The Argentina FA are to introduce a spray for the referees to use to mark the spot a free-kick will be taken from and the 10 yards mark where the wall must stand.

I saw the idea earlier in the year, and it's so simple and yet effective.  I don't understand why it hasn't been introduced earlier and by all football associations.  

The mark left by the spray disappears after 30-seconds or so, which means the pitch won't be marked with random lines all over the place.

I can't think of any negatives to this idea.  It'll stop the stpuid encroaching by the defenders, especially when the ball is passed square and short for another player to shoot and the defender somehow manages to end up a yard away from the where the ball is hit.  The only problem is if the free-kick takes longer than 30 seconds to organise, and the line fades away before it's taken…

Following on from the falcon and the gull, here's some great photography showing a heron partaking in a juicy bit of rabbit.

This story has been in the national press, but in case you missed it the heron caught the rabbit after watching it for a while.  It then took off with the startled rabbit writhing around in the heron's beak. The heron found a pond a short distance away, dunked the rabbit under the water and waited until it stopped moving before swallowing the little fella whole.  Very clever, although swallowing it like that is a sure way to get indigestion. 

Not a pleasant way to go for this gull, being eaten alive by a falcon.  By the way, if you're at all squeamish, don't click on the image below to see the rest of the photos.

Is this the most ridiculous red card ever?

Some have said that Ronaldo shouldn't have been sent off for a second yellow when he deliberately handled the ball earlier in the week (I think it was a harsh sending off, but no less than he deserved ).  But this is utterly bonkers!

Got to thank my younger brother Ben for this one.  He introduced me to what has to be the best online flash game, ever.

QWOP Althletics Game

There's nothing pollsters like more than a big election. It's a chance for them to test the degree of accuracy of their understanding of public opinion.

Personally, I don't really mind who's going to be the next President of the United States - as long as it's Obama - but I do have a real interest in finding out which poll is going to come the closest at predicting the margin of victory.

This year, my money's on the Harris Poll - they've got a great track record in this - and I have to say that they're suggesting a landslide in favour of Obama.

While other pollsters broadly agree on the outcome - the difference in the size of Obama's victory is up for much debate.

Which of the polls below do you reckon will come the closest? (Competition ends just before final results announced!!)

Pre-election final polls - scores on the doors:

• Harris: 52% - 44% in favour of Obama. (Margin 8%)
• Gallup: 53% - 40% in favour of Obama. (Margin 13%)
• Rasmussen: 52% - 46% in favour of Obama. (Margin 6%)
• Washington Post: 54% - 43% in favour of Obama. (Margin 11%)
• Ipsos: 48% - 43% in favour of Obama. (Margin 5%)