| England cup jibe tongue in cheek but joke on me
TFF, on Saturday, October 6 in a message to English five-eighth Jonny Wilkinson: "Go well tonight in Marseilles against the Wallabies. Even try to make a game of it, if you must. But do not, for one second, imagine that you can guide the English to a win. The best you can hope for is to do what so many English sporting teams have done so well over the years - lose with dignity c oh dear, oh dear, oh dear." TFF a week later
OK, OK, OK, I think we have to cut straight to the chase here. Last week, I got it wrong. Really wrong. Badly wrong. Inexcusably wrong. Whatever shred of credibility I had left in rugby prognostications is now no more, and all that is left is for me to publicly fall on my sword. I'm sorry, OK? I'm sorry that I have been saying for months now that the All Blacks would choke seven minutes into the Rugby World Cup semi-final when, in fact, as we all know, this time it happened seven minutes into the quarter-final.
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That call even let many moderate, middle-class Iranians dare to hope that they might ward off the popular revolution everyone knew was coming. But at that historic New Year's dinner, Carter surprised everyone. In a shocking display of ignorance about the precarious political situation in Iran, he toasted the shah for transforming the country into "an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world." With those words, Carter unwittingly lit the match of revolution. It's just this sort of blunder -- naive, well-meaning, amateurish, convinced that everyone understands the goodness of U.S. intentions -- that worries me again these days. That's because a curious and dangerous consensus seems to be forming among the chattering classes, on both the left and the right, that what the United States needs in these troubling times is not knowledge and experience but a "fresh face" with an "intuitive sense of the world," and that the mere act of electing Obama will put us on the path to winning the so-called war on terror.
Chuck Blount: Lack of casino poker can leave players foggy
Slot machines are the most popular form of gambling, but provide some of the worst odds in a casino. They are programmed to pay out less than the money that's put into them, so it's a game that is impossible to beat over the long-term. The roulette wheel is beloved for its simplicity, but again, the odds will leave the gambler fighting and uphill battle. The alleged 50/50 bets — in which players can bet on the color (black or red) or the number (odd or even) — aren't true coin flip bets due to the presence of the two green "zero" numbers. Betting on specific board numbers or combinations of numbers can get borderline suicidal. That game being played with the dice? It's called craps for a reason. There's no shortage of poker stories in which players score big at the poker table only to lose the winnings later in the pit.
Watford accept King bid
WATFORD have accepted a £5m bid from Fulham for Marlon King. Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson saw his £5m cash offer for the 11-goal striker accepted this afternoon and King will have a medical at Craven Cottage before signing a lucrative three-year deal. King is likely to make his debut against Arsenal, his boyhood club, on Saturday. Collins John, who rejected a move to Watford this time last season, will join on loan with a view to making the move permanent in the summer. For the full story, see tomorrow's Watford Observer. To give your ratings on Aidy Boothroyd's signings since he became Hornets manager click here. .
Concert announcement: Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers will play the Fox Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 25. Tickets are $29.50, $39.50 and $49.50, plus service charge if they are not purchased at the Fox's box office. They go on sale at 10 a.m. this Saturday. Tickets also can be purchased at livenation.com, metrotix.com, Metrotix outlets or by phone at 314-534-1111 or 1-800-293-5949. The first 20 rows will be available exclusively at the Fox Theatre Box Office. There is a four ticket per person limit. .
China goes kosher to reassure consumers
Chinese exporters, facing a U.S. backlash over tainted food products, are turning to an unlikely group of inspectors to help clean up their act: Jewish rabbis. Kosher certifications by rabbis have doubled to more than 300 in China in the past two years, according to the Orthodox Union, a New York-based organization that does inspections. The group expects thousands more plants to get certified in the next few years, covering everything from spices and chemical additives to frozen berries, sliced garlic and beef. Chinese exporters, eager to gain access to the $11.5 billion U.S. kosher market, had already begun seeking the certifications before the uproar over contaminated seafood, toothpaste and pet food began last year. Now, after a rush of recalls, the rabbis say the companies are paying for the inspections to ease growing concern among U.S.
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