Liverpool News

Steven Gerrard was today named UEFA's most valuable player of last season. Gerrard collected his award at a ceremony in Monaco this afternoon and his manager believes the accolade is fully deserved.

"For sure, I agree with UEFA's decision in giving this award to Steven," said coach Rafa Benitez.

"He was an important player for us right through last season's Champions League competition. In the final, especially, he played midfield, right wing and right full-back, as well as scoring the goal that kick-started our comeback. His goal gave the rest of the team the power and strength to believe we could win the cup."

Liverpool are through to the next round of the Champions League this year despite a 1-0 loss to CSKA Sofia earlier in the week (we won on aggregate you see). Next we face Chelsea, Anderlecht and Real Betis in the group stage.

In Phoenix on Business

As some may have heard, I'm in Phoenix right now at a tradeshow - actually the tradeshow is over and I'm plugging away on my laptop poolside. Despite lost baggage, missing marketing materials, the investigations of Homeland Security, the HEAT, an unfamiliar tradeshow environment and an apparent unspoken hostility to vegetarians among those preparing menus, I've survived the experience.

A note on the Homeland Security investigations - after our luggage failed to make the mad dash from one plane to another in Denver (a feat accomplished by the oversize materials), Homeland Security checked out the contents of our bags. I guess they decided that our 200 pens weren't a security risk as we got the pens and a nice informative note back inside our LOCKED bag. That's right kids - they picked the lock, then put it back on.

Next on this trip is a visit to the brother in California for my first vacation in a very long time. I have a camera, so I hope to have some snaps up on the site sometime soon. I'll be back in time for the Head-Race Wedding.

Liverpool 1-0 Sunderland

Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso was his side's matchwinner but the home side made hard work of their victory over Sunderland at Anfield.
Alonso curled in a 25-yard free-kick but the Reds failed to add to their goal despite dominating the game.

An "Oops!" that Changed the World

From a CNN report on the Buildup in Iraq

"After searching Iraq for several months across the summer of 2003, Kay (Chief CIA Weapons Inspector) began e-mailing Tenet (Head of CIA) to tell him the WMD evidence was falling apart. At one point, Wilkerson says, Tenet called Powell to tell him the claims about mobile bioweapons labs were apparently not true.

"George actually did call the Secretary, and said, 'I'm really sorry to have to tell you. We don't believe there were any mobile labs for making biological weapons.' This was the third or fourth telephone call. And I think it's fair to say the Secretary and Mr. Tenet, at that point, ceased being close. I mean, you can be sincere and you can be honest and you can believe what you're telling the Secretary. But three or four times on substantive issues like that? It's difficult to maintain any warm feelings."

Ottawa set to suspend salmon fishing on Fraser

Federal fisheries officials are expected to announce later today that the commercial fishery for summer sockeye salmon on the Fraser River will not open this year.

Experts had initially forecast a strong year, with 11 million summer sockeye salmon on the Fraser. However, officials with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans now say they anticipate around three million fish. Officials attribute the dramatic miscalculation to a failure to measure the impact of the devastating effect of warmer-than-usual water in the Pacific Ocean and the Fraser River.

So not the fishery collapse that was necessarily predicted (in this blog), but not encouraging news either.

Dinner was a bust (sort of)

Last night proved that you should always confirm things closer to the planned event - David's Dad wasn't playing Caju last night. So my apologies to the P&M + Matthew who made their way downtown and didn't get a show. Instead we headed down the street to the patio of Fresh where I think everyone had a good meal (although certain parties had already had fish & chips...)

Matthew is very excited about his pending scuba vacation.

That's the Spirit!

Besian Idrizaj, an attacking midfielder with Linzer ASK and Austria's current young player of the year, last night claimed he had successfully concluded negotiations with the Merseysiders and would be signing a contract within the next couple of days.

And the 17-year-old added: "I have always been a fan of Liverpool and it would be a dream come true to play for them."

Idrizaj, a Austrian under-19 international, undertook a three-day trial at the club recently and would prefer a move to Anfield over Arsenal and Inter, who have both had the player watched on several occasions.

He said: "If you get a chance like that, you have to take it. You cannot ignore a trial with the reigning Champions League winners. I would even have swum across the Channel just to take part."

Idrizaj scored in Austria U19s' win over Northern Ireland at the weekend, and he added: "It was the best thing that could happen to me. I knew some Liverpool officials were in the stands, so scoring the winner was the perfect promotion".

Hooray for Hydroelectric Power!

Ontario Power Generation has granted a contract to an Austrian company to build a new 10.4-kilometre-long tunnel to increase

Caju

Dinner is tonight at Brazilian restaurant Caju. My roommate David's Dad is playing (he's visiting from Cuba)!

The Fighting Temeraire

The BBC is running a survey for the Best Painting in Britain and I would say that Turner's The Fighting Temeraire is my pick. A timeless image of tradition and legacy surrendering to modernity and progress, this painting is quite amazing on a number of different levels.

The 98-gun ship 'Temeraire' played a distinguished role in Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, after which she was known as the 'Fighting Temeraire'. The ship remained in service until 1838 when she was decommissioned and towed from Sheerness to Rotherhithe to be broken up.

The painting was thought to represent the decline of Britain's naval power. The 'Temeraire' is shown travelling east, away from the sunset, even though Rotherhithe is west of Sheerness, but Turner's main concern was to evoke a sense of loss, rather than to give an exact recording of the event. The spectacularly colourful setting of the sun draws a parallel with the passing of the old warship. By contrast the new steam-powered tug is smaller and more prosaic. [The National Gallery]

For Whom the Bell Tolls (John Donne)

For Whom the Bell Tolls - John Donne

No man is an island, entire of itself; every
man is a piece of the continent, a part of the
main. If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory
were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or
of thine own were: any man's death diminishes
me, because I am involved in mankind, and
therefore never send to know for whom the bells
tolls; it tolls for thee.'

Oil Price News Again.

Gas prices hit another record as shortages of gasoline have given an extra bump to pump prices, pushing the average cost of fuel to record levels for the third week in a row. In Canada, the nationwide average cost for a litre of regular gasoline jumped to $1.045 Tuesday morning, according to a weekly survey by M.J. Ervin & Associates Inc., the first time that the national tally has topped the $1 mark.

The latest increase of 5.2 cents a litre means that gasoline prices are up nearly 25 per cent from this time last year, and 11 per cent this month alone. The rising cost of crude oil has been responsible for most of that spurt, but the increasingly strained supplies of gasoline gave an additional boost to prices this week. The cost of a fill-up was highest in Montreal, where regular cost $1.144 a litre, more than even in remote Yellowknife and Whitehorse. Gasoline was least expensive in Edmonton, at 93.3 cents a litre, with lower taxes in the province helping to keep prices down.

This behaviour explains little with regard to why prices spike sharply at the beginning of weekends, but I'm sure this has much to so with on-the-spot shortages as lazy drivers don't get deliveries in on time at the stations (especially those at busy throughfares).

Have a Nice Day

The Architects have some Top 40 radio channel going. Bon Jovi's song "Have a Nice Day" is driving me mad - I can't stand it, it's terrible.

Stalling at Work

Had a good weekend attending Bruno's wedding on Saturday and going for excellent Dim Sum on Sunday. Poker was an uninterested disaster as I flamed out very quickly. Sunday afternoon Karina and I picked out some new work clothes at the Fairview mall - my jeans, ancient modrobes and hole-filled pants were not going to fit the bill at the "informal dress code" trade show next week. So new khakis and my first Armani garment are now part of my wardrobe - as well as a number of new shirts.

Things for the show are seemingly coming together as Hugh and Joanne have returned from PEI and are approving the various pieces I have been working on the past few weeks. Hugh is apparently exhausted after his 6 weeks of vacation as he was desperately working on his cabin/shed and only finished at 4am the night before departure.

That Chelsea chequebook stays open.

Chelsea has again paid out big dollars to secure top level talent, as Lyon has accepted a bid on Michael Essien. Essien, tipped as one of the best six midfielders in Europe by Lyon boss Gerard Houllier, will now compete for a place in the Chelsea side with the likes of Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele.

Emotional and Boneheaded Leafs Signing

Yesterday the Leafs opened their wallet and signed one-time star Eric Lindros to a one year deal. This is not the face of a man near the peak of fitness.

Not only have concussions taken a toll on the big forward during his NHL career (Lindros has had eight concussions), but he has also suffered a torn labrum in the right shoulder, a collapsed lung (!!!), a knee injury, a pulled groin and back spasms. Seems people think they can just plow into the guy.

Personally I think this signing is yet another signal that the Leafs (even in the comprised new NHL) are strongly commited to robust mediocrity. Combined with Pat Quinn's apparent inability to develop young talent, I fear that this means that a much aged Tragically Hip will have a witty turn on "50 Mission Cap" when they retire to playing Casino Rama in 20 years.

Nobody left to run with Anymore?

As I crawled my way home yesterday at 12:30, painfully aware that the nightclub upstairs from the office was in full swing and that I have 18 items on my scratch "to do list" (must do today) and 41 items on my reminder list, I became a little introspective. Between Neal moving to California a few weeks ago and Matthew soon to head to New Zealand for several months on contract, there have been a lot of changes in "my world". And unfortunately as I have been heads-down at work these significant events have (or have the possibly of) simply passing by without notice or celebration. How do you maintain a friendship and brotherhood half a world away?

Before you cross the street
Take my hand
Life is what happens to you
While you’re busy making other plans
- John Lennon, "Beautiful Boy"

Reds defeat CSKA Sofia 3-1

Liverpool moved a step closer to the group stages of the Champions League in Sofia on Wednesday night as Rafael Benitez's side produced another classic European away performance to beat the Bulgarian champions 3-1.

If any of the frequent visitors to this site are headed to the UK, let me know as I'd like to get a new away jersey with "Carragher" on the back. I'm grateful they got rid of those horrible yellow jerseys...

iPod Suit Good for Me!

Canadian buyers of MP3 players to get refund! Now I can buy some more CDs!

The Last Shuttle Flight?

The Discovery returned safely to Earth today after concerns that damage to the craft incurred on takeover would make re-entry dangerous.

Ottawa flush with Extra Cash

Dale Orr, an economist at Global Insight, said he expects the surplus for 2004-05 to be more than $8-billion - including the government's usual $3-billion contingency reserve -- or at least $5-billion more than what was forecast in the February budget.

'I think another healthy surplus is likely,' said Ted Carmichael, chief economist at J.P. Morgan Securities Canada Inc.

Another year in the black will mean that the Liberal government will be able to post its eighth consecutive surplus this fall when the final numbers are released. A big surplus will also mean, however, another year where the government's fiscal forecast missed the mark. Unlike the previous six, last year's surplus created a political problem for the Liberals, as critics accused the government of intentionally low-balling its estimates.

Mr. Carmichael said he also wouldn't be surprised if the surplus is as high as $8-billion. Other economists said they wouldn't offer specific forecasts on the size of the surplus, but that government revenue clearly benefited from a stronger-than-expected economy.

Mr. Prime Minister: Please, please, please direct this surplus to city infrastructure projects and debt repayments!

ARGH! This graphic from the BBC!

I always laugh when CNN does their maps of foriegn lands and puts big arrows pointing back to the US. But this graphic from the usually excellent BBC art department is a pretty poor geographic reference. The labels of "Canada" and "Toronto" are simply bizarre - is Toronto it's own country now?

Homework pays

It seems homework really does pay at McDonald's. It's still an evil place though.

No lightning in Air France probe

As the Air France probe focuses on the landing of Flight 358, some of the initial reports have been discredited - including reports the plane was struck by lightning just before landing. The pilot remains in hospital, but comments made by the first officer seem to indicate that the aircraft was unusually far down the runway when attempting its landing. Comments on the safety of the ravine where the plan eventually settled and burned do not seem conclusive.

Overheard at Western

The blog "Overheard at Western" can definitely be good for a laugh or two. Now if only they had a search feature...

Liverpool 2-0 FBK Kaunas

Liverpool defeated Kaunas in Champions League qualifying. Peter Crouch made his debut in front of the Kop at Anfield although he picked up a hamstring injury late in the game. It was Liverpool substitutes Steven Gerrard and Djibril Cisse that struck late on to give the side a 2-0 result and 5-1 in aggregate. Next up? Either CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria or Albania's Dinamo Tirana.