2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

From June 11th to July 11th, 2010, the world will come to a standstill – or at least a ‘sit-still’ – as arguably the world’s greatest sporting event takes place. The FIFA World Cup is a sporting spectacle that transcends age, economic class, social status and even religion. This year, more than 30 billion viewers are expected take in the 64 matches worldwide; this is an incredibly large number given that the global population is around the seven billion mark. In comparison, the Vancouver Olympics drew an audience of 3.5 billion viewers. This kind of audience means huge revenues and huge expenses. South Africa has 10 world class stadiums to host the matches, ranging from seaside stadiums to venues that are at such high altitude that some countries have been forced to train in parallel conditions in order to acclimatize. Five of the stadiums are new or re-built and the other five have had major renovations to ensure the highest standards for the world’s biggest stage. All of this comes at a cost Read more

Paul Potts and the Art of Never Giving Up

British born Paul Potts is an opera singer, and he is a fine one at that. But it is how Potts arrived at this point in his life that is something right out of a comedy film. His life story is so unusual, that if you were to see it in a movie or TV sitcom you probably wouldn’t believe it.

Paul Potts was born in Bristol, England on October 13, 1970. He had always liked opera and always had the desire to be an opera singer. A victim of bullying, he experienced a difficult time during school, causing him to grow up with little confidence. But his interest remained and he practiced his passion secretly – up until 1999, when he decided it was time to make his stand. Dressing up as Luciano Pavarotti, Paul actually got up on stage during a karaoke competition and sang opera. He was somewhat discovered that night and went on to sing opera, unpaid, for a few opera companies Read more