RSA MMX full of surprises

Tempers flare, referees wrong, unbelievable thumping occurs, vuvuzelas drone but play goes on.

When on 13 June 2010 Germany shot Aussies four nil, little did soccer world know things that bad and worse would occur. Then there is North Korea whom no-one could predict what they would show, all along expected to exert bravado especially in show of strength to its adversaries South Korea and America. On 21 June, they had a game against Portugal. They conceded all of seven goals to nothing!

England suffered a humbling beating of 0 - 4 in the hands of Germans, the media and fans of this soccer-adoring nation could have murdered the coach.

We are approaching 11 of July when we have finals. I'm no magician, so I'll watch as the whole scenario unfold.
Nothing like World Cup.

Undersea Gulf of Mexico Oil Gusher

An environmental disaster of mammoth proportions struck when an undersea oil well broke following an explosion. The challenge to contain the up-pour is the location, being more than a kilometer beneath ocean surface! That place is distant, cold and dark. With gooey oil spewing out in a roar, approach to cap the orifice shall require a custom engineering solution. Several attempts have been tried, with more or less success. Soon, however, some solution is going to work. But by then much of the stuff would have wormed its way along with waves in all compass directions, leaving disaster to fauna and flora in the water and shores it washes up on. fine thing to hear efforts by the likes of Kelvin Costner deploying machines that separates oil from water to salvage the oil while cleaning the seas. I bet someone, too, may come up with a beach-comber sort of machine that eats up oily sand, cleanses it, then spits it out on the beaches, white as satin sheet. Or licks clean the rocky shores without furthering ocean water pollution.

World Cup Viewing as Technology Advancement Indicator

Google's doodle to mark the beginning of South Africa 2010.

Tanzania Mainland did not have any TV broadcasting stations for decades after independence. The first station was Independent Television (ITV), belonging to IPP group. Few people who had TV sets then were using them for watching videotapes (VHS and BetaMax, no DVDs then!). Again most of them had bought their sets from trips/stay abroad.
I had bought my 14-inch Sharp TV while studying in Nigeria in 1990. And what a break, there was Italia 90 World Cup. My room at Suleiman Hall, ABU, Zaria, was packed to capacity by my classmates and colleagues throughout the tournament.
Time rolled, and I completed my schooling, traveled back to Tanzania Early 1991. Upon reaching Dar-es-Salaam, my TV and video deck were confiscated: these items had to be registered. After much hassle, I got licenses (registration cards) for the two articles, similar in look to motor vehicle registration card! complete with space for transfer to future buyers--LOL ! TV and video decks attracted annual license fee which, however, was later scrapped for one reason or other.
In 1994 I still had my little Sharp TV. I was living in a community of apartment blocks, and my video deck was a real entertainment to neighbours and friends. Come USA 94 world cup, Those owning TVs in Dar were few and far apart, therefore my flat was filled just like four years earlier in Nigeria.
France 98 and subsequent World Cup tournaments were quite different, though. Virtually everyone owned a TV then., and public drinking places had started a system of attracting customers by placing TVs on their lounges. Many households even have a different TV in every room
South Africa 2010 is setting its own trend: The cable TV providers are peddling their mechandise at discount prices to grab opportunity of  widening subscriber base. One such cable TV provider, DSTV, shall be airing all matches live on different channels where more than one match plays at the same time. The choice is upon the holder of the remote controller what match to watch.

Another change in the TV broadcast landscape is expected soon (2012 or so), when law shall require all Tanzania television broadcast to be digital.

Towards South Africa 2010

One of the most artistic football venues in South Africa, the newly-built Green Point Stadium is situated in one of the much sought-after areas in the city of Cape Town. Green Point Stadium is one of the two semi-final venues for the FIFA World Cup™. 

Source: FIFA Website.