In some ways, it’d be a shame if Dubai fell into ruin due to its financial crisis – all those pretty buildings surely need to be kept standing now that they’re there. But, on the other hand, how much natural sympathy does one feel for a glitzy, superficial paradise island, built on virtual slave labour for the gratification of oil tyrants and sports stars to indulge in a billionaire playboy lifestyle? And when are people going to learn not to borrow money and accumulate debts? I owed a hundred quid to a mate once and I paid back within a week, knowing that I didn’t want that debt hanging over my head. I’m guessing Dubai owes a bit more than that, but still…

Still, one wonders what’d happen if our present civilisation collapsed at some point; would some of Dubai’s kazillion dollar monuments become the Coliseum or Parthenon of future generations? Would explorers and archaelogists of the distant future stumble upon that palm-shaped Jumeira Island, or the islands shaped like the World, and wonder, ‘Who built these mysterious constructs, and what for what purpose’?

In any case, all glory is fleeting; and if Dubai might be equatable to a modern day Pompeii… well, we all know what happened to Pompeii. They STILL haven’t finished digging it up.

I’m not a fan of Amir Khan in particular, or of boxing in general, but Khan is spot on when he says that if he were a white man he’d be a superstar. You can frown or complain all you like about that statement, but it is wholly true, even if it was said entirely out of ego.

Speaking of sport, 2010 just might be the year for English football to finally live up to its calibre and its seedings and actually win the World Cup. After what was a god-sent qualifiying group, lo and behold – England’s World Cup first-round group looks like it should be a walkover. USA, Algeria and Slovenia? The gods must be favouring the Capello’s squad right now, and the omens are good.

Which means something’s going to go wrong. Presumably, the easiness of this initial trio of games will settle England into a lax attitude, leaving them entirely unprepared to deal with being torn apart by Argentina or Portugal in the second round. Only David Beckham can save them then…

For the record, I want to go on record even now as predicting that the Ivory Coast or Ghana might end up winning the tournament. Now, if I pop into the bookies and put a quid on either of those sides this early, I’d win… let me see… fifty-five million pounds.