites.

The International Olympics Committee says it is "concerned" about internet censorship, while acknowledging there is little it can do as long as sites pertaining to sport are left open.

"I will speak with the Chinese authorities to advise them of the restraints and to see what their reaction is," said Kevan Gosper, the IOC member who heads its press commission.

Among the other sites inaccessible are some Hong Kong and Taiwanese newspapers, those of human rights groups such as Amnesty International, and most non-Chinese government sites relating to Tibet.

Giselle Davies, the IOC spokeswoman, said it had been aware of Chinese intentions to censor the internet but thought originally it would apply to pornography sites and other material regularly blocked in other countries.

Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, had previously pledged there would be no censorship in Beijing.

But Ms Davies said it became clear that there were “issues” with Beijing's approach. “They have always made clear that some websites would be an issue, and we're working with them to ensure the media face the minimum possible restrictions,” she said.

China is maintaining tight security across the city in the lead-up to the Games next week, despite hopes by the IOC that the Games would bring greater openness.

The authorities also announced yesterday that security checkpoints were being set up for tourists wishing to walk on to Tiananmen Square, which is normally accessed through underpasses from the surrounding main roads.

Among the greatest concerns is the possibility of protests on the Square, the most sensitive and servile public place in China since the student demonstrations of 1989. International broadcasters are still battling with the authorities over the extent to which they will be allowed to film there during the Games, in line with earlier promises.

Meanwhile, police leave has been cancelled to ensure "absolute security without a single lapse" in Tibet, one potential source of disturbances during the Games period, state media reported.

…and this is what appeared the very next day – the Chinese actually ‘softened’ their stance – for the good of the world & press freedom – good job IOC.

China relaxes internet bans for journos - 2008 Beijing Olympic Games - ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

As the news reader said: “What a difference a day makes!” China relaxes internet bans for journos and three hours later Beijing lifts some internet restrictions: IOC.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Chinese organizers have agreed to lift all internet restrictions for the Beijing Games, IOC vice-president Gunilla Lindberg says.

“The issue has been solved,” Ms Lindberg said.

“The IOC Coordination Commission and the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee (BOCOG) met last night and agreed.

“Internet use will be just like in any Olympics.”

ABC journalists in Beijing said they could access internet content about Tiananmen Square and other previously banned websites.

But it was not immediately clear if the restrictions had been lifted outside hubs for foreign media.

I feel for Michael Johnson

2008-08-05T01:34:00.001-07:00

The man was clean and the man was fast. He was a model professional and still holds the world records for the 200m (19.32 in Atlanta, USA @ 1996), 400m (43.18 in Seville, Spain @ 1999) and 4x400m relay (2:54.20 in the Goodwill Games in New York @ 1998).

Johnson was noted for his unique running style. His upright stance and very short steps defied the received wisdom that a high knee lift was essential for maximum speed.

But for all his efforts, he was stripped (together with his 4x400 (1,600m relay teammates) of his fifth gold medal from the 2000 Sydney Olympics as a member of the quartet, Antonio Pettigrew, admitted that he was doping during that time.

I must say that I was a fan and am disappointed that MJ failed to register himself into the annals of sporting history because he had to return his 5th gold medal due to some irresponsible behavior of his teammate. Do read the news feed from FOX Sports and please watch MJ burning down the tracks on YouTube if you missed it. It is a MUST watch.

An update of the legend...Since retiring from competitive track, Johnson has worked as a television commentator, often for the BBC in the United Kingdom, where he also writes a column for the Daily Telegraph. He also has served as the agent for Jeremy Wariner, who won the gold medal in the 400 m at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Wariner, like Johnson, ran collegiately at Baylor University for coach Clyde Hart, and Johnson serves as a consultant for Baylor's track athletes. He was elected to the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004, where his 200 m performance at the 1996 Olympics was named the greatest track and field moment of the last 25 years.

In June 2008, Johnson voluntarily returned the 4 x 400 m relay gold medal he earned in the 2000 Olympics after Antonio Pettigrew, who ran the second leg, admitted he took performance enhancing drugs between 1997 and 2001. Pettigrew made his admission while giving testimony in the trial of coach Trevor Graham for his role in the BALCO scandal. The three other athletes in the relay, Jerome Young, Alvin Harrison and Calvin Harrison, have subsequently served drug bans and/or have admitted taking drugs. The gold medal was formally stripped from the team on 2008-08-01.

Johnson currently lives in Mill Valley, California, with his wife Kerry, and their son Sebastian.

Full Story below (Source - Fox Sports)

BEIJING — The International Olympic Committee stripped gold medals Saturday from the U.S. men's 1,600-meter relay team that competed at the 2000 Olympics in the aftermath of Antonio Pettigrew's admission that he was doping at the time.

Saturday's decision was almost a formality after Pettigrew gave up his gold medal in June. He admitted in court in May that he used EPO and human growth hormone from 1997 to 2003.
Five of Pettigrew's teammates also lose their medals: Michael Johnson and twins Alvin and Calvin Harrison ran in the final; Jerome Young and Angelo Taylor ran in the preliminaries.

It was Johnson's fifth gold medal of his stellar career. He has already said he was giving it back because he felt "cheated, betrayed and let down" by Pettigrew's testimony. Johnson still holds world records in the 200 and 400 meters.

Three of the four runners from the relay final have been tainted by drugs.
Alvin Harrison accepted a four-year ban in 2004 after admitting he used performance-enhancers. Calvin Harrison tested positive for a banned stimulant in 2003 and was suspended for two years. Young was banned for life for doping violations.

"We support the action taken today by the IOC," USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel said. "Athletes who make the unacceptable choice to cheat should recognize that there will be consequences. Those consequences can be severe including the loss of medals and results. We're in full support of this action. In other matters like this in the past we've worked with the IOC to make certain medals will be returned, and we'll do so again."

The IOC had previously tried to strip the relay team after it became known that Young tested positive before the Sydney Games. But a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport said the entire team should not be disqualified, and Pettigrew and the others were allowed to keep their medals.

23rd and counting...

2008-08-05T00:54:00.000-07:00

What is it about the pole vault? It must be bloody easy - I am gonna give it a try !!! Previously it was Sergia Bubka who re-wrote the pole-vault record like 30-0dd times (am guessing here). Now its the Russian beauty, Isinbayeva, who last week broke the women's pole vault world record for the 23rd time in Monaco (yes, I said 23rd time - same person !)

Her timing of it could not be better - it has happened at the eve of the Olympics (starting next week) and she broke her 22nd record some 18 months ago (some people were starting to doubt her !).

My prediction is for her to top the 5.10 mark at the Olympics !

MONACO (Reuters) - Russian Yelena Isinbayeva broke her own women's world pole vault record on Tuesday when she cleared 5.04 meters at her third attempt at the Monaco grand prix.

Isinbayeva, who bettered her previous mark of 5.03 meters set at the Rome Golden League meeting on July 11, recorded her 13th outdoor world record and 23rd overall on a warm, still night in the principality.

The Olympic and world champion had come close to vaulting 5.04 meters last Friday in London, where she cleared the bar with her third attempt but brought it down during her descent.

"The record just happened," the 26-year-old Monaco resident told reporters. "Monaco is my home town and it's my first competition (in Monaco) since I've been living here. That motivated me."I'm in a good shape, I just need to keep my condition that way until the Olympics. I wanted to improve my personal best and that's what I did. I see this world record first of all as a personal best."

Awakening...

2008-07-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hi friends - since I am getting so much flak for not updating this blog (not that there is NOTHING happening in my life)...I figured I'll get back to blogging especially since the "Greatest Show on the Earth" will begin on 08.08.08 @ Beijing.

So here goes:

Together with all the excitement of the Olympics @ Beijing, who to their credit are trying to put on a 'good show' for us, they have had their hands full with numerous political, social, environmental, etc, etc issues. The latest has been the pollution factor that is affecting the performances, health and well being of the athletes.

This has resulted in many countries opting for alternative venues (with similar geographical and climate conditions) to prepare for the games ie. Korea, Malaysia (the Australian swim team is actually here!!).

This is what The Sports Business Daily had to say...with reliable quotes from the IOC Medical Commission Chair Arne Ljungqvist himself. Stay tuned..

The IOC acknowledged for the first time that "air pollution could affect the health and performance of athletes" at this summer's Beijing Olympic Games, according to a front-page piece by Amy Shipley of the WASHINGTON POST. The IOC also said it "would monitor air quality daily during the Games to determine whether to postpone certain outdoor events." Shipley writes the IOC's "unexpectedly frank announcement ... seemed to signal that some athletes and officials have lost faith that the Chinese will adequately address Beijing's air-quality problem in time" for the Games. IOC Medical Commission Chair Arne Ljungqvist: "The findings indicate that there may be some risk for outdoor endurance events." But Ljungqvist noted the "risk (for most athletes) is more related to the fact they may not perform at the highest level." Ljungqvist added that during the Games, IOC medical commission members and int'l sports federations "will jointly decide each morning whether it was safe to proceed with scheduled endurance events," including the marathon and triathlon. Shipley notes since Beijing in '01 won the rights to host this summer's Olympics, Chinese officials have spent almost $17B to "clean the air, but the city remains under a gray cloud on many days and athletes frequently complain about competing in choking conditions." USOC Senior Sport Physiologist Randy Wilber said, "We are very confident ... that air pollution will not be an issue. However, as we have done for every Olympic Games whether there is air pollution or not, we will have backup plans and contingencies in place in case of any problems" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/18).

CLEARING THE AIR? Ljungqvist said of the air-pollution study, "This to my knowledge is the first time in sports history we are conducting an analysis like the one we have been conducting. Air pollution has not been an issue until this time. But we have been in polluted places earlier without paying attention or making any analysis at all." Ljungqvist noted that World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines will be used to judge pollution, heat and humidity, and added that "any postponement would be explained openly." WHO has said that "some pollution levels in [Beijing] are five times over the group's safety level" (AP, 3/18). Univ. of Hong Kong department of community medicine Chair Anthony Hedley: "There's no magic wand you can wave and suddenly reliably change the quality of air in a region. But there is a very real risk that the health of some athletes will be impaired" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/18). Ljungqvist also said that asthmatic athletes are "likely to suffer more than most" (London TELEGRAPH, 3/18). British Olympic Association Chair Colin Moynihan said that British Olympians "would be free to train" with an anti-pollution mask though there is "'no intention' to allow them in competition." Moynihan: "We are increasingly confident that the improved air quality will mean masks are unnecessary, but it is up to the individual athletes and their sporting federations if they want to wear them in competition" (LONDON TIMES, 3/18).

Stop the Scams, Senator !

2007-11-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

How low do you have to go to win your party's nomination for President of the U.S of A? Very low apparently (read below). Am aghast at how low this pseudo Senator from New York went in Newton, Iowa recently.

While I was thoroughly entertained by her husband, Bill, while he served (apparently more than just the country...) as President, I cannot say I was fond of Hillary as First Lady, and I am sure I will not as President!

Will let you be the judge - Do you trust this woman? Check this out !

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s campaign admitted Friday that it planted a global warming question in Newton, Iowa, Tuesday during a town hall meeting to discuss clean energy.

Clinton campaign spokesman Mo Elliethee admitted that the campaign had planted the question and said it would not happen again.

"On this occasion a member of our staff did discuss a possible question about Senator Clinton's energy plan at a forum,” Elliethee said.

“However, Senator Clinton did not know which questioners she was calling on during the event. This is not standard policy and will not be repeated again.”

In a state where the caucus is held sacred and the impromptu and candid style of the town hall meeting is held dear, Clinton’s planted question may come as a great offense to Iowans.

According to a report on the Grinnell University Web site, the Clinton campaign arranged for some of the questions for the candidate to be asked by college students:
"On Tuesday Nov. 6, the Clinton campaign stopped at a biodiesel plant in Newton as part of a weeklong series of events to introduce her new energy plan. The event was clearly intended to be as much about the press as the Iowa voters in attendance, as a large press core helped fill the small venue....
/**/

"After her speech, Clinton accepted questions. But according to Grinnell College student Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff ’10, some of the questions from the audience were planned in advance. 'They were canned,' she said. Before the event began, a Clinton staff member approached Gallo-Chasanoff to ask a specific question after Clinton’s speech. 'One of the senior staffers told me what [to ask],' she said.

"Clinton called on Gallo-Chasanoff after her speech to ask a question: what Clinton would do to stop the effects of global warming. Clinton began her response by noting that young people often pose this question to her before delving into the benefits of her plan.

"But the source of the question was no coincidence — at this event 'they wanted a question from a college student,' Gallo-Chasanoff said."

The tape of the event shows that the question and answer went as follows:
Question: "As a young person, I'm worried about the long-term effects of global warming How does your plan combat climate change?

Clinton: "Well, you should be worried. You know, I find as I travel around Iowa that it's usually young people that ask me about global warming."

The campaign's admission that it planted the question may be another blow to the New York senator's image as a trustworthy politician.

Clinton's critics have accused her of being a double-talker who refuses to answer tough questions specifically. Now her campaign has acknowledged planting at least one question.

Already her rivals have begun to criticize Friday's revelation.

“In light of a weak debate performance, not to mention a persistent inability to answer the tough questions, it appears the Clinton campaign has adopted a new strategy of planting questions,” John Edwards’ Communications Director Chris Kofinis said.

“It’s what the Clinton campaign calls the politics of planting.”

More Skeletons in the F1 Closet !

2007-11-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

Here we go again ... another scandal that F1 does not need but must be ready to face. Movements of staff between rival companies is rampant in motorsport - all to out-do each other for the thrill of victory ... at any cost, it seems.

Renault has today (Nov 8, 2007) been summoned to explain itself in front of the FIA over allegations that it was in possession of confidential information belonging to McLaren during last season.

The allegations refer to the recruitment to the French team of former McLaren design engineer Phil Mackereth - and three computer disks full of secret information that might or might not have crossed the channel with him.

A statement released by the FIA today says that team representatives have been called to answer a charge that between September 2006 and October 2007, “the Renault F1 Team had unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, including, but not limited to the layout and critical dimensions of the McLaren F1 car, together with details of the McLaren fuelling system, gear assembly, oil cooling system, hydraulic control system and a novel suspension component used by the 2006 and 2007 McLaren F1 cars.”

The hearing is due to take place in Monaco on December 6.
Renault has said it will act with full transparency towards both the FIA and McLaren, while that team has said that it will not be publicly commenting.

A crucial question to ask when trying to understand the Byzantine politics of F1 is always: “Who benefits?”

The answer to that in spy row terms has emphatically been Ferrari, who have secured both a drivers’ and constructors’ championship that they were far from certain of winning solely on the track.

But, if the smoke signals coming from the bookies are correct, McLaren and Renault are in line to do a drivers’ swap, sending Fernando Alonso straight back to Renault and providing the perfect pay-off for Briatore’s year-long campaign to get his champion back.

Alonso has now been successfully dislodged from McLaren. But at what potential cost?
When the first hints of a Renault angle to the spy scandal emerged, before the Belgian Grand Prix, Briatore was asked to comment at the pre-race press conference - and he came out fighting.

He said then: “First, if somebody tells me it’s the same [as McLaren], I sue somebody, quickly. Second, it’s not an investigation regarding myself and the team. Third, we give all the information to the Federation, at least when we found out something, and this is it.

“I don’t want, at this moment (to talk) about Renault because first we are not being investigated, second we give all our evidence to McLaren and to Mr Mosley and to the Federation.”

It will be interesting to see what his new public position will be.

The Verdict !!! No Ban ??? What Rubbish !

2007-11-10T11:22:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe the FIA - they find McLaren guilty of spying (based on a 780-page document containing confidential technical data about Ferrari's F1 car had been found in the possession of McLaren's chief designer Mike Coughlan) - they fine McLaren but not BAN McLaren !!!! I only feel for Lewis Hamilton, who has been a fantastic find this year.

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) of the FIA, motor sport's governing body, has fined McLaren -- the team at the center of the "spygate" scandal -- $100m and stripped it of its constructors' championship points for the season. And McLaren faces further penalties when the WMSC reconvenes in December 2007. McLaren must submit a full technical report on its 2008 car. If the WMSC considers that its design was influenced by confidential Ferrari data, then sanctions may be imposed on the team for the 2008 season.

In an official press statement, the FIA stated: "The WMSC has stripped Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of all constructor points in the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship and the team can score no points for the remainder of the season.

"Furthermore, the team will pay a fine equal to $100m, less the FOM [Formula One Management] income lost as a result of the points deduction.

"However, due to the exceptional circumstances in which the FIA gave the team's drivers an immunity in return for providing evidence, there is no penalty in regard to drivers' points."

Should McLaren's drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, win in any of the remaining races of the 2007 season no representatives of McLaren will be allowed on the podium.

The WMSC is expected to announce the reasons for its decisions on September 14.

In July the WMSC ruled that McLaren was in breach of Article 151c of the FIA International Sporting Code but recommended that no punitive measures were taken until a hearing of the FIA's International Court of Appeal on September 13. However, in the light of new evidence -- the source and nature of which remain undisclosed -- the WMSC is to reconvene in place of the Court of Appeal hearing.

The murky story began in June of this year, when Ferrari sacked its performance director Nigel Stepney and initiated court proceedings against him in Modena, Italy.

It then emerged that a 780-page document containing confidential technical data about Ferrari's F1 car had been found in the possession of McLaren's chief designer Mike Coughlan.

Coughlan's wife, Trudy Coughlan, had taken the document for duplication at a copy shop near McLaren's Woking headquarters. An employee of the copy shop, suspicious that confidential data was being copied, blew the whistle to Ferrari.

Ferrari suspected the source of the leak was Nigel Stepney, a friend and former colleague of Coughlan's (the pair had worked together at Lotus in the late 1980s). Stepney had been the team's chief mechanic, but in February took his new role as the team's performance director -- which did not require him to attend grands prix -- when he expressed his disquiet at the Ferrari's reorganization following the departure of technical director Ross Brawn.

Ferrari filed a formal complaint against Stepney in Modena, Italy where the district attorney initiated a criminal investigation.

Ferrari issued the following press statement:

"Ferrari announces it has recently presented a case against Nigel Stepney and an engineer from the Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes team with the Modena Tribunal, concerning the theft of technical information. Furthermore, legal action has been instigated in England and a search warrant has been issued concerning the engineer. This produced a positive outcome."

McLaren promptly dismissed Mike Coughlan, its chief designer. It then emerged that Coughlan and Stepney had met with Honda F1 boss, Nick Fry, in June this year to discuss employment possibilities. However Honda were cleared of any wrongdoing by the FIA who were satisfied that no confidential material had been offered to or received by Honda.

Coughlan and his wife appeared in the High Court in London for a preliminary hearing on July 10. Ferrari dropped the case in consideration of the Coughlan's full disclosure and promise of future cooperation.

The furore seemed to cool down after the WMSC's verdict. Ferrari remained unhappy that McLaren had emerged from the scandal without penalty but the WMSC did not have sufficient evidence to enforce such a penalty.

But now the FIA is in possession of new evidence. Rumors have centered on emails between McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa and reigning world champion Fernando Alonso. On August 31 Max Mosley the FIA president wrote letters to all three McLaren drivers -- de la Rosa, Alonso and Lewis Hamilton -- in which he stated: "The FIA has subsequently been made aware of an allegation that one or more McLaren drivers may be in possession, or that such drivers have recently been in possession, of written evidence relevant to this investigation."

The letter continued: "I can confirm, given the importance of this issue, that any information you may make available in response to this letter will not result in any proceedings against you under the International Sporting Code or the Formula One regulations. However, in the event that it later comes to light that you have withheld any potentially relevant information, serious consequences could follow."

Five days later the WMSC announced it was to reconvene "following the emergence of new evidence", in place of the Court of Appeal hearing.

Other rumors had emerged regarding a mysterious white powder said to have been found on the fuel caps of the Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa in practice leading up to the Monaco Grand Prix. Stepney has denied involvement in these sabotage claims or in the espionage case in general.

Further drama overshadowed Alonso and Hamilton's one-two on the podium at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday. Modena's public prosecutor, Giuseppe Tibis, issued a legal notice -- known as an 'avviso di garanzia' -- that six McLaren employees were under criminal investigation . The six included McLaren supremo Ron Dennis, managing directors Martin Whitmarsh and Jonathan Neale, technical director Jonathan Neale and designer Rob Taylor as well as Mike Coughlan.

This outcome has put a dark shadow McLaren's return to winning ways. The team, dominant in the late 1990s, had struggled with reliability for some years. But the team is not taking the decision lying down. Martin Whitmarsh, COO of the McLaren Group said: "We believe we have got the grounds for an appeal, but of course we are going to wait for the findings of the FIA."

Spygate ~ F1 Style !

2007-11-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

A day after the world of Formula One was shocked by a $100 million fine over spying, the racing federation on Friday revealed some extraordinary details of the scandal.

In a 15-page account - including details from e-mails and cellphone text messages - the International Automobile Federation explained its punishment of the previous day against McLaren Mercedes. What came out was a tale of intrigue, and insight into the workings of the pinnacle of motor racing.

In Formula One, each team spends hundreds of millions of dollars each season to build a car to gain precious seconds on the competition. Sharing intellectual property is, to a degree, part of the game, with teams employing photographers to take pictures of the elaborate technology belonging to the opposition to garner the slightest advantage.

But the federation concluded that the McLaren team probably had gained an unfair advantage by obtaining data from its rival Ferrari. On Thursday, in addition to the fine, it excluded McLaren from the constructors' championship this season.

The case first broke in the media in the days leading up to the British Grand Prix on July 8. But its beginnings can be traced to the retirement from Ferrari of Michael Schumacher last year after 11 seasons with the team, and the resulting sabbatical of Ross Brawn, the team's technical director.

Nigel Stepney, a right-hand man to Brawn, was unhappy about his new boss. According to the federation report, as early as the first race of the season in mid-March, the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne, Stepney began to communicate with his friend and former colleague, Mike Coughlan, McLaren's chief designer, about details on Ferrari's car and team strategy.

When the scandal broke in July, it focused only on a 780-page document found at Coughlan's home in England.

Ferrari claimed that it had been tipped off about the document by an employee of a copy shop in Woking, England, where McLaren is based, as the employee was a Ferrari fan and became suspicious about the document. But, according to Stepney, in an interview with the British media in early July, Ferrari had been following his movements all season.

On July 4, McLaren said that the data had not been transferred to the car or used by anyone else within the company, and that it had been an isolated incident involving a rogue employee.

But the evidence issued Friday suggests otherwise. Coughlan and Stepney were shown not only to be communicating regularly since before the first race of the season - won by Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari - but also to be contact with two drivers of the McLaren tam.

Coughlan had worked with the McLaren test driver, Pedro de la Rosa, on another team years ago. Coughlan shared some information in e-mail exchanges with de la Rosa.

"Hi Mike, do you know the Red Car's Weight Distribution?" de la Rosa wrote in an e-mail to Coughlan on March 21, three days after the first race. "It would be important for us to know so that we could try it in the simulator." At the hearing Thursday, de la Rosa confirmed that Coughlan had responded by text message "with precise details of Ferrari's weight distribution."

De la Rosa then sent an e-mail to Fernando Alonso, the McLaren driver and reigning world champion, setting out the Ferrari's weight distribution to two decimal places on each of Ferrari's two cars as they were set up for the Australian Grand Prix.

"Its weight distribution surprises me," Alonso responded in an e-mail. "I don't know either if it's 100 percent reliable, but at least it draws attention." De la Rosa responded on 25 March, saying: "All the information from Ferrari is very reliable. It comes from Nigel Stepney, their former chief mechanic."

De la Rosa then mentioned to Alonso in the e-mail that in the first race of the season, Stepney was "the same person who told us" before the race the exact lap on which Raikkonen would make his first pit stop in the Ferrari.

Other information provided included such things as a special gas that Ferrari used to inflate its tires to reduce the internal temperature and blistering of the rubber.

"We'll have to try it, it's easy," de la Rosa wrote to Alonso.

E-mail exchanges continued through April, when de la Rosa asked Coughlan for details on Ferrari's braking system, and Coughlan told him.

In June, Ferrari started proceedings in court in Modena, Italy, against Stepney.

Malaysia goes Virgin !

2007-08-15T00:03:00.000-07:00

I was thrilled to hear that Sir Richard 'Dick' Branson, founder of Virgin, was to buy into Air Asia-X - AA's long haul service. I have been a long time admirer of Branson. Read his biography "Losing my Virginity" - a great read and my wife, Jasvin is already saving to buy his exclusive cove - Necker Island in the Carribean. Check them both out and I salute Datuk Tony on another fantastic scoop !

KUALA LUMPUR: Billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Group on Friday purchased a 20 percent stake in Malaysia's first long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X.

"I believe in the potential for AirAsia X and nobody should overlook Asia,'' Branson, who was dressed in a traditional brightly colored Malay shirt, told a news conference.

Neither company said how much was the worth of Virgin's stake in Fly Axian Xpress (FAX), the operator of the new airline. But FAX executives had told Dow Jones Newswires that the 20 percent stake was expected to cost Virgin some US$7.2 million (euro5.24 million).

FAX is owned by Tony Fernandes and his co-founders of the region's largest low-cost carrier AirAsia.

"We believe that this partnership whereby Virgin will take a 20 percent stake will be a sound and successful investment,'' said Kalimullah Hassan, chairman of AirAsia X.
AirAsia X has been granted rights to fly to Stansted airport near London and to Australia's Gold Coast, with first flights to Australia to begin in late September or early October, a FAX statement said.

Analysts said the alliance will be a big financial boost to FAX, which is seeking to raise US$80 million (euro58.27 million) to fund 15 Airbus A330s it has ordered.
Virgin's investment in Malaysia also underscores Branson's confidence in Asia's booming low-cost airline business and formally link Asia's leading budget airline with one of Europe's key players.

In Asia, Virgin already owns 25 percent of Australian airline Virgin Blue, which calls itself a low-fare carrier but offers services that a typical no-frills airline doesn't provide.
Low-cost carriers account for 20 percent of all available airline seats worldwide. Within Asia, however, budget airlines provided just 9 percent of all seats available last year, according to global travel and transport information company OAG.

Budget carriers in Asia have benefited from a recent easing of some regulations that had checked their growth in the region.

Regulators in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have helped their business by opening airport terminals for low-cost airlines. AirAsia, in particular, has successfully transplanted to Asia the low-cost model pioneered by Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) in the U.S. Its planes offer no frills, operate from cheaper secondary airports and turn around quickly to save fuel.

NBA Scandal ! How bad will it get ?

2007-08-14T23:46:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) - Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy planned to plead guilty in federal court on Wednesday to charges alleging he wagered on games he officiated, a person familiar with the betting scandal probe said.

Donaghy was to surrender at Brooklyn federal court, the person said on condition of anonymity because charges had not been made public yet.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank told the AP the league was informed Tuesday that Donaghy would plead Wednesday but was given no further information.

Donaghy's attorney, John Lauro, and federal prosecutors declined to comment. NBA commissioner David Stern said last month the referee's lawyer told the league his client was contemplating a plea.

Besides allegedly placing his own wagers, investigators also examined whether Donaghy provided inside information to others, including referees' schedules. The referee had a gambling problem and was approached by low-level mob associates through an acquaintance, a law enforcement official said.

The FBI first contacted the NBA on June 20 to talk about a referee alleged to be gambling on games, and the two sides met on June 21, Stern said last month. Donaghy resigned July 9 after 13 years as a referee, though Stern said he would have fired him sooner but was told it might affect the investigation.

Stern blamed a "rogue, isolated criminal" for the betting scandal that has devastated the league and threatened the credibility of every referee.

Donaghy was rated in the top tier of officials, Stern said, and there was nothing suspicious about the frequency of his foul calls. He was assigned to work in the second round of the playoffs, with his last NBA game coming during the Phoenix-San Antonio Western Conference semifinal.
No other NBA officials or players were expected to be involved in the scandal, which Stern called the "most serious situation and worst situation that I have ever experienced either as a fan of the NBA, a lawyer for the NBA or a commissioner of the NBA."

Others outside the NBA are expected to be charged.

Tiger hits No 13 !

2007-08-14T23:43:00.000-07:00

While Jack Nicklaus set the gold standard, Tiger is also making it happen with a less-than-dramatic, but generally compelling win at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills. Off the course, Tiger continues to dominate – even with news that would unsettle another golfer. His “most terrible shot” in the last 13 months (his roof carom off of the Firestone Country Club at the World Golf Championship) still generated 700 million impressions for Bridgestone over the last year. Even when Tiger ends an endorsement, it seems to be “for the good of the game.” American Express and Tiger will not negotiate an extension of their original 10-year deal after it expires this year; AMEX is shifting its emphasis to “golf for the masses” – including a mega-million dollar patron sponsorship with the PGA of America (following in the footsteps of RBS who made a major commitment over the last month).

The rest of the golf business seems fine heading into the $30 million FedEx Cup playoff “drama.” On the retail side, Crocs acquired Bite Footwear for $1.7 million in cash – a sandal maker that allows Crocs to increase its position in golf footwear. Callaway continues to thrive as well – a $380 million second quarter (up 11 percent), as they aggressively sue Taylor Made (over a patent for long driving golf balls; what all of us need!).

Corporations continue to value golf demographics. Masters winner Zach Johnson has turned down more than $1 million in endorsements and international appearances in Germany, China, Japan and other countries. Even Scott Simpson has made it on a Wheaties box after winning the Pebble Beach Wal-Mart First Tee Open this month. In other amazing golf news – a sure sign that the world has turned upside down: John Daly has put his name on, of all things, a signature wine label! On to the playoffs!

Age Requirement in Sport - Is it Necessary?

2007-05-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

Sports and Law

Legal experts debate the National Football League’s age requirement and other current sports issues at a Fordham symposium.

A federal court’s ruling that the NFL’s age requirement violates antitrust laws received a cool review at the Fordham Sports Law Forum’s 8th annual symposium, with most panelists labeling the ruling a failure.“The idea that any minimum age requirement is unfair is absolutely wrong,” said Gary Roberts, director of sports law at Tulane Law School. Roberts called the ruling one of “the most abominable decisions” he’d ever heard, saying it relied on outdated and irrelevant statutes and went against antitrust principles. “All areas of employment have minimum age requirements. The prevailing question in the NFL is what they should be.”

The league’s age requirement, which states that a player be three years removed from high school in order to play, was challenged by 20-year-old Maurice Clarett earlier this year. Clarett, who hopes to turn pro, led Ohio State to a national championship in 2002 but was barred from the 2003 season after being accused of accepting gifts and lying to NCAA investigators. Clarett’s attorney argued that the age requirement violates antitrust laws, and a U.S. district judge agreed. The ruling has been appealed, and a decision is expected prior to the April 24 NFL draft.

David Cornwell, an attorney for sports agents who represent players and coaches in the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, was stunned when he heard the decision, calling it “legally flawed” and “unprofessional.”

“I think it is fair to conclude that certain young men lack the maturity and physique to excel in the NFL,” said Cornwell.

The NFL contends that its age requirement is a longstanding agreement between the league and the players’ union that, while not explicitly detailed, is written into its collective bargaining agreement and therefore exempt from antitrust regulations. Several of the panelists agreed that the insertion of a more clearly stated rule into the current labor agreement would help defeat future legal challenges.

“When the NFL and the players association agree on a rule, it is very unlikely a judge will agree with a third party contesting such a rule,” said Cornwell.

The judge’s decision in the case did find some support from panelist David Feher, a leading sports lawyer who has been a principal negotiator in several NFL collective bargaining agreements. He said the league’s age requirement was bound by antitrust legislation because it harms competition by excluding an entire group of potential employees.

“In large part, the judge got it right,” said Feher. “The ruling follows relevant case law in this particular situation.”

The purpose of the symposium, held in McNally Amphitheater on March 26, was to explore contemporary issues in sports law and how the legal community is responding. Other panels discussed the trademark and publicity rights of athletes, and the ethical and legal responsibilities of the sports media. The Fordham University Sports Law Forum and the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section of the New York State Bar Association sponsored the daylong event.

Welcome Home ~ Big Ears !

2007-05-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

Big Ears, as we Liverpool fans affectionately call the Champions League trophy, will be in the rightful place come Wednesday nite (European time) - in the Anfield trophy cabinet ! This will be the sixth time we have won European soccer's highest honor (and bragging rights).

This also allows us to put another star on our jersey (6 now) to denote the number of times we have won this prestigious trophy - of which, two wins have come in the last three years ~ against one of European soccer's premier clubs - AC Milan.

The Liverpool Fan's (Kop) of PJ will be watching the game on big-screen on Wed nite. All football fans (crazy and not so) are welcome to 81 Jalan Templer by 1 am. Cover charge will be a bottle of soft drink or any kind of tid-bit. Champagne (un-alcoholic of course) will be served after the game.

Se'nor Benitez ~ this is your chance to enshrine yourself as a Great in our illustrious history!

You'll Never Walk Alone!

Stevie G, MBE ~ Top 10 Goals

2007-04-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

Came across a fab video on Steven Gerrard's top ten gems ! Feast !

I$ THI$ $TILL $PORT$?

2007-03-31T11:36:00.000-07:00

I was SHOCKED to read about the controversy surrounding the Happy Valley Racing Club in Hong Kong - where horses are "drugged" by darts fired from below the race track. The sophistication of the device used is pure genius but sickening at the same time. (Reuters story attached)

We need money is sports - but it is sad when money starts to manipulate the outcomes of sporting events. There is a popular view that money is corrupting & negatively influencing sport and this is taking away from the spirit of sportsmanship; to engage is healthy but fair competition.

Sports is being used by unscrupulous agents for unethical and unsavory reasons and has led to many deaths, threats and cheats, which make us question our indulgence is this once unifying activity. Are we losing (have lost) an institution ??

Police in Hong Kong are investigating an elaborate device found embedded in the turf at a world-famous horse track apparently designed to shoot poison darts at the animals at the start of a race.

A track supervisor unearthed the device on Wednesday morning while making routine checks of the starting points for races scheduled that evening at the Happy Valley racetrack, the Hong Kong Jockey Club said in a statement.

The remote controlled shooter included 12 metal tubes, each 30 centimetres long, filled with darts buried in the grass under the spot where the starting gates would be situated for 1200 metre races on Wednesday night.

The tubes, spaced so each would aim up at a horse, were wired together and linked to a wireless receiver, according to a local newspaper and a police source who declined to be identified.
"The obvious intent was that it was going to fire these little darts which have got some kind of chemical in it ... up from the ground up to where the horse's starting gate is," said the senior police source.

"I doubt very much that it was meant to do anything more than just slightly tranquilise the horse. That's my speculation."

The police source said the shooter was almost certainly related to betting, and could be linked to organised crime syndicates, known as triads.

"It could well be that triads are part of that, especially the gambling which is done outside the Jockey Club's system," he said. "If you can get the horse to slow down just enough, it looks like a normal race and the favourite may not come in."

The darts had been sent to a laboratory to try to identify the chemical used.
"The full nature of the device and its intended purpose has not been established at this time. However, no explosives were found," the Jockey Club said.

The races proceeded as normal on Wednesday night.

Reuters

The DRAW is in !

2007-03-10T01:43:00.000-08:00

So ... the draw is out and it clearly looks like an easy path all the way to the Finals for Liverpool. By dismentling the defending Champs - I guess Liverpool are favourites now. Anyway, we were hoping for some good competition in the Q's - but PSV ...ha ha ... am reserving comment - looks like Benitez will be sending out the reserves, just as Wenger did.

But we Reds fans are looking forward to facing David Villa and his teammates in the Semis - that would be a good game, and also David's last with Valencia as he will be joining the Reds next season - yes, am speculating here - Benitez will be adding to his Spanish armada. You heard it here first !

With the Italian and Spanish league leaders out, are the English leaders and (pseudo leaders, Chelski on the way out too ?) The weeks ahead will unfold all. Here's the draw ...

Quarter-finals

Tuesday, April 3

AC Milan v Bayern Munich

PSV Eindhoven v Liverpool

Wednesday, April 4

AS Roma v Manchester United

Chelsea v Valencia

Tuesday, April 10

Manchester United v AS Roma

Valencia v Chelsea

Wednesday, April 11

Bayern Munich v AC Milan

Liverpool v PSV Eindhoven

Semi-finals

Tuesday, April 24

AS Roma/Manchester United v AC Milan/Bayern Munich

Wednesday, April 25

Chelsea/Valencia v PSV Eindhoven/Liverpool

Tuesday, May 1

PSV Eindhoven/Liverpool v Chelsea/Valencia

Wednesday, May 2

AC Milan/Bayern Munich v AS Roma/Manchester United

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL

Will be played at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, on May 23 2007.

Congratulations Mr Mayor ~ Mr. Bupinder Singh

2007-03-10T01:01:00.000-08:00

Some news to share that makes me proud, as it concerns a Sikh from Malaysia. An inspiring tale for all. Enjoy !

Newly elected Mayor of Sydney Mr Bupinder Kookatugga Singh was garlanded at the Town Hall by jubilant supporters after winning a narrow election victory in Sydney this morning. Mr Singh, a migrant from the small mining town of Ipoh in the northern Malaysian state of Perak was very overjoyed with the fine support that he had received from the voters of Sydney . "It was only through your support that you have made it possible for me to support you," said Mr Singh. "If we keep up this support for each other, then we will be supporting ourselves very very strongly, and this is very good because otherwise it will be very very bad, and that is totally unacceptable and it is something that I cannot and will not support.

"Turning to rumours spread by the Democratic Liberal Party that Mr Singh was going to support the building of Sikh temples in the suburbs of Sydney , Mr Singh said that this was the opposition spreading malicious rumours. "There are not enough Sikhs in Sydney to fill up nine temples, so why should I condone the building of a temple in each of the fifty three suburbs of Sydney," Mr Singh asked, to the enthusiastic cheering of his jubilant supporters. "I will build one, and I repeat this, only one temple, and that will be in the northern corner of Hyde Park , as promised. It will be easily assessible, readily visible and be a new landmark for Sydney 's indigenous population to gather in. When the population of Sikhs in this fair city multiplies further, then we will consider proposals to build further temples. Funding will be by Federal grants, so the people of Sydney will not have to subsidise this temple by even one dollar. We will be getting the finest tradesmen from India for the intricate stonework and interior and we expect this temple to be fully completed within the timespan we have set of five years.

"The Prime Minister, Mr Howard, has sent congratulatory messages to Mr Singh. Interrupting an official lunch with the visiting American vice-President, Mr Richard Cheney, Mr Howard said that Mr Singh's victory was a victory for multiculturalism that reflected the changing face of Australia. "We are all very proud to reflect upon the fact that an illiterate migrant from Malaysia who came here less than twenty years ago, and spent the better part of his life cleaning cars at a carwash in Darlinghurst has managed to learn English, integrate with the Australian way of life and has now been elected Mayor of Sydney.

"Jamie Darren, APA News

Mool Mantar ~ The Gift fo Guru Nanak

2007-03-08T04:21:00.000-08:00

The Mool Mantar explained by Sdr. Karminder Singh Ji, Ph.D, which appeared in The Sikh (the flagship magazine of the Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia) recently. It will expound the fundamental belief system of the Sikhs. May it uplift you spiritually as well.

By Karminder Singh Dhillon, Ph.D.

No other spiritual instrument energizes the HUMAN- GOD uniting power as does Guru Nanak’s Mool Mantar. Powerful, inspiring, and enlivening, it has unequivocal force to propel the human conscience into the doorsteps of the Guru’s Dar (door) and Waheguru’s Ghar (Abode).

This article analyses three issues. First, it lays out the meaning of the terms “Mool Mantar.” Second it attempts to explain the eleven concepts of the Mantar, and third, it attempts to answer the very common question regarding the composition of the Mantar. This questions is usually asked in the following form: is the Mool Mantar till Gurparsad, or Nanak Hosee Bhee Sach ?

Indian philosophy and spirituality uses three terms to represent three basic ways of bring about change within the human condition. Jantar refers to the use of an external instrument to achieve transformation. Mantar refers to the use of articulated sounds to do the same. And finally Tantar refers to the use of projected thoughts to bring about change. Since Sikhism regards Guru and God to be in the form of Shabad, and hence a function of naad (sound), Sikh spirituality therefore acknowledges the utility of the Mantar above all. Tantar is rejected, while Jantar has only physical utility (The Kakars and Shastars for instance).

Mool can be translated as root, original, inaugural, basic, or foundational. Considered in totality it means the most important. Indeed, the Mool Mantar is unmatched in its place and importance in Sikh Life. The Mool Mantar appears on page 1 of the Guru Granth Sahib (GGS) and again at the start of every Rag, every major Banee, and every major section and subsection of the GGS.

The Mool Mantar starts with the numerical ONE. It underlines the Sikhi conviction that God was One. The curved line that extends from the E that is called the Kaar signifies that anything and everything was under the control and power of the One God and that nothing was outside of its influence. Taken together, EK OANGKAR refers to the One and only One God who is transcendent as well as immanent.

Satnam originates from two Sanskrit words Satya and Aass It signifies permanence, omnipresence and ubiquity. Sat signifies something that was true in reality (as opposed to being true in relativity) and also that God was not a function of time and space. Karta translates as Creator and Purakh, translates as being. Read together these two words explain a special characteristic of God’s creation namely that He creates and then resides within His creation. Nirbhou comes from the Sanskrit word Bhou meaning fear. The root word of Nirvair is Vair meaning enmity. Both these words have pre-fixes (Nir) added which negate (or reverse) the meaning. God is hence Fearless because he has no Enemy (an equal or a superior). Akaal comes from the root word Kaal which means time bound or death bound. The addition of the prefix (A) negates the meaning. Moorat is the Sanskrit word for the Punjabi word Saroop and thus refers to form. Akaal explains Moorat. Taken together Akaal Moorat means His Stature is NOT time bound. In other words, having created all Form (creation) and having being residing inside all Form, God was still Formless and Timeless. Ajunee comes from the word Joon meaning life form. Again, the prefix (A) negates the meaning, effectively explaining that God does not come within the parameters of life forms – He creates all life forms, yet is above it all. Saibhang,is composed of two Sanskrti words Swaiy and Bhu(n) The former means self and the latter created. God, therefore came into being by Himself. Gurparsaad again consists of two words Gur meaning Guru, and Parsaad meaning blessing. By this attributes of God is meant that He is reached by the Guru’s Blessing. (Parsaad should NOT be pronounced as Parshaad – the latter pronunciation makes it to mean the deg that is served in the Guru Ghar !).

Now to the question of where does the Mool Mantar end. The answer is straight forward if one looks closely at the composition, arrangement, grammar and logic of its use. The following points will help.

1. From Ek Oangkar till Gurparsaad – all eleven words are attributes (explanations) of the characteristics of God. Grammar wise they are adjectives. The NEXT word, JAP, however, is stated with an aungkar below the P. In Gurbani the aungkar signifies one or more of three things – masculine, singular or noun (proper name). JAP with an aungkar is there fore a singular noun. It is thus the name and title of the next composition. We add the world Ji out of respect and call it Jap Ji. The word Jap as a singular noun therefore cannot be part of the Mool Mantar. Jap (with an aungkar) is NOT an adjective and NOT an attribute of God. In other parts of Gurbani where JAP appears as a verb, it appears with a Sihari to the P – as it does some 100 times in the first 300 pages of GGS. (Note: the aungkar appears grammatically below Naam, Purakh and NirVair in the first 11 words of the Mool Mantar. In each it signifies the masculine gender of all three words. In none of this does the aungkar signify a noun, simply because God can have no proper names. The aungkar below Nirbhau, however is not a grammar sign, it appears as a vowel (u) that actually makes the (u) sound – hence Nirbhau. Note also the sihari to the word Moorat – signifying its feminine gender.

2. Ek Oangkar till Gurparsaad is NOT in poetry form. No word rhymes with the other. There is no poetical form or verse in the 11 words. However the next 10 words, Aad Sach, Jugaad Sach, Haibhee Sach, Nanak Hosee Bhee Sach are indeed in poem form. The measure of such poetry (17 – 22 matras) is called a Slok. On page 285 of the GGS, Guru Arjun Dev Ji wrote the word SLOK above the line Aad Sach, Jugaad Sach,Haibhee Sach, Nanak Hosee Bhee Sach which appears there again. Obviously The first 11 words of the Mool Mantar cannot be seen as being part of the next 10 words – the compositions of both sections are worlds apart – one is verse the other lyrical.

3. It therefore makes sense to say that that while the GGS starts with the Mool Mantar, the Japji Banee starts with a title name – JAP- and consists of 38 pauris and two sloks. The first slok is Aad Sach, Jugaad Sach, Haibhee Sach, Nanak Hosee Bhee Sach, and Guru Nanak writes the numerical ONE after the Slok – signifying this is the first slok. This slok is followed by 38 paurees – all numbered 1 till 38. A pauree is another form of verse. (That is why the numerical 1 appears twice in the Japji numbering – the first numeral is for the first slok, and the second for the first pauree.) The Japji ends with another slok – Pavan Guru Panee Pita. And at the end of this slok, again Guru Nanak writes the numerical 1 to say this is NOT the 39th pauree, but ONE more slok.

4. It therefore also makes sense to say that the 11 words of the Mool Mantar are part of the GGS per se, but NOT strictly part of the Japji. In the same way, this same Mool Mantar is stated before other Banees for instance, Assa Di Vaar, and all major ragas. It is again appearing therein as a Mool Mantar, but NOT as part of Assa Di Vaar and the other Banees.

Gurbani grammar is the result of painstaking but recent research. Prof Sahib Singh of Khalsa College spent his entire life putting the puzzle together. He succeeded in producing a complete reference text of Gurbani grammar in 1951 and a ten-volume translation of the entire GGS on the basis of grammar as late as 1961. The erroneous belief that Mool Mantar extends until Nanak Hosee Bhee Sach is therefore simply the result of non-exposure to Gurbani grammar

May the repeated recitation of the Mool mantar take the reciting Sikh into the folds of the unity that the Guru Himself enjoyed with God.

Ghazal King ~ Jagjit Singh

2007-03-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

His voice soothes & heals; this man was sent by God to entertain the world. Was spellbound when I saw him LIVE in Columbus, Ohio @ 2004. Prahalad and me sang all the way back to BG. This man can be credited for taking Ghazals into homes, around the world. Thank you Ji!

The Ghazal King Jagjit Singh is undoubtedly one of the most well known Ghazal Singer in the world today. Jagjit Singh is one of the foremost Ghazal singers and Chitra Singh had been a perfect foil for him till the cruel hands of fate snatched away their teenage son Vivek. Jagjit Singh rose above his grief by immersing himself into music while Chitra Singh retired into seclusion after a memorial album titled ‘Someone Somewhere’.

Jagjit Singh is one of those entertainers who never pause, who never goes stale. For four decades now he has been conjuring up magic with his music and enthralling audiences. He has come out with innumerable collections of Ghazals, all of them winners. Jagjit Singh sings Ghazals like a human breathes. It comes so naturally to him that one could not be thought of, without the other. His voice is so mystical, full of infinite possibilities. His Ghazals bring out his elegant, urbane, quiet, and educated, yet impressive personality.

Jagjit Singh has made a name for himself by simplifying Ghazals for people who don't understand the traditional lyrics. Today the audience for Ghazals has become worldwide. In addition to listening, his fans have started to learn the Urdu language as well. This only happened because of the simplification of the languages of Ghazals. The credit goes to Jagjit Singh.

His voice, a true gift of God, has the pain that an "Ashiq" feels after loosing his beloved, the love that a mother seeks for her child, the tranquility that a "Saaqi" delivers, the willing fear that a boy has when she walks in the room. There is absolutely no doubt that Jagjit Singh with his unique composing and singing style is the torchbearer of the survival of Ghazals in India.

The world of music would not be complete without Ghazals. The world of Ghazals would not be complete without Jagjit Singh. Jagjit Singh’s contribution to the world of music is unique. He is indisputably one of the most talented Ghazal Singers of India.

Sport Law ~ To Pursue or Not to Pursue ...

2007-03-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

Thoroughly enjoyed Dr Annie Clement, author, attorney, consultant and professor at Barry University, as she spoke about her niche within Sport Law, namely Aquatic Law, during our Sport Law class in grad school. The passion by which she shared her interest made me want to follow suit. Who knows .... I've done crazier things !!

Allow me to introduce you to Dr. Clement ...

Dr. Annie Clement, Professor, Coordinator, Sport Management

Annie Clement, author, researcher, attorney, and academic leader, joined the Barry University faculty as Coordinator of the Sport Management program in August 2003. Dr. Clement is currently best known for her texts, Law in Sport and Physical Activity, Legal Responsibility in Aquatics, and Teaching Physical Activity. In-depth study of risk management, aquatics, intellectual property, antitrust, equal pay, and gender equity are a few of the areas in which her research and writing has been continuous.

The book above is available from Amazon.com - check it out.

Sports Psychology ~ Insights

2007-03-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

Would like to highly recommend this text on Sports Psychology.

The second edition of the popular Advances in Sport Psychology provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date review of the major trends in sport psychology. With four new chapters on self-perceptions, moral reasoning levels, athletic injury, and flow and peak performance, the text is much more than an overview of other resources. It is an in-depth compilation that assists students and professionals in thoroughly comprehending the current research in sport psychology.

About the Editor:

Thelma S. Horn, PhD, is an associate professor and member of the graduate faculty at Miami University of Ohio. Horn is the former editor and a current editorial board member of the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology; associate editor of the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology; and an editorial board member for Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science.

FIFA againts RACISM

2007-03-03T23:50:00.000-08:00

I would like to quote the best English winger ever, John Barnes when he commented on the issue of racism in football. He said, "racism isn't a problem in football but a problem in society; when we tackle and manage racism in society, we will also do so in football" - well said John.

It will take everyone in the sport to eradicate this problem, from clubs to the fans, to the players. But, before we tackle the issue of Racism in football, let's ensure we get it OUT of our social system, once and for all. There is definitely NO place for Racism ANYWHERE.

Am forwarding FIFA's Official stand on the issue and am voicing out my support for it.

Let's give RACISM A KICK !

FIFA against Racism (extracted from www.fifa.com/en/fairplay/fairplay/0,1256,1,00.html)

The phenomenon of racism in football is obviously not as old as the scourge of racism in society in general, but neither is it as recent as the current worrying situation may lead some to believe. And the time has come to tackle the problem unequivocally.

FIFA has been aware of the racism problem for some time but recent events, especially in Europe, have given the need for concerted action an added urgency. While the main emphasis of the practical measures will inevitably remain at national and local level, FIFA has recognised the unique role it has in co-ordinating opinions and expertise from all corners of the globe to share experiences and to find effective solutions.

The term "racism" is not easy to define, for it comes in many forms. Essentially, however, it is based upon skin colour as an outward indication of ethnic origin. Incongruously, the problem has sharpened just at a time when players have become more mobile than ever, not only between countries but between continents, and at a time when ethnic families have been otherwise integrated in their adopted homeland for several generations.

But the trend also coincides with a deeply worrying increase in extreme right-wing activities outside the football stadium. "The solution to this problem, as to any other, lies firstly in identifying it and acknowledging its existence," says FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter. "Anyone who complacently maintains that racism is impossible in their territory is not only wrong but irresponsible."

The Debate Continues ... interesting read

2007-03-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

Leave it to the Economist to disect the entire argument of "equal pay" and make holes in their pitcher of reasoning. You decide ...

June 28, 2006
Equal Pay at Wimbledon?

There is a controversy over the fact that the men's champion at Wimbledon will receive more prize money than the women's champion. However, the economic arguments behind the discussion of calls to equalize the prize money are based upon a labor theory of value, an economic argument that was discredited long ago:

Wimbledon, Women Test Equal Pay for Equal Play, by Scott Soshnick, Bloomberg: Odd as this might seem, it would be easier to cheer on female tennis players demanding equal prize money at Wimbledon if things were actually equal.

As things stand, however, I must disagree with Serena Williams, her sister, Venus, and Lindsay Davenport, who are among those demanding the same reward for the Gentlemen's and Ladies' champions... Equal pay should stem from equal work. Call me old- fashioned or worse, but fair is fair.

This year's men's champion will receive $1.2 million. The women's winner will get about $1.13 million, about $70,000 less... For some reason, those who support the idea of equal pay are quick to discount the fact that women play best-of-three-set matches while the men endure best-of-five sets.

It can make a difference. Hours of difference, hours of sweat equity, really. Though seven-time Grand Slam singles champion John McEnroe favors equal pay, he agrees with the assertion that men do more work. ''There are amazing men's matches that can be so long you say, 'How in the world can you say there should be equal pay,''' the NBC broadcaster says. ...

Here's the counter argument:

''We work just as hard as the men,'' says Kim Clijsters, the world's No. 2-ranked women's player and U.S. Open champion. ''There is a big strain on the body.'' ...

What's Fair?

''I don't think that it's fair the women get paid the same as the guys,'' says Andy Murray, Britain's No. 2 player. ''If you look at it, the guys have the potential to play a 5 1/2-hour match.''
Advocates of equal pay are fond of citing television ratings to buoy their argument.
Yes, it's true that last year's Venus Williams-Davenport Wimbledon final drew more viewers in the U.S. than the Roger Federer and Andy Roddick championship match. More British TV viewers also chose to watch the women.

Such an argument is shortsighted because, among other reasons, the game's popularity is cyclical. There was a time, and it will come again, when the male players are the bigger television draw.

One year Federer is all the rage and then it's tennis player-Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Maria Sharapova, some of whose audience is only marginally interested in her backhand.

Three Versus Five

Not only that, but female players can't discount the number of commercials a television network shows during a five-set match compared with three sets. More commercials mean more revenue...

So let's get this straight. ... The women are on par with the men. They're on par in every meaningful way. They pack stadiums. They draw a TV audience. They sell the game. The only difference is how long they play.

When that changes everyone should stand alongside the Williams sisters and clamor for equal pay.

The idea that equal hours justifies equal pay is wrong. I could spend months working on a painting, an actual artist could spend an hour, and when we were done my hours and hours of work would surely be less valuable than a few strokes from the artist unless someone had a curious taste for really bad art. Are grades based upon how much time you spend studying? Students sometimes make that argument (I worked really hard for the test) but the grade is based upon the output of the process, the score on the exam, not the amount of input (for fun, try answering the student with: you're an economics major, why should inefficiency in the form of long hours on the input side with little to show for it on the output side be rewarded?

Similarly, why should McEnroe get paid more than women if he works harder like he says but has less viewers to show for it?). The value of inputs - laborers, plastic, wood, tennis players in tournaments - is determined by the demand for the product they produce. When demand for the product increases, the demand for inputs increases, and compensation rises. Compensation is not based upon how much time and effort goes into production - if nobody wants the product, then nobody will pay for the labor.

What is the product here? They are selling entertainment and compensation to inputs is based upon the added entertainment value provided by men and women players. It doesn't matter if people come to the stadium or tune in on TV to watch tennis or a swim suit model, all that matters is that they watch. The argument that tournament sponsors can sell less adds during women's matches stated above is relevant as that affects revenue, but if the ads are more valuable because of higher viewership, its not necessarily the case that compensation should fall. It's interesting that when confronted with higher viewership for women's matches, the writer argues that men should be paid more because "There was a time, and it will come again, when the male players are the bigger television draw."

In a competitive market, this wouldn't be an issue. The reason there is any dispute at all is because the players have monopsony power on the input side, and tournament organizers have monopoly power from their side of the prize money negotiation. When a monopsonist meets a monopolist (e.g. GM versus unions), there is no necessary outcome since both sides have negotiating power. The outcome will depend upon the relative power of each side in the negotiation and that, it seems, is really what is at issue here.

Wimbledon Buckles !!

2007-03-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

Finally, the powers that be at the summer grand slam, or better known as Wimbledon, agree to pay women their due ! It was about time guys. But it offered some interesting discussions within the sports fraternities.

Read on .... report on USA Today @ Feb. 22, 2007.

Wimbledon agrees to equal prize money

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — After years of holding out against equal prize money, Wimbledon bowed to public pressure Thursday and agreed to pay women players as much as the men at the world's most prestigious tennis tournament.

The All England Club fell in line with other Grand Slam events and offered equal pay through all rounds at this year's tournament.

"Tennis is one of the few sports in which women and men compete in the same event at the same time," club chairman Tim Phillips said at a news conference. "We believe our decision to offer equal prize money provides a boost for the game as a whole and recognizes the enormous contribution that women players make to the game and to Wimbledon.

"In short, good for tennis, good for women players and good for Wimbledon."
Last year, men's champion Roger Federer received $1.170 million and women's winner Amelie Mauresmo got $1.117 million.

"It is a victory for women's tennis, and a victory for women in general," Mauresmo said Thursday after reaching the semifinals of the Dubai Open. "It was really a matter of principle. It is a question of equality."

The U.S. Open and Australian Open have paid equal prize money for years. The French Open paid the men's and women's champions the same for the first time last year, although the overall prize fund remained bigger for the men.

The WTA Tour lobbied for years to get Wimbledon to drop its "Victorian-era view" and pay the women the same as the men.

"This is an historic and defining moment for women in the sport of tennis, and a significant step forward for the equality of women in our society," WTA Tour chief executive Larry Scott said. "We commend the leadership of Wimbledon for its decisive action in recognizing the progress that women's tennis has made."

A Tribute to René Descartes

2007-02-27T11:03:00.000-08:00

Have long been an admirer of this French philosopher, famously known for the maxim "I think; therfore I am". Some insights to his contribution to modern society and humanity.

René Descartes (March 31, 1596 – February 11, 1650), also known as Renatus Cartesius (latinized form), was a highly influential French philosopher, mathematician, scientist, and writer. Dubbed the "Founder of Modern Philosophy" and the "Father of Modern Mathematics", much of subsequent western philosophy is a reaction to his writings, which have been closely studied from his time down to the present day. His influence in mathematics is also apparent, the Cartesian coordinate system used in plane geometry and algebra being named after him, and he was one of the key figures in the Scientific Revolution.

Descartes frequently contrasted his views with those of his predecessors. In the opening section of the Passions of the Soul, he goes so far as to assert that he will write on his topic "as if no one had written on these matters before". Nevertheless many elements of his philosophy have precedents in late Aristotelianism, the revived Stoicism of the 16th century, or in earlier philosophers like Augustine. In his natural philosophy, he differs from the Schools on two major points: first, he rejects the analysis of corporeal substance into matter and form; second, he rejects any appeal to ends—divine or natural—in explaining natural phenomena. In his theology, he insists on the absolute freedom of God’s act of creation.

Descartes was a major figure in 17th century continental rationalism, later advocated by Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Leibniz, and opposed by the empiricist school of thought, consisting of Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. Leibniz, Spinoza and Descartes were all versed in mathematics as well as philosophy, and Descartes and Leibniz contributed greatly to science as well. As the inventor of the Cartesian coordinate system, Descartes founded analytic geometry, that bridge between algebra and geometry crucial to the invention of calculus and analysis. Descartes's reflections on mind and mechanism began the strain of western thought that much later, impelled by the invention of the electronic computer and by the possibility of machine intelligence, blossomed into, e.g., the Turing test. His most famous statement is: Cogito ergo sum (French: Je pense, donc je suis; English: I think, therefore I am), found in §7 of Principles of Philosophy (Latin) and part IV of Discourse on Method (French).

Orange with Envy !

2007-02-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

It wasn't planned ! I swear - but I thought it turned out nicely. But then again - you be the judge. Jasvin in her usual radiant self, complimenting your's truly.

A Hargobind to compliment a Harsimren !

2007-02-27T10:18:00.000-08:00

Master Hargobind Singh arrived at 5:19am on January 12, 2007 @ Assunta Hospital. His arrival was unexpected as he was a month early (36 weeks) but Jasvin, Harsimren and I were thrilled nevertheless !! Welcome Son !

Some early pictures of our latest bundle of joy ... with his Bhena, Harsimren.

Freedom of Expression (Speech and of the Press)

2007-02-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

Some insights of our rights, as is enshrined in the United Nation's Charter for Human Rights ... but many of us are oblivious to it - will be of benefit to my students of Media Law (take note fellas !!)

Freedom of speech is the concept of the inherent human right to voice one's opinion publicly without fear of censorship or punishment. The right is enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is granted formal recognition by the laws of most nations. Nonetheless the degree to which the right is upheld in practice varies greatly from one nation to another. In some nations with relatively authoritarian forms of government, overt government censorship is enforced, while among liberal democracies, censorship has been claimed to occur in a different form (see propaganda model) and there are different approaches to issues such as hate speech, obscenity, and defamation laws.

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, provides, in Article 19, that:
Everyone has the right to opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Technically the Declaration is a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly rather than a treaty and so it is not legally binding in its entirety, on members of the UN, and, while some of its provisions are considered to form part of customary international law, there is dispute as to precisely which provisions do so. Freedom of speech is granted unambiguous protection in international law by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which is binding on around 150 nations. Article 19 provides that:

1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.

2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.

3. The exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of this article carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary:

(a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others;
(b) For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals.

The right is further qualified by Article 20 which prohibits war propaganda, incitement to violence and certain forms of hate speech. In adopting the Covenant the Republic of Ireland, Italy and Luxembourg insisted on reservations to Article 19 in so far as it might be held to affect their systems of regulating and licensing broadcasting [1]. A number of state parties also have official reservations to Article 20.

Interesting huh ??

The Year-End Evals...

2006-11-29T23:06:00.000-08:00

Just completed my year-end evaluations and it came through nicely...but amidst the ratings which reflected my performance(s) is class - am not sure if the ratings were able to successfully gauge my effectiveness as a teacher.

My students like me ... but that does that make me a good teacher? I profess to teach by this maxim "people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care". I make it a point to know my students well - showing them that I care but am I effective?

The humbling proposition of being able to mould minds is the very thing that gets me out of bed daily, partly because of the excitement and partly because its a scary thought. Am venturing into a new area of pedagogy to discover and be enlightened by this concept of learning ... for I am a student of Life; and a Sikh, a devotee of Guru Nanak's philosophy.

I would to share with you a basic description on the psychology of education ...

Educational psychology is the study of how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations.

Educational psychology is concerned with the processes of educational attainment in the general population and in sub-populations such as gifted children and those with specific disabilities.

Educational psychology can in part be understood through its relationship with other disciplines. It is informed primarily by psychology, bearing a relationship to that discipline analogous to the relationship between medicine and biology.

Educational psychology in turn informs a wide range of specialities within educational studies, including instructional design, educational technology, curriculum development, organizational learning, special education and classroom management.

Educational psychology both draws from and contributes to cognitive science and the learning sciences. (Lucas, Blazek, & Raley, 2006).

Come for the Camaraderie...

2006-10-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

You are stepping into a safe, like-minded circle, where camaraderie is precious. By X'tending my inner space & thoughts via this forum, I also X'tend my hand to you in friendship. May this be the start to a blissful union...camaraderie!

I love humor and insights equally - the balance is important. I echo George Constanza's view of how we (should) live life...enjoy

Join the Fraternity...

2006-10-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Indy's Fraternity!

fra‧ter‧ni‧ty [fruh-tur-ni-tee] –noun, plural -ties.
1. a local or national organization of (male) students, primarily for social purposes, usually with secret initiation and rites (no worries - we have none!)
2. a group of persons associated by or as if by ties of brotherhood.
3. any group or class of persons having common purposes, interests.
4. an organization of laymen for religious or charitable purposes; sodality.
5. the quality of being brotherly; brotherhood: liberty, equality, and fraternity.