FA Cup Third Round - Back The Top 30 At Home

An effective strategy is to back all the top 30 teams, i.e. those in the premiership and top 10 of the championship, against sides from outside the top 30. This obvious approach of backing the stronger teams in the country against weaker opponents has produced a win rate in excess of 70%.

This equates to odds of approximately 2/5 and there is added value in this strategy if that average is exceeded by the coupon odds on all the top 30 teams with a home tie against opposition from outside the top 30.

In the Cup, many of the big teams are offered at much shorter odds than 2/5, so this is a high staking strategy which will appeal to the "big hitters" more than the average punter, but it is a strategy that works.

In the 2003/04 season, the top 30 sides had a total of 15 home matches against teams from outside the top 30 during the FA Cup. They were as follows:

Third Round
Millwall @ 1.91 vs Walsall. result: 2-1
Portsmouth @ 1.32 vs Blackpool. result: 2-1
Tottenham Hotspur @ 1.51 vs Crystal Palace. result: 3-0
Sunderland @ 1.42 vs Hartlepool. result: 1-0
Middlesbrough @ 1.23 vs Notts County. result: 2-0
Ipswich @ 1.56 vs Derby County. result: 3-0
Fulham @ 1.15 vs Cheltenham. result: 2-1

Replays:
Bolton @ 1.36 vs Tranmere. result: 1-2 AET
Wolves @ 1.23 vs Kidderminster. result: 2-0
Chelsea @ 1.15 vs Watford. result: 4-0

Fourth Round
Portsmouth @ 1.23 vs Scunthorpe. result: 2-1
Birmingham @ 1.33 vs Milton Keynes. result: 1-0

Fifth Round
Millwall @ 1.79 vs Burnley. result: 1-0
Sheffield Utd @ 1.41 vs Colchester. result: 1-0

Quarter final
Millwall @ 1.56 vs Tranmere. result: 0-0

As you can see, 13 of the 15 matches produced wins for the higher positioned teams with two matches ending as a draw after 90 minutes. Using the above odds as a guide and 10 level stakes, a profit of 32.40 would have been achieved using this strategy.

The figures suggest the gap between the top 30 and the rest is widening and if you don't mind backing teams at short prices, then this strategy could prove profitable for the third round this season where 10 matches have been identified as follows:

Fulham @ 1.28 vs Leyton Orient
Sunderland @ 1.28 vs Northwich
Blackburn @ 1.44 vs QPR
Chelsea @ 1.05 vs Huddersfield
manchester City @ 1.20 vs Scunthorpe
newcastle @ 1.12 vs Mansfield
Preston @ 1.57 vs Crewe
Sheff Utd @ 1.44 vs Colchester
Stoke @ 1.30 vs Tamworth
Wolves @ 1.72 vs Plymouth

Another way to look at this is it is rarely worth opposing the top 30 teams at home if you are looking for "shock results", as even the chances of a draw are quite slim.

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Can Tai Chi Ergo Chair Really Help To Improve Your Health

tai Chi Chuan is the Chinese martial art of fluid motion; at its root, it promotes health, balanced energy flows and flexibility. Millions of practitioners have used it as a form of exercise, meditation and even as a soft martial-art.

Wouldn't it be cool if you could practice the forms of tai Chi while sitting down at your office? Well, the tai Chi Ergo chair does exactly that. This chair, designed by June Ekman, a dancer and choreographer, and a certified teach of yoga, tai chi and the Alexander Technique, and Larry Wilson, an ergonomicist inspired by Buckmister Fuller, looks like an office chair base attached to a large vinyl ball replacing the seat cushion.

Sitting on the tai Chi Ergo chair is a novel experience; you have to constantly flex your thigh and butt muscles as you sit this causes your body to naturally adjust position, and helps prevent lower back pain and spinal tension; indeed, when you first get the chair, the instructions say to "work into it" slowly only sit in it for an hour on the first day, two on the second and so on by the end of the second week, sitting on the chair using an "active sitting" method will become natural to you.

Because the chair requires that you constantly remain in motion, the tai Chi Ergo chair is a toning exercise for the core muscle groups of your body. This helps keep your spine moving fluidly as you go about your office work, as opposed to what normally happens in a conventional chair, where people tend to slump, the hips remain locked in a 90 degree position, and your chi sort of drains out because you aren't using your muscles.

In practice, you should think of your spine as being like a kinetic sculpture. It should always be flexing and moving, so that you don't lock into one position entirely. The tai Chi Ergo chair helps your spine do this, because in order to remain perched on it, your muscles keep locking and unlocking in sequences, as your inner ears control your balance.

People who use the tai Chi Ergo chair notice that their lower back pain eventually goes away, they feel more sexually energized and creative, and they build muscle tone in their thighs, buttocks and abdomen. While it's not the equal to a full on session in the gym, it's likelier that after the end of the day of sitting in one, you'll be less likely to put off going to the gym or working out. plus, you'll save money on chiropractor bills the tai Chi Ergo Chair pays for itself in three or fewer chiropractic visits for most people.

Incidentally, it's also a stylish addition to most office furniture sets, and its quality construction is warrantied for years. It also slides neatly under most desks, making it perfect for a student or dorm room.

For more information and where to get visit Tai Chi Ergo Chair site. Visit http://www.Ergonomic-Review.com for more information of Ergonomic Office Chair

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What's In Your Weather Forecast?

weather calamities seem to have an eye for asia this summer although many other parts of the world are far from immune to Mother's growing chaos. In case you do not follow the weather news, here are some of the latest headlines:

Romania on Flood Alert
South asia monsoon toll passes 2,000.
At least 13 dead in Pakistan rains.
Rivers above alert levels as rain subsides over central europe.
Storms batter ohio.
Extreme floods hit 500 million people a year.
Floods, landslides kill 35 in china.
Floods show need for disaster risk reduction: UN.
Hong kong issues cyclone warning.
Did global warming cause nyc tornado?

There are a lot more headlines dealing with the tornado in brooklyn, rising death toll in asia due to flooding, sweltering heat that is still rampant in parts of the U.S., deaths from flooding and starvation in Vietnam, deaths from storms in the philippines, a mini-tsunami in Algeria and an announcement by the UN that many parts of the world have confronted record breaking heat waves, floods, storms and cold snaps including snowfall in africa.

What is evident from many of these stories is that governments are not ready to deal with repeated natural disasters. In 2005 an agreement, the international Strategy for Disaster Reduction, was signed by 168 countries in Kobe, Japan. Between 2001 and 2005 84% of deaths due to natural disasters were caused by flooding. It is clear that, like many well meaning agreements, that many governments have not taken their commitments to heart. Given that more and increased flooding is inevitable, what will governments do to prevent further loss of life and property? When will governments get their heads out of the sand and realize that climate change is a much bigger threat than terrorism? The ISDR says that modest investments in early warning systems, evacuation plans, public education and better building standards can greatly reduce the loss of life and property. Unfortunately, many nations are too poor for even these modest efforts and if disaster strikes, limited funds must go to relief. The richer nations have tended to take an It wont happen here attitude and the effects of that line of thing have been clear in the U.S., england and central europe.

One must keep in mind that much of this flooding is due to heavy and long rains and does not include what may happen in terms of hurricanes and monsoons. Add to these equation problems from heat waves, earthquakes, droughts, freak snows and tornadoes hitting the downtown areas of cities and it is evident that we could be facing some real problems. All of these natural disasters are costing billions of dollars in property loss, disrupting economies, creating social chaos and costing lives. How deep are the pockets of relief agencies and charitable organizations?

We are standing in the middle of the environmental highway and Mother Nature is driving right at us. There is a lot of talk and very little action. Policy makers are still acting like we have scores of years to begin to solve these problems. Perhaps it is so out of hand that governments fear telling people how bad things may get. Panic is not a pretty sight. It has been said that disasters can bring out the best in people but events in Pakistan and india have put that notion to a severe test; the grade is not encouraging.

It is a little easier to offer assistance when only a relatively small or remote population is affected by disaster. When disaster is widespread, however, disaster brings out the worst and not the best of human nature. As the American economy begins to falter under the pressures home foreclosures and increasing debt, will the U.S. be so generous to foreign lands drowning under monsoons and other environmental disasters? When we face another Katrina, how much will be left for others particularly when we do know how to effectively and efficiently deal with such issues? As it is said in the 11th Hour, the clock is ticking. What is in your weather forecast?

Mr. Harris was born in Massachusetts. He attended The American University in Washington, D.C. and received his degree in Political Science. His graduate work was done at the University of Northern colorado and Howard University. While in D.C., he spent several years working for local and regional government agencies. Upon moving to Maine he worked with three governors and served as the Assistant Director of the Maine State Planning office. He worked on a White House Task Force for the development of a national Rural Policy and later served as Rural Policy Coordinator at the Federal Regional Council of New england. He has worked on gubernatorial and senatorial political campaigns and currently works in Special Education.

Mr. Harris is co-author of the novel WAKING GOD and is a nationally syndicated and featured writer for The American Chronicle. He is working on Book II of the Waking God trilogy and writing features for literary E-zines. His second novel, A MAINE CHRISTMAS CAROL has been released by Cambridge Books. Contributing writer for UPI's Religion&Spirituality web site.

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