use RoR's cycle() method.





to achieve the above, all you need is just a few lines of code:



(in your view pages)


<tr class="<%= cycle('white', 'grey') %>">
... iterations of <td>'s go here ...


(in your css)


tr.white {
background-color: white;
}

tr.grey {
background-color: #F0EEEE;
}


Exactly a week after the nation wins the European Football Championship, Spain wins again and are proclaimed the World's Best in Men's Tennis on the grass courts of England after Rafael Nadal wins his first Wimbledon Title and beating 5-time defending champion Roger Federer in what appears to be the longest and most riveting Wimbledon final in history.

The 4 hour, 48-minute match -- interrupted during the third set by a one-hour rain delay and a shorter break in the fifth -- was the longest championship match in Wimbledon history. It spanned more than seven hours with the rains delays and was the first final to be played past 9 p.m. local time, ending in near darkness.

Eerily echoing last year's epic 5-set battle and arguably outdoing it, Nadal dominated the first two sets 6-4, 6-4 until Federer somehow managed to hang on and climb back for the next two sets 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8) to stretch it to the 5th and final which Nadal eventually won 9-7, breaking Federer's legendary grip on grass and snatching away the one title that defines him.

Roger Federer (Switzerland): "I tried everything. Rafa is a deserving champion. He just played fantastic. It was the worst opponent on the best court."

Rafael Nadal (Spain): "I lost the last two finals -- close finals. But he's still the No. 1. He's still the best. He's still five-time champion here. Right now I have one, so for me it's very, very important day."

Nadal has also won this year's French Open becoming the first player since 1980 to win the Wimbledon and French Open the same year.

hahaha, you don't say?

---

Asia's third round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ may have dominated June's headlines across the continent, with teams struggling to enter the ten-team line-up for the final stage. However, it was the Philippines who stole the show in this month's FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, as they rocketed up 19 places to 170. They are Asia's best movers for June.

Although it is still some distance from their highest-ever ranking of 157 in December 1992, this recent leap has underlined the progress they have made over the past few years.

The South-East Asians' giant stride up the global order is largely attributable to their impressive campaign in last month's qualifiers for this year's AFC Challenge Cup, where they stayed undefeated to finish level on points with reigning champions Tajikistan, although the Tajiks advanced to the main tournament thanks to a superior goal difference.

Regional focus

Football has long been the number one sport in many parts of Asia, but it is a different story in the Philippines, where basketball enjoys the lion's share of the attention. To rejuvenate the beautiful game in the country, the Philippine Football Association undertook a long-term development scheme, choosing not to participate in the qualifying campaign for the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups, focusing instead on domestic and regional competitions.

Their rebuilding process culminated in May when the team, under former international Norman Fegidero, came within a whisker of booking their place at the AFC Challenge Cup, a competition tailor-made for the continent's second-tier teams.

The Philippines opened their qualifying campaign brightly with a 1-0 win over Brunei on 13 May, captain Emelio Caligdong sliding home the only goal after 29 minutes. In the crunch tie against Tajikistan two days later, Fegidero's charges did well to keep the holders at bay for a goalless draw, despite playing the majority of the game with only ten men. They finished with a 3-0 thrashing of Bhutan, a result which sent them to the top of the group on seven points alongside Tajikistan, who only claimed the group's qualifying spot thanks to their superior scoring tally.

Missing out on the continental tournament like this, understandably, was a major disappointment for coach Fegidero. "Our players played very well throughout, but we just got unlucky," he lamented. "To crash out on goal difference is very hard and frustrating for us."

Glorious past

Despite their elimination, the Philippines' excellent display during the qualifiers augurs well for the country, who can further take inspiration from their glorious past.

One of the founding members of the Asian Football Confederation, the Philippines were among the game's frontrunners on the continent, with their national association (PFF) founded in 1907, before they became affiliated to FIFA in 1930. In those heady days, the Philippines were one of the region's powerhouses; a 2-1 victory over China in the Far Eastern Championship was one particular feather in their footballing cap.

They also produced some of Asia's best players during that period. The most noteworthy of these was Paulino Alcantara, who scored an incredible 357 goals for Spanish giants Barcelona between 1912 and 1927. (wao, that's pretty cool)

They have made little impression on the international stage since then, their semi-final appearance in the 1991 Southeast Asian Games being their only significant achievement. However, with the PFF reorganized in 1982 and an ambitious grassroots program launched in 1998, aided by FIFA and the German government, the foundation has been laid for plenty of improvement in the years to come.

Source: FIFA.com

---

do we actually have a shot at this? hydrophanous remarked that we'd be better off with football rather than basketball which so many people on this group of islands are so obsessed with (including yours truly, hahahaha!) but really, do we? well, she makes a good point in saying that Filipinos can hardly ever match with the West's staggering heights and lengths. but with speed and quickness, however. hmm......

AFTER 44 YEARS,
SPAIN ARE CHAMPIONS AGAIN!!!!

GER 0 - 1 ESP

FERNANDO TORRES (his second in the tournament) scores the ONE and ONLY goal at the 33rd minute!

OMFG THIS IS FUCKINGUNBELIEVABLE KNOWING THE CIRCUMSTANCES, TORRES BOGGED DOWN BY FRUSTRATION THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT AND 69-YR OLD LUIS ARAGONES BREATHING DOWN HIS NECK!!! Now, Coach, you gotta hand it to EL NIÑO here! Who cares if he didn't perform well the nights before, this is the goal that mattered the most! (Take note, Spain were without tourney Top Scorer David Villa who was sidelined with an injury!)

'Nando wasn't the only hero in that match. Keeper and Team Skipper IKER CASILLAS mightily swatted away every spot-on German attempt!!

Spain are UNBEATEN, and have NEVER lost a match in EURO 2008! They are also the second YOUNGEST team yet armed with EFFICIENT talent and the STRONGEST of CAMARADERIES, they overcame the giant hurdles of quarterfinal chokes and broke through all other odds by winning in a major tournament after 44 miserable long years!




Spain did not only beat 3-time winners Germany but historic ghosts long bothering them as well. :)

The Filipino fighter from General Santos City in Mindanao left his Featherweight comfort zone to storm the next stage, seizing the higher honor away from the Mexican-American defending Lightweight champion David Diaz with a knockout in the 9th round.

ESP 0 - 0 ITA

(4 - 2)
SPAIN defeat World Champions ITALY on penalty shootout!!






"Football justice."
            - C. Fabregas






Cesc Fabregas makes winning penalty as Iker Casillas denies two Italian attempts and emerges the hero!
Spain are the ONLY group winners to reach the Euro 2008 Semifinals.

David Villa (Spain)* 1 - 0
Fabio Grosso (Italy)* 1 - 1
Santi Cazorla (Spain)* 2 - 1
Daniele De Rossi (Italy) 2 - 1
Marcos Senna (Spain)* 3 - 1
Mauro Camoranesi (Italy)* 3 - 2
Daniel Güiza (Spain) 3 - 2
Antonio Di Natale (Italy) 3 - 2
Cesc Fabregas (Spain)* 4 - 2

This is their 17th title. Congratulations to the Celtic fans. KG, Ray Allen and especially Paul Pierce: FINALLY!!


Paul Pierce is the Finals MVP.


I concede. Boston were the more physical, and hungrier team. And thus, they really deserve it. (Most of the Laker boys are young and inexperienced and couldn't match an entire team of veterans' hankering.)

But, Laker Pride still. I'm not jumping ships that easily. I'm proud of my boys for reaching this far, even with a very painful way of "falling from grace". Most people seem to forget that we have reached this far and this very deep into the season with an injury-stricken team, and thus, have turned to highlighting that last part of the previous sentence. Laker Nation, do not panic! There's no need to ask for anyone's head just because of a few games. A string of six games does not judge everything. We are kings of the West! Do not fret! There's much to look forward to and be excited about in the next season. ;)

_{was supposed to post about Boston winning the championship, but meh, that can wait.}



First, it was ALL Mr. Tumnus

_{"Hey little girl, want some candy at my house?"}


Then, Aslan completely charmed her.

_{"Oh, what big teeth you have!"
"Why, it's to EAT you with, my dear~~"}


Now it's Trumpkin.

_{"What? I'm a sad old lonely hermit and I need some lovin. GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?"}


Then it's back to Aslan's monopoly again. (Pft, you old dog youuu)

_{If Aslan says 'back off', you'd better BACK OFF.}



PS. Don't get me wrong, i like Narnia. In fact, i enjoyed the sequel Caspian a lot. It's just that sometimes, there are these glaring.... issues.