England, the only country leaving Europe twice in a week!

Couldn't help posting this.

With England leaving Euro six days ago (June 23) and being out of Euro 2016 (football) yesterday, the caption hits the nail on the head, don't you think?

*Sad* on both counts. Oh well..

Image received on WhatsApp thus source unknown

Baroness Thatcher dies: Tributes paid at home and abroad

From the BBC:

Tributes continue to be paid at home and abroad to Baroness Thatcher after her death at the age of 87.

David Cameron said she had been a "great Briton" while US President Barack Obama called her a "great champion of freedom and liberty".

The funeral of the former prime minister is expected to be held next week.

The ceremony, with full military honours, will take place at London's St Paul's Cathedral.

Lady Thatcher, Britain's first female premier, was Conservative prime minister from 1979 to 1990 and won three successive general elections.

She died "peacefully" after suffering a stroke while staying at the Ritz hotel in central London.

She will not have a state funeral but will be accorded the same status as Princess Diana and the Queen Mother.

The union jack above Number 10 Downing Street has been lowered to half-mast while Parliament will be recalled from its Easter recess on Wednesday to enable MPs to pay tributes. Read more..

96 balloons & Liverpool 1 - Man Utd 2

The rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool FCs is considered one of the fiercest rivalries in football. It was briefly put aside before kickoff at Anfield as players and fans from both clubs paid a tribute to the 96 killed in the Hillsborough tragedy of 1989. More on the tribute to follow..

Robin van Persie’s late penalty earned Manchester United a fortunate 2-1 victory against 10-man Liverpool in an emotionally-charged Premier League clash at Anfield.

Here, Manchester United's Robin Van Persie celebrates scoring a penalty against Liverpool - REUTERS/Phil Noble

Source: The Star

Back to the tribute..

The 1989 Hillsborough disaster was a human crush which occurred during the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest football clubs on 15 April 1989 at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England. The crush resulted in the deaths of 96 people and injuries to 766 others. The disaster remains the worst stadium-related disaster in British history and one of the world's worst football disasters. - Wikipedia

Liverpool fans were blamed for the tragedy but an independent report published this month revealed that the disaster was caused by a breakdown in crowd management.

At Anfield yesterday, the crowd held up white and red cards spelling out "TRUTH" and "JUSTICE" as the players walked out on to the pitch in tracksuits emblazoned on the back with 96.

Opposing captains Gerrard and Giggs released 96 balloons into the Merseyside sky and the anthem "You’ll Never Walk Alone" reverberated around the stadium with added emotion.

Even the race row between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra was finally put to bed as they shook hands before kickoff.


United have not won at Anfield since 2007. This win moved Man United up to number 2 spot below Chelsea. And in a later match, Manchester City drew 1-1 with Arsenal. Yes, oh yes!!

Here's the current EPL standing..Click on image to enlarge

Source: Premierleague


Sources:
- The Star: Van Persie’s late penalty sinks Liverpool
- Pics: Tributes paid at Anfield
- Premier League current standings
- Wikipedia - Hillsborough disaster

England vs Italy Quarterfinals, 0-0, but..

Awshucks! England is out in the England vs Italy quarterfinals this morning. Italy will play Germany in the semifinals. The other pair of semifinalists is Spain and Portugal. The schedule of games is as below:
(Click to enlarge image)


As mentioned earlier in the Will it be England or Italy in the UEFA Euro 2012 semifinals post, my prediction of Germany and Spain in the finals is still good. Is the team or teams you picked still in the running?

Wayne Rooney and his dejected England team-mates come to terms with another loss on penalties, after being beaten 4-2 by Italy in the shootout in Kiev. Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images - Guardian.co.uk

Fabio Capello resigns as England manager

Source: BBC.com

England's football manager, Fabio Capello, resigned after a meeting with Football Association chairman David Bernstein and general secretary Alex Horne at Wembley.

Capello, who disagreed with the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy pending his trial in July over alleged racial abuse of QPR's Anton Ferdinand, took over in December 2007.

The £6m-a-year contract was due to expire in the summer, but Capello left the job following a meeting with FA chairman David Bernstein and general secretary Alex Horne. Capello has taken England to the European Championship.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp receives strong support to succeed Capello. In public Harry Redknapp is the affable, well-respected, cheerful Cockney who is loved by football fans across the country.

Harry is currently managing Tottenham Hotspurs who is currently at third placing (with 50 points) on the English Premier League table, five points behind second placing Manchester United and seven points ahead of Chelsea at fourth.

Harry Redknapp should succeed Fabio Capello as the next England manager now he has been cleared of tax evasion, says former coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Former England captain Alan Shearer, speaking on BBC Radio 5 live, said: "I am shocked and amazed - I'm really surprised.

"Let's face it, Capello has taken England to the European Championship but if he doesn't want to go then we need to get someone in who does care.

"England should be managed by an Englishman. Harry is an outstanding candidate, Roy Hodgson is in there too.

Former England defender Martin Keown: "It's astonishing. An amazing turnaround.

"I support the FA in what they have done but I feel, looking back, that if John Terry had resigned the captaincy then Fabio Capello wouldn't have had to fall on his sword. Protocol would have been to toe the line but he came out and said something to the contrary.

"It leaves us with a massive hole, four months before a major tournament. Players can survive these situations, they are selfish enough to do that.

"We see Harry Redknapp as a long-term successor and it is an incredible day for the Redknapp family.

Ex-England midfielder Paul Gascoigne told Sky Sports News: "He's (Redknapp) a day-to-day manager, he loves going into work every day.

"I think the obvious choice for everyone is Harry, but I don't think Tottenham are going to release Harry.

"He is a players' man. Everyone would want to play for him and he's proven that at the clubs he's been to.

"If Harry didn't want it and Spurs weren't willing to let him go I would give that man Terry Venables a shot again.

"That man is just an unbelievable manager and Harry is a similar type of bloke."

Source: BBC.com. More on Fabio Capello: Players and pundits react to resignation

Reactions on Twitter..
Striker Wayne Rooney: "Gutted Capello has quit. Good guy and top coach. Got to be English to replace him. Harry Redknapp for me."

Defender Rio Ferdinand: "So Capello resigns....what now...."

Midfielder Jack Wilshere: "People have their own judgement on Capello but for a young player who was given the chance to play for my country at such a young age he has shown great belief and trust in me so I can only thank him."

Right-back Kyle Walker: "Gutted to see Fabio Capello go, he put a lot of trust in me and gave me my first cap. just want to say a big thanks really."

Related articles:
Capello in pictures
Fabio Capello quits as England manager after meeting with FA


Source: BBC.com

John Terry removed as England captain

John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy, the English FA said on Friday.

The 31-year-old Chelsea centre back is awaiting trial after pleading not guilty on Wednesday to a charge of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match at Loftus Road in October.
More.. The Star..John Terry stripped of England captaincy

He will also be ruled out when Man United visits and probably next weekend’s match at Everton too with a knee injury.


Malaysia would do well to take a lesson from the English FA - remove people who are bent on stirring racial disharmony in the country. Oops! We'd then be left without so many sh*t-stirrers and more fresh air.. I wish!

Summer Solstice Celebration at Stonehenge

For those of us living in the tropics, season changes and season solstices do not hold much or any significance because we get the same weather conditions all-year-round. Flowers bloom throughout the year, the sun shines almost everyday and rain comes and goes as and when.

Winter solstice, however, is celebrated by the Chinese community. This is not a religious celebration but one that is celebrated as part of the Chinese custom. It is celebrated either on 21 or 22 December every year.

Summer solstice has just passed us by. Do you remember what you did on June 21? Summer solstice that falls on this date is the longest day of the year and the sun is at its highest point in the sky in the northern hemisphere. I remember it was a cloudy day and I was trying to spot the other sun but no such luck.

Summer solstice is celebrated with much pomp and splendour at Stonehenge in Wiltshire county north of Salisbury, England. Usually roped off, the prehistoric monument site is opened to visitors for the summer-solstice celebrations where druids, revelers and tourists gather at the ancient stone circle.

Stonehenge and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986. The site is believed to be built between 3000 B.C. and 1600 B.C. Archaeological evidence indicates that Stonehenge served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings according to Wikipedia.

For this year's Summer solstice 2011, more than 18,000 people gathered for the celebrations in southern England.

Have you been to Stonehenge? What's it like to be there?

Here's a map of Wiltshire showing the location of Stonehenge - Wikipedia.

More pictures of Summer Solstice at Stonehenge from TIME magazine..

The Royal Wedding - Prince William & Catherine Middleton

They are married! Prince William and Catherine Middleton, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, treat the crowds to a quick kiss on the balcony at Buckingham Palace.

More of the Royal Wedding on
- OfficialRoyalWedding2011
- CNN
- BBC
- The Telegraph

The hats - you must see the hats. Check out People magazine's Best Hats of the Royal Wedding.

Victoria Beckham's hat made it to the list. The expectant star designer matches a swingy navy dress from her own collection to a dramatic floral Philip Treacy fascinator. Her handsome husband is by her side in a traditional top hat, also from Treacy, paired with his Ralph Lauren suit and Order of the British Empire.

Related article:
The Royal Wedding Official Programme

The Royal Wedding Official Programme

The Day has finally arrived. Will you be among the forecasted 2 billion people watching the royal wedding today?

It must be wonderful to be in London right now. The city is all decked up with flags and buntings and everyone is in a party mood anticipating the big day. The atmosphere must be electric. People are already lining the streets and some are camping outside booking themselves a place for a better view of the royal couple. CNN showed Prince William out and about at a mall shaking hands with well-wishes at around 10pm and Kate earlier on arriving at the hotel she and her family would be staying.

For those of us who are too far away to get ourselves a souvenir item or two of the royal wedding, if it's any consolation for those of us who want a little momento of this big event, you could access or print yourself a copy of the Official Programme for the wedding.

The Official Programme for the wedding of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton is now available for the public to download for free from the Official Royal Wedding website.

The Official Programme includes the full Order of Service (as used by guests in Westminster Abbey), a personal message of thanks from Prince William and Miss Middleton, and a photo of the Couple taken by photographer Mario Testino at the time of the Couple’s engagement. The Official Programme features Prince William’s recently updated Coat of Arms on the front cover and Catherine Middleton’s new Coat of Arms on the back cover.

The Order of Service includes full details about the processions, music, hymns, prayers and readings. The Wedding Service follows the Book of Common Prayer (Alternative Services: Series One). There will be one Lesson during the service, which the Couple have asked James Middleton to read.

The Official Programme will also be available for free electronically in three formats: as a page-turning PDF (using Flash) and an iBook compatible with Apple products, which can be downloaded from the Apple iBookstore. It is also available as an Adobe Acrobat PDF (you will need Adobe Reader to view the file)

On the wedding day, 150,000 copies of the programme will be sold by 60 Explorer Scouts and 80 Cadets (supervised by adults) for £2 per copy at locations in Green Park, Hyde Park, St James’s Park and Trafalgar Square. Profits from the sale of the Official Programme will go to benefit The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry.

Congratulations and Best Wishes..

Source: www.Officialroyalwedding2011.org

Related article:
The Royal Wedding - Prince William & Catherine Middleton

England advances in the World Cup

Yesssss!!!! England is through to the next round after beating Slovenia 1-0 last night. And yes, things can only get better as what the fans' banner says. Image courtesy of The Star..

Go England Go!