Barcelona meet Real Madrid and Manchester United face Schalke in Champions League semi-finals As expected, there's an all-Spanish Clasico and a meeting of two northern teams from Germany and England as Europe's premier competition draws to a close.

The Champions League final four has been decided. Real Madrid's aggregate win over Tottenham Hotspur sets it up for a semifinal date with eternal rivals Barcelona, the vanquishers of Shakhtar Donetsk. In the other fixture Manchester United's reward for ousting Chelsea is a meeting with the side that eliminated reigning champions Inter, Schalke 04.

The German and English clubs meet on Tuesday, 26 April and Wednesday, 4 May. The two Spanish outfits clash on Wednesday, 27 April and Tuesday, 3 May. All four matches kick off at 20:45 CET (19:45 BST, 2:45pm EDT.)

London's Wembley Stadium is the venue for the grand final, which will be contested by the two semifinal victors on Saturday, May 28 2011 at 20:45 CET.


Барселона задоволення "Реал" і "Манчестер Юнайтед"обличчя "Шальке" в Лізі чемпіонів півфінал Як і очікувалося, є все-іспанська Класік і зустріч двох команд з північної Німеччини і Англії як прем'єра конкуренції Європі добігає кінця.


Ліга Чемпіонів Фінал чотирьох було вирішено. сукупний виграш "Реала" за "Тоттенхем встановлює його для півфіналу дати з вічним суперникам Барселоні, vanquishers донецького" ​​Шахтаря ". В іншій арматурі нагороду "Манчестер Юнайтед" для витіснення "Челсі" є зустріч з тієї сторони, яка усунена діючих чемпіонів "Інтер", "Шальке 04 ".

Німецькі та англійські клуби зустрітися у вівторок, 26 КВІТНЯ І У СЕРЕДУ 4 травня. Зіткнення двох іспанських наряди на середу, 27 квітня і у вівторок, 3 травня. Всі чотири матчі розпочнеться о 20:45 CET (19:45 BST, 2:45 вечора EDT).

Лондонський стадіон Уемблі є місцем для Grand Final, який буде оскаржена два півфінали переможці на суботу, 28 Травня 2011 в 20:45 CET.


Real Madrid Barcelona dignum et faciem Manchester United Champions League Schalke in ultima sicut semi-spe illic 'an all-Spanish Clasico et concursus duorum teams septentrionalis Angliae Germanicus Premier Europae competition vergit ad finem.


The Champions League quaternario finis sermo. Real Madrid's aggregate EFFRENUS Tottenham trahat ponetque illud in eterna date semifinal Barcelona aemuli et in Shakhtar Donetsk triumphatores. Alio's fixture Manchester United Chelsea ousting pretium est colloquium tolli parte regnantem Inter auctores, IV Schalke.

Germani Anglis obviam fustibus on Tuesday, April XXVI et Mercurii, IV Maii. Hispaniis concurrere outfits on Wednesday, April XXVII et Martis May III. Matches per quattuor 20:45 at kick off CET (GMT 19:45, 2:45 PM.)

London Wembley Stadium's venue est egregia ultima, quae erat primus ex duabus victores semifinal Saturday, May 20:45 XXVIII CET MMXI at.

MAN UNITED, BARCELONA ADVANCE TO CHAMPION SEMIS

MANCHESTER, England - Manchester United moved into the Champions League semifinals by beating English rival Chelsea 2-1 on Tuesday night, and Lionel Messi scored his team-record 48th goal of the season to advance Barcelona with a 1-0 victory at Shakhtar Donetsk.

Javier Hernandez scored in the 43rd minute for United off Ryan Giggs' cross. After Didier Drogba tied the score in the 77th, Park Ji-sung scored off the restart, with Giggs again getting the assist, giving United a 3-1 aggregate win. Chelsea finished a man short after Ramires was ejected in the 70th for his second yellow card — both for fouls on Nani.

"It was a tough game tonight," the 37-year-old Giggs said. "We scored a couple of great goals. My job in the center was made easier with Michael Carrick next to me, who had a fantastic two games. It's easier as you get older because you pick your moments."

Weekly Travel Q&A: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid Clásico Fever

I live for FC Barcelona and have Clásico fever. Barça and archrival Real Madrid are set to play a record seven times in 2011 and quite possibly four times between April 16 and May 3. This is without precedent in the history of the legendary clubs and the perfect opportunity for me to pull up stakes and fly to Spain to catch my beloved team in action for the first time. Whatever the cost, whatever the obstacles, I will do what it takes to snag tickets to all four contests. All I need is a little assistance in the hotel department. Help this Barça fan live his dream!

Keith U., Milwaukee



Fans pack Camp Nou, Barcelona – Photo credit

What a tasty time to be a Barça fan or, indeed, fan of European club football. You hit it on the nail Keith – 2011 is a special year for avid observers of El Clásico. Arguably the best (certainly most glamourous) non-derby rivalry in Europe, the intermittent clashes between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid lure global television audiences in excess of the Super Bowl. This year is set up beautifully, all because of the Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League and La Liga fixture schedules. With talent like David Villa, Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta for Barcelona and Sergio Ramos, Emmanuel Adebayor, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká for Madrid, even passive football fans will tune in. And who ever tires of the quote machine a.ka. Real manager José Mourinho?

Though Barça and Real still technically have to dispense of Shakhtar Donetsk and Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions quarters, it looks about done. With that, the Clásico schedule looks like this:

Saturday, April 16
La Liga Fixture
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid

Wednesday, April 20
Copa del Rey Final
Estadio Mestalla, Valencia

Wednesday, April 27
UEFA Champions League Semi-Final
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid

Tuesday, May 3
UEFA Champions League Semi-Final
Camp Nou, Barcelona

This is your dream football schedule Keith. Four Clásico match-ups in 18 days. You basically need a list of Madrid hotels, some for Valencia and hotels in Barcelona as well.

Madrid

Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is central-ish and about 5 km from the Prado up Paseo de la Castellana. As a result, you can select from a wide pool of convenient hotels. My picks include the Holiday Inn Madrid, which is a mere 1.5 km walk to the stadium. No need to arrange transport to and from, just stroll on out. Clean, spacious and affordable.

Another solid bet in Madrid is the Espahotel Plaza Basilica Aparthotel. Within the same vicinity of the Bernabéu as the Holiday Inn, the hotel is more like a home away from home. If you plan to stay in Madrid between the fixture and Champions semi match, this could be your top option.

Valencia

Home to the annual Falles festival and the spectacular modernist Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, Valencia is a wonderful city. But your mission is to take in the Copa del Rey final at noisy Estadio Mestalla. Which is why I recommend The Westin Valencia. A luxury property but well worth the splurge.

Barcelona

The Champions semi on May 3 promises to be epic, with a surefire electric atmosphere at mythical Camp Nou. You could bunk near the stadium but take my advice and check out the Tryp Condal Mar Hotel Barcelona. Though 9 plus km from the stadium, the hotel is a good bang for your buck. To get to Camp Nou from the hotel, simply take the Metro from El Maresme | Fòrum Metro to Cornellà Centre. Fifty minutes tops.

If you absolutely want to stay as close to Camp Nou as possible, the Princesa Sofia Gran Hotel Barcelona is definitely the way to go. A comfortable, affordable five-star mere minutes from the stadium.

Good luck and enjoy your football pilgrimage.

Arsenal Look To Sign Another Barcelona Starlet

FotBall Gossip

Arsenal will start the summer transfer showdown with Barcelona by attempting to lure defender Xavi Quintilla from the Nou Camp.
The 15-year-old has been watched several times by Gunners scouts and Barcelona, aware of the interest, are trying to tie him to a new contract.
Arsenal have already secured Jon Miquel Toral Harper, 16, from the Catalonia club which caused outrage from president Sandro Rossell.
He was angry that Arsenal were stealing all their top talent on the cheap as they did with Cesc Fabregas and Fran Merida.
Arsenal insist they have done nothing wrong and point to the fact the La Liga club took Lionel Messi to Spain at a very early age.
The signing of Quintilla is set to spark a summer of transfer speculation between the club, and with relations already strained, it could get ugly.
Barcelona are set to renew their efforts to bring Fabregas back to his hometown club.
The 23-year-old was keen to move last summer but the Barcelona board would not meet Arsenal’s £50million valuation.

Has the shadow of Barcelona finally taken the shine off The Special One?

whATS sHaDOW??

Jose Mourinho’s has lasted nine years, laying waste to swathes of European football with its unique brand of narcissistic aggression.

Other managers, many of them august and principled men, have been swept aside and ridiculed as the Special One blew their ­reputations to smithereens.

But yesterday when he climbed back up on to the stage at Real Madrid’s training ground, ­Mourinho spoke like a missile that had lost the knack of how to seek heat.


He looked more careworn and thinner than we remember him at Chelsea or even in his firestorm days at Inter Milan. There was no fight in him.

He kept a sneer on his face for much of the time, bristling at some of the questions from the Spanish media with whom he has a ­fractious relationship. But mostly, he seemed dispirited and listless.

It is rare to be able to tell that he is under pressure but yesterday, as his Real team prepared to face Spurs in the first leg of their ­Champions League quarter final, it was easy.

There was melancholy in his words and his eyes were never still, darting restlessly all over the room even when he was listening to the answers of his striker, Gonzalo Higuain, who was sitting next to him.

Some of it stems from the fact that on Saturday, Real lost to Sporting Gijon at the Bernabeu, ending Mourinho’s remarkable nine-year record of not losing a home league game.

But there is a wider issue for Mourinho in Spain, too. It is ­beginning to dawn on him that even his customary habit of throwing money as well as attitude at the situation might not be enough to get close to a team like Barcelona.

Real Madrid may be second to the Catalan giants but they are eight points behind them and a world away in terms of the football they play.

That means Mourinho’s season and his future at Real, already a topic of fierce debate, hinges on the quarter-final tie with Spurs, not necessarily good news for Harry Redknapp’s team.

But look at his probable side tonight and it does not strike fear into an opponent the way ­Barcelona’s does. Sure men like Ronaldo, Di Maria, Adebayor, Higuain and Ozil are fine players but they’re not Xavi, David Villa, Iniesta and Messi.

Mourinho is not used to being made to look second-rate and so the coping mechanism he adopted yesterday was to suggest that the Champions League was really the only trophy he cared about anyway.

Convenient, that, especially given that he is one of only a select few managers to have won the competition twice and now to have guided Madrid to the last eight for the first time in seven years.

“This is the kind of match that Real has not played in for some years,” Mourinho reminded everyone, “and that the Santiago Bernabeu has not seen for some years.

“The Champions League is the most important club competition in the world. This match with Spurs is the only match we have been thinking about.

“It is too beautiful a match to be thinking about other things.”

At that point, Mourinho turned to Higuain. “How many times have you played in the quarter-finals of the Champions League?” he asked him.

“None,” Higuain said.

“None,” Mourinho repeated for emphasis.

“He is a top player, too. Do you think he was worrying about Sporting Gijon? No, of course not.”

So that was La Liga neatly and briefly dismissed. Just in case anyone thought he might have cared.

As for the rest of his ­performance, Mourinho dwelled as long as he could on the injury problems that have beset his side and then lavished praise on Spurs’ Rafael Van der Vaart for choosing to leave Madrid in the summer.

Listen to this because it almost sounded as though Mourinho was sending out a rather crude coded message to his employers.

“Rafael made a good choice,” he said. “I always like players to be happy and I feel he is very happy now. I feel he is a very happy boy now.

“I am very happy he is doing so well and I am very happy he is happy. So, again, he made a very good choice.”

Mourinho was happy for Gareth Bale, too, although he said Madrid probably wouldn’t buy him because they already had ­Cristiano Ronaldo to play in his position on the left.

And, finally, Mourinho was happy for Redknapp.

“Harry is my friend,” Mourinho said, “and friends are always nice to each other. I say nice things about him and he says nice things about me. That’s life.

“He is a good manager for any team, including a national team. I think there is no limits for him. Give him a team, a national team and he is ready for anything.

“I’m very happy for him. I hope, and I say this from my heart, that if I don’t reach the final, then I hope he does it.”

What he didn’t say was that if Redknapp reaches the final, that means Tottenham will have beaten Real. And if that happens, the torpedo of truth will zero in on Mourinho.



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/blogs/mirror-football-blog/Champions-League-Real-Madrid-v-Tottenham-Has-the-shadow-of-Barcelona-finally-taken-the-shine-off-Jose-Mourinho-s-status-as-The-Special-One-Oliver-Holt-Opinion-article720106.html#ixzz1If74bTzX
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Dalglish adds Barcelona winger to wish list

UNDERSTANDING ABOUT SOCCER!!!

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has added B­arcelona winger Jeffren to his summer wish-list.

It will cost the Reds £8.7million to prise the former Spain under-21 star out of the Nou Camp.

That is the price ­the 23-year-old has on his head because of the buy-out clause inserted into his contract by the Spanish ­champions.

But Dalglish is happy to meet Barca’s valuation after running a series of form checks on the Venezuela-born star. King ­Kenny, who is on the brink of signing a contract which will see him stay on as Kop manager for the next two years, has made the capture of a winger with skill, speed and crossing ability a priority.


Jeffren would jump at the chance to link up with the Anfield aces because he is fed up with being a fringe player at Barca.

He has made only 29 starts for the Catalan ­giants since making his debut five years ago.

Barcelona's Eric Abidal Returns Home After Successful Liver Surgery

Barcelona defender Eric Abidal has been released from hospital and is now resting at home after successful surgery to remove a liver tumour


Barcelona defender Eric Abidal has been released from hospital and is now resting at home recovering after undergoing surgery to remove a liver tumour last week.

The 31-year-old will begin to start exercising after approximately four weeks, making a comeback for the Spanish giants.

"The player was released from hospital last night and is resting at home," a statement on the club's official website read. "The post-operation procedures were satisfactory in every aspect and there were no complications."

Abidal has made 22 league appearances this term, as well as seven matches in Europe. His contract with the Blaugrana is set to expire in 2012.


Barcellona Eric Abidal per la casa Ritorna dopo intervento al fegato di successo

Barcellona difensore Eric Abidal è stato dimesso dall'ospedale e ora è a riposo a casa dopo l'intervento chirurgico di successo per rimuovere un tumore al fegato.


Barcellona difensore Eric Abidal è stato dimesso dall'ospedale e ora è a riposo a casa di recupero dopo aver subito un intervento chirurgico per rimuovere un tumore al fegato la settimana scorsa.

I 31 anni, inizierà a iniziare l'allenamento dopo circa quattro settimane, un ritorno per i giganti spagnoli.

"Il giocatore è stato dimesso dall'ospedale ieri sera e sta riposando a casa", una dichiarazione sul sito ufficiale del club di lettura. "Le procedure di post-operazione sono stati soddisfacenti in ogni aspetto e non ci sono state complicazioni".

Abidal ha fatto 22 presenze in campionato questo termine, così come sette partite in Europa. Il suo contratto con i blaugrana è impostato per scadere nel 2012.
Barcelone Eric Abidal Accueil retours après la chirurgie du foie réussie

Barcelone défenseur Eric Abidal a été sorti de l'hôpital et est maintenant au repos à la maison après une chirurgie réussie pour enlever une tumeur du foie.


Barcelone défenseur Eric Abidal a été sorti de l'hôpital et est maintenant au repos à la maison en convalescence après avoir subi une chirurgie pour enlever une tumeur du foie la semaine dernière.

Le 31-year-old va commencer à faire de l'exercice après environ quatre semaines, fait un retour pour les géants espagnols.

"Le joueur a été libéré de l'hôpital la nuit dernière et se repose à la maison», une déclaration sur le site officiel du club lire. "Les procédures post-opératoire a été satisfaisante dans tous les aspects et il n'y avait pas de complications."

Abidal a fait 22 apparitions en championnat ce terme, ainsi que sept matches en Europe. Son contrat avec les Blaugrana est configuré pour expirer en 2012.

Gmail - 48Hourprint.com Program application declined - kamarudinm7@gmail.com

Gmail - 48Hourprint.com Program application declined - kamarudinm7@gmail.com

Watch Leo Messi, David Beckham and Katy Perry star in new ad - video Published 16:20 23/03/11 By MirrorFootball Recommend

Want to see Lionel Messi, David Beckham and Katy Perry all strutting their equally beautiful stuff in one ad?

Then look no further as adidas has brought them all together - plus a host of other stars - in their latest advertising campaign.

You might have seen a shortened version on TV, but we've got the full-length extravaganza for you right here - plus a bonus vid.

Tonight, Tonight: The Adicts at the Granada, Barcelona at the Loft, The Spring Standards at Club Dada and Lords of Acid at Trees

Still a bit of post-SXSW spillover happening this evening as a Belgian act and a British act highlight a nice collection of area shows.

The Adicts, Leg Sweeper and The Nicholsons at the Granada Theater
Often imitated but never improved upon, the Clockwork Orange, punk rock shtick of The Adicts has endured quite well for nearly four decades now. Hailing from England, The Adicts can certainly be viewed as one of the transcending (but sadly unheralded) punk bands. Of course, back in the day, a lot of punks (especially the American variety) didn't take too kindly to any band with a frontman dressed like a clown, but Keith Warren's "uniform" only adds to The Adicts' rabid charm. Adding some local greatness this evening will be Leg Sweeper, a combustible duo that doesn't need any fancy outfits getting in the way of their ragged roar.

Barcelona, Castle Lights and Novaak at the Loft
Not to be confused with long-deceased New Wave band from Virginia called Barcelona, this indie trio hails from Seattle, a much cooler locale. And the music from this particular Barcelona is pretty cool, as well. Brian Fennell's piano-based songs are often compared with those of Coldplay and U2, and Fennell's songwriting ability indeed helps Barcelona maintain their indie credibility amidst such high aspirations. Houston's Castle Lights also excels at slightly atmospheric rock that would probably sound good in an arena setting. Same goes for Denton's fast-rising Novaak, who open this bill. Tonight's a good opportunity to catch all of these bands in an intimate setting before they outgrow such venues.

The Spring Standards, The Monco Poncho and Brian P. Hughes & The Jamboree at Club Dada
New York City musicians in the folk-pop trio The Spring Standards must like Texas. They've sure been in the region long enough at this point, having played 35 Conferette and then SXSW and, now, a one-off at Club Dada, which again is benefiting from the annual Austin spillover. Anyway, The Spring Standards' music is fairly pleasant stuff -- soothing, pop-indebted stuff with folk flourishes. Not sure how the surf-rock of The Monco Poncho matches with that, but either way, this should be a nice, varied bill of music.

Lords of Acid, Angelspit and Radical G at Trees
Hands down, the ugliest trio of acts playing the area, this triple-bill really is the thing your mother warned you about. Since 1988, the Belgian industrial/techo outfit known as Lords of Acid have been soiling just about any place that would book them. Overwrought and migraine-inducing, the music of Maurice Engelen is so stuffed with sadomasochistic imagery, it should well be banned in some parts. Adding to tonight's display with be Australia's Angelspit and another Belgian with off-color sensibilities, one Radical G. Take my advice, and wear disposable clothing to this one. And maybe use those earplugs for your nose.

Barcelona Target Milan's Pato And Villarreal's Nilmar As Potential Summer Signings

Barcelona Target Milan's Pato And Villarreal's Nilmar As Potential Summer Signings

Pep Guardiola is considering a move for either Pato or Nilmar in the summer, unless Fabregas is available..

Barcelona have been linked with a move for either Milan's Alexandre Pato or Villarreal's Nilmar, according to a report in AS.

Coach Pep Guardiola and sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta were thought to be considering the option of adding another world-class striker to the Camp Nou collection and it is believed that they have pin-pointed the two Brazilians.

The Blaugrana will now closely monitor both players until the summer, however a deal for either the Rossoneri or Yellow Submarine hitmen would be put on hold if Cesc Fabregas' situation changes at Arsenal.

Pato has been shunned out of his central role at Milan since the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as the two have struggled to create goal scoring chances when playing together in a front three.

Nilmar on the other hand has simply been overshadowed by a sublime season from Giuseppe Rossi at Villarreal and he has also been hampered by a bout of injuries.
Milán, Barcelona, Destino de Pato y Nilmar del Villarreal como posibles fichajes de verano

Pep Guardiola está considerando una jugada por cada Pato o Nilmar en el verano, a menos que Fábregas está disponible ..

Barcelona ha sido vinculado con un traspaso de Alexandre o Milán Pato o NilmarVillarreal, de acuerdo con un informe en la RA.

El entrenador Pep Guardiola y el director deportivo Andoni Zubizarreta se cree queteniendo en cuenta la opción de añadir otro delantero de clase mundial a lacolección del Camp Nou y se cree que han pin-señaló los dos brasileños.

El Barça ahora vigilará de cerca los dos jugadores hasta el verano, sin embargo unacuerdo, ya sea para los rossoneri o amarillo sicarios submarino sería retenida si los cambios de Cesc Fábregas 'situación en el Arsenal.

Pato ha sido rechazado de su papel central en Milán desde la llegada de ZlatanIbrahimovic, ya que los dos han tenido problemas para crear ocasiones de gol aljugar juntos en un frente de tres.

Nilmar por el contrario simplemente ha sido eclipsada por una temporada sublimede Giuseppe Rossi en el Villarreal y también ha sido obstaculizada por un brote delesiones....

バルセロナのターゲットミラノのパト、潜在的な夏のサイン会としてはビジャレアルのニウマール

ファブレガスが利用可能でない場合ジョゼップグアルディオラは、いずれかのパトやニウマール夏の動きを検討している..

バルセロナは、AS内の報告書によると、いずれかのミラノのアレクサンドルパトやビジャレアルのニウマールの動きとリンクされている。

コーチジョゼップグアルディオラとスポーツディレクターAndoni Zubizarretaは、カンプノウのコレクションに別の世界クラスのストライカーを追加するオプションを考慮すると考えられていたが、彼らはピンが2つのブラジルを指摘されていると考えられている。

Blaugranaは密接に夏まで両選手を監視する、のいずれかミランやイエローサブマリン殺し屋のただし契約は保留状態に置かれる場合はアーセナルでセスクファブレガス'状況に変更されます。

二つは目標を前に3で一緒に遊んでチャンスを得点に苦労してきた人のパトは、ズラタンイブラヒモビッチの到着以来、ミラノで彼の中心的な役割から敬遠されています。

一方、ニウマールは、単に、ビジャレアルのジュゼッペロッシから崇高なシーズンの陰に隠れている彼はまた、怪我の発作によって妨げられている。

Milan cible de Barcelone Pato et Nilmar Villarreal Comme recrues estivales potentiels

Pep Guardiola est d'envisager un déménagement soit pour Pato ou Nilmar à l'été, à moins que Fabregas est disponible ..

Barcelone a été liée à un déménagement soit pour Milan Alexandre Pato ou Nilmar Villarreal, selon un rapport publié dans AS.

Entraîneur Pep Guardiola et le directeur sportif Andoni Zubizarreta l'on croyait être envisager la possibilité d'ajouter un autre attaquant de classe mondiale à la collection du Camp Nou et l'on pense qu'ils ont fait de la pin-deux Brésiliens.

Les Blaugrana vont maintenant suivre de près les deux joueurs jusqu'à l'été, mais un accord pour deux tueurs à gages du sous-marin jaune ou Rossoneri seraient mis en attente si la situation change Cesc Fabregas "à Arsenal.

Pato a été évité de son rôle central à Milan depuis l'arrivée de Zlatan Ibrahimovic, que les deux ont lutté pour créer des occasions de marquer but lors de la lecture ainsi que dans un trio de tête.

Nilmar, d'autre part a tout simplement été éclipsé par une saison sublime de Giuseppe Rossi à Villarreal et il a également été entravée par un accès de blessures.
Барселона Цел на Милан Пато и Nilmar Виляреал като потенциални попълнениялято

Пеп Гуардиола обмисля ход както за Пато или Nilmar през лятото, освен акоФабрегас е на разположение ..

Барселона е свързван с трансфер за Алешандре Пато или Милан или ВиляреалNilmar, според доклад в AS.

Треньорът Пеп Гуардиола и спортния директор Андони Zubizarreta са смятани за разглеждане на възможността за добавяне на още един нападател от световна класа на "Камп Ноу " за събиране и се смята, че са пин-отбележидвете бразилците.

На каталунците ще следи отблизо и двамата играчи до лятото, но сделката заили убийци Росонерите или Жълтата подводница ще бъде задържан, ако СескФабрегас "ситуацията се промени в Арсенал.

Пато е избягвана от централната си роля в Милан, тъй като пристигането наЗлатан Ибрахимович, тъй като двамата са се борили за създаване гол вкарашансове, когато играят заедно в предните три.

Nilmar от друга страна само беше засенчено от грандиозния сезон от ДжузепеРоси във Виляреал и той също е затруднено от пристъп на наранявания.

Barcelona-Ziel von Mailand Pato und Villarreal Nilmar Als potenzielle Sommer Zeichnungsvolumen

Pep Guardiola erwägt einen Umzug entweder für Pato oder Nilmar im Sommer, wenn Fabregas ist ..

Barcelona haben mit einem Umzug entweder für Milans Alexandre Pato oder Villarreal Nilmar in Verbindung gebracht worden, nach einem Bericht in AS.

Trainer Pep Guardiola und Sportdirektor Andoni Zubizarreta galten als angesichts der Möglichkeit, das Hinzufügen eines weiteren Weltklasse-Stürmer auf dem Camp Nou Sammlung und es wird angenommen, dass sie punktgenau die beiden Brasilianer.

Die Katalanen werden jetzt genau beobachten, beide Spieler bis zum Sommer, würde aber einen Deal entweder für die Rossoneri oder Yellow Submarine Hitmen auf Eis gelegt werden, wenn Cesc Fabregas 'Situation ändert sich bei Arsenal.

Pato wurde gemieden aus seiner zentralen Rolle bei Milan seit der Ankunft der Zlatan Ibrahimovic, als die beiden gekämpft haben zum Ziel Torchancen beim Spielen in einem vorderen drei schaffen.

Nilmar auf der anderen Seite hat einfach durch eine erhabene Saison von Giuseppe Rossi bei Villarreal überschattet, und er hat auch durch einen Anfall von Verletzungen behindert wurde.
Milan Target Barcelony Pato i Villarreal Nilmar Jako potencjalne Signings Summer

Pep Guardiola rozważa przejście do jednej lub Nilmar Pato w lecie, chyba, że Fabregas jest dostępny ..

Barcelona były związane z przejściem na Alexandre Pato albo w Mediolanie lub Villarreal Nilmar, według raportu w AS.

Trener Pep Guardiola i dyrektor sportowy Andoni Zubizarreta miały być rozważa możliwość dodanie kolejnych światowej klasy napastnika do kolekcji Camp Nou i uważa się, że mają pin-wskazał dwóch Brazylijczyków.

Blaugrana będzie ściśle monitorować zarówno graczy do lata, jednak ofertę zarówno dla Rossoneri lub Yellow Submarine zabójców będą zawieszone, jeśli Cesc Fabregas "zmiany sytuacji w Arsenalu.

Pato jest odrzucane z jego kluczową rolę w Mediolanie od przybycia Zlatan Ibrahimovic, jak dwa starali się stworzyć strzelcow szanse, gdy grali razem w przednim trzy.

Nilmar z drugiej strony po prostu zostały przyćmione przez wzniosłe sezon z Giuseppe Rossi w Villarreal i został on również utrudnia walkę urazów.

Milano Obiettivi di Barcellona Pato e Nilmar Villarreal come potenziali acquisti estivi

Pep Guardiola sta studiando una mossa sia per Pato o Nilmar in estate, a meno che Fabregas è disponibile ..

Barcellona sono state collegate con una mossa sia per Milano Alexandre Pato o del Villarreal Nilmar, secondo un rapporto in AS.

Allenatore Pep Guardiola e il direttore sportivo Andoni Zubizarreta si riteneva fossero in considerazione la possibilità di aggiungere un altro attaccante di livello mondiale per la raccolta Camp Nou e si ritiene che essi hanno indicato la pin-due brasiliani.

I Blaugrana ora da vicino entrambi i giocatori fino a quando l'estate, comunque un affare sia per i rossoneri o Yellow Submarine sicari sarebbe stato messo in attesa se Cesc Fabregas 'la situazione cambia con l'Arsenal.

Pato è stato evitato dal suo ruolo centrale a Milano dopo l'arrivo di Zlatan Ibrahimovic, come i due hanno faticato a creare occasioni gol gol quando si gioca insieme in un fronte tre.

Nilmar d'altra parte è stato semplicemente messo in ombra da una stagione sublime da Giuseppe Rossi al Villarreal ed è stato anche ostacolato da un attacco di infortuni.
Barcelona Cieľové Milan Pato A Villarreal je Nilmar Ako Potenciálni letné Signály

Pep Guardiola zvažuje presunúť buď pre, alebo Pato Nilmar v lete, ak sa Fabregas je k dispozícii ..

Barcelona boli spojené s prechodom na Alexandre Pato buď v Miláne alebo Villarreal je Nilmar, podľa správy v AS.

Tréner Pep Guardiola a športový riaditeľ Andoni Zubizarreta boli myšlienka byť s ohľadom na možnosť pridania iného sveta-trieda útočník sa zhromažďovaním Camp Nou a to je veril, že oni majú pin-ukázal dva Brazílčania.

Blaugrana bude teraz pozorne sledovať obidva hráčov až do leta, by sa však konať buď pre Rossoneri alebo žltá ponorka Hitmen odložené, ak Cesc Fabregas 'situácia zmení v Arsenale.

Pato bol shunned z jeho ústrednú úlohu v Miláne od príchodu Zlatan Ibrahimovič, ako dvaja sa snažili vytvoriť cieľom skórovať, keď šanca hrať spolu v prednej strane tri.

Nilmar na druhej strane bol iba zatienený vznešené sezónu od Giuseppe Rossi vo Villarrealu a on bol tiež bráni záchvat zranenia.

Busquets - Dismissal was fair

Barca man defends ref's decision to dismiss Van Persie

Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets insists Arsenal striker Robin van Persie deserved to be sent off during Tuesday night's Camp Nou clash.

The Catalan giants put an end to Arsenal'sUEFA Champions League dream with a 3-1 victory on the night for a 4-3 aggregate success in an encounter which saw striker Van Persiedismissed.

The Dutchman was shown a second yellow card by Swiss referee Massimo Busacca after shooting at goal just a second after he had blown the whistle for an offside call.

Angry

The official's decision incited an angry response from both Gunners manager Arsene Wengerand Van Persie's team-mate Samir Nasri, prompting Uefa to charge the pair with improper conduct.

But Busquets, whose own-goal on Tuesday gifted Arsenal an opportunity before Barca recovered to seal the win, is adamant the referee's call was justified.

"Maybe you play better with 11 players but the sending off was fair," Busquets said in The Sun.

"He shot after the whistle had gone to waste time."

The defensive midfielder, who was employed at centre-back, added that Barca also had decisions go against them, drawing attention to Abou Diaby's foul on Lionel Messi.

He said: "Even if we start analysing the referee then we should be the ones complaining more, anyway.

"There was a penalty from Abou Diaby on Messi but all of this is over now."

Spain international Busquets feels the Gunners should feel let down by their own display rather than that of the referee.

Ambition
"If anything should disappoint Arsenal it is not the ref but how little ambition they showed," he added.

"Why did they come here only to defend when they're a team that likes to have the ball and play and attack?

"Obviously that is how we played because that is the best way to play and qualify for the next round. It's up to them to answer that."

El Barça defiende el hombre ref decisión de despedir a Van Persie


El centrocampista del Barcelona Sergio Busquets insiste delantero del Arsenal Robin van Persie merecía ser expulsado durante el campamento de choque del martes Nou.

El club catalán puso fin al sueño de la Liga de Campeones Arsenal'sUEFA con una victoria por 3-1 en la noche de un éxito total de 4-3 en un encuentro que vio el delantero Van Persiedismissed.

El holandés se mostró una segunda tarjeta amarilla por el árbitro suizo Massimo Busacca después de disparar a portería un segundo después de haber tocado el silbato para llamar a un fuera de juego.

Enojado

La decisión del funcionario generó una airada respuesta del equipo tanto Arsenal, Arsene Wengerand Van Persie compañero de Samir Nasri, lo que provocó la UEFA para cargar la par con la conducta impropia.

Sin embargo, Busquets, cuyo gol en propia meta el martes dotados Arsenal una oportunidad antes el Barça recuperó para sellar la victoria, está convencido de llamar al árbitro estaba justificada.

"Tal vez jugar mejor con 11 jugadores, pero la expulsión fue justa", dijo Busquets en The Sun.

"Le disparó después de que el silbato había ido a perder el tiempo."

El centrocampista defensivo, que trabajaba en el central, agregó que el Barça también decisiones en contra de ellos, llamando la atención sobre Abou Diaby falta sobre Lionel Messi.

Él dijo: "Incluso si nos ponemos a analizar el árbitro entonces deberíamos ser los más quejas, de todos modos.

"Hubo un penal de Abou Diaby a Messi, pero todo esto ha terminado."

Busquets España internacional siente el Arsenal debe sentirse defraudado por su propia pantalla en lugar de la del árbitro.

Ambición
"Si hay algo que debe decepcionar a Arsenal no es el árbitro, pero lo poco que mostró ambición", añadió.

"¿Por qué vienen aquí sólo para defender cuando se es un equipo que le gusta tener el balón y el juego y el ataque?

"Es evidente que así es como jugamos porque esa es la mejor manera de jugar y calificar para la siguiente ronda. Depende de a ans

คน Barca ปกป้องการตัดสินใจที่จะยกเลิกการอ้างอิง Van Persie

กองกลางบาร์เซโลน่า Sergio Busquets insists กองหน้า Arsenal Robin Van Persie สมควรให้มีการส่งออกในคืนวันอังคารปะทะแคมป์นู

ยักษ์คาตาลันหมดสิ้นไปฝัน Arsenal'sUEFA แชมเปี้ยนส์ลีกกับชัยชนะ 3-1 ในคืนเพื่อความสำเร็จในการรวม 4-3 พบซึ่งเห็นกอง Van Persiedismissed

Dutchman ได้แสดงใบเหลืองที่สองโดยผู้ตัดสินมัสซิโมสวิส Busacca หลังจากถ่ายภาพที่มีเป้าหมายเพียงแค่ที่สองหลังจากที่เขาได้เป่านกหวีดสำหรับการโทรอีกทางด้านหนึ่ง

โกรธ

การตัดสินใจอย่างเป็นทางการของ incited การตอบสนองจากทีมงานโกรธทั้งคู่ gunners ผู้จัดการ Arsene Wengerand Van Persie 's - Samir Nasri, ยูฟ่าแจ้งเรียกเก็บเงินจากคู่กับการปฏิบัติที่ไม่เหมาะสม

แต่ Busquets, ที่มีเป้าหมายของตนเองในวันอังคารที่มีพรสวรรค์อาร์เซนอลโอกาสก่อน Barca กู้คืนในการปิดผนึกชนะเป็นผู้ตัดสินของใจเพชรโทรเป็นธรรม

"บางทีคุณอาจจะเล่นดีกว่ากับ 11 ผู้เล่น แต่การส่งออกเป็นธรรม"Busquets กล่าวว่าในอาทิตย์

"เขายิงหลังจากนกหวีดต้องไปเสียเวลา.

กองกลางการป้องกันที่เป็นงานที่ศูนย์กลับมาที่ Barca ยังมีการตัดสินใจไปกับพวกเขาเพื่อดึงดูดความสนใจของ Abou Diaby เหม็นใน Lionel Messi

เขากล่าวว่า"ถึงแม้เราเริ่มการวิเคราะห์ชี้ขาดแล้วเราควรจะเป็นคนบ่นมากขึ้นต่อไป

"มีการลงโทษจาก Abou Diaby บน Messi แต่ทั้งหมดนี้อยู่ที่ตอนนี้ได้."

Busquets สเปนระหว่างประเทศรู้สึก gunners ควรรู้สึกให้ลงโดยการแสดงผลของตัวเองมากกว่าที่ของผู้ตัดสิน

ความใฝ่ฝัน
"ถ้าถ้ามีอะไรทำให้ผิดหวังอาร์เซนอลจะไม่อ้างอิง แต่วิธีการที่พวกเขามีความใฝ่ฝันเล็ก ๆ "เขากล่าวเสริม

"พวกเขามาที่นี่เพียงเพื่อปกป้องเมื่อพวกเขากำลังทีมที่ชอบที่จะมีลูกและการเล่นและการโจมตีทำไม

"เห็นได้ชัดว่าเป็นวิธีการที่เราเล่นเพราะเห็นว่าเป็นวิธีที่ดีที่สุดในการเล่นและมีสิทธิ์ได้รับรอบต่อไป. ก็ขึ้นอยู่กับพวกเขาเพื่อ

beautiful barcelona

amAZIng


Our plan was to spend a few days in Barcelona, work our way up through Southern France to our final trip destination, Paris. But, as I mentioned in the previous post, we were experiencing travelers’ burnout. And the best way to combat it was to quit moving around so often. We decided it was time to start winding down and enjoy the last bit of our travels rather than run around like lunatics. We ended up splitting our last two weeks of our trip between Barcelona and Paris. And we are so glad we did. Barcelona is fun. There is so much to see and eat and do. We loved it!

We made the long bus ride from Cuenca starting at 9am and arrived in Barcelona around 7pm. By the time we hit the steps of our rented room for the week, we were knackered. But instead of feeling stressed for lost time, we had a whole week to explore. Woohoo! We spent the rest of the week exploring the city, seeing some of the usual tourist spots, and even making it out to the town of Figueres, about a two-hour train ride, to visit Salvador Dalí’s former home now called the Dalí Theatre and Museum.

We also made the obligatory tourist visit to La Rambla, a boulevard in the heart of Barcelona’s old city. It’s a bustling street full of vendors, street performers, shops and restaurants (read: tourist trap!). Just off this boulevard lies the Mercat de Sant Josep/ La Boqueria, a neighborhood market full of colorful fruit, fresh seafood, and ham legs dangling above the butcher stalls.


It’s a rainbow of colors


Giant gamba


Neck-deep in ham legs. I don’t think I was disturbed when I saw this in person, but this photo changes my mind.


Right next to the ham stalls was a vegetarian stall where “organic is orgasmic”. Pretty bold statement, I’d say.

From La Rambla, we were able to end up at the waterfront and we strolled around admiring the blue waters and imagining how nice it’d be in warmer weather.





There were these strange “arty” looking buoys in the water. From far away, it looks like a boy peeing into the sea. Up close, we realized it’s a boy holding a star behind his back as he gazes at the sky.


I like the boy peeing in the water better, like a Spanish version of Belgium’s Manneken Pis.

One of our main goals in Barcelona was to find a bar/restaurant that served a type of tapas called pintxos (pronounced “pinchos”). They consist of tasty morsels of various fresh ingredients (i.e. tomatoes, manchego cheese, anchovy, shrimp, iberico ham, olive oil, etc) topped on a slice of bread and held together in place by a toothpick. They are displayed in large plates on top of the bar. Pintxos are typical of the Basque region of Spain (more northwest of Barcelona. Barcelona is in the Catalonia region). But since we weren’t going to be making it to the Basque region this time around, we figured eating the pintxos in Barcelona would be close enough. Lo and behold, as we wandered around, we found a pintxos bar, and gorged ourselves silly on some deliciousness.


The normal course of action goes like this: order a drink, eat as many pintxos that your heart desires, count the number of toothpicks, pay the bill.

We also spent some time checking out the museums of some of Spain’s most famous artists, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró.

The Miró museum was really great except that I wasn’t feeling well, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would’ve liked. The collection of his work is vast and varied, so it kept things interesting. The museum is high up on a hill in the Parc de Montjuïc neighborhood. It was a great walk from our rented room to the museum. They also had an outdoor space with great views of Barcelona.


View from the Joan Miró Foundation

The Picasso Museum is in the neighborhood of Montcada and the museum is in an old medieval building along a narrow cobblestone pedestrian-only street. Of course with the popularity of the Picasso Museum, there are plenty of tourist traps along the way in forms of restaurants, shops, and street vendors. But, it’s a cool place to just wander about and get lost.



A pretty interesting tidbit about the museum:

In 1957, Picasso had become completely obsessed with a 1656 painting by Diego Velázquez called Las Meninas. It’s a very famous painting, and it hangs in the Museo del Prado in Madrid (sidenote: Picasso’s very famous painting called Guernica is also in Madrid at the Museo Reina Sofía). The painting IS really fascinating. It looks like a snapshot from a moment in time. Picasso proceeded to paint 58 interpretations of this painting in a period of 4 months. A whole giant room in the museum is dedicated to Picasso’s renditions.


Las Meninas by Velázquez

There was also a special exhibit about the influence of Edgar Degas on Picasso, especially all the ballet paintings and bronze sculptures Degas is famous for. Picasso also created paintings and bronze sculptures with his interpretations of Degas’ works. So, the take away message for me was: Picasso really liked interpreting other artists’ works.

The rest of the museum was okay. It contained a really large collection of Picasso’s earlier works, and personal collections from Picasso’s close friends. It was really interesting to see his artistic development and experimentation through the years, but for me, I left feeling a little underwhelmed. I think mostly, I didn’t feel like the chronological setup of the museum flowed very well. Or I don’t know, maybe I had museum burnout as well…

Okay, enough whining about burnout and let’s move onto some other good stuff.

Jay and I had both been to Barcelona separately when we were in college and there was one place that had made a big impression on both of us, and we were really excited to see it again: La Sagrada Familia. It’s a gigantic Catholic cathedral designed by the revered Catalan architect, Antonio Gaudí.

Gaudí also designed some notable landmarks in Barcelona, each becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The two most popular buildings are in the neighborhood of Eixample along the very shi-shi Passeig de Gràcia.


Casa Batlló


Casa Milà

Gaudí also designed an outdoor space called Park Güell. We took Barcelona’s awesome subway system to reach Park Güell. Outside the subway entrance, we ended up following a load of tourists in the direction of the park. We ended up at a very steep neighborhood street that had escalators to the top. Phew!


If you can peel your eyes away from this super-flattering photo of me, look behind me to see how steep the street was. Hurray for escalators!

The view at the top was awesome! We got lucky with the weather.



This street performer serenaded us with Elvis songs as we climbed our way to the top.


There was a nice winding trail that led us to the entrance of the park which was surrounded by footpaths, bridges, fountains, mosaics, and a terrace to look over the city.


A footpath underneath a bridge.


The terrace is great for people-watching and soaking in the sun. That is, if you can find a space to sit.


On the terrace looking out


Staircase up to the terrace


People were waiting in line to take pictures with this mosaic lizard.

Finally, we saved the best visit for last, Gaudí’s magnum opus, La Sagrada Familia. The building of the church began in 1882 and it’s expected to be completed in 2026. It will have taken 144 years to build this church, and exactly 100 years after Gaudí’s death. A lot of the reason that it’s taking so long is that the whole construction is funded by donations, and revenue from admissions’ tickets into the church. Also, at the time that Gaudí envisioned his masterpiece, the technology to actually build it was simply not there. Talk about someone ahead of his time!

We went there 3 days in a row trying to get inside the gates of the church and have a chance to climb one of its towering spires. First day, we arrived too late to climb the towers. Second day, the line was really, really long. The third day, the line was even longer than the day before, but we decided to wait the 2 hours in a line that circled the entire block.

I found this picture online of a scale model of what the completed structure will look like:

Teams finalise Barcelona test plans

Red Bull Racing has become the final team to confirm its testing plans for Barcelona next week, with the team electing not to join Ferrari, Mercedes, Williams and HRT in running on the final four days of the test.

The final pre-season test in Barcelona has been expanded into a five-day session after Mercedes GP elected to switch its programme - running Wednesday to Saturday instead of Tuesday until Friday.

There had been some discussion between teams about all outfits running on those days, but only Ferrari, HRT and Williams have elected to go down the Mercedes route.

Other outfits were adamant they wanted to stick to the original plan, and Red Bull Racing has spent this week evaluating whether it too would keep to the Tuesday-Friday schedule.

The team had to weigh up whether it would benefit from holding back its running so it mirrored main rival Ferrari's testing programme, or ran early to gain an extra day's preparation time before freight is shipped to Australia.

Red Bull Racing has now decided to run from Tuesday to Friday - meaning that Ferrari, Mercedes and Williams will run alone on Saturday.

As well as being the final pre-season test, Barcelona is set to mark the first time that all the 2011 cars will run at the same time, as HRT is hoping to unveil its new F111. A team spokesman told AUTOSPORT that it was "90 per cent certain" that the new car would run for the first time on the Wednesday or Thursday of the test

Social Media & SEO at Search Congress Barcelona

Yesterday I spoke at Search Congress in Barcelona Spain on the topic of improving online marketing (end even PR) with Social Media and SEO. My co-panelist was Aaron Kahlow of Online Marketing Connect and the moderator was the famous Massimo Burgio.

Just before the event, Massimo suggested we break out our Spanglish in the presentations plus I ran into Bryan Eisenberg who did a keynote – unexpectedly in Spanish because the translator didn’t show. “Gracias” and “si” are about all I know, so you can imagine the situation.

Speaking and presenting all in English wouldn’t be very considerate to the audience, so I decided to use Google translator (suggested by Mike Grehan) and translate most of my slides from English to Catalan. The presentation went over fairly well I think:



Here’s a summary of what I presented:

Search is increasingly social with the incorporation content from social sources (video, blogs, images) into standard search results ala Universal search in 2007 followed by potential toolbar data and information captured while logged in.

All major search engines take data feeds from Twitter and Facebook. In fact, if you compare the search volume numbers shared in this Search Engine Land article, Twitter is the second most popular search engine (Google 88bn, Twitter 18bn, Yahoo 9.4bn, Bin 4.1bn queries per month).

It’s an understatement to say social media usage has exploded in the past year. LinkedIn is over 100 million users, Twitter has over 200 million accounts and Facebook is around 600 million users.

The way consumer and B2B buyers discover, consume and share information has been influenced significantly by search and social technologies.

For example, I might ask my friends on Facebook if anyone can recommend good restaurants for Tapas here in Barcelona. I’ll get a few recommendations and search Google for the restaurant names. On the restaurant site I might see that Fodor’s or Lonely Planet has reviewed the restaurant and after reading that, looking at the menu, comments and Flickr photos I may decide that’s the place to make a reservation. At the restaurant I might check-in on Foursquare, take a few photos and Tweet what great (or horrible) food and service there is. Afterwards I might even leave a review on Google hotpot.

It can be argued that I’m somewhat of an early adopter, since a lot of people I know would probably only ask their friends via email for recommendations. Then they might Google the options and update their Facebook status if they had a particularly good or bad experience. But that’s still a reflection of changed discovery, consumption and sharing behaviors over a few years ago.

As marketers we have an opportunity to stay in tune with customer behaviors and adjust our marketing accordingly. To do that, here are two tactical approaches to consider:



Cycle of Social & SEO:

Create, Optimize & Promote: The cycle starts with optimized content creation and promotion.
Spark an Interest: Content is noticed, shared & voted on. Grows awareness.
Grow the Network: Increased exposure attracts more subscribers, fans, friends, followers & links.
Attract a New Audience: Increased links & social exposure grow search & referral traffic.
Extract Insights from Data: Traffic & community help research, develop & further grow social networks for content & SEO.
Learn, Modify, Repeat: With the information gained from community data, editorial optimization plans can be refined for more effective content creation, optimization and promotion.


Hub and Spoke Model for Social, SEO & Content Marketing:

Create a social hub: blog, Facebook Fan Page, YouTube channel, Forum, Niche social network, whatever you want to drive social traffic to
Develop distribution channels and communities off the hub
Spend time creating, optimizing, promoting great content on the hub and growing networks in the spokes.
The exposure of content to communities empowered to publish creates editorial visibility and links back to your hub.
Links send traffic and increase search visibility.
Three things to do now:

Establish a Listening Program: Audience analysis, brand monitoring, social keyword research.
Create a Social Media SEO Strategy: Create, optimize & promote social content, develop networks.
Make it Easy to Promote & Be Promoted: Build a distribution network for content promotion & network with influencers.
Thanks to Ouali and the team at Search Congress for the opportunity to speak as well as Matt McGowan & Mike Grehan from Incisive for inviting me and Aaron Kahlow from OMS for being a co-panelist. I hope to visit Barcelona again in the future.

Economic Peace: Some Notes from Barcelona

This weekend, I was invited to Barcelona to participate in a panel at IESE’s sustainable business conference, “Doing Good and Doing Well.”

My topic was economic peace and the role of the private sector in fostering political stability. Broadly, the conference organizers asked me to touch on whether conflicts are primarily ideologically or economically motivated, and what role private sector job creation in the developing world can have as an antidote to violence.

These are questions I’ve been pondering and writing about for the better part of the last three years in contexts as diverse as India and Pakistan; Israel and Egypt; Tunisia and the broader Maghreb; and China and the Korean peninsula. The experience has left me with such varied impressions that, when I sat down to craft remarks, I struggled to come up with something definitive. Reconstructed from my (rough) notes, here’s what I went with:

The most common argument for economic peace has its roots in the notion that there no real ideologues, only angry young men with no jobs, only societies where violence is sustained by the worthlessness of life in abject poverty. Amusingly, the people making this argument come equally from the Left (the aid community) and the Right (free traders).

It’s an argument I find unsatisfying. Ideology is not some opiate of the masses that masks real experience. It’s a mental framework by which we explain and respond to our circumstances, to be sure, but it is also an active, material process by which we make our circumstances. It is how societies reproduce themselves and as such, it lives in social institutions and material reality as much as it lives in the mind.

It is possible that changing economic ‘facts on the ground’ through aid or development will alter a society and neuter its violent ideologies; but it is equally possible that social structures have to be altered first, that an ideological and political battle must be fought and won, in order to change the economics of daily life. To suggest that causation flows only one way is to miss the point.

Specifically, the reductive tendency leads us to place emphasis on macroeconomic growth as a cure-all, when as we’ve seen in Obasanjo’s Nigeria or Ben Ali’s Tunisia or Musharraf’s Pakistan, growth can correlate quite easily with increasing political instability and conflict. For one thing, there’s the question of distribution, of how much growth is trickling down the bottom of the economic ladder to those most likely to be embroiled in crime or violence.

But even if ‘economic growth’ is replaced by a genuine focus on job creation and the building of a stable middle class, a critical challenge remains. In a society which has chosen—and this is an ideological choice—to invest its resources in militarism or theocracy but not in education or health care, an angry young man with a steady income still can’t spend it providing for his family: the services he needs aren’t there to be purchased.

Instead, they’re available to him for free from the same crowd of ‘non-state actors’ responsible for his country’s turmoil. In other words, those actors—be they mobsters or terrorists or warlords—aren’t grafting an abstract ideology onto his poverty and rage; they are producing an alternative society, complete with the services the state does not provide. It’s an ideological battle, not an economic one, to transfer a whole society’s focus and collective, public, wealth into building the social structures that make an income valuable. Without those, a little money’s not worth the paper it’s printed on.

Some people are trying to address this problem. The State Department’s 2009 push to invite foreign investment into war-ravaged Pakistan was built on promises to fund necessary social infrastructure like schools and hospitals alongside the factories that companies were invited to build, and to offer generous incentives to firms that participated. But the program fell apart in mid-2010, with too few American firms signing up and too few local businesspeople willing to invest their own capital in the program as a show of good faith. It’s an important case, if only because it reminds us that there is an ideological battle to be fought inside the global business community on behalf of social investment: the economic incentive is not enough.

At least, it is not enough when we are thinking about economic peace in terms of anti-poverty and eradicating a mentality of violence at the bottom and middle of societies. There is, however, a less democratic, but perhaps more potent, form of economic peace that I find more attractive: trade.

Leaving aside the rhetoric about people-to-people amity formed in commerce (a notion too woolly to be verified), there’s a case to be made that trade between rival states creates a constituency of powerful social elites, a country’s business leaders, who have a financial stake in improved relations. It’s their influence inside the state and social structure that matters, and their ability to exert pressure on political leaders than can prevent conflict. That is, for example, the effect that trade has had on maintaining peace between Israel and Egypt; or in preparing the South Korean leadership for a peace with the DPRK that brings the whole peninsula under Chinese, not American, stewardship.

As far as I know, this approach has yet to be tried or proven to work between active warring states, but I’d submit India and Pakistan as good candidates: the trans-shipment trade based out of Dubai that funnels goods between them is an indication that there is willingness among some business leaders to give it a go.

But it is important to note that this approach takes several decades to make its mark, that it struggles against the existing influence of a country’s military-industrial complex, and that it does not take into account human rights, democratic governance, or economic opportunity for the majority of individuals.

Trade as a tool to create pressure for peace will not get rid of angry young men; what it can do is take away the most obvious target for their AK-47s.

That said, the peace it creates can free a state to make the social investments that its populace actually needs, while the stability peace brings can pay its own economic dividends. But that depends on ideological and moral choices made at the level of political leadership; it’s entirely possible for a state to squander its peace dividends and for the end of an international conflict to give rise to a domestic civil one if the social and structural causes of violence go unaddressed.

All of which is to say that economic incentives are powerful, necessary, tools of diplomacy, but they are fundamentally insufficient as replacements for the political process or as substitutes for political ideas.

Needless to say, I was very much the Debbie Downer of the panel. Thankfully, my fellow panelists—human rights researcher Dr. Maria Prandi, Italian social entrepreneur Andrea Vigevani and Israeli-American consultant Jordan Elpern-Waxman—had more than enough ideas between them to keep discussion lively. Expect to hear more about them in future posts.

Glock set to miss Barcelona test

Timo Glock is set to miss next week's Barcelona test after having surgery to remove his appendix, AUTOSPORT can reveal.

The 28-year-old Virgin driver has had routine keyhole surgery to remove the appendix in Switzerland yesterday morning after being taken ill overnight.

The operation was declared a success and there are no doubts that Glock will be fit for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix at the end of the month.

Virgin team principal John Booth will make a final decision on whether Glock will drive in Barcelona next week, with the German believed to be keen to drive, although it is likely team-mate Jerome d'Ambrosio will run on all four days.

"Timo had an operation yesterday to remove his appendix after a sudden case of appendicitis," said Booth.

"The procedure was routine and Timo is recovering well in hospital in Switzerland, where he is likely to remain for a further 24 hours.

"To ensure a swift recovery, it is unlikely that he will take part in next week's test in Barcelona and that Jerome will run on all four days instead.

"We will make a final decision early next week. We look forward to having Timo back with us very soon."

Good Day, Bad Day: Barcelona’s ‘crisis’ and more Mourinho moaning

Good Day
Barcelona
A certain Madrid-mad Primera pundit was last week trying to convince LLL that Barcelona were 'in crisis' having dropped points against Sporting in la Liga and been beaten by Arsenal in the Champions League.
If two points dropped in the past 19 league games - the most recent of which being an away win for Pep’s Dream Boys against Mallorca on Saturday - consistutes a crisis, then LLL would like to know what phase Real Madrid are in considering the side have dropped seven points in the last seven games.
A chorus of “it’s all gone quiet over there” seems quite apt at this point.

Valencia
A 2-1 win in San Mamés is perhaps Valencia’s best result this season in la Liga - especially considering it was paired with two more dropped points by Villarreal and the fact that the win was against a team who flirted with the Champions League places, but appeared to have been turned down flat and returning to their sorry spot at the footballing bar.
Valencia now have a four point cushion in third and have only lost once in la Liga since early November, a statistic that seems to have gone largely unnoticed - especially by the club’s bosses who are uninterested in renewing Unai Emery’s contract until third place in guaranteed. It’s a harsh stance considering how well the madcap manager has done in the current campaign both domestically and in the Champions League.

Espanyol
After four straight defeats, Espanyol finally got their mojo back with a 4-1 win against the ever erratic Real Sociedad. Paul from Barcelona was there in Cornella to watch it all unfold. Most of it, anyway.
“A good but not fanatical reception for Raúl Tamudo, a couple of banners and a few chants. Once the match started it was business as usual. A fairly even first half with Espanyol players creating chances at both ends. Then a mad minute of two goals of which I saw neither. The first goal for Alvaro I saw hit the net but not the shot as some bloke walked in front of me. Perfect time to nip to the loo. Only to come back and look in disbelief at the scoreboard 1-1. From a corner apparently. Usual rubbish defending of set-pieces.
Second half only one team in it. Espanyol piled forward and a fantastic bit of control and a neat turn from Sergio García made it 2-1. Then Callejón’s weakly hit but beautifully placed cross shot made it 3-1. Then the cherry on the cake for MOM Javi Marquez to score directly from a free kick in stoppage time. Time for the Tamudo chants to finish the match.
A deserved win for Espanyol against average opposition, who lacked a cutting edge.
Well over a thousand la Real fans, who were resigned to defeat at 2-1. Ref was average but his linesman on the left had a ‘mare. Another match on Tuesday at home against Mallorca could see Espanyol consolidate the Europa league position.”
Paul, Barcelona
Atlético Madrid, Sevilla
LLL would like to thank both teams for the most fun it has had at the Vicente Calderón this season, that hasn’t involved the blog getting as high as a Sergio Ramos cross from the enormous amount of jazz cigarette smoke that hangs above the fans for every home game.
Great goals, great mistakes and a great atmosphere in a 2-2 draw between two teams in that all important battle for seventh spot.

Giovani dos Santos
Two points lost for Racing with a late equaliser for Villarreal, but another sparkling performance from the speedy on-loan striker from Spurs who has played a big part in Racing’s recent revival under Marcelino and the club’s new owner.
Deportivo
LLL has now done a bit of a Nick Clegg style U-Turn, thrown away everything it used to believe in and now loves and embraces Deportivo’s every-man-behind-the ball approach. One shot on target all game, no goals scored, 10-men defence, opposition goalkeeper having got through two books during the game. To tell you the truth, just writing that has made LLL go all tingly down below.

Levante
Levante coach, Luis García, was quite correct to say that last week’s match against Real Madrid “wasn’t their war”, with the away clash coming after three straight wins in la Primera. But on Sunday, Levante went into battle once again and it was muscle, desire and shoving fullbacks out of the way that brought the home side yet another victory. This time it was a 2-1 win over Osasuna to make it four wins in five - Champions League-chasing form in the month February.
Bad Day
José Mourinho
Huge, desperate sigh time for the blog. José Mourinho’s increasingly sad and pathetic claims that the bigwigs of the Spanish game are out to get his team are so lamentable it is no longer worth checking to see if there is any truth to them.
After moaning that the referees were against his side at the beginning of the year, the erratic Madrid manager is now accusing those setting the fixture lists for trying to scupper his title bid. We can’t for the life of us work out why.
A grouchy Mourinho wanted to play Deportivo on Sunday, giving his team an extra day’s rest after the Lyon match. “They are laughing at me behind my back,” claimed a manager who apparently wants the entire Spanish schedule fixed to suit his own particular needs despite having a squad that cost in the region of 18 billion euro to assemble.
If those setting the fixtures are laughing behind Mourinho’s back then they must be p*ssing themselves over poor Málaga, who play their ‘weekend’ match on Monday giving the team two days less than Madrid to prepare for Thursday’s league encounter in the Santiago Bernabeu. What’s more, Barcelona face a four day break to their next fixture against Valencia, whilst Real Madrid get five.
For once, The Special One should take a leaf out of AS and Marca's book, with both publications reacting to the goalless draw with Deportivo with surprising good grace. “That’s football,” said Marca’s headline on a game where the ball just didn’t want to go in despite what was a perfectly good performance from Real Madrid. “I don’t see a single Madridista angry at their team,” wrote Tomás Roncero in AS.
Kaká
The knives are turning on the Brazilian in the Madrid press after what was perceived as a dainty lady, scone-eating performance against Deportivo. “Kaká is taking too long to come back. Perhaps he’ll never come back,” mused Luis Nieto in AS.
Villarreal
Juan Carlos Garrido’s men are still in their funk which sees two defeats and now two draws in the team’s last four league matches. There were hopes that a wonderful win against Napoli on Thursday would give CPR to Villarreal’s Champions League campaign, but a 2-2 draw against Racing put paid to that. Still, it could have been a lot worse for Villarreal considering the team were 2-1 down until the final seconds until Nilmar threw himself at the ball during a desperate corner scramble.
David Navarro
The poor Valencia defender was carried from the field of play for a short amount of time after an aerial clash with Fernando Llorente. LLL can only imagine that the damage done to Navarro’s elbow was substantial considering how hard he smashed the Athletic Bilbao’s face with it.
“They’ll give him an Oscar for what he did. Navarro played the role of his life,” stormed Llorente after the 2-1 defeat.
Sporting, Zaragoza / Hércules, Getafe
Goalless draws for all teams sees everyone with a “one point, no use” look about them on Monday. Except Getafe perhaps, who managed not to be thrashed 4-0 which is something that seems to happen every couple of weeks this season.

Barcelona test delayed by 24 hours

The final test of the 2011 Formula One pre-season in Barcelona has been delayed until March 9.

Bahrain, which had been scheduled to host the opening grand prix of the year, was initially pencilled in as the home of the final testing session. However, due to political unrest, the Sakhir event was withdrawn at the start of the week.

As a result, all teams will complete their preparations in Barcelona, with original testing dates set for March 8 to March 11.

Those dates will now be put back by 24 hours, meaning testing will take place between March 9 and March 12.

The F1 season officially commences on March 25, beginning with the Australian Grand Prix.

Emirates boss insists he did nothing illegal in taking Jon Toral from the Nou Camp.

next fantastic game


Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that there has been nothing wrong in signing youngster Jon Toral from Barcelona.
Barca president Sandro Rosell described the Gunners’ approach for the 16-year-old prodigy as “a little immoral” in the Spanish press, with Toral set to follow in the footsteps of current Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas.
Reports back in Spain have suggested that Arsenal paid almost £300,000 for the player, who was free to sign with any professional club.
Despite Rosell’s protests against the move, Wenger claimed that their moves for players had been no different to the ones made for the likes of Fran Merida and Ignasi Miguel in the past.
“You forget that this boy is English. He has an English passport, his mother is from England and hopefully he will join us in the summer,” Wenger said.
“We have players who leave us for other professional clubs in England.
“We have done what just is legal.
“I love Barcelona, I love Catalonia – I have nothing against them, but when a player who is half English and Spanish wants to join us, why should we turn him down if it’s all legal?
“If we have done something illegal, I will say ‘sorry, my boy, we cannot do it’.
“Plenty of players leave us under exactly the same rule.”
Regarding Rosell’s comments, Wenger preferred to avoid a confrontation with the Catalan businessman.
“I do not want to go further on that front because it is very difficult,” he added.
“If you go in the academy of Barcelona and you look where all the players come from, come back to me and we can talk about it.”
Source: Sky Sports
Why do Barcelona make such a pathetic attempt to cause controversy over this very straight forward deal?
The basic facts are that Toral wanted to leave Barcelona, as he has family in England and wanted to get first-team experience.
He has not signed a professional contract at the Nou Camp and is free to go where he chooses.
As Wenger says Arsenal did nothing illegal.
There are moral issues, but at 16-years-old Toral can vote, so he can choose where he wants to play his football.
Barcelona putting Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta on their books when they were pre-teens is more disturbing.
The real reason Barcelona are causing a stir is the fact they are 2-1 down to the Gunners with the second leg in two weeks.
Rossell would love to see Catalan fans booing the Gunners that little bit more, especially after last summers attempt to re-sign Cesc Fabregas.
The truth is Barcelona are not as upset at losing Toral as they were with Fabregas to Arsenal and Gerard Pique to Manchester United.
Coaches at the La Masia have likened Toral’s ability more with Fran Merida than Fabregas.
Barcelona are more upset with the Spanish government for not tightening the laws surrounding the signing of youth players than with Arsenal.

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