Can we stop the HATE...Please... [Rick Reilly | ESPN]

It tastes like Drano in my mouth, but I've got to say it: The Miami Heat are pulling off one of the greatest I Told You So's in the history of American sports.

I hate how they conspired. Hate how they manipulated. Hate how they went behind the backs of the GMs and the league and their own teammates to pull off something so audacious it threatens to ruin the very fabric of the league.

And yet they're doing the single hardest thing in sports. They're living up to the hype.

Remember how they preened and pranced at that preseason throw-up-on-your-back-teeth debutante party in July as if they were the second coming of the 1991 Chicago Bulls?

Well, so far, aren't they?

Remember how Dwyane Wade said he and LeBron James and Chris Bosh would wind up in the discussion of the "best threesome" to ever play?

Well, won't they?

Remember when Wade said we should feel "sorry" for the other teams because they'd have to guard him and James at the same time?

I'd rather see Donald Trump on the $5 bill than see the Miami Heat win this championship.

Well, don't we?

Look, I'd rather see Donald Trump on the $5 bill than see the Miami Heat win this championship. Three superstars colluding to win a ring would be the worst thing to happen to the NBA since The Gold Club.

But you have to admit: They've been as good as they said they were going to be. Hubris 1, Humility 0.

From the moment James took what seemed like 11 cheese-filled hours to say, "I'm taking my talents to South Beach," the mocking began from Celtic Nation to Laker Land and everywhere in between.

Remember Orlando Magic president Otis Smith saying, "I thought he was more of a competitor"?

Well, James is 10-3 in these playoffs. Is that competitive enough for you?

Remember how the critics chirped that the only way the Heat can win is if there were three balls? That NBA superstars might be able to share groupies, but not limelight?

Well James, Wade and Bosh have led the team in scoring five, five and three times, respectively, in the playoffs so far. Is that sharing enough for you?

Remember Crygate?

Remember the five-game losing streak when everybody outside the 305 area code wrung their hands with glee and kept saying, "See? See? Greed kills!"?

Well, it doesn't.

Remember when writers wailed that Erik Spoelstra, the Heat head coach who looks like he's in his first year of divinity school, was too much of a milquetoast for the Threegos and should be replaced?

Well, Spoelstra weathered it with patience and guts.

You think James was under the gun? Can you imagine the vise Spoelstra's noggin was in? With Pat Riley and his six rings two rows behind him? But he hung in, stuck with his "Trust each other" mantra and now you wonder if they named the wrong guy Coach of the Year.

Remember the James jabbing? Remember "Witless," the beer brewed to mock LeBron and his Nike "Witness" campaign?

Remember when people were saying he failed more in crunch time than soggy corn flakes? When James had to apologize to his teammates for "failing them late in games" and promised, "I won't continue to do that"?

Well, he delivered. Game 5 in the Celtics series: scored the last 10 points. Game 2 versus Chicago: nine of the Heat's last 12. Game 3 versus Chicago: two daggers late.

Remember the Bosh bashing? Remember pundits saying the former Toronto Raptors superstar would simmer and then boil over at suddenly being a third wheel? Two and a Half Men? The Third Heatle? Remember when he said he needed to start getting the rock more often and where and when he liked it?

Well, Wade and James started giving it to him and now George Harrison has two 30-point games in these playoffs alone.

So, yes, it goes down my throat like tumbleweed, but I have to eat it: The Heat were right. They've been as good as advertised.

Actually, they've been better.

You knew Miami was getting three mega-scorers on one team who were going to wear out a lot of scoreboard operators' thumbs. But what's happened instead? They've been winning it with great passing, teamwork and suffocating, selfless, you-cover-my-butt-while-I-cover-yours defense. The Psychic Helpline couldn't have predicted that.

I want to hate the Heat, want it like my next breath, but Wade is nice, James is fun, Bosh is sincere, Spoelstra is cool, Riley is brilliant, and the way they all play is so damn selfless, I can't.

I'm pissed that I can't be pissed.

And it makes me think.

Remember when James said they might win seven titles before their own personal Dream Team's days were through?

Well, that's still stupid.

My New NBA2K11 Sneakers

Jordan Dwayne Wade Retro Edition (Flash)

Nike Lebron James Christmas 2010 Edition (The King)

Nike Zoom Kobe VI (The Black Mamba)

Sneakers Crazy : My Latest Addition...

Well, since most of you already know that i'm a Sneakers Addict or a kind of Mad Collector, I thought about letting you know about my latest addition in my private collection.
First I had to find some space to store them considering that my wife banned me to have any more shoes in our room, I'm gonna have to build a type of shoes storing space in our garden house to be able to keep them close to me (I know you must all laugh about it)...

Anyway, a couple of days ago I was lucky to find a vintage pair of Nike Air Trainer "Chlorophyll Edition" in really good condition from the 90's and the price wasn't that bad, then as you would expect I jump on the occasion to buy them and it felt good man, it felt really good....
A few years ago, I use to wear one of them during my early tennis career (which didn't last long) and couldn't stop feeling as good as John McEnroe during that period, I even tried to serve like him, you know what I mean, and it was kind of cool, didn't really improve my game but I enjoyed that time.

My second addition is a memorable model of the Jordan Brand : A pair of the original Air Jordan XIV OG Black vintage model from 1999.

Great shoes, worn by the best player ever to play the game of basketball, how could you not want to own a model like that. Well while I'm writing this post, the XIV are on my feet and I should try them later today on my home playground (Downtown Portsmouth).

Have a nice weekend all...

ACPRC / PEACE for Africa

We sometimes overlook the fact that poverty is an environment where half of the people on our planet have been living for their entire life, having no clue at all what it would be to live on state benefit, government income, in a public house or on disability pension.

In a previous post (Making a difference for Africa) I have tried to explain that change are really slow in Africa, which explain why no matters how much money G8 government sent in some of the poorest countries in the world, nothing seem to improve and for the population, dreams of a better life are still just dreams.

Since the beginning of this year, I have been working with a prominent African diplomate, based in London, to establish a NGO to promote Peace and prevent conflicts in Africa.

The African Centre of Prevention and Resolution of Conflicts (ACPRC) was created in February with the ambition to create several educative programs and develop different activities to help people overcome the difficulties they face living in some of the worst battleground in Africa.

I do not know if this project will be successful, grow to help people and have a positive impact on some communities in Africa who need our help to keep smiling and keep faith in tomorrow.

Hope is the only thing most people in countries where civil war, ethnic conflicts or warlords campaigns are too often, have left to keep them alive.

Please, visit our Website (still in development) and if you want to help, give your opinion or just make a point, do not hesitate to contact the ACPRC.

Thank you and GOD Bless you... 

XBOX 360 or PS3: On which side of The Force are you?

Well, some of you don’t really know that, but in the “Wargames” between Xbox and PS3, I’m on the Playstation side and always have been a Playstation fan since the launch of the PSOne a few years ago.

The funny thing about that is that some of my friends, who are Xbox 360 addicts, always take a pleasure to discredit Sony for, according to them, the poor quality of the PS3 system and a small catalogue of available games (hard to disagree with that one).

On my way to work this morning, I couldn’t stop smiling while reading an article in the newspaper, that Xbox 360 were trying to hide their lack of 1080p HD resolution by simply using PS3 visuals in their latest Final Fantasy XIII advert.

According to the Product Reviews Website; when Final Fantasy XIII launched earlier this year it was clear that the PS3 version would be superior in terms of graphics. This was obvious as the Xbox 360 version was limited to 560p due to DVD media restrictions, whilst the PS3 version was at 1080p.

This difference in quality has landed Square Enix (the company who produced Final Fantasy)  in a small turmoil in the past few days, apparently the advert they released suggested that the Xbox 360 visuals were the same as the PS3′s. However following a viewer complaint and an investigation, it was determined that the Xbox 360 advert features PS3 visuals.

Here is what the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) had to say on the matter “We considered that, because the ad promoted the game on the XBOX 360 platform, it should have featured footage derived from that console. Because it did not and because we considered that the use of PS3 footage in the advert exaggerated the quality of the footage available on the XBOX 360, albeit marginally, we concluded the advert was misleading.”

Well, as you can imagine, I had a smile on my face since this morning and feel pretty happy to be on the good side of " The Force "....

Wade 2010 or Nike Zoom "Kobe" IV: Which one would you get?

Two years ago I wrote a post about which sneakers I would choose between the Lebron V and the Jordan XXIII (both shoes at the time were costing over $150) and if you remember my choice went to the latest Jordan Brand product, at the time, and without any hesitation.

Some of you know that I'm nuts about sneakers and collect some of them, Air Force 1, Wade 1 (the Converse model), TMac models from his Magics days, and some vintage Air Jordan models.
Jordan Sneakers have always been my favourite and I'm lucky to have some vintage models at home, like the XIII in black, hidden in the cleaning cabinet under the stairs, or the Jordan XIVII, low model and North Carolina Edition, packed in their original box somewhere in the attic (don't laugh, true story).

My lovely wife doesn't really understand my love and passion for sneakers, but my kids love it, and we argue sometimes about the space my passion takes in our own bedroom, you see right now I'm sitting on my bed and I can see several boxes of shoes on the top of my wardrobe and on the floor, but not any shoes here, Nike Air Maxim 1 edition 2009, Adidas TMac player sample edition 2008, Air Jordan XI Space Jam Edition, Nike Air Force 1 Black History Edition, and something like 15 other boxes spread all over the room.

But now I'm in the hunt for some new models to add to my collection and after my last trip to the Nike Town store in London, I'm torn between two 2010 editions: Jordan Wade 2010 Welcome home and the latest Nike Zoom Kobe V.
Tough choice here considering the success these two models have right now on the market, the Wade Welcome Edition is pretty hard to find because of his exclusivity and appeal, and the Zoom V has been produced on so many different editions that it's hard to pick one model over another one (2010 Finals vs 2010 Team USA).

I tried a Zoom V model 3 weeks ago in Footlocker (Southampton) and although I found it sexy and classy, I couldn't see myself playing with them at all, you see I've got fragile ankles since I broke both of them in some freaky accidents over the years and low models are not always my first choice to play basketball with. But this is Kobe Bryant personal design, which make this model pretty special.

The Wade Welcome Home Edition looks just fantastic and when you love shoes as I do, you have to own one of them (and be prepared to spend around £180).
Michael Jordan choice to make Dwayne Wade the face of his brand was a great move and on the marketing side a genius move. Wade has been for the past 7 years on of the most loved and recognised played in the NBA and the success he brought to Converse made him the perfect choice to lead Jordan Brand to another level. The Jordan 2010 model is such a great and unique example of how far the Jordan brand is prepare to go to explore new level in design and technology to produce rare and exclusive shoes. It is amazing to think that no matter how much Nike and Adidas spend on shoes design and development or players shoes deals, Jordan shoes were and are still the one we all want to wear.

Ok let's get back to my dilemma. You see I thought about asking my wife for some help here, but as you know now she isn't really into sneakers collection and my kids will probably make sure that I bought any shoes in the store no matter the price (spoiled kids), I thought about asking some of my workmate, like Bajabber, but trust me sneakers isn't part of his vocabulary at all and Tom (or Thomas) is more an outdoor 'green' dude and probably never heard about Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose or John Wall.

Right now, my choice is to get a 2010 Wade Welcome Home Edition or a Team USA Edition (not release yet). What do you think guys?

Nike Zoom 'Kobe' V or 2010 Wade Welcome Home Edition....

LANCE ARMSTRONG

Few people have seen the private side of Lance Armstrong. It emerges when he puts aside the trademark mask of stone he wears as one of sport's fiercest competitors and the outward passion that fuels his commitment to the Livestrong Foundation, which drives his worldwide cancer campaign.

This gentle side of Armstrong shows how much he enjoys fatherhood and the living miracle that Max represents.

Armstrong has three other children with his former wife, Kristin Richard - Luke, 10, and twins Isabelle and Grace, 8 - but Max, his conception with his current partner, is the first to be natural.

Lance Armstrong may be a seven times Tour de France champion, a former world champion and a multimillionaire who is steering a worldwide fight against cancer that has raised more that $US350 million.

But nothing makes the 38-year-old Texan smile more than the intimate time he spends each morning with his eight-month-old son, Max.

This is the moment that Armstrong - who survived testicular cancer to produce one of the greatest sporting comebacks with his tour wins from 1999 to 2005 - cherishes most before another day in the saddle.

Though doctors were not optimistic about his recovery, Lance Armstrong never gave up. After all, he was trained not to give up so easily since young. His mother, a single parent had always inculcated values of strong determination and persistence to him. There was once when he was found by his mother near the end of a triathlon about to quit. Upon her encouragement, he completed the race by walking. Although he came out last, he persisted till the end.

Using the same determination, Lance challenged his illness by going through the operation to remove the tumours and the long process of chemotherapy. He lost a lot of weight and was unable to even ride his bike around the neighbourhood. Despite that, he was spiritually revived by his illness.

After he completed his chemotherapy sessions and was declared cancer free miraculously, he gradually went back to his first love: biking. 

Thank you for years of inspiration and courage

BAJABBER

Well, if you have some spare time during the day, at work or home, and want to enjoy some good and funny reading, nice photos, useful technical advice or just surf randomly on the net, have a look at my workmate Blog: BAJABBER
It's new, clever and quite unique. I'm sure most of you out there will just love it.

Right now, BAJABBER is in a state of "ShortBread" ride, as he is locking to his next recipe called Millionaire Shortbread,  then if you want to try it too, just let me how it taste, because I'm not courageous enough to try it myself.

Now we just have to wait for the other part of our work triplet, Mr. Tom (Thomas should I said) Dring, to develop his own webspace (Blog) to showcase his sailing and cycling skills all over the World Wide Web. Come on Tom....

Well, as you can see, I'm back online after more than a year in hibernation (was await try to change the world, again...) and hopefully, this time, I will take care of my Blog and make sure that thePeaceBlogger will stay connected for a longer period.

Take care and see you all soon...

Bill Clinton save the day [NYTimes.com]

“Thirty hours ago, Euna Lee and I were prisoners in North Korea,” Ms. Ling said in brief remarks to reporters, blinking back tears. “We feared that at any moment we could be prisoners in a hard labor camp. Then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting. “We were taken to a location and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton,” she said, recounting the final moments of her ordeal. “We were shocked, but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end. And now we stand here home and free.”

The two women stepped off the plane in jeans and sweaters, rushing down the stairs to be reunited with their families, who clustered around them. Ms. Lee, in tears, picked up and embraced her 4-year-old daughter, Hana. Mr. Clinton stepped off the plane a few moments later, embracing Al Gore, the founder of the media company that employs the journalists.

President Obama, who contacted the families of the women on Tuesday evening, said that he, too, was “extraordinarily relieved” at the journalists’ return.

“I want to thank President Bill Clinton — I had a chance to talk to him — for the extraordinary humanitarian effort that resulted in the release of the two journalists,” Mr. Obama said outside the White House on Wednesday morning.

Mr. Clinton’s mission to Pyongyang was the most visible by an American in nearly a decade. It came at a time when the United States’ relationship with North Korea had become especially chilled, after North Korea’s test of its second nuclear device in May and a series of missile launchings.

It ended a harrowing ordeal for the two women, who were stopped on March 17 by soldiers near North Korea’s border with China while researching a report about women and human trafficking.

Mrs. Hillary Clinton was deeply involved in the case, too. She proposed sending various people to Pyongyang — including Mr. Clinton’s vice president, Al Gore — to lobby for the release of the women, before Mr. Clinton emerged as the preferred choice of the North Koreans, people briefed on the talks said.

Thank you for that, Mr Clinton, and hopefully you will carry on helping people all over the world ( as you do with your foundation in Africa and Asia).