Language problems prompts Reds Transfer?

A language breakdown has prompted Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez to swap full-back Josemi for Villarreal defender Jan Kromkamp. The transfer is set to go through in January after both players have struggled to learn their new languages. Benitez said: 'Josemi is a right-back with some problems here with English, and Kromkamp has problems with Spanish. Josemi has improved his English, but for him and his family it has been difficult. Kromkamp has the same problems because I think 100 per cent of the team at Villarreal only talk Spanish, no English, and that has been really difficult for him.'

Reds Win!

Liverpool won again yesterday against Everton with goals from Peter Crouch, Steven Gerrard and Cisse. The Liverpool defence was breached for the first time in nine matches.

Professors I know.

Graham isn't rated (yet), and Aash is apparently only average on the hotness scale - I won't polish his knob by saying anything else (this was real feedback, btw).

Back to Work after Xmas; Derby Match today.

It would seem that I am one of the very few people who are working this week as the commute was very light and workspaces empty. I'm fairly tired having returned from the Lads' Annual Dinner last night in Hamilton.

Today is the 202nd Merseyside derby and Everton manager David Moyes has challenged his players to prove their worth. Everton have lost their last two games 4-0 and are hovering just above the relegation zone in what has proved a disappointing season which began with their Champions League exit at the group qualifying stage. They were also embarrassingly dumped out of the Uefa Cup by Dinamo Bucharesti as they lost their first eight Premiership matches. The Reds are on the warpath, bidding for a ninth successive League win, and fourth on the road. They have double as many points as Everton (34 to 17) while being the busiest of all Premiership clubs. This will be their 33rd game of the season - Everton's 24th. The Reds have not dropped a point since the 2-0 loss, away to Fulham on 22 October. It was also in that game they last conceded a League goal.

New Zealand Photos

I've reconciled my storage space issues and can now make my numerous NZ trip shots available! I haven't worked through them with captions, but here's the unedited complete collection.

New Zealand Trip (Set 1) - North Island shots
New Zealand Trip (Set 2) - Bay of Islands
New Zealand Trip (Set 3) - Kauri Forest, Rotorua
New Zealand Trip (Set 4) - Rotorua, Kaikoura
New Zealand Trip (Set 5) - Whale watching, Arthur's Pass and Fox Glacier

Korean cloning research was fake

Research by South Korea's top human cloning scientist - hailed as a breakthrough earlier this year - was fabricated, colleagues have concluded.

A Seoul National University panel said the research by world-renowned Hwang Woo-suk was 'intentionally fabricated', and he would be disciplined. He made news around the world when he announced in August that his team had created the world's first cloned dog. In May, Dr Hwang published a paper in the journal Science, saying his team had extracted material from cloned human embryos that identically matched the DNA of 11 patients.

New Zealand Images

Today I'm starting to get a handle on all the photos I took in New Zealand using my great eBay-sourced digital camera - there are 200+ photos, plus video!

Here's a photo from the 17th of December that I didn't take!

Senate blocks Alaska oil drilling

The US Senate has narrowly blocked a Republican-led attempt to allow drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Supporters of the plan fell four votes short of the number needed to prevent opponents using a filibuster - or delaying tactic - to derail the vote.

It was a stinging defeat for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), one of the Senate's most powerful members, who had given senators a choice to support the Alaska drilling measure, or risk the political fallout of voting against money for American troops and for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Democrats accused Stevens, the senior Republican in the Senate, of holding the defense bill hostage to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist for procedural reasons cast a vote with ANWR opponents, so that he might be able to resurrect the issue for another try. But Democrats said they expected the defense bill to be withdrawn and reworked without the Arctic refuge provision.

Rogers Consumer Service Backlash

Returning from my NZ vacation (my head is still reeling from the trip and the jet lag), I find word that one of my least favourite necessary evil companies - Rogers Communications - is having a PR nightmare as their consumer contracts come under fire. I'm not surprised by this backlash given how I personally have been handled Roger's service staff and policies (not to mention the numerous stories other people have brought forward).

No Intelligent Design for U.S. schools

A U.S. federal judge ruled Tuesday that intelligent design cannot be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district.

He ruled that the Dover Area School Board violated the U.S. Constitution when it ordered that its biology curriculum must include "intelligent design".

In Queenstown. NZ

Karina and I are shortly to fly out of Queenstown NZ - a pretty hip and happening place if you happen to down in this part of the world. Lots of shops and good food all close together, a happening nightlife (of which there doesn't seem to be much of in NZ) but most importantly this is a hub of extreme sport activities.

I have just returned from my first bungy jump from the bridge at Kawarua - site of the start of bungy jumping. I have snaps and video as evidence of my 43m meter plunge.

Headed back to Auckland this evening to have a BBQ with Matthew before flying out tomorrow. It's been a great trip!

Another New Zealand Entry.

First the BIG NEWS - Karina and I got engaged on the 14th in Kaikoura. We're still talking details, but a 2007 Summer Wedding seems likely.

Today we've been driving down through the Haast Pass and the Southern Alps (on the South Island btw). Amazing views. For once it seems that the weather has decided to work for us as we had clear skies for most of the day. Tonight we're headed to Queenstown where I am going to try some bungy jumping. When I get back I'll post the photos of the trip (over 200 images) - numerous shots from whalewatching... didn't get any of me surfing.

Matthew is picking us up from the airport tomorrow as we're abandoning the car on the South Island.

Managed to watch Liverpool walk all over Deportivo Saprissa last night in the FIFA Club World Championship. Crouch scored twice! I'm afraid I'm likely to miss the final as that's the 30hr day we'll be travelling back to Canada (and snow I imagine).

I appear to be almost competitive in the hockey pool as Jagr is way ahead on points.

A post from New Zealand

It's been a while since my last post... but I've come by this absence honestly as I'm in New Zealand right now and haven't been on the internet for a while.

Quick summary - everything well here and having a great time although Karina and I have a lot of ground yet to cover. I'm composing this message in Rotorua - tomorrow we're eventually headed to New Plymouth and some surfing for Monday morning. As I have a ridiculous amount of memory for my e-bay sourced digital camera, I've been taking pictures with abandon. Who knows if they'll ever really be viewed. I have a few videos of our dolphin experience in the Bay of Islands. I have also been learning about New Zealand red wines on this trip - they exist and are quite good! I'll be trying to bring a bottle of Cottle Hill Cabernet Sauvignon home.
Matthew seems in good spirits. Got to go!

He Scores! He Scores!

Liverpool won 3-0 against Wigan today and hereto scoreless Peter Crouch scored two of the goals! The first goal was a pretty ugly affair as the goaltender had a bit of a brain fart and totally fumbled the ball - but the second goal was quality! Crouch has spoken of his joy at finally breaking his barren run in front of goal for Liverpool and revealed that confidence in the camp is sky-high following a sixth successive Premiership win. What a dominating performance for the team!

Torys Tax plan Dumb Economics

The Toronto Sun(!) is reporting that the Federal Tory's first idea out of the gate in their 2006 campaign - to cut the GST is flawed.

The unpopular Harper yesterday pledged to shave two percentage points off the goods and services tax -- one right away, the second within five years. 'For an average family of four with an income of $60,000 a year, this would mean about $400 less in taxes -- savings they will see every time they go to the gas station, the shopping mall or a restaurant,' Harper said in Mississauga. The cut would cost the federal treasury $4.5 billion for each percentage point trimmed from the GST -- a move Finance Minister Ralph Goodale dismissed as 'really dumb economics.'

Sinama-Pongolle to be sent on loan?

The BBC is today reporting that Liverpool's Florent Sinama-Pongolle could be set for a loan move to Spanish side Real Betis, but Rafa says on the E-Ticket press site that this is nonsense. I'm still of the opinion that the Official Liverpool site has been much less cutting edge in it's news delivery after the Owen debacle.

World AIDS Day Today

It is World Aids Day Today. To mark the international day of action and awareness, Kenyan and Activist Charles Sako (who Amanda met on her recent trip to Kenya) has shared his story in photos.