Tiny Planet

If you’ve followed the professional soccer world at all in the last decade, you’ll be fully aware that some of them are on outrageous money. John Nicholson advocates a move away from huge set wages to a performance-related scheme, and the man speaks the truth:

A player’s agent will be quick to ask for more money for his player after one good season - but if he has a bad season will not expect his wages to drop.

The time has come to change this.

We need a large element of their wages to be performance-related and on top of that if you’re injured, your money must be cut radically. Players can easily insure their income to cover themselves for periods of lay-off - it should not be a burden the club has to bear. Players expect win bonuses but not loss reductions. Why not? That’s just having your cake and cramming it in your gob, son.

I meant to have the Dubai posts up, along with one on Fujairah, but I’m in the middle of moving house and so this has been delayed. Soon, dear reader, soon.

While Georgia declares a state of war and seeks a ceasefire, Gavin looks at what may be next for the region following what Russia calls its “peace enforcement operation”.

I spent the day in Dubai, so there shall be some photo posts to come. In the meantime, I invite you to watch this peculiarity:

What a disappointment. It was no secret that it would have nothing to do with the conspiracy plots of the series but that foreknowledge didn’t help. A weak script and really unoriginal plot, along with what seems to be the complete disregard for how the series ended, add up to a very poor movie from Chris Carter. I wanted to like it — had it not been The X-Files I may have happy enough with it as a by-the-numbers serial killer story — and I can’t say I hated it; just that I was let down. The evolution of the Mulder-Scully relationship is pleasant enough but the film captures none of the essence that the TV show had at its peak. Even the “unusual” aspects of the case are humdrum; there were far more original takes on similar things in the early seasons of the show.

My recommendation: wait until it’s broadcast on television. Don’t bother paying to see it.

It has been confirmed that water exists on the Red Planet. The elements required for life as we know it were found a few weeks ago, but this is the first definite evidence of water. Well, I’M excited.

Also, the presence of water automatically makes any manned mission easier, as the astronauts can make their own potable liquids on site rather than transporting them in bulk.

After much humming and speculation, Robbie Keane has signed for Liverpool. Will he go on to leave a legacy on a par with the likes of John Aldridge? We shall see. I hope so. Seven years after his move to Inter Milan went sour I think this will be his last chance to prove he can make it at the highest level (even if Liverpool have been reasonably poor over the last few seasons). Playing alongside the likes of Fernando Torres will do him, and by extension the Irish team, a world of good.

The birthday breakfast of champions

Happy birthday to me. So that’s one more circuit around the sun - fingers crossed I’m in for quite a few more.

On another note, I’m three weeks from departing the Middle East. Expect me to overdose on shawarma and hummus over the following days…

… Wanted and The Dark Knight. I saw both of these films this week and they were both excellent. Wanted had great pace and originality, while The Dark Knight was close to awe-inspiring. Heath Ledger was very, very good, as were Gary Oldman and Christian Bale. See them as soon as you can.

(This guest post was written by my friend Sarah, who is on a shopping expedition to the UAE capital)

If for some extraordinary reason you enjoy spending your hard-earned cash in a matter of minutes then Abu Dhabi is the place for you. As a budding materialist and capitalist I have become accustomed to frequenting the delights of designer shopping… yes, I am a label junkie and I love it. So far my shopping experience in AD has been financially crippling but I don’t mind. I think I have proved myself at least a middleweight shopaholic with the potential to become a heavyweight (if only I had the financial backing to do so). The rich Emirati women may have to wear abayas but they certainly know how to shop! Shopping here is a cultural phenomenon I never thought I would observe outside the States. I’ve been to many of the world’s finest shopping destinations and left my mark on them. So, what does Abu Dhabi have to offer the serial shopper?

We Irish have become desensitised to being ripped off. Abu Dhabi offers tax-free shopping but that’s only the beginning. Whatever your shopping pleasures, you will be able to indulge them here. If, like me, you love designer goods at a steal then welcome to my version of heaven. The malls offer the finest shopping experience. Everything you could possibly need and more importantly want can be found in the comfort of gigantic malls that put places like Dundrum in Ireland to shame. It is quite fitting that Abu Dhabi holds a shopping festival in the spring, no doubt my fellow shopaholics descend on the city hunting for that necessary adrenaline rush that comes from buying things you don’t need!

Shoppers can expect to find bargains in just about everything, be it sunglasses, handbags, clothes, food, make-up, toys, electronics and furniture. I shall leave Abu Dhabi the proud parent of six designer handbags. These precious commodities cost a fraction of what I would have paid for them back in Ireland. If you are familiar with designer handbag prices in Ireland you will know that a small Guess bag costs about 99 euro… not here. Expect to find fabulous medium to large Guess bags for those prices. The prices in AD are not the only thing to attract international shoppers; the sheer volume and variety of shops is enough to tempt any die hard shopper. Even the smallest of malls have a lot to offer but once you have whet your appetite head for Abu Dhabi Mall and Marina Mall.

Marina Mall is the second biggest mall in the UAE, but if you do come to this part of the world to test your strengths as a shopper then I would suggest you plunge into the deep end with a visit there. You will know your shopping capabilities after a short time; if you last the day, my hat off to you! If you break under the strain of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Armani and my personal favourite, Guess, then you are not worthy of my praise

Abu Dhabi is this shopper’s delight and I will be leaving it with a heavy heart and suitcase.