i don't know if Dan Glaister is here merely writing for a British audience that knows fa about the NBA (well, that would be a reasonable assumption, given he's in a British newspaper...), but to describe the Pistons as "nobodies" is more than a little harsh; they're pretty good themselves, you know (and of course i along with every American i've so far met east of the Rockies - and probably most Yanks west of 'em too - wants the Pistons to win, which may well of course be a vain hope).
needless to say, it's got that whole Graun political-sides-witcha-reportage flavour running through it (the stuff about snacking and the cheerleaders).

it's just a shame Chauncey {INFINITELY PREFERABLE} Billups has been quiet the past week or so, as this is when online readers need him (i know it's late of me to echo all the American blogs about this guy but he is gravy).

in other American sports news, companions and i sat in a bar t'other night, drinking wifebeater and eating buffalo wings and endless plates of spaghetti for three bucks as the White Sox and Phillies put up 14 runs between them in the first two innings (if you understand baseball that'll make sense as bizarro, if not fairy nuff), and the Cubs prevailed over the Cards (soz T) 7-3.
must be all this hot weather in Chitown (well, early to mid 90's but w' added humidity, so not quite New Mexico).

great to see that Ronaldinho is staying at Barca.
Bolton getting (admittedly not injury-free) Bridges on a free seems like a fantastic bit of penmanship for Big Sam.

with apologies to Dave Stelfox...

Tom Ewing on prawn sandwiches at Pret: knew i wasn't imagining it...

it's kind of a shame, all these faux-Irish pubs in the USA filled with plastic paddies drinking MGD and really badly poured pints of Guinness, because of course fish and chips over here means perhaps great fish but more often than not, some sort of anaemic almost french fry, certainly not a chip as they'd understand it in Barnsley.

but there are some great things about nearly all Irish pubs in the USA, even the ones that blatantly aren't (the Chicago Reader lists about 100 Irish bars in Chicago proper, of which about 8 seem actually half-way Irish); these include they're still selling Harp over here. and some may include decent chips. and a full Irish for breakfast.

which, yunno, is a cheap half-way decent lager, so you gotta go with that. Harp i mean.

anyway, the lovely companion's lovely chica, Coble, and her fine boy, drrrrr, took me to this place, where they have 14 year Oban on the whisky menu, a lovely Celtic FC flag, Manx and Galician and Breton things going on, and a nice declaration signed by Pearse and Connolly, so i liked it.

also, i don't normally do this but over the weekend the lovely companion's little sister got hitched, so here is a pic of the l.c. and best man, and here is a pic of the l.c.'s sister and brother (giving her away) (about 80-100 in a nice Catholic church do, about 200-250 there that night in a posh hotel getting pissed).

much props to them. sorry for all this self-indulgent rambling but hey.

Kaen Pla Duk: a recipe

i ate something like this [a Thai catfish curry, though with a lot of cabbage and bamboo shoots in the version i ate] the other day at a caff.

it was delicious.

in fact, along with many king prawn baltis, one particularly good bowl of some noodle and fish, er, stuff at some Burmese caff once, and three memorably stunning fish-fries here in the USA (two catfish stuff in N'awlins, one a huge cod-fry affair in Chitown), the greatest seafood i've ever ate. i've never been able to really rock a decent salmon. hake is good. i don't know anything about seafood anyway, but i know this much.

ever!

well, probably.

pretty bloody good anyway.

anyway, the above recipe sounds bang on.

well, prawn or tuna mayo sarnies get their own categories, cause they're kind of like ambrosia, but lite versions thereof...

I have been shocked by how unquestioning the American broadcast-news media has been during this war....When our reporter interviewed Rumsfeld and fired hard-hitting questions about his history in Iraq, his people told us they were shocked by the persistence of the interviewer - and yet it was no tougher than anything British politicians expect.

_Greg Dyke.

did you see this (few weeks old admittedly)?

FOX TV in the USA scrapped plans to show a programme called Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay, after complaints from a pressure group, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

the straight male contestants were charmingly overheard saying the show was like "being trapped in gay hell" and a "worst nightmare".

i know some people are saying what's the point in getting worked up with Snoop Dogg saying last week or so Let it go. OK...you can't say 'izzle' any more and recommending turning to pig Latin instead, as most people stopped the tizzle/fizzle/dizzle a long time ago, but some ppl surely still do it.

so i think it's kinda a shame.

i didn't know Turing died in Adlington Road, Wilmslow, but it's nice they're putting a plaque up for him [BBC]

the view from above (back in the MCR)

Ello:
No wonder they have the death penalty in Texas if it's that hot... Must spend the entire year in a bad mood...
Has your kid told you about the bizarre spectacle of the "flags on cars" thing? Some white vans have got about four or five on them. Got the fright of my life last Monday, thought the BNP had been elected in my absence...

QPR John:
Wales was great and I made it as far as Porthmadog on the west coast. Blaenau Ffestiniog seemed very Welsh apart from the Welsh speaking kids in Man U tops and the Cockney Cafe owners. I have always fancied a night out in a small North/Mid very Welsh town. Lively to say the least if they found out you came from the wrong side of the border.

I bet patriotism is rife what with the death of old Ronnie. Voting in the Euro/locals is impossible due to the most incredibly difficult ballot papers. Clarke Carlisle has buggered off to Leeds now his contract is up but to be fair he had stated for a while that he wanted to be near his family in the North.

shameless arse-licking

this is really pointless cause anyone who reads this blog is sure to read k-punk (and attendant comments boxes) but i just wanted to throw a link to a comments box (well, i think Dan was reasonable about Hestia in an earlier k-punk comments box here, after all), wherein the don is all wonderful and excited and optimistic and sunny (as we should be) about the span of 90's pop here.

BBC reports "Failed asylum seekers 'must work'"

Community service is for people who have committed crimes, not for people who have failed in their asylum claim.

If individuals cannot be deported through no fault of their own they should be allowed to do paid work.

--Mark Oaten.

why is it that Mark Oaten always appears to speak so much more sense than David Blunkett on immigration issues?

it was gutting for Henman but at least the last four is deffo his PB thus far at Roland Garros (and probably forever now, let's be honest, although apparently Coria said if Henman continues in that vein of form he can become a top 10 player on clay).

watching the fine and fun video for OutKast's 'Roses' (cracking choon) it occured to me that perhaps one reason for Stephin Merritt's somewhat half-arsed and supremely ill-thought-out 'Prince retreads/suburban whitey market/yah-boo sux' outburst is that, as a concept album affair etc [or whatever] Speakerboxxx/The Love Below urinates all over 69 Love Songs.

now i used to adore as much as the next person (and praps still do) the frail beauty of Liam Hayes' gorgeous melodicism around the time i was heavily jonesing for the Future Bible Heroes' Memories of Love (confession: my late 90's/early naughties, were much oft and primarily twee alt./indie pop: shockah!!) etc.etc. so i ain't wanting to hate on Merritt as such (though must admit to finding the Fields, these days at least, just too, well, fussy to appreciate, quite frankly).

interesting Merritt fact:
Simon R. once told me that Joy Press really likes the 6ths (i think this is right?) [speaking of Joy Press, i really enjoyed a recent piece about the latest Barry Levinson effort, The Jury; and must say, much as one enjoyed Oz nothing but nothing comes close to Homicide: LOTS for me (whilst we're on the subject, one must confess that it's probably either that or Northern Exposure that is me favourite ever telly serial, as i bet has been mentioned here b4 so apologies for tedious repetition), also, speaking of Bawlmer' set 'tec-shows, i'm sure i'd like the wire {hbo minisite} but haven't caught it yet.]

i ain't passed the Bar but i know a little bit...

MTV2's Hip Hop Countdown on Sucker Free Sundays: easily the best two hours of TV this year viewed, including the immense video for '99 Problems' (though in 1 of the videos someone, can't remember who, it was either Twista or Jadakiss, appeared to be wearing a zebra: talk about bling).

the video for Dilated Peoples' 'This Way' is excellent, a sort of addressing the hip-hop nation type-thing with some Run-DMC props, quite the conscious bizness going on, lots of nice imagery etc., and the tune has a raey funny Kanye line about white girls from Michigan.

Old Loaf, he's always seeing that bloody Charles Shaar Murray he is!

i'm often forgetting to regularly check Stylus (more of a Dusted man), but two fabbydoo articles there that deserve bigging-up linkage are Dom Passantino's tru dat account of a Channel U compilation {tho' may have to differ on the primacy of Pitman's wisdom}, and Mark k-p on the completely wonderful sounding Junior Boys album (Reynolds in the wire arse-end of last year, JB's as a kinder, gentler two-step right?).

well alright most people covering GWAR would be an improvement but this was something else.

you know how there's good covers (like, say, old rockabilly/country-style ones of Dre or Snoop songs, done real slow by good ol' boys, bringing it downhome on pedal steel), and bad covers?

well, these were bad.

there was another crap one, i think i saw it on the telly, it was someone like Duran Duran or Skinny Puppy or GWAR (i can't remember who, someone) being covered by some Sum 41 types, and it just was dire.

it's not like he's a proper West Brom fan (sez my Albionite mate, and he should know).

i tell you what else is crap, although perhaps this is more likely to be filed under NOOOOO! BAD IDEA NOOOOOO and, that, imo, is Eric Clapton doing Robert Johnson.

i know the far more fashionable narratives of late have been to decry Johnson and big up Patton or earlier rural bluesmen (or praps Blind Willie or Son House or some geezer you read about in the wire, and you know, that's fair enough), and whatnot, but i mean, Eric Clapton?

i mean, for fuck's sake.