Galactic Empire State of Mind star wars rap

Transformers 3 Dark of the Moon Trailer - Official (HD)

Excited. Like a Beiber fan

Don't Waste Your Life Video - Lecrae

Also a good challenge and good song/video

Lecrae - Prayin' For You (music video)

As a rule Christian Rap annoys me with a few exceptions. I didn't mind this song though. Its a good encouragement to keep praying for that friend of ours.

Luggage Problem

Made Me laugh.

Wolverine Movie The Musical : BFX : Original Short

Nothing worse than when you recruit a musical actor for a serious role- they just want to keep singing... Apologies for all the adds

Interesting documentary.

"My life is tethered to a rolling stone, my dreams are anchored in the
wind. I come from here, I come from there, in truth I come from
everywhere. My tongue does not have a mother, my language is an open
mind. Before I learned how to walk, I already knew how to fly. Comfort
for me is a constant motion- continent to continent, ocean to ocean."

This is a statement which really does hit home to me. Interesting thing Third Culture Kids (TCK) and they will be more and more common. Worth a watch.

Les Passagers : A TCK Story from kalen hayman on Vimeo.

Surprise performance by The Opera Company of Philadelphia "Hallelujah!" Random Act of Culture

I would love to be involve in something like this. would be great fun.

David Koch on parenting.

I don't mind David Koch on Sunrise. He is proudly an older fashioned guy among a team of ladies and isn't afraid of being called sexist or putting noses out of joint. Often he has something worthwhile to say. This is his article on parenting. found here.

One surefire way of knowing you’ve officially become an old man is when you catch yourself coming out with a “kids these days…” rant. Well I’ve recently discovered that I am now among that special group of people with unending old school wisdom.

Bet his parents are furious ... with the cop.

I’m mourning the demise of what I call the “respect your elders” values of kids today. But I don’t blame them. I blame a new generation of mamby-pamby (not sure that’s a real term but you know what I mean) parents who want to be a child’s friend rather than a parent.

I’ve had these concerns for a while, but they’ve been brought to a head by a couple of recent incidents.

First was that story last week about the Queensland 15 year old pulled over by police for not wearing a helmet while riding his bike.

Rather than fine the kid or give him a warning, they made him let down his tires and walk home to ensure he didn’t ignore them and simply get back on after they’d gone.

His mother was outraged accusing the police of bullying and putting her 15 year old angel in danger by making him walk half an hour home.

I interviewed the pair on Sunrise. The 15 year old retold the story, and highlighted how unfair it was that the cops also took his pack of cigarettes. He said he asked for the cigarettes back because he knew he had rights.

A 15 year old demanding cigarettes back because he has rights. You can just imagine the tone of the exchange.

Rather than his mother getting stuck into him for riding without a helmet and having a pack of smokes, she gets on the case of the police for “putting him in danger”.

This is the issue I have with modern parenting. It’s the rose coloured glasses that their little angels can do no wrong. Backing the kid rather than the authorities.

It’s the absence of basic principles like respecting elders and those in authority like the police.

It’s not the kid’s fault. He’s simply following the example of his mum.

These little things bother me. The values which were pretty standard not too long ago but are now seen as old-fashioned and irrelevant.

Things like standing up on a bus for someone older. Things like calling an adult Mr or Mrs unless invited to use a first name.

I had this discussion with some of my colleagues after I explained that I still expect my adult children to address friends of mine as Mr or Mrs unless invited to do otherwise.

They were gobsmacked. I explained it was a mark of respect to someone older.

My colleagues claimed adults must earn the respect of children before they than can expect to be shown it.

And that is the root of the problem.

In my opinion all adults (and those in authority) deserve instant respect from children until they do something to lose it.

Yes it may sound silly and unimportant, but it exemplifies what is happening on a larger scale. Parents are trying way too hard to be their kids’ best friends, rather than being the parent.

A good friend, and inspiration for me, is Father Chris Riley who runs Youth Off The Streets, an organisation which certainly deals with its fair share of troubled adolescents.

For years he’s been helping street kids, drug dependant kids and abused youth by helping them turn their lives around. Guess what his golden piece of advice for parents is?

He says setting boundaries is a sign of love, and that it shows kids that someone cares enough about them to set limits and values.

He says all kids crave boundaries and direction because it makes them feel safe and loved.

What I fear is that we’re bringing up a new generation of smart-ass kids who have no respect and assume they can get away with anything they like because the boundaries are blurred.

The results from a UK study this week are claiming that it’s better for a kid’s happiness to be an only-child. But reaching this conclusion involved simply asking a bunch of kids whether they’d prefer to be the sole child in their family (and get spoiled rotten). Not exactly a reliable study I don’t think, but now it’s being touted by child psychologists as new, valuable ‘knowledge’.

It’s time parents did their part, stopped worrying about the emotional fragility of their special little darlings and started acting like a parent.

The problem is that people are over-thinking parenting. It’s not rocket science; it’s just common sense.

These sort of basic moral lessons may be old-fashioned, but they work.

Sad moment in basketball

Have you ever noticed the funny things guys do in sport. The bum slap in volleyball. The Hugs in soccer. And the high five/handshake in basketball after freethrows- score or miss...

Here is a story about a handshake gone tragically wrong and but it has a happy ending.

Gospel Aerobics - Let The Praise Begin

Need an a good dose of christian aerobics? Woohooo

Just get it right.

Don't you hate when you read a book or watch a movie and there is some inconsistency between them and the sequel. Normally it is pretty minor and we complain or whine about it and get over it. Not so This Red shirted guy. Ian Bates a 17 year old from Florida asked at a major Blizzard convection about an inconsistency in the game World of Warcraft's expansion game Cataclysm. (For video see below)

Credit to the Head designer- he could have just made up some excuse but instead thanked the kid for pointing it out and promised to get it fixed. Something which is a very minor detail but for Ian it is a big thing. See Ian suffers from Asperger's Syndrome and a statement dismissing him or making fun of him who have really hurt the kid.

It made me think about how sometimes our throw away comments can really hurt someone. I found this a great reason to think about what we say and be easily ready to admit we are wrong. I'm not advocating nitpicking (This can do just as much harm especially Spelling/Grammer Nazis) nor am I advocating sloppy work but rather I want us to think about the snap replies we make that can be hurtful.

For Ian it doesn't look like this will the end of the issue. Blizzard have released a screenshot from it's testing area. They have fixed the inconsistency. And given the Council member an assistant- Entitled The Wildhammer Fact checker. Not just any Wildhammer Fact checker but one wearing a red shirt. Good on them :) and good on Ian.

Chaplaincy on Compass.

Interesting show on compass on Sunday night on School chaplaincy. Well worth jumping on here or something to have a look at. It had a kinda balanced look at both sides of the debate but then never gave answers though both positive and negative were handled wellish I think. What do you reckon?

Balance or lack there of.

Well tonight I failed. I had agreed to catch up with someone after my futsal game. My problem was the game got delayed and then the game lengths got extended. To make a long story short I stood up that person although it wasn't entirely my fault. Turns out that person has some kinda serious things they wanted me to talk through with them. I feel terrible and apologise hugely. I feel selfish. To make matters worse men's A futsal is now moved to Sunday night which means I miss church. I feel just as bad about that. Problem is my men's futsal games are stress relief as well as much needed fitness for me. I miss catching up with people after church. So what is the answer? Do I drop futsal (I do go the 11am morning service) what tips do you guys use when balancing things out?

Heath Shaw's legendary grand final smother

In my opinion this was for me the moment that won us the afl premiership. At a key point of the game Heath Shaw showed that even though this wasn't his man- they would fight as a team. Quote of the year "came up behind him like a Librarian."

With what attitude are we serving

This Song has been getting stuck in my head and call me happy clappy but I think its for a reason. I'm starting to think I may have a problem with my attitude in service. Let me just put these thoughts in context and in the big picture.

I was always brought up believing service is a key part (if not one of the main) of Christianity and when I was five my family demonstrated this when they moved to PNG as bible translators. Mum and Dad were there for over 20 years and are still serving with Wycliffe today. Thus I was always introduced to the thought- As a Christian YOU HELP OUT wherever and however you can and I believe that as a whole I have been serving and serving in many different ways. I try to help out with as much as I can and often do to much- (I've been the guy described as the one who will do anything to help out someone but wont help himself out.) My thought is this- I think I've been finding joy because I feel like I'm helping rather than I help because of the joy that I have in me. What that means is things, when repeated become chores and the joy I have at being helpful fades rapidly. It is only recently I think I have realised the joy and love mum and dad have for the gospel which makes them translate it and help other people translate in other languages. Not because they feel like they are helping out but because it is the end product of their joy in God.

However then I run into more problems, if we aren't serving why not? Should there be expectations place on people to serve knowing they are serving with the wrong motives. E.G. I know people who will only agree to things if it is upfront- visible service. They come in- make a big impact and take off leaving others to clean up. Now I know we all can have different roles but at what point does this become selfish and self serving? I remember doing adventure club you really do get addicted to the upfront buzz, but I can say confidently- I've learnt that the leader who quietly stays behind to pack up without moaning or complaining- well I'll take them any day over the upfront superstar. May God help me to be more humble and serve with joy not just joy because I feel like I'm doing something or that I'm something special.

(Cheers to Adam Tunnah for the introduction to the video/song too)

Monkey Riding little motorbike on the streets in India!

This is what the commonwealth games opening ceremony was missing...

Nearly Forgot.

DID I MENTION THE PIES WON TODAY!!!!!! Woooooooooo HOOOOOO

just putting it out there- it was a demolition...

Psalm 139

One of my favorite psalms. (see below for the Sons of Korah song)

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, ^{a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]} you are there.

⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹ If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to ^{b]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]} me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.

²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?

²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

New things.

Well I thought I'd resurrect the blogging aspect of my blog. Complete with bad spelling, grammar and punctuation aimed at grammar nazis- e.g. journalists- whom I'm probably deluding, actually read my blog.

Firstly I'd like to welcome new reader(s) to my blog- Hi Donna- Thanks for dropping by :)

Well This is probably my first about me blog in a while, other than a kinda poemy thingy in may it would be Febuary.

Since then (in no particular order of time or importance)...

I've been on 10 camps (which is down from 14 last year so i'm Proud of that)

I've been learning to say no to things.

I gave a speech at the chaplain's corporate fundraiser dinner which I've been told I did a great job.

I've started keeping myself more accountable with people- even in as much as if I'm doing something that I enjoy.

I've had the opportunity to have people come into school and give a clear gospel message.

I have started having professional supervision in my role as a chaplain (read seeing a psychologist) This is a requirement for chaplains now. I feel its helped me.

Realised more what a great group of friends I have around me and grown closer to a few more people.

Had a bible study shake up and got a mostly new group and enjoying getting to know these people.

Gotten to two Futsal grandfinals and lost both of them.

COLLINGWOOD HAD A GREAT WIN AFTER A TIED GRAND FINAL.

Also a few other things have been going on which hopefully I can share more on later.

For those who do faithfully check this blog thankyou and I shall endeavorer to actually post more.

But first some cartoons

Semi tonight

Well once again Collingwood have the chance to show us all they can win. A really nice news story came out about Collingwood's captain Nick Maxwell (see below). Maxwell is a genuine nice guy who gives his all for the team and promote the club. Found here, He is playing the team that told him they were going to draft him, didn't in 3 drafts and then told him 2 days before a 4th there was no place for him in their side. Hopefully this come back to bite them on the backside. This is also a good article here on why Collingwood fans are passionate. In other news, the three people Lions supporters have held up as the great hopes of the team are leaving... rats leaving a sinking ship???

NICK Maxwell's dad will have a present for all his son's doubters if Collingwood wins the premiership.

The Magpies skipper was overlooked for several national drafts and rejected by Geelong, Hawthorn, Sydney and Port Adelaide.

On Friday he will lead out the Pies against the Cats in the preliminary final at the MCG.

In 2002, Geelong coach Mark Thompson broke Maxwell's heart when he told him the Cats wouldn't draft him after Maxwell had trained at Kardinia Park for three weeks.

Doug Maxwell will never forget it.

"You know I was pretty dark on 'Bomber' Thompson that night," he said.

"When Nick came home he was gutted. I'd still love to, to this day, see Nick holding up the cup.

"And if he did, I'd take a photo and post it to all who doubted him."

Maxwell, who went to school at St Joseph's, Geelong, was cut from three Geelong Falcons teams and overlooked for two national drafts and a rookie draft.

Two days after Thompson delivered his shattering news, the Pies selected Maxwell with their first pick of the 2003 rookie draft.

He made his debut in Round 9, 2004, and was made captain of the most famous sporting club in the country at the end of the 2008 season, replacing Scott Burns.

Despite the rejections, Doug Maxwell knew his son was a leader.

"He's captain because he's the best leader there," he said. "We knew he was a leader before he got there, from when he was playing Little League. He led by example."

His sister, Lucy, 22, said her brother's attitude got him the job.

"Because he got rejected by five clubs, he kept working and working and working. That's how bad he wanted it," she said.

"People know they can rely on him."

Vuvuzela Hero

Have you missed the Vuvuzela? Well fear no more, here is vuvuzela Hero.

Mouse Trap Survivor Cheese Commercial

Hehehehehe

If

'if' by rudyard kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

Cup Fever! Masterchef

Probably one of the best parts of the world cup has been the SBS show Santo, Sam and Ed's Cup Fever. Here is one of my favorite clips from the show- A masterchef edition

TOUR DE FRANCE (REMI GAILLARD)

In a similar vein where they treat riders like they have won the tour de france.

Election 2010 Spoof Trailer - GetUp!

Most have seen this already but anyways :)

Chaser's are back

I get quite sick of the lead up to an election. However this year it appears the Chaser team are coming back to cover it as well as the Gruen transfer bringing in a publicity analysing show... could be good. From news.com.au

THE controversial Chaser comedy team will soon return to TV in a series of five election specials to air on the ABC.

After nearly a year off our screens the Chaser boys will serve up a new show called YES WE CANBERRA!

The comedy group created international headlines in Sydney in 2007 when they breached the APEC conference cordon in a fake Canadian motorcade carrying a team member dressed as Osama bin Laden.

But last year they were sin binned by ABC management for two weeks mid way through the third series of The Chaser’s War on Everything after a skit poking fun at terminally ill children was slammed.

The new show is a case of back to the future for the group who began their television career with 2001’s Logie nominated The Election Chaser, under the watchful eye of industry legend Andrew Denton.

Since then they have covered two more elections – the 2004 and 2007 polls.

But this time the comedians will be trialling a new format.

The premise will be the only job they can get is as warm up guys for the ABC’s flagship current affair’s program, Lateline, so they’ll be doing their coverage from there.

"Most people don't know that Lateline is filmed in front of a live studio audience," said executive producer and star Julian Morrow
"That's the problem - they're terribly quiet. So the ABC hired us to rev them up a bit. Hopefully, we can help Tony (Jones) and Leigh (Sales) receive the wild applause, hollers and whoops they deserve."

While the public has seen little of the comedians since last year’s comedians they haven’t been idle.

And they certainly haven’t lost their taste for pithy humour.

They’ve spent the last 12 months developing their iPhone and iPad applications pumping out stories like “Refugee policy: Gillard regrets East Timorese independence" and "Dannii Minogue gives birth to babii boii”.

So politicians, even the wounded Kevin Rudd, shouldn’t be expecting any sympathy.

“Our biggest target until two weeks ago was Kevin Rudd, so we had a little burning ceremony of those scripts,” Julian Morrow told news.com.au.

“We do like to kick a man while he’s down and he’s pretty far down... he’s not out of bounds and we found it quite hard to get to him when he was Prime minister.

“I think Kevin will appreciate any media attention.”

And controversial issues like immigration won’t be off the agenda either.

“It’s really great to combine harsh policies that exploit people with comedy, it’s a natural strength for us,” says Morrow.

“We will be running all of our jokes past Xanana Gusmao before we do them just to make sure we’ve got the right person, on board… is that who we ask or is it Ramos-Horta?” added fellow Chaser member Craig Reucassel.

And while the team will be zeroing in serial the usual suspects - like Senator Bill Heffernan, Barnaby Joyce and Wilson ‘Ironbar’ Tuckey - Morrow and Reucassel admit over the years they have got more than a few decent comebacks from their targets.

“Mark Latham initially was quite fun… particularly when he was slightly drunk,” says Reucassel.

“Peter Costello initially rebuffed us totally but later on he started dancing with us and he would start singing and doing strange things and he would actually make the piece.”

“Tony Abbott started off by never talking to us, he’d just walk away and never say a word, and then he’d start interacting - he’s actually got a bit of a sense of humour as well.”

“Bob Brown is actually got a pretty good sense of humour, he’s happy to play along it’s just that even when Bob’s upbeat, a bit giddy and laughing it’s still a quite dull,” adds Morrow.

But the Chaser’s new show will not be the only funny take on this year’s election.

Wil Anderson’s The Gruen Transfer will become Gruen Nation and analyse political advertising and campaign strategy in the lead up the poll.

It will air directly before YES WE CANBERRA!

YES WE CANBERRA! will air on Wednesday’s at 9.45pm in the month before the election and will feature an election special the week after the poll.

The Stupid Cup (Rémi GAILLARD)

This guy Nathan Has posted a few of his vids including the pac man ones- Sorry Nathan if you have posted this already. The premise is the guy with a big army of supporters turns up at a small local football game and support like it is a champion's league final. Not keen on the pitch invasion thought :)

Off on Camp

Well I'm heading off on a camp tomorrow and one of things I'm doing is giving the 'campfire' talks which will be evangelistic in nature. I'm copying something that was done on NQ Xtreme and using Jungle doctor stories. As I finalised my preparation I came across one I hadn't read before and thought it apt and consistent with some of my thoughts of living in the world but not being of it.

Nyani pressed his thumb against the limb of the buyu tree and again a dudu (lice) died.

The grandfather of many monkeys was filled with scorching anger. He chattered long and loudly as he climbed through the limbs of his favorite buyu tree.

He swung from a limb and confided his troubles to the ear of Twiga the giraffe.

"O Twiga, there are dudus of the baser sort in this buyu tree. Everyone has fleas; ticks are irritating but at least respectable. But lice!--NO!"

Nyani shuddered delicately, wrinkled his nose and scratched vigorously at the very thought.

Twiga listened with no little sympathy, moistening his lips with his long black tongue.

"No doubt the resting of vultures on the limbs of your family tree will account for this unhappy circumstance," he ventured.

Nyani flew into a rage and leaped from limb to limb.

That bird of disgusting ways, that eater of carrion, that, that, that..."

Words failed him.

He trailed off into high-pitched chatter.

Twiga twisted her long tongue gently over the irritable tip of his black nose and remarked mildly, "Should you act with firmness, Nyani, it is unlikely that vulture will light on your buyu tree."

Nyani listened with interest and scratched with decorum.

Twiga went on.

You cannot stop vultures flying over your buyu tree but you can stop them from roosting there."

Nyani thought for a time and the matter became clear to his monkey intelligence. Immediately he set about collecting stones to be kept in the hollow limb for use in such an emergency.

Daudi threw some sticks on the campfire. A shower of sparks lit up the faces of his listeners.

"Koh," said Daudi's listeners, "this, great one, is a riddle of depth." The dispenser waved his finger at them.

"You can't stop them flying over. You can stop them from roosting," he prompted.

A whispering went on, barely louder than the song of the cricket, and then one laughed.

The answer, great one, is this. For Shaitan (Satan) the devil to whisper in your ear is not sin, but to stop and listen is a different matter."

Daudi nodded slowly. "Truly, temptation isn't sin. You can't stop Shaitan (Satan) the devil's voice from reaching your ears, but to take notice of what he suggests and do it--that is sin.

Look at God's words for yourself. The letter that James wrote, chapter one, verse 12 (James 1:12) and those that follow."

M'gogo murmured the reference over and over. At first light in the morning he would read it in his new Book.

As the sun came over the baobabs, he read:

"Each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin, and the sin, when it is full grown, bringeth forth death."

Fury kicks off tonight

The new look fury plays its first game tonight against the NQ razorbacks (state league team). Free game I might go and have a look. Until then- love this new add :)

The fellowship of the vuvuzela

Just to continue being annoying


And a song about my Vuvuzela ela ela ey ey ey

Hehehehe

These things used to be annoying- then I found the iphone app

WARNING: World Cup watching is bad for your heart- take up crochet, Japanese Flower arranging or watch Rugby Union instead-SMH

Found this funny article on the Sydney Morning Herald- guess it proves like I said Union is boring to watch and isn't likely to give you a heart attack. Found here

WARNING: the World Cup can be bad for your health. During important games, heart attack rates increase dramatically in the countries involved, studies have found.

Medical experts have urged people with heart conditions to take up interests that are less likely to cause their heart rate to fluctuate, such as Japanese flower-arranging, crocheting or watching rugby union.

According to an analysis in the British Medical Journal, the risk of being admitted to an English hospital for acute myocardial infarction increased by 25 per cent on June 30, 1998, US website Miller-McCune reported last week.

Acute myocardial infarction is, of course, a technical term for a heart attack: acute, meaning it really hurts; myocardial, meaning my heart; and infarction being the curse that Englishmen utter while clutching their chests in agony. The full Latin name is, of course, acute myocardial "infarction hell, I'm in bloody agony here", but let's not get too technical.

June 30, 1998, was the day England lost to Argentina in a penalty shoot-out. As opposed to the days England lost to Germany in penalty shoot-outs, the days they lost to Portugal in penalty shoot-outs and the particularly demoralising occasion when they lost to the Little Gigglewick Under-6s in a penalty shoot-out. (They're incredibly mentally tough, the Little Gigglewickians; it's no wonder the Englishmen crumbled.)

In fact, sources close to the project say analysing the data proved particularly troublesome for researchers due to the difficulty of finding a day when England hadn't lost a penalty shoot-out to someone.

Nonetheless, the research was concluded and found that the increase in heart attack hospital admissions continued for two days after the England-Argentina match had finished. This suggests that the penalty shoot-out system for deciding drawn matches is not only cruel and excessively stressful but may need some simplifying: some people took a long time to work out who had won.

Heart attack isn't the only health risk that World Cup watchers face. Lack of sleep can make viewers dangerously run down, leaving them physically vulnerable to colds and man-flus, and mentally vulnerable to the advertising hoardings that surround World Cup pitches.

This may lead to large and unnecessary purchases of Budweiser, McDonald's and Coca-Cola: a potentially lethal cocktail that can lead to acute myocardial "infarction hell, why did I say yes to the super size meal?"

The fans' trumpets known as vuvuzelas also pose a health risk, experts have warned. The Hear the World foundation has measured the vuvuzela at 127 decibels, making it louder than a lawnmower, chainsaw or air horn, The Wall Street Journalreported last week.

Multiply that by the number of fans in a stadium and you have the sound of 50,000 lawnmowers, making a South African stadium a bit like Mosman on a Sunday morning: a haunting proposition for all but the most devoted football fan.

Vuvuzelas can also spread colds, doctors have warned, raising the prospect that games during the second half of the tournament might be accompanied by the sound of 50,000 people coughing, sneezing and clearing their tickly throats.

Whether or not this would be an improvement is a matter that divides football fans. The vuvuzelas bug people – literally. They sound like swarming insects because people in the crowd are blowing the instrument at different times and with slightly varying frequencies, causing the sound to wax and wane, New Scientistreports.

Broadcasters have increased audio filters to reduce the noise. For people watching on computers, the Centre for Digital Music at the Queen Mary University of London has designed software that can muffle the vuvuzelas while keeping the commentary intact.

However, anyone who finds the sound of trumpets that annoying should probably steer clear of watching football altogether: if you're highly strung the next sound you hear may be the incredibly infuriating beep-beep of a heart monitor unit in intensive care. You'll hate listening to it but you won't want it to stop; it'll be torture.

The findings of the heart attack study in the BMJ were backed up by studies in Switzerland during the 2002 World Cup and Munich during the 2006 World Cup. Both found elevated heart attack rates during the tournaments.

The exception to the rule was a study conducted in France during the 1998 World Cup final, in which France beat Brazil, watched by 40 per cent of the French population. A "significantly lower" heart attack rate was recorded that day compared with five days before or after.

This may well have been because France won and a winning team doesn't cause as much heartache as a losing one. Australian hospitals are on high alert.

In other news . .

The NSW Blues are said to be considering a change of kit after their mauling at the hands of Queensland last week.

The Blues were thrashed 34-6 in the second game of the series in Brisbane on Wednesday, with commentators noting that they looked sluggish compared with the slick and nimble Maroons.

A source close to the Blues camp said the players didn't want to make excuses but having to wear long white cloaks and pointy white hats didn't help their performance.