All About Pizza
by: Sean Lannin

The term pizza covers a lot of territory. If you want to learn all about pizzas, then you should have a bit of a background on pizzas: specifically the history of pizza, pizza origin, pizza facts, and even pizza trivia such as who invented pizza. The subject also delves into the different types and styles of pizzas. The varieties currently existing defy any attempts at enumeration. Thus, most people who attempt such a task stop at a broad categorization of pizza types according to certain attributes such as crust thickness, crust elasticity, crust baking and cooking procedures, toppings, etc. Aside from general, historical or trivial information, other things are of interest to the pizza lovers. For instance, homemade pizza enthusiasts would like to know certain tips and tricks for making pizza. This includes pizza making techniques, the best pizza crust recipes, pizza toppings, homemade pizza sauce, etc. Some other interesting topics will be frozen pizza dough and where best to attain them, what are the criteria for choosing the, what are the methods for preparing them, etc.

It must be obvious that this article is a mite ambitious for wishing to tackle something entitled "all about pizza." However, an attempt is definitely warranted, so here goes.

Some pizza facts and trivia

Accounts of pizza history always begin with the origin of pizza. This one might as well follow the same tack. We have to thank any civilization or race that baked flat bread on hot stones or stone ovens for pizza, for almost certainly, bread like the focaccia was the "mother of the pizza crust." However, the invention of the pizza is more properly attributed to the Neapolitans - the people of Naples, Italy who were baking and making pizza crust topped with tomatoes, oil, and Italian herbs, and spices. This rudimentary and traditional Italian pizza was common peasant fare in Naples. If you want an individual originator and inventor of pizzas, however, then you won't be wrong if you cite Rafaelle Esposito - a native of Naples; he modified the basic Neapolitan pizza recipe and came up with three variants that added mozzarella cheese to the rudimentary Italian pizza toppings.

Now, if you are looking for some topics for small conversation, then you must remember the following trivia. One note of caution, though; you shouldn't blurt these out just to anybody or you'll sound decidedly corny and geeky. Make sure you're talking to someone interested in pizzas before you use the following trivia as conversational gambits.

" Most people in the United States love pepperoni; the least liked toppings are anchovies.

" Pizza was called (and is still called) tomato pie and pizza pie in certain parts of the States.

" The first pizzeria in the United States was opened in New York.

" The pizza industry is worth more than 30 billion dollars in the United States alone and Americans consume around three billion units of pizza every year.

" New York pizza is traditionally plain. Supposedly, New York pizza is unique because of the acidity and hardness of the water in New York. New Yorkers therefore claim that only in New York can you make real New York Pizza.

(New Yorkers must admit, however, that if water is the unique characteristic of New York pizzas, one who uses water adjusted for hardness and acidity to reflect New York water conditions, adds all the usual New York pizza ingredients and toppings, follows all the procedures strictly but makes the pizza in New Jersey can conceivably make an authentic, New York style pizza. But such an assertion, some would say, is just plain cheek.)

Pizza types and pizza styles

The first step to a great homemade pizza is determining what type of pizza you wish to make. After all, different types of pizza have different attributes and thus call for different types of pizza base, pizza toppings and cooking techniques. Would you like to make an authentic Italian pizza, a New York style pizza, a California style pizza, or a Chicago style pizza?

Italian pizza is generally lean, although when you add cheese, its fat level generally rises in proportion. There are various kinds of Italian pizza, too. There are Neapolitan pizzas, of which there are two general types: the marinara and the Margherita. There are various combinations of these as well. Authentic Italian pizza, moreover, is supposedly baked on wood-fired or even coal-fired, stone ovens.

New York pizza, as abovementioned, is generally plain. The mainstay of New York pizza is mozzarella cheese - fresh mozzarella cheese to be precise. One can add garlic, different types of cheeses, anchovies, shrimp, etc but these are usually optional. The pizza dough recipe for traditional New York pizza, on the other hand, calls for high-gluten flour. The result is firm, usually thin, chewy pizza.

The California style pizza is generally known for gourmet flavors. You can say the California pizza has countless variations. The pizza crust, in this case, is light, crisp and generally well risen. The toppings can be out of this world - generally California pizza makers experiment a lot with all kinds of meat, sea food, breakfast dishes, and vegetable for the toppings.

The Chicago style pizza, on the other hand, is generally crusty and very filling. They are characterized by their raised edges; imagine a pre-baked apple pie crust where you can place the fillings on top. Chicago pizza is usually meaty (some variants come stuffed with cheeses and meat layers) and it is eaten with a knife and fork.

You can also start by deciding on the flavor you want. Do you want to make a cheese pizza, a vegetarian pizza or a fruit pizza? Perhaps you want to make a low fat pizza, a low carb pizza, a healthy pizza? Sourdough pizza is also another variant.

Take your pick among your many options. Once you have decided, choosing the recipe would be much easier. If you have decided on an Italian pizza, for instance, then find your Italian pizza crust recipe, your Italian pizza sauce recipe and the overall Italian pizza recipe that will give you a list of toppings and pizza preparation procedures for making an authentic Italian pizza. For an easier time of it, you can opt to use Italian-style frozen pizza dough then just follow the Italian pizza recipe that you've found.

Some pizza making tips and techniques

Hand tossing will help you minimize the lumps in your pizza dough. However, this should be done only after sufficient pizza dough kneading. This process lets your pizza dough develop into the right kind of consistency - that which is suitable for stretching and hand tossing. Hand tossing, however, is not advisable for thick pizza crust varieties.

If you want a crisp and firm pizza that retains its structure even when the moist toppings are added, you can bake the pizza crust before you add the toppings and the pizza sauce. However, for thin pizza crusts, baking the crust after the toppings and sauce have been added is sufficient. For uniform baking and crisping of the crust, use a pizza stone or a pizza screen.

Finally, remember that the protein content of your flour will influence the end product. High-gluten flour will lead to a crisp but chewy crust. Gluten-free flour, however, may lead to very soft dough; additives may have to be used to give the pizza dough strength.

Quick pizza crust recipes and easy homemade pizza recipes of all kinds and style are easily available online. There are tips for baking and preparing frozen pizza dough, making your own pizza dough, preparing the ingredients for the best pizza crust recipe, etc. All you need to start making your very own pizza recipe is an internet connection, a good source of basic pizza recipe, great pizza equipment, your imagination, and lots of time and resources for experimentation.
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Money saving car care and maintenance tips
By:Jovir Amatong

There are loads of stuff that you can employ to assure that your vehicle is always in tip top shape, while easing on the budget and saving precious time. Instead of always going to the car shop whenever conks are heard under the hood, why not fix minor car problems on your own?
You’re not only giving yourself a favor by not going thru the hassle of the long wait to have your car fixed at the local car shop, but you’re also protecting yourself from unscrupulous mechanics who might take advantage of your predicament.
Here are a few tips to get you worry free on the road.
1. Read your car repair manual and other Do it yourself (DIY) books
It wouldn’t hurt for you to take some time off to read and study the ins and outs of your car. You’ll be familiar with the specifications and the proper maintenance of your vehicle. DIY books also abound, providing you the basic and advanced techniques which could save you hundreds perhaps thousands of dollars on repairs.
By reading, you’ll have the ample knowledge to get the job done yourself whenever unpleasant situations arise. Like a bible is to a clergyman, always see to it to have book or two beside you for quick reference in emergencies.
2. Keep the right tools in your toolbox
It is very important that you use the right tool for the right job, because if you use the wrong one, you might end up with broken nuts and bolts or worse, have them worn out.
Here’s a rundown of the basic tool must-haves for your toolbox.
A. Jack and Jack Stands – Conventional for changing tires and fixes under the chassis. Remember to never rely on the jack whenever lifting your car. Always have jack stands on hand for support and safety.
B. Philips and Flat tip screwdrivers- Always have a pair handy for turning loose screws and replacing worn out ones. You can also use these to poke and reach things fallen among tiny and hard to reach corners.
C. Standard and Long nose Pliers- It never pays to have a pair of these handy for gripping and the easy removal of bolts and nuts. These can also be used to hold or clip wires when you’re working on wiring connections.
D. Wrench or Spanner set - Always keep a set to turn bolts, nuts and other hard to turn items. Select the appropriate wrench size and number to that of the bolt and nut you will turn.
E. Wire strippers and cutters- Must-haves for fixing and replacing old worn out wires or stripping them.
F. Standard Tire Wrench/ Iron- A must-have for tire replacement. G. Towing Cable- Very helpful when you need to be securely towed away in an emergency.
H. A roll of Electrical tape (Preferably fire retardant) – Handy in times of replacing and insulating stripped or worn out wires. Select the fire retardant type as it provides maximum protection and adheres better than the regular type.
I. Spare bulbs- It surely pays to have a spare bulb on hand for sudden shutdowns in important beacons such as signal, safety, break and head lights while driving down dark roads at night.
J. Work light / Flashlight – Very useful to lighten dark nooks and crannies that you’re working on. A work light can either just be a regular flashlight or the kind with nodes that you can tap to the positive and negative terminals of your car’s battery.
K. Tire Inflator – Though this tool may not fit your toolbox, but having one beside it in your baggage is very helpful for mending flat tires while travelling in areas where car shops and gas stations are scarce.
3. Driving routine check ups
Before hitting the ignition keys, a short round up check is helpful to ensure hassle-free and safe driving. A routine check up may be time consuming, but it can save your life and of those you’re travelling with.
A. Check for Water, Break, Steering and Transmission fluid levels. This is to avoid overheating, steering problems or worse, break loss while travelling. Fill up to recommended levels only.
B. Check the Tire pressure. Remember that unequal pressure among your tires will greatly dampen speed and stamina, thereby increasing your car’s fuel consumption.
C. Check the lights. For those who frequently travel at night, a check on all signals and lights is a must. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know what dangers await you, driving down that dark road with busted lights!
Relax and safe driving.
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SPAIN 'THE WINNER IN EURO 2008'

With UEFA EURO 2008™ being rightly hailed as one of the most exciting tournaments of modern times, euro2008.com tells the story of three and a half weeks in Austria and Switzerland in the words of the players and coaches who made the magic.
The quality of play is extolled unanimously by all observers. Defensive tactics are nowhere to be seen – rather, all legal means are being used to overpower the other team. Team play is not stifling the talent of individuals, who are frequently giving some particularly dazzling performances. It's a real treat for football fans.
UEFA President Michel Platini hails the standard of football at UEFA EURO 2008™


GROUP STAGE
GROUP A
We are always emotional, we cannot change that. Even if we wanted to, we don't want to. There are coaches who stay in the dugout and those like me who are more active.
Croatia coach Slaven Bilić on his side's passionate style

To put two central strikers in a team whose biggest problems are on the wings, you'd have to play with 13 players.
Czech Republic coach Karel Brückner explains why Jan Koller and Milan Baroš were not fielded together

I simply cannot put up with this 'playing well and losing' thing any more. We lost. We are not here to play well ... but to win. We were criticised in friendlies, which we could not understand, and now we have lost and there's praise. Of course, I am having difficulties with that.
Switzerland vice-captain Ludovic Magnin on his team's early exit

There can't be great victories without painful defeats.
Coach Brückner after a 3-2 loss to Turkey cost the Czechs a quarter-final place

It wouldn't have mattered if we'd lost 2-0 or 4-0, so we had to go for it. Even when everyone else was settling for penalties after we pulled level, I was signalling for the team to try for a third goal.
Turkey trainer Fatih Terim on the flip side of that decisive fixture


GROUP B
When I worked with Trinidad & Tobago at the last World Cup I woke up every morning to the sound of Bob Marley, now I wake up every day suffering from a headache!
Poland coach Leo Beenhakker gets to grips with a growing injury list

Every evening we sit together and just talk about football. Sometimes I wish we could talk about other things as well.
Germany goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke feeling the strain

We will carry out our usual preparations, just like for the qualifying matches. We won't be doing different things just because we are at the EURO – it's not like we will walk around the park naked or something. We have our normal programme and then we will go [singing] 'tra-la-la' to the stadium. We will play 'tra-la-la' but I don't know if we will still be 'tra-la-la' after the game.
Dutchman Beenhakker on Poland's routine between matches

There were times where they were ready to prepare a camel for me in front of the stadium so I could ride into the desert. In autumn 2007 I had support from three per cent of the population. Is three and a half now good enough for me to continue?
Austria coach Josef Hickersberger after his side's brave exit


GROUP C
They say that if it rains, the earth gets wet and that brings luck. I hope it will bring us luck too.
Former international Ioan Lupescu on the rain at Romania's St Gallen training camp

With all those people being here, I think I will have to phone home to check if anything is still there.
Netherlands coach Marco van Basten ponders the huge number of Oranje fans in Switzerland

Everyone is still talking about that goal in the 1988 final – I think it was a bit lucky.
Rafael van der Vaart dismisses coach Van Basten's goal in the 1988 UEFA European Championship final

I am not going to answer questions about Italy. So if that's what you want, forget it. Now you have time to get a coffee.
France coach Raymond Domenech bars all talk of the Group C decider against Italy

He said he didn't feel right because of a problem with his best friend, so I offered my condolences but he was talking about the ball.
Germany's Miroslav Klose reveals details of a conversation with his FC Bayern München team-mate, Italy's Luca Toni

This squad has always had a very special bond, win, lose or draw. It was there against France, against Romania, and also in the loss to the Netherlands. I'm not just saying that because we qualified, but because that's what our dressing room is like.
Boss Roberto Donadoni on Italy's progress to the last eight with a 2-0 win against Les Bleus

I don't have anything to say to the people who want me to resign. But I would like to ask Estelle for her hand [in marriage]. The only thing I'm thinking about from now is marrying Estelle, which is why I'm asking her for her hand today. I know it's difficult at this moment but it's during these difficult times that you need people – and personally I need her.
Domenech proposes to longtime partner Estelle Denis moments after France's fatal defeat by Italy


GROUP D
Luis is a [Club] Atlético [de Madrid] legend, a great footballer and a wonderful man. The human condition requires you to be greedy – always hungry to better yourself and achieve more. That's what Luis is and it's the perfect petrol for the engine of a football coach.
Miguel Reina, Pepe Reina's father, on former colleague Luis Aragonés

We will not play like the Poles, whose defenders suddenly decided to grant the Germans 30 metres of space to allow them to score. That was a modern offside trap but also a modern way to lose 2-0.
Greece coach Otto Rehhagel before his side's 2-0 reverse against Sweden

A miracle only happens every 30 years. If that wasn't the case then there wouldn't be any miracles.
Rehhagel after the holders bowed out early

After [the 4-1 opening defeat by] Spain, the team were unfairly hung out to dry by the media and the pundits – it was very unpleasant to listen to all the negatives. But we wanted to prove that we have character, that we have a team and that we can play football.
Roman Pavlyuchenko sows the seeds of Russia's recovery

I'm disappointed we didn't get our game going. Maybe there is a mental factor involved, in that we're not a team that steps up from the very beginning. We lost. It's not a common occurrence but I have a bitter feeling about it.
Coach Lars Lagerbäck on the loss to Russia that sent Sweden home


QUARTER-FINALS
PORTUGAL 2-3 GERMANY
First she told me not to do anything stupid again, which I did not do [against Portugal]. Then she said I should play the same way I did two years ago. What can you do? If the chancellor asks you to do something, you have to obey!
Bastian Schweinsteiger explains what happened when he sat beside German Chancellor Angela Merkel when suspended for Germany's final group match

I think with what we've done, expectations have become higher. Because of the way we played and especially the manner in which we won the first two games, the fans got excited by this and expected more, and I understand that.
Winger Nani on the disappointment of Portugal's premature departure

I lost a bottle of wine in a bet with [assistant coach] Hans-Dieter Flick today. I said we wouldn't score from open play. Oh, two bottles of wine ...
Germany coach Joachim Löw drinks in the success over Portugal


CROATIA 1-1 TURKEY (TURKEY WIN 3-1 ON PENALTIES)
Einstein said: 'There are two ways to live – one is to believe everything is a miracle and live your life that way, the second is to believe nothing is a miracle.' I belong to the second group.
Terim on Turkey's never-say-die spirit

I can understand why they call us 'Crazy Turks'.
Emre Aşık reflects on another drama-filled Turkey win, referring to a popular history book

The last two minutes are something I can't describe – they'll haunt me for the rest of my life.
Coach Bilić reflects on a painful evening for Croatia


NETHERLANDS 1-3 RUSSIA
There are some points of criticism. We committed too many fouls and were too passive in our reaction to their free-kicks.
Guus Hiddink nit-picks after a famous victory

I think they had a coach who knew us better than we did.
Full-back Mario Melchiot considers the Dutch undoing by Russia

They are between 22 and 26 years old, not at their peak, but not young – they are somewhere in the middle. They have the opportunity and now the question is: can they take it to the next level?
Johan Cruyff assesses the future of the Oranje


SPAIN 0-0 ITALY (SPAIN WIN 4-2 ON PENALTIES)
We go out with heads held high, but it's a painful defeat. We all gave our best and we all know it was not enough. We're very sorry for ourselves and for our fans. Spain enjoyed most of the possession but we had better chances to score. The draw was a fair result, then on penalties sometimes you celebrate and sometimes you cry.
Daniele De Rossi comes to terms with the Azzurri's demise

We have struggled to get past the quarter-finals before but now we've done it so let's see if we can get to the final. I'm not depressed when I lose, I'm not euphoric when I win. I'm happy for my country, happy for my players and also for me – this is my job.
Luis Aragonés on Spain's success


SEMI-FINALS
GERMANY 3-2 TURKEY
I really must say: I often had to catch my breath out there.
Angela Merkel after the dramatic triumph against Turkey

Today we beat the Turks at their own game.
Christoph Metzelder after a late Germany goal denied the comeback kings

The players should not feel bad. Yes, they lost, of course we are out, but it was our 47th day together and it is not easy to work when everyone else is on holiday. They have been here to serve their country and I told them I was proud of them, that what they did is important, and I wished them every success in the future.
Terim shows pride in his players


RUSSIA 0-3 SPAIN
I don't like this new colour, personally. But so long as I don't have to wear it, the players can. Anyway, it's not yellow, it's mustard.
Aragonés on Spain having to change from red to yellow for the semi-final

The bronze medals we were shown in the locker room are the limit for us. Today we could not have hoped for more. We were outplayed.
Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev reflects on a one-sided game

I like teams who focus on attacking and who enjoy playing. This Spain team is very experienced and love to play this type of football.
Hiddink admits his admiration for Russia's nemesis


FINAL
GERMANY 0-1 SPAIN
It is a great feeling, we cannot believe what we have achieved. You watch these European competitions on TV and you want to be a part of it – and we were.
Fernando Torres after scoring the only goal in the final

We have had a great tournament and we have been the best team by a distance in all our games. There hasn't been one game where we won because we were lucky – we have won by being the better team every time.
David Villa has the secret of Spain's success

I had a quick word with every one of my players. I told them not to feel down. Yes, we lost the final and that's a disappointment for us all, but the fact we made it to the final is an achievement in itself.
Löw smiles through Germany's gallant defeat

We'll remember it for the rest of our lives – the fields, the mountains and that part of Austria. We received a very warm welcome in that little village, as did our families. It's been a different way of preparing. We were very happy, all the locals were with us, and part of us doing well could be the fact we stayed there.
Iker Casillas revisits Spain's base in Neustift, Austria

Many people will look at this Spain team because it has been a model for playing football. I think all football lovers want people to make good combinations, to get into the penalty area and to score goals. At the beginning I said that if we managed this squad well, we would be champions. The team just thought I was trying to give them confidence. I just hope Spain carry on in this way and have many more victories.
Aragonés has the last word

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Guinness bestows download record on Firefox
By Stephen Shankland

The de facto registrar of superlative achievements has credited Mozilla for officially setting a record for downloads in a 24-hour period: 8,002,530 copies of Firefox.

Mozilla's Download Day on June 17, whose server-crippling success delayed its official start, sought to popularize the open-source Web browser. Mozilla, which oversees the Firefox project, projected at the time that it cleared 8 million, but the number is now official.

"As the arbiter and recorder of the world's amazing facts, Guinness World Records is pleased to add Mozilla's achievement to our archives," Gareth Deaves, Guinness' records manager, said in a statement.

Though Download Day was a big publicity stunt, it's hard to sniff with too much disdain at the total. To me at least it indicates that people see more in this particular browser than just a bundle of bits to surf the Web; they like its technology, its open-source nature or other attributes, and downloading and using it is an event somewhat akin to suffering in line for hours for rock show tickets or to buy an iPhone.

I'm skeptical that Download Day in and of itself will appreciably shift Firefox's market share results in the short term. But it did probably coax people toward a more modern browser, which Web site operators probably are happy to see, and I wouldn't be surprised if Mozilla managed to sign up more Firefox fanboys through its promotional devices.

Also for the record, Net Applications gave Firefox 3 2.31 percent market share for the entire month of June, compared with 4.28 percent for Safari 3.1, 16.13 percent for Firefox 2, 26.38 percent for Internet Explorer 6, and 46.45 percent for
No. 1 IE 7. The statistics are based on actual usage at various major search engines. Because Firefox 3 was released midway through June, the statistics likely will show significantly greater share for it in July.

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FINAL MATCH 'EURO2008'



Coaches anticipate Vienna thriller
by Andrew Haslam from Vienna

Germany coach Joachim Löw and his Spain counterpart Luis Aragonés are both hoping UEFA EURO 2008™ will come to a suitably exciting conclusion as their sides prepare to meet in the final this evening.

'Intensive match'
The first 30 games of the tournament have yielded 76 goals, and the coaches are optimistic that pattern will continue at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion. Germany's Joachim Löw – whose side won 3-2 in both the quarter- and semi-finals against Portugal and Turkey respectively and are looking for their fourth European title – is anticipating an open encounter. "It's going to be a very intensive match," he said. "Both Spain and Germany have good players and like to go forward so it's going to be very interesting. We tried to make certain corrections after we lost to Croatia [in the group stage], but when we're against a team who play attacking football we can reach that level and keep up. Technically speaking, both teams have strong offensive players. It will be a fast, flexible and variable match."

'Long hard road'
German hopes would be damaged by the absence of Michael Ballack, who has missed training for the last two days due to a calf problem, while Thorsten Frings should replace Simon Rolfes in midfield. Despite the doubts surrounding the participation of his captain, Löw is in bullish mood, confidently proclaiming: "I expect to win, of course. We have a long, hard road behind us over the past few weeks. This tournament was tough for all players and all teams, it took up a lot of strength but now we're in the final and we're going to gather all our efforts to win and take the cup back to Germany."

Contrasting fortunes
While Germany are familiar faces at this level – this is their sixth European showpiece and four of Löw's squad appeared in the 2002 FIFA World Cup final – for Spain this is unchartered territory. La Furia Roja's last appearance in a major final was 24 years ago, a 2-0 EURO defeat by France, and their sole silverware came in the 1964 UEFA European Championship, yet if their coach is feeling weighed down by history he was not inclined to admit as much. "I'm fine, the players are fine," said Aragonés. "My greatest concern is my team. Germany are very strong, and their set-pieces are very dangerous. We know they don't have such a flowing game as us but they counterattack with speed and we need to learn how to stop that. It might be of concern to me, but I'm sure Germany are concerned the football we play with the ball on the ground could cause them problems."

Winning farewell
In the absence of the tournament's four-goal top scorer David Villa due to a thigh injury, Aragonés – who will step down after the match – is expected to stick with the five-man midfield that functioned so effectively in Thursday's 3-0 semi-final win, against Russia, deploying Cesc Fàbregas behind lone striker Fernando Torres. "We'll be able to get into the area less but will be stronger in midfield," he explained. "I haven't decided anything yet, perhaps we'll have two forwards. Every team needs a good atmosphere. I've seen great teams with great players and if you don't have a good atmosphere you can't win. This is what's brought us to the final. Let's just hope we play well and win."

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Unique stage for medal ceremony
by Mark Chaplin from Vienna

The presentation of the medals and the Henri Delaunay trophy at Sunday's UEFA EURO 2008™ final at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna will take place in the VIP tribune – in line with the tradition UEFA has reinstated in the past year.

Unique stage
The unusual proximity of the heart of the VIP section to the pitch allows for an original and unique set-up: a stage reaching out from the tribune. Painted in the Swiss and Austrian national colours of red and white, it will be reminiscent of a viewing platform in the mountains and can be accessed from both sides via a double staircase. The designers were inspired by the Strudlhofstiege, an outdoor double staircase in the Vienna suburb of Alsergrund, built to a design by Johann Theodor Jaeger.

Sensational pyrotechnics
The trophy will sit in a jewellery-like box that can be raised and lowered like a lift in the centre of the upper part of the stage – at all times through the match visible to fans, TV viewers, journalists and players from all directions. The whole ceremony will be accompanied by light effects and music. The climax of the event, when UEFA President Michel Platini hands over the trophy to the captain of the winning team, will be crowned by sensational pyrotechnic effects.

Concept
The overall concept was put together by Uniplan Switzerland AG after being commissioned by UEFA. The Basel-based live communication agency turned to Carlo Angelini from Angelini Design. He is a well-known Italian television set and production designer based in Zurich, who has already produced a number of stage designs in the sporting field, including the setting for five UEFA Champions League draw ceremonies in Monaco, and the set of the draw for UEFA EURO 2008™ Lucerne last December.
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VoIP Solutions: A Means To Expand Business
By: Kristen Kiya

The VoIP solution has grown in a way that business as well as residential customers recognise the importance of its high speed internet connectivity. This form of telephony provides low cost, high speed and long distance internet telephony. The reliability and call quality also have improved considerably with the introduction of VoIP telephony.

The IP phones transport data packets over voice over networks. The VoIP solutions provide voice over services to PBX systems and other IP based telephony systems. The user just need high speed internet connection. On availing the services one has to comply with some basic formalities that include: Fixed monthly fee and commitment of at least 3 months. The benefits of this service include: No extra charges for receiving calls and same number can be used to receive two simultaneous calls at the same time.

The VoIP is, nowadays, changing the concept of telephony. Compared to the traditional PBX system, the VoIP telephone is a cutting edge telephony system. It brings immediate benefits of cost saving, savings on monthly phone bills, seamless connectivity and an easy to use system. This has indispensably made the system suitable for business purposes. The Voice Over IP has thus grown to become business VoIP solutions provider.

The VoIP business solution is scalable and so it leaves time and opportunity for a business to expand or contract. The PBX is also configurable and that allows a person to add and modify features of it through an internet site that has security. The system is used for high productivity purposes and can be utilised for a lot of functionalities. It is used for listening to Voice mails, call forwarding and is equipped with individual fax numbers. These facilities allow a business to sustain and grow under it. In fact, it is seen that VoIP solution is cost effective for a medium sized business establishment where one finds 5 to 100 employees. In large establishments, it is generally a norm to find VoIP deployed to meet the business needs.

The VoIP solution provider has enabled businesses to grow with telephony. It has made business expand from single location to multi-locations. The business communication has improved with the option of voice-mail and Queue systems. An online VoIP portal gives the full detail of Queue Reporting Statistics. The Voice over IP solution make it possible to terminate calls within its own telephone networks 'free of cost'. For others, it is low call costs at suitably priced rate.

The VoIP Solutions are the means to achieve high end connectivity. The callers can make calls at an extremely cheap price rate. It is also possible for the users to undertake video conferencing and talk to many people at the same time. So, it helps to meet the communication needs of business establishments.

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The Mobile Game Play Revolution: How Mobile Devices Are Changing the Game Industry
By: R.l. Fielding

Playing games has always been a favorite pastime for kids and adults alike, and online games are right up there with the best of America's passions. With the advent of mobile gaming, we are no longer tied to the computer, but are free to roam and play at will. Simple pre-programmed games used to be the standard, but with more sophisticated devices on the market like Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and the Apple iPhone, the window of opportunity for online mobile gaming has been flung wide open.

Mobile gaming is big business for the game industry and big fun for mobile device users. The freedom to play games when and where we want makes mobile game downloads highly popular with consumers and the market reflects this as sales are expected to grow to 11.1 billion by 2010, up from 1.5 billion in 2007. As demand grows, so will mobile game titles and mobile device abilities.

Who plays games on their phone?

The ability to play games while riding in the car, standing in line, and between activities makes mobile games highly enticing to both teens and adults. Although stereotypes maintain that men have the greatest interest in digital entertainment, the convenience of playing online games via mobile devices may open up an even broader game playing audience.

Research has shown that more than half of the 117-million active game players in the US play online games and nearly 64% of these online game players are women. As online games already appeal strongly to women of all ages, it is likely that mobile game play will find a strong foothold with this demographic in addition to reaching adult men and teens of both genders. By enhancing games with social networking technologies, developers also have the ability to appeal to audiences who enjoy the more social and challenging aspects of online game play.

Mobile Game Design

So what qualities make a mobile game a hit?
The most popular mobile games in the US are puzzle, strategy and trivia games because their simple design makes them easiest to play on hand-held devices. However, game creators are working to change that. As mobile devices become more sophisticated, the door will open for more advanced game play.

The push for open platforms, such as Google's Android, and unlimited access to the real power of the Internet has created quite a stir in the mobile device and entertainment industry. Wireless providers must make the choice to create their own games or open their networks to a variety of mobile applications. With more than 13.5 million mobile subscribers downloading games, a shift to a different wireless provider because of game availability could be devastating.

The Future of the Mobile Gaming Market

With the introduction of the iPhone and other mobile devices with easy-to-use interfaces, game developers are getting even more creative in how they address current drawbacks such as pay-before-play, limited functionality, soundless system browsers and accuracy issues. More and more companies are getting around these issues by building games specifically for mobile devices

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Scolari’s future hurting Portugal’s present
By Martin Rogers,

BASEL, Switzerland – In his final days in charge of the Portugal national team, Luiz Felipe Scolari is failing to uphold one of the key facets of his coaching blueprint.

Scolari has always dedicated himself to relieving the pressure from his players by actively seeking it himself, and he has carefully and cleverly sidestepped potential off-field distractions. A well-timed joke, a funny face and a dose of verbal nonsense that asks as many questions as it answers are all aspects of Scolari’s modus operandi when handling tricky issues.

Yet by burrowing himself away and refusing to comment on landing the Chelsea manager’s job, one of the biggest positions in the game, for 72 hours after its announcement, he has destabilized a camp that was previously buoyant, settled and loving its chances of winning Euro 2008.

Portugal’s players are not as slick as Scolari when it comes to handling situations that capture international attention, and they have been seriously rattled. Even a teary-eyed explanation from Scolari as to why he was leaving at a team lunch was unable to quell rumors of severe discontent in the squad.

After a perfect start to Portugal’s bid to win a major tournament for the first time in its history, things are running far from smoothly now, even with qualification for the quarterfinals as Group A winners already secure. The Portuguese players may have suspected their coach would be on his way after Euro 2008, but they believed his assertion that he would not broach the topic during the tournament.

That decision was deemed utterly unworkable from the moment Chelsea released a brief statement on Wednesday night, just minutes after the Brazilian had left his postmatch conference following Portugal’s 3-1 victory over the Czech Republic. That was the point when Scolari should have cleared the air and allowed his men to refocus on the task that lies ahead of them. Instead, he let the matter stew for the next few days, fanning the flames and the ire of the Portuguese public desperate for an explanation.

So much for protecting his players.

Goalkeeper Ricardo and defender Fernando Meira were thrown to the wolves on Friday as both were bombarded with questions that should only have been answered by their coach. Scolari only spoke when he was required by the rules of the tournament to do so at his official media briefing 24 hours before Portugal’s final Group A match against Switzerland. He insisted the timing of the announcement did not show disrespect to his players or Portugal and admitted that the sheer financial strength of the Chelsea offer had played a pivotal role.

“What we will be going through will be the same, independent of any other situation,” Scolari said. “We want this subject to be forgotten because nothing

more will change.

“I have said it before many times that sometimes these opportunities only come around once.”

While he was reluctant to give expansive answers, often responding with a nod or shake of the head and a grunt that passed for “yes” or “no,” it was enough. But why couldn’t it have been said on Wednesday night, or Thursday or Friday?

Sunday’s game will represent a return to something approaching normality for Portugal’s players, the field of play being their refuge from the external factors looming large over their campaign.

The next week will show whether damage has already been done – whether Scolari has, after all, played his final hand to perfection, or whether he allowed his future to interfere with his present.


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Spain scores late for 2-1 win over Sweden
By PAUL LOGOTHETIS, AP Sports Writer

INNSBRUCK, Austria (AP)—One goal in the closing moments meant more to David Villa than his hat trick earlier in the European Championship.

With a stunning burst in injury time, Villa put Spain into the European Cup quarterfinals Saturday. He outraced two Sweden defenders to a long pass and sent it into the net for a 2-1 victory. It was his fourth goal in two games and put Spain at six points in Group D, three more than Sweden.

Spain won the group when Russia beat Greece 1-0 in a night game.

“I’m prouder of this goal than I was of the three that I scored the other day (against Russia),” Villa said. “It’s good for me to be able to be there and bring three points for Spain. Today we suffered a little bit more.”

Villa beat defender Petter Hansson to the 40-yard pass from Joan Capdevila. Hansson could not make a play as Villa poked the ball to the left of charging goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson for the victory.

“We’re happy. We had many chances in the second half and we managed (to score),” Spain coach Luis Aragones said. “In the second half, we went out looking for the goal and things worked out.

“We were the boss of the ball in the second half. I think definitely think that Spain played better from that point.”

Fernando Torres put Spain in front when he lunged at a pass by David Silva with his right foot outstretched and touched it past Isaksson in the 15th minute. Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic tied it in the 34th when Fredrik Stoor curled a pass to Ibrahimovic in the area. The striker turned away from marker Sergio Ramos and hit a low shot that just made it under goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Ibrahimovic left at halftime because of a swollen knee that assistant coach Roland Andersson said was “not so serious.”

“I don’t know if we’re too dependent on him, but he’s a top class player,” Sweden coach Lars Lagerback said. “Of course I think we have better chances with Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the field than without.”

Torres, rumored to be unhappy with his early substitution in Spain’s 4-1 opening win over Russia, touched a diagonal pass into the area intended for Capdevila and Isaksson couldn’t stop the deflection.

On his goal, Ibrahimovic initially tried to volley Stoor’s cross from the right side. He regained control, swerved and scored with a low right-footed shot that Casillas got a hand on.

“It’s of course bitter to lose like this in the final seconds,” Lagerback said

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Free Movie Downloads Sites Reviewed
By: Neil Gerstein

There have been too many times when I have seen cool looking previews for a movie that was going to be released for sale to the public. As soon as the movie hit the store I would run out and buy it only to be totally disappointed after watching the movie at home. Well, once again I wasted good money on a horrible movie. The movie was nothing like the movie trailer portrayed it to be. As usual, the only good parts of the movie were the few minutes of footage that were put in the movie trailer. I'm not saying all movie trailers are misleading, but how can the consumer tell which movie preview is a true sample of what the movie is going to be like and which is nothing but a few minutes of hype to get you to spend your money? I don't think we will ever find an answer for that question, but I did find a way so it doesn't affect me monetarily anymore. I joined an Unlimited Free Movie Downloads Site a few weeks ago. Now all of my movie downloads are completely free.

With unlimited free movie downloads it does not matter if the movie trailer is just a bunch of hype or not. If I download the movie and it stinks, no big deal because the only thing that I have lost is time and not much of that because the movie downloaded while I was sleeping. I don't even have to waste a DVD on a film that I don't like. I can download free movies until the cows come home and watch them on my PC. The movies that I do not care for get deleted while the movies that I want to keep get burned to DVD. The Unlimited Free Movie Downloads Site that I use even provides me with all of the software I need to burn movies to DVD. If you do not have a burner, no big deal, because they have software that copies movies to DVD.

Okay, I bet you are wondering how I get all of these free movie downloads for free. After I tell you how it all works I'm going to tell you something else you won't believe. I joined an Unlimited Free Movie Downloads membership site. For a small onetime fee of between $35 - $50, you get a lifetime membership to download free movies from their database of thousands and thousands of films. They have films from every era and every genre, including drama, action, adventure, love, comedy, documentary, sports, religion, science fiction, fantasy, horror and more. The membership fee pays for the members area which is full of very informative instruction tutorials and manuals that helps you download all of those free movies plus use any of the free software that is available to all members. The fee also pays for the team of 24/7 technical support folks that are there for you when needed. Lastly, the onetime fee keeps the databases full of the latest movie titles that come out. Now for the part you won't believe!

As part of my Unlimited Free Movie Downloads membership, not only do I get to download free movies all day and all night long, but I also get unlimited free TV show downloads, unlimited free music and music video downloads, unlimited free game downloads, unlimited software downloads and much, much more, including free wallpaper, free ring tones, game cheats and music lyrics. And like the free movie downloads, you get titles from every era and every genre or category. I know this sounds fantastic, but I would like to give you a word of warning. Whenever anything becomes popular on the Internet, scam artists come out of the woodwork like termites, and that is exactly what happened when unlimited free downloads sites became popular. The best way to combat this and to protect yourself is to use a reputable unlimited free movie downloads review site. They review the best free downloads sites on the Internet so you don't have to take needless chances. I hope this information has helped and that you will soon be enjoying all of your own free movie downloads like I do. Take Care.

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Final twist brings United glory again

Manchester United players celebrate.
Photograph: Yuri Kochetkov/EPA

Manchester United are once more engulfed in the delirious joy of Champions League melodrama. They were on the verge of defeat in the shoot-out as the Chelsea captain, John Terry, came up to take the penalty that would have taken the trophy to Stamford Bridge. His standing foot slipped as he struck the ball and the effort flew wide. A failure by Cristiano Ronaldo had been cancelled out.

The momentum was irreversibly United's and, in the end, Edwin van der Sar ensured that the trophy would come to Old Trafford for the third time by saving the spot kick from the substitute Nicolas Anelka. This is a club that cannot come by glory in this tournament until it has scared itself senseless. The Luzhniki Stadium witnessed a spectacle to compare with the comeback in 1999 when Bayern Munich were overtaken at the close of the final.

The memorability of such a moment depends as well on the images of the losers' pain. Terry had been magnificent and, 11 minutes into extra-time, had somehow twisted his neck to head away a shot by the substitute Ryan Giggs that was bound for the net. It seemed inconceivable then that such a character could be brought low.

He is no culprit. The single person meriting blame is Didier Drogba, sent off four minutes from the close of extra-time for aiming a slap at the United centre-half Nemanja Vidic following a mêlée after Chelsea had expected the ball to be returned to them at a throw-in. That folly by the Ivorian did not mar one of the most engrossing Champions League finals of modern times. Its main side effect was to promote Terry to taking the fifth penalty.

There is always a craving to consecrate winners as deserving of their prize. It is tempting to do that because, in the first half particularly, they scored, wasted openings and were thwarted by the goalkeeper Petr Cech. That was an outstanding spell but Chelsea's self-belief was also imposing. At times they appeared ready to overpower Sir Alex Ferguson's team.

The Scot declared this to be the first major shoot-out to have gone his way, dismissing the bauble of the Community Shield that was won in just such a fashion, against Chelsea, at the start of this season. Ferguson has now conquered in all four of his European finals since the days with Aberdeen.

It might all have been different in Moscow. Drogba had struck the woodwork in the 78th minute and Lampard would do likewise in stoppage-time. Nothing, it appears, goes in favour of the Chelsea manager, Avram Grant, for long. The Israeli could well have imagined that his luck was turning when his team came through an initial bombardment. Now there will be more uncertainty and disquiet.

Terry's failure from the spot brought a gesture of wry exasperation from Roman Abramovich. The owner will ask himself if he is employing an unlucky manager or one who falls a little short of what is needed. Either way the Russian, deliberating in Moscow last night, cannot ignore the fact that Chelsea have failed to take a trophy for the first time in four seasons. Nor would he have liked the way in which United initially took his side by surprise.

To Chelsea's regret it turned out that it is possible for one of these teams to surprise the other. United did more still, disconcerting the opposition with tactics that helped Ronaldo score against these adversaries for the first time in his career. United had been sent out in a 4-4-2 formation that some might have supposed had been stashed in the Old Trafford museum. The purpose of it was to exploit the narrowness of Chelsea's 4-3-3 system and bedevil the full-backs. Michael Essien was the principal target. Accustomed as the midfielder is to operating on the right of the defence, he has no experience of the suffering to which Ronaldo subjected him. The winger had left him utterly stranded in one incident and then embarrassed him more severely with the opener in the 27th minute. Paul Scholes exchanged passes with Wes Brown on the right and the latter stroked an unexpectedly good inswinging cross with his left foot. Ronaldo skipped in front of a static Essien to glide a perfect header low into the net.

It was a bruising encounter, with Scholes, for instance, requiring attention to a bloodied nose after a crash between himself and Claude Makelele that led to a yellow card for each of them. All the same United were not diverted from performing with freedom. Owen Hargreaves brought his running power to bear from right midfield, the position in which he got his earlier Champions League winners' medal with Bayern Munich in 2001.

Ten minutes before half-time United should have been in a virtually unassailable position but Petr Cech parried Carlos Tevez's header and then reached Michael Carrick's shot from that rebound. There was a further opportunity nine minutes later when Tevez could not quite get to the low ball by Wayne Rooney that had eluded Makelele. Nonetheless United by then had been given a clue as to Chelsea's powers of recovery. When Drogba headed a deep cross into the centre after 34 minutes Rio Ferdinand, under pressure from Michael Ballack, knocked it towards his own net, only for Van der Sar to tip the ball on to the bar.

Chelsea had their fortune when pulling level. Essien's 25-yarder cannoned of Vidic and then Ferdinand to set up Lampard for a coolly taken goal. Though Chelsea had been rallying, their feelings much have contained a measure of relief. It invigorated the team thereafter. Each side took the other to its limits

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Guaranteed Extra Cash Online by: Peter V. Ruble

For college students and other people who feel burned out trying to balance paying the bills and living at the same time, ads like these can prove to be irresistible. Many of them make perfect sense and easily hook you based on good concepts. Unfortunately, many times the product or service does not match the brilliance of a great idea for making money from home or through the Internet. As I’ve learned myself, the further you go down this road, the more excited you get. You basically get hooked, and if you aren’t careful, you will end up working hard and falling further into debt than you can imagine. Much like gambling, the lure of easy money and independence can make just about anyone fall prey to work at home scams that feed off your dreams to get to your wallet so they can go on to the next victim.

Hopefully, you will never fall victim to these scam artists. However, the fact of the matter is that these scammers would not be wasting their time if they were not making any money. And as long as people continue to get mixed up in this business, these scammers are going to stick around to trick more and more people.

The best way to keep a scammer’s claws away from your credit card is to do thorough research on each opportunity that you are considering. This means doing much more than simply reading a bit about it online. In my personal experience, I have been taken by companies who were savvy enough to pollute the Internet with staged testimonials, guarantees, questionable references to big name endorsements, and even appearances in the Better Business Bureau.

A colleague of mine who invested in vending machine placement services even went so far as to physically go to the manufacturing plant to tour the warehouse as well as contact the Better Business Bureau of that state. What he received, in return, were twenty malfunctioning candy machines with a list of local businesses who had apparently agreed to receive them. Not only did none of these businesses know what he was talking about, many of them were hostile when he showed up to place them.

What you want to do is check message boards such as the ASK section of Yahoo.com. Another simple method of weeding out the scams from the genuine opportunities is to go to a search engine and simply type in the company name followed by the word “scam”. If you do this, and you are barraged by an endless list of complaints, you my friend have found a nugget of gold in a sea of mud.

In terms of the Better Business Bureau, it is best to contact them directly to ask about any complaints, and also find out how long a company has been listed. The Better Business Bureau operates state by state. They will be able to tell you if they have any complaints on file. If they do, you will want to avoid the opportunity at all costs. But if it appears that a company is doing business the right way, you can continue your own research.

Being in the Business Bureau is not necessarily that hard to accomplish. Many scammers can use their money and connections to set up a front to initially qualify for the Better Business Bureau just long enough for them to collect their cash from unsuspecting victims, close shop, create a new identity and start again.

Before you decide to do anything, attempt to get in touch with the company that you are interested in. Can you get a human being on the phone? Do they have an actually physical address? How long does it take them to respond to your e-mails, if at all? If you cannot even talk to the company before you start, there is not chance that they will be around when you really need them. I once made quite a bit of money selling vacation vouchers on auction sites. The marketing plan was sound, and the money saving vouchers was a hit. Only problem was, I could never get in touch with their customer service department to handle my customer inquiries and complaints once I realized that the promises that existed in writing on the vouchers were misleading at best. This proved to be such a problem that it took me over a year to recover from the negative publicity on my auction site.

Of course, there are legitimate home based businesses out there. With the Internet and all the low cost, web producing tools available, there seems to be a renaissance in entrepreneurship. Basically, just find a product or service you can market online, and do your research. Sell on EBay if you don’t want to build your own website. You can have a website their and all search engine marketing is already done by EBay. The Small Business Association has an office in downtown Tacoma and contains invaluable information on their website http://www.sba.com/. Since small business is the backbone of our country economically, sources such as these are eager to help you create a plan with realistic expectations.

However, like anything else worthwhile, you have to do your homework and work hard at it. The problem is that too many people make you think you can practically go online and make money just clicking on a mouse. You want to steer clear of any business that asks to you to pay for their “Top Secret” e-book that will teach you how to make an automated income.”

Think about it, if you are in dire need of cash, can you imagine any other situation in which you would not only work for free, but pay for the privilege to work. There are no magic formals or secrets worth paying for. All of the information in these e-books can be found for free through your own research if you have common internet skills.

If you don’t want to work hard and just make a few easy extra bucks without donating your blood or volunteering to be a guinea pig, it is possible to make some good extra money filling out online surveys or through mystery shopping. There are real opportunities out there which require no fee to get started. Not only that, several of them will even give you a $5 bonus just for signing up. If a company such as this is legitimate, they would be making lots of money through the success of its members. Companies that require that $49.97 start up fee only make money through the fee and only want to teach you how to get other people to do the same. The products are all useless lists and general information that anyone with a functioning mind could figure out on their own, or get for free by doing their own research.

In 12 years of trying to make a living on the Internet, the following are the best companies I have ever encountered for making a few extra bucks filling out surveys, playing games and mystery shopping. They probably won’t pay the rent, but if you’re interested in making an extra $400 or $500 a month or eating out at nice restaurants and going to movies for free, you may want to check these out:

Mystery Shopping Providers Association: ." target=new>http://www.mysteryshop.org/shoppers/">.

This site contains all the information you will ever need on starting up as a mystery shopper. It is also a portal for the best sites to go to for mystery shopping jobs online, and they don’t require that you invest a penny.

InboxDollars.com. (you can sign up for free and get $5 just for signing up. You can make a few hundred dollars in one day, theoretically, if you are willing to use a credit card to sign up for free or paid trials. Just make sure you have the patience to fill out the long surveys and keep detailed records so you can remember to cancel your free trials before you get charged. Also, you can fill out surveys to make a dollar or two which are completely free. I’ve made about $400 with this site.

http://www..sendearnings.com.(almost/ identical to InboxDollars.com)
http://www.treasuretrooper.com/. (a lot of free surveys and cool games). http://www.tiktikcash.com/. By far the best of the survey sites.

The free surveys are tremendous. You can make a dollar or two in one minute. This site has the shortest, most painless surveys. I made over thirty bucks in less than after signing up.
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Health And Wellness Depend On The Colloidal Trace Minerals We Consume
Author: Darrell Miller

Colloidal trace minerals are just as important to our health and well being as vitamins. Practically since birth we have had it pounded into us that we must eat our vitamins if we are to be healthy. The fact is that vitamins are of little use to you without minerals which are as essential for your metabolism as any vitamin is.

The essential minerals are the inorganic equivalents of the essential organic vitamins. They work together to maintain the biochemistry that keeps you alive. Take calcium, for example. That is a mineral needed for healthy teeth and bones, among many other things, but it is no good without vitamin D. Magnesium and potassium are also needed for healthy bones. Take blood clotting: vitamin K is the blood clotting vitamin, but blood will not clot without calcium.

How is energy generated in your body from the carbohydrates and sugars that you eat? They are converted to glucose that is converted to energy in every cell in your body and used in-situ. Your heart gets the energy to beat from cells in the heart - energy does not float around the blood waiting to be used. It is generated by means of the production of a substance known as ATP - adenosine triphosphate of which phosphorus is an essential component. Without the mineral phosphate none of us would be alive - nor would any form of life for that matter. ATP is the universal molecule of life.

So far we have discussed some of the seven major minerals: calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, sodium and chlorine. There are many more that your body needs, and estimates vary from 45 to 70 trace minerals, without which you would find it difficult to function properly. Although your body can make many of the organic substances needed for life from vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids and proteins, it cannot make minerals which have to be taken in as part of your diet. They must be taken in your regular diet or as a supplement.

In the USA a major mineral is one that is needed in amounts greater than 100 mg (0.1g) a day, and trace minerals are required at less than 100 mg a day. So one that is needed at 100.1 is major, and one at 99.9 mg is trace. Is there a difference in the source of trace minerals, or would any source be good enough? The answer lies in the construction of the human body, and the way in which it absorbs minerals.

Your body is not designed to absorb metallic minerals. The way that such minerals are available in your diet is as part of larger organic molecules, and this is the way they must be taken as a supplement. Thus, you can't just drink a soluble metal salt because it will pass straight through you with only around 5% absorption, if it doesn't poison you first. For supplement purpose, metallic minerals are chelated, or combined with larger organic molecules such as proteins and amino acids, and this increases absorption to as high as 50%.

The necessity of trace minerals in the human diet was not discovered, as much as the result of a number of studies on various societies and remedies that appeared to have no basis for their effects. The Hunzas and Azerbaijanis, for example, are known to live very long lives, and investigations into this showed their diet was very rich in colloidal trace minerals from glacial water and food grown in soil enriched by that water.

It was through studies such as this and also investigation into the metabolites obtained from liver extracts that indicated the importance of many trace minerals. Take arsenic, for example. A known poison in larger quantities, trace quantities have been found to be metabolized by the liver, and while no studies have been carried out on the use of arsenic as a trace element in human biochemistry, studies on rats and human liver extracts have indicated that it could have a part to play in normal growth and reproduction.

Trace minerals take part in many enzyme reactions, and physicians now agree that many health conditions could be enzymic in origin. It follows, then, that trace elements are important in maintaining good health. It is certainly true that we cannot live without any of the seven major minerals. And it is just as certain that many of the trace minerals are just as import to human biochemistry as the major ones. It is certainly true of vegetables, which are less complex biological entities than humans, and if tomatoes need at least eight known minerals for good growth then it is certain that we will need a lot more. No studies are needed to convince us of that.

Take zinc, for example. Zinc is essential for proper liver function, wound healing and reproduction: spermatogenesis, the proper development of the primary and secondary male sex organs, and all area of the female reproduction process. Zinc is classed as a trace element, as is selenium, a deficiency of which can lead to heart disease, mental retardation and impaired function of the thyroid. Selenium deficiency is not common in the West but is in China where many areas are depleted of selenium. However, if zinc and selenium are known to be essential, how many of the other seventy or so trace minerals are also essential to human health?

The trace minerals in general are believed to protect us from some degenerative conditions, the effects of environmental pollution and help to protect us from the effects of an excessive intake of toxic minerals. Although there have been insufficient studies carried out on most trace minerals, it is known that they should be taken in chelated form, metallic in nature or not.

It is also known that such minerals should be taken as a balanced mixture as found in nature. A bullet approach, using an individual mineral to treat a certain condition, could lead to an imbalance in the body, and severe side effects, some of which might not yet be known. What is known is that certain minerals are tolerated by each other in specific relative concentrations, but if this balance is upset then they can inter-react and produce unpleasant side effects on, for example, the delicate balance of minerals in the blood.

It is becoming increasingly clear that modern farming methods have resulted in mineral depletion of the soil, and that our normal diet now only contains a small number of the minerals that our forefathers were taking. Plants draw up minerals from the soil when they grow, and we take in these when we consume them or the animals that live on them. Saturation of the soil year in year out by chemical fertilizers low in or devoid of trace minerals has resulted in a sterile environment for our feedstock, and has made colloidal trace mineral supplements almost mandatory for good health.

Today's plants can contain fewer than 20 minerals, compared to the 70 plus of our ancestors. Life expectancy is increasing in spite of our increasingly poor diet rather than because of it, and is due more to medical advances than to advances in agriculture. A mineral supplement does seem necessary, but when you take one it should be balanced so that no one mineral is in excess at the expense of another.

This helps to reduce the possibility of overdosing on an individual substance while maintaining a natural balance of minerals in your body to make sure that your normal biochemistry is not interrupted by some deficiency or excess that has yet to be discovered. While this might seem a spurious argument, you can be certain that those in the past that used cadmium and lead as cosmetics would rather have known the effects of these toxic substances that eventually killed them.

So use chelated trace mineral by all means, but make sure that they are balanced and tested so that nothing is present that can upset the normal balance of minerals in your body. If they work for tomatoes they should work for you!
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THE Better Browser

Firefox Is Better 2008
Find out why so many people are ditching Internet Explorer and joining the masses. The Firefox browser is FREE, Safe, and easy to use.
Why Is Firefox Better? Firefox Web Browser is a FREE and open source project developed by a community of people led by the non-profit Mozilla Foundation. Firefox is 100% free to the public and available to download from the Firefox Website. Why is Firefox better? Firefox has a large repository of add-ons available from the Firefox Website. The add-ons page features plug-ins for just about every thing you could need. Add-ons range from news and media fetching, to music and media extendability, and even security and privacy. Even more exciting are the wide variety of themes available for your Firefox browser. Changing the look and feel of your Firefox browser is as simple as a click of a mouse! Browse the web faster.
Firefox is a better browser simply because it’s more secure than other browsers.

Updates to your browser happen automatically so you don’t have to worry about getting security fixes. Installing themes and add-ons take only one click making it easy enough for everyones skill level. To really see why Firefox is better you should give it a test drive yourself!

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PC sales 2008 and beyond, laptops are taking over desktops
By: Christophe Luc Catesson

Sales review for 2007, 2008 and beyond According to the Gartner Group, worldwide some 257.1 million PCs shipped in 2007, and 60 percent of them were desktops. PC growth for 2007 was around 7 and will continue to maintain a double digit growth at least until 2010. Desktop sales are still strong in the EMEA and Latin America with about 60% of all shipments.
In the US alone, the laptop shipments grew in 2007 by 21 percent while Desktops sales went down four percent last year. By 2011, IDC expects laptops to represent 66 percent of corporate purchases, with 71 percent of consumers opting for a notebook instead of a desktop.

The slowdown in the United States economy in 2008 has reduced PC sales. For the first-quarter 2008 computer sales rose in the United States just 3.5 percent. Worldwide, computer sales rose by 14.6 percent, IDC said. Laptops will account for two thirds of the worldwide PC shipments by 2011, according to a new report by IDC. In all markets, the growth came from laptop sales to the detriment of desktop sales. The PC market is changing from "one PC per household to one PC per person," said Bob O'Donnell, vice president of clients and displays at IDC.

With other countries maintaining double-digit PC sales growth as the United States slows, the United States represented 23 percent of the world market, down from 25 percent last year.
Specific reasons of the evolution from desktop to laptop:
Due a constant drop in price, rapid technical improvements, the swift evolution and extension of the WAN technology, the multiplication of applications and their effects on our lifestyles, notebooks are destined to replace desktops in most areas both professionally and personally.

- Price: While laptops are still more expensive than desktops for the same power/capacity, the gap is constantly narrowing. In 2000 you could expect to pay almost double for a laptop comparable to average desktop priced around $1,000. In 2008, you can expect a $300 to $500 difference depending on brands. Entry level laptops start in the $300 range while the mid range is situated around $700, a huge difference from just five years ago.

- Power: In the early 2000s, any heavy database user or serious gamer would always pick a desktop over a laptop. This barrier has come down drastically; in fact many IT departments have migrated to laptops and only the most serious queries are run on servers. The same applies to gamers where only the most demanding games need to be run on the most advanced desktop. For average use, the desktop no longer has any specific advantages.

- WiFi/Hotspots: The explosion of wifi / hotspots is a decisive factor that helps explain the migration to laptops. Airports, hotels, trains, restaurants, coffee shops… are among the location where you can actually go online at a very comfortable speed. You can even use such tool as Skype with a wireless laptop and have video conference anywhere you have WiFi access. Indeed more and more people go on vacation with their laptop and most hotels, including the cheaper ones, are now offering free wifi as commodity not a luxury.

- Portability/visibility: Laptops are continually getting lighter while screen sizes are getting bigger. Most new laptops come with 17 inch screens and weigh less than 7 pounds. Those with 15 inch monitors generally weigh less than 5 and in some instances less than 3 pounds.

- Professional market evolution: Past laptop growth in the professional sector was fueled by travelers (sales, tradeshow, meetings…). In the last decade working from home has steadily developed with many companies allowing their employees to work at home anywhere from one day a week to full time. These are often perceived as cost savers, productivity booster and flexibility factors for both the employees and employers. More and more online applications are designed so that you can work remotely with the same tools available in the office. Such online applications include: - Audio/Visual Conferencing - Placing Calls

- Document sharing and storing - Scheduling - Webmail - Software accessibility. The software i.e. Microsoft Office is stored on a server, you can use it on your laptop (via a small application installed on your laptop) - Messengers…
Events such as the slowdown of the economy and the explosion of gas prices will continue to accentuate that trend.

- Educational market evolution: More and more educational institutions are requiring their students to have laptops; it started in the universities and his working its way to the younger students. In addition, once students get used to laptops, rarely do they buy a desktop later on for themselves.

- Personal market evolution: decreased price, increased power and improved portability with the explosion of hotspots have been essential to the switch from desktop to laptop. Furthermore, the multiplication of applications for personal use have affected our lifestyle and are starting to make the laptop as indispensable as cell phones are today. Such applications include: - DVD player, - Video On Demand, - Picture display, - Music player, - Internet radio - Games, - GPS, - Communication (Skype, messenger…), - Social gatherings (facebook, myspace…).

The desktop is evolving more and more in a different market demand such as Media PC environment (TV tuner, DVR, radio, music) for the home or used as back up device for your laptop. Chances are that when it is time to replace your DVD player you will may buy a PC. This will enable you to download TV shows on your computer and watch them on your TV.
What's next for laptops?
- They will continue to improve in the traditional "way" catching up with the desktops in term of power, capacity and price, replacing desktop for most needs.
- Another aspect is the extra portability evolution already underway with mini laptops, palmtops, tablet PCs and touch screen laptops. Combining extreme portability, WiFi and tactical screens, these mini laptops will replace gradually paper and pads, order sheets, notebooks and others... As you write or type or write any information on your mini laptop (orders, notes, drawings, questionnaires….) you have the ability to immediately save, sync or communicate the results.

Conclusion As the sales demonstrate, the PC industry as a whole is growing steadily worldwide. Laptops are now undeniably taking the lion share of that growth. The range of laptops is large enough for anyone's demand from desktop replacements to ultra portables. They allow us to perform personal tasks (accounting, gaming, reservations…) to educational (research, reading, interactive, video, audio) and professional (documents, programming, calls, conferences, scheduling, emails) from anywhere, at anytime, also allowing us to mix all these activities.
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Work At Home Internet Business Ideas For You
By: Michael Tasker

A basic idea can go on to be a lucrative money earner for the work at home business but it is where to find such ideas that is often the problem. The internet is huge and you may think that there is no further room for another work at home internet business. Don't worry, there is plenty of room for a new idea to blossom.

The question of how to find work at home internet business ideas is the first you should ask yourself. Listed below are some helpful pointers and help for you to find a work at home internet business idea that will suit you.

1. Research for an idea - Look around you and see if you can spot an opportunity for a work at home internet business. Is there a problem that people have, yet the solution is not available? Is there a major want that is unsatisfied? The best reference base for ideas is of course the internet.

2. How to deliver the idea - How are you going to make your idea available to potential customers? You can sell through online auctions such as eBay, you can sell tangible goods on the internet, or you may sell a service to customers. You could also serve as a business to business product or service provider, otherwise known as B2B, and this might be another route you would like to take for your work at home internet business.

3. Sourcing the idea - you have an idea for your work at home internet business but where do you find products? You need to take a look at a couple of different websites to help you decide what might work for your work at home internet business. The first website is Clickbank. This website is effectively a market place with many different products that you can buy or choose to promote on a website. It is easy to locate which products are selling well and this may create ideas for you to improve the products potential even more.

Hot Tip - Internet marketing experts have made very good money by taking an existing product and putting a twist on it, this can allow you to be very successful with your work at home internet business.

4. Promote other peoples products/services - If you find that a product or service would be a very good idea for your work at home internet business, you can then promote that product as an affiliate. In this scenario, apart from getting traffic to your website and sending leads to your affilaite page, everything else is the responsibilty of the affiliate themselves.You will be paid a commission for each sale of the porduct.

Hot Tip - Another place to visit to get ideas for your work at home internet business is homebiz-direct.com. This website can prove to be very helpful to your work at home internet business because it lists different opportunities available in both products and services that you can sell.If you are new to this, it might be a good site for you to visit to get a feel for the variety of products available.

Just remember, don't try and re-invent the wheel.Your work at home internet business idea doesn't necessarily have to be revolutionary. You can either improve on an existing idea or you can figure out how to market an existing product better. Look at what other internet businesses have done and see if you can do it more effectively. Remember that you do not necessarily have to create the product but if you can locate a hungry unsatisfied market, you will have the opportunity to make a great deal of money for your work at home business.
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WHO ARE THE CHAMPION !!!

Return Match :English Team VS English Team

Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC might both have the excitement of a UEFA Champions League final to look forward to at the end of the month but before that fixture there is a Premier League title to be won. Keen for success on all fronts, Ji-Sung Park and Petr Čech are urging their respective sides to remain focused on the task in hand and not let their thoughts drift ahead to Moscow on 21 May.

Tight at the top

Chelsea's 2-1 Premier League win against United at Stamford Bridge last Saturday has left the sides level on 81 points with two games remaining. United still hold the upper hand due to their superior goal difference and can re-establish a three-point lead with victory at home to West Ham United FC on Saturday ahead of Chelsea's visit to Newcastle United FC two days later. Both title contenders are sure to be in buoyant mood and both Park and Čech are keen to capitalise on that positive atmosphere as the season reaches a climax.

'Working hard'

"We got the win because eleven players worked hard and showed good concentration for the whole 90 minutes, but we have to remember we've got two important games before the Champions League final," said Park after an impressively hard-working display in United's 1-0 defeat of FC Barcelona at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. "We need to win them before we think about that."

'Incredible atmosphere'

The Korea Republic international had tasted semi-final disappointment before, having lost to AC Milan in 2004/05 while at PSV Eindhoven, but Tuesday’s win extends a remarkable record for the 27-year-old. The match was his 12th start of the season and United have won all bar one of those games – the sole draw coming in the Camp Nou – and prolongs a run of 22 United wins from Park's 24 starts over the last two campaigns. The midfielder has no doubt what made the difference against Barça, adding: "The atmosphere was incredible. I've never seen or heard anything like it. The fans gave me extra power. It's fantastic, difficult to put into words. It's amazing and I'm really looking forward to playing in the final."

'What a time'

After beating Barcelona United's players were quick to tell the press that a similar effort from the crowd would be required against West Ham, a match Chelsea will be watching with interest. Čech is desperate to ensure the west London club do not end the season without a trophy for the first time since 2003/04. "What a time is coming now," he said. "We hope to push United all the way in the league and of course at the big event in three weeks in Moscow. For the character and hard work we have put in, we deserve to get some fruit in the end – this might be the final or it could be the title again."

'Nothing changes'

Chelsea might be playing 48 hours after United this weekend but their goalkeeper believes they cannot afford to be distracted by events elsewhere. "We'll know exactly what's happened at the weekend and this could be an advantage or not. We'll know United's result against West Ham but nothing changes – we need to win both games. It's very exciting for everyone to see both English clubs competing for the title and now for the Champions League as well and I'm looking forward to it."

By Andrew Haslam

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Iron Man
Tony Stark is a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.
Also Known Tony Stark is a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.
Also Known As:
Iron Man (Marvel)
Ironman
Production Status:In Production/Awaiting Release
Logline:Billionaire industrialist Tony Stark leads a double life as an iron-plated crime fighter.
Genres:Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
Release Date:May 2nd, 2008 (wide)

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Preview Euro' 2008

Where the Decisive Goals are Scored: Ernst Happel Stadium

On June 29, 2008, the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna will be the center of international football. During the final game of the UEFA EURO 2008, the new European football champion will be decided.
For EURO 2008, the seating capacity will be increased to 51,000. The field has been equipped with new lawn heating, and two ultra-modern video walls have been installed. A media center of 1,600 square meters for TV teams and other media has been installed under the stands and there are four new panorama interview boxes for television. For events, the new air-conditioned VIP club for 900 persons is available. With an electronic access control system, video surveillance, and two security rings, the safety arrangements of the Ernst Happel Stadium have been optimized. Nearly 37 million Euro in all has been invested by the City of Vienna and the Austrian federal government in the improvement of the stadium.
Matches at the Ernst Happel Stadium:

Sun June 8, 6 p.m. Austria - Croatia

Thu Jue12, 20.45 p.m. Austria - Poland

Mon June 16, 20.45 p.m. Austria - Germany

Quarter-Final Fri June 20, Sun June 22

Semi-FinalThu June 26 and Final Sun June 29

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