Israel's PM rules out ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said Israel is not ready to stop its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade fire, less than a day after Israel declared a partial halt to air strikes on south Lebanon in order to allow an inquiry into civilian deaths at Qana.

Bush aims for rapid Lebanon force

An international force must be quickly despatched to Lebanon, US President George W Bush has said.

After talks in Washington with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair today, Bush said the two countries' goal was to achieve a 'lasting peace' in the region.

But neither called for an immediate ceasefire. The US secretary of state is returning to the region on Saturday. the UN has called for a 72-hour truce in the conflict zone to allow humanitarian aid in and to get casualties out.

US 'outrage' over Israeli claims

The US state department has dismissed as 'outrageous' a suggestion by Israel that it has been authorised by the world to continue bombing Lebanon.

'The US is sparing no efforts to bring a durable and lasting end to this conflict,' said spokesman Adam Ereli.

Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon made the suggestion after powers meeting in Rome refrained from demanding an immediate ceasefire. There is growing pressure for the UK and US to join calls for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Orphans Tour - Off to Chicago

The details are confirmed! I'm off to Chicago for the Tom Waits concert on the 9th of August.

Mideast talks collapse, fail to reach cease-fire agreement

Talks between key Middle East players in Rome on a plan for ending the 15-day-old conflict in Lebanon today failed to reach agreement on an immediate cease-fire.

The stormy meeting, which saw the United States pitted against European and Arab leaders, resulted in calls for a truce but little concrete action to end the fighting that has claimed more than 300 civilian lives.

Turning the heat up on Israel is a report by a UN probe that states that UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon contacted Israeli troops 10 times before an Israeli bomb killed four of them. The post was hit by a precision-guided missile after six hours of shelling.

Israeli bomb kills UN observers

Four United Nations peacekeepers have been killed in an Israeli air strike on an observation post in southern Lebanon, the UN has said.

A bomb struck the post occupied by the peacekeepers of the Unifil force in the Khiam area, it said. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was 'shocked' at the 'apparently deliberate targeting' of the post.

It said the four, from Austria, Canada, China and Finland, had taken shelter in a bunker under the post after it was earlier shelled 14 times by Israeli artillery.

A rescue team was also shelled as it tried to clear the rubble.

Italian league caves, lamely reduces sentences

The Italian clubs implicated in a match-fixing scandal have had their punishments slashed on appeal.

Lazio and Fiorentina have been reinstated to Serie A - but with points deductions increased from 12 to 19 for Fiorentina and seven to 11 for Lazio.

Juventus' hopes of overturning demotion to Serie B were dashed, but instead of starting on minus 30 points, they have only had 17 points taken away.

AC Milan stay in Serie A with their penalty cut from 15 points to eight and have also been allowed to play in the Champions League qualifying rounds this season - having originally been barred from Europe.

Israel to stay in control

Israel says it will keep control over an area in southern Lebanon until an international force can be deployed.

Defence Minister Amir Peretz said: 'We have no other option. We have to build a new security strip that will be a cover for our forces.'

His comments came as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ended a regional tour and headed for a meeting in Rome of key international ministerial talking over the crisis today.

Ms Rice had expressed concern for the suffering of "innocent people" in the fighting during her tour of the Middle East. A criticism that was unexpected by the Israelis.

Europe blames US for WTO failure

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson has blamed the US for the collapse of the latest round of global trade talks.

US conditions attached to cutting farming subsidies were "unacceptable" for developing countries, he said.

But the US said it was "fully committed" to the talks and blamed Europe for its lack of ambition over reaching a deal to cut farming tariffs. The EU, US, Brazil, Australia, India and Japan have been negotiating a deal to boost world trade in industrial and agricultural goods. Charity Christian Aid said that the collapse of talks struck "a terrible blow" for the world's poor.

UN condemns scale of air strikes on Beirut

The UN emergency relief chief has condemned the devastation caused by Israeli air strikes in Beirut, saying it is a violation of humanitarian law.

Mr Egeland, the UN's emergency relief chief, described the destruction as "horrific" as he toured the city.

"It's terrible. I see a lot of children wounded, homeless, suffering. This is a war where civilians pay a disproportionate price in Lebanon and northern Israel. I hadn't believed it would be block by block leveled to the ground," Egeland told reporters.

"A disproportionate response by Israel is a violation of international humanitarian law."

The crisis started when Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants entered northern Israel on July 12 and attacked an army post, killing eight soldiers and capturing two others. Israel retaliated with days of air strikes and on Saturday, sent troops, tanks and bulldozers across the border.

Hezbollah militants are estimated to have fired more than 1,000 rockets into northern Israel during the conflict — many of them recently acquired missiles that have a much longer range.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest

Saw Pirates of the Caribbean last night. There was one critical piece of information that hadn't been conveyed to me.. the movie is

Boring as Hell.
Save your pennies (or your $12 in this case), and just buy $12 worth of liquid paper, smear it on the wall and watch it dry for 2.5 hours. 'Nuf said.

Israel calls up army reservistsGround assault imminent?

Israel has today called up thousands of reserve troops and told civilians to quit southern Lebanon immediately, amid threats of a large-scale incursion.

Israeli troops are already fighting Hezbollah inside Lebanon and have been heavily shelling the border area. Meanwhile, Hezbollah rockets have again hit the Israeli city of Haifa.

During this crisis there has been much finger-pointing at Iran. Iran's government has denied Israeli accusations that it played a role in Hezbollah's seizure of two Israeli soldiers that sparked the Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

Although Iran helped found Hezbollah in 1982, Iranian officials say their country gives the group only spiritual and political support, not financial aid, training or weapons.

Some observers say no matter what kind of ties Iran has to Hezbollah, the conflict could help take the world's focus off Iran's disputed nuclear programme.

Annan demands Lebanon ceasefire

Hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon must stop immediately, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said.

He condemned Hezbollah for sparking the latest violence in the country, but also attacked Israel for what he called its 'excessive use of force'.

In the absence of a ceasefire, it was 'imperative' to establish safe aid corridors in Lebanon.

Rescue may not be as close as appeared

The first boatload of Canadians evacuating Lebanon arrived in Larnaca, Cyprus, about 6 a.m. EDT today as thousands of others in Beirut began the process of boarding other ships for what is expected to be the trip to Turkey and then to Canada.

Some 261 of an estimated 50,000 Canadians in Lebanon disembarked from the 62-metre Blue Dawn this morning in Cyprus, then started what's expected to be a three-hour process of having their documents checked by first Cypriot, then Canadian officials

Canada's first attempt to get its citizens out of Lebanon collapsed into chaos Wednesday as thousands were forced to spend the night in a makeshift shelter at the Beirut port after supposedly six of seven ships chartered for the evacuation were stopped at an Israeli naval blockade.

Micromanagement by the Prime Minister's Office and a lack of resources in Lebanon contributed to the confusion and anguish at Beirut's port Wednesday as Canadians trying to flee Israeli bombardments watched boats chartered by other nations sail away, leaving them behind.

On Tuesday night, Government officials realized that the promise they'd made earlier — that there would be seven boats each transporting two loads of Canadians per day starting Wednesday — could never be met. There wouldn't be seven boats, and it appeared unlikely that even one of them would be able to make it across the Mediterranean by the end of last night.

In Cyprus, Canadian officials said they felt betrayed by Ottawa. Canadian diplomats say the reason Wednesday's evacuation was so catastrophically slow is because decisions had to be routed through Ottawa.

A Hot Cup of Hoffee for you.

These contents could burn!

Canadians evacuate Lebanon

Up to 40,000 Canadians, many of Lebanese descent will be evacuated by the Canadian government in the next few days. According to the 2001 census, almost 144,000 people of Lebanese origin live in Canada, although community leaders say the number is closer to 400,000.


France and Italy have moved 1,600 Europeans by ship to Cyprus, and British warships are preparing to transport thousands of Britons. Fewer than 70 of the 25,000 Americans thought to be in Lebanon have been evacuated, the U.S. State Department said yesterday.

Bush wants this sh*t over with.

Here's a candid bit of conversation between Bush and Blair at the G8 Summit as they talk over options for the Middle East. An interesting glimpse into the corridors of power.

Moronic Hummer Commercial

As I was watching CNN's coverage last night of growing Middle East violence and wondering how the hell some peace might be clawed out of this mess, I was subjected to a fantastically moronic commercial from the people at Hummer.

The commercial features two 30-something men in line at the grocery store - one lean guy buying tofu and organics and then one larger guy buying a ton of meat. The "tofu guy" is so intimidated and insecure looking at the pile of ribs and seeing the look the "meat guy" gives him, that he rushes out of the store and buys a Hummer. Then the script "Restore your Manhood" is flashed across the screen.

I guess the marketing works as I (as a tofu-eating, yoga-practicing, enviro-freak) am 100% sure that the Hummer is the choice ride of the Devil and the apparently meat-loving and insecure crowd who isn't me now has exactly the recipe to not be like me.

Needless to say, I'm not a fan whatsoever of the Hummer and in my mind this vehicle is what is 100% wrong with the selfish "f#ck you, I'm me" culture that has merrily lead us to crashing ecosystems, global warming and short-term thinking that generally makes the world a more dangerous place and will likely make our future a whole lot harder than it need to be (and unfortunately I'll be so healthy that I'll be stuck watching it decline longer than others). In the days of oil-interest based violence, a consumer vehicle that gets 20 mpg (it hopes) ain't exactly reducing the economic ands social impacts of a potential permanent oil shock.

Where's that fricking oil moonshot? Hey GM, how's that stock price doing?

As Middle Situation Continues to Worsen,UN calls for Lebanon peace force

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said today that Israel intends to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon to stop the rocket attacks from Hezbollah.

"We intend to complete this operation. We have no intention of allowing anyone to stop us before we complete the creation of a buffer zone," Peretz said.

In the other developments, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair have called for an international force to be sent to Lebanon to stop attacks on Israel.

Mr Blair said the force could 'stop the bombardment coming over into Israel and therefore gives Israel a reason to stop its attacks on Hezbollah'.

The calls came as Israel struck targets across Lebanon for a sixth day, killing 15 people in air strikes in the north.

PM: Canada = Superpower

Stephen Harper positioned Canada as a new “emerging energy superpower” in his first speech abroad Friday as Prime Minister.

He bragged about Canada's vast and seemingly limitless energy resources, calling the country “a new energy superpower” and spoke about how his government was about to build Canada into a “global energy powerhouse.”

His statement was a veiled criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the host of the G8 summit, which begins Saturday in St. Petersburg. Mr. Putin has identified global energy security as one of the three priorities of the summit. As well, Russia and Canada are the only two net energy exporters among the G8.

Hezbollah leader vows 'open war'

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has promised 'open war' against Israel, in an address broadcast shortly after his Beirut offices were bombed by Israel.

The militant group said its leader was unhurt in the attack. It was not clear when his remarks were recorded.

In the meantime, US President George Bush has said he will urge Israel to avoid civilian casualties in its attacks on Lebanon. But he did not say he would demand an end to Israel's bombardment. President Jacques Chirac of France called Israel's acts "disproportionate" while Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an end to fighting.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Israel of "continuous oppression, aggression and threat".

Amusing Ad.

But for how much longer?

Valerie Plame sues Cheney, Libby, Rove over leak

Valerie Plame - The CIA officer whose identity was leaked to reporters - yesterday sued Cheney, Scooter Libby and Karl Rove, accusing them and other White House officials of conspiring to destroy her career purportedly in retaliation for comments made by her husband.

Several news organizations wrote about Plame after syndicated columnist Robert Novak named her in a column on July 14, 2003. Novak's column appeared eight days after Wilson alleged in an opinion piece in The New York Times that the administration had twisted prewar intelligence on Iraq to justify going to war. The scandal has highlighted the dubious modus operandi of the Bush White House.

Israel steps up Lebanese strikes

Israel has intensified its attacks on Lebanon as jets launched fresh strikes on Beirut airport, the road to the Syrian capital and a power plant.

The Israelis concentrated on the southern suburbs of the city, known to be a stronghold of Hezbollah militants. The offensive, which has killed more than 50 Lebanese civilians since Wednesday, follows the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah.

The escalation has sparked international calls for restraint.

Hezbollah fires rockets at Haifa

The militant Lebanese group Hezbollah has fired rockets at the Israeli port city of Haifa.

Haifa, Israel's third largest city, is situated more than 30km (18 miles) from the Lebanese border and was thought to be out of Hezbollah's range.

The attack comes as Israel imposes an air and sea blockade on Lebanon, following the capture of two of its soldiers by the militant group. In related news, Middle Eastern violence has further raised oil prices.

Man turns Paper Clip into House

Kyle MacDonald has succeeded in trading a red paper clip for a house over the internet.

It took Kyle exactly a year of 14 internet trades to move from the paper clip to a house on Main Street in the tiny town of Kipling, Saskatchewan. I think the day with Alice Cooper - KISS Snowglobe trade was the watershed moment. Well, that and continuing huge media support.

Weather makes prediction /How the tables have turned

Dear Willie -

Have some bad news for you. Call me.

- the Weather

p.s. Gotcha ya cocky b*stard.

Tom is Coming - but not nearby

Looks like I might have to head to Chicago if I want to catch Tom Waits' upcoming mini-tour as he's only performing in a few "overlooked" US Cities.

Tom will be playing the Auditorium Theatre on August 9th and I'll have to try my luck on Ticketmaster on Saturday. The last Tom concert I caught was back in 2000 at the Hummingbird Centre.

In other Tom news, Paste magazine has just issued its collector’s edition citing the “100 Best Living Songwriters,” with Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan (longtime co-writer, co-producer and wife) clocking in at #4. According to Paste, “In literature, only a handful of writers have pulled off the near impossible. In music, it happens on every Tom Waits recording.”

Coral Reefs Dying near Belize

The citizens of San Pedro are asking the United Nations to step in to protect a barrier reef which lies just off the coast of Belize. Island dwellers fear its erosion from coral bleaching could lead to the collapse of the reef and subsequently endanger their homes and livelihoods if action is not taken soon.

Bleaching happens when water temperature reaches such a height that the single-celled plants called zooxanthelli - which live inside the coral polyps and provide them with oxygen - are driven away from the reef. And this phenomenon is directly attributed to global warming and specifically rising ocean temperatures.

When temperatures are very high for a protracted period, the zooxanthellae on which the coral polyps feed are driven away, the coral loses its colour as the polyps lose their food and so the reef is weakened.

The reefs then easily fall victim to the many forces that assail them - over-fishing, pollution, creatures that eat them, tourist snorkellers who inadvertently smother them with sand, and particularly the storm waves of hurricanes (which are also worsening due to global warming, but that's another story).

Putin: Cheney criticism 'unsuccessful hunting shot'

Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney ahead of this weekend's G8 summit, calling his recent criticisms of Russia 'an unsuccessful hunting shot,' according to a television interview broadcast today.

Cheney, in a May speech in the ex-Soviet republic of Lithuania, accused Russia of cracking down on religious and political rights and of using its energy reserves as 'tools of intimidation or blackmail.'

Action Day 5 - Still Going Strong!

Today's lunch-time workout marked my 5th consecutive day of an organized physical activity, although yesterday's rugby run-about with 5 guys really didn't go that long (25 minutes?). I did work up a sweat. Uncle's knee seemed to be OK.

I haven't yet mentioned that on Sunday in addition to catching a good Fringe Play -- Humans Anonymous -- I also went with Amanda to the movies to catch the Al Gore documentary "An Inconvenient Truth". I tend to agree with the eye reviewer who commented that Gore is pretty mild-mannered and lacks the righteous anger to make the movie effective agit-prop. He won't be allowed anyway. The film presents a scary (and seemingly inevitable) scenario nonetheless - I only wish that the audience who will go to see it were the audience who ought to go see it. In the end, it likely fails to create the sufficient challenge for individuals (in North America) to alter their dangerous(?) everyday routine.

Takeways: Don't buy property in Florida unless it's in a dome. Learn to like the desert. Be prepared to watch footage of food riots. Oh, and take photos of songbirds now - the only birds your kids will know will likely be seagulls.

US Detainees to get Geneva Rights

All US military detainees, including those at Guantanamo Bay, are to be treated in line with the minimum standards of the Geneva Conventions.

The White House announced the shift in policy almost two weeks after the US Supreme Court ruled that the conventions applied to detainees. President Bush had long fought the idea that US detainees were prisoners of war entitled to Geneva Convention rights.

Pink Floyd legend Syd Barrett dies

Syd Barrett, the eccentric guitarist who founded Pink Floyd but later left the music business to live quietly and somewhat reclusively, has died at the age of 60.

On hearing the news, David Bowie commented: "I can't tell you how sad I feel. Syd was a major inspiration for me.

"The few times I saw him perform in London at UFO and the Marquee clubs during the 60s will forever be etched in my mind. He was so charismatic and such a startlingly original songwriter. Also, along with Anthony Newley, he was the first guy I'd heard to sing pop or rock with a British accent.

"His impact on my thinking was enormous. A major regret is that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed."

Security Council split on N Korea

The United Nations Security Council is divided on how to address North Korea's ballistic missile testing last week. On Monday, China's UN ambassador Wang Guangya circulated a draft statement condemning the tests, but making no mention of punitive sanctions.

But the US, France and UK rejected it, choosing to support a Japanese draft resolution which includes sanctions.

The BBC's UN correspondent Richard Galpin says division within the Council is becoming increasingly acrimonious.

More fighting in Darfur

Sudan's Darfur region has seen its bloodiest few days since the signing of a peace agreement over two months ago.

More than 80 people have been killed as rebels fight each other for territory, according to sources within the African Union peacekeeping mission.

In early May, under pressure from the international community, the Sudanese government signed an agreement with one of the region's rebel movements.
But the deal has not been implemented and security has worsened.

The Solomon Burke Show.

It's not often that you see middle-aged Torontonians shaking their hips and kicking up their heels with reckless abandon, but there was no resisting Solomon Burke, the charismatic King Of Rock And Soul, as he urged his followers to clap, sing along and get up on stage with him to dance to Proud Mary -- and several dozen of them did just that.

It was the climax of a non-stop, two-hour extravaganza packed with R&B, soul and rock-'n'-roll hits, played by a magnificent eight-piece band and sung by the still surprisingly lithe and powerful voice of one of the great soul singers.

Awesome, awesome show.

It flies! UofT Ornithopter aloft 14 secs

Yesterday Dr. James DeLaurier, an aeronautical engineer and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto's Institute for Aerospace Studies, fulfilled a lifelong dream, seeing his manned mechanical flapping-wing airplane, or ornithopter, fly — a dream first imagined by Leonardo da Vinci.

The flapper, as it's affectionately known, sustained flight over about a third of a kilometre for 14 seconds at about 10:20 a.m. before being hit by a crosswind and almost flipping over, damaging the nose and front wheel on the runway at Downsview Park.

S Korea suspends North food aid

South Korea is to suspend food aid to the North because of its controversial missile tests.

Shipments of rice and fertiliser would be shelved until the missile 'problem' was resolved, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a top official as saying.

The move came as Japan was to present the UN Security Council with a binding draft resolution calling for sanctions against North Korea.

Berlusconi to be tried for fraud (what again?)

An Italian judge has ruled that former PM Silvio Berlusconi should stand trial over alleged fraud concerning his family's media company Mediaset.

It follows an investigation into claims of embezzlement, false accounting, tax fraud and money laundering in TV rights deals between 1994 and 1999.

This marks the sixth time he has appeared before a court on corruption charges. On the three occasions he was found guilty, his convictions were either cancelled on appeal or the case was dropped because too much time had elapsed between the alleged offence and the trial.

Six Days of Action; Plans for the Weekend

Today is the first day of my soon to be routine six consecutive days of physical activity. It breaks down like this:

1. Friday - Boot Camp at my Gym
2. Saturday - One-on-One Training with Humberto
3. Sunday - Ashtanga Yoga @ Downward Dog
4. Monday - Pickup Rugby on the UC Back Field
5. Tuesday - Boxing Fitnes at the Gym
6. Wednesday - Training with Humberto

On Thursdays I rest - this is also supposedly the day that I'll be returning to the WeightWatchers meeting. My goal is to drop about 10lbs by the end of the summer and improve my cardio health.

In between workouts, I'm hoping to have a fairly productive, informative and entertaining weekend. Tonight Karina and I might catch a show at the Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival, tomorrow Uncle Andy and I are going to Massey Hall for the Solomon Burke show and then on Sunday Amanda and I might try to take in "An Inconvenient Truth" at the Cumberland.

Toss in show more Fringe Shows, the World Cup Final, some grocery shopping and perhaps even a haircut and you've got a pretty busy weekend!

Crude Oil Price Rises above $75

Oil prices rose above $75 a barrel to record levels today as geopolitical tensions and rising gasoline demand overshadowed U.S. supply data showing an unexpected increase in domestic gasoline stocks.

Putin kissed boy 'like a kitten'

Vladimir Putin's decision to stop a small boy as he walked through the Kremlin and kiss his stomach was prompted by a desire to 'touch him like a kitten' the Russian president said today.

The five-year-old boy, identified as Nikita Konkin by the press, was clearly stunned by the kiss. Speculation over Putin's motivation has run wild in the week since it happened. The boy has not washed since the incident.

Calderon declared winner in Mexico vote

The ruling party's Felipe Calderon won the official count in Mexico's disputed presidential race by just under 0.6 percent Thursday, the culmination of a come-from-behind campaign for a recently obscure technocrat.

With all of the 41 million votes counted, Calderon of President Vicente Fox's National Action Party had 35.88 percent to 35.31 percent for Lopez Obrador, of the Democratic Revolution Party. The two were separated by about 220,000 votes. The IRP took 22.27 percent of the vote.

North Korea vows more missile tests

North Korea acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that it had launched several missiles this week, and vowed to carry out more tests.

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, the North Korean Foreign Ministry called the tests a success and said they would strengthen the country's self-defence capabilities.

Mexico Election Recount Goes Down to the Wire

Conservative candidate Felipe Calderon leads an official recount of votes in Mexico's presidential election by the thinnest of margins over former Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. On Wednesday, Lopez Obrador threatened to ignore the final tally because of 'serious evidence of fraud.'

Mr Lopez Obrador's announcement came after the lead swung back and forth between the two men and was narrowed down to just a few thousand votes(!).

Gonzalez gets green light

Liverpool have successfully obtained a work permit for winger Mark Gonzalez after the Chilean's application last year failed.

Benitez, determined to bring the youngster to Anfield, was forced to place the player with Real Sociedad last season to keep Gonzalez fit and in match practice.

Rafa expects Gonzalez to prove a popular player at Anfield: "This is very good news for us and I am absolutely delighted to welcome Mark to Liverpool as he is a player the supporters will like to see.

"Mark is an exciting left winger who can cross good balls and beat defenders and he is a very good signing for us."

Hasselhoff Update

The All England Club has denied press reports that a 'drunken' David Hasselhoff had to be removed from the Wimbledon tennis championships.

This may or may not be a continuing troubled few weeks for the Man Who Ended the Cold War after he hit his head on a chandelier in the men's toilet after using the gym at the Sanderson Hotel in London's West End.

Carbon Dioxide - NOT EVIL!

The Friendly People at the Competitive Enterprise Institute want you to know that coal is the only thing between you and mashing your grain with a stick. We must ask ourselves - what would Al Gore do?

North Korea test-fires missiles

North Korea has test-fired a number of missiles, one of which was a long-range weapon capable of reaching the US, state department officials believe.

It is thought the Taepodong-2 failed about 40 seconds into flight and was one of up to four missiles test-fired. At least two of the missiles were reported to be shorter range and landed in the Sea of Japan.

US envoy to the UN, John Bolton (Hawk!), said he was 'urgently consulting' with other Security Council members on the issue.

World Cup 2006 | Italy late show sends Germany out

Another surprise exit today that ended any hope that I might get some money out of the office World Cup pool.

Stunning late extra-time strikes from Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero took Italy into the World Cup final at Germany's expense with a 2-0 win.

Although I caught only the last part of the half and extra time, it appeared an absorbing semi-final. In the end (the very end!), Grosso curled Pirlo's pass past Jens Lehmann (with just one minute left).

Then as Germany pressed for an equaliser, Del Piero finished with an Italy break and delicate chip into the corner.

Paralyzed by Allergies

I don't care what the The Weather Network says - I am suffering terribly with allergies today. Or was until I got some Reactine. They probably could have held me to ransom for an extreme amount as I sniffling, teary mess coming in on the subway.

World Cup 2006 | England Out.

On Saturday, England was eliminated from the World Cup on penalty kicks. Why did England fall? Quite simply they couldn't find the back of the net. | sigh |