A New Streetcar Everyone Desired

The Toronto Transit Corporation (TTC) had been teasing us about the new streetcars for a year now. They were supposed to be accessible, air conditioned, quieter, smoother and so on. I knew that they would be rolling out the new streetcars on the Spadina route on Aug 31, 2014. Two days before that, I was thrilled to get a glimpse of the new streetcar while they were testing it.

It really looked slick. It was futuristic and looked completely different than the streetcars currently used in service. I couldn't wait for Aug 31 to come.

On September 1, Labour Day, my brother and I decided to head downtown for some work. We would be using the Spadina route. As we waited for our streetcar to come, I was disappointed to see they were still using the old streetcars on the route. I asked someone with a TTC badge, and they replied initially there was only 2 new models on the route; the rest would be rolled out gradually. Something about a workers' strike at the Bombardier plant. Ah, strikes - the price of freedom and labour equality and all that stuff. Grunting a sigh, I boarded the old streetcar.

Today, September 3, I stepped off the subway platform at Spadina and saw a huuuuuuge lineup for the streetcars. What was going on?

It turned out that it was just a regular rush hour crunch. We were all waiting for streetcars. I was wondering - would I get to ride the new streetcar?

YES! Suddenly the new streetcar rolled into the station. Almost immediately everyone headed for the doors. There was no time to take a picture - I had to board. I was in! Once seated, I noticed just how big (and spacious) this new streetcar was. This one streetcar had almost four times the capacity (or even more - I am estimating) of the old streetcar. It was crowded, but not suffocating.

And then, it was my stop. My ride lasted a mere 4 quick stops, and it was over before it had begun.

Hmm. I thought. That was great (it was a very smooth ride) but how do I get to ride one again? I had the lunch hour coming up, and I have a transit pass that allows me unlimited rides, but I knew there was only 2 new streetcars on the route. I didn't want to spend 30 minutes waiting streetcar after streetcar until the one I wanted came by.

Enter the Internet. So there is this website that lets you know where the next streetcar is, and if it's the new one or not. I love living in the First World where this sort of thing is possible. I picked a time a little after lunch hour, when I thought the car would be less crowded, monitored the map, and then headed out for the stop.

And old streetcar came ambling by.

I let it go. I noticed that they had installed new fare machines on each stop, and there was a TTC person on hand to explain the machine to riders. And then I saw the new streetcar come into view.

I got in! My plan was to ride it to the Spadina station and then back again to my stop. Boy was it spacious inside. It almost felt like I was in a train or an LRT instead of in a streetcar. There was a streetcar route map on board. By 2019, every one of those routes would have these modern streetcars.

 

Surprisingly the streetcar was fairly packed. Not quite full, but not empty either. Talking to some people I found that like me, they had especially waited to board this new streetcar.

There were displays for the street name, and even an announcement of every stop. Besides, if someone requested a stop, you would see the signal light up. Very good UI.

 There was that familiar yellow strip bar to press in case of emergencies. Just like the train.

Big windows and doors let in maximum sunlight, thus creating a roomy feeling. The floor was quite low, and yet the ride was very smooth. You would not even hear the wheels against the rails. I guess the true test would come in the years ahead - the older streetcars had been plying the roads for over 30 years.

And then the streetcar got to Spadina station. This was the terminus stop. I would probably have at most a minute as the passengers unloaded, and moved away, before the next set of passengers would load. Time to take some pictures of the now empty streetcar.

It was long. The new streetcar has 5 modules, and is almost 30 metres in length. This is more than 4 times the length of the older streetcar.

The driver no longer collects the fare. You pay your fare on these new machines that takes tokens or cash. You can board through any of the doors now (which prevent the jamming up at the front problem that occurs on regular streetcars as people don't move to the empty space at the rear). I wondered what would happen on a really crowded car - how would you get to the fare machine? The answer - every stop on route has a fare machine, as well as the stations.

 

See the blue seats? That's part of the new designated Priority Area for customers with wheelchairs and other mobility devices. Besides, the new streetcar has a low floor, and is accessible to all by a ramp that is deployed by operators when requested (you push the illuminated blue accessibility button on the second set of doors). As folks were now starting to board, I got to see the new ramp in action.

It soon got busy again as the streetcar started to head back down Spadina.

Everyone was taking pictures of the new ride and enjoying the roomy seating and the bright, big windows.

I moved to the end of the streetcar and saw a button on the door. I asked one of the TTC folks (helpfully seated there to orient riders with the features of the new car) on why this button was there. He replied that this will open the door of the car at the stop. On busy routes at rush hour, all the doors automatically open, so I wouldn't need to press the button. However, at night or if the streetcar isn't on a busy route, doors may remain shut unless there are passengers waiting to exit. I like it.

Soon it was my turn to exit. All in all, it was a great ride, and makes for a much better transit experience. And to think this is what some people who hated streetcars fought against! I can't wait until they replace the whole fleet on every route with these new vehicles.

Note: All pictures taken with my Google Nexus 4 phone camera.

Canadian National Exhibition

I was telling an American colleague, "I went to the Ex on the weekend, and had a really fun time." There was a minute's pause, and then he said, "And your wife ... er ... let you?!!"

I have to remember it's us Canadians who know what the Ex is! The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 18 days leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day Monday. With approximately 1.3 million visitors each year, the CNE is Canada’s largest annual fair and the seventh largest in North America.

And it's an oddity that despite living for almost two decades in Toronto, I have never been to the Ex. It's almost an annual tradition for Torontonians to visit the CNE, marking the end of summer and getting ready for the upcoming back-to-school and Fall season. So this summer, I decided to try out the Ex.

There's a huge fair like component (we desis call it mela) at the Ex. You have the regular games, guess your age, and other impress-your-date-and-win-a-stuffed-toy variety. And not to mention, FOOD.

In addition to the regular fare variety such as corn dogs, frieds, waffles and other calorie-unconscious dietary assaults, there's a whole separate building devoted to food. And of the many exotic foods present, some are totally outrageous. Behold!

Because, you know, a regular Mars bar was too healthy. *smile* No, I didn't try it - and this time there was also the chocolate covered fried chicken if you wanted some meat.

For the religious Muslim, CNE also had halal options. I had the Original 8 inch Philly Steak sandwich and it was delicious! It was great not to be limited to just fish or veggies at yet another North American festival.

In fact, there was yet another bonus for the Muslim visitor - prayer rooms!

While there was plenty of grass and other semi-private areas you *could* say your prayers in if you really wanted to, the fact that there were two (yes, two!) official prayer areas meant we didn't have to. I even prayed Jummah prayers at the CNE!

The CNE has free shows throughout the day on a variety of stuff (sometimes at the same time so you have to choose). We chose to see the Mirage Acrobats show, and boy was it mesmerizing!

I really liked the hologram / laser part - it was absolutely amazing how the performer seemed to control the light beams as if they were sticks in his hand. I am still trying to figure out how technically this was made possible. There was also a dog show where ordinary pooches entertained the audience with fun and innovative tricks.

A big component of the CNE is the Farm. They had a multitude of animals in that building, and even a whole barn of cows and sheep. There was a milking demonstration, as well as a sheep rearing demonstration.

 

There was also a bee hive on display, with the sides transparent so we could peer in and see the worker bees and the queen bee. It was something I never had seen before in my life, and was something really educational. Not to mention, they were selling fresh honey right there!

The Farm also had something that is a staple of big fairs across North America - butter sculptures. These were huge structures built entirely out of butter.

The crowds are legendary, but only on the weekends and evenings.

We had gone early on Friday, so it wasn't too crowded to begin with, but it got busier after 5 pm. Even then, the CNE is so huge that it's manageable, and you don't feel claustrophobic.

Another notable part of the CNE is the Garden Show and the sand sculptures. Plus, the epic Rock Balancer was on show again this year.

We actually got to see the last sand sculpture being built in front of us (the iconic scene from Star Wars) and it was something novel (and looked like fun!).

Of course, if you ask anyone to describe what's the most fun thing to do at the CNE, you would get one word - rides. And thus the rides.

Some of the rides were really crazy - like the Mach 3. If you do it, props to you.

Over all, it was a really fun experience at the CNE, and I look forward to making the Ex an annual tradition. If you want some tips: arrive as early in the day as you can, and be prepared for a lot of walking. Dress for the weather and drink plenty of fluids. Plan the shows you want to see, and over all, have fun!

Why (Many) Muslims Have a Problem With (Most) Feminists

Yes. This is a very general, stereotyping and broad article. Read "The Way Forward" at the end.

Feminists. They used to be a good thing. Even Muslim feminists. At one stage of my life, I was very sympathetic to Muslim feminists. And who couldn't be? The way many women were treated in the Muslim countries (sometimes due to a history of colonial oppression and sometimes due to a lack of proper Islamic scholarship) would make anyone a Muslim feminist. Women are not allowed to attend mosques (places in Bangladesh), not allowed to vote or drive (Saudi Arabia), suffer domestic abuse (Pakistan) and don't have access to education (Afghanistan). Then some of those misogynistic folks running the establishment there immigrated to the West and brought their cultural baggage dressed as Islam here. Walk into any mosque run by "uncles", and you will become a Muslim feminist. Where is the women's prayer area? Oh, the broom closet. Why don't you have women on your Shariah board? Why can't women see the imam? Etc. and etc.

And yet, something started to give. Despite the myriad of issues that could raise support for their cause, Muslim feminists started to become shunned by most Muslims. I too started to develop a distaste for them, their writings and their fights. Ultimately it cultivated in me writing on Why Muslim Feminists Don't Win. After more than a year of reflection, I have come to the following conclusions on why most Muslims, even (and especially) the educated, young and liberal ones from the West, don't care for (most) Muslim feminists.

Insulting Respected Scholars and Using Derogative Terms for Them

No scholar, no matter how educated, knowledgeable, experienced or intelligent, can be hundred percent correct all the time. Similarly, you will not find a scholar whose views you agree with completely all the time. We are all human and the one perfect human being, the final Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (peace be upon him), lived more than 1400 years ago and is no more. It is possible that a scholar today may have mountains of knowledge in one area, but say a completely stupid thing in another field.

This does NOT negate his (or her) expertise in other areas or disregard a lifetime of work. However, when a typical Muslim feminist encounters a scholar whose views (particularly on women, on gender relations etc.) they disagree with - suddenly this scholar is a dinosaur, a relic, a fossil, or worse.

During the whole AbuEesaGate, many scholars took issue with what Abu Eesa had to say, while some others (sadly) defended him. Some Muslim Feminists cheered those scholars that rebuked Abu Eesa as "allies" and "men who get it". It would have been similarly possible to disagree with the scholars who defended Abu Eesa in a polite manner - yet if you peruse many Muslim feminist blogs (and comments), many of them had harsh words and resorted to name calling of these scholars, and completely disregarding their work in other fields or even according them the respect that any scholar deserves. Calling someone's fatwa or Facebook posts "misogynist" or "having a frat boy mentality" or even "disgusting" is fair; however when you go into insulting the scholar themselves by calling them "vultures", "predators" etc. or their work as "public excretions", then you have crossed a line.

Insulting the Sahabah (Companions) and the Hadith

Many Muslim feminists reserve special vitriol for the Companion Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him). Not only did this man record the most hadith, he also narrated some sayings that sharply go against the Western mindset of many feminists. They love to quote Dr Abou El Fadl's position on Abu Hurairah, where the professor apparently says (in his book) that this Companion has transmitted sayings that "denigrate the moral status of women". Similarly, many of such feminists openly denounce hadith which rubs them the wrong way, or try to belittle the Companion that has narrated the hadith. Most Muslims revere the Companions. We do not hold them as a perfect specimen (they are humans after all) but they were the best generation. For 1200 of the 1400 years of Islamic history, their values and their teachings have caused Muslims to rule the world; it is inconceivable that for all these years Muslims were missing something that some feminist has suddenly discovered with her keen eye.

Picking and Choosing Islam

Islam is not a buffet that you pick the things you like and ignore what you don't. If you are a Muslim, you accept the religion as a whole. This goes back to the previous point where some feminists try to cherry pick hadith which suits them, and ignore or try to classify as "weak" the ones they hate. Here's a classic example - a hadith that is widely shared by many feminists.

When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was travelling on the road with his cousin, Al-Fadl ibn Abbas, a woman stopped him to ask him a question. The woman was very beautiful, and Al-Fadl couldn’t help but stare at her. Seeing this, Prophet Muhammad reached out his hand and turned his cousin’s face away. - Bukhari Volume 8, Book 74, Number 247

He didn’t tell the woman to cover her face.
He didn’t tell her to change her clothing.
He didn’t tell her that her appearance was too tempting or indecent.
He averted his cousin’s impolite stare instead.

Note the emphasis (and added conclusions) that is attached to this hadith. It implies that a woman can dress as she wants, and if a man stares it's his fault. Yet, this ignores the numerous times that the Prophet (pbuh) has asked women (and men) to dress modestly, to make sure their appearance isn't indecent, and so on. It's even there in the Quran when Allah talks about how one of the daughters of the old man of Madian approached Musa (peace be upon him) - "She walked shyly".

Subverting and Changing Islam

In the 1400 years of Islamic history, you will not find a single, reputable scholar or madhab that had women leading a mixed congregation prayer. Yet this is a common cause celebre for many radical Muslim feminists - despite it having zero support from the average Muslim. Similarly they now wish to change Quranic laws on inheritance, while ignoring their reasons, or polygamy, or the very fact that these laws are coming from God Himself. Apparently God failed to understand the changes society would be undertaking in the 21st century, nauzubillah! Similarly the hijab is targeted, or the fact that Allah put the responsibility of earning a family's income primarily on the men, and so on. They now openly cheer on a woman's staying single as long as she wants (neglecting the Islamic injunction to get married as soon as feasible), or a woman's choosing career over her family or kids (despite the immense Islamic rewards attached with motherhood).

Lack of Adaab

If you refer to my post on Love Inshallah where I expound on my view that Muslims (men and women) should marry young, and women who are delaying their marriage are harming themselves, it elicited a ton of responses and comments. Most of the negative comments came from women (and those who are the Muslim feminist type) and the majority of these resorted to name calling, insults, derogatory terms and so on. And I am hardly a good example to use - several sheikhs and scholars have felt the brunt of these insults by the supposedly "enlightened and liberated" women. Yes, disagree with our views, bring your own, but why the vitriol? One famous feminist writer (who does not have any scholarly credentials for analyzing hadith but writes about them all the time) wrote about why she felt "unmosqued". Then she posted a private message from someone who asked her to get educated on hadith before writing about it, and made fun of this man. And others (her supporters) joined in the insults and name calling. And then they wonder why the rest of the Ummah completely ignores them!

Associating With Known Islamophobes

This one hardly needs a write up.

The Way Forward

This article is of course very general and broad. There are tons of Muslim feminists who are doing good (and great work). Wood Turtle and the Salafi Feminist are two women whose writings and work I very much admire, even if I don't agree with their views at times. The very fact that Muslim women are suffering in Muslim countries (and in Western institutions run by sometimes chauvinistic men) is not up for debate - it's true, and it's happening. Here are some things that happen in some of the mosques in Toronto that I have personally witnessed:

1. The women's prayer area is shut off and there is a physical barrier which prevents them from seeing the imam, contrary to the sunnah.
2. When there is a big crowd (such as Eid), the women lose their prayer area and are relegated to the basement (or gym).
3. Many mosques have no women on their advisory committee.

The way forward has to involve dialogue and education, and the pace of change will be slow. For example, Toronto has two great mosques (the Islamic Institute of Toronto, and the Sayeda Khadija Centre) which not only has great facilities for women, but also follow the sunnah style of prayer where women share the space with men and can see the imam. They have access to the scholars. Imam Hamid Slimi is a fantastic, down-to-earth man who is a jewel in the Islamic scholarship of Toronto. They understand the community and understand the needs and requirements of the community, and the change is happening in an inclusive manner which listens to concerns from all affected stakeholders and the changes are in accordance with the classical understanding of Islamic law. By insulting the imams, denigrating hadith, rebuking men and trying to change traditional Islam to suit Western sensibilities, many Muslim feminists risk doing more harm than good.

7 Life Lessons From the World Cup 2014 Final

1. No matter how big or small the opponent, teamwork and team organization is crucial.
   
   It was frequently said of Germany, that while Portugal had Ronaldo, Brazil had Neymar and Argentina had Messi, the Germans had a team. Their greatest strength was their team where everyone was organized, and everyone pulled for everyone else with the team's objective the main focus.
   
   Brazil, arguably a far better team than Algeria or Argentina, were hammered by Brazil 7-1 because their team was disorganized and the defence was in shambles. Argentina held off the Germans for 113 minutes because their defence was highly organized and every member of the team knew, and did, their job.
2. Life gives you chances - take them and don't miss them. Regret is another word for opportunities missed.
   
   Argentina had the best chance of the game - Gonzalo Higuain was clean through with just the goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to beat, and he shot wide. Captain Lionel Messi and Rodrigo Palacio later had golden chances to put the Albiceleste in front, but squandered their chances. While the Germans also fluffed their chances, they took the one that mattered.
3. Always have a Plan D.
   
   Germany's Plan A was to start with Sami Khedira. He was injured during the warm ups. Plan B was to put Cristoph Kramer in the playing 11, and he was injured early on in the game. Plan C was then how the Die Mannschaft played the game and there was no winner by the end of normal time. And then Plan D, substitute Mario Gotze came into effect.
4. Reputations count for nothing on the battle field. It's what you do, when you do, that matters.
   
   Messi is arguably the best player of the game at the club level. He is the best player of the current generation. He has been compared to Pele and Maradona in terms of achievements. Yet, on the day, it was a formerly relatively unknown Mario Gotze who scored. Today, Gotze is a world champion, and Messi will always remain a club level wonder.
5. Great leaders know how to give a great speech.
   
   It is a fact of history that rarely do you have great leaders who have not mastered the art of oratory. Great leaders of men know what to say, when to say it, and how to say it. Just before putting Gotze on, the German coach Low called him a "miracle boy" and told him to "outshine Messi".
   
   "Show the world you are better than Lionel Messi." It was the right thing to say, and would spur the man on to score the most famous goal for Germany this World Cup.
6. Success requires long term planning.
   
   It was after Euro 2004, when Germany drew two matches (1-1 with Holland and 0-0 with Latvia) and lost their final game (1-2 to Czech Republic) that the seeds of 2014 were sown. Despite being the World Cup finalists in 2002, Germany had exited the Euro with no wins. A complete overhaul of the system began, with coach Rudi Voller resigning and Jurgen Klinsmann taking over. He sat with every stake holder (the football association, the domestic league and their coaches, the players and so on) and drew up an ambitious plan were Germany decided to play their attacking, fast paced, dynamic brand of play. Everyone needed to pull in the same direction, from the club level to the national level, and everyone needed to buy in.
   
   The results started to come soon after.
7. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
   
   Two teams (out of many) did that this World Cup. Brazil penned their hopes on Neymar, and he got injured in the quarter finals. Brazil was unceremoniously dumped out in the semi final. Argentina also designed their team around their star Messi, and he didn't get injured but shone during the tournament, and his team reached the finals. And yet, they both lost to the Germans, whose focus was the team. So strong was their bench that they could make a change to their starting eleven right before the game and it didn't affect their plans. The winning goal was scored by someone coming off from the bench, such was their reserve strength.

World Cup 2014 Final Predictions

And then there were two: Germany, and Argentina.

If you go back to my very first set of predictions, I had picked Argentina to win. They are now one match away from proving me right.

There are basically three reasons why Argentina should win.

1) Messi
2) Messi
3) Messi

There is absolutely no logical reason Germany should NOT win the cup. They have been the team of the tournament so far.

Best goalkeeper in the world? Neuer. Check.
Best midfield/defender in the world? Schweinsteiger. Check.
Best striker in the world? Mesut Ozil, Klose, Podolski, Muller. Check, check, check and check.
Best support cast in the world? Khedira. Hummels. Boateng. Check, check, and yes, check.

The team oozes class from every position, and their dynamic, fast, attacking tempo of football is easy on the eyes and effective on the score sheet. They took apart Brazil (oh, how they took apart Brazil!) as if they were playing a school team. Germany is the #2 ranked team (and #1, Spain, is out in the first round). There is absolutely no footballing reason why Germany shouldn't win the cup.

And yet, Messi.

I have been picking Argentina to win simply because of a gut feeling, and because I was listening to my heart, not my head. But there are a few logical reasons why it's not a slam dunk for Germany.

Messi. He draws 2-3 defenders to him immediately as he nears the goal, thus creating space for others. And the genius of the man is that he still finds a way to pass or create space for himself despite the extra attention. And his support cast hasn't been bad either.

There has been a quiet steely resolve to Argentina this time. They haven't gone behind in any match, and in no match at all did they ever look to be in trouble or under pressure. And crucially, luck has favoured them just when they needed it (the 90th minute Holland chance - their first - comes to mind). They seem to have genuinely gelled as a team, and want to win it not just for Messi, but for their country. Yet they haven't let their passion or emotions drive them crazy (unlike Brazil).

Thus. Prediction: Argentina.

 

Surah Nuh Illustrated Quran Book Now for Sale

Alhamdulillah.

I wanted to personally give you the good news that the illustrated book on Surah Nuh (Noah), with 102 pages containing over 150 high resolution images, built using Lego bricks and other toys, is now out for sale. Just in time to make the perfect Eid gift, this book contains:

• An early history of humanity, including how idol worship first took root in society.
• The complete story of the Prophethood of Nuh (Noah, peace be upon him).
• The story of his prayer to Allah, and the resulting Great Flood, and what happened after.
• Lessons that can be drawn from the life of this illustrious Messenger of Allah

The book also features a bonus comic by Cartoon Muslim, on how one can implement a lesson from Surah Nuh in today's modern life. Improvements over the previous book (Surah Kahf) include better construction of the toy dioramas, higher resolution images leading to better print quality, consistent light and brightness quality across images, and keeping the lessons and dialogues informative and yet child friendly.

Here are the links to order the book:

• Amazon (for readers in USA, Canada, Asia and Africa)
• Amazon (for UK readers)
• Amazon (for readers in France, Europe)
• Amazon (for readers in Germany, Europe)

Currently there is a sale on the book (regular price $22.99, but discounted on Amazon.com) available for early orders. I have ordered several times through Amazon.com, and remain a highly satisfied customer.

For those living in the Greater Toronto Area, if they wish they can place their order through me and it will cost them only $20 (no taxes, no shipping). To do that, please email me with your contact info so I can get in touch with you.

Here are some images from the book:

 

The last book (Surah Kahf) alongside the new book (Surah Nuh)

A sample of pages from inside the book

 



The comic by Cartoon Muslim

Please note: that in keeping with Islamic traditions, the face of Prophet Nuh (peace be upon him) is not shown. Certain scenes will show an outline of his character from the back, just like in the last book.

World Cup 2014 Semi Final Predictions

So at last, the cream has risen to the top, and we have our final 4 contenders still standing from a crowded field of 32. In a week, only one of them will have written their names into the annals of history.

Brazil vs. Germany
England superstar Gary Lineker once famously quipped, "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win." In hindsight, it was foolish to pick France to reverse a 30 year old history and beat Germany in their quarter final match. Reviewing that game, the Germans got an early goal and then never let France pick up their game. By making the semi final for the fourth time in a row (a record) the Germans have shown that they are a tournament team, they know how to last the distance. The question is, they have been here before. Can they go on to win?

Certainly Brazil are no shmucks. While many were in angst after their match with Chile, I wasn't perturbed. As I said, they dominated and could have had 4-1 on another day. Brazil simply blew away Columbia and only a period of sustained pressure at the end of the game whittled down the goal difference and made it a thrilling 2-1 game. However, and this is a big deal, they are without two of their best players. Neymar and Silva are out (with an injury and a suspension, respectively). With Brazil weakened when they meet in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday, Germany will never have a better opportunity to end the Selecao's unbeaten run on home soil that extends back to August 2002. The 2002 World Cup final will also be on their minds, and what a better revenge than to send Brazil out of their own world cup.
Prediction: Germany

Argentina vs. Holland
Quite a few folks were fearful of a Belgian upset, but I had picked Argentina over Belgium as they have the better quality of players, and they have Messi. There's one more thing they had in the Belgium game, and that was defence. I was actually quite surprised to see Argentina comfortable with a 1-0 lead, and content to defend it. Sure, they looked dangerous on the break, but that was because Belgium was attacking them to equalize. The early goal ruined Belgium's game plan.

Holland. Wow! So nearly, oh so nearly, did Costa Rica have it! However, by substituting their goalie at the 120th minute and then winning the penalty kicks, Holland has sent out a big message. They are here to win, and even if you want to take it to tie breakers, they are ready and have a game plan. However, I really hate the way Robben dives. If for this, and no other reason, I want to see them defeated. Life is sometimes unjust in the way it rewards cheaters, and we all remember how Germany won in 1990 via a questionable penalty, but this has been a great world cup and it shouldn't really reward divers and cheaters.

Also, the Messi factor. With Christiano Ronaldo out, Zlatan Ibrahimovic not even here, Neymar out with injury, and Spain's constellation long out, it's Messi who remains and the stars are aligning for him to take Argentina to glory. He knows it, and this is his year.

Prediction: Argentina

Wow. In the case my predictions work out, we are going to see a repeat of the 1986 and 1990 World Cup finals!

World Cup 2014 Quarter Final Predictions

I wasn't going to continue these predictions; after all there's only a few games left and teams are very hard to call now. However, I decided to finish what I started, and since the Round-of-16 was 7 correct 1 incorrect for me, I decided to see how accurate my quarter final picks would be.

Germany vs. France
This should be a cracker of a match. Both teams are playing well and both had hard fought victories over plucky African sides in the Round of 16. Germany (then West Germany) had a tough match with France in 1982, with France leading 3-1 before Germany equalizing and then winning on penalties. Four years later, another German victory. It's almost 30 years for France, and I think this time they will get it. Why? This world cup, Germans had been playing at the same level (an excellent level) but the French - when they needed to - they could raise their game a level up. Case in point: the last quarter of the Nigeria game.
Prediction: France

Brazil vs. Columbia
Another cracker in store. They had contrasting games in the Round of 16. Brazil sneaked through against Chile on penalties, while Columbia had a great game (or rather, their star James Rodriguez had a great game). However, I don't think Brazil was as bad as everyone is making them out to be. Against Chile, especially in extra time, Brazil could have easily won 4-1 on another day. They had a legitimate goal disallowed.
Prediction: Brazil

Argentina vs. Belgium
Now this is a hard pick. On one side, I support Argentina and want them to win. On another side, Belgium played a fantastic game against USA when on any other day they would have won 10-0. Both sides have a habit of getting late winners. Against Switzerland though, Argentina looked stale and out of ideas against a stubborn opponent, while Belgium never looked like they were in trouble. However, I am picking Argentina because a) they have players of better quality than Belgium and in a game where the style and tempo is the same the quality will come through and b) MESSI. Messi has played a part in each victory of Argentina so far. Will Argentina qualify for the semi-final after 24 long years? I think so.
Prediction: Argentina

Netherlands vs. Costa Rica
The Dutch has played the beautiful game in a beautiful manner for all of one and half game. Against Spain in their opening fixture, and against Australia for a bit. After that, it has been the same ol' Dutch - dirty, scrappy, diving, and somehow finding a way to win. Costa Rica has played attractive soccer so far, but definitely they begin to tire as the game goes on and of course, they lack the quality of the Dutch. However, given that Netherlands was 3 minutes away from being knocked out last time around, I am going to listen to my heart instead of my head and pick them.
Prediction: Costa Rica