Fear Fades as Faith Grows...Worry doesn't improve the future, it only ruins the present.

Senin, 13 Februari 2012

It's just too late Kenny, you've left a stain on your club

One hundred and twenty days. That was how long it took for Kenny Dalglish and Liverpool to finally get something right.
That’s 120 days to work out how to do the decent thing.
When they came - midway through Sunday afternoon - statements from Dalglish, Luis Suarez and managing director Ian Ayre served their purpose and, for once, delivered a clear message.
Finally, four months after Suarez and Patrice Evra clashed in the penalty box at Anfield on October 15, Liverpool declared themselves ready to move on. Finally, there was some contrition, some responsibility. It was all long overdue.

Long time coming: Suarez and Evra clashed back in October

Forget all the other low days this club have endured since mid-autumn. Forget the days of the silly T-shirts and the rambling, bemusing statements. For none has been lower than Saturday.
A visit of one of England’s flagship clubs to Old Trafford remains one of the stand-out fixtures of the year. Manchester United v Liverpool on a winter’s Saturday. What is there not to like?
Here, though, Liverpool - clumsy, arrogant Liverpool - failed by the curled lip of their striker and by a floundering manager buried deep in denial, shoved a great spectacle into the shadows. In its place they revealed their darker side and how ugly it looked. Self-serving, out of touch, paranoid, delusional. Take your pick.
How important is a handshake? Suarez clearly thinks it means little. To him, dignity remains optional. Saturday at Old Trafford presented the Uruguayan and Liverpool with an opportunity. Take a deep breath, put out your hand and put the past to bed.

Making matters worse: Liverpool wore t-shirts in support of Suarez at Stoke

What they're saying on Twitter...

Shaking of hands before n after games shouldn’t be eradicated ...teaches our CHILDREN RESPECT to OFFICIALS and PLAYERS.
Tim Cahill, Everton midfielder

Good to see Suarez and LFC issue an apology...first step has been taken towards moving on from this!
Jason Roberts, Reading striker

Hopefully this will allow all concerned to move forward
Mark Bright

Well done Suarez for apologising am sorry for calling u a wasteman Now u have made Liverpool Fans defending u look like the clowns.
Emmanuel Frimpong, Arsenal

Liverpool Football Club have now pulled the rug from under any idiot who looked for Suarez excuse on the handshake. Well done LFC.
Stan Collymore

Pleased to see that Suarez has apologised, every journey needs a first step.
Ian Wright

Just do the right thing.
It was a goal as open as the one Suarez volleyed the ball into late in this undistinguished game. He wasn’t interested, though, and, to make matters worse, his manager didn’t - at that point - really seem to care.
On Sunday it emerged that Suarez had been willing to go along with Dalglish’s suggestion last week that he would shake Evra’s hand. He had been instructed to swallow his substantial pride. It seems he changed his mind, ignoring his manager and effectively calling Dalglish’s authority into question. It appears it was this, as much as anything, that prompted Suarez’s apology and Ayre’s subsequent criticism.
Still there was no contrition or explanation from Dalglish after the game, though. And no website statement, no Sunday afternoon apology will make us forget that.
Instead of addressing the issue with Sky’s impressively persistent interviewer Geoff Shreeves, Liverpool’s manager once again sought refuge in sneering, condescending aggression. It was as embarrassing as it was offensive.

Flashpoint: Suarez refused to shake Evra's hand on Saturday

On Sunday, Dalglish apologised, though not to Shreeves. In doing so, he appeared to suggest he wasn’t aware of Suarez’s actions when beginning his interview. That seems extraordinary. As painful as it is to acknowledge, the spirit of Dalglish runs right through the middle of this saga. It has done right from the moment he saw Sir Alex Ferguson accompany Evra to the referee’s room after the 1-1 draw on Merseyside last year.
Suarez is a young man of 25. A South American gun for hire already playing at his fourth professional club. He has no great understanding of the English game or all that Liverpool and United have done over the past 40-odd years to advance its cause.
Dalglish, though, has been in the vanguard of this. His goal brought England only its third European Cup in 1978. He managed Liverpool to a League and FA Cup Double less than 10 years later. He dragged the club through the horrors of Hillsborough.
So what has happened since? How has it taken him so long to understand the damage the past four months have done to his club and its reputation?
Away from the field, Dalglish remains desperately out of his depth.

Too late: Dalglish finally apologised on Sunday

Foolishly, Liverpool have allowed him to drive their defence - if it can be called that - of Suarez and he has let them down. Dalglish admitted his conduct on Saturday was not befitting of a Liverpool manager. The point is, though, that it hasn’t been so for quite some time and nobody inside Anfield has been brave enough to tell him.
On Saturday, Liverpool owner John W Henry seemed more preoccupied with lunch than soccer. ‘At Boston Bagel Cafe in Ft. Lauderdale’ he tweeted. ‘Great sandwiches.’
Henry and chairman Tom Werner, his fellow American, rarely come to Anfield. On Sunday, the Liverpool FC section of the NESN (New England Sports Network) website part-owned by Henry claimed that Suarez had shown ‘strength of character’ to ‘score in the face of adversity’. There was no mention of what had preceded the match.
Elsewhere, though, there are signs that the stench of the Suarez-Evra issue is finally beginning to drift across the Atlantic. Sunday’s edition of the New York Times carried an article under the headline, ‘Another Ugly Incident Mars Liverpool’s Good Name’.
The editorial ended by posing the question: ‘Is it time for Henry and Werner to state the direction the club will take on this issue?’
Anyone who has watched this saga unfold will know the answer, of course. Who knows how much input Henry and Werner had in the statements. It is certainly interesting that they didn’t come until America - five hours behind - had ‘woken up’.
What is indisputable, though, is that Sunday’s movement came far too late.
To repeat, Liverpool have had 120 days to educate Suarez, 120 days to drag Dalglish into line. In that time, the club’s reputation has been allowed to nosedive.
On Saturday night, Match of the Day showed replays of the Suarez-Evra ‘handshake’ three times once their main highlights package of the action was over. They never once referred back to the goals.
Liverpool may ask themselves why that was.

Source: By Ian Ladyman Last updated at 12:12 AM on 13th February 2012

We're sorry! Suarez and Dalglish issue apologies over conduct at Old Trafford shame game

Luis Suarez and Kenny Dalglish have apologised for their conduct at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Suarez refused to shake Patrice Evra's hand before Liverpool's defeat to Manchester United while manager Dalglish was heavily criticised for his post-match reaction.
But both men have now released statements admitting they were in the wrong.

Snubbed: Patrice Evra grabs Luis Suarez after the Liverpool striker ignores him

Anger: Evra is bristling as referee Phil Dowd (right) steps forward

Flashpoint: Luis Suarez refused to shake Patrice Evra's hand

Dalglish was quizzed by Geoff Shreeves about Suarez's snub and almost lost his temper with the Sky reporter.
Dalglish claimed he did not know Suarez refused the handshake.
The Scot has been criticised for defending his player in the aftermath of the race row that stretches back to last October but Dalglish and Suarez have now shown some remorse over the latest incidents.
'I have spoken with the manager (Dalglish) since the game at Old Trafford and I realise I got things wrong,' Suarez said in a statement on the Liverpool official website.
'I've not only let him down, but also the club and what it stands for and I'm sorry. I made a mistake and I regret what happened.
'I should have shaken Patrice Evra's hand before the game and I want to apologise for my actions.
'I would like to put this whole issue behind me and concentrate on playing football.'

Praise me: Evra (right) made a point of celebrating wildly at the final whistle

Calm down: Evra is restrained by referee Phil Dowd after the match

Heart on his sleeve: Evra was clearly delighted with United's win

Dalglish said: 'Ian Ayre has made the club's position absolutely clear and it is right that Luis Suarez has now apologised for what happened at Old Trafford.
'To be honest, I was shocked to hear that the player had not shaken hands having been told earlier in the week that he would do.
'But as Ian said earlier, all of us have a responsibility to represent this club in a fit and proper manner and that applies equally to me as Liverpool manager.
'When I went on TV after yesterday's game I hadn't seen what had happened, but I did not conduct myself in a way befitting of a Liverpool manager during that interview and I'd like to apologise for that.'

Under scrutiny: Dalglish has apologised for his post-match reaction

Under scrutiny: Kenny Dalglish has apologised for his post-match reaction

In a separate statement, Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre said the club was misled by Suarez.
'We are extremely disappointed Luis Suarez did not shake hands with Patrice Evra before yesterday's game,' he said. 'The player had told us beforehand that he would, but then chose not to do so.

Claim: Dalglish was under the impression Suarez would shake hands

'He was wrong to mislead us and wrong not to offer his hand to Patrice Evra. He has not only let himself down, but also Kenny Dalglish, his teammates and the club. It has been made absolutely clear to Luis Suarez that his behaviour was not acceptable.
'Luis Suarez has now apologised for his actions which was the right thing to do. However, all of us have a duty to behave in a responsible manner and we hope that he now understands what is expected of anyone representing Liverpool Football Club.'
Manchester United also issued a statement on Sunday evening accepting the apologies from Dalglish and Suarez.
It read: 'Manchester United thanks Liverpool for the apologies issued following Saturday's game.
'Everyone at Old Trafford wants to move on from this. The history of our two great clubs is one of success and rivalry unparalleled in British football.
'That should be the focus in the future of all those who love the clubs.'
In his own post-match interview, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson described Suarez as 'a disgrace' and suggested he should never play for Liverpool again while Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor branded the player's conduct 'disrespectful, inappropriate and embarrassing'.
Taylor added: 'If anything, Patrice Evra was the victim and he was prepared to put his hand out.
'These players are expected to be role models but if we have a situation where nobody accepts the findings of hearings and just carries on regardless, all you get is anarchy.

Out of line: Suarez thumps the ball into the crowd at half time at Old Trafford

Hot head: Suarez appeared to be fired up as Liverpool lost at Old Trafford

'Now the Football Association have to step in because the whole situation has gone too far.
'Suarez had a chance to put everything to be yesterday, in front of a worldwide audience. The fact that he chose not to is, quite frankly, depressing.'
The pre-match incident set the tome for a fiery encounter at Old Trafford and players from both teams were involved in a melee in teh tunnel at half-time.
Suarez scored for Liverpool - after a Wayne Rooney double - but the match was overshadowed by the handshake incident just before kick-off.
Suarez also booted the ball into the crowd and complained to referee Phil Dowd that Rio Ferdinand should have been penalised for a challenge on the Reds forward. Replays showed the defender got the ball.
Ferdinand delivered a snub of his own when he refused to shake Suarez's hand but later claimed Evra had gone too far with his post-match celebrations.
The Frenchman reacted exuberantly at the final whistle, appearing to goad Suarez with his actions.
And Ferdinand tweeted: 'I'm sure Patrice Evra will feel that his celebrations at the end were maybe a bit much....emotions etc probably got the better of him...'
After Dalglish's controversial interview the Anfield legend opted not to make himself available for further discussion on the matter.
Long-time friend Alan Hansen did not say on Match of the Day whether he had spoken to Dalglish prior to transmission.

What's going on? Evra complains that Suarez refused to shake his hand

However, his own observation was withering in its condemnation.
'Liverpool FC made a statement that there would be a handshake,' he said.
'Luis Suarez was party to the statement. He knew about it and obviously agreed with it. To snub Patrice Evra was, in my view, totally unacceptable.
'The football club and the manager have given him total and unequivocal support through thick and thin.
'He has let Kenny Dalglish down, the club down and himself down.'

Source: By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 6:34 PM on 12th February 2012

You shamed us! Suarez on shaky ground after betraying Liverpool in Evra handshake snub

Luis Suarez's Liverpool future has been plunged into doubt after he was accused by Anfield officials of deceiving them over his intentions to shake hands with Patrice Evra.
The controversial striker was hauled over the coals by managing director Ian Ayre and manager Kenny Dalglish on Sunday after he pointedly snubbed Manchester United defender Evra in the pre-match ceremony at Old Trafford.

Flashpoint: Luis Suarez refuses to shake the hand of Patrice Evra

Suarez was forced to issue a grovelling apology. Dalglish also expressed his regret for the confrontational interview he gave to Sky Sports after United’s 2-1 win on Saturday.

United issued a statement accepting the gestures.

Having assured Dalglish and director of football Damien Comolli last Wednesday that he would shake Evra’s hand, Suarez dismayed Liverpool when he ignored the Frenchman, whom he was found guilty of racially abusing last October.

Ayre said: ‘We are extremely disappointed Luis Suarez did not shake hands with Patrice Evra. He was wrong to mislead us and wrong not to offer his hand.’

Joy unconfined: Evra celebrated wildly in front of Suarez at the final whistle

Suarez, 25, said: ‘I realise I got things wrong. I’ve not only let the manager down, but also the club and what it stands for. I should have shaken Patrice Evra’s hand and I want to apologise.’

Dalglish has been steadfastly supportive of Suarez ever since the initial allegation of racism was made by Evra on October 15 but he did not attempt to defend the former Ajax striker. Sir Alex Ferguson described him as a ‘disgrace’ and said he ‘should never play for Liverpool again’.

Dalglish said: ‘I was shocked to hear the player had not shaken hands having been told earlier in the week that he would do. All of us have a responsibility to represent this club in a fit and proper manner and that applies equally to me. I did not conduct myself in a way befitting a Liverpool manager during that interview. I’d like to apologise.’

Conduct: Kenny Dalglish apologised for his controversial post-match comments

United defender Jonny Evans said: ‘We had been talking in the changing room about whether he would shake his hand. Myself, and a few other players said to Patrice, “Just shake his hand because you have nothing to be ashamed of or hide”. I said I think if you offer a handshake then you will come out with a lot of respect.’

PFA chief Gordon Taylor revealed that his attempts to mediate in the matter had been rebuffed by Liverpool and encouraged the FA to step in.

Taylor said: ‘The FA must get around the table with the clubs because we are getting into a state of anarchy. If he [Suarez] is going to ignore a decision, he needs to be disciplined or we are going to have the tail wagging the dog.

‘Kenny has been supportive of Suarez but to some extent that has encouraged what has happened.’

Source:
By Dominic King and Ian Ladyman Last updated at 11:23 PM on 12th February 2012
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2100180/Luis-Suarez-Kenny-Dalglish-apologise-Patrice-Evra.html

10 Binatang Menghebohkan di Dunia Olahraga

Pertandingan Premier League antara Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur pada Selasa (7/2 dinihari WIB terpaksa dihentikan sementara akibat seekor kucing masuk dan berlari-lari di lapangan Anfield.

Dalam hitungan jam, kucing itu langsung populer.

Ternyata selain 'The Anfield Cat', ada lagi binatang-binatang yang mewarnai sejarah olahraga modern. Berikut ini 9 binatang lain yang mencuri berita utama olahraga, seperti yang dimuat di uk.eurosport.yahoo.com:

Anjing Pickles di Piala Dunia 1966
Piala Dunia Inggris pada tahun 1966 berawal mengerikan bahkan sebelum turnamen dimulai: Sepekan setelah juara bertahan Brasil menyerahkan piala Jules Rimet ke Inggris, piala tersebut dicuri saat pameran di Central Hall di Westminster.

Brasil murka, dan mengatakan insiden seperti itu takkan pernah terjadi di negara mereka, yang memuja sepak bola lebih dari apa pun. Pencuri pun tak akan mau menyentuh piala itu. Untungnya, datang penyelamat dalam bentuk seekor anjing.

Pickles langsung beraksi melacak trofi itu tepat pada waktu. Ia menemukan piala itu tergeletak di bagian bawah sebuah pagar, mungkin sambil mencari tempat pipis.

Sisanya adalah sejarah: Bobby Moore mengantar Inggris untuk kemenangan musim panas, dan Brasil kembali menang pada tahun 1970 setelah kemenangan ketiga mereka. Pada tahun 1983 piala itu kembali dicuri, kali ini di Brasil. Tapi rakyat tidak murka seperti 17 tahun sebelumnya.

Paul Si Gurita
Para penggemar sepak bola rata-rata bakal mengingat tiga hal tentang Piala Dunia 2010. Pertama, tendangan kungfu Nigel de Jong yang menakjubkan pada Xabi Alonso. Kedua, “gol” Frank Lampard saat melawan Jerman dan kericuhan di kamp Inggris.

Ketiga — dan yang paling mengesankan — adalah Paul Si Gurita. Hewan bertangan delapan ini jadi sensasi global setelah berhasil menebak dengan tepat sejumlah pemenang pertandingan di Piala Dunia. Caranya dengan memilih satu dari dua kotak yang bertandakan bendera pemain.

Paul bahkan menebak dengan jitu bahwa Spanyol akan mengalahkan Belanda di pertandingan final.

Sayangnya, beberapa bulan setelah Piala Dunia, Paul meninggal dengan tenang dalam tidurnya dalam usia dua tahun. Selamat jalan Paul!

Camar padang golf di Players Championship pada 1998
Pegolf asal Amerika, Steve Lowery awalnya cukup senang dengan dirinya sendiri ketika memainkan lubang ke-17 yang terkenal di lapangan Stadion TPC: dia memukul sebuah tembakan indah yang tepat ke di tengah pulau hijau pada par-3 yang rumit.

Tapi camar yang melintas memiliki ide lain: burung itu memungut bola milik Lowery, menggelindingkannya di padang rumput dengan paruhnya, lalu mengangkatnya, terbang, dan menjatuhkannya di danau.

Beruntung bagi Lowery, aturan golf mengatur untuk kejahatan burung seperti: karena bola telah berhenti sebelum dia mengambilnya, dia diperbolehkan untuk mengganti bola di atas padang rumput.

Lebah stadion kriket Visakhapatnam
ACA-VDCA Stadium di Visakhapatnam, India, adalah salah satu stadion kriket internasional terbaru, yang dibangun pada tahun 2003.

Hanya ada satu masalah dengan stadion tersebut: ada koloni lebah yang banyak di tempat sekitar stadion. Ada yang berada di pohon-pohon di tempat itu, sementara yang lain di kaso tribun. Tetapi semuanya sangat banyak dan masing-masing sarang madu dipenuhi dengan binatang bersayap lain.

Ketika binatang itu terbang keluar sarang, para pemain dan ofisial pertandingan tidak memiliki pilihan kecuali berbaring di tanah sampai kawanan tersebut berlalu. Sementara itu, penonton berlarian di sekitar tribun dan mencoba menghindari sengatan.

Pertandingan internasional pertama di stadion tersebut, antara India dan Pakistan pada tahun 2005, juga diganggu oleh kerumunan lebah, dan pada satu pertandingan komentator TV terkurung dalam kotak kaca mereka karena lebah mengelilingi bilik pers.

Koran India, The Hindu melaporkan bahwa biaya memindahkan kawanan lebah itu sangatlah mahal.

Tupai Highbury, Arsenal v Villarreal di semi final Liga Champions, April 2006

Yang jadi sorotan pada pertandingan final Eropa Arsenal di Highbury bukanlah gol Kolo Toure pada menit ke 41 yang akhirnya menempatkan The Gunners pada final Liga Champions pertama mereka. Melainkan adanya seekor tupai abu-abu yang berlari ke lapangan selama beberapa menit .

Unta di kriket di Tasmania pada 1984
Sebuah pertandingan kriket di Tasmania antara musuh bebuyutan Launceston dan Old Suttonians terhenti karena situasi paling aneh yang bisa dibayangkan pada tahun 1984: kawanan unta pengangkut masuk ke lapangan kriket.

Pertandingan harus dihentikan untuk menangkap hewan, yang melarikan diri dari sirkus di daerah yang dekat dengan stadion. Tapi perdamaian itu tidak berlangsung lama. Unta-unta kembali masuk dalam pertandingan tiga kali lagi.

Anjing penyerbu lapangan, Inggris lawan Brazil, perempat final Piala Dunia, Juni 1962
Ketika seekor anjing liar berlari ke lapangan di Vina del Mar, Chili, saat pertandingan perempat final Piala Dunia Inggris melawan Brasil, adalah striker Inggris Jimmy Greaves yang berhasil menangkap anjing dan membawanya ke luar lapangan.

Sorakan yang diterima Greaves adalah momen langka langka pada suatu sore yang buruk itu: tidak hanya Inggris kalah 3-1, anjing tersebut juga mengencingi striker Tottenham tersebut saat dia menyerahkannya kepada panitia pertandingan.

Merpati Wimbledon

Beberapa orang, seperti Mike Tyson, percaya merpati adalah makhluk yang indah dan penuh pesona. Namun bagi orang lain, yang telah membidik salah satu merpati ketika terbang melintasi Trafalgar Square, mungkin tidak setuju.

Pada tahun 2000, All England Club mempekerjakan elang yang disebut Hamish untuk mengusir merpati, bahkan melengkapi burung pemangsa tersebut kartu pass yang dilaminating agar bebas masuk turnamen.

Tapi di tahun 2008 patroli elang itu terbukti tidak cukup, dan sebuah tim penembak jitu disewa untuk menembak burung. Itu dapat membuat turnamen bebas dari gangguan merpati — namun mengundang masalah dengan kelompok-kelompok pecinta hewan.

Merpati ‘ikut main’ baseball pada Maret 2001
Bintang baseball Randy Johnson menjadi berita utama yang tidak diinginkan pada tahun 2001 ketika dia tidak sengaja membunuh burung merpati saat pertandingan.

Pelempar bola Arizona Diamondbacks melempar bola cepat terbaiknya kepada Calvin Murray dari San Francisco Giants. Tetapi saat dia melakukannya, seekor burung merpati menukik turun ke dalam tanah dengan kecepatan tinggi.

Sialnya burung tersebut, dengan kecepatan tukikannya yang tinggi berada di jalur persis dengan bola Johnson yang berkecepatan 95 km per jam. Hasilnya? Burung itu tewas dalam sebuah ledakan bulu yang menakjubkan.

"Aku duduk di sana menunggunya, dan aku berharap bisa menangkap merpati tersebut, dan semua yang kamu lihat adalah sebuah ledakan," kata Rod Barajas, penangkap bola Diamondbacks pada saat itu. "Itu cukup gila. Masih ada bulu-bulu di sana."

Para penggemar sepak bola rata-rata bakal mengingat tiga hal tentang Piala Dunia 2010. Pertama, tendangan kungfu Nigel de Jong yang menakjubkan pada Xabi Alonso. Kedua, “gol” Frank Lampard saat melawan Jerman dan kericuhan di kamp Inggris.

Ketiga — dan yang paling mengesankan — adalah Paul Si Gurita. Hewan bertangan delapan ini jadi sensasi global setelah berhasil menebak dengan tepat sejumlah pemenang pertandingan di Piala Dunia. Caranya dengan memilih satu dari dua kotak yang bertandakan bendera pemain.

Paul bahkan menebak dengan jitu bahwa Spanyol akan mengalahkan Belanda di pertandingan final.

Sayangnya, beberapa bulan setelah Piala Dunia, Paul meninggal dengan tenang dalam tidurnya dalam usia dua tahun. Selamat jalan Paul!

Camar padang golf di Players Championship pada 1998
Pegolf asal Amerika, Steve Lowery awalnya cukup senang dengan dirinya sendiri ketika memainkan lubang ke-17 yang terkenal di lapangan Stadion TPC: dia memukul sebuah tembakan indah yang tepat ke di tengah pulau hijau pada par-3 yang rumit.

Tapi camar yang melintas memiliki ide lain: burung itu memungut bola milik Lowery, menggelindingkannya di padang rumput dengan paruhnya, lalu mengangkatnya, terbang, dan menjatuhkannya di danau.

Beruntung bagi Lowery, aturan golf mengatur untuk kejahatan burung seperti: karena bola telah berhenti sebelum dia mengambilnya, dia diperbolehkan untuk mengganti bola di atas padang rumput.

Lebah stadion kriket Visakhapatnam
ACA-VDCA Stadium di Visakhapatnam, India, adalah salah satu stadion kriket internasional terbaru, yang dibangun pada tahun 2003.

Hanya ada satu masalah dengan stadion tersebut: ada koloni lebah yang banyak di tempat sekitar stadion. Ada yang berada di pohon-pohon di tempat itu, sementara yang lain di kaso tribun. Tetapi semuanya sangat banyak dan masing-masing sarang madu dipenuhi dengan binatang bersayap lain.

Ketika binatang itu terbang keluar sarang, para pemain dan ofisial pertandingan tidak memiliki pilihan kecuali berbaring di tanah sampai kawanan tersebut berlalu. Sementara itu, penonton berlarian di sekitar tribun dan mencoba menghindari sengatan.

Pertandingan internasional pertama di stadion tersebut, antara India dan Pakistan pada tahun 2005, juga diganggu oleh kerumunan lebah, dan pada satu pertandingan komentator TV terkurung dalam kotak kaca mereka karena lebah mengelilingi bilik pers.

Koran India, The Hindu melaporkan bahwa biaya memindahkan kawanan lebah itu sangatlah mahal.

Tupai Highbury, Arsenal v Villarreal di semi final Liga Champions, April 2006

Yang jadi sorotan pada pertandingan final Eropa Arsenal di Highbury bukanlah gol Kolo Toure pada menit ke 41 yang akhirnya menempatkan The Gunners pada final Liga Champions pertama mereka. Melainkan adanya seekor tupai abu-abu yang berlari ke lapangan selama beberapa menit .

Unta di kriket di Tasmania pada 1984
Sebuah pertandingan kriket di Tasmania antara musuh bebuyutan Launceston dan Old Suttonians terhenti karena situasi paling aneh yang bisa dibayangkan pada tahun 1984: kawanan unta pengangkut masuk ke lapangan kriket.

Pertandingan harus dihentikan untuk menangkap hewan, yang melarikan diri dari sirkus di daerah yang dekat dengan stadion. Tapi perdamaian itu tidak berlangsung lama. Unta-unta kembali masuk dalam pertandingan tiga kali lagi.

Anjing penyerbu lapangan, Inggris lawan Brazil, perempat final Piala Dunia, Juni 1962
Ketika seekor anjing liar berlari ke lapangan di Vina del Mar, Chili, saat pertandingan perempat final Piala Dunia Inggris melawan Brasil, adalah striker Inggris Jimmy Greaves yang berhasil menangkap anjing dan membawanya ke luar lapangan.

Sorakan yang diterima Greaves adalah momen langka langka pada suatu sore yang buruk itu: tidak hanya Inggris kalah 3-1, anjing tersebut juga mengencingi striker Tottenham tersebut saat dia menyerahkannya kepada panitia pertandingan.

Merpati Wimbledon

Selasa, 31 Januari 2012

Green logistics: Obama heeds the call for natural gas in transportation

During his State of the Union address earlier this week, President Barack Obama said the White House will take steps to develop the country’s natural gas supply that can last roughly 100 years and could create up to 600,000 jobs by the end of this decade, as well as power trucks and factories that are cheaper and cleaner.

He took that theme a step further yesterday, when he laid out his plan to develop every available source of American energy, which includes the safe and responsible production of the nation’s oil and natural gas resources.

Speaking at a UPS facility in Las Vegas yesterday, Obama stressed that fact that the U.S is moving in the right direction, when it comes to domestic oil production, citing that American oil production is at its highest level in eight years, with 2011 representing the year in which the U.S relied on less foreign oil than in any of the last 16 years. But even with domestic oil production doing relatively well, he said that the U.S. produces only two percent of the world’s oil reserves, which led him to the topic of natural gas.

“Some of you may not have been following this, but because of new technologies, because we can now access natural gas that we couldn’t access before in an economic way, we’ve got a supply of natural gas under our feet that can last America nearly a hundred years,” said Obama. “And developing it could power our cars and our homes and our factories in a cleaner and cheaper way. The experts believe it could support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. We, it turns out, are the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. We’ve got a lot of it.”

And with such an abundance of natural gas, Obama said it is something the country needs to take advantage of to become energy independent and subsequently lead the world in developing natural gas technology and creating a generation of new energy jobs in which U.S. natural gas resources help make manufacturers competitive for decades.

Obama cited the April 2011 roll out of the White House’s National Clean Fleets Partnership, which was designed to help large companies reduce diesel and gasoline usage in their fleets by meshing electronic vehicles, alternative fuels, and fuel-savings measures into their daily operations. This effort, which focuses to a large degree on replacing gasoline and diesel powered vehicles with advanced technology vehicles or those that run on alternative fuels like electricity, natural gas, biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen, or propane, now has 14 corporate partners, including, UPS, FedEx, AT&T, and PepsiCo., among others.

As part of the White House’s natural gas plan, Obama mentioned four key objectives for future natural gas innovation:
1-proposing new incentives for medium- and heavy-duty trucks that run on natural gas or other alternative fuels;
2-launching a competitive grant program to support communities to overcome the barriers to natural gas vehicle deployment;
3-developing transportation corridors that allow trucks fueled by liquefied natural gas to transport goods; and
4-supporting programs to convert municipal buses and trucks to run on natural gas and to find new ways to convert and store natural gas.

In his comments at the UPS facility in Las Vegas, Obama said that the proposed transportation corridors are highways that have natural gas fueling stations between cities, akin to the one opened this week by UPS, South Coast Air, and Clean Energy Fuels between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.

Clean Energy founder T. Boone Pickens has said repeatedly that if the 8 million Class 8 vehicles on the road today in the U.S. switched from diesel to natural gas, that would represent a reduction of 2.5 million barrels in imported oil per day and cut down on the 35 billion gallons of diesel consumed per day by the trucking industry, with a $1-$2 dollar per gallon decrease, too.

A green logistics expert told LM that this plan has tremendous potential for the country’s future energy development roadmap.

“Industry and business leaders all support the use of available energy resources within the United States to make the U.S. less dependent upon foreign oil as well as to increase job opportunities,” said Brittain Ladd, global supply chain consultant for CapGemini. “My recommendation is that there should be a collaboration between business, communities and government to ensure that there is a strategy in place to optimize the energy resources we have available to drive adoption as fast as possible. Additionally, the more the government can provide support to the trucking industry to help cover the costs of converting diesel tractors to run on LNG as well as partner with private investors to create an LNG fueling infrastructure, the greater the success can be achieved. Just as the U.S. government invested in the modern highway system the government can and should make a similar investment in the use of LNG.”

Source: By Jeff Berman, Group News Editor January 27, 2012
http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/green_logistics_obama_heeds_the_call_for_natural_gas_in_transportation/
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