Ryder Cup

Un peu d'histoire... Il était une fois le parcours de Geneagles en Ecosse où en 1921 des pros Britanniques infligent une correction à des Américains avec un score de 9 à 3. Rebelote en 1926 à Saint Andrews, où les Britanniques ridiculisent carrément les Américains par 13.5 à 1.5. C'est alors que la rencontre s'organise vraiment, les USA voulant prendre leur revanche, avec 2 chefs d'équipes. Walter Hagen fondateur de l'American PGA pour le nouveau monde et Abe Mitchell pro du Verulam Golf Club de Saint Albans au nord de Londres pour la Grande Bretagne. Mais quel rapport avec Ryder ? On y arrive.
Ce fameux Abe Mitchell a parmi ses élèves un dénommé Samuel Ryder, un grainetier de Saint Albans, précurseur de la vente par correspondance et sur catalogue et du "tout à 1 penny". Son slogan : "Tout à un penny de l'orchidée au cresson". Connu dans tout le Royaume-Uni pour ses plantes du monde entier accessibles à moindre frais, Samuel Ryder est considéré comme le générateur de la passion anglaise pour les jardins. De leçons en leçons de golf, Mitchell réussit à passionner son riche élève pour ces rencontres Américaines / Britanniques et Samuel Ryder fait créer par Mappy & Webb de Londres le premier Trophée de 14 carats. La Ryder Cup est née ! Nous sommes en 1926.

Par la suite comme les Américains écrasaient sans cesse les Britanniques, pour éviter que la Ryder Cup ne perde de sa superbe, en 1979, la Grande-Bretagne décida d'enrichir son équipe et d'opposer carrément l'Europe aux Etats-Unis. L'occasion surtout d'intégrer des champions comme Severiano Ballesteros. Et les Français alors ? Deux seuls joueurs tricolores ont eu l'honneur de participer à cette prrestigieuse compétition. Jean Van de Velde en 1999 puis Thomas Levet en 2004 qui a connu lui le bonheur de remporter le trophée.

Comment se joue la Ryder Cup ?

La première formation qui atteint le score de 14 points et demi, est déclarée gagnante du trophée.
Les matchs de la Ryder Cup opposent des joueurs sélectionnés parmi des équipes de 12 golfeurs. Le gagnant de chaque duel remporte un point en cas de victoire, et un demi-point à chaque joueur en cas d'égalité. Certains matchs mettent aux prises deux doublettes de chaque équipe jouant avec 2 ou 4 balles. Ces duels rapportent également un point aux gagnants, un demi-point en cas d'égalité après 18 trous.

Les journées du vendredi et du samedi sont consacrées aux matchs par duos, le dimanche est réservé aux simples. Deux types de matchs se déroulent lors des compétitions en duos:
- Foursomes : les deux joueurs de la même équipe jouent alternativement la même balle . À chaque nouveau trou, le joueur donnant le départ est permuté.
- Fourball ou 4 balles, meilleure balle : Chaque joueur joue sa propre balle. Le meilleur joueur des quatre compétiteurs remporte le point pour son équipe. Dans les compétitions de doubles, les capitaines ont toute latitude pour définir les équipes. Il n'y a aucune obligation de faire jouer un joueur de l'équipe au moins un match de doubles.

Dans le cas des simples, l'ensemble des joueurs d'une équipe joue un match. le système de comptabilisation utilisé pour déterminer le vainqueur d'un match lors cette compétition est le match-play. Celui-ci est basé sur les vainqueurs de chaque trou.
Le vainqueur d'un trou prend un point.
Les résultats d'un match sont présentés de la manière suivante: égalité (ou all square) : 1/2 point est attribué à chaque équipe.
- 1 up ou 2 up : le match est allé au bout des 18 trous et le gagnant a terminé avec un ou deux trous d'avance
- 3 et 2 , 5 et 4 .. : les joueurs n'ont pas disputé l'ensemble des 18 trous. Le joueur gagnant menait de plus de points qu'il ne restait de trous et donc la partie s'achève. Par exemple, dans le cas 3 et 2, il ne restait plus que deux trous à disputer et le joueur gagnant menait de trois points.

Records
Par équipe
Plus grand nombre de trous en un : Europe 6 (US 1)

Individuels
Plus grand nombre de participations : Nick Faldo (11) pour l'Europe
Plus grand nombre de points au total : Nick Faldo (25)
Plus jeune joueur : Sergio Garcia, Europe (1999) : 19 ans, 8 mois et 15 jours
Plus vieux joueur : Raymond Floyd, États-Unis (1993) : 51 ans, 20 jours

La Ryder Cup 2008.

Les Européens sont évidemment favoris après avoir remporté les 3 précédentes éditions. Nick Faldo a choisi de faire confiance à l'Irlandais Padraig Harrington, leader de l'European Tour, aux Espagnols Sergio Garcia et Miguel Angel Jiménez et aux Scandinaves Henrik Stenson et Robert Karlsson. Egalement sélectionnés Lee Westwood, Justin Rose, Oliver Wilson, Soren Hansen, Graeme Mc Dowell, et les 2 invités bénéficiant d'une wild-card : Paul Casey et Ian Poulter.

Côté Américain, le capitaine Paul Azinger a choisi Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard, Stewart Cink, Anthony Kim, Kenny Perry, Boo Weekley, Ben Curtis,  JB Holmes, Steve Stricker, Hunter Mahan et  Chad Campbell.

+ d'infos : site officiel rydercup.com (Attention ! Choisissez bien votre camp même sur le site !)

Palmarès
2006 Europe - The K Club, Straffan, Co. Kildare, Irlande 18,5 à 9,5
2004 Europe - Oakland Hills CC, Bloomfield Township, MI 18,5 à 9,5
2002 Europe - Sutton Coldfield, Angleterre, 15,5 à 12,5
La 34ème édition a été déplacée de 2001 à 2002, en raison des évènements du 11 septembre
1999 USA - The Country Club, Brookline, MA 14,5 à 13,5
1997 Europe - Valderrama GC, Sotogrande Espagne, 14,5 à 13,5
1995 Europe - Oak Hill CC, Rochester, NY 14,5 à 13,5
1993 USA - The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, Angleterre, 15 13
1991 USA - The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, S.C. 14,5 à 13,5
1989 Match nul(*) - The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, Angleterre, 14 14
1987 Europe - Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio, 15 à 13
1985 Europe - The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, Angleterre 16,5 à 11,5
1983 USA - PGA Ntnl GC, Plm Beach Gdns, Fla. 14,5 à 13,5
1981 USA - Walton Health GC, Surrey, Angleterre, 18,5 à 9,5
1979 USA - The Greenbrier,W. Va 17 à 11
1977 USA Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Angleterre, 12,5 à 7,5
1975 USA - Laurel Valley GC, Ligonier, Pa. 21 à 11
1973 USA - Muirfield, Ecosse, 19 à 13
1971 USA - Old Warson CC, St. Louis, Mo. 18,5 à 13,5
1969 Match nul(*) - Royal Birkdale GC, Southport, Angleterre, 16 à 16
1967 USA - Champions GC, Houston, Texas 23,5 à 8,5
1965 USA - Royal Birkdale GC, Southport, Angleterre, 19,5 à 12,5
1963 USA - East Lake CC, Atlanta, Ga. 23 à 9
1961 USA - Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Angleterre, 14,5 à 9,5
1959 USA - Eldorado CC, Palm Desert, Calif. 8,5 à 3,5
1957 RU/Irlande - Lindrick GC, Yorkshire, Angleterre, 7,5 à 4,5
1955 USA - Thunderbird CC, Plm Springs, Calif. 8 à 4
1953 USA - Wentworth GC, Wentworth, Angleterre, 6,5 à 5,5
1951 USA - Pinehurst CC, Pinehurst, N.C. 9,5 à 2,5
1949 USA - Ganton GC, Scarborough, Angleterre, 7 à 5
1947 USA - Portland Golf Club, Portland, Ore. 11 à 1
Interruption pendant la seconde guerre mondiale
1937 USA - Southport & Ainsdale GC, Angleterre, 8 à 4
1935 USA - Ridgewood CC, Ridgewood, N.J. 9 à 3
1933 RU/Irlande - Southport & Ainsdale GC, Angleterre, 5,5 à 6,5
1931 USA - Scioto CC, Columbus, Ohio 9 à 3
1929 RU/Irlande - Moortown GC, Leeds, Angleterre, 5 à 7
1927 USA - Worcester CC, Worcester, Mass. 9,5 à 2,5
Pour mieux lire le palmarès... les matchs partagés apportent une victoire au pays qui détenait le Trophée au départ...

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"Why would you need to go to a festival to get beer?" The guy from the mail room, who'd stopped by the new high security den in which I work, asked. My co-worker had just informed him that I was going to the GBBF again, after having gone almost every day this week. They found this hilarious.

I told him there were hundreds of beers by small breweries, beers you could never get at your local pub or off license.

"Stick with the big names, that's what I say. You know how they'll taste. You know what they'll do to you."

I have to admit that after three days of drinking countless and varied thirds, I see a sliver of wisdom in this man's words. You see, I don't feel so great. Friday night my feet were covered from blisters-- after working 8 hours in heels and corporate costume, I now stood for another five drinking. And then I spilled mild all over my only good work skirt, and I wasn't even drunk. I was in serious beer overload.

It's hard to get drunk happily at the GBBF. There's a lot of trekking around, looking for the beer you want, and then queuing, and then more walking around looking for a small, calm corner in which to enjoy it. You realize there is really no such thing, so you drink it while being jostled by unfriendly crowds. And then with the next 1/3 of a pint it starts all over again.

If Tuesday belongs to the professionals, Wednesday belongs to the obsessives, the tickers. Thursday belongs to the suited hedonists: City workers drinking as fast as they can before their 9 o'clock train. And Friday belongs to all the people you'd rather not drink with. Friday is one giant stag night. Groups of men roam, roaring in unison every time a glass breaks or they win at something or just because they think they need to jump-start the craic. They're wearing purple western hats usually reserved for desperate fun of the hen night, or tams with "ginger" hair attached, or jester hats. And it's not even hat night. That was Thursday. And there are more women on Friday, but they are tarted up in the tiniest skirts and stilettos.

After wringing a half pint of mild from my career-wear separates, I'm really no better. I just wish I was drunk like them and maybe none of it would matter.

But the thing I realized as I watched a saintly CAMRA volunteer set up the "roll the barrel" game for the stream of drunk asshats (in America the equivalent would be frat guys, but in the UK I'm not sure) I realized why I came every night wasn't just for the beer, or the spectacle of machismo, but the sheer wonder of this volunteer-run event. To work unpaid in the dismal Earl's Court Exhibition Centre with drunks and beer obsessives sounds like its own kind of hell. You'd have to really love beer to do this. I hope they all got lots of it.

A lovely CAMRA volunteer encouraged me to try my luck at the tombola-- only a pound to play, and you are guaranteed to win! When I won a little stuffed ram toy she whispered, "If you don't like it you can pick another." But how could I? I'd already won.

Here are my tasting notes:

Abbeydale Black Mass: a thinner stout, quite hoppy-- almost soapy.

Anglo-Dutch Brewery, Tabitha the Knackered: a favourite of mine from the festival. Golden amber with an orangeflower water nose. Slyly warming at 6%. Refreshing but complex.

Bushy's Oyster Stout: Another favourite. I would like a glass of this right now please. Very close to Porterhouse's version, minus the salinity and with more chocolate happening.

Dunham Massey, Chocolate Cherry Mild: An amazing beer, exactly like its name except that it's not too sweet at all, balanced by a gently hoppy finish. I drank a lot of this.

Mighty Oak, Oscar Wilde Mild: It was tasty but through a major party foul I ended up wearing most of this.

Valhalla, Old Scatness: Named after the Iron Age village in Shetland and brewed from the ancient grain bere, this was really a light but satisfying beer-- one which I went back to again and again. While in the Okneys we lived on the local flat bere loaves and the fresh white cheese made at a farm near our cottage. I thought this beer would have gone perfectly with these lunches. It made me long to go back to the Outer Hebrides.

Thursday was a blur of ciders-- the most memorable was Rathay's Old Goat with its mossy, forest creature nose and very dry finish.

I had several other milds and a few other stouts but I neglected to make note of them.

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 Swedish Football seen through the eyes of a 5 and an 8 year old.

Every year in the Fuller household we have a tradition.  During the school summer holidays I will take both little Fuller's away for a night somewhere in Europe, taking in a bit of culture, a game of football and a theme park or funfair.  They look forward to these little mini-breaks as if they were huge expensive holidays, packing and re-packing their cases weeks in advance, and looking up their destinations on the internet, impressing their friends.  Past destinations have been Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and Copenhagen.  This year we had picked Sweden as our country of choice with littlest Fuller and I heading to Goteborg, and a few days later heading to Stockholm with Lolly.

So trip one saw us landing in the middle of the countryside around Gothenburg on a scorching hot day on Wednesday afternoon.  Having taken this very journey last year with Lolly, I knew what to expect on arrival in the city centre.  Our plan was to walk down to the hotel, drop our bags, head off to the theme park before taking in a Swedish Superettan (2nd Division) game at the Valhalla Stadium - home to Gothenburg's 3rd team - Orgryte.  We walked down passed the building site of the Gamla Stan - the new stadium that will be home to IFK Goteborg and GAIS when it is complete in December 2009.  The Ullevi stadium, still the biggest ground in the country and the preferred home of the national team is across the road from the new stadium and plans are still being drawn up for the future of the ground.  At the moment with two clubs sharing the ground it is used on a regular basis, although crowds are far from impressive.  The new stadium, with a capacity of just under 20,000 will be a much more intimate venue for football in the city, although it is undecided whether Orgryte will also move in.

We dropped our bags at our hotel before heading into Liseberg - Scandinavia's biggest theme park.  Littlest Fuller had already decided to be brave and go on every ride she could - so we started with the biggest rollercoaster in the park, which soon changed her view!  The temperature had hit the other side of 30 degrees, and we had to limit our rides with drink breaks before heading back to the hotel for a mid-afternoon snooze.  Unbelievably, the hotel had no air conditioning - scandelous for a four star hotel and we had to rely on a small fan to try and keep us cool, not exactly ideal.  We needed a few provisions so we popped across the road to the supermarket.  I really object to paying silly money for mini bar beer, and as we were in Scandinavia the prices were Timmy Mallet silly - over £6 for a small car of beer, so I reasoned that I could get a couple in the supermarket and keep them cool in the fridge - WRONG! Sweden has the kind of alcohol purchase regulation that you get in countries like Saudi Arabia.  You simply cannot walk into a supermarket, pick up a four pack of Carlsberg and pay for it.  Oh no - you can only purchase beer from a licenced shop, and then it is only 3.5% or less, and even then you can only buy 4 cans per adult.  So I had to bite the bullet and stump up £6 for my luke warm can.  To make it worse I then fell asleep within 10 minutes, leaving the can on the window ledge.  40 minutes later Littlest Fuller woke me up and said my beer was smoking - the sun, magnified by the window had started to heat the beer so much that it had started to evaporate.

The Valhalla was a 5 minute walk from the hotel, and with an average 2nd division game due to start at 6pm we didn't leave until 5.45pm.  The stadium certainly sounded busy when we walked along the road - very impressive for a club that normally average just over 1,000 fans.  Queues were stretching down the road, and it seemed that we had stumbled on a game that had some meaning - in fact, as my Swedish translation skills kicked in (OK - a bloke in front of me told me in English) that the game was a complete sell out - the first in over a decade at the Valhalla.  The reason was one of those stories that rarely reach the media - similar to Aston Villa's last game of the season in May 2008 when they visited Upton Park to play West Ham when Oluf Mellburg was playing his last ever game for Villa.  In an amazing gesture he bought every single - yes over 3,500 fans - a replica shirt.  Yes - the shirts were going to be replaced, yes he probably got a discount but even if they cost him a £5 he stumped up over £17,000 out of his own pocket.  How many Premier League footballs would donate a 10th of that?  Anyway, back in Gothenburg and the reason for the huge crowd was that Marcus Allback, ex-Aston Villa and FC Kobenhavn striker had returned to Orgryte's, his boyhood team to play a final season of his career FREE OF CHARGE.  He had signed a contract to play for the club for a share of the gate money and no salary. So the crowds, young and old, had come out on this sunny day to saw welcome back.  Great gesture, but where did it leave us?  In all of my years of watching football I had NEVER been "sold out" of a game.  Sure, I have had to buy tickets from touts, and on one occasion in Germany 2006 when Portugal played Iran I walked away from a game as opposed to paying the going rate of €250 a ticket.  With kick off approaching I had to make a decision.  There was no way I was going to miss a game where I had travelled so far - sure Littlest Fuller wasn't too bothered, and we could have just headed up to the Ullevi where IFK were playing FC Basel at 8.15pm in the Champions League 2nd Qualifying Round, but I had come to visit the Valhalla, and that is what we were going to do.

So we moved next to the entrance gate, and I whisphered in Littlest Fuller's eye - "If you start to cry then I will buy you candy floss when we go back to Liseberg".  Right on queue she started, sobbing that she wanted to watch the football.  She almost ruined the pitch by saying - "Which teams are playing?" knowing full well I didn't have a clue.  After 5 minutes I had a tap on my shoulder and a steward handed me a ticket, winked and opened a gate and we were in.  A brief stop for a pint of ice cold beer and a sausage and we took our seat in the main, and thankfully covered stand.  The game was a few minuted old before the home team took the lead, reading the bounce on the artifical pitch when all of the Jönköpings Södra IF  defenders were dithering.  With just 5 minutes on the clock Littlest Fuller was fast asleep.  She still doesn't really get football and I had packed a bag with books and IPod loaded with a few children's films for the anticipated boredom requests - however, the sleep meant I could concentrate on the game.  She ended up sleeping right through the game, including the half time break, waking up in injury time and upset that she had missed it all.  I didn't want to push my luck in suggesting we went up the road for the IFK game, heading back to Liseberg instead.

However, I had a cunning plan to combine the two. In the theme park they had a huge tower, with a revolving passenger cab that slowly climbs up the structure, before revolving for a few minutes at the top giving some magnificent views over the city.  Armed with some of the promised candy floss for the Littlest Fuller we headed into the tower, and spent the next thirty minutes revolving at the top, walking around with the turn to watch the game in the Ullevi.  We were not alone as groups of men paced the same way, with their kids patiently sitting eating on the seats.

After a restless night of temperatures in the mid twenties and absolutely no breeze, we headed back to the airport on the farm and back to the UK for a few hours before I unpacked, repacked, put 2nd little Fuller in the car and returned to Ryanairland for the mid morning flight to Stockholm.  Of course, this being Ireland's least customer (sorry, Self Loading Cargo) focused organisation we didn't actually land in Stockholm.  We didn't even land in the same region as Stockholm - in fact I had to check to make sure it was actually in Sweden and not in Norway.  Skavsta is close to the town of Nykoping some 65 miles south west of Stockholm and linked to the capital by a regular 90 minute bus.

I had already seen one of the guys I had travelled to Turkey with (see Turkish Delight - not bloody likely!) back in February and caught up with him on the bus.  He was with a couple of other chaps who were on a whistle stop groundhopping tour of some of the grounds in the area.  There was really only one game in town on the Sunday, and that was IF Hammarby's home game at the Soderstadion, or so I thought.  These guys are dedicated and they had a list of matches in the Swedish 2nd, 3rd and 4th division that were within an hour of the capital.  They planned to get a 2pm and a 4pm game in before the Hammarby game.  They did ask if I wanted to accompany them, but I politely turned them down, stating that I had promised Lolly that we would do some "fun" things in the afternoon.  My plan was actually to go to the Olympic Stadion, home of Djurgarden to see if I could get some photos.  Nearly all of my dealings with Scandinavians is positive.  They return calls and emails promptly, and if they cannot help they point me in the direction of someone who can.  All except Djurgarden.  Last year I wrote and called them to see if they could let me have a photo of the stadium for my Fans Guide book.  At first they seemed helpful - "sorry, but we don't actually have any available but what about if I take one for you myself and send it to you?" - Perfect I thought, but days turned to weeks and with a publishing deadline approaching I had to fall back on a poor quality image.  Before this trip I contacted the club asking if I could come and take some pictures.  No reply by the time I left so we headed up to the stadium as it was only 15 minutes from T-Centralen, the transport hub in the city.

Normally there is a 50% chance of getting into a stadium on a non-match day.  If you look hard enough there is normally an open gate where a groundsman has driven in and you can sneak in so I was relatively hopeful of at least getting some photos, despite the lack of a response from the club's media officer.  We arrived at the stadium to see a number of people coming in and out of the stadium, following signs for the Nordic Classic.  The stadium was hosting a veterans tennis tournament featuring the likes of Chris Evett and Matts Wilander in a specially built stadium at the far end of the ground, which meant I had full access to take pictures to my hearts content, and more importantly they had bouncy castles and climbing walls for Lolly.  In fact it was hard to prise her away after half an hour, and she commented on what a wonderful surprise it had been for her - well planned I think!

We headed through the city centre to Globen, an area of the city also known as and 6 stops on the T-bana from the centre.  Globen is the name of the futuristic development consisting of a shopping centre, bars and restaurants, a hotel (where we were staying), the Soderstadion and the Globen Arena - the world's largest spherical arena, and the main concert hall and indoor sports arena in the city.  We checked into the hotel, and Lolly was very pleased to see that the Ljungskile SK team were staying there - and she decided to support them.  Our hotel had an excellent view of the Globen, and the football stadium - it is always a rare treat to find a hotel so close to a football stadium where you can seek sanctuary until the last minute.  In the UK some of the newer football grounds include integrated hotels such as Bolton's Reebok that has a few rooms overlooking the pitch (although you don't actually get any crowd noise when you are in your room watching it) and West Ham's which double as Executive boxes.  So 5 minutes later we were in the stadium, and fortunately under cover.  The stadium is a strange design, and there is talk of them moving to a new one closer to the heart of their support in Hammarby around 3 miles to the east.  It has one open end, with temporary seating, two single tier covered stands running along the side of the pitch and the final end that consists of 6 rows of seats with office buildings above.  With sky's darkening all of the time it was inevitable that the game wouldn't be rain free, and those in the temporary stand would be soaked.  Queue an operation of military precision by the stewards as they dished out free plastic ponchos to all of the fans.  And what made it even better was the standard of the stewards.  None of the English-style characters who either look like bored students, fat controllers or failed policeman - these were female, mostly blonde and absolutely stunning.  Worth the admission fee alone!

Meanwhile on the pitch 3rd placed Hammarby struggled to break down the low lying opposition from Ljunskile .  A goal against the run of play had put the away team into the lead mid way through the first half - in fact it was their one and only visit into the Hammarby penalty area.  The home team rained crosses into the penalty area for the remainder of the half, but failed to realise that in order to convert such crosses you actually need someone in the penalty area to convert them.  But the goal did come eventually and they went in at half time at 1-1.  The second half was more of the same, although my attention was drawn to the arrival of the riot police below us.  Not that there was any particular incident, but the fact that the six of them were all female, blonde again and looking as if they had walked off a porn shoot complete with handcuffs, truncheons and filty looks.  It wasn't just me who had their attention diverted from the beautiful game, but most of the guys around me.  They seemed completely oblivious to the attention they were getting and it took a scrambled goal by Jonokoping to refocus our attention.

With 3 minutes of the 4 of injury time played we headed for the exit although with most of the home fans, but a huge cheer saw most run back up the stairs, causing complete chaos in the stairwell as fans tried to get a view on who had grabbed the equalizer.  You can see how some of the fateful incidents happen at football grounds in such circumstances, and this is still one area that legislation has not addressed.

We headed north, back into the city to go to the Katarina Lift, which is an old container crane that has been converted into a viewing platform and one of the best restaurants in the city.  The view from the top was fantastic in the light of the sunset, with storm clouds gathering over the city centre providing some excellent photo opportunities.  The forecast for the following day wasn't good, and with rain starting to fall and hunger making its first appearance of the day, we headed back to the hotel for food and some Swedish Allo Allo on the TV.

The following day we were heading for Grona Lund - Stockholm's amusement park based on the island of Djurgarden.  We headed across the water on one of the ferries in bright blue conditions dressed in our best summer T-shirts and shorts. Over the course of the next few hours we went on everything - whether it went up and down, side to side or back to front, we did it at least twice.  After lunch in the Bavarian restaurant (of course - when in Sweden, eat German) we headed off to the Vasa Museum to give Lolly some culture and to try and explain the reason why the World's biggest ship in 1628 sank a hundred yards into its maiden voyage - I blamed it on using wood with woodworm which meant that water seeped in as soon as it went into the water as I couldnt really think of a logical answer.  At 5pm the rain started falling again.  We obviously were fully prepared for the weather in our t-shirts and shorts and could only head for cover under a tree. I had promised Lolly a surprise for the final part of the day - a trip to the Ice Bar in the Nordic Sea Hotel.  A great idea in the middle of the summer, but when its pouring with rain entering a sub zero room is probably not the best option.  However, Lolly was so excited and as soon as we put on our thermal ponchos and gloves we headed into the first, and most famous Ice Bar in the world.  With the rain continuing to fall overnight, turning a nice sunny day into one of the worst summer storms in the past decade for the capital, we took refuge in our hotel room, stocked up on episodes of On The Buses and pringles to while away the hours. 

Tuesday morning saw us board another bus, heading for Ryanair's 2nd best attempt at an airport in Stockholm - Vasteras which is only 68 miles away, or 90 minutes by public transport.  This time the airport really was no more than a couple of big sheds, which was completely overrun by Scouts who had been on a jamboree in the local area.  The concept of priority queuing again went out of the window as the ground staff just boarded anyone they fancied first.  However, I did see a brand new tactic work.  We waited until last to board the plane, and thus there were only single seats remaining.  But, due to the rules on unaccompanied minors on Ryanair, we have to be sat together and so we still got two seats together and some poor person who had probably fought their way to the front had to move - oh well!  We landed on time (queue the appallingly back Ryanair fanfare music to announce the fact) but of course being British we have to tolerate the 45 minute queue to get back into our country.  It is amazing that the joke used to be about US Customs and the time it took to process new arrivals, yet in the UK it takes as long, and we do not have any form filling.  There should be a seperate queue for people holding a UK passport - that would cut down on the queues.  So my adventures with the little ones came to an end for another year.  Two games, four stadiums, two theme parks and god knows how much junk food and additives saw them deposited back to CMF, and me in the good books as a great Dad with children as cool as the Ice Bar in Stockholm.

Who Plays There - Gothenburg
IFK Göteborg's city rivals are Örgryte IS who are one of the oldest teams in Sweden, tracing their origins back to 1892.  Despite their dominance of the game in the early years, they have been without success for a long time.  The club went unbeaten for more than four years in the final years of the 19^th century, winning ten championships in just thirteen seasons up until 1909.  Since then a further championship in 1913 was their last honour until the championship returned in 1985.  In 2000 the team beat AIK in the final of the Swedish Cup final with Marcus Allbäck scoring on the way to a 2-1 victory.  Today the club languish back in the 2^nd division after relegation in 2006 and are playing their matches at the small Valhalla stadium which is located behind the Ullevi.

How to get to the Ullevi and the Valhalla
The stadium is located no more than a five minute walk away from the central station and so public transport is really not needed.  From the station turn left onto Drottningtorget, then right once you get into the one way system.  When this road crosses Ullevigaten turn left and the stadium is 400metres on the right hand side.  You will pass the construction site of the new Ullevi stadium on the way.

Getting a ticket for the Ullevia and the Valhalla
With over 43,000 places available for each game, the chances of a sell out are very rare indeed in Swedish football.  Last season IFK averaged just over 10,000 per game, and Örgryte just 5,000.  Virtually all games played here (including the national team's games) are pay on the door.  However, you can purchase tickets in advance from http://www.ticnet.se.  Tickets range in price from 90 SKR in the areas behind the goal to 125 SKR in the upper tiers along the side of the pitch.

Getting around Gothenborg
Göteborg has one of Europe's best tram networks with 13 lines that cover the majority of the city.  The main hub is Well Park (Brunnsparken) where trams radiate out to every corner of the city.  Buses also run around the city from the Nils Ericsson bus terminal.  The Göteborgs Passet covers all public transport and attraction entry for 225 SKR per day.  The card is available from ticket machines at major stops and the Tourist Information Office at Kungsportsplatsen 2. 

Local Hotels & Bars in Gothenborg
Göteborg is a popular destination for Swedes and tourists alike all year round.  It is seen as one of the cultural capitals of Europe, although in the summer when the city opens up its beaches and parks it is a haven for the whole city to come outside and play.  Hotels can be in short supply in June and July, as well as major trade conference times.   The Tourist information office in Kungsportsplaten 2 (Tel: +46 31 61 2500) can help if you need to find a bed for the night.  The following hotels are all central, good value and highly recommended.

Elite Plaza Hotel - Västra Hamngatan 3 Tel: +46 31 720 4000  http://www.elite.se
HotelGullbergskajen Tel: +46 31 635 800  Hotel Panorama - Eklandagatan 51 Tel: +46 31 767 7000  http://www.panorama.se Barken Viking -http://www.liseberg.se

Göteborg has some extremely ambitious restaurants, and prices can be high.  You will find a mix of traditional Swedish cuisine, fused with flavours from around the world (curried reindeer anyone?).  The following are recommended for any visitors wanting to get a feel for Swedish cuisine.

Etc - Kungsgatan 12 (Tel: +46 31 13 2595)
Kungstorgskafeet - Kungstorget 11 (Tel: +46 31 12 7043)
Hos Pelle - Djupedalsgatan2 (Tel: +46 31 12 1031)

If you are heading out to find some traditional Swedish nightlife then head for the area around Avenyn, or one of the following bars which serve a selection of Swedish beers and are very popular with the locals.

Ölhallen 7:an - Kungstorget 7
Bitter - Linnégatan 59
Sticky Fingers - Kaserntorget 3

If you need to get a fix of England or take in a match or two from the Premiership then the following three pubs in the city centre can cater for your needs.

The Bishops Arms - Kungsportsavenyn 36
The Rover - Andra Långgatan 12
Kellys - Andra Långgatan 28

Nearest Airport - Göteborg Landvetter (GOT)
Telephone:              +46 31 94 1000
Website:                  http://www.lfv.se

The main airport serving Göteborg is located around 20km east of the city in the small town of Landvetter.  It served over 5million passengers in 2006 making it Sweden's second biggest airport.  The airport is well served by UK airlines including City Airline from Birmingham and Manchester, SAS from London Heathrow as well as British Airways.  To reach the city centre from the airport catch one of the regular Flygbussarna buses that take 30 minutes to reach Göteborg Central Station.  A single ticket costs 80 SEK.

Alternative Airport - Göteborg City (GSE)
Telephone:              +46 31 92 6060
Website:                  http://www.goteborgairport.se
Gothenburgs second airport is actually more central - located just 14km north west of the city centre.  Thanks to the arrival of Ryanair in 2005, passenger numbers rose from 10,000 to over 500,000 in one year.  The Irish carrier currently flies here daily from Dublin, London Stansted and Glasgow Prestwick.  A bus service meets every inbound flight and takes passengers to the main train station in 20 minutes.  Tickets cost 60SEK one way.

About the Stockholms Stadion
After a season playing at the national Råsunda stadium, Djurgarden returned back to the Stockholms stadium. The original idea of this switch was borne out of a disagreement on the ownership of the commercial revenues in the municipal owned stadium.  However, the team will still use the national stadium for the derby matches with AIK Solna, as well as Champions League matches (if they ever managed to get into the group stages).

The small Stockholms stadion is best known for being the venue of the 1912 Olympic Games.  Many of the unique features are still retained within the stadium - including the listed towers at the east end of the stadium.  Outside, the ivy-clad walls give the impression of a time gone by.  In fact the stadium today looks more like its 1912 original due to the renovation work that took place in the mid 1990's.  This has been the club's home since 1936, after moving from the Tranesberg Stadium.  The current ground still retains the athletics track, and is still used for all major track and field events.  The stadium consists of a horseshoe double tier stand, which sweeps around three sides of the stadium, leaving the historic Olympic stands still in existence.  The club actually started their playing history in the same area in 1896, with the previous ground, the Idottsparken their home until they moved to the Tranesberg Stadium in 1910. 

Who plays at the Stockholms Stadion
The club was originally formed in 1891, taking their name from the island in the city centre where the founders used to meet.  The club played in the lower leagues for a number of seasons before being allowed to compete in the national leagues.  In 1904, the club reached the Swedish Cup final where they lost to Örgryte.  The club did gain revenge over the team from Gothenburg eight years later in their next final appearance, thus becoming Swedish Champions for the first time.

The club won further championships in 1915, 1917 and 1920 but struggled to compete with the likes of Malmö and Göteborg.  In fact it took a further 35 years for the team to win the title again, in 1955 and then followed a golden period with four further cups in a period of 9 years.  After relegation to the second division in 1981, the club floundered for twenty years and even summer loan signing Teddy Sheringham couldn't keep them in the top division for more than a season at a time. 

Finally in 2001, the team managed to find the right on field formula and at last deliver some success for the supporters when they finished second in the Allsvenskan.  The following year they went one better and were crowned champions, beating off the strong challenge of AIK and Göteborg.  They retained their crown in 2003 and won it in 2005 to underline their position as Sweden's number one team.

The current team is built around young Swedish talent, with players such as Andreas Johansson and Daniel Sjölund who actually had spells with Liverpool and West Ham United and coached by Jonas Riedel.  Last season the team finished in a disappointing 6^th place, and so the club will have to do without European football again in 2007. 

In fact European football still hasn't been too kind to the club.  They first competed in the European Cup in 1955 when they actually reached the last eight before losing to Hibernians.  In 1964 they met Manchester United in the first round of the UEFA Cup and lost 7-2 on aggregate.  In fact after their win against Grasshoppers in the 2^nd leg of their UEFA Cup game in 1965, the club had to wait ten years before they gained another victory, beating Kristiansand of Norway 7-1 in the 1975 UEFA Cup.  In 2002 they recorded their best performance to date in the UEFA Cup, reaching the third round after beating Shamrock Rovers and FC Copenhagen before going out 3-1 to Girondins de Bordeaux.

Their Champions League debut in 2002 lasted one round as they went out on away goals to Partizan Belgrade, and the following season a 6-3 defeat to Juventus prevented them reaching the lucrative group stages.  European games are  normally played at the national stadium in Solna.

How to get to the Stockholms Stadion
The ground is located close to the red T-bana stop at, surprisingly enough, Stadion.  It takes around 10 minutes from the central station in the direction of Morby Centrum.  As you exit the station follow the subway under the road and then continue for 100metres, then the stadium will be visible on your right. 

Getting a ticket for the Stockholms Stadion
The experiment of moving their matches to the much bigger Råsunda stadium only resulted in thousands of empty seats at each game.  Swedish football, like most of the football in Scandinavia comes a second in terms of popularity to Ice Hockey, and attendances for almost all domestic matches fail to generate the passion and atmosphere that exists elsewhere in Europe. 

Therefore, prebooking of seats really isn't required.  Tickets can be booked from the ticket hotline on +46 77 1707070 or http://www.ticnet.se.  The average attendance last year was just under 13,000 although as some of these games were held in the national stadium, the figures do not give a true reflection of the gates at the Stockholms stadium.  Tickets range from 150SEK for games at the Stockholms to 375SEK to the derby games with AIK and Hammarby.

About the The Söderstadion
The stadium has two almost identical covered stands that run the length of the pitch and offer protection from the elements. At the east end of the stadium there is a large open terrace, which is where you will find the hardcore fans. However, the most dominating feature of the stadium is the west stand. This stand is a small covered terrace but on top of this is a four-story structure, which includes offices, and residential apartments that overlook the pitch. The stadium was originally opened in 1966, and has recently been upgraded with the removal of a covered stand at the east end of the stadium, which was curved away from the pitch. The grey seats do give the ground a bland feel but Hammarby are one of the most passionate groups of fans in Sweden and so match days are very rarely as bland as the seats.

Who Plays at the Söderstadion
Hammarby have always been considered the third club of Stockholm. In terms of supporter base, history, trophies and current form they lag behind their inter city rivals, but that does not stop the games against Djurgarden and AIK being passionate affairs (in some instances such as the derby versus Djurgarden resulted in significant numbers of arrests after violence spread on the terraces). The first football team fielded by the club can be traced back to 1897 but amazingly it took until 1977 for the team to actually reach a major final when they lost to Östers 1-0 in the Swedish Cup Final. In 1983 they lost the final again in 1983 to IFK Gothenburg.

Since then their highlight of their history was in 2001 when they won the Allsvenskan for the one and only time in their history. This championship allowed them to compete in the European Champions League qualifying for the first time.  However, as with their rivals Djurgardens, the Second Qualifying round proved to be tougher than then thought and a 5-1 victory to Partizan Belgrade proved a fair reflection on the standard of Swedish football. This season the team has started indifferently with a mixed bag of results under coach Anders Linderoth that saw them in 6th place as at the end of September. Last season the club qualified for the Royal League, reaching the Quarter Finals before losing 3-2 on aggregate to eventual winners FC Copenhagen.

How to get to the Söderstadion
The Stadium is a 15minute train ride away on the green T-line from the central station. Exit the train at Globen and then turn right over the bridge and then left when you reach the t-junction in the pedestrian area.  For a more detailed overview of football in Stockholm go to Footiemap.com to access their excellent Swedish football map.

How to get a ticket to the Söderstadion
In terms of capacity, Hammarby fairs better than most with an average utilisation of close to 75%. However, they still only average just over 12,000 and with a season high last year of 14,700 you will not struggle to get a ticket on the day from anyone of the ticket booths around the ground. However, after the crowd trouble at the recent Stockholm derby versus Djurgarden caused the match to be abandoned. Tickets can be bought in advanced from the club shop at the ground and at the Globus Shopping Centre, Tickets can be reserved by emailing the club at biljett@hammarbyfotboll.se, or from the Swedish equivalent of ticketmaster at http://www.ticnet.se Tickets for all matches (except Malmo, Djurgarden and AIK) start from 60SEK for a place on the terrace, to 265SEK a nice covered seat. For the "A" list games the ticket prices start from 240SEK and rise to 500SEK.

Around the Söderstadion
The stadium is sandwiched between the main south railway line, the main road of Arenavägen and the Globus shopping centre. Therefore there are a number of places to stop and have a drink in the area.

Getting around Stockholm
Stockholm's public transport is based on the metro and bus lines, combined with local boat services to the main islands.  In contrast to eating out, transport is cheap.  Single tickets are 40SEK, with a 24 hour card 60SEK.  Most of the city centre is walk able.

Local Hotels & Bars in Stockholm
Finding good, reasonably prices accommodation in Stockholm can often be a problem for those arriving without a reservation.  The tourist office is a good first stop in this instance.  As well as selling public transport tickets and being able to book sightseeing trips, they also have a hotel booking service.  Their address is Sverigehurst, Hamngatan 27 (Tel:+46 8 5082 8508), http://www.stockholmtown.com.  They also have a smaller office in the main railway station (T-Centralen), which is open from 9am Monday to Friday, and from 10am on a weekend.

Nordic Sea Hotel - Vasaplan 7 Tel: +46 8 505 6300  http://www.nordicseahotel.se
Villa Kallhagen - Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen 10 Tel: +46 8 665 0300  http://www.kallhagen.se
Grand Hotel - Södra Blasieholmshamnen Tel: +46 8 679 3500  http://www.grandhotel.se

Stockholm has enough good restaurants to keep you happy for a long weekend, although it's not a cheap place to eat or drink in.  The bar scene gets more widespread every year, with each new opening trying to out do each other.  The traditional part of the city for bars was Stureplan, but this has been replaced by the waterfront eateries of Gamla Stan.  The following bars and restaurants are all good in terms of food - but remember your wallet!

Bon Lloc - Regeringsgatan 111 (Tel: +49 660 60 60)
Spisa Hos Helena - Scheelegaten 18 (Tel: +49 654 49 26)
Villa Kallhagen - Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen  (Tel: +49 665 0300)

In terms of bars to watch Premiership football in, you will find loads around the old town.  The following Irish bars are guaranteed to show at least four games over the weekend live from the UK:-

The Foggy Drew - 39 Sveavågen
O'Learys Bar - Kungsholmsgaten 31
Galway's Irish Pub - Kungsgaten24

Nearest Airport - Arlanda Airport (ARN)
Telephone :             +46 8 797 0000
Website:                  http://www.lfv.se

Arlanda is the main airport for Stockholm and is served by both British Airways and SAS flying from London Heathrow.  The airport is linked to the city centre by the Arlanda express train that runs from the terminal in less than 25 minutes every 15 minutes.  The train costs 360SEK for a return ticket.  A taxi would take around 45minutes and cost close to 500SEK.

Alternative Airport - Skavsta Airport (NYO)
Telephone:              +46 155 28 04 00
Website:                  http://www.skavsta-air.se

Skavsta Airport is around 50 miles to the south west of Stockholm, close to the town of Nyopking.  Ryanair are expanding Skavsta as another European hub - although the local residents of the surrounding villages are not particularly happy about this.  Ryanair provide a bus to meet all incoming flights, which takes around 2 hours to reach the central bus station in Stockholm for 100SEK single or 150SEK return.  They currently fly there from London Stansted.

Alternative Airport - Västerås Airport (VST)
Telephone:              +46 21 80 56 00
Website:                  http://www.vasterasflygplats.se

Västerås sits on Lake Mälaren an hour west of Stockholm.  The airport is around 10 miles out of town and is served by Ryanair from London Stansted.  There are two ways to reach Stockholm from here.  Firstly, catch a local bus to the main station and then hop on one of the regular trains to Stockholm.  The journey takes around an hour and a half to get into Stockholm main station.  The second option is to catch one of the buses that wait for all incoming flights, and take around 2 hours to reach Stockholm central bus station.

Until today, that is. Today, I realized who really gets hurt when you throw around the term "fascist:" the real fascists. When I call John McCain a fascist, it really cheapens the platform of everyone who actually wants to promote the economic and political theory of Benito Mussolini or kill all blacks. So, to make up for my previous carelessness, I'd like to highlight some presidential candidates who are truly deserving of the name "fascist."

JACK GRIMES: BRINGING THE GLORY OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE BACK TO AMERICA

Jack Grimes is running for president as the candidate for the United Fascist Union, which was founded in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1996 as a way to "promote the economic theories and political ideologies of Benito Mussolini and Saddam Hussein." Grimes ran for the UFU in 2000 and 2004, but narrowly lost to George W. Bush both times. With the many domestic problems facing America this year, however, Grimes's message of change; as the UFU's platform says: "Fascism is the one economic theory that has been proven time after time.  It can raise the standard-of-living and improve the quality of life for all citizens fortunate enough to live in a Fascist Country."

Grimes also has a powerful rallying point in his opposition to a third Bush term, but unlike the Obama campaign's attempts to label McCain as a third Bush term, Grimes means this very literally: when asked what he would tell voters who were interested in them, Grimes said, "I would tell them why they should NOT reelect my opponent, George W. Bush."

Look for Grimes to be competitive with Obama in key battleground states and especially among the media. Grimes's story and image are very similar to Obama's, which he will try to use to his advantage in wooing voters who feel disenfranchised by the current system: "Jack Grimes would be the ideal American President because he came from out of nowhere, from nothing, and isn't that supposed to be what the American dream is all about? VOTE FASCIST 2008!! ELECT JACK GRIMES PRESIDENT!!!"

BRIAN HOLLAND: THE WHITE MAN'S DAVID DUKE

Brian Holland is running for president for the National Socialist Movement. Unlike the Grimes campaign, which some hardcore fascists see as soft on blacks, the Holland campaign has made race its focus. As the National Socialist site says, one of Holland's major objectives is "the absolute domination of the white, civilized areas of the earth by the Aryan white man and the leadership of the Aryan white man by the strongest and wisest individuals of the race rather than the largest number of weaklings, mediocrity's and selfish private interests."

While Grimes is going after economic votes, look for Holland to attack Obama for his subversion of pure white culture. Holland will probably go after Obama's controversial decision to have children, which stands in contrast to Holland's policy of populating the earth "not with more and more negroid degenerates, but with human beings who increasingly approximate the lordly ideal expressed in the ancient Nordic sagas by the gods and goddesses of Valhalla." Word is that a joint attack ad with the McCain campaign is in the works.

There is some concern, however, that Grimes and Holland will split the fascist vote and leave the far, far right out in the cold once again. Holland's campaign in particular is in danger of being edged out by other race-based candidates, like the Youth Internation Party's Edward N. Schwarz, who has called for the elimination of all Jews "Because I'm A Fucking Jerk-Off That's Why! Oh Yeah!" My money's on Grimes, mainly because he's stronger on national security (as evidenced by his hat).

Regardless, this November will be a crucial election for fascists in America. I just hope this post makes up for my personal abuse and repression of these noble people for so many years.

Firmware: 3.95+
Region: Japan

If you would like to download this demo then click the link below.

Download

If you need help on how to install the demos then use our tutorial here;
How to install the Demo's

If you get stuck with Installing a demo Then Feel free to make a comment here.

Anyhoo, have a look at this young fella's spec.  Can you say 2% chance for a free cast?  Certainly better than picking up those extra AoE spells.  After all, its not like a shadow priest plus gems/pots/molten armor/etc is enough or anything, you most definitely need that extra mana conservation every once in a while!

It's worth noting that Cyntil's guild has only successfully killed Kalecgos three times, begging the question - what does Cyntil do with the mana he saves through 1/5 Clearcasting if he's obviously not using it to decurse?

**Update (08.01.08):  After seeing this blog and being lambasted for his sheer idiocy, Cyntil has not only respecced to the standard Deep Fire raid spec, but also transfered to Blackhand in utter disgrace**

Eureka Reporter Chief Opinionator Peter Hannaford

No secret that he's the entire editorial Board

believes the already rich are entitled everything to hoard

"Bedtime for Bonzo" was a movie that he Adored

Loved it in a way that was almost Untoward.

Blots like Iran Contra were ignored

Environmental regulations he has abhorred

For offshore rigs he has serially implored

Does not care if some of the product gets poured

Or if the ice melts off the far northern fjord

When he hears all that he'll say he's so bored

All his editorials GOP central command does prerecord

So that everyone in the rank and file stays rigidly in accord.

And that no other options except the party line are ever explored

Winger politicians read conservation speeches into the congressional record.

Peter Hannaford could save electricity by unplugging his computer's power cord.

Cause it sure seems like filthy dirty Republican Party money is his master and lord

[caption id="attachment_169" align="aligncenter" width="468" caption="Valhalla Knights 2 PSP Demo"][/caption]

Game Title: Valhalla Knights 2 PSP Demo
Firmware: 3.95+
Region: Japan
Download Link: HERE

If the download link is broken please comment below and it will be fixed!

Die damalige Ankündigung der Xbox 360 Elite hat wohl mehr für Unruhe gesorgt, als für Begeisterung. Dennoch hat diese sich recht gut verkauft. Neben größerer Festplatte (120 GB) und HDMI Ausgang gab es auch einige unscheinbare Neuerungen. So wurde ein neues Laufwerk eingebaut und zusätzliche Heatpipes sorgten für bessere Kühlung im Innenraum. Aber zum Erscheinungstermin der Xbox 360 Elite wurde der neue Chipsatz der Xbox 360 mit dem neuen Namen "Falcon" angekündigt. Doch leider fand der neue Chipsatz nicht den Weg in die Xbox 360 Elite und jeder der von August 2007 bis Anfang des Jahres 2008 sich diese gekauft hatte, muss(te) bis dato mit alten aufgefrischten Inhalt leben.

Ab wann jetzt das "Falcon" Board verkauft wird kann ich nicht sagen. Fakt ist, dass die Xbox 360 Premium / Pro als Erstes wohl mit diesem Board ausgestattet wurde. Die Elite kam wohl später erst an die Reihe. Hier bin ich mir nicht sicher, von daher alle Angaben ohne Gewähr.

Doch wo genau sind jetzt die kleinen aber feinen Unterschiede zwischen "alten" und "neuen" Board in der Xbox 360? Nun äußerlich hat sich an der Konsole eigentlich nichts getan. Nur die Info-Plakette auf der Rückseite gibt Auskunft über den Inhalt der Konsole. Die Konsole mit dem "Falcon" Chipsatz benötigt deutlich weniger Strom und kommt mit 175 Watt aus, während die Konsole mit alten Board noch 203 Watt benötigt. Neben neuer Hardware, wurde auch die Ausstattung der Xbox 360 Elite überarbeitet. Das Netzteil hat jetzt 4 Lüftungsschlitze für bessere Wärmeableitung spendiert bekommen, das Kabel wurde im Durchmesser um gut die Hälfte reduziert und der Stecker ist jetzt komplett aus Plastik ohne Klickverschluss. Der Stecker lässt sich jetzt deutlich besser einstecken und rastet ebenso auch gut ein. Auch am Headset hat sich einiges getan. Die Polsterung wurde farblich ein wenig angepasst und erinnert jetzt an neuzeitliche Kopfhörer. Denn das Bedienfeld ist jetzt unterhalb des Headsets angebracht, für besseren Komfort. Insgesamt sehr nette Neuerungen.

Doch was erwartet uns in ferner Zukunft? Wird Microsoft weitere Veränderungen vornehmen? Nun zumindest wird Ende des Jahres wieder ein neuer Chipsatz erscheinen, mit dem Namen "Valhalla".  Neben einem 65nm CPU wird es dann auch einen 65nm GPU geben. Damit sinkt deutlich die Wärme in der Konsole, womit Hitzeprobleme theoretisch der Vergangenheit angehören sollten. Wie es jedoch in der Praxis aussieht, wird sich noch zeigen. Es bleibt aber weiterhin interessant, was Microsoft an ihrer Xbox 360 verändern werden.

Fakt ist, der "Falcon" Chipsatz hält was er verspricht. Nach ca. 4 Stunden Zocken merkt man, das die Konsole deutlich leiser ist, das Laufwerk ist ebenfalls sehr ruhig und das Gerät produziert tatsächlich weniger Wärme.

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It can be very daunting playing online for the first time, after having played Halo 3 for sometime I will try and provide you with some basic tips below that I have found helpful. The "Group Kill" tactic can be found here and the outside containment tactic here

Know your maps –

Like the old saying “Knowledge is power”, after a few rounds you will find this very true. There is no point using your spawn weapons for the entire game, having the shotgun on Guardian can have you killing player’s non stop till you run out of am. I strongly encourage that you explore the maps thoroughly and take notes where key weapons and power ups are. This can best be done by playing a game offline with another friend walking around the map explore its various nooks and crannies. Take note of the vehicles in each maps, power weapons and power ups. Also look for vantage points where you can snipe or protect your flag.

Know your weapons –

There are a lot of weapons in Halo 3 and it will take sometime till you know what the do and where to find them. A shotgun or double maulers are excellent for close combat. Sniper and beam rifles are the weapon of choice for open sprawling landscapes. Turrets are great for high traffic areas and against vehicles.

 Each weapon has its pros and cons, for instance if a sniper is hit then his rifle automatically zooms out so the best course of action is to use a battle rifle from a distance while you approach for the kill. Shotguns and Maulers at close quarters are quite deadly, throw some grenades in before approaching or use a power up to go in for the kill.

Know your vehicles –

There are some new vehicles available in Halo 3 and most vehicles allow two people to use. Communication is extremely important when using vehicles; a banshee pilot can scout from above, and the driver of a warthog should communicate to the gunner about the location of enemies. I find the best way is to describe targets as 2 or 10 O’clock using the front of the vehicle as 12 O’clock. This enables the gunner to pinpoint the target even if he is facing the wrong way. In capture the flag vehicles are imperative, two people on a mongoose with a full warthog as back up will more then often make a safe journey there and back.

 The energy drain has a dramatic effect on all vehicles; they will come to a standstill or in the Banshees case, fall out of the sky. Use your vehicle to its full potential, fly bys, drive bys, splatters and recon and just a few of the ways to accomplish this. If you are feeling out gunned with a vehicle bearing down on you, you can always try and highjack or stick it.

Know your tactics –

Communication is Key! I strongly encourage you to invest in a headset. It makes the Xbox Live experience so much more enjoyable. Not only can you establish game plans, but build stronger friendships with your fellow gamers. Make sure you are assaulting the objective in waves, if you die, wait for some fellow team mates to respawn and gather your forces. Objective maps require you to work as a team so you must find out who is defending, assaulting and requires assistance. Work in your niche role! If you’re a good driver – drive. If you a good sniper – defend. If you are fearless – attack. Take tactical routes to your objective, on Valhalla if you drive through the river your intentions will be more discreet and provide more coverage from attacks. If you drive in a straight line you are more prone to attack and everyone will know what’s coming.

 There are several little hiding places, and some people may at times feel you are using unsporting practices. The sword room on the pit is one of the many locations, if you spend the entire duration of the game there with the sword and a shotgun, you will more than likely receive some negative feedback. If feel what you’re doing is wrong and not in the spirit of the game, your opponents are probably a lot more furious then you expect.

  There is an endless repertoire of tactics out there for you to use and learn, feel free to add your own. Find out what playing style works best for you and embrace it. Remember to have fun and that it is only a game, in the end we are all still human beings and there is no need to be abusive and obnoxious. Teabagging can be quite demoralising and hilarious given the appropriate timing.

My Xbox live gamer tag is “TreyCannon” if you are ever up for a game.

And remember: HAVE FUN!

What I've discovered is that, they can have as many people watching them as there was in one of Rock in Rio days watching about 5 bands.

I've found an amazing video in which they are performing Valhalla.

In this video around 4:30 the audience starts chorusing the song and, around 6:20, when Blind Guardian finishes the song, the audience starts chorusing the song completely alone making the drummer to start performing the rhythm again with the drums.

Watch all what I've written in this video:

Yes, Rocco Mediate, bless his heart, battled valiantly. But Tiger Woods really is the most mentally tough guy out there on the golf course. And Tiger was not going to let go of major number 14. Just would not let it go. It may be fun to see him run away with a tournament (at least, I think so), but how much more fun to see another competitor compete. Not fade, not fizzle, not be intimidated in the least, fight until the last gasp, and still have Tiger come out on top.

By the way, if U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Paul Azinger wants to add some dogged determination tied up in a package with the level of sheer joy of competing that the U.S. Ryder Cup team could desperately use, it shouldn't take more points for Mediate to assure his spot. Even if he has to be a captain's pick (but as of right now, he'd be automatic) he should be going to Valhalla in September. Looseness is something in which the Americans have been sorely lacking. Combine Rocco's chatty, glad to be here personality with his ability to grind and you have a perfect addition to the team.

When i die, i will get to Valhalla to feast on the boar and drink... what will u do christian?

Norse gods will rule the earth again and the churches n shit will burn!

Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to

Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis
United States Army

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an M2 .50-caliber Machine Gunner, 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in Adhamiyah, Northeast Baghdad, Iraq, on 4 December 2006.

That afternoon his platoon was conducting combat control operations in an effort to reduce and control sectarian violence in the area. While Private McGinnis was manning the M2 .50-caliber Machine Gun, a fragmentation grenade thrown by an insurgent fell through the gunner's hatch into the vehicle. Reacting quickly, he yelled "grenade," allowing all four members of his crew to prepare for the grenade's blast. Then, rather than leaping from the gunner's hatch to safety, Private McGinnis made the courageous decision to protect his crew. In a selfless act of bravery, in which he was mortally wounded, Private McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion.

Private McGinnis' gallant action directly saved four men from certain serious injury or death. Private First Class McGinnis' extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest medal for valor in combat that can be awarded to members of the armed forces. It sometimes is referred to as the "Congressional Medal of Honor" because the president awards it on behalf of the Congress.

The medal was first authorized in 1861 for Sailors and Marines, and the following year for Soldiers as well. Since then, more than 3,400 Medals of Honor have been awarded to members of all DOD services and the Coast Guard, as well as to a few civilians who distinguished themselves with valor.

Medals of Honor are awarded sparingly and are bestowed only to the bravest of the brave; and that courage must be well documented. So few Medals of Honor are awarded, in fact, that there have only been five bestowed posthumously for service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The most recent recipients are Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, Navy SEAL Master-at-Arms Michael A. Monsoor for valor in Iraq, and Army Pfc. Ross A. McGinnis, and Navy Lt. Michael P. Murphy for valor in Afghanistan.

However, since 1998, 15 other Medals of Honor have been awarded to correct past administrative errors, oversights and follow-up on lost recommendations or as a result of new evidence.

Here are just a few examples of Soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor from three wars. Their actions, like the other recipients of the medal, were far and above the call of duty.

During the Civil War, the job of color bearer was one of the most hazardous as well as important duties in the Army. Soldiers looked to the flag for direction and inspiration in battle and the bearer was usually out in front, drawing heavy enemy fire while holding the flag high. On Nov. 16, 1863, regimental color bearer Pvt. Joseph E. Brandle, from the 17th Michigan Infantry, participated in a battle near Lenoire, Tenn. "...[H]aving been twice wounded and the sight of one eye destroyed, [he] still held to the colors until ordered to the rear by his regimental commander."

Cpl. Alvin C. York, from the 82nd Division, fearlessly engaged the numerically superior German force at Chatel-Chehery, France, on Oct. 8, 1918--just a month before the armistice was signed. His citation reads: "...After his platoon had suffered heavy casualties and three other noncommissioned officers had become casualties, Cpl. York assumed command. Fearlessly leading seven men, he charged with great daring toward a machine gun nest, which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat the machine gun nest was taken, together with four officers and 128 men and several guns."

Valor is found across the times as well as across the ranks, as World War II 2nd Lt. Robert Craig, from the 3rd Infantry Division, demonstrated. According to his citation, 2nd Lt. Robert Craig volunteered to defeat an enemy machine gun that three other officers before him could not. He quickly located the gun outside of Favoratta, Sicily, but without cover, he and his men found themselves vulnerable to approximately100 enemies. “Electing to sacrifice himself so that his platoon might carry on the battle, he ordered his men to withdraw … while he drew the enemy fire to himself. With no hope of survival, he charged toward the enemy until he was within 25 yards of them. Assuming a kneeling position, he killed five and wounded three enemy soldiers. While the hostile force concentrated fire on him, his platoon reached the cover of the crest. 2nd Lt. Craig was killed by enemy fire, but his intrepid action so inspired his men that they drove the enemy from the area, inflicting heavy casualties on the hostile force."

Toda esta supersticion proviene en si, por el origen del nombre del dia Martes, el cual se deriva del dios Marte dios de la guerra, asociado con la muerte y la destruccion asi que por si solo el martes ya es un dia guiado a la destruccion, muerte y caos.

Por su parte el numero 13, tiene otra historia, en la mitologia nordica, que relata la invitacion de doce dioses a un vanquete en el Valhalla al cual Loki (dios de la destruccion y caos) no estava invitado al llegar fue el miembro 13, en la pelea por expulsarlo muere Balder, dios preferido por las deidades.

En la tradicion Cristiana se considera de mala suerte el 13 ya que en la Ultima Cena el numero de miembros en total era de trece personas. Tambien influye el echo que la eliminacion de la Orden Templaria el 13 de octubre de 1307.

En contra posicion con todo esta el numero 13 el la religion judia es de buena suerte el año bisiesto hebreo se compone de trece meses, Jacob en hebreo se escribe con trece letras o trece fueron los cuernos usados en los templos hebreos para llamar a la comunidad.

Pero todo esto lo determina la tardicion, ya se a martes o viernes 13,los refaranes en españa se refieren totalmente al martes:

“El martes, ni te cases ni te embarques”
“El martes, ni tu casa mudes, ni tu hija cases, ni tu ropa tajes”
“El martes, ni gallina eches, ni hija cases”
“El martes, ni hijo cases, ni cochino mates"

Pero esta supersticion a avanzado tanto y se a mantenido tan viva , que en la nueracion de viviendas donde se omite el trece, asi como en pisos y elevadores de hoteles y en las habitaciones.Tambien en los circuitos europeos de la Formula Uno no ahi pits trece, se salta del doce al catorce.

En el tansporte publico se evitan las lineas 13 y los autobuses con el mismo numero.

El trece tambien se omite el los asientos de aviones y en las puertas de embarque de los aeropuertos.

Un dato interesante es el hecho que el el Gran Sello de Estados Unidos, representante de la nacion contenga trece estrellas la cuales representan las trece colonias que fundaron la nacion. Lo ironico de esto es que Estados Unidos en uno de los paises con mas "triscaidecafóbicos" en el mundo.

Por otro lado ortas culturas escojen otro numeros los cuales acarrea mala suerte como el viernes 17 en Italia.

En mi opinion este dia es un dia mas en el año. y no nos deberia de afectar si es martes 13, viernes 13 o viernes 17, la suerte la haces tu no el dia del año.

Asi que no se mal viajen y disfruten, pero por si, las dudas consiganse un trebol de cuatro hojas!!!!

:)

Beto!!!

Gracias por Leer!!!!