Yesterday’s results: Poland 0 - 2 Germany, Austria 0 - 1 Croatia

Whoopsadaisy… My prediction of Poland making the last 16 seems like the heart ruling the head a little. Some very naïve defending was their undoing and Germany looked very good.

Big Baby Bilic’s side ended up hanging on for their 1-0 victory against the Austrians, but a win is a win.

It’s half time at the moment in the France - Romania game and the score is 0-0. I’m still on for a correct result, but there’s nothing to suggest my predicted scoreline of 2-2 will materialise. I have to admit that I’d be annoyed if it did now, as I’ll be on the train and will miss the whole second half. Can’t see it happening though, it’s been an awful game so far- Romania are happy stopping the French from playing football, the French are not really trying to play football. I hope the Holland - Italy, will see them go for it a bit more. Having said that, I predicted a 0-0 draw…

Luc’s predictions: France 2 - 2 Romania, Italy 0 - 0 Holland

There we have the first goal of the tournament - Koller’s replacement Vaclav Sverkos scuffs his shot into the corner of the Swiss goal after a corner was cleared, headed back in and leaving the Swiss defenders stranded as Sverkos surged through to score.

The Czech big man, Jan Koller, has gone, replaced by Sverkos. Now it will be interesting to see what the Czechs do; they tend to be a lot more inventive without the man mountain.

And here’s some evidence… A cross has just whizzed past the Swiss post with no one able to get a touch.

The Swiss’ best chances look like coming from set pieces.

Hi everybody. Well, it has started. Many people are waiting for the highlights of this first game between Switzerland and Czech Republic, I myself missed the first half an hour of this one. By the looks of things, I haven’t missed that much; it’s nil-nil at half time.

Before the game, I predicted this one would finish as a draw, at 1-1. It’s still possible, but the loss for Switzerland of Alexandre Frei is going to harm their goalscoring chances. It sadly looks like being a premature end to the tournament for him, as the unlucky blow to his knee while his studs were stuck in the turf appears to have left him with lateral knee ligament damage. It will be very surprising if he plays again in Euro 2008.

Right the second half is about to begin. Let’s hope for a bit more action from the reds and the whites!

Luc’s predictions: Switzerland 1-1 Czech Republic, Portugal 1-0 Turkey

by Helen Macrae

This week’s fun money-saving activity involves a visit to one of Spain’s most important institutions.

El Corte Inglés

There are literally hundreds of these horribly confusing department stores dotted around Madrid, so just take your pick of which one you fancy getting lost in for an afternoon. On the plus side, their size means you can find pretty much anything and everything you might need in there, just be sure you go to the right store in the first place (unlike yours truly who went up a whole eight floors looking for a pair of speakers, only be told that the electronic goods were in the shop next door. Obviously).

Since you’re broke and shoplifting is naughty, you’ll have to content yourself with freebie activities, such as trying on all the make-up, testing out the perfumes and stuffing yourself with any free food samples. If you want a challenge, try and crack a smile from one of the po-faced shop assistants. If you want a bigger challenge, try and find the way out afterwards.

by Helen Macrae

This week’s tips on how to enjoy the city without breaking the bank are all sunshine-related. Although the weather has been less than great recently, this is Spain after all, and I’m therefore certain (in my appointed role as the eternal optimist) that things will brighten up soon. And if they don’t then I would like a refund please.

Sunbathe

Ok so all the beauty magazines bang on about fake tan being the only way to go these days, but who doesn’t enjoy soaking up a few UV rays now and again? Plus, everyone knows you need a bit of sunshine to get your Vitamin D intake and stop you getting rickets. Or something. Anyway, just remember to slap on some sunscreen and choose your spot carefully, for example on some nice lush grass in the one the city parks. Lying in the middle of a busy footpath in the style of our local tramp Tetrabrik Dave is probably not advised.

Sunset

Watch the sun go down on a balmy summer’s evening. One of my favourite spots is overlooking the palace by the Templo de Debod - best views in the city.

Sunrise

You probably aren’t going to sacrifice your lie-in so you can watch the sun come up, so the ideal time is probably after a night out on the town, which of course has been financed by your new ridiculously wealthy girl/boyfriend (please see previous tip “Become a kept man/woman”). Best spot is probably somewhere within crawling distance of whichever nightclub you stumble out of.

By Khilen Mehta

The 67th edition of the Madrid international book fair will be inaugurated on the 30th May by King Juan Carlos in Retiro Park. The festival allows bookshops, publishers and distributors the chance to display their books to the public. Most of the books will be written in Spanish but Retiro will prove a spectacular setting for those interested to peruse over 350 stalls.

Distinguised authors such as Jorge Semprún and Martin Amis will be giving talks and describing what inspires their stories, and there will also be a special childrens section. If you do head over there, you are recommended to try a Horchata in one of the cafes in the park, a refreshing drink made from rice and almonds. Sumptious on a beautiful summers day!

This year’s edition of the Madrid Book Fair will focus on promoting the careers of young Latin American authors trying to emerge from under the shadow cast by the giants of the 20th century boom. Fair director Teodoro Sacristan said he was excited that the 67th edition of the event has made Latin America its focal point as he believes there are Latin American writers, such as Colombia’s Gabriel Garcia Marquez, whose works remain in demand more than 40 years after the Latin American boom of the 1960s and 1970s began and it is time for a new generation to emerge.

So get yourself down to Retiro. Enjoy the park, and take a stroll through the stalls. The festival runs until June 15th, and the best bit, IT´S FREE!!

By Maja Gojkvoic

After the second semi final on Thursday 22 May, the EBU reveals that one of the ten contestants who qualified in thursday nights round was selected thanks to the support of the back-up jury, and would not have made it to the Final under the old rules.

The new rule was put in place before this year´s Eurovision Song Contest. The rule states that the top-9 contestants chosen by the televoters qualify for the Final. The highest ranked contestant from the back-up jury results and who have not yet qualified through the televoting, also qualifies for the Final.

After the first Semi-Final, it appeared that the televoters and the back-up juries selected the same 10 contestants to qualify for the Final. This was not the case after the second Semi-Final, as one of the 10 contestants who qualified was not in top-10 of the televoters. So, one of the qualified Semi-Finalists would not have made it to the Final without the support of the back-up jury.

In order to keep the Final exciting the country that was chosen by the back up jury will not be revealed until after the final inorder to keep the suspense high. The complete results of the two Semi-Finals will be revealed through www.eurovision.tv on Sunday morning.

by Lev Eldudin

We’ve all been there, and the decision is not an easy one. You’re home in the afternoon on a weekday, you find yourself having a couple more hours free than you expected. Do you take your siesta?

It sounds like a simple yes or no decision, but there are a lot of factors that play into the verdict. How long do I sleep for? Is it a couch or a bed endeavour? Shouldn´t I do that load of laundry that I’ve been putting off for weeks that has forced me to have to steal my roommate’s skid-marked underwear?

Recent research, not to mention Spanish culture, says forget the laundry and snooze it up. According to an article on BIO.com (http://http://web.archive.org/web/20070310193716/www.bio.com/newsfeatures/newsfeatures_research.jhtml?cid=19200022), a short nap is very natural after a long hearty afternoon meal (especially if the meal is cocido, in which case you want to sleep to forget the fact that you just ate that stuff). The article goes on to say that a short nap after eating can help prevent obesity, and can keep your mind functioning better for the rest of the day. Daytime sleep can also prevent narcolepsy, which is a scary, scary thing.

The real question though is how long to nap. If you’re out for too long, you’ll wake up feeling groggy, disoriented and sometimes even grumpy. And nobody likes a grumpy guy with skid marked underwear.

To avoid that, most sleep research suggests taking a power nap, somewhere between 15 and 45 minutes, but not longer. If you sleep longer, you will shift into the next, deeper stage of sleep, and interrupting that is what you feel when you wake up from a nap and have no idea where you are or what day it is. However, one full sleep cycle is about two and a half hours, so if you’re really dead you can get a nice, long, full nap, one that is usually reserved before a long night of partying.

The toughest part of taking a nap though, is the inescapable guilt. With every ´to nap or not to nap` internal debate comes the guilt. While our Spanish counterparts have long been famous for their post-meal pillow parties, the American in me still feels that guilt before every nap that I take. The internal battle is there whether or not we admit it to ourselves, but please, don’t let guilt take away what you hold most dear. You’ve got modern science behind you. Screw the man, set your alarm, hop into your bed or couch or floor or cardboard box, and snore away!

By Maja Gojkovic

Thursday 22nd May saw the second of the Eurovison Song Contest 2008 take place, the second semi final.

This is the first time in the competitions history that there has been two semi finals, in order to determine which 25 countries go through to the final.

The second semi final was as good as the first if not better, the theme of the show was ‘water’ and included some special touches such as during one of the breaks, a viedo clip showing Serbian tennis star Ana Ivanovic welcoming viewers to her home city of Belgrade.

After the remaining 19 participants performed, the voting commenced. The voting revealed that the final 10 countires going through to the final were: Ukaraine, Croatia, Albania, Iceland, Georgia, Denmark, Sweden, Latvia, Turkey and Portugal.

The second semi final winners will join those from the first semi final (Greece,Romania,Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Russia, Israel, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Poland and Norway) to battle it out in tonights final round of the Eurovison Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade. France, United Kingdom, Spain and Germany also join the group but their entries qualified straight to the final as they are part of the big four. 

The countries that are not going to the final and that are heading home include: Andorra, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, FYR Macedonia, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, San Marino, Slovenia and Switzerland.

Never mind and better luck next year, sometimes taking part is better than winning hahaha.

The final of the competition takes place this evening, you can watch it live on www.eurovision.tv.