Trash Chronicles

Windows 7 and Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala will both be released this month. We look at what the two new operating systems will offer.

Next week, Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system will officially be released to users. And the week after that will see the release of Ubuntu 9.10, or Karmic Koala, the latest release of Ubuntu Linux. We look at what users can expect from both these releases.

Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala)

Karmic Koala is the latest in a long line of six-monthly releases from the Ubuntu development team. With a substantially quicker release cycle than Microsoft's Windows roadmap, the changes in Karmic Koala since Jaunty in April are fairly limited. The Karmic Koala release is also the latest long-term-support release of the operating system which means it is inherently more conservative than other releases as it is designed with enterprise users in mind.

The first thing users, hopefully, will see is a new theme for Karmic which will make it feel a little more contemporary. The problem is that a new theme for Ubuntu has been in the pipeline for the past two releases and apart from some minor tweaks has largely been insignificant.

Karmic is also expected to have improved audio capabilities which will be an important development. Audio handling on Linux has been famously bad over the years and as multimedia becomes an increasingly important part of the modern desktop, audio failings become increasingly noticeable.

Faster boot-up time is also to be expected. With increasing numbers of users using notebooks as their primary work platform most software and hardware makers have been looking to reduce the time that notebooks take to go from cold start to a workable state. The Ubuntu team has been saying for some time now that they hope to achieve boot times of less than 20 seconds with the release of Ubuntu 9.10. And more recently developers laid out plans to reduce that to sub-10 seconds with the release following Karmic in April 2010.

Boot-up on Ubuntu is also expected to be a lot smoother and attractive because developers are using Red Hat's Plymouth boot system. Using Plymouth, users will get a new, mostly flicker-free, graphical bootup. This won't be worrying Microsoft but will go a long way to reduce the impression that Linux is overly geeky.

Windows 7

Unlike Ubuntu Karmic, Windows 7 has been in development for years and has had a public beta version available for the best part of a year. But that effort looks likely to pay off with Windows 7 really looking the part of a modern operating system with its transparency, floating desktop widgets and aqua-toned desktop.

Multimedia is a big focus of Windows 7 and the OS will ship with Windows Media Player 12 by default. Unlike previous versions of Media Player, version 12 includes better features for managing media files. This is done with a dual-mode approach: the Library view and the Now Playing view. Microsoft has separated the two roles and enhanced each of them. Using the Library view users have access to all of the media management tools including categories, playlists and ratings. One of the nice features of the Library view is the ability to list all media types in a single tree view, making it easier to manage them in a single place. The Now Playing view, on the other hand, shows the current playlist, videos, visual effects and so on.

In use the most obvious benefit of Windows 7 is the significant reduction in what could be called "interference". Microsoft has been working hard on reducing the levels of interference for users by limiting the number of pop-ups and warning notices. It's all about the changes to User Account Control which instead of constantly popping up warnings of impending doom and danger are slightly muted and less obtrusive. They're still there but just not with the same vigour as before.

The taskbar in Windows 7 is also a great deal better than the taskbar offered by Windows Vista or XP. For the uninitiated the taskbar operate as a series of "flyouts" which are smaller representations of open Windows. They're pretty and functional but could be just as effective without the flashy popup windows. One of the complaints against the task bar could be that by default the open windows are all crammed together on the taskbar, which can make it messy if you have too many windows open.

Perhaps Windows 7's biggest asset is that it is noticeably slicker than Windows Vista, which has a sluggish feel about it.

In Ubuntu's case one of its assets is the work done to support netbook PCs. Ubuntu's Netbook Remix interface is a very slick alternative for the smaller screen space common on netbooks.

Windows 7 is being released on October 7 and Ubuntu Karmic on October 29.

With the release of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system slated for tomorrow, several Linux releases and announcements are arriving. Paula Rooney at ZDNet suggests that the Linux flurry may represent wave-making in reaction to the release of the much discussed new version of Windows. Does Windows 7 threaten to stifle Linux, and what are the prospects for Linux as Windows 7 rolls out?

As Rooney notes, this week IBM and Canonical announced the launch of the IBM Cliet for Smart Work package. It allows cloud- and Linux-based online work via Ubuntu and IBM's Lotus Symphony suite of productivity applications. Novell has also introduced SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 Service Pack 3, which brings many software upgrades and more support for hardware. Meanwhile, Red Hat is out with a new beta release of its Fedora Linux dubbed "Constantine." Is the timing of all of this meant to make waves as Windows 7 approaches?

As we noted here, Microsoft was very shrewd to open its beta and release candidate testing for its new operating system to anyone, and the company got a slew of pre-orders for Windows 7 through the effort, as well as good early reviews. The company has also already delivered the new OS to Microsoft's volume licensees. The actual Windows 7 rollout has been a multi-step process and doesn't just consist of fanfare to take place tomorrow.

Microsoft has stated that it is aiming Windows 7 squarely at the hot netbook market, and it's there that I'm hoping Linux and Linux-based platforms can maintain some entrenchment. Large computer makers such as Acer and Dell have continued with efforts to keep Linux and Linux-based operating systems alive on netbooks. Acer is even going to offer a dual-boot version of its Aspire One netbook that runs Windows as well as Android.

The netbook market has largely been driven by rock-bottom pricing, and open source operating systems and applications can continue to usher in impressive prices. That's the stated goal with netbooks that will run the Moblin operating system, for example.

But Windows 7 is also likely to gain strong market share as a desktop operating system, partly because there hasn't been a completely trustworthy version of Windows for businesses to bank on in many years. Microsoft hopes to reverse that trend with Windows 7. Large players on the Linux front continue to fail to market Linux with the same fervor that Microsoft markets Windows, and the marketing blitz that will surround Windows 7 could be a blow to desktop Linux. We'll see how this all plays out soon, but I'm especially watching the prospects for Linux and variants on mobile devices. There, where cost and choice have been so important, Linux has a chance to make a difference.

NEW YORK - Next week, Microsoft is releasing Windows 7, a slick, much improved operating system that should go a long way toward erasing the bad impression left by its previous effort, Vista.

If you've been holding off on buying a new computer, Windows 7 will be a good excuse to get back into the game. And if you've been weighing a Mac versus a Windows PC, then you should know that "7" makes Windows more attractive, though not a clear-cut choice for everyone. Windows is now easier to use and better looking than it was before, while maintaining its core advantage of cheaper, more diverse hardware.

However, most PC users should not take the release of Windows 7 as a call to action, or feel that they have to run out and buy the software for use on a computer they're planning on keeping. The upgrade will most likely not be worth the time or money, much less the effort of hosting a Windows 7 "launch party" as Microsoft suggests.

Windows 7 will come in several versions. The one aimed at US consumers is Home Premium, which will cost $120 if bought as an upgrade to XP or Vista. You can buy it as a download or on a disc. Beginning on Oct. 22, it will come installed on new PCs.

Here are some of its highlights:

• The taskbar — the strip of icons usually found at the bottom of the screen — now does more than show which programs are running. You can also stick icons for your favorite programs on it, to launch them quickly. It's fast and convenient, combining the best features of the old Windows taskbar and Apple's Dock.

• File folders can now be organized into "libraries." You can have a photo library, for instance, that gives you quick access to pictures in folders spread out over your hard drive, or even several hard drives. This is great because many applications don't automatically put files into Microsoft's My Documents and My Photos folders, and tend to deposit content in their own folders. The new arrangement also makes for easy backups.

• Like Vista, Windows 7 will ask you twice if you really want to make changes to your settings or install programs, for the sake of security. But Windows 7 does it less often, and the prompts can be turned off.

• Windows 7 can sense if you use more than one finger on your touch pad or touch screen, allowing for neat tricks such as spreading your fingers to zoom into a picture, just like on the iPhone. This is isn't revolutionary per se — computer manufacturers have bolted multitouch sensing on previous versions of Windows. But it does make it easier for them to include advanced touch capabilities, and many of them are planning to do so. That is what could really revolutionize how we use computers. I've tried laptops and desktops with touch screens, and found it nice to be able to directly tap links and buttons, bypassing the touch pad and mouse.

• For a lot of users, the step up to Windows 7 will also mark a transition to a 64-bit operating system. That means computers will now be able to use a lot more Random Access Memory, or RAM, for better performance in demanding applications such as video editing. Vista and XP came in 64-bit versions in addition to the regular 32-bit versions, but the XP version was never popular, and the Vista version became mainstream only last year. But 64 bits will be standard on Windows 7, installed on nearly all new computers.

Windows XP users have a lot more to gain by going to Windows 7. Vista introduced some great features, such as fast searches of the entire hard drive, that of course are present in 7 as well. Unfortunately, upgrading an existing PC from XP to 7 is not easy.

After upgrading, users will have to reinstall all their programs and find their files in the folder where Windows 7 tucks them away.

They may also have hardware problems. I found an old HP laser printer no longer worked with Windows 7. This isn't really Microsoft's fault or, specifically, a problem with the new operating system — HP just doesn't provide a 64-bit driver for that printer. A driver is a program that tells a piece of hardware how to work with an operating system.

If you do upgrade, I would still recommend tackling that transition head-on by installing the 64-bit version of Windows 7, which doesn't cost more. Microsoft recommends a minimum of 2 gigabytes of RAM to run it.

If your computer runs Windows Vista, I think it's hard to justify spending $120 for an upgrade. The new features are nice but hardly must-haves. For daily e-mail and Web surfing, they won't make much of a difference. Vista was much maligned when it arrived in early 2007 for being slow, buggy and annoying. Now, it really isn't that bad, because updates have fixed a lot of the problems.

However, if you bought a Vista-based computer after June 25, you should be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7 from the manufacturer, and I suggest taking advantage of it. Your computer likely already is running 64-bit software, so there should be no problems with drivers, and the upgrade is much easier than one from XP. Windows 7 can keep your installed programs and your files in their old folders.

In weeks of testing the final version of Windows 7 on five computers, I encountered only one serious glitch. The backup function simply didn't work on one computer. The error message was obscure as always, and troubleshooting on Microsoft's Web site provided no solution. I ended up using third-party backup software. Given that regular backups are essential for a home computer, one can only hope that this will be an unusual problem that gets fixed promptly.

Another disappointment is that Windows 7 doesn't seem to improve boot-up times. In my tests, it took slightly longer to get going on Windows 7 than with XP or Vista on the same computer. I don't think this should be a major issue, though — instead of shutting your computer down, use "sleep mode" instead. This function has improved a lot since XP, and most computers take about 10 seconds to wake up.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about Windows 7 is that it's inspiring computer manufacturers to try new things, and reviving old ideas like touch-enabled "tablet" PCs. It's breathing new life into the computer market. It just won't do much for old clunkers.

SHANGHAI - A Chinese group is accusing search engine powerhouse Google of illegally copying Chinese-language works for its digital library, adding to disquiet about a project to scan millions of books.

The China Written Works Copyright Society, based in Beijing, posted a notice on its Web site urging authors to "bravely stand up and adamantly defend their legal rights."

It also urged authors to check if their works are in a list of books that's part of a tentative legal settlement between Google and US authors and publishers.

Google's project to scan and post online snippets from millions of out-of-print but copyrighted books has raised objections from many quarters.

The company has called the project, which also scans public domain works, an invaluable chance for books to receive increased exposure.

Chen Cun, a novelist based in Shanghai, said he found material from 38 of his works in Google's digital library, including 12 novels and three other books.

"Google never bothered to notify me or Chinese authorities. They should have let me know my works would be put online," Chen said.

The government-affiliated Chinese group was set up a year ago to represent various associations of writers, who face rampant and blatant infringements of copyright in their home market, as do foreign authors.

But it is now taking US critics to task for protesting Chinese copyright violations while Google is copying works without prior authorization and posting them online.

"Google's digital library scanned those copyright-protected works without permission. This violates American copyright laws and international treaties," Zhang Hongbo, deputy director-general of the group, told The Associated Press.

"This also violates the basic principle that they should ask permission from the authors first, pay to use then and then use them," he said.

The proposed settlement between Mountain View, Calif-based Google and US authors and publishers applies only to the United States, Google said in an emailed statement.

"Of course, we listen carefully to all concerns and will work hard to address them," said the statement by an unnamed Google spokesperson. "We are actively encouraging authors, publishers, and rightsholders around the world to register for the settlement," it said.

Parties involved in the settlement are revising the agreement to meet Justice Department concerns over antitrust and copyright issues, with a US court due to rule on its validity early next month.

Under the Google Print Library Project, snippets from millions of out-of-print but copyrighted books have been scanned and indexed online by libraries.

Google also works with publishers that choose to partner with it to include parts of their copyrighted materials.

Copyright holders can opt out of the project if they choose to do so, Google says.

"Control over the works remains firmly in the hands of the rightsholders — they can leave their works in the program and decide on all the toggles for access, or even pull their books out," the Google statement said.

A China Daily report said the Chinese Written Works Copyright Society had found nearly 18,000 books by 570 Chinese authors had been scanned by Google and included in its digital library, most of them without any notification or payment to the writers.

Google should acknowledge its alleged infringement of copyrights and negotiate fair compensation for the writers, Zhang said.

"We need to sit down and discuss this," said Chen, the novelist. "How much I should be paid should come from discussions between Chinese authors and Google, not just an online announcement," he said.

NEW YORK — The 2010 World Cup organizing committee chief thinks a successful tournament could lead to the Olympics being hosted in Africa for the first time in 2020.

"The IOC decided to give South America its first Olympics, so the only continent now without an Olympics is the African continent, and therefore I think it's something that the IOC certainly will have to begin to think about," South Africa 2010 organizing committee chief executive officer Danny Jordaan told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Speaking after a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Jordaan said he could envision South African cities Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban bidding along with Egypt for the 2020 Games. The IOC's 2011 session will be held in Durban, and Jordaan believes those meetings could serve as a springboard.

The IOC voted Oct. 2 to hold the Olympics in South America for the first time, awarding the 2016 Games to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, over bids from Tokyo, Chicago and Madrid. Brazil will be hosting the Olympics two years after staging the 2014 football World Cup.

Since the end of apartheid and the first elections with universal suffrage in 1994, South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup in 1995, football's African Cup of Nations in '96 and the Cricket World Cup in 2003. Next year's World Cup is football's first in Africa.

FIFA is projecting record revenue for the 2010 World Cup, with Jordaan saying commercial partners will generate $3.2 billion.

"The argument was that any World Cup on the African continent will lead to huge financial losses. Therefore, Africa must wait," Jordaan told a reception at South Africa's U.N. consulate. "This event, because of television, is actually without boundaries and without borders. And so you can return the value of the investment in New York and Miami and London and Paris, and all over the world.

"If we dismiss the (financial loss) argument for the World Cup, we've dismissed it also for the Olympics."

Jordaan hopes the secretary-general attends the tournament.

"He must not only come to the continent when there is war, when he wants to talk about Darfur," he said. "He must come to Africa when Africa celebrates, when Africa excels. When there is good news he must always be there."

While World Cup stadiums are on schedule, infrastructure concerns remain.

The high-speed train linking Johannesburg with Pretoria won't be completed in time, with only the section between Sandton and Oliver Tambo Airport outside Johannesburg ready for the tournament. However, a new airport is scheduled to open in Durban by June and upgrades are being made to Oliver Tambo and Cape Town International Airport.

He said 1,000 additional buses and 200 more planes will be added to the transportation system, and that police stations with holding cells will be established on the last car of each train.

Jordaan admitted there are not hotel rooms in some of the cities to accommodate spectators, mentioning Nelspruit and Polokwane. Because of that, fans will have to travel in and out for some matches.

He said places to stay have been set aside in neighboring countries within driving distance, including Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

He downplayed concerns about crime.

"We have crime in our country, but if you ask, 'Do we have ability to safeguard everyone coming to the event?' I must say to you: without doubt,' Jordaan said. "If I have information as to when you're going to arrive in our country, where you're going to stay, how you're going to move and so on, information that event organizers will have, I can tell you we will safeguard you in our country, It's not a problem."

South Africa expects 450,000 visitors for the tournament, which will be held in nine cities from June 11 to July 11. The United States has qualified for its sixth straight World Cup and U.S. residents have bought the second-most number of tickets thus far after residents of the host nation.

Jordaan hopes FIFA's commercial partners will establish fan parks in New York's Central Park and Los Angeles for next year's tournament, along with fan areas in cities throughout the world. Fan parks began at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and were highly successful, and they expanded for the 2008 European Championship in Austria and Switzerland.

As far as South Africa's national team is concerned, Jordaan said it would be helpful to the tournament if the Bafana Bafana improved. Coach Joel Santana quit Monday, a week after the team's eighth loss in nine games.

"It is easier if the team wins, because that generates a lot of excitement amongst the people, and therefore their feeling toward the event also is then very positive," he said. "If they don't, they become negative toward the team and negative toward the event."

SAN ANTONIO — Unlike nearly half of the San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan came back this season. That meant coach Gregg Popovich did, too.

But when Duncan leaves?

"It's just a freak of nature that our contracts coincide perfectly," quipped Popovich, dusting off a wisecrack he's recycled for years.

Sooner rather than later, Pop's punch line will be no joke.

Duncan enters his 13th season with the end of his brilliant career squarely in sight. On paper, there are three years left on his contact. On the court, the signs are in the conspicuous brace guarding his vulnerable left knee and in his starring role getting smaller.

The Big Fundamental is staring down the big inevitable.

"It's very logical, it's very real. I've got a couple years left on my career, and hopefully I can end it strong," Duncan said after arriving at training camp. "I know the window for me is closing."

At 23, Duncan was a prodigious talent making home movies of his first NBA title celebration because he said there was no guarantee he'd get the chance again. Now 33, Duncan is a four-time champion and perhaps the greatest power forward in NBA history, a guy Shaquille O'Neal considers his rival for claim to the greatest big man of their generation.

But Duncan is also a guy who auditioned six knee braces this summer. He's coming off just the second time in his career that the Spurs didn't advance past the first round of the playoffs. In March, he was diagnosed with tendonosis in his right quad and began skipping games to save his legs.

By April, the banged-up Spurs were done, and Duncan was off on his earliest vacation in nine years after Dallas manhandled San Antonio in five games. The Spurs, entrenched in a win-now mode as much as ever, hope the rest did him good.

Their chances of winning a fifth championship in 11 years depend on it.

"At 32, 33, 34, the age we have, you're never going to be what you were at 25. That's natural and we all go through that," said Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who is 32. "But he's going to be an All-Star and give us 20 and 10. If it's not 20 and 10, it's going to be 19 and 9½."

That may be enough, considering the pieces the Spurs added this summer.

Not wanting to squander whatever's left in the Duncan era, the Spurs embarked on the biggest roster overhaul in the NBA this offseason.

They dumped six players and brought eight new faces to training camp, the most substantial between-seasons makeover of a Spurs team since Duncan arrived in 1997.

They eagerly took on the $29.2 million owed over the next two years to swingman Richard Jefferson, signed a much-needed rebounder in Antonio McDyess and picked up Pitt All-America forward DeJuan Blair in the draft.

The urgency for San Antonio is best conveyed in its bottom line: typically mocked as one of the more frugal teams in the league, the Spurs went over the luxury tax threshold for what general manager R.C. Buford said has happened just two or three times before.

In tough economic times, Buford and Popovich praised Spurs owner Peter Holt for spending the money on the moves to make a run. Ginobili's contact is up after this season and guard Tony Parker, entering the prime of his career, has two years left.

The overhaul also got the approval of another important stakeholder.

"I don't think there's been many things that have gone on since Tim joined this program — I mean, since when we joined Tim's program — that Tim hasn't had significant input on," Buford said.

Duncan shed 15 pounds over the summer and gave himself an extra month off to save his strength for the spring. Parker may have seized the role of the chief offensive weapon — Ginobili called Parker the team's new "natural" leading scorer — but San Antonio's success still hinges on Duncan staying healthy.

Duncan is one of only three active players with four championships, along with O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher.

"He's the same. He's fundamental, one of the smartest players I've ever played against," O'Neal said. "For me and him, it's the first to five (championships). That's it."

If Duncan wins that race, he says it won't be because of him.

"I'm not carrying any weight. I'm just riding those guys," Duncan said of his new-look team. "I'm just along for the ride."

Former Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira wants to guide the South Africans to World Cup glory following Joel Santana's sacking.

Carlos Alberto Parreira, the brazilian coach (AFP)
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Carlos Alberto Parreira, the brazilian coach (AFP)
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* South Africa

South Africa sacked coach Joel Santana with just eight months to go until the start of the World Cup, which they will host.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) came to the decision after a meeting with the Brazilian on Monday.

Meanwhile, former coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, recently himself sacked by Brazilian club Fluminense, has told Globonews that he is prepared to return to his old job, if approached by SAFA.

He said, “There is a strong indication that they want to keep the ‘Brazilan School’ which adapted so well to SA football. There is a possibility that there will be an invitation. “It's my intention to analyse the situation if this happens.”

Referring to the fact that Bafana has lost eight of their last nine games, the 66-year-old, who walked out on SAFA last year following a family illness, added that one of biggest challenges for the new coach will be to lift the players’ spirits.

“The new coach that takes over,” he said. “Will have to break this barrier, they are feeling down after eight defeats – remember!”

Real Madrid went down to AC Milan in the Champions League group stage at the Bernabeu to leave the two clubs level on 6 points in Group C; a brace from Alexandre Pato and a stunning Andrea Pirlo strike were enough to sink the hosts, who registered goals through Raul and Royston Drenthe.

Dida's interventions on 19 minutes gifted the Blancos' captain a 66th goal in the competition before Milan restored parity though Pirlo's wonderful effort just after the hour.

A defensive calamity, a combination of awfulness between Pepe, Raul Albiol and Iker Casillas, allowed a Massimo Ambrosini through-ball to find Pato a moment later; the Brazilian could not believe his luck and stroked the ball home with minimal fuss.

Drenthe smashed a leveller with just over 10 minutes to play and Raul saw an offside effort chalked off before Thiago Silva thought he won it for the visitors.

His compatriot, Pato, did in the 87th minute from Seedorf's through pass as the Madrid defensive line was typically shoddy.


Dida: Redeemed Himself After A Nightmare Start

There wasn't a lot to choose between the sides in the opening stages as Milan set their stall out effectively to prevent the hosts from cutting through them.

Indeed, the visiting side found an outlet for their attacking play on the flanks early on, from where the clever running of Pato and the accurate deliveries of Clarence Seedorf put Madrid on the back foot. However, they could not forced the bearded figure of Iker Casillas into employment.

It was the hosts who showed more conviction in their offence and the trio of Kaka, Raul and Karim Benzema combined for the first chance of the evening, which was blocked by the ever capable Alessandro Nesta on four minutes.

Sergio Ramos then offered a cross to Esteban Granero, who could find only the buttery palms of Dida. Manuel Pellegrini's side had a steadier base from which to work in midfield, with the efficient Lassana Diarra using the ball well throughout and should have had a penalty on 12 minutes when the ponderous Gianluca Zambrotta ploughed into Benzema from behind; inexplicably, the referee saw nothing untoward and gave a goal-kick.

Madrid did not have to wait long for their opener though, as Dida's nightmare soon followed. After saving a tame Granero effort, the 'keeper bounced the ball off his own knee and into the path of the ever conscious Raul, who netted from a tight angle.

Benzema almost added a second for the iconic number 7 a short time later, but the striker's effort was narrowly off the frame of the goal.

Madrid pressed; Lass' cross-shot almost caught Dida unaware ten minutes before the break before Marcelo rounded off the first half's action with a teasing run and a powerful drive that forced a save.

In between, Pato managed to slip Marcelo again to provide for the peripheral Ronaldinho, who could only find the posterior of Ramos with his goal-bound strike.


Raul Would Never Look A Gift Horse In The Mouth

The hosts continued their dominance of the shooting statistics after the break but could not add to their lead; Raul had a chance from Granero's breakaway but could not trouble Dida.

Kaka jinked past Massimo Oddo and slammed a shot on target but the 'keeper redeemed himself with a fine stop.

He was also equal to the efforts of Benzema moments later as Real went for the jugular. Their skipper's chipped finish, from a Casillas clearance, was then weak before the half was sprung to life from the boot of Pirlo.

The hosts were made to pay for their profligacy just after the hour when the Milan midfielder hit the Bernabeu with a 35-yard sucker punch; he struck the sweetest of efforts inside Casillas' near post to leave the Spanish capital aghast.

Gianluca Zambrotta, as Madrid reeled, tried similar moments later but his shot fizzed wide. But Leonardo's team were about to turn the encounter on its head.

What followed, only seconds after, was a gift to hand the initiative to the guests. Ambrosini's speculative punt split Albiol and Pepe and Casillas raced from his goal. He could not get near Pato as the forward rounded him with ease to slot home. The touchpaper had well and truly been lit and the Merengues again had defensive questions to answer.

With 14 minutes to play, they had their equaliser though. Raul's short corner found Royston Drenthe at the edge of the box and the erstwhile boo-boy elicited cheers with a well-struck shot which beat Dida all ends up.

Madrid thought they won it as the game moved towards its giddy conclusion; Kaka's shot rebounded to Raul, whose effort barely made it over the line before being ruled illegitimate.

Milan were up in arms moments later when a seemingly valid Thiago Silva header was struck off for a non-existent foul as he beat Casillas and two others at the near post. What followed was fisticuffs and a booking for the pugnacious Raul.

The sting in the tail for Pellegrini came in the 87th minute; Pato was at least 10 yards from his marker, Marcelo, when Seedorf's pass was clipped across the area. He made use of his his calm surroundings and held his nerve to pass the ball home right-footed on Casillas' near post.

The Zurich loss has been avenged.

1. Mark Viduka Has Retired – Finished. Finito. Gone. Left. Departed. Moved on. Australia’s classiest striker has left a huge void in the final third that people are going to have to simply accept will never be filled in the same way. The national team was built around Viduka under Hiddink and now has had to be rebuilt around the hole that he has left under Verbeek. He didn’t score very often but boy was his presence important.

2. Scott McDonald Hasn’t Scored – 15 games. 0 goals. It’s a striking statistic (no pun intended) that best reflects the plight of a national team who will struggle to find the back of the net in South Africa. All of his goals for Celtic, including strikes against AC Milan and Manchester United, will mean nothing to Australia fans if he can’t find the net with the same regularity for the Socceroos. One of those players who arguably isn’t of much use if he’s not scoring...

3. Lucas Neill Is Australia’s Best Defender – Unspectacular but effective, the fact that Neill is our best defender highlights a lack of quality at the back. It’s no attack on Neill, who I’ve been quick to point out remains an outstanding performer whenever he dons a green and gold jersey, but the fact remains that he is slow and lacking in ball-playing skills and technical quality. Don’t expect to see Australia play their way out of the back against the world’s top sides...

4. Tim Cahill Is The Only World Class Socceroo – Don’t get me wrong, Mark Schwarzer is an outstanding goalkeeper. His exploits though are more down to an incredible level of consistency and professionalism, rather than any X-Factor. That’s what Tim Cahill has in spades and that’s why he continues to be the man to rescue Australia from the most dire of situations. What does truth #4 mean for Australia? It means that once he’s marked out by the world’s top defenders in South Africa – and believe me, they’ll know to come for him – the Socceroos lose their most potent goal-scoring threat.

5. Harry Kewell Is Not The Player He Was – The hunger, level of performance and competitiveness are all still there but the pace and ability to beat players is not. The latter characteristics were, after all, what made him so valuable to the Socceroos in the first place; who can forget the way he waltzed around Ferdinand at Upton Park in that famous 3-1 victory? These days though, Harry resorts to more subtle means of influence, leaving the Socceroos without a single player capable of beating the world’s best defenders. Tends to score from the penalty spot more than from open play these days...

6. Australia Has One Proven Goalkeeper – Mark Schwarzer is, at his best, unbeatable. He’s proven on the biggest stages of international football and at pressure-cooker moments (see, spot-kick saves vs Uruguay, 2005). He’s also 37 years old. That means that he’s potentially susceptible to injury and misfortune, despite the fact that he has kept himself in pristine condition courtesy of an ultra-professional lifestyle. Assuming he were to miss the World Cup for whatever reason, would Australia fans be confident in the candidates to replace him? When was the last time Ante Covic, Michael Petkovic, Brad Jones or Adam Federici put in a confident performance for the senior men’s national team?

7. Australia Lack Pace – List Pim Verbeek’s starting XI in your head and see if you can pick out even one player whom you would be able to deem ‘fast’ by international standards. Anyone capable of tearing down the wing or through midfield at full-speed, breezing past opponents with or without the ball? Scott McDonald isn’t particularly quick and grabs most of his goals by virtue of his positioning and movement rather than raw pace. The same applies to Tim Cahill. At the back, the lack of speed is conspicuous in veterans Moore, Neill and Chipperfield...

8. Australia Lack Depth – For every first-choice Pim Verbeek player, pick someone outside of that line-up who plays in the same position. Compare experience, ability and level of performance for the Socceroos. Here are a few examples: Patrick Kisnorbo to replace Lucas Neill, Mile Jedinak to replace Jason Culina, Carl Valeri to replace Vince Grella, Brett Holman to replace Tim Cahill, Dario Vidosic to replace Mark Bresciano. Catch my drift?

9. Italy Outclassed Australia In Kaiserslauten – Remember that “dive” by Fabio Grosso? Forget about it. Instead cast your minds back to the opening stages of that mach before Materazzi’s sending off for a two-footed lunge on his own player. Mark Schwarzer and some particularly poor finishing were responsible for Australia not being 3-0 down. The Socceroos were shown to be a long, long, long way away from the best in the world and not much has changed since then – as an understrength and disinterested Dutch side showed in Sydney.

10. Pim Verbeek Won’t Change – Hoping to see a cavalier, “three points or no points” approach in South Africa? Don’t. Pim Verbeek knows the limitations of his squad and will stick to his tried, trusted and ultra-conservative methods, both with regards to player selection and tactical set-up. Expect the Socceroos to try to scrape their way into the knockout stages courtesy of fortune, set-pieces and stalemates.

The tailed beasts (尾獣, bijū) are nine giant demons that serve to drive the plot of the Naruto series. They are differentiated by the number of tails they have, with each possessing an amount from one to nine. The tailed beasts are large, living forms of chakra, sometimes referred to as "Chakra Monsters" (チャクラのバケモノ, Chakura no Bakemono),[1] giving them power that far outmatches most shinobi. However, this immense strength is tempered due to their bestial nature, which restricts them from being intelligent enough to use it effectively. When the tailed beasts are sealed within humans, they are able to benefit from the knowledge of their hosts, giving them the ability to speak and better utilize their powers. Akatsuki has been capturing the tailed beasts and their hosts, and currently possess seven of the nine.

The tailed beasts have been around since long before the founding of the ninja villages. At some point, Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, managed to capture and control some of them with his Wood Release techniques, and used them as peace treaties to the other great shinobi nations in order to stabilize the balance of power between them.[1] After his death, however, the shinobi nations couldn't control these giant demons themselves and they began to run wild, so the nations instead moved to seal the tailed beasts within humans, which were called jinchūriki.