A Trojan horse attack on my computer turned out to be a blessing.
There's this program called DBAN - Darik's Boot and Nuke. It's a program that allows you to clean your hard drive thanks to an autonuke feature, and get rid of any other lingering programs that might harm your computer. It's awesome stuff. I was able to get my machine back to normal after the Trojan attack. And it's all thanks to BongaDad.
He may have a foot lagging from a bout of gout, but when it comes to figuring out what the fuss with my computer is all about, without a doubt, he packs a clout.
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How about that Melbourne Victory side. They are a football team from Melbourne, Australia, and they won the A-League Preseason Cup. Even though the USA Women stunk like Limburger against Norway the same day, keeper Michael Theoklitos is clutch.
From the Sydney Morning Herald:
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Victory win A-League pre-season cup
August 6, 2008 - 9:33PM
Melbourne Victory have claimed the first silverware of the A-League season, defeating Wellington Phoenix 8-7 in a marathon penalty shootout in the final of the pre-season cup at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
Reigning A-League goalkeeper of the year Michael Theoklitos proved the difference between the two sides, making two spectacular stops during the second half and then saving Karl Dodd's penalty to win the shootout after 18 kicks.
Phoenix striker Shane Smeltz and Victory's Nick Ward had earlier blazed their spot kicks over the crossbar.
The match had finished 0-0 at fulltime, the Phoenix having slightly the better of proceedings before falling just short of becoming the first New Zealand club to claim a trophy in an Australian competition.
The home side fielded close to their best line-up with the only notable absentees being skipper Andrew Durante who sat out the match through suspension, while defender Tony Lochhead remained unavailable after recent trials with Middlesbrough.
Conversely ,Victory went into the match without a number of key squad members including regular captain Kevin Muscat, experienced midfielder Grant Brebner, plus Olyroos trio Archie Thompson, Leigh Broxham and Billy Celeski.
Goalscoring opportunities were rare with the match commencing in scrappy fashion on a greasy surface in front of over 9,000 fans who braved the chilly conditions.
Chances in the first half were largely a result of defensive errors with Phoenix goalkeeper Glen Moss misjudging a regulation Matthew Kemp cross and catching the ball at the second attempt as match officials ignored Victory appeals that the ball had crossed the line.
At the other end of the field Adam Kwasnik should have done better but headed over the crossbar after the Victory had left the striker unmarked from a free kick.
It was a match in which defence dominated with both sets of defenders solid throughout and former Socceroos Jon McKain for the Phoenix and Michael Thwaite for Victory particularly prominent.
The match sprang to life mid-way through the second stanza with Richard Johnson's stunning long range effort requiring an equally spectacular save from Victory goalkeeper Theoklitos.
Carlos Hernandez warmed the palms of Moss soon after with his own powerful strike from distance in what was a relatively quiet night for the Costa Rican international.
The best chance of the match came ten minutes from time with Phoenix's prolific striker Smeltz producing a diving header that saw Theoklitos at full stretch to tip the ball around the post.
"It was a tough one, but we did the job," said Victory coach Ernie Merrick.
"Right from the kick-off they pressured us and made sure we couldn't get our passing game going.
"When your goalkeeper is one of your best players and your other two are probably (defenders) Michael Thwaite and Roddy Vargas, you know that you haven't played your best football.
"But sometimes you play a game like that when you're not at your best and you come away with a win, and you think 'not a bad team to get that sort of result with not the best performance'.
"It has been the perfect preparation for the A-league season, and to get to the final, which the boys set themselves the challenge of winning, it sets us up really well for the A-league season."
Phoenix captain Jon McKain said he was impressed with his team's effort as they build towards just their second season in the competition.
"Penalties are always a lottery, and we didn't seem to get that bit of luck tonight," McKain said.
© 2008 AAP
Brought to you by aap
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Onward!
