AYG H1N1 flu precaution plans

AYG Committee unveils H1N1 flu precaution plans@CNAThe AYG participants have been advised to get themselves vaccinated against the seasonal flu at least two weeks before they arrive, and to familiarise themselves with the current control measures in Singapore.Upon arrival, each athlete will be issued a flu kit. Inside it include a health advisory, a surgical mask, a digital thermometer and a hand

Farewell Cristiano Ronaldo And Thanks For The Memories!

Cristiano Ronaldo. He was a diver. He was a poser. He was a faker. He was a primped up poodle, a dummy-spitter and a prima donna. He was flash, he was vulgar, he was diva-high maintenance, a fresh-flowers-in-my-hotel-room type of new-age footballer. He was stretch limos and blacked-out windows, diamond-stud earrings and clothes with his name written on them. In case he forgot who he was. He sulked, he flirted, he pouted, he sat on his backside in protest if he didn't get a free-kick. Like it was an offence against his divinity. He was fickle, he was restless, he was rootless, he was rude. He turned his back on his manager when he had the temerity to substitute him.

His little wink at the Portugal bench after Wayne Rooney had been sent off in the 2006 World Cup said a lot, it was as if we had looked through a window into his soul. There was no Eric Cantona warmth about him. He was not a vulnerable man. Not a football philosopher. Not a man who played with joie de vivre.

But he is a fucking good footballer, there's no question about that. I am an avid Manchester United supporter and I found it hard to like him but it was even harder still not to admire him.

Despite all his faults and his foibles, he established beyond all reasonable doubt during his Manchester United years that he was the best player in the world.

Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres and Ryan Giggs rolled into one. A midfiled goalscoring machine, a classic centre-forward and a wizard of dribble. A man built to terrorise defences and reduce goalkeepers to quivering wrecks.

Take the towering header he scored against Roma in the Champions League quarterfinal back in April 2008. The height he reached with his leap was simply incredible, the way he brushed the defenders aside like they didn't exist, the bravery of his commitment: Any out and out striker throughout history would have been proud of that.

He was just a never ending joy to watch, whether you are a United fan or not.

The goal he scored against FC Porto in Portugal was the goal of the season. An absolute thunderbolt from 40 yards to end the Portugese teams record of never having lost to an English team at home in the CL. That was a magnificent goal.

His one man demolition of Arsenal in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals was one of the performances of the season, maybe the best performance of ANY player in a Champions League game.

HE REALLY IS THE PLAYER WHO HAS EVERYTHING. Even if Lionel Messi had the last laugh when Barcelona beat United in Rome last month, Ronaldo is still the best player on the planet.

Messi is easier to like than Ronaldo, so he will always have an advantage purely on that basis with those who are rubbed up the wrong way by Ronaldo's petulance and strutting arrogance.

But all this talk of warmth and how easy Messi is to like obscures the fact that Ronaldo is the harder man to play against.

The day before the Champions League final, one of the best defenders the world has ever seen, Marcel Desailly, declared that Ronaldo, not Messi, would have been his worst nightmare.

Unpredictable, powerful, good in the air, lightning fast, an explosive shooter, a fine crosser, a dead-ball expert: there was nothing he couldn't do. United will not miss his attitude. Nor will they regret the absence of his posturing and his selfishness but even if Sir Alex Ferguson is allowed to invest all the £80m from his sale in the purchase of new players, United will be a poorer team without Ronaldo.

The sad thing is that Ronaldo will almost certainly be a poorer player without United, too. At Old Trafford, he had men like Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez who were willing to run themselves into the ground for the team and leave the glory to Ronaldo.

The attacking part of the team was built around him. Others made sacrifices. He reaped the rewards.

Despite all that, he has agitated for a move to Madrid like a little boy tugging at his mummy's sleeve and whining and whimpering until he gets what he wants.

Well now he's got his wish and so to Ronaldo the footballer I say good luck and may you have many, many years of good fortune and success and thankyou so much for all you did for Manchester United and us, the fans.

But to Ronaldo the man consumed by narcissism and hubris, I say grow up and good riddance.

Even if Lionel Messi had the last laugh when Barcelona beat United in Rome last month, Ronaldo is still the best player on the planet.....no one will make me believe otherwise.

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Manchester United Accept World Record Bid Of £80 Million For Cristiano Ronaldo From Real Madrid

Well, it would seem Ronaldo is off to join Real Madrid.

A statement was placed on the official Manchester United website this morning which reads:

Record Ronaldo bid accepted

Manchester United have received a world-record, unconditional offer of £80million for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.

At Cristiano's request - who has again expressed his desire to leave - and after discussion with the player's representatives, United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player.

Matters are expected to be concluded by 30 June. The club will not comment until further notice.

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Manchester United Closing In On Antonio Valencia From Wigan

Manchester United have been watching Antonio Valencia for a long time now. With the departure of Steve Bruce from the JJB and the arrival of Swansea manager Roberto Martinez, Valencia has decided it is time to move on. Especially with all this upheavel.

Manchester United are in pole position to beat Real Madrid to the signing of Antonio Valencia. United are embroiled in a tug-of-war for his signature with Real Madrid although agent Diego Herrera says the Spanish giants have yet to make a move. The Ecuador winger has caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson this season and the United manager has reportedly made a £16million bid for him.

Madrid were said to have made a bid themselves but Herrera has heard nothing - paving the way for United to pounce. Florentino Perez sanctioned the world record breaking transfer of Kaka from AC Milan but as far as Valencia is concerned, he's kept quiet.

"The only official offer from Real Madrid for Antonio was last January. The offer came from the previous president but Florentino is over there now so I don't know if they are going to go for him again.

"It is the right time for him to leave, now that the manager has left, he feels it is time to move on."

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Cristina Corduneanu Needs Help Right Now

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.

But the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13:13

Cristina Corduneanu is one of those people you will only ever come across once in a lifetime. She is a young girl who has so far dedicated her life to helping the orphans and poorer people in my region of Romania. She works for the FAST (Fundatia Pentru Asistenta Sociala si Tineret) Charity in Romania.

Her work has involved raising cash and working tirelessly herself in order to make the lives of literally thousands of people much better. She has given many 100s of children a meaning to their lives and hope for their future in my village of Zizin as well as Sacele and Tarlungeni in the Brasov area of Transylvania in Romania.

Cristina Corduneanu has been stricken with Leukemia last year, and recently the disease has become so aggressive, her life is now in danger.

Below you will see the email sent out from the FAST Charity with an update to what is happening to Cristina. If you visit Cristina Corduneanu's Website you can read more about her yourself.

Dear Friends

Thankyou to all those who have given generously so far.

Things are moving very quickly, and Cristina's situation is becoming increasing desperate.

Since the last email you received Cristina has traveled to Belgium for medical tests. Her doctor advised that, due to the advanced nature of her Leukemia, there would be no point conducting any further chemotherapy. He advised that the stem cell transplant needed to take place by the 8th of June. Left longer, the disease will become more aggressive and Cristina's chances of survival diminish.

The cost of treatment has been revised down from 80,000 euro to 50,000 euro, however the clinic cannot commence the treatment until they have either an official commitment from the Romanian health department, or the 50,000 euro up front. Her family has made numerous approaches to the Romanian health department but they are refusing to help. Cristina has raised nearly 32,000 euro so far, this leaves her with the daunting task of raising 18,000 euro in one week.

We again ask all those who can to give generously. If everyone on this mailing list took it upon themselves to raise just 25 euro each, Cristina could have her treatment.

Thank again for all your support.

Regards

Everyone at FAST

Here you can read a message from Cristina Corduneanu herself. She doesn't beg for money or feel sorry for herself. She humbly asks for some help in this her darkest hour of need. Read Cristina Corduneanu's message.

As you can see, the amount needed for Cristina Corduneanu to receive her treatment was 18,000 Euros which had to be raised in 7 days. They now need 7,924 Euros in 4 days.

The sad thing is, if EVERYONE on my Twitter account gave just $2 or £1.50, that would take them to the target they need. So if you can find it in yourself to help with ANY amount, no matter how small or insignificant you might feel it is then please, please do. ANY AMOUNT WILL GO TOWARDS GIVING CRISTINA CORDUNEANU HOPE.

The Human Race has enough bad people at large, we need to grasp people like Cristina Corduneanu and keep a hold of them. She does so much good work and asks for very little in return. Now in her hour of need the world MUST give her something back.

Maybe the Romanian government might step in with the cash, maybe the Belgian government might help but we can't rely on this, we MUST make sure this cash is available to her in case no one helps.

Below you can see a video of Cristina Corduneanu's work with children and poor people. Take a look and find it in your heart to save this young girl's life so she can carry on her great work.

Please don't ask to send cash to me. I am not authorised to collect cash for any charities at all. The places to go for donations are Cristina Corduneanu Website or to the FAST Charity Website

You can go to either of these websites and have them checked out. FAST are registered under a British Charity too. This can be found here at Cleaford Christian Trust.

They have British Charity Reg Numbers, VAT Registration and Inland Revenue Registration if anyone has any doubts about this.

Again, thanks for reading this and if you have a little space on the internet where you can provide a link back here, then please do, PLEASE.



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opening of Kano Jigoro Memorial International Sport Institute

Japan sets up Olympic Institute to celebrate centenary@inside the gamesMay 30 - The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) has marked the centenary of its country’s active involvement in the Olympic Movement by announcing the creation of the Kano Jigoro Memorial International Sport Institute. The Institute, inaugurated exactly 100 years after Jigoro Kano became the first International Olympic Committee

Tevez, Nani And Park To Be Shown The Exit As Fergie Tries To Reshape Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson will reshape his humiliated Manchester United squad after their Champions League debacle against Barcelona.

I think Shell-shocked Fergie has decided he will not take up the option to buy Carlos Tevez, even though David Gill will be meeting up with Kia Joorabchian tomorrow to try to come to some sort of arrangement. I think too much damage has been done to the relationship with Tevez now. After all his efforts and some timely goals for us too, he now feels terribly let down by Fergie. At the same time, Nani and Ji-Sung Park could also be high-profile victims of the Rome drubbing.

The United manager believes Lyon’s Karim Benzema represents better value for money than Tevez – and to meet Lyon’s £30million asking price there will be fall guys. Nani has failed to impress in his second season at United, while Park may be sacrificed so Fergie can bring in Wigan’s £15m-rated midfielder Antonio Valencia, a long-term target.

Goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak is on his way out this summer after failing to impress in three years, with Fergie keen to give England goalkeeper Ben Foster more first-team opportunities next season. United will not take up the option to buy Tevez unless the player’s advisers, led by Kia Joorabchian, lower their asking price by a third to around £18m. (Story continues below)

Tevez’s exit seemed all but decided with him again criticising Ferguson yesterday. He said: “I wanted to play in the starting line-up in Rome but that decision was down to the coach. “But with a strategy more attacking in the first minute then perhaps the result would have been different. It has not been a good time for me because I believe that I should have played more minutes. My future will now be decided. My agents are negotiating and I am waiting to hear some news.”

Tevez was the only senior member of the squad not to return to Manchester with the rest of the United party yesterday and wore a tracksuit to the subdued United post-match party, rather than the official club suits his team-mates adhered to.

One player staying put is Cristiano Ronaldo. New Real president Florentino Perez is targeting AC Milan’s Kaka instead, while former Real icon Zinedine Zidane, whom Perez wants as his sporting director, rates Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery above Ronaldo.

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