DBAHO

Boo yah! 2 years in a row, MELBOURNE is the world's best city. And we have our much-maligned weather to thank for our top ranking. Melbourne racked up a perfect score to take its second consecutive world's most liveable city title. The London-based Economist Intelligence Unit rated 130 cities on criteria including housing, education, crime, health, recreational activities, the risk of terrorism and weather. Arch rival Sydney finished sixth, marked down because its crime rate was on a par with New York and London. Adelaide and Brisbane shared sixth spot with the harbour city and Perth ranked fourth. Melbourne was joined in first place by Vancouver in Canada and Vienna in Austria. Melbourne was the only Australian city to score top marks for its weather, with the others losing points for humidity. Ecstatic Lord Mayor John So said Melbourne's weather, diversity and friendly people made it the most livable city in the world. "Melbourne's weather appeals to all people," he said. "I always say 'if you don't like the weather you don't have to wait long for it to change'. "Where else in the world can you get weather like that?" Premier Steve Bracks said the number one rating ensured Melbourne remained a magnet for overseas visitors. Mr Bracks said he was particularly pleased Melbourne out-performed Sydney on crime. "I'm very proud of that, The whole community can be proud of the label we've got," he said. "I think more people want to come to Melbourne and stay in our great city. "We should be proud of the fact we've got a great environment, great architecture, great parks and gardens and a low crime rate." Tourism Minister John Pandazopoulos said Melbourne was also a very affordable city, offering value for money in top fashion and food. "It's a brilliant pat on the back for Melbourne, particularly for two years in a row," he said. The EIU, an offshoot of The Economist magazine, assessed hardship levels for expatriates in the 130 cities, rating them on a scale of one to five in 12 categories. A score of one represented no hardship and five indicated extreme hardship. Melbourne scored perfectly in each category. Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby, retained the last placing it took in the previous survey in October 2002 after a scoring five for crime. Survey co-editor Jon Copestake said it was a close race in Australia. "The difference between all the Australian cities is minimal," he said. "One thing Sydney had different to the other cities was a higher crime rate, and its climate. Its level of humidity was worse than Melbourne's." The other Australian cities all rated two for climate. Two was also given to Adelaide for housing, Brisbane and Perth for transport and Sydney for crime. The terrorist threat only had a minimal impact on Western cities, even those in America, largely because of new security measures. The highest ranked US city was Honolulu at 19. New York finished 51st and Washington was the lowest of the 16 US cities at 57th, mainly because of a higher risk of terrorism. London was equal 45th with Los Angeles, Madrid and San Francisco. Kuwait's was the biggest fall, from 87 to 97 because of the Iraq war.

RUSSIAN policewomen bared their legs, navels and a bit of cleavage today as they competed to become Moscow's first "Miss Security". The informal contest, staged mostly to liven up a security trade show in Moscow, was a dream to those whose fantasies favour attractive women who wear bright lipstick, high heels and can handle a handgun blindfolded. The 17 contestants represented the fairer sex of the Russian interior ministry, which churns out most of the police force in the country, and entered, in the words of one "to prove our mettle". Their professions ranged from a secretary to a trainer preparing soldiers for the interior ministry's special forces and a former aspiring model who has since become a communications specialist because "communication is the main force driving forward our civilisation". Atop a lit stage, to the beat of pop music and clad in the country's police uniforms for women - miniskirts, jackets, ties and high heels - Russia's finest displayed their talents in front of a crowd several hundred strong. Yelena Vasilkova, mother of two young daughters, took apart and reassembled a Makarov handgun - blindfolded - in 12 seconds. Two young women shook their hips and toned, exposed navels to the thumps of a Middle Eastern tune and cat calls from the audience. Several contestants showed off their shooting skills with laser guns - legs spread, miniskirts tight, hands steady. And Olga Solovyeva demonstrated what to do when a woman encounters two drunks up to no good by flipping two of her male colleagues through the air to deafening cheers from the women in the audience. "If these women are in charge of us, I will not worry about our country," said a smiling jury member, the Russian magician Amayak Akopyan. The contestants were following in the footsteps of Oxana Feydorova, a police officer in Russia's second city of Saint Petersburg who won the Miss Universe title in 2002. She was later stripped of the title for failing to fulfil the obligations that went with it. In the end, Solovyeva, a sturdy 31-year-old who trains special forces soldiers and whom "guys always thought of as one of them since childhood," won the title and the washing machine that went with it. The choice of Solovyeva over the long-legged waif-like creatures who are usually considered the ideal beautiful women in Russia surprised many in the audience, including her mother. "Olenka!" she cried climbing onto the stage and fighting through the reporters who surrounded her daughter. "I never expected this!" "She is the best, of course," she explained. "But I never expected it."

Ain't givin up on Garland, and even if we did, I'd want a betta starter than Ishii who's got control issues.

Call of Duty Multiplaya Madden 2004 Railroad Tycoon 3

I think I heard he may not be able to pitch again, but he won't be in Chicago for 2004 definitely.

Since we don't get Family Guy down here, I'll go with South Park. I just can't get enough of Cartman.

Loaiza's da 25th ranked Starting Pitcher behind such names as Bartolo Colon, Jose Contreas, Brandon Webb and Wade Millar. Buerhle was ranked 35th, he should be in da top 25 at least. They only expect 14-16 wins with a ERA of 3.75/

Lions will pick Sean Taylor. For da Falcons Roy Williams, and Tommie Harris since they are movin to 4-3 D, and need another DT. Browns it'll be Andrews the OT.

Maggs #7 ranked OF, Sosa #8. Take that Cub Fans.

Remind me not to eva hav Chicken McNuggets afta hearin that again. The Soy Chicken Nuggets sounds interestin though.

Personally I'd like to see Felix Diaz or Pacheco be our #5 guy, but I think it'll be Person.

U can put him on da board.

What's a tofu burger like? We eat a lot of vegie patties down here but I don't think I could last long bein a vegetarian.

I think he means Philly, which will be losin one head with Staley or Buckhalter leavin. Detroit wants to giv Pinner a shot this year, they should really go afta Taylor for their secondary.

Italian Food - Homemade Spaghetti and Pizza Mexican Food - Nachos, Burritos and Taco's Seafood - Fish (Especially Salmon and Prawns) My sista is glutose intolerent I think and she can't hav any meat or anythin with wheat in it, so she has to hav all these gluton free rice crakcers etc.

I'm goin to pick up a MP3 player when I'm in Kuala Lumpur next week. Pretty sure I can get 1 a lot cheaper.

Last 10 AFI - The Leaving Song Part 2 Thrice - All That's Left Fu Manchu - California Crossing Unida - Black Woman Incubus - Make Yourself Jet - Rollover DJ Foo Fighters - I'll Stick Around Pete Murray - So Beautiful Oasis - (The Today is gonna be the day song) Less Than Jake - Ghosts of U and Me

Vegemite will make u sick, always hated it. Now they're bringin out Mighty Mite too.

What a week! Thought tony was goin to get a point there for a minute, until Nabokov got another shutout.

Exactly, Gibbs will hav max. protection for Ramsey, and they already hav Samuels, Jansen, Thomas and Fiore. They mav hav sum great LB's and Corner's but that doesn't mean nothin if they can't improve their D-Line.

From da Trib, The scenario is simply too logical to ignore. New Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is thirsting to make a splashy move, so he signs Greg Maddux to a two-year deal worth, say, $16 million. Then McCourt tries to improve baseball's weakest lineup by trading lefty Odalis Perez and a top prospect to the White Sox for either Frank Thomas or Paul Konerko. You can put it on the board, right? Not so fast. For one, Sox general manager Ken Williams spent much of Thursday refuting broadcast reports that talks with the Dodgers had heated up. Williams said no one from the Sox organization had spoken to any Dodgers officials this week. So the Dodgers haven't even laid the groundwork for a corresponding deal that would add credence and logic to a Maddux signing. Said Williams: "We have never had what I would term serious discussions with the Dodgers for any of our players." True, the Dodgers tried to send beleaguered right-hander Jeff Weaver to the Sox in December for Thomas. (Williams shot that down immediately.) And, yes, the teams discussed a deal at the winter meetings that would have sent Magglio Ordonez to Los Angeles. But the deal was not close to happening because of Ordonez's $14 million salary and Williams' demand for Perez, ace setup man Guillermo Mota and at least two top-notch prospects. If the Dodgers do approach Williams, they might not like what they hear. Williams is in the driver's seat, perfectly content to start the season with Thomas and Konerko. So Williams could demand Perez and two prospects. Or Perez and Mota. There's also the issue of finances. Konerko is due $16.75 million over the next two years, a hefty sum for a player coming off career lows in average (.234), homers (18) and RBIs (65). Thomas is due $17.5 million over the next two seasons—$6 million in 2004, $8 million in 2005 and a $3.5 million buyout. Thomas also has a no-trade clause, but he might waive it for the sake of the $2 million bonus he would receive if he's traded. Though the Dodgers' interest in Maddux is tough to gauge, the Cardinals appear to be gearing up for a serious run at the four-time Cy Young winner. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the team has asked several of its highest-paid players to defer money from their 2004 salaries. Center fielder Jim Edmonds and closer Jason Isringhausen already have agreed to do so, and right-hander Matt Morris might join them. Maddux's agent, Scott Boras, would love to pit the Cardinals against the Cubs in a battle for Maddux's services. But the Cubs will go only so far. Their initial offer was believed to be worth about $12 million. It is doubtful they would increase it beyond $14 million to $15 million, given that they have a promising alternative for their rotation in Juan Cruz. Whatever the case, don't be surprised if the negotiations drag on until spring training. The Cubs have no plans to put a deadline on their offer, and Boras will work deliberately as he continues to solicit offers from the Dodgers, Cardinals and perhaps the Orioles.

From the Toronto Sun, This Moose a little late By BOB ELLIOTT Cito Gaston was in his SkyDome office on July 27, 1993. Baltimore Orioles manager Johnny Oates called from the visiting clubhouse to put someone else on the line. Go ahead line two ... "It was Mike (Moose) Mussina, about two weeks after the all-star game, calling to apologize," Gaston, the former Blue Jays manager, said yesterday. In case you missed it, Gaston, as the American League manager, took seven Blue Jays to the '93 all-star game at Camden Yards in Baltimore. As reliever Duane Ward began the ninth, Mussina began warming up in the AL bullpen, which led fans to believe Gaston had plans for Mussina and Ward to share the ninth. Say Ward facing two hitters and Mussina getting the final out. So, as the AL wrapped up a 9-3 win in an AL park -- with Ward retiring National League hitters 1-2-3 and with Mussina throwing in the bullpen -- fans booed Gaston, upset to start with since Cal Ripken and Mussina were the only O's selected. Then, there were death threats. The "Cito Sucks" T-shirts. And now here was Mussina, phoning to apologize. "I told him 'you're a little late, after all that you've put my family through,' " Gaston recalled yesterday. "I told him his apology was not accepted." At the pre-all-star workout, Detroit Tigers manager Sparky Anderson said Jays right-hander Pat Hentgen and Mussina were told they'd only pitch if the game went into extras. Commissioner Bud Selig could have used some of Gaston's long-term planning in 2002 when NL manager Bob Brenly and AL manager Joe Torre got all the players into the all-star game and it ended in a tie. The game was called a sham for ending in a tie. Gaston was in town for the annual Siemens Conn Smythe Sports Celebrities Dinner, along with AL Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay, 1977 opening-day, hero Doug Ault and Tom Henke, a recent inductee into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. We forgot to ask whether Henke -- 311 career saves -- was inducted as a ball player or a fisherman. As for Gaston, fired with four games remaining in 1997, he came close to renewing acquaintances with old pal Mussina -- who now anchors the New York Yankees pitching staff -- when Gaston was a finalist for the Chicago White Sox managerial job this off-season. The White Sox narrowed the choice for manager Jerry Manuel's successor to either Ozzie Guillen, the former Sox shortstop, or Gaston. Sox general manager Kenny Williams interviewed Gaston at the Tampa airport and then Gaston flew to Chicago to be interviewed by Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Williams. "They wanted to know my managing style." Gaston said. "Our 1989 team had some guys -- Mookie Wilson, Junior Felix, Tony Fernandez, Kelly Gruber -- who could run or hit and run. Other teams sat back and waited for the home run. I told them it depended on the type of team." Gaston then took a holiday to Barbados and was interviewed again by phone. Then, on Nov. 3, Guillen was hired. "They hired Ozzie on a Monday and I thought until the Saturday the job was mine," Gaston said. "They like to stay in house ... with their ex-players. I have no problem with that. "They're like the Yankees, bringing back former players like Don Mattingly to coach or former players like Mickey Rivers, Goose Gossage and Clete Boyer in previous springs." The Sox brass also wanted to know how Gaston would handle DH Frank Thomas, the same Thomas who wouldn't return the phone calls from Guillen at the winter meetings. Said Gaston: "I told them that Frank owed me a favour. Frank should have gone to the 1992 all-star game but since it was in an NL park Tom Kelly didn't take him. I took Frank in 1993 and went with one less pitcher." The one less pitcher should have been Mussina.

No matta what KW tries to do, Maggs WILL NOT sign a long term deal bf Free Agency at the end of the season. He said his loyalty is with Chicago because they were da team to giv him his 1st oppurtunity but we've heard this all bf and I don't think it'll count for much once otha teams otha him more cash. Unfortunately Marriotti is spot on in this article, the only way things are goin to change is if JR ain't ownin da team.

I forgot this 1 as well. Ghosts of U and Me, Surrender and She's Gonna Break Soon are gr8 to listen too, but they're from the album Anthem.

Kenny Williams arguin in da office.