Paul-the octopus

The 2010 FIFA world cup will be remembered for a lot of things- perennial underachievers Spain winning their maiden world cup, early exit of heavyweights like Italy and France, refereeing blunders leading to the oft-repeated demand for the use of technology in the game, the Jabulani football ball, Paris Hilton drug scandal, the pro\anti-vuvuzela campaign and Shakira's 'waka waka'.

Many a celebrity players like Rooney, Messi, Ronaldo flopped miserably and new heroes like Forlán, Mueller emerged. But the biggest celebrity to emerge out of the world cup was 'Paul the octopus'. As an oracle, Paul made one right prediction after the other denying its skeptics their gotcha moment. No media coverage of the matches by the news channels across the world was complete without Paul's prediction as the main attraction. So much so, that after the German loss in the semifinal calls were made to kill the octopus. The Spanish prime minister on the other hand was ready to send bodyguards for its protection.

The other animals across the world, however, were not as lucky. Even the humans masquerading as astrologers/oracles/know-it-all-analysts could not get the pre match predictions as accurately as Paul did (he had a 100% record, after all).

Astrologers in India, who have been routinely making wrong predictions on almost everything happening under the sun can now eat crow, dump the parakeet and have an octopus as a pet.

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