A Sudoku a Day... Keeps The Doctor Away?

You've had one too many close encounters with your boss or missed one too many appointments because of playing Sudoku. You are a Sudoku addict now. Tell your loved ones not to fret if you live and breathe Sudoku since it's actually good for you.
It is one addiction that is beneficial to one's brain. Having daily Sudoku doses ranks along with ten other non-traditional factors for boosting brain power as what an independent study of a science journal stated.
Better than a measly apple
Listening to classical music, eating high protein food and getting sufficient sleep and rest are other factors that don't involve traditional education that boosts brain power.
Incorporating daily Sudoku doses into everyday routine helps prevent and even stall the onslaught of Alzheimer's disease as what some tests shows. The next time you play too much of the game, tell them that you are only trying to get smarter while preventing the dreading Alzheimer's.
Bring your brain to the gym
Sudoku is a puzzle which entails concentration, logic and common sense. It is a better work out for your brain as you utilize more of these skills. Your brain needs daily workout to keep in shape and ward off defects just like your body needs exercise.
No matter what educational level one has achieved or how much they, IQ can always be increased through mental workouts like a daily Sudoku dose.
Core curriculum
Children should be encouraged to work on these puzzles because of its benefits that are very beneficial to one's brain and IQ. It can develop concentration and logical reasoning in children. As part of their classes, some schools have adopted Sudoku to stimulate the brain.

Do Musicians Make Better Songwriters?

This is something I briefly touched on in a previous newsletter - ...over and over I get asked "will I write better songs if I'm a musician"?
What's the answer?
Yes AND no.
Confused?
Let me explain. For the sake of simplicity, here I'll talk about the 'music' aspect of songwriting.
First up, I'll tell you that I'm a musician, songwriter and a vocal coach. And I have worked with both songwriters who play instruments and songwriters who don't. Which group are a better bunch to work with?
It goes like this. Those who play an instrument (to a certain degree) are more prone to understand timing, tempo and perhaps some syncopation. Sometimes, musicians will also understand the creation of melody a little more than non-musicians. They'll understand the structure of harmony and some music theory that goes along with it.
Because of the various 'pieces' or 'songs' they have played with their instruments, these musical and rhythmic elements are more or less naturally embedded in their brain - in practice and in theory.
Of course, this is GOOD thing. It's an advantage. Now yes - there are non-musicians who are gifted with these elements also, but I'm just talking in general terms here. For the most of it, more musicians will have these elements than non-musicians.
Now here's the twist. It's because of this very same reason that many musicians find it hard to write great songs. How? Well, because there are musicians that are pre-programmed into thinking that perhaps a melody should flow a certain way, or maybe a chord sequence shouldn't fall in that pattern, etc, BECAUSE they get caught up in the theory that indirectly tells them "this isn't right".
You see, songwriters who don't know anything about music theory or playing an instrument will write freely. Meaning they won't think about whether something is 'musically right' or not. Of course, you can't write a song of pure non-musicality and expect to get a welcoming reception. You'd be mad to.
But it's nice when you don't think too much about something sitting right musically in the song. Why care? It's a song. If the second verse has 10 bars and the first verse has 8 - so what? No big deal.
On the flip side, there are non-musical songwriters who just need that little push to learn some very basic chords on a piano or guitar....just to give them that edge and sometimes to even super-charge their creativity. So....
....here's my conclusion. If you play an instrument and you wish to be a songwriter, then don't think too much about what's musically correct. Let the chords and melody take you away. Don't think about it too much. Yes, stick within the rules of music, but don't get caught up in it.
If you are a non-musician and you write songs, then a great idea would be to learn some basic chords on the keyboard. This isn't completely mandatory, but it will definitely give your songwriting a boast. Just the basic chords will do. You'll be amazed the kind of music you can make with learning the basic stuff.
And why did I say the keyboard and not the guitar? Well, I believe the keyboard to be fundamentally easier to learn than the guitar, as you can blatantly see the notes for the intervals you are playing face-front.
But please, don't let me deter you from learning the guitar if that's in you to do so. It's a wonderful, natural songwriting accompanying instrument.
If and when you do decide to learn an instrument, I wouldn't get too caught up in the theory, unless it's your desire to really learn about it....
......and if you wish to do so, then try to draw a firm line between your musical ego and your songwriting craft. As much as they may fight against each other, they *can* work together, if you consciously try to find a balance.

Which is the Best Football League in Europe?

With the qualification of all four English clubs into the last 16 of the Champions League (and all as group winners) this week, can the Premiership now be classed as the best league in Europe? Of course it is difficult to gage which league is the best and many factors need to be considered such as the quality of players and managers, the atmosphere generated in the stadiums, the amount of goals averaged in games and the level of unpredictability.
The argument would naturally revolve around the traditional ‘big three’ leagues, Serie A, La Liga and the Premiership, indeed only one of the last 15 finals of Europe’s Premier Club competition has not included a side from those nations.
Despite Italy’s World Cup success in the summer, Serie A has certainly had a serious problem with its image recently following the match fixing scandal and relegation of champions Juventus, so in terms of quality the league now lacks what the Premiership and La Liga have in abundance. It looks increasingly likely that this season will see a two horse race between Roma and Inter as other big clubs have been docked points or relegated.
This, however makes the league much more open, with clubs such as Palermo, Livorno, Catania and Empoli all harbouring realistic ambitions of Champions League qualification. Goals have also flown in Serie A over the past couple of seasons -previously labelled with the ‘catenaccio’ tag, Italy now has more average goals than either La Liga or the Premiership.
In previous seasons when the Premiership outscored its competitors, English loyalists would say that although British clubs were found wanting in Europe, the spectacle at home was better to watch. How the tables have turned. Now success in Europe is a realistic aim for English sides - in the past two seasons Liverpool have finished fifth in the league and won the Champions League, and Arsenal finished fourth in the league and yet managed to reach the Champions League final. Struggling Premiership side Middlesbrough also made it to the final of the UEFA Cup.
This success on the big stage has come at a huge price for the standard of football in the Premiership itself. The Premeirship this season has averaged less goals than Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands and even the French League (which last season considered increasing an extra point if teams scored three goals to encourage more attacking play).
Although the defending in England’s top flight is now better than Italy and Spain, the rise of negatitive tactics are a blight on the domestic game. Of the 20 Premiership clubs, only a handful of teams actually play open attacking football and the use of a defensive 4-5-1 formation is now widespread. The first goal in Premiership games is crucial and many managers set out not to be beaten in many games as survival in the league offers such huge financial rewards.
In my opinion the best league in Europe is La Liga which can combine good attacking football with success on the European stage. Last season Barcelona won the Champions League and Sevilla won the UEFA Cup by playing good football. The big two of Real Madrid and Barcelona are always in the hunt fot the title, but the league is far more open than the Premiership - with teams like Osasuna, Valencia, Villarreal, Deportivo and Sevilla challenging in recent seasons.
Of the other European leagues, the Bundesliga can be considered the most unpredictable - at the time of writing, just 6 points seperates the top 5 sides. The league also attracts the biggest average attendances due to better quality stadia (thanks to the World Cup) and cheap tickets. The top Bundesliga sides cannot compete financially for the top foreign talent but this means that more home grown players have begun to thrive.
Only Bayern Munich made it into the latter stages of the Champions League this season and are unlikely to win the tournament. The winners of the Chmapions League will probably come from the 10 sides from England, Italy and Spain although French club Lyon have so little competition domestically that they may surprise the main leagues and take the Chmpions League trophy to France for just the second time.
All this considered, I feel that La Liga has the edge over its competitors.
Which league do you consider the best?

The Red Devils(Manchester United Football Team)

Manchester United is a football club that has experienced the usual ups and downs that are related to the game. Along the way they’ve had decades of wonderful years where they led a nearly charmed existence often followed by decades where they passed into near obscurity. Each time, they managed to stop short of losing all and disbanding. Someone always seemed to show up at just the right time with a plan to save the club from its certain demise.
Perhaps this unfailing ability to pull miracles out of their hats at the very last possible moment is what sustains the devoted fans of the Manchester United Ball Club. Whatever it is about them it is difficult to argue the fact that their fans have showed an incredible amount of longevity and loyalty. The truth of the matter is that if you ask a thousand different fans what the one thing that drives them to be fans of Manchester United is, you would have a thousand different answers.
For many fans, it is one moment in one game that sealed their fate and solidified their unending love for the experience that is Manchester United. The funny thing is that it is almost always a different game for each different fan. Others became fans of Manchester United because their fathers were, and their father’s fathers were as well. Sharing the memories with their children is much like reliving the memory yet again and sharing it with their sons, and now daughters is like passing down a precious family heirloom.
Games will be attended and watched with devoted interest in the hopes of sharing moments and memories with children all the while watching as heroes are made and lost on the pitch. For some the discovery of Manchester United is a relatively new experience. For these, they do not have the long history of loving Manchester United as some of the life long or homegrown types of fans. These fans are not quite loyal or enthusiastic as other fans may be but they are true fans nonetheless. These fans tend to be fans based solely on the merit of the team or certain players in the club rather than the lengthy and time honored tradition that Manchester United represents.
There are also, unfortunately, many Manchester United fans that are what would be considered fair weather fans. These fans flit from team to team supporting whomever seems to be the most popular or likely to win from season to season. These fans will spend fortunes buying clothing and tickets that will soon be discarded in search of the next most popular football team. Those who have been groomed as Manchester United fans since long before they could support their own weight or scream their own cheers in support of their team look on these types of fans with a not so small degree of scorn.
Whether you are a lifelong Manchester United fan or this is your first season supporting them, I think you’ll find that the experience that is Manchester United is phenomenal and unprecedented. Whether you’ve watched year after year as they pull of miracles at the last possible moment or cheered on as they swept the field dominating not only the game but playing in top form and dominating the sport as well I’m sure you’ve found that there really is nothing on earth quite like watching this team in action.

cricket world cup 2007

The next world cup is scheduled to begin in March 2007, but the buzz and the excitement can be already seen everywhere. Every Cricket lover eagerly waits for this mega event that is conducted after every four years. It is the battlefield for supremacy in the cricket world and cricketers all over the world look forward to this event to stamp their authority. The current world champions Australia are favored by many to win the coveted title again. But there are many more contenders to this title. The world cup is organized every four years by crickets governing body the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The 2007 world cup will be held in West Indies and cricket fans can expect some real fireworks from their favorite players during the event. On current form, Australia appears to be the favorite to lift the world cup, especially after their convincing win in the ICC Champions Trophy 2006 which as titled as Mini World Cup. But cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and this is the beauty of the game. No one actually knows who will win the cup and everyone is busy with their own theories and guessing games.
Australia has won the world cup thrice, the highest number of times among all the teams that will be competing. So they will surely be looking forward to continue the winning streak. Host West Indies have won it twice and they would love to make it a hat-trick this time, especially when they will be playing in front of the home crowd in and also in the conditions that would suit them. Perhaps this is the best chance for the windies to bring back the cup. Other than these two teams. There are many serious contenders for the cup this time, so competition is going to be really tough this time. And whichever team is able to handle pressure well, will come up triumphs in the world cup.
South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand all have bright chances of winning the world cup. Preparations are in full swing by all the teams to take a shot at winning the cup. For many players, this world cup could well be their last appearance in any world cup. Some of the player’s aged above 30 and this may well be their last shot at winning the world cup for their country. The Australian team has many players who are above not only 30, but also above 35 years of age. Some see this as the main disadvantage, but the Aussies are a real hard nut to crack especially when they face adverse conditions.
Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and several other leading batsmen will try their outmost to lay their hands on the world cup. It is difficult to predict who will win the world cup, due to the emergence of new players. These new and upcoming players have completely changed the face of the game. For Shaun Pollock, Glen McGrath and Anil Kumble (if selected) this may well be their last world cup. So many players and many teams have lots of things at stake during this world cup. One thing is for sure, fans will be entertained with good cricket all around, during the world cup cricket 2007.