These are some of the best players you are likely to see in action this World Cup:

Here in the Caribbean the most popular sports are, Football and Cricket. Now when I say football I don’t mean American football, I mean the sport that is actually played with your feet and is recognized WORLDWIDE as the true football (I refuse to use that other word). Now back to what I was saying… Football, is the largest spectator sport in human history, with the main event being The FIFA World Cup. The FIFA World Cup 2010 begins on June 11th and ends July 11th and will be held in South Africa for the first time. For more information visit the Wikipedia article.

Lets give some stats on the its worldwide popularity.

1. The 2006 World Cup Finals drew 716 Million Viewers, while the whole tournament attracted 30+ billion non-unique viewers. To put that into perspective, the Beijing Olympics attracted a mere 4.7 Billion Viewers while the Superbowl attracted 95 Million viewers.
2. FIFA has 208 member associations, which is 16 more than the United Nations and three more than the International Olympic Committee, though five fewer than the International Association of Athletics Federations.
3. United States has more official soccer players than any other nation in the world – almost 18 million. Of these, 78 percent are under the age of 18. In the 1990s, soccer was recognized as the fastest-growing college and high school sport in the US.
4. Football is the richest sport in the world with one team valuing 1.87 Billion (Manchester United)
5. Football has the largest fan following in the world.

But what makes the sport so popular? Football in its simplicity only requires two teams and a small round ball. So both rich and developing countries can play this sport with great ease as expensive equipment and specific playing grounds are not required. The rules are also very easy to learn; don’t use your arms (all other body parts are allowed), stay within the outer lines, and kick the ball into the  opposing teams net. The hardest rule to learn is the offside rule, but even this can be understood after only a single game. It is these few requirements that make the game of soccer so exhilarating and fun to watch. Football requires both speed and great skill, players spend thousands of hours perfecting their art. The ability to have full control over a small ball is highly sought after, being able to kick at high speeds and with great accuracy can make a huge impact in any players sporting life. Every year Football becomes more popular than the year before, no other sport has been able to make this assessment. To sum up Football into two words; Passion and Simplicity.

PS. I know most people have a problem understanding the Offside Rule in Football and is probably the only rule in football that’s a bit complicated to understand. Please watch the video below to review the Offside Rule in Football.

It seems that the Social Network Wars are now over with Facebook emerging the victor. With no end in site Facebook with over 400 Million Users is on the top of its game. MySpace the once giant in the social network era was crippled when david-like Facebook approached. Indeed taking on a goliath feat was no easy task, but, with its streamlined business model and innovative network practices, many other social networks have to cower in fear. That is not to say that niche driven networks have not taken off in their own right. Social Networks such as Youtube and Twitter have a strong foothold in a otherwise saturated market.

There will be a point where user stats will reach a plateau and begin to level off where the rate of new users and users who absconded will be more or less equal. But at what point will that be? how many users will will a social network have to absorb before they become totally saturated; barring no other influence such as internal combustion (myspace).

At 400 Million users Facebook is still growing leaps and bounds poking their head into markets where social networks have never ventured before, winning the hearts and minds of first time social networkers and email checkers. Twitter at 75 Million users, is growing at a pace rival to that of the 2006 worldwide housing bubble and will indeed pass the 100 Million mark in the very near future.But what is the upper echelon mark to beat. What mark will dwarf any set before it. I put that mark at 1 Billion worldwide users. One Billion you say? You might think thats a staggering number but lets look at the stats.

According to the stats approximately one third of the worlds population is currently plugged in, thats about 2 billion people (give or take a few million).  A further breakdown shows half that number is currently in one or more social networks. Now imagine if the number of online users double within the next 5 years, where do you think that number will be. Doesnt seem like one billion is that far off huh? As internet speed increase as well as accessibility, users will become more drawn to each other to create more digital social connections.

Graph of current user stats for the top 5 social networks worldwide, We see that One Billion is not that far off.

European research and consulting firm InSites Consulting has released a detailed report based on a global study of 2,800 internet users. The full report provides fascinating insights into social networking preferences and behaviors around the world see below:

Social networks around the world 2010

View more presentations from stevenvanbelleghem.

View larger Slideshow

After watching the finale of lost, I realized that not everything is to be read at face value and some things will never have an answer. The writers had a basic storyline but to keep us guessing they sometimes went off on a unexplainable tangent to throw us off course, giving us paths that will just end up at a dead end. With that said its or duty as dedicated lost enthusiasts to find that main road and forget those turn offs that cause nothing but confusion.

Now that we know that in the end they are all dead the main question is were they all dead from the beginning in the plane crash  or did they eventually live out their lives as they should. I strongly believe that they all died at different times, some during the shows time line and others in some distant future. Whoever you saw die in the show they without a doubt died then and there. For example Locke died when Benjamin killed him in the motel room.

The island is an island, a mass of land in a body of water. The others lived there, the Dharma Initiative came to do their experiments and the plane crashed. Some people died immediately others survived and went on the do the show for 6 seasons.

But the plane crash made the island special for the survivors and a choice few other people (others including Ben and Desmond). The experiences and the bonds formed on the island made it an anchor for them, a central memory of the people that made the biggest impact in their lives. The story follows Jack, A spinal surgeon with many personal demons who went to Australia to brings his fathers body back home. On the way back a series of events caused his plane to crash on the island. a first glance the island seems like any other island, but the island has its own demons as well. A smoke monster, a guardian, time traveling properties, the others, a past civilization (The Darmha Initiative) and a mysterious statue. All this happened, all this was real in the world of lost,right up to Jack closing his eyes in the end was Jacks actual reality. When time went sideways THAT was Jacks ever after, his afterlife so to speak.

Upon dying Jacks life flashed in a new direction where the plane didn’t crash, he went home to a different, better reality where he married Juliet and had a kid, I guess its the life he thought he wanted. Eventually as the other survivors died they all the met Jack in his afterlife to make him remember and show him his way home.

So how do we know they didn’t die at the same time? Lets look at a few choice deaths:

Juliet: She died during the detonation of the hydrogen bomb. Not by the bomb itself but by falling into that very deep hole.

Locke: He died when Benjamin strangled him to death

Sayid: In a heroic feat, he saved the others by running off into a separate compartment as the bomb the other Locke planted exploded

Jin & Sun: They died together on the submarine after the explosion

Charlie: He died at the looking glass station

Now you might be wondering what happened to the others. Well they all went on to live their lives:

Claire, Richard Alpert, Sawyer, Kate, Frank & Miles: They all were on that plane that took off in the last episode. I would assume they all made it back home and lived their lives as they should. They probably all lived to a ripe old age had children and grandchildren.

Hugo & Ben: They probably lived for centuries protecting the island and Hugo probably chose a new successor before he died.

The final scene in the church when Jack realized that he was dead, those people are the ones that meant something to Jack. They chose to be there to help him ‘crossover’. Ben was outside because he was not ready yet, he still had his own personal demons that he was not ready to let go. But where did Millie, Penny and the other secondary cast come in? They are constants to the other main survivors, Millie to Hugo and Penny to Desmond.

So why do they seem to all arrive at the same time and the same age? This is how Jack remembered them, remember the only memory he has of them is what he knew from the island and from the oceanic 6 time back to the real world. And I would assume that time and space has no value in the afterlife. One meeting could have taken 25 years and to Jack it seemed like only minutes.

In the end they all got their happy ending, wrongs were righted, love that was lost was found again and they were all back together again. As for other mysteries such as the light and whats the purpose of the Island, I think some things are not meant to be explained and its for us to just accept that things happened without a reason, miracles do happen, and if it had an explanation then it wouldn’t be a miracle now would it?

“Clean-up on isle three”, the young store clerk announced over the intercom. “another hyperactive kid” Nicole thought to herself as she bent down for the paper towel, revealing the firm shapely legs that seemed to continue forever under the tight red cotton plaid skirt she had decided to wear to work that day. Nicole visit that night to her neighborhood supermarket was not unusual as she made that trip once a week to restock her household supplies.

She reached up to the top shelf to grab a pack of those elusive butter pecan cookies that melted on her tongue giving her that unforgettable feeling of accomplishment. mid reach, she paused to stare at the object that had given her so much joy for the past 3 years. given to her by her husband on their wedding day, her wedding ring, a simple platinum diamond studded heirloom had made her happy beyond measure, as unlike most couples, she had found the man of her dreams. the rest of the checkout seemed to pass in a flash as she was still reminiscing on the lovely days and the warm erotic nights with her perfect guy. Just the mere thought of her husband inside her caused her supple nipples to protrude through her tight wool sweater.

She dropped her groceries into the trunk and proceeded to get into the car. One turn of the ignition and she was out of the parking lot and unto the quiet neighborhood street. For some reason she had the feeling that someone was watching her, a cold chill passed through her body as she looked up into her rear view mirror to see if her car was the only one on the road. Her view was blocked by a masked figure in the backseat, the sudden appearance of this ‘man’ caused her to swerve wildly into the wrong lane. As he reached around her neck and grabbed firmly he muttered to her to keep driving.

Heart racing, fingertips now numb and a foreign hand now around her neck she tried to oblige and continued driving on the right side of the road. “Where are you taking me” Nicole demanded in a child’s voice. Silence met her as she continued to drive fearful of stopping or signaling some passing vehicle. “Turn here” the gruff voice said a few miles down the road. As Nicole turned the car she realized she was going to the old Kendal farm. No one lived their as the owners had gone bankrupt from the drought the previous year. Heart now racing faster she began to fear what he was going to do with her. “stop right here and give me the keys” the now deadly voice whispered to her. she pulled the now infinitely heavy key from the ignition and handed it over to her captor.

Pulling her out of the car he looked up and down the young wife’s body. grabbing at her button-down sweater he began pulling at it watching as each button gave way to reveal a lace red bra. the trembling of her body from the ordeal she was experiencing sent the captor over the edge as he put his hand on her leg and began to slide it up further and further to her warm center.

Nicole now on the verge of a nervous breakdown, watched helplessly as he ripped her Victoria secret underwear from her body. His now tumescent member was rubbing against her leg and his hand was massaging her clean shaved pussy. What was this feeling she was having. The familiarity in his touch was causing her to become wet in anticipation of what he was about to give her. Slowly her fright was giving way to absolute thrill as she watched him unbutton his pants.

Quickly he pulled her skirt above her waist to look at what was awaiting him…a throbbing wet pussy looking like the a bar of dark chocolate… moist and tempting. He grabbed her legs and pulled them up and around his waist “don’t fight it” he whispered in her ear. At this point Nicole was far from fighting, helping his dick to find her pussy as she was ready to take all that he had. He entered her temple and he could hear a gasp of pleasure as she held him closer to his body. With each stroke Nicole held on tighter to this strangers body moving her hips to take in more of what he was giving her.

He turned her around and bent her over the trunk of the car and entered her from behind. the moist, wet pussy greeted him with open arms as he started his rhythm looking at the expression of joy on her face as she pressed her cheek against the car trunk. Nicole felt something building up inside her, she was ready to give her last scream. she pulled the strangers hips closer to hers and she bucked and riled, feeling absolutely content with her mind blowing orgasm. Reaching his peak the stranger gave her one last thrust as he exploded inside her, collapsing on her back in total exhaustion.

She turned around to greet her assailant face to face. she reached for the mask and pulled it off, she smiled and kissed him passionately on the lips and embraced him longingly. She said in a tone of finality “Nice one honey, next time ill be the one in the backseat”

Trick.ly is a website that offers url shortening with a twist. Simple in concept, trick.ly gives you the option of adding a password to your shortened links enabling you to share the link publicly with a select few. But why would you want to password protect a link? Well here are a few ideas:

• Share an inside joke on the fly with friends in specific groups eg. twitter and facebook lists. No need to contact group members individually.
• Share user sensitive data with your team
• Share X-Rated pictures and articles with that special someone
• Get that message out with additional private info embedded in a password locked link
• Embed confidential data in a forum or social site and hold the world at ransom. When the time is write, give them directions to the link and password.

Many people might not find this concept practical or useful but its good to know that if the need arises you can use the feature.

How to use the feature:

1. Insert url that you wish to shorten eg. http://shonari.net
2. Enter any desired password (optional): eg.  ‘boo’
3. Enter a clue if you want to have your desired target guessing away : eg. ‘ghostly sound’
4. Hit shorten and your url will be ready for use.

Here is the finished product, give it a try with the details above: http://trick.ly/30d

Try it yourself: http://www.trick.ly/

In my humble opinion adding an additional feature will make this service even more useful. Combining it with a quick note option with optional password will make sending secret notes back and forth a breeze. If you had that feature back at school, the teacher couldn’t send you to detention for that less than savory note to your best friend in class. A simple text note could be created directly from the site with optional password and clue, the trick.ly url is generated and now you have a safe and easy way to deliver a note over public sources.

Also password enabled links should be date sensitive ie the link will expire in  time specified by its creator. See where I’m going…a note with a self destruct timer. Sweet!

These are my favorite TV Shows to date. Just click on a thumbnail to view the show summary.

During a deep meditation after having a drink of Appleton Rum, my mind wandered off into the world of religion. I wondered how many different types of believers are there. Not how many different religions there are, but if you were to pick one religion say, Christianity, how many types of believers would there be that practice their faith and, to what extent.  Don’t get me confused with the idea of denominations/sects, I’m talking about the many levels of belief, starting with the fanatical believers and working its way down to the full blown satanics. I’m pretty sure I fall somewhere closer to the lower end but lets take a look at each segment separately.

1. The Fanatical: These are the people that take religious belief to the next level. The suicide bombers, the bus preachers, the holier than holy self righteous types. They believe that EVERYBODY is wrong and that they are right. They believe that their god is the only true god, and they will twist gospels and preachings to suit their own needs and propaganda. Everyone around them is a sinner even the devout and they will go to all lengths to try and save the sinners while simultaneously judging and condemning them.
2. The Devout: They are the individuals who are absorbed in religious exercises and duties. They go to church as much as possible, that is, Sundays, Wednesday Bible study and teach Sunday school. They will defend their beliefs in spite of overwhelming evidence that proves that their belief is flawed and they will choose their church above all else. They do not sin and if they do, God will forgive them. No sex before marriage, no divorce, nothing that is deemed wrong as per to the Bible or their denomination rules.
3. The life is screwed up: When you were younger you were a presumptuous sinner. You had your fun, made mistakes that you regret and now your life is screwed up. You turn to the church and god and you are now saved and reborn. You become a mixture of devout and fanatic. You go to church as much as possible and judge people as if you are god himself. Your mistakes have been forgiven and its like you never made them in the first place.
4. The Believer: You believe because you want to. You probably grew up in the faith but you made a conscious decision to continue. You try to live a good life and you accept people for who they are. You love yourself and everyone else. You try not to push your beliefs on anyone but you will give a few words of advice. You go to church every Sunday but you will visit a friends church and accept their religious exercises. You read the bible and volunteer when you can. You try not to judge others but sometimes it just happens.
5. The Traditional Believer: You go because your father and mother went every Sunday, your aunts, uncles, your parents parents, cousins and next door neighbor. You believe but you have no choice in the matter because you are expected to believe.
6. The Fear Holy Repercussion: You frequent church because you were scared shitless by your pastor when you were young. You were told if you don’t go to church every Sunday you would burn in the eternal fire of hell. If you miss one Sunday you give twice the tides next Sunday.
7. The occasional visitor: You go because you think its a nice exercise, you may skip a few Sundays but you have to go at least once per month, well, unless you have vacation and you cant make it. Maybe next month.
8. The presumptuous sinner: Fornicators, party goers, alcoholics, adulterers, petty thieves, and liars all fall in this category. You go every now and again to ask for forgiveness for your particular transgression. When you make your plea, you feel cleansed and ready to transgress again. God will forgive you because you acknowledge your mistakes but you’re having too much fun to stop, god will understand.
9. The eyes wide shut: You are the same as the presumptuous sinner except you think, no you believe that you are doing nothing wrong. Monday-Saturday is a blur and on Sunday you are the most perfect of Gods creation. Anybody who thinks otherwise is a hater and you will pray for them.
10. The semi believer: You believe in a higher power but you will not go to church because everyone in the congregation is a hypocrite, you prefer to worship on your own (if any at all) but you fear God and try to live a good life. You accept that man sins and all that man can do is to try and live a good life.
11. The forced: You are probably young and still under your parents thumb. You have no choice but to believe what your parents believe and do what your parents do. You may think its all bullshit but you cant say anything for fear of punishment or being ridiculed. Your friends are all ‘eyes wide shut’ so you cant say anything to the contrary.
12. The ulterior motive: You have an hidden agenda. You may or may not believe but belief is not your primary focus. You may be in it for the money, using your natural power of speech to con people into giving extra tides on Sunday. You may be pretending in order to get into the pants of a eyes wide shut. Your wife (damn you love that woman) decides to convert and you promise to go with her because you know better, if you don’t go no sex later.
13. The confused: You’ve been to a church, a synagogue and a few other places of worship and you realize something, they all preach the same thing, good will among men and to live a good life. The only difference is dress, practice and deities. You have no idea what which direction to take, Allah, Buddah and Jesus all make good points.
14. The agnostic (aka the dont knows): You don’t know whether or not God exist but you would prefer to spend your time doing something productive than to wonder whether or not you will go to hell for not making up your mind. You will go to church or engage in a friendly religious debate in order to see if something will tip the table one way or the other.
15. The don’t know don’t cares: You don’t know and you really don’t care whether or not religion is wrong or right. You are living in the moment, you have pressing matters to deal with. You try not to think of it and most of the time you don’t.
16. The Atheists: You know without a doubt that there is no such thing as heaven, hell or god. You think that religion is a story told ages ago to keep people in check and it got way out of hand. You believe in what you can see and hear and you wont be caught dead in a church.
17. The satanics: You believe god exists, you believe the devil exists too but you hate what god stands for. You like evil, havoc and mayhem. You set out to break every rule in the bible and you look forward to hell.

So that concludes my levels of belief. I challenge you to figure out which level you belong to, accept it and if you wish, try to change it.

We all have subconscious actions, things we do without thinking about it. Just being in a certain situation or experiencing a specific event can trigger a subconscious reaction. These changes can be physical or mental, for example, when you are nervous you may start chewing your nails. This is a physical reaction to nervousness, no one thought triggers this reaction but it happens nonetheless.

The same thing occurs when we ‘steal’ a pen. We borrow a pen and we subconsciously retain it for ourselves. What triggers that response? No one really knows, maybe the pen is the simplest object a person can steal or take for themselves without creating a negative response by the owner. I find myself using a friends pen and before I know it the pen ends up in my pocket. The same thing has happened with anyone who borrows my pen. Its a strange phenomenon that I hope someone can explain to me. Maybe we all want to subconsciously steal something. Not in a kleptomaniac sort of way, but to appease that primal desire to make our lives better by any means necessary. Throughout history man has grown through taking the belongings of others, whether or not you want to call it theft, conquest, inheritance, a loan or even credit. Each of these things gives us something that wasn’t ours in the first place, whether legally or illegally.

A pen, is easily concealable, easily forgotten, yet it has as much significance as any important object in our lives. Without one in our pocket we subconsciously desire the need for one and end up taking it without thinking about it. Its not a strong enough desire to remove it from a desk or a drawer but it draws an immediate and situational response, such as borrowing it from a a friend to jot down something important. The importance is thus made immediately clear and we subconsciously take action to fill that need. That doesn’t stop the owner from noticing the same importance of the pen, they may have a dozen other more expensive pens but the necessity of that pen triggers the obvious response to your subconscious theft…They want their pen pack.

Note: Please substitute ‘pen’ for any other object you may subconsciously want to pilfer. For example pencils & lighters

Next Chapter: The book borrower.