The World Cup of Pool is the international annual single-elimination tournament for doubles teams in nine-ball competition. It is held annually, at various locations, and was first held in 2006 in Newport, Wales. As of 2009, Matchroom Sport have broadcast all of the games, and PartyPoker.com has sponsored the event.

To give a bit of a background about the sponsor, PartyPoker.com was launched in 2001 and has since grown to be one of the largest poker card rooms on the Internet. The site is endorsed by Mike Sexton, the host of the World Poker Tour television show. The site offers various forms of Texas Hold’em, Omaha and Stud poker.

Played over six days, the two-man teams do battle initially in race-to-nine matches with the games stretching out to race-to-11 as the event progresses. All games are played to a ‘scotch doubles’ format whereby each player takes alternate shots. That adds heightened drama as mistakes are magnified and nerves play their part.

Last year’s competition was lifted by Hall of Famer Ralf Souquet and compatriot Thorsten Hohmann as Germany grabbed the glory for the first time when they defeated unheralded Thailand.

Here’s the first head to head timed track comparison we’ve seen between the Subaru BRZ, Toyota 86 / Scion FR-S, and the Mazda Miata MX-5. The three cars are taken around the Montegi track for a 3 lap timed run.

We won’t spoil the results for you, so check out the battle video inside.

So Apple’s latest worst-kept secret is out – it’s released a new iPad to keep the Android pack at bay.

Make no mistake, this is a seriously cool piece of kit, bringing a whole host of improvements that, individually, may not sound like much, but put together take the iPad onto a whole new plane.

iPad 2 has Facetime

The iPad 2 will be available in the US on Verizon as well as AT&T and comes in two colors – black and white. March 11th will be the shipping date in the US, “in volume.” and shipping to 26 other countries will follow beginning March 25th. Pricing will start at $499.

A historic moment for birds and pigs everywhere. This is a video featuring characters in the popular Angry Birds iPhone app game. Taken from the Israeli comedy show ‘Eretz Nehederet’ ( A Wonderful Country).

Powerbeats by Dr. Dre is a new series of headphones geared towards the athletic crowd who want premium sound while they exercise. Providing UV protection, sweat resistance, and ear hooks to secure the headphones in, the Powerbeats line is specifically manufactured to accommodate the rigorous workload associated with training sessions. In addition, Dr. Dre and LeBron James have joined forces to promote the line, shooting an entertaining commercial spot featuring comedian Affion Crockett. Further information on the headphones is available through the Beats by Dr. Dre website.

Click here to watch the video!

Stop whatever you’re doing folks, and click the videos below. For in them is contained automotive delicatessen: the Porsche 918 Spyder in action.

Countdown to Motion: Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid Drives. from TangentVector on Vimeo.

Extreme inline skater Taig Khris jumped off the Eiffel Tower in Paris for setting a new freefall record. The Frenchman threw himself from the bottom section of the tower dropping 10m before landing on a 30m-high ramp.

Are you one of those people who gravitate towards sparkly things when you’re at the mall? I have to confess, I am. I can’t help but admire anything that sparkles, and I’m happy with just looking at them. You can just imagine my surprise when one of the fab owners of LuShae Jewelry offered me to pick any one product from their online store for free!

Since they have tons of gorgeous jewelry to choose from, I had a hard time picking just one out but I decided to get this Triple Clover Pendant because of its simple elegance.

“White Gold Rhodium Bonded Pave Clover Pendant with a Centered Prong Set Round Cut Clear CZ in Silvertone”

I experienced no problems from ordering to shipping and the necklace was just as described in their website. When I opened the box, I actually had a big smile in my face because the pendant looked so exquisite.

So to all you fabulous people out there, whether you’re looking for the perfect accessory or the perfect gift for your special someone, head over to Lushae Jewelry and you will definitely find what you’re looking for!

The Apple iPad. The name is a killing word — more than a product — it’s a statement, an idea, and potentially a prime mover in the world of consumer electronics. The iPad is a tablet computer developed by Apple Inc. Announced on January 27, 2010, it is considered to be in a category between the smartphone and the laptop computer.

The iPad is something in between its monumental iPhone and wildly successful MacBook line — a usurper to the netbook throne, and possibly a sign of things to come for the entire personal computer market… if Apple delivers on its promises. And those are some big promises; the company has been tossing around words like “magical” and “revolutionary” to describe what many have dismissed as nothing more than a larger version of its iPod touch. But is that all there is to this device?

Should you buy into the revolution today? I don’t think the iPad is a laptop replacement. Not yet. What that means is that if you need a laptop to work in something like Excel, Word, or countless other PC or Mac applications, you shouldn’t expect the iPad to take its place. But, if you’re like a lot of computer users, you don’t really do much on your system except for listen to music, casually browse the web and read news sites, watch some online video, play games, and keep in touch with friends via Twitter, IM, and Facebook. If you fit that description, you might just fall in love with Apple’s $499 bundle of joy

Boxing writers named him as having re-invented the sport of sweet science, inspired millions, perhaps billions of people around the world. It would not be an overstatement that Manny Pacquiao is being hailed these days as the savior of a sport and a nation. The Filipino boxer, who barely stands at 5ft 6½ inches , is universally regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, a point he emphatically demonstrated the past decade by crowning himself world champion in seven weight classes, the last the welteweight belt at the expense of Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto only November of last year, in the process enriching himself by US$13 million. No less that Bob Arum, his promoter who head Top Rank, believes Pacquiao, otherwise – known as “ Pacman”, is the one boxer responsible for a resurrection of the long-dormant sport.

As for his countrymen, he approximates the status of deity.

Every time he fights, crime in the country drops to virtually zero. Whenever Pacquiao’s fights are on television. Shooting between army troops and the rebels in the south or elsewhere actually stopped. All this simply adds to his status in as a humble superstar who gives away thousands of dollars each year to help his fellow countrymen cope with grinding poverty. Born 31 years ago in the little-known town of Kibawe, Bukidnon in far south Mindanao, Pacquiao grew up selling breads and flowers to help keep his family in food. Like many of his countrymen, he had no shoes, little formal education and no future until he fled home at 14 to try his luck in prizefighting. From the time he won his first professional fight, a four-rounder by decision, on January 22, 1995, rose from a 106-pound fighter to someone who has won world titles at flyweight (112), super-bantamweight (122), featherweight (126), super-featherweight (130), lightweight (135), light-welterweight (140) and welterweight (147).

His victims include Ricky Hatton, Oscar DeLa Hoya, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Erik Morales, future Hall of Famers all and, in baseball, members of the murderers’ row in the batting order. Those victories catapulted the Filipino icon to the world pound-for-pound throne, a mythical title he has worn the past three years.

Pacquiao has fought 55 times, six fewer than the great Muhammad Ali and had boxed the same number of rounds (305) that Sugar Ray Leonard had when he retired. Reason why even on the very eve of his fight with Ghanaian challenger Joshua Clottey for his welterweight plum on Sunday, debate on whether he should retire continues.

And chief trainer Freddie Roach, who has been handling him since 2001 as a flyweight champ,, has been pursuing the issue as a reminds of the perils of an overextended boxing career, as he battles the effects of pugilistic Parkinson’s syndrome.

“It’s hard to say. Is this my last fight? We’ll see,” Pacquiao, for his part, said. “One never knows. It’s still so early to be talking about this, but I do like the thought of going out on top.”We did a lot in boxing, achieved a lot — more than what we set out to do.”

Arum though, citing money as reason, said he was “inclined to doubt” that his star fighter would walk away from the sport
Another reason could be politics as the 31-year-old father of four with wife Jinkee is running anew for congress in the lone district of Srangani province.
Despite his iconic stature, he was unsuccessful when he ran for the Philippine Congress in 2007. Undaunted, he is running again this year.
Time magazine honored in 2009 ranked Pacquiao among the 100 people who most affect the world. Among his peers were Sister Mary Scullion, an advocate for the homeless in Philadelphia, and Suraya Pakzad, a women’s rights activist in Afghanistan. He also appeared in the Time cover, the first Asian athlete to have been honored.

Pacquiao was already a pretty good fighter when he walked into Roach’s Los Angeles gym in 2001 and asked Roach to be his new trainer. Pacquiao had won 31 of 35 bouts outside the United States and already owned the first of his major titles, the WBC flyweight (112-pound) championship. But the fighter, who relied almost exclusively on his dominant left hand, sensed he needed more if he wanted to conquer the sport in the United States. Roach agreed.

Roach, whom Pacquiao referred to as his “master”, tutored technique and preached the importance of ring strategy. He taught the importance of angles as well as the art of hitting and running. In the end, it has been a match made in boxing heaven. In their first fight together, Pacquiao won the IBF super bantamweight (122-pound) championship in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao has won his last 11 bouts by KO, including a career-ending against DeLa Hoya. He’s been voted Fighter of the Year in 2006, 2008 and 2009 by the Boxing Writers Association of America. Has a 90-1-2 record in world championship fights.

Source: PhilBoxing.com