World Event Helps South Africa's Economy

The 2010 World Cup is bringing jobs to South Africa, that’s for sure. Because South Africa is hosting the biggest sporting event on the globe, the country is benefiting from the construction of new stadiums, hotels and other structures, jobs are being created specifically for the tournament, and massive amounts of tourists will visit the country next year, bringing in revenue the likes of which South Africa has probably never seen.

This means great news for South Africa’s abysmal economy. During the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the economy was boosted statewide in preparation for the games. Likewise, the 2008 Olympics in China created vast structures, such as the Water Cube, provided countless jobs for Chinese citizens, and, perhaps most importantly, offered the world a more positive view of the communist country.

Rail System and Infrastructure Improvements

Cities that have previously hosted global events are still benefiting from the prestige and recognition attained from being on the world stage. Although there have been concerns in the past year as to whether or not South Africa’s infrastructure could handle such a giant event, the nation’s tourism chiefs say Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium, the biggest stadium in the country after completion, is almost done and roads and transportation systems are being improved.

According to a TradeInvest South Africa report, it is estimated the World Cup will bring in over 20 billion additional rands (one U.S. dollar is roughly 8.5 rands today) and create over 100,000 jobs. The country is also building a sophisticated rapid rail system called the Gautrain that will run from Pretoria to Johannesburg to Tahmbo International Airport, with stops in between. On the official website for the system, the main objective listed is “enhancing and supporting economic growth in the Gauteng Province and generating employment.”

Tourism Boost in South Africa

Ten stadiums in nine cities will host World Cup matches. The elite teams in the world will play for the most prized trophy in all of sports, and with the teams come the fans. Thousands and thousands will come to watch, and South Africa is busy building stadiums, hotels, restaurants, and all they can to accommodate the masses.

As the country with the highest percentage of AIDS infected citizens in the world, there is some concern for the welfare of tourists. But these concerns can be turned into AIDS education and can offer solutions to help South Africa contain the deadly virus.

South Africa’s Diski Dance

Now, South Africa is hoping to not only impact the economy, but to leave their footprint on pop culture as well. The Times, a South African news agency, reports that the country’s tourism office is promoting a new dance called the “diski” and hopes it becomes the next Macarena, in a good way.

2010 World Cup Can Save AfricaThe country will run television ads featuring the diski, with ads also running around the world on such esteemed networks as CNN and BBC. Officials are hoping the dance becomes a craze and will be performed during next year’s World Cup.

South Africa has large shoes to fill after the success of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. If all goes well, South Africa can help convince FIFA and the world that the World Cup, and other events, can and should happen in Africa.

Most questioned the choice of South Africa as the host of the most watched and loved sporting event in the world, but the choice sends a message: Africa is no longer the forgotten continent. A great 2010 World Cup can open doors for all of Africa, bringing much needed infrastructure, tourism, and money to a continent that needs it more than any other.

Article Source : http://south-africa.suite101.com/article.cfm/world_cup_2010_in_south_africa

by : Katy Burtner

South Africa World Cup 2010 - Stadium Guide

SOUTH AFRICA has constructed some of the finest stadiums in the world ahead of this year's tournament.

Here we give each of the venues a quick once-over.

Green Point Stadium

City: Cape Town
Capacity: 70,000
The Lowdown: One of two semi-final venues, construction only finished on this multi-purpose venue at the end of 2009. The stadium's exterior is protected by noise-reducing cladding due to its location in a highly popular area of Cape Town.

Local knowledge: Cape Town is a multicultural city located on the shore of Table Bay with South Africa's second highest population.

Key Match: Semi-finals, 6th July

Ellis Park

City: Johannesburg
Capacity: 62,000
The Lowdown: Home to Orlando Pirates FC, one of South Africa's most popular clubs, Ellis Park also hosted the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup between Brazil and the United States. It was also the scene of triumphant celebrations after the South African rugby team overcame New Zealand to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup trophy. A new tier on the north stand has increased the seating capacity by 9%.

Local knowledge: - Johannesburg is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world, this wealthy city is famous for its gold and diamond trade, often referred to locally as Jozi, Joburg or Egoli (meaning place of Gold).

Key Match: Quarter-finals, 3rd July

Free State Stadium

City: Mangaung/Bloemfontein
Capacity: 48,000.

The Lowdown: The Free State Stadium hosted the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final between Spain and USA in which the States secured an unlikely victory. Another stadium which should look the part due to a recent refurbishment, the area is home to some of the country's most passionate fans with local club Bloemfontein Celtic FC enjoying a recent resurgence.

Local knowledge: Mangaung/Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province and judicial capital of South Africa. Mangaung is a Sesotha name meaning "place of cheetahs" but Bloemfontein is perhaps more aptly known as "the city of roses" as it hosts an annual flower festival.

Key match: France Vs South Africa - 22nd June

Mbombela Stadium

City: Nelspruit.
Capacity: 46,000.
The Lowdown: This newly built stadium is the first major football venue in the city of Nelspruit and is surrounded by game parks full of wildlife. Translated literally the name of the stadium means 'many people together in a small space' and Mbombela is also the name of the local municipality which incorporates the city.

Local knowledge: Nelspruit is based in the fertile valley of the Crocodile River in the north eastern part of South Africa.

Key match: Italy vs New Zealand, 23rd June

Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace

City: Rustenburg.
Capacity: 42,000

The Lowdown: This stadium takes its name from the local Bafokeng people. Although Rustenberg does not have its own team, the stadium has been host to many Premier Soccer League matches. The England team will be using the stadium as their base camp for the tournament.

Local knowledge: Any England supporters may want to remember their sun tan cream as Rustenburg enjoys a sub-tropical climate with maximum temperatures around 16°C during winter and 31°C during summer.

Key match: England vs USA, 12th June

Moses Mabhida Stadium

City: Durban.
Capacity: 70,000

The Lowdown: Another newly-built stadium which will also host one of the semi-finals, it features a grand arch which is said to represent unity. Visitors can take a cable car to the very top of the arch which offers panoramic views of Durban's shoreline.

Local Knowledge: Durban is the busiest port in Africa and is a popular tourist destination due to its 'Golden Mile' of beaches and subtropical climate.

Key match: Semi-final, 7th July

Soccer City Stadium

City: Johannesburg.
Capacity: 94,700.

The Lowdown: Regarded by many as South Africa's "heart of football", Soccer city was the country's first international football stadium and Nelson Mandela held his first mass rally after his release from prison there in 1990. Designed to resemble the traditional African pot known as the 'calabash', the recent addition of floodlighting means the stadium looks stunning after dark.

Local knowledge: The stadium is only a short distance from the predominantly black area of Johannesburg Soweto where about 40 per cent of the city's population live.

Key Match: Final, 11th June

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

City: Port Elizabeth.
Capacity: 48,000

The Lowdown: This new stadium overlooks the scenic North End Lake and is architecturally unique due to its striking roof structure. It hosted the Soweto Derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs which drew massive crowds.

Local knowledge: Known colloquially as 'the friendly city', Port Elizabeth was founded in 1820 to house British settlers.

Key match: Third place play-off, 10th July

Peter Mokaba Stadium
City: Polokwane.
Capacity: 46,000

The Lowdown: Named after one of the most prominent leaders in the fight against apartheid, this stadium was inspired by the Baobab Tree which is found locally.

Local Knowledge: Formerly called Pietersburg, Polokwane means 'place of safety'. The area has a landscape of grassland interspersed with rocky granite hills known locally as 'koppies'.

Key match: Greece vs Argentina, 22nd June

Loftus Versfeld Stadium

City: Tshwane/Pretoria.
Capacity: 50,000

The Lowdown: One of the oldest stadiums in the country, Loftus Versfeld Stadium is home to the Blue Bulls, one of the country's top rugby teams. South Africa's national team, Bafana Bafana beat Sweden 1-0 in 1999.

Local knowledge: Tshwane/Pretoria is located between rocky ridges in the north eastern part of the country.

Key match: Chile vs Spain, 25th June

Article Source : http://sport.scotsman.com/football/South-Africa-World-Cup-2010.6325221.jp

by : Milo McLaughlin

What makes the sound of vuvuzelas so annoying?

How do vuvuzelas make their sound?

The vuvuzela is like a straightened trumpet and is played by blowing a raspberry into the mouthpiece. The player's lips open and close about 235 times a second, sending puffs of air down the tube, which excite resonance of the air in the conical bore. A single vuvuzela played by a decent trumpeter is reminiscent of a hunting horn – but the sound is less pleasing when played by the average football fan, as the note is imperfect and fluctuates in frequency. It sounds more like an elephant trumpeting. This happens because the player does not keep the airflow and motion of the lips consistent.

But that din sounds nothing like a trumpet or an elephant.

When hundreds of the vuvuzelas are played together, you get the distinctive droning sound. People in the crowd are blowing the instrument at different times and with slightly varying frequencies. The sound waxes and wanes. The overall effect is rather like the sound of a swarm of insects.

Why are they so loud?

The loudness can be explained by the bore shape, which is roughly conical, and flares. As well as creating sound at a frequency of 235 hertz, the instrument generates harmonics – sound at multiples of the fundamental frequency. We have measured strong harmonics at 470, 700, 940, 1171, 1400 and 1630 hertz.

A flared instrument has louder higher-frequency harmonics than a cylindrical one. The flared instrument is perceived as louder because the higher harmonics are at frequencies where our hearing is most sensitive. This is partly why the conical saxophone sounds louder than the cylindrical clarinet.

Since it produces 116 decibels at 1 metre, prolonged exposure to the vuvuzela poses a risk to hearing, according to a study by the Department of Communication Pathology at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Listen to just one instrument for 7 to 22 seconds and you exceed typical permitted levels for noise at work. A whole crowd produces even higher levels, and measurements at a training match have shown temporary hearing loss among spectators.

Is it annoying because it is loud?

Experiments on other noise sources show that louder sounds are more annoying. Our hearing is an early-warning system: we listen out for sudden changes in the sounds around us which might indicate threats, and ignore benign, persistent noise. When noise becomes as loud as a vuvuzela, however, it becomes impossible to habituate to the sound.

What else about the sound makes it annoying?

The droning quality makes it more annoying – the fact it has a distinct pitch or note. Investigations into many noise annoyance problems have demonstrated this. Indeed some noise standards and regulations have corrections to allow for the additional annoyance from such sound. Droning sounds are harder to ignore and more alerting than broadband noise such as the hiss of a badly tuned radio. This might be because tones can carry useful information in the vowel sounds of speech. But it might also relate to threat detection – because predator sounds like a lion's roar has tonal components – but I'm speculating.

What can be done to make it less annoying, especially on TV and the radio?

Broadcasters have to balance how much crowd sound to use compared to the commentators' voices. If they make the crowd too quiet then the game lacks atmosphere, so they can't turn it off altogether. If you are watching the match on a computer, you could try this, from the Centre for Digital Music at Queen Mary University of London. Otherwise, you might just have to try and accept the sound as being part of the background. Lack of control over a noise source has been shown to increase its perceived annoyance. So your best bet might be to crack open another beer and try your best to enjoy the atmosphere.

Articles Source : http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19041-what-makes-the-sound-of-vuvuzelas-so-annoying.html

by : Trevor Cox

Cesc Fabregas tips United States to get to semi-finals

Arsenal midfielder and bit part Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas is tipping theUnited States to get to the semi-finals of the World Cup.

"The best moment for me at the World Cup so far was that nail biting end when the USA scored in the last minute against Algeria. It was an incredible finale and was the most memorable one for me.

"Everybody is talking about it. That was a great moment and they are a great team. We found that out when they beat us in the semi-finals of the Confederation Cup last year.

"So I wasn't surprised at all they finished top of the group. They are fit and strong and dangerous on the counter-attack. They have spirit too - they came from two goals down against Slovenia to get a draw and scored in injury time against Algeria to go through. The USA never give up. That's why I believe they can go much further because they fight to the end and work so hard.

"They are in a good side of the draw now - they have Ghana next, then maybe Uruguay in the quarter-finals. So I can see them reaching the semi-finals and then who knows what might happen."

Group C was an important group and because the United States won it, they do stand a very good chance of progressing in the tournament and we will certainly be keeping an eye on them.

Articles Source : http://www.worldcup2010southafrica.com/world-cup-group-c/usa/cesc-fabregas-tips-united-states-to-get-to-semi-finals/

Brazil and Portugal through, Ivory Coast out despite fight

This isn't really a surprise to anyone - or it shouldn't. It was going to take Portugal losing by a few today and Ivory Coast winning by a few today for it to end up any different than it has and we think these games played out exactly how they were always going too.

After twenty minutes however, I thought for a moment it might happen. Ivory Coast were 2-0 up and looking like they wee going to score every ten minutes, but as the nest ten minutes went by ang then the next - it became clear it wasn't going to happen.

But they gave it a go and it was nice to see but the focus for us today was on Brazil and Portugal - hoping we see something from Brazil that would make us think they could win the World Cup and I'm afraid we didn't see it.

Yes, they are Brazil, but they are not eh Brazil we hoped to see in South Africa and while Kaka and Robinho both sat this one out - for different reasons - they haven't really looked that good with them.

We might be wrong - but so far in this tournament, Argentina look like the closest to World Cup winners - certainly not Brazil.

Final Group G Table

Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
Brazil	3	2	1	0	3	7
Portugal	3	1	2	0	7	5
Ivory Coast	3	1	1	1	1	4
Korea DPR	3	0	0	3	-11	0

Articles Source : http://www.worldcup2010southafrica.com/world-cup/2010-news/brazil-and-portugal-through-ivory-coast-out-despite-fight/

Top Way to Keep Memorable Moments of World Cup 2010

This World Cup is certainly heated up after the boring start, but the results followed are quite unexpected. Who would have thought promising teams like Germany, France, Spain and England would all in trouble. Now, the four-time champion Italy was surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw by New Zealand!

What's wrong with this World Cup? Some people even start to believe that there's something wrong with the new Adidas ball! But, anyway, World Cup isn't just about who lifts the trophy at the end. It's also about the incredible moments that are shared by a global audience. So, put aside your confusion and fury, and capture memorable moments with your eyes and cameras . You may well capture the great moment and keep it to eternity. Apart from matches, there're abundant figures and scenes for you to capture during the World Cup period. Crazy soccer fans, distinctive dresses, colorful paint, and zealous cheers all deserve your record. But after you bring home those precious moments, how will you deal with them? To "hide" them all in computer is of course inconvenient for recollection. However, it's too expensive to print them all, and too hard to choose the best ones. Then, a digital photo frame will be the best solution. It can provide with photo slideshow or static image display with background music. It can relive the events of World Cup past in a way of story telling! And you never need to worry about these photos will be faded or damaged. It takes four years for the final coming of World Cup, there's no reason for us to miss this transforming event.

So, take your World Cup moments home, and keep them to eternity with digital photo frames . aigo is a famous electronic brand in China, and because of the ally with Yingli, a sponsor to the FIFA World Cup 2010, it soon becomes well-known around the world. aigo is my favourite electronic brand, also the best brand I love. It was last year that I knew aigo at my birthday party: a Chinese friend sent me an aigo digital camera as a gift. I still remember how happy I was to receive this special present. Since then, I have focused on the business movement of aigo all the time, and I have taken several digital products from aigo home, such as aigo MP4, aigo battery, and so on. aigo is really a powerful enterprise. It's known as the NO.1 Chinese consuming electronic brand, specializing in various kinds of advanced digital products. It was found in Beijing, China in 1993. With the belief of "Freedom in Technology, Freedom in Life", aigo have been popular in China since long time ago. "Aigo is a young brand, a little like Sony in the past", said Feng Jun, the CEO of aigo, "We want to become the Samsung of China, the Sony of China." It was a dream once, but now, I think this dream is on the way to achieve. With the beginning of World Cup 2010 in South Africa, aigo is one of the heated words all over the world. People have paid their attention to the clean energy and solar power advocated by aigo. While the green energy becomes a culture in the world, aigo is raising his international reputation. As I'm a fan of aigo, I am so happy to realize that aigo is more and more popular, not only in his native, but also in other countries. It means that I don't have to buy the new arrivals from the faraway China, but just in our own country. For example, is the first agent of aigo in America as far as I know. All in all, I hope that aigo should develop to be better and to be more powerful in the world!

Article Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=3035619

by : Jion Smith

French football team back home with scandal, secret

Players of France walk out of the court after losing the Group A match against South Africa at the 2010 World Cup football match in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on June 22, 2010. France lost the match 1-2

French national football team returning from South Africa World Cup was welcomed by big front-page headline of "State Affair."

Though firmly besieged the airport, no media managed to grasp any image of their arrival nor throughout striker Thierry Henry's meeting with the President Nicolas Sarkozy because of top security.

At the request of Henry, Sarkozy received him at Elysee Palace to discuss the debacle. Media reported Henry had left after one hour meeting most secretly, escaping from over a hundred journalists waiting outside. The discussion between the two men was totally private and no contents have been released so far.

The internet edition of French newspaper France-Soir put the secret meeting as the headline, describing Thierry Henry as "the Ghost of Elysee." Le Point reported that the entourage of Sarkozy didn't make any comment either.

The 22-player team, together with notorious coach Raymond Domenech and the President of the French football Federation (FFF) Jean-Pierre Escalettes finally arrived in Paris around Thursday noon.

Striker Franck Ribery set off to Munich in a private jet as soon as he landed the French soil. Left winger Florent Malouda, who marked the only goal in the first round matches, arrived in UK and claimed to be "on holiday," and refused to comment on the scandal or his team members when walking out of the London airport.

According to the president's press officials, Sarkozy had ordered the ministers to ensure no financial rewards would be given to the football team, and all people concerned and responsible must learn the lessons.

During the first round of group matches, the French team resulted in two defeats to Mexico and South Africa respectively, a draw with Uruguay on the opening day of June 14.

Nevertheless, Malouda managed to mark the only single goal in the last match with South Africa.

However, in between the depressing score had been serious internal rifts. Striker Nicolas Anelka sent home after insulting the coach, players' refusal of a public official training, all accumulated a total disgrace for the French nationals.

Domenech announced his departure at the end of the match, giving his best wishes to his successor and the future team. But his refusal to shake hands with the Brazilian coach of South Africa Carlos Alberto Parreira in front of all media cameras, plus refusing twice to explain this when questioned by journalists at the press conference afterwards, had also outraged the French.

His successor Laurent Blanc was among the heroes of the 1998 national team when France won the World Cup. Media urge him to move on quickly as the next match for the national team is scheduled on September 3rd with Belarus for the peliminary session of Euro 2012.

Left wing socialist Francois Holland commented on June 22 that the team had set a very bad example to everybody in this World Cup's performance, saying they had done all that should not have been done.

Ex-national team member and commentator Emmanuel Petit also said the whole team and management had not learnt any lesson after Euro 2008, they had made no improvements and the results today were not untraceable.

Article Source : http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=3035867

by : rowen