TOP 100 SPORTS PICTURES OF 2010

http://totallycoolpix.com/2010/12/top-100-sports-pictures-of-2010/?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d19a49a658ea931,1

Fable of the Porcupine

It was the coldest winter ever.  Many animals died because of the cold.  The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together.  This way, they covered and protected themselves; but, the quills of each one wounded their closest companions even though they gave off heat to each other.

After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.
 
Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. This way they learned to live with the little wounds that were caused by the close relationship with their companion, but the most important part of it, was the heat that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.  
 
Therefore: The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but the best is when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities. 

Why spoil the view?

I still do not understand why people insist on taking photos of themselves beside/in front of/outside landmarks. Is it their way of proving they were there?

Get out of the scene and don't spoil the view!

A Digital Christmas

How do I get Blogger to post directly to Facebook?

Can anyone help me figure this out?

Also, what are the Mac solutions for WinRAR/WinZip, Sopcast/TVU and ESET Smart Security?

Psychatric Answering Machine Typography Animation

Who needs IMH?

North Point's iBand

Castrate rapists?

Castration reduces sex offenders' recidivism from 46% to 3%. Don't laugh; castration is merely the removal of the testes, thereby reducing the testosterone; the organ is largely intact. An alternative to caning and custodial sentences?

MediShield should cover pre-existing illnesses, especially hereditary ones

Otherwise, those born with diseases will never get the chance to have coverage!

Top Gear - The Best Combover in Botswana

Ian McKellen at Winchester College

Un-Profitable Plots

Profitable Plots is being investigated for non-payment of dividends. With a name like that, surely people would know better and not trust dodgy ex-footballers?
http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/06/13/profitable-plots-investors-stage-protest/

Politeness leads Philippine expat to $17m lottery win

Politeness pays!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11969987

Maria of Sesame Street is still around!

http://historycontroversy.blogspot.com/2008/06/maria-first-appeared-on-sesame-street.html

Students attack Prince Charles' car after fee hike

Not a good time to go to Britain then, what with the cold snap and Camilla's even colder sense of humour.

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Furious student protesters attacked a car carrying Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, vandalized buildings and battled riot police Thursday as a controversial hike in university fees triggered Britain's worst political violence in years.

In a major security breach, demonstrators set upon the heir to the throne's Rolls Royce as it drove through London's busy West End on its way to a theater. A group of up to 20 struck it with fists, sticks and bottles, breaking a window and splattering the gleaming black vehicle with paint.

In the frenzy, some chanted "off with their heads!"

Adnan Nazir, a 23-year-old podiatrist who was following the protesters, said Charles, 62, kept his calm, gently pushing his 63-year-old wife toward the floor to get her out of the line of fire.

"Charles got her on the floor and put his hands on her," Nazir said. "Charles was still waving and giving the thumb's up.

"It was just a surreal thing," he said. "It was completely manic."

Charles' office, Clarence House, said the royal couple was unharmed. But the attack took police completely by surprise and raises serious security questions.

The chief of the Metropolitan Police, Paul Stephenson, said the force would launch an investigation into Thursday's violence.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the violence against the royal couple was "shocking and regrettable."

"It is clear that a minority of protesters came determined to provoke violence, attack the police and cause as much damage to property as possible," Cameron said. "They must face the full force of the law."

Police said it was unclear whether the royals had been deliberately targeted, or were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The couple arrived looking somber but composed at the London Palladium theater, where they were attending a Royal Variety Performance.

Camilla later managed to shrug off the ordeal, saying there was "a first time for everything," the Press Association news agency reported.

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http://www.mail.com/intl/Article.aspx/world/europe/APNews/Europe/20101210/U_EU-Britain-Tuition-Tangle?pageid=1

Reflection on UniSIM in 2010

Being at UniSIM has allowed me to home my craft as a teacher and hone my knowledge beyond the confines of my classroom. It has also allowed me to interact with like-minded individuals. I've read books I never would've read, studies texts I never would've touched, and discovered things I never would've known. It was, as Russell Crowe would say it, a good year.
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There's one line that reeks of sarcasm; can you spot it?

No honeymoon for Pardew

Great article from The Times' George Caulkin:

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Alan Pardew is already facing a battle to win over players and fans at St James's Park after an appointment that has surprised many.

Alan Pardew will be confirmed as Newcastle United’s manager this morning, but his will be a marriage without a honeymoon. After a brutal few days that have left players and supporters bruised and bemused, the club will make their latest tilt at the long term, yet they can expect only short-term hostility.

If this is the answer, many will wonder at the point of the question. The abrupt dismissal of Chris Hughton, a man who retained the respect and affection of the dressing room and was instrumental in repairing a fractured relationship with the fans, has threatened everything.

Newcastle have been a delicate coalition since their relegation from the Barclays Premier League last year and now it has been disbanded. What is more, it has been disbanded willingly.

That, of course, is not Pardew’s doing. The 49-year-old was at Slaley Hall hotel in Northumberland last night for discussions with Newcastle’s hierarchy and, given his association with Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias, it is safe to assume that there was little to fret over. His contract with be lengthy — stretching for five years — and a £500,000 salary will be heavily incentivised for avoiding relegation.

Newcastle are fond of Peter Beardsley, the reserve-team coach, but Pardew hopes to name Ray Lewington, Fulham’s youth development manager, as his assistant and Andy Woodman, of Charlton Athletic, as his goalkeeping coach. Their first task would be to re-energise a first-team squad that coalesced and rallied at Hughton’s prompting. Footballers are pragmatic, but the unit has been shaken.

In a recent interview with The Times, Andy Carroll, the Newcastle striker, spoke about Hughton. His words were effusive and sincere. “Chris has brought everyone together,” he said. “It’s like you’re coming in to see your best friends every day, everyone’s so close. We go to the cinema together, share lifts, go for food. It’s down to him. He changed everything around.”

It was born of adversity, but as Newcastle strained for promotion, supporters witnessed something rare: players who, whatever their ability, brought honour to their shirts and fought for the cause. A team. At last, a team. In turn, it restored a link between pitch and stands, which had been frayed by the failings of too many athletes of deep wealth and shallow commitment.

Hughton was liked. He brought patience and a sheen of stability. It meant that after demotion, the treatment of Alan Shearer and Kevin Keegan, the plan to hawk the stadium’s naming rights, Joe Kinnear and Dennis Wise, and so many other miscalculations, despair at the owner could be put to one side. That was the coalition. That is what has been jeopardised.

Ashley and Llambias, his managing director, are not demons. They are three-dimensional figures who have intriguing ideas about football and this week’s events should not be viewed as wanton destruction. They have a logic - they had concerns about Newcastle’s home record under Hughton, who they viewed less as a natural manager than a coach - but it is a logic that can feel desperately illogical. In a season that, as far as Hughton and most rational observers were concerned, was all about consolidation, they have invited pressure upon themselves. It must be remembered that Ashley’s funding has kept Newcastle solvent and their aim is to create a self-sufficient business, but their timing is perplexing. Football may be a business, but emotion still lies at its core.

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http://blogs.soccernet.com/paperround/archives/2010/12/no_honeymoon_for_pardew.php

Referee Claus Bo Larsen unimpressed with Ronaldo

Referee Claus Bo Larsen has named Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo his 'most annoying player'.

GettyImagesClaus Bo Larsen took charge of Milan's defeat to Ajax on Wednesday

The FIFA Top Class Referee, who took charge of his final Champions League game on Wednesday, claims Ronaldo is always looking to buy free-kicks and that they have to be prepared for his behaviour ahead of Champions League games.

"He's always out to get a cheap free-kick, especially at home," he told Ekstra Bladet. "We tended to talk before games about how he'd go down easily.

"We know not to be biased, but we have to be prepared. He has a clean slate at the start of every game. When he would lie down after failing to win a free-kick, he smiled at me because he knew I didn't fall for his theatrics."

Larsen also said he is on good terms with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

"I have a good relationship with Ferguson, even though he sputters and shouts and screams at referees," he said. "I'll never forget him coming to knock on my door after a Champions League game at Old Trafford.

"He simply said that it had been the best refereeing performance in years. That was great."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=850932&sec=uefachampionsleague&cc=4716

The Cast of GLEE Perform on THE X FACTOR

I think Finn is popular cos he most resembles a boring Brit. Watch Mercedes pwn Simon at 4:11.

England for winter break!

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=850420&sec=scotland&root=scotland&cc=4716

Yes, England needs a winter break too.