Blogging Fun96742

Premiership Transfer Window Review - Part Two

David Walker continues his review of the January transfer window and how the moves will impact each teams success, or survival at the end of the 2005/06 season.

Everton
After spending the early part of the season facing a relegation battle the only reinforcements came in the form of Alan Stubbs, joining from Sunderland for his second spell at the club.

Two players have left the club Marcus Bent to Charlton and Per Kroldrup to Fiorentina. The Danish defender arrived in a 5 million switch from Udinese but returned to Italy for substantially less after making just one league appearance.

At 10 points clear, Everton look safe from the drop but you may be tempted by the 33/1 relegation odds.

Fulham
Fulham are battling against relegation and have made five new signings. Goalkeepers Tony Warner and Antti Niemi joined from Cardiff and Southampton respectively while New Zealand international Simon Elliott arrived from Columbus Crew. Defender Wayne Bridge and midfielder Michael Brown joined from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur on loan.

Without an away win all season, Fulhams strength and key to survival lies in their form at Craven Cottage. 26 of the 29 points accumulated have come from home wins and manager Chris Coleman will need to keep up this momentum. Fulham can be backed at 14/1 for relegation.

Liverpool
Third in the table and a favourable draw in the Champions League has seen further recruits arrive at Anfield. Defender Jan Kromkamp arrived in a swap deal from Villarreal which saw Josemi return to Spain while Danish defender Daniel Agger cost 5.8 million from Brondby.

A host of fringe players left on loan deals but all transfers were eclipsed by the return of striker Robbie Fowler, five years after leaving Anfield. Fowler scored 120 goals in 236 Premiership matches for the Reds previously and with Manchester United wobbling, Liverpool could eclipse them in second position. They are three points behind in third but have two games in hand. Rafa Benitezs side can be backed at 6/5 to win the Premiership in the without Chelsea market.

Manchester City
Following a blistering start to the season, City are sitting comfortably in tenth position. Manager Stuart Pearce will not stand for half measures and has motivated his side into three wins out of their last four matches, including a 3-1 derby win over bitter rivals United.

Pearce has boosted the ranks with the 6 million signing of Greek striker Georgios Samaras from Heerenveen after allowing Robbie Fowler to rejoin Liverpool and the loan capture of Espanyol midfielder Alberto Riera. Pearces managerial qualities have not gone unnoticed and he is quoted at 20/1 to succeed Sven Goran Eriksson as the next England boss.

Manchester United
The former Premiership powerhouses have been exposed yet again this season as being nowhere near Chelsea in terms of results, consistency and strength in depth. However, the Glaziers sanctioned the arrivals of Spartak Moscow defender Nemanja Vidic Spartak for 7 million and 5.5 million signing Patrice Evra.

A dire spell in Europe has seen them with the Carling Cup one of their only chances of silverware this season although Sir Alex Fergusons side are still 5/6 favourites for the Premiership without Chelsea. Strike duo Ruud van Nistelrooy is 5/6 and Wayne Rooney 10/1 to top the Premiership scoring charts.

Middlesbrough
One of the pre season outsiders for a top four position, Middlesbrough are now staring relegation square in the face. Boro have won just once in their last 10 Premiership outings and that was away at rock bottom Sunderland.

No players arrived in January although Szilard Nemeth left for Strasbourg. One of the few bright spots, striker Yakubu, can be backed at 16/1 to top the Premiership goalscoring chart while speculative punters may fancy the 13/2 on offer of relegation.

Newcastle United
Manager Graham Souness became the latest Premiership managerial casualty after recently losing five of their last six league matches. With just 36 wins in his 83 matches in charge the club are hovering six points above the drop zone.

Big money arrivals Michael Owen and Alberto Luque failied to ignite an expected charge for European football and former West Ham manager Glenn Roeder and Alan Shearer have taken over the reigns temporarily. Bolton manager Sam Allardyce is the 9/2 favourite to take over permanently and despite a poor run of form the Magpies remain 20/1 outsiders for relegation.

The third and final part of the review will look at transfers involving Portsmouth, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United and Wigan Athletic.

posted by blogs71770 @ 7:32 PM 0 comments

Spalding Basketballs

Spalding is perhaps the most respected and popular brand when it comes to basketballs. Spalding, a brainchild of Albert Goodwill Spalding, was created in 1876, and was the first firm to manufacture balls specifically for the game of basketball. According to the survey website epinions.com, Spalding is the global market leader in basketballs, rivaling the popularity of other basketball brands like Nike, Wilson, Rawlings, and Mikasa.

Spalding has been NBAs officially recognized ball since 1983. Almost all reviewers on Epinions gave five star ratings to Spalding balls. Spalding balls are considered extremely durable, suited to both outdoor and indoor play. Another factor in their favor is cost- they are not as expensive as other basketballs like Nike. For example, a Spalding All Surface Composite Leather ball sells on SportDepot.com for around $30. As the name suggests, this ball is good for both indoor and outdoor play. It has a soft composite leather shell, marked with deep channels to enhance grip and bounce.

The NBA (and WNBA) basketballs manufactured by Spalding measures 29.5 in circumference (28.5 for the womens match). That is, official size 7 for men and 6 for women. The mens basketball is pebbled with a density approaching 122 per square inch, and this helps retain a good bounce for a longer time. This ball has a leather cover, suited only to indoor play. The wide channel design ensures smooth bounce.

The Spalding Rubber Mens basketball is manufactured according to the requisite NBA specifications, and it is good for both outdoor and indoor play. It has a circumference of 29.5. This brown colored ball has the NBA logo imprinted on it.

The latest, and very popular, Spalding basketball lines are the TF 100 and TF 1000. These balls are used by basketball pros during official matches, and are retailed on many sports websites like SportsDepot.

Apart from the official basketballs, Spalding also manufactures other kinds of balls like the Leather Mini basketballs, which are sold by OnlineSports.com.

posted by blogs71770 @ 7:11 PM 0 comments

Child Party Planner - 9 Steps To A Successful Party

Why rush around at the last minute?

By following the 9 steps we've outlined, your kid party planning experience will be lots of fun, you'll take the stress out of planning, make things easier on your pocket book and you'll have a successful party.

Give Yourself Plenty Of Time

If at all possible, start putting together your child party several months in advance. This will give you plenty of time to put everything together without having to run all over the place at the last minute until you're worn out, stressed out and find yourself saying "I'll be glad when this is over with."

Your Party Date And Time

Since it may not be practical to hold your child's birthday party celebration on their actual birth date, you need to consider a few things before deciding on the date of their party.

Make sure your party date won't conflict with any holidays or other events.

Also consider the best time of the day for your party. After lunch will mean you won't have to serve food other than snacks, cake and ice cream.

Your Birthday Party Theme

One of the most popular ways to celebrate a child's birthday is with a theme related to something your child enjoys. A movie, a TV show, a sport, hobby, general interest, or a favorite character like a Disney character.

If your child likes Barbie, choose a Barbie theme, if your child liked the movie Shrek, you can base an entire birthday on the Shrek theme.

This is the perfect time to let your child become involved in planning their party.

We encourage you to spend some quality time with your child discussing which theme they are most interested in. But be sure you agree with their choice before proceeding. Your child will only be thinking about which theme will be the most fun, while you need to also consider what may or may not be practical. And once you and your child have decided on a kid birthday party theme, everything else will fall into place...

Your Kid Birthday Party Guest List

When considering your kid party planning, experts advise you should invite one guest for every year of your child's age. This keeps your party manageable. Other considerations include your kid birthday party budget and the location of your party.

But the question of how many guests you should invite to your birthday party can only be answered by you and your child... I suggest you mainly consider your budget and your party location... If you're comfortable with a house full of 20 kids for your child's 8th birthday, then go for it!

Your Kid Birthday Party Location

You may want to control your child's birthday party by holding the celebration in your home and/or backyard. Or you may want to consider having your party at another location like a local restaurant (where they do most of the clean-up) or a local park, amusement part, zoo or some other fun location. To keep your child party planning manageable, call any locations your considering in advance... You don't want to hear "we're all booked up on that date."

Kid Birthday Party Invitations

Once you and your child have decided on a theme, your party date, time, location and guest list, you can create or purchase invitations involving your theme.

If you'd like to create your own party invitations, this is the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with your child... Talk with them about putting together a creative invitation that will tell all their invited guests how much fun their birthday party is going to be.

Kid Birthday Party Food And Drinks

The first thing that comes to mind when you say "birthday Party" is a birthday cake.

For other snacks and treats, keep your kid birthday party theme in mind.

Kid Birthday Party Games And Activities

Put together some games and activities to keep your party guests busy and having lots of fun. You'll also want to have some quiet games, puzzles and other activities designed to wind your party down so your guests will go home a little less excited.

Thank You Notes

A day or so after your kid birthday party, sit down with your child and send out thank you notes to each of your guests. This will help to teach your child responsibility and how to thank their friends for being kind enough to bring them a gift or birthday card.

By following the 9 steps I've outlined here, your kid party planning experience will be lots of fun, you'll take the stress out of planning, make things easier on your pocket book and you'll have a successful party your child will love.

For more information take a quick look at Fun-Kid-Birthday-Parties.com

posted by blogs71770 @ 5:48 PM 0 comments

Toronto, the New York City of Canada

Toronto, my city of birth, is the largest city in Canada with a population of about 3 million (5 million in the greater area) and it keeps growing every year as it seems to be the first city of choice for immigrants from around the world. With over 100 languages spoken here, Toronto is the most multicultural city in the world according to the United Nations. This is actually a good thing since Toronto can be a model for the rest of the world in regards to showing how it is possible for different people of many different cultures and faiths to get along peacefully. Friends of different racial backgrounds and religions can be found here where they would probably be enemies in other parts of the world.

Having lived in Toronto for most of my life so far, Im always amazed on how the city has grown as a tourist destination. Torontonians seem to take world class attractions like the CN Tower and the Skydome for granted since many see it every day during their commute. Of course, the CN Tower is a very worthwhile visit as a ride to the top is a must for every visitor.

Toronto has one of the best redeveloped harbourfronts anywhere. This area has boutiques at Queens Quay, restaurants, cafes and galleries. Nearby Ontario Place and the Canadian National Exhibition are annual favorites among locals. This is also where one takes the ferries across to the Toronto Islands. The islands are all connected via bike paths and offer a unique view of the Toronto cityscape as well as a nice break from the busy downtown. Located on the main island, Centreville is a petting zoo and small amusement park for kids.

The action is downtown and probably where most tourists should stay. Although the hotels prices are higher in downtown than the suburbs, Toronto traffic is unfortunately not getting any better so it is best to stay where commuting is kept at a minimum. There is a very efficient transit system for those who want to stay outside of the downtown area though. A walk along Yonge Street near the Eaton Centre mall will reveal the wilder parts of Toronto life. For the latest trends, Queen Street West is where the funky boutiques and bars are. For upscale shopping, go to Bloor Street between Yonge and Avenue Road as well as the Yorkville area.

Toronto is a live theatre town, second to perhaps only New York or London. The theatre district on King Street has a lively after theatre scene including restaurants and clubs. During the day, the world renowned Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario and the Planetarium showcase treasures from around the world (as well as out of the world). Many also come to see the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Toronto has Canadas largest Chinatown. Actually, the growth of the Asian population has resulted in four different Chinatowns in the greater area. The main one is centered around Spadina and Dundas. The dim sum in Toronto is one of the best outside of Hong Kong since most Chinese immigrants here were originally from Hong Kong. Other ethnicities are also represented by such districts as Little Italy, the Greek Danforth area and many others. For outdoor markets, the Kensington and St. Lawrence Markets are great. Since Toronto is so multicultural, it is an excellent place to try out different cuisines.

For animal lovers, the Metro Toronto Zoo northeast of the city is world famous and will take an entire day to see. During the summers, Canadas Wonderland is a family oriented theme park just north of the city. Niagara Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world, is just ninety minutes away and worth a day trip or even an overnight stay. There are just too many things to see and do in the Toronto area to mention in one article. Vancouver has the ocean and mountains while Quebec City has that old European touch. But to see world class live theatre and Canadian multiculturalism at its best, Toronto is where its at.

posted by blogs71770 @ 1:46 PM 0 comments