Personally, I’ve made a couple of attempts to improve (I won’t go as far to say learn) my Russian. I can read Cyrillic and understand a little but holding anything more than a very basic conversation is probably beyond my skills at present. At home, I have a number of books and even a couple of DVDs sitting on a shelf gathering dust so I felt it needed something a bit more comprehensive.

I came across the Transparent Language System which is much cheaper than the highly publicised Rosetta Stone. They kindly offered me a free copy to evaluate and promote as an affiliate. In my learning attempts in the past, I’ve found that I do better when I have the opportunity to read, write, speak and listen to native speakers. One consideration when listening to native speakers is what type of accent they have. Listening to someone with a strong regional accent will affect the way you speak a language. Fortunately, my wife is Russian and she assures me that the audio parts of the Transparent Language System is spoken by people with a ‘normal’ (ie – not a strong regional) accent.

So on to the system. I downloaded the files from the website and it took a while as there is obviously a lot of information included in the course. Once installed on my laptop, I started up the main program and set myself up as a user. Although I didn’t try it, the program does cater for multiple users who can learn at their own speed.

The main program introduces 4 different books; Beginner Lessons, Fundamentals, St. Petersburg and Getting Around Russia. Each book contains between 5 and 15 different lessons covering a wide range of topics. Each lesson has a number of words or phrases to learn. These are presented on a series of flash cards in either English or Russian along with audio so you can hear the pronunciation. You are prompted to given the answer in English or Russia, written or spoken. With the spoken answers, honesty on your part is required and I try to be strict as the only person I’d be cheating is me.

There are 3 steps to each lesson; Preview It, Recognize It and Produce It. Once you’ve completed all 3 steps, you can take a test. If you pass, you can move on. The good thing is you learn at your own pace and you can switch between any of the lessons. All scores are recorded so you can see your progress.

One feature I do like is the opportunity to refresh stale words or phrases and Transparent Language System keeps track of these for you too. Going back over phrases you looked at a week earlier gives you a good indication if you really did learn it properly or not.

There is a section on the Cyrillic alphabet which gives an excellent guide to the individual letters in the language. The Activities section presents the phrases in the selected list in a number of different ways such as multiple choice answers or filling in the missing word.

In the My Learned Items section, you can follow your progress through the course. In addition, there are a series of MP3 files with various audio learning aids you can upload to your smartphone or MP3 player and listen while you are on the move.

In summary, Transparent Language System certainly has given me a wide range of comprehensive learning tools to help improve my Russian language. I can’t really think of anything specific that is missing so the onus really is on me to get results.

Please note, the links in this review are affiliate links and if you decide to purchase the Transparent Language System, I will earn a small commission. In addition to Russian, a wide range of other languages are also available.

I’m not really someone who will buy the latest piece of technology the day its released as its an expensive game you can never win.

I take a lot of pictures so I need a large disc drive that is also backed up. The backup isn’t an issue as I use a rather good program called Carbonite which allows me to back up as much data as I want remotely for a few dollars a year.

However, I’m also away from home regularly and so I need some sort of mobile computer. Until recently, that meant using a laptop but in the last year or so, the tablet computer has arrived on the market. Apple lead the way with the iPad and more recently the iPad 2. However, I’m not a fan of Apple to say the least. I believe its last years technology and next years prices but thats another discussion.

In recent months, the Android operating system has been adopted by a range of companies who will produce rivals to the iPad. Samsung brought out the Galaxy Tab (Picture: Public Domain Photos) but it still wasn’t something I was impressed enough with to part with my hard earned cash.

However, soon Android 3.0 will be released and that is designed specifically for tablets and no doubt, more devices will soon be on the market. That said, they won’t have the processing power of laptops so the jigsaw still won’t be complete. The good news is that I believe I have found the answer in Citrix.

Citrix will allow me to use my home computer from my tablet computer (or anywhere with an internet connection). For a very small fee, I can connect run all my software from my big, powerful PC which is back home. This gives me a nice portable computer with all the power, software and storage I need. Bandwidth use is minimal as all the processing is done by the PC at home. The only time there would be higher amounts of data being transmitted would be when copying files between the Tablet computer and my home PC.

It all sounds very promising so next I’m going to be looking at various options. When I’ve got it all up and running, I’ll let you know.

Just be aware that Labs is a bit of a testing ground for these Gmail features but the ones I’ve used seem to be pretty stable. These are some of my favourites:

Nested Labels
This allows you to sort your email labels more effectively by nesting them. I’ve got well over 170 labels so this was really useful helping me keep things in some sort of order.

Message Sneak Peek
You can preview messages but right-clicking on a message in the Inbox

Got the wrong Bob?
A handy lab that offers you suggestions to help ensure you have chosen the email recipient you intended. Sending emails to the wrong person can be a really bad thing. Trust me, I know.

Google Calendar gadget
Adds a little box on the left side of your Gmail window showing upcoming appointments.

Inserting Images
Allows you to insert images into the body of your message by either a URL or from a path on your computer.

To find the labs, enter the title (in bold) into the search box and it should appear providing you’ve typed it in correctly and Google haven’t removed it.

I hope you find these useful and if I’ve missed your favourite Lab, why not share it with us in the comments?

UPDATE: Tragically, on 7th March 2011, it was confirmed that Phil had died in the earthquake. My condolences to Phil’s wife and family.

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Phil Coppeard is one of the many missing people following the terrible earthquake that hit Christchurch in New Zealand on Tuesday 22nd February at 12:51pm.

Phil moved to Christchurch a few months ago with his wife who was interviewed on Thursday 24th February on Radio New Zealand National. She talked about where Phil was going and what he was wearing.

You can hear the interview here:
http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ntn/ntn-20110224-1038-Suzanne_Craig-048.mp3

Phil is 41 years old. 6′ tall with green eyes, brown hair and sideburns. He was wearing jeans and would have been carrying a backpack, probably listening to music on his iPhone.

He was on his way to Canterbury University and had left home between 12:15 and 12:30 to catch the #3 bus from their home in Redcliffs in the eastern outskirts of the city. The route meant Phil would go through the Bus Exchange on Litchfield Street in the centre of Christchurch. Its just a couple of blocks from the Cathedral which you may have been on the news.

Given the times, it is likely Phil was on a bus in the centre of Christchurch at the time of the earthquake.

When Suzanne tried to call Phil initially, the phone just rang through to voicemail and now it is going straight to voicemail which almost certainly means the battery has died. Suzanne and friends have been doing the rounds trying to see if Phil has been registered by any of the emergency services or hospitals but so far without success. Apparently, some of the injured have been take to hospitals in other parts of New Zealand so there is no guarantee Phil is still in area.

Phil is the type of person who would do anything he could to make contact if he were able so the concern is he is injured or trapped somewhere and has not been identified.

Obviously there are a lot of people missing in Christchurch but if you have any possible leads about his whereabouts, please leave a comment or contact me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/robatherton

McGarrett played by Jack Lord was a proper cop. Rugged good looks and a manner that meant you knew who was the boss. His sidekick was Detective Dan Williams along with another detective, Chin Ho. Together, they fought crime on the tropical island. No criminal was safe – it was great. The last episode was aired in 1980 and occasionally old episodes would be shown.

Now we move ahead to 2011. Its the age of Simon Cowell and his world of crappy Karaoke cover versions. Big screen films rely on special effects and 3D rather than story lines and in the last few weeks, Hawaii Five-0 has been remade and is appearing on British TV.

The modern Steve McGarrett is pathetically complete; Alex O’Loughlin is younger than Jack Lord (bit of eye candy of the girls), a former Navy Seal, a grandfather who was on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbour and former college quarterback. Did I mention he also goes by the rank of Lieutenant-Commander rather than Detective?

Danno is has family issues and doesn’t seem to get on well with McGarrett while the 2011 Chin Ho is around 15 years younger than in the original series. A new character is rookie detective Kono Kalakaua (a bit of eye candy for the boys).

Out of morbid curiosity and low expectations, I decided to watch a couple of episodes. My fears were fully realised. I recognised the music and the opening titles even had that scene where the camera zooms in on McGarrett standing on the balcony of a tall building as he turns to face the camera.

However, as I eluded to earlier, the 21st century appears to be devoid of decent script writers. The last episode I watched saw McGarrett fly a helicopter in pursuit of a bad guy (obviously piloting helicopters is a key skill in the Navy Seals) and when he lost contact with a car he was chasing, he does what any good policeman does….call a contact on a US Navy Aircraft Carrier on the other side of the world and gets a girl (young and pretty of course) to use a military satellite to find him.

It gets better as the US Navy girlie beams the live feed straight to McGarretts iPhone. I wonder how much the app for that cost? Jobs will be pleased getting a 30% cut.

However, the worst thing (so far) makes all this seem insignificant. Its the new McGarretts voice. As in the original series, he still uses the phrase “Book ‘em Danno” but its not the voice of the tough, rugged Jack Lord. The 2011 Steve McGarrett sounds like John Inman and if you don’t know who I mean, trust me, its not a good sound for a detective.

CBS had tried to restart the series in 1997 but the pilot was never taken up. In 2011, this poor relation of the original show finally made it back to our screens and somewhere a unicorn died.

1. Man-Flu is more painful than childbirth. This is an irrefutable scientific fact*.
*(Based on a survey of over 100,000 men.)

2. Man-Flu is not ‘just a cold’. It is a condition so severe that the germs from a single Man-Flu sneeze could wipe out entire tribes of people living in the rainforest. And probably loads of monkeys too.

3. Women do not contract Man-Flu. At worst they suffer from what is medically recognised as a ‘Mild Girly Sniffle’ which, if a man caught, he would still be able to run, throw a ball, tear the phone book in half and compete in all other kinds of manly activities.

4. Men do not ‘moan’ when they have Man-Flu. They emit involuntary groans of agony that are entirely in proportion to the unbearable pain they are in.

5. Full recovery from Man-Flu will take place much quicker if their simple requests for care, sympathy and regular cups of tea are met. Is that really so much to ask? Florence Nightingale would have done it

6. More men die each year from MFN (Man-Flu Neglect) than lots and lots of other things. (Like rabbit attacks or choking on toast).

7. Men suffering from Man-Flu want nothing more than to get out of bed and come to work, but they are too selfless to risk spreading this awful condition amongst their friends and colleagues. In this sense, they are the greatest heroes this country has ever known.

8. In 1982 scientists managed to simulate the agonising symptoms of full blown Man-Flu in a female chimp. She became so ill that her head literally fell off.

9. Man-Flu germs are more powerful than He-Man, The Thundercats and The A-Team combined. They are too strong for weak, nasty tasting ‘lady medicines’ like Lemsip, so don’t bother trying to force them on a victim of Man-Flu.

10. While it may seem like a Man-Flu sufferer is just lying around enjoying ‘Diagnosis Murder’ it is a commonly recognised medical fact that the exact pitch and frequency of Dick Van Dyke’s voice has remarkable soothing powers.

Every minute in this country one man is struck down by Man-Flu. Women, all we ask is that each of you offers them a cup of tea, some kind words and your undivided attention and care. Then maybe, just maybe, we’ll beat this monstrous disease together.

That was the damning verdict of the Leeds United chairman, Ken Bates following FIFA’s decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.

For many years, there have been accusations about FIFA. One journalist in particular has spent many years trying to uncover what really goes on behind the doors of FIFA. However, as they are based in Switzerland, getting access to documents and their bank accounts has proved impossible.

The 2018 and 2022 hosting announcements aren’t the first time FIFA has been surrounded in controversy. In 2000, Germany were awarded the 2006 tournament when many believed South Africa would win it. Immediately after the result, Sepp Blatter announced that from then, hosting would be rotated round the continents and in 2010, it would be Africa’s turn. With only 1 serious candidate, it was always going to be South Africa.

In his book, “Foul“, Andrew Jennings stated that Blatter had promised both Germany and South Africa the 2006 tournament in return for votes in a FIFA presidential election. As president of FIFA, Blatter would only have a casting vote in the event that the FIFA delegates voted in equal numbers on the choice of a venue. As the date of the vote drew near, it became apparent that the vote would be 12-12 meaning Blatter would have the deciding vote. As he had promised both countries the tournament, this would put him in a difficult position.

During the vote, the New Zealand delegate Charlie Dempsey abstained from voting after the first two rounds. Although he had voted for England in the first two rounds, his vote was going to South Africa now England was eliminated. It meant Germany won the vote 12-11.

Moving forward to the 2018 bid, England were fancied by many from day one. By 2018, it would be 52 years since they hosted the tournament. The facilities and infrastructure is all in place the there would be no issue selling tickets. The bid was presented by David Beckham, Prime Minister David Cameron and Prince William. It was an excellent presentation to showcase an excellent bid yet it received just 2 votes out of the 22. Russia were eventually awarded the tournament with another very good bid.

It wasn’t so much the defeat, it was the manner of the defeat. How could such a good bid attract 2 votes, one of which were from Geoff Thompson, the English FIFA delegate. In the days before the vote, David Cameron and Prince William had been verbally promised votes from 8 delegates in face to face meetings. England had been humiliated.

The 2022 vote was even more farcical with the desert state of Qatar being awarded the tournament. Aside from its appalling human rights, dubious policies on both Israel and gays, there is absolutely no football culture to speak of in the country. Summer temperatures will hit 50 Celcius. Is this really a better option than the United States, Australia, South Korea or Japan?  I think not. Take away the migrant workers in Qatar, the population is around 200,000 which is smaller than Reading or Newcastle upon Tyne. Just a few weeks before the bid, FIFA rated Qatar as “High Risk”. Across the 2 votes, England, USA and Australia had the best technical bids and won just 6 votes.

In short, the whole thing stinks. In England, it didn’t take long for a reaction. A planned friendly in Thailand scheduled for June 2011 has been cancelled after the Thailand delegate voted for Spain / Portugal. The English FA has also ploughed millions into football development in Africa, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean. This programme will now be scaled back with the money being invested at home instead.

The FA acting chairman has also made a stand. Roger Burden had planned to run for the full time post but has withdrawn his application. In a statement he said “I recognise that an important part of the role is liaison with FIFA, our global governing body. But I am not prepared to deal with people whom I cannot trust.”

So what is the answer. Its quite clear to me that when it comes to FIFA, Ken Bates isn’t far off the mark. They use football as a platform to chase the dollar. Anyone who went to Germany in 2006 or South Africa in 2010 will vouch for that.

I believe that England and other leading nations need to split from FIFA and form a new federation. England, Spain, Germany, Holland and France could be a core group of nations. Others could be free to join. Outside of Europe, the two big nations are Brazil and Argentina. Brazil would break away too as all they do is tour the world playing friendlies.

Without these nations, a World Cup would have virtually no prestige and I seriously doubt sponsors would continue to throw money at FIFA if this was the case. Something has to be done to change things. World football can not continue to be controlled by 22 men who are accountable to no-0ne and conduct all their business in secret.

If you want to read more about Andrew Jennings work to try to uncover corruption within FIFA, you can find his excellent book FOUL on Amazon.

Foul!: The Secret World of FIFA: Bribes, Vote Rigging and Ticket Scandals

Is withdrawing from FIFA the only option?  Maybe you have a better idea?

Recently, I was introduced to a some Mind Mapping software called Xmind and its exactly what I’ve been looking for. The basic version is free to download and what is even better is that it doesn’t write installation files all over your computer so you can actually run it off a portable USB drive.

If you’ve been looking for a free Mind Mapping software, you can do a lot worse than check out www.xmind.net.

If you aren’t sure what Mind Mapping software is, Wikipedia describe it as follows:

“Mind mapping software is used to create diagrams of relationships between ideas or other pieces of information. It has been suggested that the mind mapping technique can improve learning/study efficiency up to 15% over conventional note taking.”

Although London are the host city, there are Olympic venues at a number of other places all over the country. For example, St James Park in Newcastle is one of the venues of the Olympic Football. The jewel in the crown of the 2012 venues will be the Olympic Park at Stratford in London. In addition to the main Olympic Stadium, the Olympic Park will also have the Aquatics Centre, Velodrome and 3 indoor arenas.

Obviously, venues like this aren’t cheap to build but while it may be hard for some to see, the benefits will ultimately outweigh the costs. Hosting a major event like the Olympics is a tremendous honour and Britain is more than capable of putting on a superb show. However, the Olympics isn’t just about the few weeks of competition, its also about the legacy it leaves behind.

Stratford is in the poorer East side of London so the regeneration of the area can only help the local people. The Olympic Park will eventually be the largest urban park created in Europe for around 150 years with parks and wetlands being created in the shadows of the venues. The sporting facilities will continue to be used and various football teams have shown interest in taking over the Olympic stadium. The Olympic village will be converted to residential apartments and a new university will also be founded specialising in sports science, green technology and digital media.

In addition, the transport infrastructure will also be improved to ferry visitors around and these facilities will remain in place for the benefit of the people who live in and visit London after 2012. With the 2015 Rugby World Cup already scheduled to be hosting in England with 3 London venues and a strong bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, many of the facilities and transport upgrades being made for the 2012 Olympics can also be used for these later events too.

The source of the spill is around 41 miles off the coast of Louisianna at a point where the sea bed is around 1,500m deep. The effect on the environment has been terrible and a huge number of peoples’ livelihoods have been badly affected. Not surprisingly, people are angry and want answers. President Obama has been very frank in his views blaming BP and calling them “British Petroleum”, a name which they have not used for many years. This is presumable to distance the US from any blame. He is a President under pressure.

With so many sub-contractors in place, I believe it is wrong to start to point the finger and allocate blame at this stage. An investigation needs to take place in order to establish what actually happened. Blaming people won’t solve anything, lessons need to be learned so this sort of thing doesn’t happen again. Sadly, it isn’t the first corporate disaster and it won’t be the last. I can remember the early 1980s when a gas leak from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal killed nearly 4,000 people with other estimates putting the figure much higher.

While the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is a terrible disaster, the bigger picture is that large companies and even governments will put profit ahead of everything else. Most of the world’s oil tankers fly under a flag of convenience. They are registered in places such as West Africa or Panama as they have lower standards for the vessel, equipment and crew. There are regular documentaries on TV investigating air and train crashes. Often, the cause is down to lack of maintenance driven by cost cutting.

The pursuit of BP to pay billions in compensation is very short sighted. For arguments sake, if BP were no longer around, does anyone really believe that another oil company wouldn’t step in to take over where they had been operating?  In addition, as a company, BP have always paid a good share dividend and this has been of benefit not only to the personal shareholders but also to the pension companies who will have invested both yours and my money in BP, know they will get a return on their money. Destroying BP as some people seem to want, could in turn mean lower pension pots of many people.

A proper investigation is needed and the right people need to be punished. Token fines will change nothing and certainly won’t help the people who are being affected right now.