There are few new success lessons. Most people just need reminding of the ones they already know. One way to remind yourself is to see success laws applied in different environments like the different sporting environments.

Like most sports, rugby teaches success lessons which apply both to rugby and to life in general. The rugby union world cup started with a shock result when Argentina beat the hosts, France, on September 7th 2007.

Next day, Saturday 8th September, the New Zealand ‘All Blacks’ hammered the Italians in the next match of the competition. The score was 43 – 0 after only 30 minutes.

The All Blacks perform a ‘haka’ before their matches. Haka are sometimes thought of solely as war dances, but individual haka have different purposes which are not all related to war. Some are performed by women.

The hands, arms, legs, feet, voice, eyes, tongue and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy or other appropriate feelings.

The Haka is also about drawing strength from your ancestors and climbing the ladder to your dreams – nothing is impossible – you can achieve anything.

Many scots, or part scots as in my case, claim descent from a great ancestor, Robert the Bruce. We draw strength from his example.

He is famous for being ready to give up his fight for independence until he saw a spider who refused to give up trying to build his web in spite of many failures. Eventually, the spider succeeded and so did Robert.

I think of Robert the Bruce nearly every day and am reluctant to throw out spiders. My bathroom has quite a few spiders happily living there! My sister has just suggested that they would be better off outside where they could catch some food. She has a point!

The spiders provide a great role model for those who feel like giving up. Their perseverance and optimism in building their webs is legendary.

War haka, known as ‘peruperu’, were originally performed by warriors before a battle. These dances, accompanied by fierce, shouted chants show off the strength and ferocity of the warriors in order to frighten the opposition. This is the type of haka performed before rugby matches.

Most opposition rugby teams are tough men and are probably more intimidated by the reputation of the All Blacks than by their haka but they know they are in for a tough game and the performers of the haka end the ‘war dance’ in fighting mood ready to win the game and to demoralize their opponents. A popular haka, with the English translation follows below:

Ringa pakia

Uma tiraha

Turi whatia

Hope whai ake

Waewae takahia kia kino

Slap the hands against the thighs

Puff out the chest

Bend the knees

Let the hip follow

Stamp the feet as hard as you can.

Ka Mate! Ka Mate!

Ka Ora! Ka Ora!

Tenei te ta ngata puhuru huru

Nana nei i tiki mai

Whakawhiti te ra

A upane ka upane!

A upane kaupane whiti te ra!

Hi!!

It is death! It is death!

It is life! It is life!

This is the hairy person

Who caused the sun to shine

Keep abreast! Keep abreast

The rank! Hold fast!

Into the sun that shines!

Music, words and movement have been used for centuries to motivate humans to heroic efforts. It is no wonder that successful films like Waterloo, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves and the Rocky series have inspiring sound tracks. Viewers walk out of the cinema feeling like heroes.

TV series like the Hornblower series have sound tracks that make you feel that all your dreams can come true. Movement has the same effect. It warms you up and makes your mind sharper, more confident and more successful.

The Italians found out swiftly how an inspired and heroic team plays rugby.

The All Blacks move fast and seize every opportunity. They are just as fast to block the chances that come the way of their opponents. Whenever Italy looked like scoring, two or three All Blacks were there ready to tackle the Italian player holding the ball. Their defence is almost impregnable.

However, Italy intercepted a ball and Stanievic scored a try. The score was now 43 -7.

We have a crumb of comfort here for the English who have not been playing well since they became world champions in 2003. Stanievic was born in England and his parents run a hotel in Warwick!

“It’s seizing the moment is what it is!” said the New Zealand commentator, Murray Mexted.

“Anything can be achieved if you put your mind to it!” said an advertisement at half time.

Chris Jack, a lock forward, scored a try a few minutes after half time for New Zealand. He showed us a bit of a side step. “Who said locks could not sidestep?” said Murray as the score went to 50 -7. Too often players are stereotyped in rugby.

It has always been said, usually by the backs, that forwards cannot run fast with the ball. Teams, like the All Blacks, that ignore these false limitations usually win matches. The All Black forwards can run fast and can catch and pass the ball with great skill.

Italy contested the match vigorously as soon as they recovered from stage fright at playing the renowned All Blacks. You have to play the man and not the jersey.

Successful people are not intimidated by the reputation of a group or an individual whether they are the All Blacks or anybody else. Every human being has huge abilities wherever they come from.

Eight years ago in 1999, the All Blacks were defeated by France. France will have to repeat that performance next weekend in the quarter finals in Cardiff if they are to reach the semi-final.

Italy nearly reached the try line again but then the All Blacks scored instead.

The score was now 57 – 7. A try was next achieved by Jerry Collins for New Zealand. The score moved up to 62 – 7. Jerry then scored another try 69 – 7. Once you score a try you get a taste for it! Get some success and you want more.

Italy managed to score a second try from good old fashioned support play before the end of the match. Eventually New Zealand won 76 -14. They like to be way ahead of the competition and they make sure they are.

An All Black coach revealed one of their secrets. They get plenty of relaxation for both body and mind by sleeping and eating well and by doing sports they enjoy as well as rugby. Having plenty of sleep, good food, fun and relaxation is a key element in any success.

Australia also like to be well out in front. They are the most successful team in the rugby union world cup series. They beat an improving Japanese team by 91 – 3. Australia scored thirteen tries. The Japanese did not score any.

The great teams are not content to just win. They want to annihilate the competition and achieve almost impossible standards of excellence.

On Sunday 9th September in the Parc des Princes, South Africa, another favourite team to win the cup, beat Samoa 69 – 7.

Like the All Blacks, the Samoans perform a war dance which they call a ‘siva tau’ before their matches. During the dance the players feel like warriors ready to fight for their people and they carry this mindset into the rugby match.

The Samoan national rugby union team used to perform the traditional ‘Ma’ulu’ulu Moa’ on tour. Prior to the 1991 World Cup, the ‘Manu Siva Tau’ war chant was composed. It was considered to be more aggressive and effective in psyching the players up.

The Tongans also have a fearsome war dance and the Fijians, not wishing to be left out, now perform one of their own.

These war dances do not always bring victory except in the case of the All Blacks but, as suggested above, they probably mean that the teams performing them play with more fire and energy than they otherwise would.

I hope that, one day, South African may start their matches with a Zulu war dance. However, England should probably steer clear of doing a morris dance although some of these do have connections with sword fighting!

Rugby teams without war dances usually rely on their national anthems for inspiration. England also rely on the great spiritual, ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’.

South Africa play well, however, without a war dance and have won the world cup before. They believe, every time that the world cup takes place, that they can win it. They certainly started off well by defeating Samoa.

On Tuesday, England were hit with injuries and a suspension. None of them apart from the suspension came from the actual game of Rugby. Clive Ashton hinted that he wouldn’t have minded if the injuries had come from something serious like being kicked on the floor by ten forwards!

What success lessons can we learn from the above account?

We can use the power of movement and exercise to inspire us to achieve success in any field of human activity.

Roger Haeske has written an article about how exercise can make us wealthy! His view is that exercise makes us more energetic and productive and, therefore, more likely to make more money. I agree.

Drawing strength from the example of your ancestors whether they are Robert the Bruce or some one less famous but equally heroic.

Move fast and seize every opportunity that comes your way.

Too often players are stereotyped in rugby and in life in general. We need to ignore these stereotypes and find out for ourselves what we can do.

Successful people are not intimidated by the reputation of a group or an individual whether they are the All Blacks or anybody else.

Once you score a try you get a taste for it! Get some success and you will want more.

Get plenty of relaxation for both body and mind. Make sure that you have fun in some part of your

work and life at least.

Believe that you will win or succeed in whatever you are doing. This will increase your chances of success exponentially.

Don’t just strive to be a hero. Strive to be a super hero!

The Table Tennis World Cup has been held since 1980. The 2009 Volkswagen Women’s World Cup was held October 10th through October 12th at the Guangzhou Gymnasium in China, the site of the 2008 World Team Championships. The LIEBHERR Men’s World Cup was held October 16th through October 18th in Russia. “Druzhba” Sports Hall inside the famous Luzhniki Complex will host participants in this tournament that many consider a dress rehearsal for the 2010 World Championships. Both the Men’s and Women’s tournaments offer cash prizes totaling $150,000.00 US Dollars. The World Team Cup, the only world team title event this year, was held October 22nd through October 25th in Austria. The cash prize for the team tournament is $300,000.00 US Dollars.

The Women’s World Cup games are broadcast of the ITTF’s online web channel itTV. In addition to this tournament, itTV has several table tennis tournaments available for viewing. This is the best opportunity for table tennis fans to see top-ranking players in action. The men’s world title event will be presented in a new format this year. The amount of players has been increased from 16 to 19. The player roster is made up of six continental representatives, the host nation’s top player, the 11 top-rated players as detailed in the September World ranking, and the number one world-ranked “Under 18” player.

Each association is permitted a maximum of two players. This creates a group of athletes who fall within a wide range of rankings, from China’s Ma Long who is rated second in the world, to Oceania’s Robert Frank currently ranked at number 588. Another exciting occurrence for challengers in the Men’s World Cup is the absence of current World Champion, Wang Hao. Hao, who has won the tournament for the past two years, is taking a break after a particularly long season. The system of play has also been modified this year. Previously, all players were placed in groups for first stage competitions. This year, the continental representatives from Africa, Latin America, North America, and Oceania are scheduled to compete in the Intercontinental Cup. The winner of this tournament will advance with the other 15 players to the next stage of the event. National teams from each continent around the globe will compete at the World Team Cup organized by the Austrian Table Tennis Association.

In an effort to include teams from Africa, Latin America, North America, and Oceania, the number of invited teams was increased from eight to twelve. Qualifiers for the tournament include the best from the these continents as well as the top seven from the Evergrande Real Estate Team Table Tennis Championships and the national team from the host nation, Austria. The national teams representing Africa, Latin America, North America, and Oceania are scheduled to compete in the Intercontinental Cup on day one of the competition. The winner of the Intercontinental Cup will advance to play against the number 8 seeded team in a play-off match. The winner of this play-off will continue to stage 2 of the World Team Cup.

The FIFA World Cup 2010 Football Tournament (Soccer World Cup to South Africans) is a mere 20 months away and South Africa is truly abuzz with preparations. There is an enormous amount of pressure on South Africa to execute a successful and memorable tournament and work has begun in full force to ensure that the tournament is fault-free.

Construction and Scaffolding is Key

The construction sector is booming and reaping the benefits of these preparations as stadiums are built along with new roads and freeways. Buildings, suburbs and districts are being renovated to create an attractive, first-world image of South Africa to visiting foreigners and television audiences from around the world.

Scaffolding is imperative to the preparatory processes as scaffolding is required for not only various formwork and construction projects, but also to provide safe and easy access for renovations and restorations.

Roads

The influx of people into South Africa for the World Cup, and especially into the main cities of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, requires that many infrastructure upgrades be made in these cities. The Department of Transport has been given a budget of R92-billion to bring the standard of the roads up to a level where they can cope with the enormous influx of traffic.

In Cape Town, the freeway system has always been relatively small and unable to cope with the volume of everyday traffic in and out of town. Roads are being widened to cope with the increased traffic that 2010 will bring. Many other cities are expanding their road infrastructure and repairing problems such as potholes. Scaffolding is used to build these new roads and complete the necessary formwork for the new infrastructure.

Buildings and Structures

In 2010 host cities, hotels are being built, old buildings are being restored to their former attractiveness and ‘bad’ areas are being cleaned up. The older buildings that are being restored are a mixture of high-rise blocks and smaller structures and scaffolding is needed to complete all of these adjustments and new structures.

Scaffolding is needed in the restoration process to allow workers access to high and difficult places to reach, whilst maintaining the safety of the workmen and bystanders.

Airports

One of the major construction projects taking place to accommodate the World Cup in 2010 is the expansion of South Africa’s main airports. Over R5.2-billion has been invested in developing South Africa’s airports to world-class standards. Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg have seen the majority of expansions, especially Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport which has benefitted from a R1.6-billion investment to develop the central terminal.

The terminal is linked to the Gautrain, a high speed train which will travel from OR Tambo Airport to Johannesburg.

Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg airports have had their existing parking facilities upgraded to large, multi-story parkades to allow sufficient parking for the influx of visitors. R132-million has been budgeted for refurbishments at national airports which will provide temporary facilities during the tournament.

Stadiums

There are five stadiums which are being constructed from new, adding to the stadiums already existing in South Africa. Green Point Stadium in the Western Cape (the previous Green Point Stadium was demolished in 2007), the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex, the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth and the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban are under construction currently to be finished for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The FNB Stadium, Ellis Park in Johannesburg and Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane, along with the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in North West and Vodacom Park in Mangaung (Bloemfontein) are in the process of being upgraded to increase capacity and improve facilities.

These stadiums require enormous engineering feats and advanced use of scaffolding and formwork to ensure that the structures are completed on time and in good quality to achieve the maximum success for South Africa in hosting the tournament.

The FIFA World Cup is the most watched sporting event in the world. All eyes will be on South Africa to perform not only on the field, but also as a host country. With current construction underway, scaffolding is helping engineers and contractors to achieve top results in less time, with less man power but with the maximum safety available.

Whilst coffee might be one of the most favorite beverages around, millions are pushed to do without it due to heartburn, acid reflux, long-term stomach discomfort and other gastrointestinal concerns. Joseph Schmer, M.D., a gastrointestinal medical expert and past co-chief of gastroenterology for Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, Ny, has personally seen for years just precisely how huge of an issue abdominal troubles are generally for coffee drinkers. “Throughout the coffee-roasting process, organic acids develop which often can bring about acid reflux, indigestion and irritated stomach,” he points out. “Cutting down most of these irritants enables coffee drinkers with hypersensitive stomachs to relish cups of coffee.”

Folks with hypersensitive stomachs might need to take a look at brews such as Coffee Legends’ Gentle Java, a brand new gourmet coffee designed mainly for coffee lovers that claim coffee upsets their stomachs. The java is created by an all-natural steam technique-popular in European countries for around 60 years-it lowers around 70 percent of all impurities and irritants. The steaming simply leaves the coffee smell, flavor along with caffeine completely unchanged-that means coffee drinkers without delicate stomachs can have the brew, as well.

While caffeine is certainly identified to assist asthma sufferers reduce episodes, recent research have shown coffee intake is sure to offer several additional health rewards. Having some coffee have been connected with a reduced risk of gallstone disease in men, lowered possibility of kidney stone formation and a decreased danger in colon cancer. Different scientific tests found coffee to be a reliable provider of potassium, valuable in advancing the effectiveness of migraine medications, and an approach of guarding against free-radical damage to cells. One study identified this had much more antioxidant action than red wine, green or black tea or orange juice.

Nonetheless, it isn’t really as effortless to pick a coffee machine as it had been in yesteryear. Brand new variations, designs along with current concept have introduced the coffee maker category to a new level. Furthermore, Coffee is rich in anti-oxidants like chlorogenic acid and melanoidins. Anti-oxidants support avoid oxidation, an activity which will cause deterioration to cells and adds to aging. It in addition might aid to shield against Alzheimer’s condition. Latest report with mice showed that caffeine equivalent to 5 cups of coffee per day decreased the build up of dangerous plaques in the brain.

On the down side are coffee’s well-documented adverse reactions: panic, sleeping disorders, tremor and intermittent heart beat. It can also aggravate the digestive system, bladder and prostate. When an individual feel any of these outcomes, you’re better off staying away from coffee, regardless of what prospective health gains it may hold. The way coffee influences you is the most certain guide to whether or not you ought to be consuming it at all and, if that’s the case, what amount. Having said that, I always aim to provide an individual with the good as well as the negative and even discuss related to the important issue: MODERATION on taking in any kind of food and drink specifically those that are potentially unfavorable for anyone.

Forestry funds have traditionally focused their resources on afforestation and reforestation as well as the production of timber and timber products. It isn’t so common for forestry funds to choose projects that, besides trees, also incorporate crops. That can soon change, as there is a new investment opportunity, which may just be gaining momentum.

Starbucks, the largest U.S. coffee chain, announced last week that climate change could severely affect the world’s coffee supply and, thus, put your morning caffeine fix in jeopardy. In an interview for The Guardian, Starbucks sustainability director Jim Hanna said: “What we are really seeing as a company as we look 10, 20, 30 years down the road – if conditions continue as they are – is a potentially significant risk to our supply chain, which is the Arabica coffee bean.”

Hanna further explains that hurricanes, resistant pests, mudslides and soil erosion are causing significant decreases in crop harvest in coffee farms across Central America, where most of Starbucks’ crop suppliers are located.

Unfortunately, Starbucks aren’t the only ones, who are seeing the alarming trend regarding the future of the drinkable black gold and one of the world’s most traded commodities. According to the Smithsonian, a study based on 7,000 farmers in Mexico and Central America predicts that global warming trends will shrink coffee supply by as much as 30 per cent by 2050.

There is, however, a simple solution, which, if not reverse, may at least slow down theeffects of climate change on world coffee supplies, and that solution is agroforestry. The method of agroforestry combines crop planting with species of trees, which mutually help each other grow, especially in severe environmental circumstances.

Agroforestry isn’t a new phenomenon on coffee plantations. A report by the U.S. nonprofit and independent research organisation Resources for the Future, claims that, in 1998, 95 per cent of El Salvador’s coffee was shade grown. And the benefits of shade-grown coffee seem to be pretty promising.

During research conducted in Sumatra, the World Agroforestry Centre observed that, while coffee does not have to be grown inside a forest, shading the bushes with trees protects coffee plants against too much sun. In full sunlight, the Centre claims, coffee plants get exhausted by their rapid bean production, while in the shade, they produce their fruit more gradually. At the same time, the lifespan of the bush is extended, prompting it to produce more coffee in the long run.

Moreover, the slower ripening of berries caused by tree shading is found to have positive influence on the flavour of coffee. There is also reduced weed pressure in coffee agroforestry plantations, because coffee is more shade tolerant than weeds are.

Trees are known to protect the topsoil and to facilitate the formation of soil organic matter. Certain leguminous tree species enrich the soil with nitrogen by obtaining it from the air and making it available in the soil. Coffee plants then use the nitrogen to grow and mature. Shading also provides for what the Centre calls “microclimate” similar to that of the forest, reducing the risks of disease and insect attacks.

Another report by The American Phytopathological Society explains that agroforestry systems “could also modify pests and disease incidence compared with monospecific plantations.”

Probably the most comprehensive research was conducted by experts from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. By reviewing more than 50 studies on shade-grown coffee farms in regions ranging from Central and South America to Indonesia over the past 15 years, experts concluded that shade-grown coffee production had significant advantage to sun-grown coffee farms. Here are some key findings:

• Agroforestry increases soil carbon, soil nitrogen and enzyme activity – all essential for soil fertility and plant health. Nitrogen-fixing trees in shade-grown coffee can put up to 100 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare per year into the soil, potentially reducing the amount of fertilizer a farmer would have to apply by 25 to 30 per cent.

• In Venezuela, sun coffee systems suffered twice the soil loss from erosion compared to shaded systems.

• In Nicaragua, the carbon content in the soil (an indicator of soil fertility) of shaded coffee was found to be 18 per cent higher than that found in coffee with little or no shade.

• Soil moisture in sun coffee farms is 42 per cent lower compared to coffee farms that have leafy foliage as canopy.

• Agroforestry creates a hospitable environment for richer biodiversity, including bird species. A study in Guatemala found that birds can reduce herbivorous insect presence on coffee from 64 to 80 per cent, and excluding birds from coffee plants resulted in greater insect damage to coffee leaves.

• In a study in Jamaica, researcher excluded birds and saw a 70 per cent increase in the proportion of coffee fruits infested with the Coffee Berry Borer, coffee’s most damaging insect pest.

Considering the above findings, why aren’t more forestry funds investing in agroforestry coffee plantations? These mixed systems have all the benefits of forests in terms of land value, timber production and carbon sequestration, but they also incorporate the added financial benefits that come from growing coffee.

There are six African nations participating in this summer’s World Cup, so it is an endorsement of the continent’s footballing strength that Egypt, a team who will not be present when the big one kicks off, won the recent Africa Cup of Nations.

It was the Pharaohs’ third consecutive victory in that competition – a period of dominance that goes some way to compensate for their absence from the forthcoming World Cup that was painfully enforced by a bitter play-off defeat by rivals Algeria.

Algeria endured a tough Cup of Nations campaign that started with a 3-0 defeat by a weak Malawi outfit and ended with a 4-0 revenge hammering by Egypt in the semi-finals. Their presence in the last four flattered them and they must improve drastically if they are to be competitive in a World Cup group that contains England, USA and Slovenia.

Ghana were runners-up to Egypt last week, but like Algeria, they will not necessarily gain much confidence from that performance – they were outclassed by Cote d’Ivoire in a group that was hit by the absence of Togo and their whole campaign was undermined by a lack of goals.

However, the Black Stars were missing some of their key players, most notably Michael Essien and their good showing in the 2006 World Cup, when they reached the second round, means they should not be discounted this time around.

Nigeria have qualified for their fourth World Cup in five attempts and, along with Greece and South Korea, they will make life tough for Argentina. The Super Eagles are defensively sound and capable of advancing to the knockout stages.

South Africa’s absence from the Cup of Nations shows how weak the hosts are going into the big one. They need to find some of the inspiration South Korea found in 2002 when they staged the tournament. Sadly though, a first round exit seems inevitable for South Africa.

Cameroon showed flashes of their old brilliance in the Cup of Nations, but proved they are fallible at the back and still over-reliant on Samuel Eto’o for attacking inspiration. Netherlands, Japan and Denmark should prove too strong in the summer.

All this means Cote d’Ivoire, quarter final losers to Algeria in the Cup of Nations, are the African team best placed to prosper in the 2010 Football World Cup. They qualified impressively and their strength in depth makes them a good bet to cause an upset in the group of death that comprises Brazil, Portugal and North Korea.

However, there is still a long way to go before the start of the World Cup and many African players are fighting for domestic honours in England.

John Pantsil, who plays for Ghana, will be hoping that his club side Fulham win some silverware this season.

The club are set to face Shakhtar Donetsk later this month, but the UEFA Europa League betting odds suggest the London team are unlikely to progress to the next round of the competition.

Cups as we know are essentially a container shaped like a bowl that we use to drink beverages from. Cups have been found to be used in the most ancient of times with archaeological findings dating as far back as several millennia. These cups have been used to drink all beverages from water to wine in all manner of shapes and designs from skull cups to goblets to chalices. Goblets on the whole are generally cups with stands made traditionally from metals and were the most common drink ware in medieval times.

Goblets, in fact are featured prominently in multiple artworks dating back thousands of years ago. One of them most common types of goblets are chalices. Chalices are so old that they have been dated back to the early beginnings of the Roman Catholic Church originally used during Holy Communions to carry Communion Wine. These chalices were essentially a form of goblet made of precious metals such as gold and silver and often accessorized with enamels as well as encrusted jewels designed mostly for ceremonial purposes. Today, with goblets and chalices going out of fashion due to their monumental costs of production, they have been replaced by their modern counterparts such as mugs and teacups.

Despite this, mugs predate goblets by several millennia. Before our ancestors ever discovered how to work metal, they first discovered ceramics which enabled them to make mugs very different from what we put our coffee in today. Although the mugs had a handle on the side similar to modern-day coffee mugs, these older versions were made with all matter of materials ranging from skulls, clay, wood and metal. However, these versions of mugs were difficult when used for hot beverages and it was not until around 600A.D. when porcelain was invented in China that the thin-walled mugs we know today gained popularity.

Another popular form of cups is the teacups which are similar to coffee cups with their main difference being the beverage they hold. Both types of cups can only be described as small cups with handles in the sides that allow handling with a thumb and one to two digits normally accompanied by a saucer whereby the cup is placed on the saucer. These cups were most often produced using ceramic materials with the most common being porcelain. The earliest form of cups designed specifically for the drinking of tea originated in the 10th Century B.C. in China.

These cups did not have handles until the production of their European counterparts which usually comprised of entire tea-sets. Another form of cups is the Quaich, a double handled shallow cup with origins tracing back to Scotland. Traditionally these cups were made with wood in the Highlands and were later mounted with silver when they gained popularity in locations such as Edinburgh and Glasgow. Another more peculiar form of the cup is the Pythagorean cup which was used originally to force the user to drink from it only in moderation aside from being used as a drink ware.

For instance, the 1992 World Cup was an almost sure win but its result was marred by rain. Those were the days when the Duckworth-Lewis method was not yet introduced to the cricketing world. They lost to Australia due to the absurd situation where they had to score 22 runs from just 1 ball. Similarly, in the 1999 World Cup, South Africa and Australia were pitched against one another once in the Super Six match and another time in the semi-final. Both times South Africa was unable to record a victory as they lost the Super Six match and the semi-final was an exciting tie with the Aussies getting the best of the game. This way the South African team could not make it into the finals.

The 2003 World Cup was hosted by South Africa but they couldn’t make it any farther than the group stage because of confusion in figuring out the number of runs they had to make in order to chase the rival team’s score. Shaun Pollock, the then captain of the team, resigned because of the mishap and Graeme Smith replaced him. However, Pollock continued playing for his team. Smith’s captaincy has been able to make the team perform somewhat better than earlier. To give them their due, some of the main players of the team retired, such as, Allan Donald and Jonty Rhodes. Hanse Cronje also met with an untimely and unfortunate end both in his career and life. 2004 was not such a great year as they lost every tournament except one against West Indies.

2007 saw the Proteas become the No. 1 ranked team but they did not put up a very impressive show in the 2007 World Cup. It was an event full of ups and downs for them. They had brilliant wins over England, West Indies, Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland, as well as a marginal win over Sri Lanka. Then they went downhill by losing in a terrible fashion to Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh. This made them fall down from the top of the cricket rating. This was not all. They also lost to Australia in the semi-finals with the lowest ever score they had ever managed in the World Cup. They were all bowled out for 149.

Despite all these pitfalls, South Africa has once again emerged as the top ranking team in one day cricket. They stand at number 5 in the test cricket ratings. This is the result of a large number of wins that they recorded from January to November 2005. The South African team has also had the privilege of being the team with the longest successful run chase and the second highest total scored by a team in a 1-day International match which they played against Australia in 2006.

In the first ICC T20 World Cup in which South Africa played host, they lost to India in the last match of the Super 8s and thus could not progress any further. What is left to see is whether they will be able to get rid of this jinx which they have been suffering from since long in winning major events. The 2009 T20 World Cup taking place in England will be a test of their strength as a team and their ability to face challenges. With Shaun Pollock gone, all eyes will be on newcomers Dale Styen, Albie Morkel and Morne Morkel. Do keep track of the progress of the South African team if you are a cricket fan. If you cannot go to watch the matches or even see them on TV due to screening problems. Keep yourself up to date by checking live scores online.

Gevalia, the home delivery roastery that distributes super-premium coffee and teas, is not only delicious but can benefit the drinker in more ways than one. The company values its personal touch as it proudly offers over 40 types of premium coffees and teas that they will deliver to your door just the way you want it. There is no better way to receive the finest quality product than having it brought straight to you.

The very best in coffee and tea home delivery since 1983, Gevalia has revolutionized the industry by offering such a wide variety that there is no reason to go anywhere else. And you don’t even have to leave your own home. Their website format is both simple and informative, which allows for swift navigation to finding your favorite coffees and teas. The Coffee Club feature that they offer is fantastic as the products that you want are delivered on a schedule of your choice and is proudly backed by the guarantee that one will either love the coffee or it’s free. A quick stop by the Gevalia Shop allows for some select choices of individual coffees and teas, custom baskets, and even top of the line coffee makers and tea kettles.

The benefits of Gevalia’s super-premium products have more advantages to people’s health than one would initially assume. Their selection of coffee has a variety of health benefits that even the most avid coffee drinker will most likely not be aware of. The rumor that coffee caused drinkers to become more dehydrated is false and actually hydrates quite effectively. Coffee can enhance exercise performance of devoted athletes and casual exercisers of both genders and all ages by improving muscular work capacity and enhancing endurance training. Gevalia coffee can also assist in a more productive work day and safer driving as it will keep the person attentive and alert, which promotes cognitive brain function. The benefits of tea that Gevalia provides include such things as helping to prevent blood clotting and lower cholesterol levels. It can also help to stimulate a person’s immune system and is known to do such amazing things as help with the deactivation of disease promoters and neutralize enzymes of some terminal illnesses.

Espresso is made by forcing hot water of about 194 degrees Fahrenheit or about 90 degrees Celsius through about seven to ten grams of very finely ground coffee beans. You really need to grind your coffee beans thoroughly in order to make a good cup of Espresso. You will have to use an Espresso tamper for this. You need to use about 30 pounds of pressure to the coffee grounds in order to get them fine enough for a good Espresso.

Some Espresso machines commercially available on the market today, will apply this pressure for you. But not all of them. And even if you have an automatic Espresso machine, you may still be required to tamp the grounds a little bit before inserting them into your machine.

Before your Espresso machine can make you the cup of coffee you desire, it has to heat up properly. It only has to heat up for about half a minute, so don’t go anywhere because 30 seconds are over before you know it. If you have an older Espresso machine that has seen some wear and tear, then it might take longer for it to warm up. But it certainly won’t be longer than a minute. You will have to experiment with this a little bit. Every machine has its own character, and you must get to know the personality of your own Espresso machine!

If you’re wondering how to make the best Espresso coffee each and every time you use it… then it’s important that you clean your machine after every time you use it. This ensures it will last a long time so it can keep on making you good Espressos.

Once you’ve learned how to make good Espresso, you can start experimenting with all sorts of coffee recipes to find out which one is to your liking.

The Best Espresso Coffee

For example, you might want to turn your Espresso into a Cappuccino. Or maybe the Mochaccino is more to your liking. Or what about the…

• Americano
• Latte
• Macchiato
• Espresso Sundae
• Con Panna
• Romano
• Mocha latte
• Corrected Espresso
• Amaretto Rum Cappuccino
• Iced Biscotti
• Breve
• Espresso Anise
• Affogato Mocha
• Iced Carmelotto

The options are limitless. And while modern machines automate a great deal of the espresso making process, you’d be amazed at how much you can learn just by using your machine with all sorts of settings. It takes years for a person to become an expert at making the best shot of espresso. Until you learn to make the perfect cup, you can have lots of fun experimenting with all the types of beverages that a modern machine can make!