Tuesday, 15 June 2004
the lovely companion told me she was on the train the other day watching the most gorgeous bird keep pace with the train (i once saw a beautiful, massive bay horse do that in a Staffordshire field as the train carriage kept a steady pace, there was a big Roma camp nearby and this horse was so so simple and pure and wise and glorious), and she saw a guy with a small notepad and a golf pencil who would look out of the window now and then, smile to himself, and write little passages in Arabic on his pad.
one thing that is interesting is down the side of the beautiful Romanian church i just mentioned there is another lovely and big church, just regular Christian place of worship and the pastors (as advertised) are called something like Betty Rommelfager-Pfazz and Ernest Singh. Betty takes services in English but the thing i can't work out about Ernest is he's advertised as doing the "Indo-Pak" services. now i've seen lots of Asian parishioners going into this place but what - out of the veritable multitude of languages from the subcontinent - does he give it in?
i'd love to know the answer to that one.
i'd love to know the answer to that one.
eleven people or groups of ppl i've seen recently (if this looks like a cheap knock-off of better blogs, well it is to be frank but hey imitation is the sincerest form of flattery):
- a handsome middle-aged woman, snoozing in the heat on a brownstone step, a shopping bag at her feet, coffee coloured skin slowly acquiring more flecks of cinnamon
- an owlish, incredibly good-looking (in a slim rock way) young man with a fabulous Quezon City tee shirt, reading a library hardback copy of The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
- a homeless man, sprawled out and hidden in thick bushes by the sidewalk at the American Indian Center, possessions around him which appeared to include a VERY OLDSKOOL wooden staff and napkin/neckerchief combo Middle Ages European pedlar stylee (i kid you not)
- a bulky and very attractive young man with close shaven hair speaking loudly (Serbo-Croat, i'm positive, in one conversation, but then definitely Italian a minute later on another conversation) into his mobile phone in a fetid Post Office queue
- a slim menacing middle-aged chap who kept leaving the coffeeshop to also take calls; being a pseudo-intellectual (in private) romantic youth (the latter mostly in public), i imagined he was a mobster and wanted the street-noises to deter Fed listening devices... ...he was certainly wearing enough gold and looked like he could have used Antonioni as a last name (uugh fucking at-first-glance-phenotypic hammering, ethnicity/nationality/heritage correlations stereotyping, not good i know but forgive me this one hook)
- two very interestingly dressed young men, walking to and fro, jabbering away in some African language, i presume (Wolof? in my extremely sheltered experience Chitown is not quite, say, London for a babel of African languages {there again this is a whitebread area whereas most of the places i'm familiar with in London are not}, though it certainly appears so for European and Asian tongues)
- a capped and wrapped man reading a beautiful gilt-edged gold-type Qu'ran on the El, one of the most wonderful faith books i've ever seen on public transport (and Bibles or Jewish literature show their best face on trams)
- a couple arguing furiously with each other about something or other in what i think was Russian, and the man had a face you would want to live in and carve wood for your backwoods Finnish porch from, and the woman had a face that suggested great times and oatcakes and rice beer and trips to Benin and a knowledge of Zen and other diverse essentials
- the pretty girl who gave me the vindaloo (and could perhaps pass for a description of Rahel near the beginning of The God of Small Things if you were in an arsey pompous pseuds literary mood like wot i am) in a Bangladeshi eatery
- all the good looking people in their Sunday best - cussing and laffing and bickering and debating in Romanian, a language i truly wish i spoke - leaving the Philadelphian Church across the street, the cottonwood fairy dust and firefly bugs lighting up a waterlilyish and desert sun-blazing type-style symphony of natural light
- a tall girl with a very good body (this much she knew) in a skimpy Bulls dress (violent blood red accentuating her long jet hair), shouting to an older woman in a raspy voice, coming out of the grocery store walking down the road past the chop sueys tuckers and gyro stands and liquor stores and the Vienna beef shop and cafes and bars and puppet parlours and leather shops and diners, all the while chattering and mewling, constant alert-small desert animal watching for fennecs in the most seductive Spanish
- a handsome middle-aged woman, snoozing in the heat on a brownstone step, a shopping bag at her feet, coffee coloured skin slowly acquiring more flecks of cinnamon
- an owlish, incredibly good-looking (in a slim rock way) young man with a fabulous Quezon City tee shirt, reading a library hardback copy of The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
- a homeless man, sprawled out and hidden in thick bushes by the sidewalk at the American Indian Center, possessions around him which appeared to include a VERY OLDSKOOL wooden staff and napkin/neckerchief combo Middle Ages European pedlar stylee (i kid you not)
- a bulky and very attractive young man with close shaven hair speaking loudly (Serbo-Croat, i'm positive, in one conversation, but then definitely Italian a minute later on another conversation) into his mobile phone in a fetid Post Office queue
- a slim menacing middle-aged chap who kept leaving the coffeeshop to also take calls; being a pseudo-intellectual (in private) romantic youth (the latter mostly in public), i imagined he was a mobster and wanted the street-noises to deter Fed listening devices... ...he was certainly wearing enough gold and looked like he could have used Antonioni as a last name (uugh fucking at-first-glance-phenotypic hammering, ethnicity/nationality/heritage correlations stereotyping, not good i know but forgive me this one hook)
- two very interestingly dressed young men, walking to and fro, jabbering away in some African language, i presume (Wolof? in my extremely sheltered experience Chitown is not quite, say, London for a babel of African languages {there again this is a whitebread area whereas most of the places i'm familiar with in London are not}, though it certainly appears so for European and Asian tongues)
- a capped and wrapped man reading a beautiful gilt-edged gold-type Qu'ran on the El, one of the most wonderful faith books i've ever seen on public transport (and Bibles or Jewish literature show their best face on trams)
- a couple arguing furiously with each other about something or other in what i think was Russian, and the man had a face you would want to live in and carve wood for your backwoods Finnish porch from, and the woman had a face that suggested great times and oatcakes and rice beer and trips to Benin and a knowledge of Zen and other diverse essentials
- the pretty girl who gave me the vindaloo (and could perhaps pass for a description of Rahel near the beginning of The God of Small Things if you were in an arsey pompous pseuds literary mood like wot i am) in a Bangladeshi eatery
- all the good looking people in their Sunday best - cussing and laffing and bickering and debating in Romanian, a language i truly wish i spoke - leaving the Philadelphian Church across the street, the cottonwood fairy dust and firefly bugs lighting up a waterlilyish and desert sun-blazing type-style symphony of natural light
- a tall girl with a very good body (this much she knew) in a skimpy Bulls dress (violent blood red accentuating her long jet hair), shouting to an older woman in a raspy voice, coming out of the grocery store walking down the road past the chop sueys tuckers and gyro stands and liquor stores and the Vienna beef shop and cafes and bars and puppet parlours and leather shops and diners, all the while chattering and mewling, constant alert-small desert animal watching for fennecs in the most seductive Spanish
no disrespect to the Latvians, but i hope the Czechs cane them today.
after all, who doesn't adore Nedved and whilst i'm not the biggest fan of where Baros plies his trade in club colours, you gotta like him at international level.
best stop all this football commentary and keep it to myself, the blog doesn't need any help in completely going to seed the last month or so.
i will say here's to a Dutch victory this evening (if not perhaps some anti-German invective tomorrow for apart from Ballack their side is unloveable for me; is it just me or is Oliver Kahn the third most irritating German player of the modern age whose first name starts with O? only his namesake Bierhoff, and Olaf Fucking Thon pecked my head more as a kid; especially that shimmy Thon did after dispatching one past Shilts in the 90's SF shoot-out - of course i supported every side but England in Euro 96 cause i was a 16 yr old sociology student with his David Held et al - broke one's heart *sniff* - Kahn's HUGE hands in the last World Cup were interesting to be fair; but at Italia '90 i was only ten so hadn't yet heard about the evils of colonialism, or Marxism, or similarly minded Guardian articles from the likes of the [otherwise admirable] much-older Decca Aitkenhead)
after all, who doesn't adore Nedved and whilst i'm not the biggest fan of where Baros plies his trade in club colours, you gotta like him at international level.
best stop all this football commentary and keep it to myself, the blog doesn't need any help in completely going to seed the last month or so.
i will say here's to a Dutch victory this evening (if not perhaps some anti-German invective tomorrow for apart from Ballack their side is unloveable for me; is it just me or is Oliver Kahn the third most irritating German player of the modern age whose first name starts with O? only his namesake Bierhoff, and Olaf Fucking Thon pecked my head more as a kid; especially that shimmy Thon did after dispatching one past Shilts in the 90's SF shoot-out - of course i supported every side but England in Euro 96 cause i was a 16 yr old sociology student with his David Held et al - broke one's heart *sniff* - Kahn's HUGE hands in the last World Cup were interesting to be fair; but at Italia '90 i was only ten so hadn't yet heard about the evils of colonialism, or Marxism, or similarly minded Guardian articles from the likes of the [otherwise admirable] much-older Decca Aitkenhead)
'The Union Stockyards opened in 1865 and cattle poured in too, to be slaughtered and shipped out in new refrigerated boxcars.'
writers mentioned in the literature section of the Lonely Planet condensed guidebook to Chicago [commercial site]:
- Dreiser
- James Farrell
- Nelson Algren
- Studs Terkel
- Bellow
- Gwendolyn Brooks
- Scott Turow (trying to compare Turow to Bellow or Dreiser is surely like trying to compare Aylesbury with AC Milan)
- Sara Paretsky
yet no Upton Sinclair.
Theodore Roosevelt read The Jungle and ordered an investigation of the meat-packing industry. He also met Sinclair and told him that while he disapproved of the way the book preached socialism he agreed that "radical action must be taken to do away with the efforts of arrogant and selfish greed on the part of the capitalist."
With the passing of the Pure Food and Drugs Act (1906) and the Meat Inspection Act (1906), Sinclair was able to show that novelists could help change the law. This in itself inspired a tremendous growth in investigative journalism. Theodore Roosevelt became concerned at this development and described it as muckraking.
The Jungle online.
writers mentioned in the literature section of the Lonely Planet condensed guidebook to Chicago [commercial site]:
- Dreiser
- James Farrell
- Nelson Algren
- Studs Terkel
- Bellow
- Gwendolyn Brooks
- Scott Turow (trying to compare Turow to Bellow or Dreiser is surely like trying to compare Aylesbury with AC Milan)
- Sara Paretsky
yet no Upton Sinclair.
Theodore Roosevelt read The Jungle and ordered an investigation of the meat-packing industry. He also met Sinclair and told him that while he disapproved of the way the book preached socialism he agreed that "radical action must be taken to do away with the efforts of arrogant and selfish greed on the part of the capitalist."
With the passing of the Pure Food and Drugs Act (1906) and the Meat Inspection Act (1906), Sinclair was able to show that novelists could help change the law. This in itself inspired a tremendous growth in investigative journalism. Theodore Roosevelt became concerned at this development and described it as muckraking.
The Jungle online.
old seadogs (in the blogging sense) might remember a month ago or so the hoo-hah over Guardian arts columnist Jonathan Jones' piece ironically entitled The case for communism which generated massive and excellent volumes of heat&light: the Rambler originally spotting the piece, a piece at ne quid nimis taking him to task, a response at clap clap arguing for balance [the Rambler's ultimately persuasive addendum won the day, it must be said].
i just wanted to say that the right way of looking at that that the Rambler nailed is that, simply, Jones wasn't looking hard enough. Jones {and ya gotta love a guy whose tagline on his paper's masthead is Why is enjoyment of contemporary and old art so often seen as irreconcilable?} has a great flourish and writes some fine visual arts pieces (two recent cases in point: this arguing for the 20th c primacy of Cubism, and this on an exhibition of Islamic art at Somerset House), but when he stretches out to the arts in general it would be unfair to expect him to be that on-point all the time.
but that's where the Rambler was right to criticise him, although Jones acknowledges he is no expert, a saving grace in this situation.
yet an example that i still reckon damns him anyway, from that very 'communism' article, which i didn't want to note at the time - because it sounded a bit rude but hey fuck it [doubly because Luka's on hiatus and i'm missing his agreeable denunciations of most contemporary novelists but WG Sebald] - is when Jones writes I got quite bored in the middle of Michel Houellebcq's Atomised, but I knew it was important enough to reach the end. The same goes for Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood. Where are the books of this urgency from behind what used to be the Iron Curtain, which used to produce a classic a week?
OK, Murakami fair enough, but Houellebecq, effing Houellebecq?!?
remember that NME letter quoted here once about how some chap writes to the NME telling them their coverage is boring and old-hat and they need to step up a gear, you know, start covering more forward-thinking, edgy outfits like...
...Travis?
well the NME responded as you'd expect, saying they wanted their readers to be constantly showing them up as boring old farts with fingers decidedly not on the pulse but if Travis was the best a complainant was going to do then quite frankly that reader could fuck right off. well, this is a bit like that, Houellebecq is certainly no great shakes but for him to hold him up, well, it beats me.
that's a bit like me complaining to the editor of Straight No Chaser there's been no good jazz since Lester Young died. oh i don't know, i really don't.
incidentally Jones does deserve props for a nice little article once where he correctly called which western nations had been responsible for the 'best' art scenes of the 20th c.
{speaking of Eppy, there's an interestin Paul Krugman article here via him that called to mind a comments box hullaballoo k-punk had a month or two ago: a timely article in - quelle horreur! - The Times criticising the BBC the catalyst for that post incidentally; the Times criticising the BBC, i know, i know, i was as shocked as you were, which is why we demanded a recount...}~
i just wanted to say that the right way of looking at that that the Rambler nailed is that, simply, Jones wasn't looking hard enough. Jones {and ya gotta love a guy whose tagline on his paper's masthead is Why is enjoyment of contemporary and old art so often seen as irreconcilable?} has a great flourish and writes some fine visual arts pieces (two recent cases in point: this arguing for the 20th c primacy of Cubism, and this on an exhibition of Islamic art at Somerset House), but when he stretches out to the arts in general it would be unfair to expect him to be that on-point all the time.
but that's where the Rambler was right to criticise him, although Jones acknowledges he is no expert, a saving grace in this situation.
yet an example that i still reckon damns him anyway, from that very 'communism' article, which i didn't want to note at the time - because it sounded a bit rude but hey fuck it [doubly because Luka's on hiatus and i'm missing his agreeable denunciations of most contemporary novelists but WG Sebald] - is when Jones writes I got quite bored in the middle of Michel Houellebcq's Atomised, but I knew it was important enough to reach the end. The same goes for Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood. Where are the books of this urgency from behind what used to be the Iron Curtain, which used to produce a classic a week?
OK, Murakami fair enough, but Houellebecq, effing Houellebecq?!?
remember that NME letter quoted here once about how some chap writes to the NME telling them their coverage is boring and old-hat and they need to step up a gear, you know, start covering more forward-thinking, edgy outfits like...
...Travis?
well the NME responded as you'd expect, saying they wanted their readers to be constantly showing them up as boring old farts with fingers decidedly not on the pulse but if Travis was the best a complainant was going to do then quite frankly that reader could fuck right off. well, this is a bit like that, Houellebecq is certainly no great shakes but for him to hold him up, well, it beats me.
that's a bit like me complaining to the editor of Straight No Chaser there's been no good jazz since Lester Young died. oh i don't know, i really don't.
incidentally Jones does deserve props for a nice little article once where he correctly called which western nations had been responsible for the 'best' art scenes of the 20th c.
{speaking of Eppy, there's an interestin Paul Krugman article here via him that called to mind a comments box hullaballoo k-punk had a month or two ago: a timely article in - quelle horreur! - The Times criticising the BBC the catalyst for that post incidentally; the Times criticising the BBC, i know, i know, i was as shocked as you were, which is why we demanded a recount...}~
Monday, 14 June 2004
as for other options for Thursday's England game, i am now converted to the cause of Hargreaves with the magisterial way he kept the ball for a spell and actually imposed confidence and control onto a flapping English midfield as French dominance was telling.
Vassell's pace with Rooney might be an intriguing prospect, clearly Owen is starting in the line-up on reputation at the moment (apparently he was shite in the Iceland friendly).
one mate reckons with the coverage of Heskey's last five minutes during the France match as a party political broadcast, the BNP could win votes...
Vassell's pace with Rooney might be an intriguing prospect, clearly Owen is starting in the line-up on reputation at the moment (apparently he was shite in the Iceland friendly).
one mate reckons with the coverage of Heskey's last five minutes during the France match as a party political broadcast, the BNP could win votes...
sound thrashing for the Bulgarians at the hands of a rampant Sweden, enjoying their chances, buoyed by the talismanic Larsson (superb headed goal according to the wireless for goal #2).
and yet it could all have been so different perhaps if Riley had given a pen for when Hristov fell down early doors, who can say.
for a team that are probably the worst at the championships though, Bulgaria certainly worried Sweden at times and had enough of the ball. it might be honour-bound to note the scoreline flattered the Swedes, but, in truth, it did.
one thing's for sure, this makes Friday's game in Oporto between Sweden and the Italians double-plus good interesting in a 'fireworks must spark' kinda way...
...despite being a huge King fan, i'm glad Terry is replacing him for the Swiss game, there's probably going to be more cohesion there. whatever happens, Campbell must stay injury free, he is the brace.
and yet it could all have been so different perhaps if Riley had given a pen for when Hristov fell down early doors, who can say.
for a team that are probably the worst at the championships though, Bulgaria certainly worried Sweden at times and had enough of the ball. it might be honour-bound to note the scoreline flattered the Swedes, but, in truth, it did.
one thing's for sure, this makes Friday's game in Oporto between Sweden and the Italians double-plus good interesting in a 'fireworks must spark' kinda way...
...despite being a huge King fan, i'm glad Terry is replacing him for the Swiss game, there's probably going to be more cohesion there. whatever happens, Campbell must stay injury free, he is the brace.
great to see Mark, all guns blazing, backing up that righteous Aaronovitch article on faith schools.
googling Mexican beer can be an odd exercise: more often than not, pages containing delicate discussions about chemistry or informed comment regarding the lineage of the breweries tend to get submerged beneath diatribes about the marketing of Cinco de Mayo in the USA, jibes about one lime or two, and snarky observations about yuppies clutching their bottle of Corona.
but a brief article (several years old admittedly) here from renowned international gourmand-about-town-type Anthony Dias Blue serves as a fine basic introduction to some of the Mexican beers you can easily find around & about (go Tecate!).
but a brief article (several years old admittedly) here from renowned international gourmand-about-town-type Anthony Dias Blue serves as a fine basic introduction to some of the Mexican beers you can easily find around & about (go Tecate!).
as goal-less matches go, that was a lot better than the Group B game yesterday.
the Danes certainly in it to complement the 'sluggish Italian opening' trope, and more than equal.
oompah band fans near the end, roligans in full voice.
A smashing game~
--Gordan Strachan, bantering as ever about his co-commentators choice of in-car listening.
aww! pick yrself up Becks, we still love ya.
one thing that must be said about poor Gerrard is that the mistake he did yesterday you'd probably only see him do that, well, once in a blue moon. not much consolation i know but there we go.
the Danes certainly in it to complement the 'sluggish Italian opening' trope, and more than equal.
oompah band fans near the end, roligans in full voice.
A smashing game~
--Gordan Strachan, bantering as ever about his co-commentators choice of in-car listening.
aww! pick yrself up Becks, we still love ya.
one thing that must be said about poor Gerrard is that the mistake he did yesterday you'd probably only see him do that, well, once in a blue moon. not much consolation i know but there we go.
meanwhile, what seems like a Maoist attack with a landmine has killed at least 21 police officers in Nepal, whilst Abdelwahed Belkeziz [Secretary General for the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC)] has blasted backwardness in the Islamic world, the BBC reports {more on the OIC meeting in Istanbul here}.
for all the tragic news to have come out of the Middle East and south Asia over the last several days, i think quite possibly the slaying of those Chinese workers in Afghanistan must be up there in any (pointless and offensive to rank tragedy, i know) pit of misery 'table'. far away from home to do a job - civilian no less - and slaughtered as you slept.
heart-breaking.
for all the tragic news to have come out of the Middle East and south Asia over the last several days, i think quite possibly the slaying of those Chinese workers in Afghanistan must be up there in any (pointless and offensive to rank tragedy, i know) pit of misery 'table'. far away from home to do a job - civilian no less - and slaughtered as you slept.
heart-breaking.
fivelive have got some bloke with a vaguely geordie accent alongside everyone's favourite Scottish banana eater and can i just say the whitewash in the cricket over the Kiwis more than makes up for Grosjean losing to Roddick.
big up Simon R for finishing his book {the Prince Regent to Dr. Johnson: well i'm a slow reader myself} (and that latest post at time of writing, in strangely reflective mode, a nice companion to Tom Ewing on the state of the 'blogosphere' here),
big up The Mile Long Shadow of a Cooling Tower, in hilarious/fantastic form here {excuse my tardiness}
and nice up Robin C., legend, fine one-two whammy on old chart blogging/fascist-hop.
big up Simon R for finishing his book {the Prince Regent to Dr. Johnson: well i'm a slow reader myself} (and that latest post at time of writing, in strangely reflective mode, a nice companion to Tom Ewing on the state of the 'blogosphere' here),
big up The Mile Long Shadow of a Cooling Tower, in hilarious/fantastic form here {excuse my tardiness}
and nice up Robin C., legend, fine one-two whammy on old chart blogging/fascist-hop.
Euro 2004: the first weekend {waffle from someone who doesn't know what he's on about}
well, the first match saw a Lusaphone house of cards fall down with the usual theatrics from an aggrieved Figo (according to mates who saw Saturday's games on telly: i spent three-and-a-half hours in front of a computer with Gordon Strachan [who sounds extraordinarily like Gordon McAvennie, fans of dour middle-aged Scots might like to note] and Jonathan Pearce, listening to the two matches on internet radio - BBC be praised, Allah bless you); apparently Deco is the spit of Maradona ("well, he's short and fat anyway, obviously a bit crap in comparison").
all my partisan joshing about Ronaldo aside (if any reader isn't aware - which is unlikely, as i tediously mention it every third post - i'm a man city fan and tend to have this unfortunate knee-jerk reaction to United players if i don't have my thinking cap on), the Portuguese have to start him next match (probably Utd's best player last season). he did really well apart from giving away the pen.
as Philip observes in a comments box at an It's all in your mind post, the hosts must start with two men up front against the Russians.
as for the Spanish, well i was wondering if the largely toothless performance of Raul (certainly, coupled with any more like that) will make Phil's take on him waver...;-) ...mind you, ditto Mark k-p's enthusiasm for Owen, who was - let's be honest - pretty bobbins.
Saez should deffo give Torres a start next time.
the Swiss match was only going to be exciting imo to see if:
(a) any Croat ultras managed to turn up
(b) Chapuisat broke his duck (to think in USA '94 this one-time darling of, well, everyone who cared, played alongside Subiat and Sforza, the latter actually younger than Chapuisat: what the Swiss would do for a 24 year old Sforza now or a 28 year old Subiat)
(c) Frei and Yakin would turn on the style.
in any event i can't see either of these two giving the Anglo-French axis any trouble.
apparently the Swiss keeper deserves props for his bizarre heading-off-the line bizness.
only caught this in the slightly odd situation of riding around Chicago public transport watching BBC teletext on the lovely companions mobile phone internet thingummy (swish ain't it)... ...middle America's working and middle class trundlers (on the El train) watching for middle European alien sport as the real action takes place west in Anaheim, where the Cubs eventually ground down the Angels...
as for the game of the tournament so far (TM), well, Beckham and (the gorgeous) Zidane certainly showed the line between bottling it and holding your nerve (for all Silvestre's - who of course should have been sent off; what do you mean, so should James?! - insistence that Barthez has been studying video footage of the skipper's pen technique).
i'd always [unfashionably?] defended Heskey (definitely when he was at Anfield; after all, the country went off him as soon as he left Leics innit), citing his work-rate and strength and how he held the ball up so well for Owen (granted this overlooks his record at Liverpool in what is the single most important area for a striker but, ahem, er...), but off the back of yesterday, he really must be consigned to oblivion.
anyway Zidane's free-kick was simply beautiful.
POT/KETTLE
also Vieira proved himself perhaps as adept as his clubmate Pires of being a world-class diver. apparently he's accusing the English team of cheating??
England can take comfort in King's excellence (heck, the whole back line were great), and Rooney's efforts (alright, so not too much came of it, and he was definitely subbed at the right moment, but otherwise...) and that there's only two teams in the world (one of whom is France and the other of whom isn't geographically eligible for the European championships) who could have come back like that, and turned such an important game around.
world class.
in the interests of balance, here is one emailed take from another pal [ITMA! Brummie Dave] with a slightly odd - to say the least - suggestion for Sven:
You may and probably will disagree, but here's my starting XI for thursday against the Swiss:
GK David James
RB Gary Neville
LB Ashley Cole
CD Sol Campbell
CD Ledley King (regardless of whether Terry is fit or not)
RM David Beckham
LM Paul Scholes
CM Frank Lampard
CM Steven Gerrard
and now for the controversial bit.......
CF Emile Heskey
CF Darius Vassell
To be fair, the second city rude boyz linked up much better than the two Scousers. They seem to know each others game better, can sense where one another is and the way Heskey can hold the ball up for Vassell to use his pace and run at defenders, I can see goals. All four strikers have had mediocre seasons at club level so Owen has lost his god-given right to start in my opinion. He didn't see enough of the ball against France to have a bad game and although Rooney put himself about and ran his socks off, it was to little effect for the most part. So give them a go Mr Sven - Owen and Rooney are still good options to have on the bench - and Owen being dropped may give him the kick up the arse he needs, in my opinion, to try harder to find his touch again - we all know he's got the potential to be England's number one striker - but he needs to prove it by delivering the goods.
Another option I would like to see, maybe if we're desperate for a goal and need to go on the all out attack, is to see Cole pushed up into a Left Wing position (how many times does he get out of position anyway) in a 3-5-2 formation. Maybe Wayne Bridge could play as the left sided Central Defender in this scenario.
well it's true that Vassell and Heskey linked up well, and it's also true that Owen disappointed, and i admit my blind-side is for the boy Roonaldo regardless bcos i luv him, but this seems like a step too far... ...that is a worrying issue about how off the boil they all seem, but - jee-suz, welcoming Heskey into a starting XI? hmm.
the only consolation is it's the Swiss and - quite frankly - Roy Hodgson was clearly being too kind (well on the evidence of the Croatia match).
if Scholes is out, whadda they do?
Bridge in and Cole pushed up (or vice-versa)?
Butt at the bottom of a diamond and Gerrard out on the left and bring in someone like Cole, J. in front of Lampard?
Dyer out there?
who can say, clearly not me...;-)
anyway, enough of this shite, Vieri, Totti, and del Piero have all started for Italy, the Danish have made some good running in the first half hour, come on Roligans!
well, the first match saw a Lusaphone house of cards fall down with the usual theatrics from an aggrieved Figo (according to mates who saw Saturday's games on telly: i spent three-and-a-half hours in front of a computer with Gordon Strachan [who sounds extraordinarily like Gordon McAvennie, fans of dour middle-aged Scots might like to note] and Jonathan Pearce, listening to the two matches on internet radio - BBC be praised, Allah bless you); apparently Deco is the spit of Maradona ("well, he's short and fat anyway, obviously a bit crap in comparison").
all my partisan joshing about Ronaldo aside (if any reader isn't aware - which is unlikely, as i tediously mention it every third post - i'm a man city fan and tend to have this unfortunate knee-jerk reaction to United players if i don't have my thinking cap on), the Portuguese have to start him next match (probably Utd's best player last season). he did really well apart from giving away the pen.
as Philip observes in a comments box at an It's all in your mind post, the hosts must start with two men up front against the Russians.
as for the Spanish, well i was wondering if the largely toothless performance of Raul (certainly, coupled with any more like that) will make Phil's take on him waver...;-) ...mind you, ditto Mark k-p's enthusiasm for Owen, who was - let's be honest - pretty bobbins.
Saez should deffo give Torres a start next time.
the Swiss match was only going to be exciting imo to see if:
(a) any Croat ultras managed to turn up
(b) Chapuisat broke his duck (to think in USA '94 this one-time darling of, well, everyone who cared, played alongside Subiat and Sforza, the latter actually younger than Chapuisat: what the Swiss would do for a 24 year old Sforza now or a 28 year old Subiat)
(c) Frei and Yakin would turn on the style.
in any event i can't see either of these two giving the Anglo-French axis any trouble.
apparently the Swiss keeper deserves props for his bizarre heading-off-the line bizness.
only caught this in the slightly odd situation of riding around Chicago public transport watching BBC teletext on the lovely companions mobile phone internet thingummy (swish ain't it)... ...middle America's working and middle class trundlers (on the El train) watching for middle European alien sport as the real action takes place west in Anaheim, where the Cubs eventually ground down the Angels...
as for the game of the tournament so far (TM), well, Beckham and (the gorgeous) Zidane certainly showed the line between bottling it and holding your nerve (for all Silvestre's - who of course should have been sent off; what do you mean, so should James?! - insistence that Barthez has been studying video footage of the skipper's pen technique).
i'd always [unfashionably?] defended Heskey (definitely when he was at Anfield; after all, the country went off him as soon as he left Leics innit), citing his work-rate and strength and how he held the ball up so well for Owen (granted this overlooks his record at Liverpool in what is the single most important area for a striker but, ahem, er...), but off the back of yesterday, he really must be consigned to oblivion.
anyway Zidane's free-kick was simply beautiful.
POT/KETTLE
also Vieira proved himself perhaps as adept as his clubmate Pires of being a world-class diver. apparently he's accusing the English team of cheating??
England can take comfort in King's excellence (heck, the whole back line were great), and Rooney's efforts (alright, so not too much came of it, and he was definitely subbed at the right moment, but otherwise...) and that there's only two teams in the world (one of whom is France and the other of whom isn't geographically eligible for the European championships) who could have come back like that, and turned such an important game around.
world class.
in the interests of balance, here is one emailed take from another pal [ITMA! Brummie Dave] with a slightly odd - to say the least - suggestion for Sven:
You may and probably will disagree, but here's my starting XI for thursday against the Swiss:
GK David James
RB Gary Neville
LB Ashley Cole
CD Sol Campbell
CD Ledley King (regardless of whether Terry is fit or not)
RM David Beckham
LM Paul Scholes
CM Frank Lampard
CM Steven Gerrard
and now for the controversial bit.......
CF Emile Heskey
CF Darius Vassell
To be fair, the second city rude boyz linked up much better than the two Scousers. They seem to know each others game better, can sense where one another is and the way Heskey can hold the ball up for Vassell to use his pace and run at defenders, I can see goals. All four strikers have had mediocre seasons at club level so Owen has lost his god-given right to start in my opinion. He didn't see enough of the ball against France to have a bad game and although Rooney put himself about and ran his socks off, it was to little effect for the most part. So give them a go Mr Sven - Owen and Rooney are still good options to have on the bench - and Owen being dropped may give him the kick up the arse he needs, in my opinion, to try harder to find his touch again - we all know he's got the potential to be England's number one striker - but he needs to prove it by delivering the goods.
Another option I would like to see, maybe if we're desperate for a goal and need to go on the all out attack, is to see Cole pushed up into a Left Wing position (how many times does he get out of position anyway) in a 3-5-2 formation. Maybe Wayne Bridge could play as the left sided Central Defender in this scenario.
well it's true that Vassell and Heskey linked up well, and it's also true that Owen disappointed, and i admit my blind-side is for the boy Roonaldo regardless bcos i luv him, but this seems like a step too far... ...that is a worrying issue about how off the boil they all seem, but - jee-suz, welcoming Heskey into a starting XI? hmm.
the only consolation is it's the Swiss and - quite frankly - Roy Hodgson was clearly being too kind (well on the evidence of the Croatia match).
if Scholes is out, whadda they do?
Bridge in and Cole pushed up (or vice-versa)?
Butt at the bottom of a diamond and Gerrard out on the left and bring in someone like Cole, J. in front of Lampard?
Dyer out there?
who can say, clearly not me...;-)
anyway, enough of this shite, Vieri, Totti, and del Piero have all started for Italy, the Danish have made some good running in the first half hour, come on Roligans!
Saturday, 12 June 2004
"heroic bowling from Flintoff" apparently and didn't those All Blacks put on a show!
i hope Grosjean pans Roddick, i'm not a huge Hewitt fan but i'd rather Grosjean wins than him.
Greece one up, who'd a thunk.
Arthur Cox enjoy your retirement.
this is something of a hopeful CNN story about reduction of migratory bird deaths over north American cities due to tall buildings having their lights switched off overnight.
i hope Grosjean pans Roddick, i'm not a huge Hewitt fan but i'd rather Grosjean wins than him.
Greece one up, who'd a thunk.
Arthur Cox enjoy your retirement.
this is something of a hopeful CNN story about reduction of migratory bird deaths over north American cities due to tall buildings having their lights switched off overnight.
Friday, 11 June 2004
it's half a year old but i only found out today (thanks to references in BBC and Reuters pages) about this fine Christian Aid report, on corporate social responsibility.
one case study is Shell's activity in the Niger delta.
if - like me - you weren't familiar with the piece, it's a great read.
one case study is Shell's activity in the Niger delta.
if - like me - you weren't familiar with the piece, it's a great read.
among all the lovely blogging remembrances of, and reflections on, Ray Charles (and wider concerns, in that last Rambler link, by the by), there is a lot to marvel at in the life of the man.
i know this is a churlish and simplistic thing to take a tack on, but the professional accounts of the guy and his music seem rendered far less satisfactorily to me. granted, news websites have to take a generalist approach to this sort of thing, and attempt to please all of the people all of the time (and so, with these considerations, my somewhat juvenile attack on 'em is rightly judged unfair, because this context means my nit-picking is not taking that into account, and so is basically highly prejudiced), but jeez if the Beeb in particular isn't a little of a botched job. yeah, this is nice and all (certainly far better than i could do, so with that in mind some people would urge one to shut dafuckup), but the Norah Jones photo and notice are just all 'gah?! so...' to me...
...a piece at the Guardian is somewhat better, fleshing some more detail and colour in to proceedings, but the paragraph In 1962 he released an album titled Modern Sounds in Country and Western, which produced one of his biggest successes in the form of I Can't Stop Lovin' You, a Nashville ballad that sounded intolerably glutinous to some of his earlier fans but earned him a new following. should be contrasted with what Marcello wrote on exactly the same topic.
i know this is a stupid thing to post about in the wake of the great man's death, and i realise it sounds like i'm being unfair and hating on the pro-media (i wouldn't really want to ever do that, apart from when it was actually warranted), and it probably also sounds like i'm engaging in a little unseemly arse-licking of other bloggers, but just wanted to share my two penn'orth...
i know this is a churlish and simplistic thing to take a tack on, but the professional accounts of the guy and his music seem rendered far less satisfactorily to me. granted, news websites have to take a generalist approach to this sort of thing, and attempt to please all of the people all of the time (and so, with these considerations, my somewhat juvenile attack on 'em is rightly judged unfair, because this context means my nit-picking is not taking that into account, and so is basically highly prejudiced), but jeez if the Beeb in particular isn't a little of a botched job. yeah, this is nice and all (certainly far better than i could do, so with that in mind some people would urge one to shut dafuckup), but the Norah Jones photo and notice are just all 'gah?! so...' to me...
...a piece at the Guardian is somewhat better, fleshing some more detail and colour in to proceedings, but the paragraph In 1962 he released an album titled Modern Sounds in Country and Western, which produced one of his biggest successes in the form of I Can't Stop Lovin' You, a Nashville ballad that sounded intolerably glutinous to some of his earlier fans but earned him a new following. should be contrasted with what Marcello wrote on exactly the same topic.
i know this is a stupid thing to post about in the wake of the great man's death, and i realise it sounds like i'm being unfair and hating on the pro-media (i wouldn't really want to ever do that, apart from when it was actually warranted), and it probably also sounds like i'm engaging in a little unseemly arse-licking of other bloggers, but just wanted to share my two penn'orth...
Frank Gehry designs a cancer care centre (for free, no less), on the banks of the noble Tay, and promptly wins British building of the year.
West Brom Chris wades into the Brummie Dave debate (the controversy where Wolverhampton fans were moaning after being forced to fork out an exorbitant 38 quid to watch their heroes at Birmingham's St Andrews ground: bloody hell, i've seen Man City get tonked five-nil at Chelsea for nearly fifty quid and had my view obscured by a stanchion and had less than desirable interaction with the local boys in blue...) :=
I wouldn't pay that much to go to St.Andrews to be
honest, even if I thought it was a certain win for the
baggies (which is unlikely). It is a mediocre looking
stadium in a shite area of town and isn't even a day
out cause it's rite on me doorstep. £38 might be ok
if it was at the scousers, mancs, Chelsea or gooners
where I get a nice day out and a chance to be stabbed
by people with exotic accents and breeding habits.
But at blooz? Are you kidding?
The board at that place are bloodsuckers, pure and
simple. That amount is more than either home or away
supporters should be expected to pay. For a dynasty
founded in porn they ironically have always seemed
very keen to screw their own supporters for every
penny, pricing out all the die-hards at Longbridge etc
who supported them through thick and thin. And blooz,
as the historically fourth most successful team in the
conurbation, have had a lot more thin than thick.
Unless you count Barry Fry.
Blooz v tattas isn't even a real derby anyway. About
as significant as baggies v cov...~
I wouldn't pay that much to go to St.Andrews to be
honest, even if I thought it was a certain win for the
baggies (which is unlikely). It is a mediocre looking
stadium in a shite area of town and isn't even a day
out cause it's rite on me doorstep. £38 might be ok
if it was at the scousers, mancs, Chelsea or gooners
where I get a nice day out and a chance to be stabbed
by people with exotic accents and breeding habits.
But at blooz? Are you kidding?
The board at that place are bloodsuckers, pure and
simple. That amount is more than either home or away
supporters should be expected to pay. For a dynasty
founded in porn they ironically have always seemed
very keen to screw their own supporters for every
penny, pricing out all the die-hards at Longbridge etc
who supported them through thick and thin. And blooz,
as the historically fourth most successful team in the
conurbation, have had a lot more thin than thick.
Unless you count Barry Fry.
Blooz v tattas isn't even a real derby anyway. About
as significant as baggies v cov...~
HERBERT CHAPMAN TURNING IN HIS GRAVE...
back onto the footy theme (tomorrow's Saturday!) another bud tells us that browsing through what was either a Sky or Rothmans football yearbook (he can't quite recall which) he noticed that the old First Division title (i.e., what IS the Prem) is placed on the same level of the page as the soon-to-be-rebranded current First Division (i.e. "the old Division 2"). in his own eloquent words, he worryingly concludes that
In other words, the ignorant mewling brats that now infest our school system will regard the winning of the old league championship as akin to Norwich's efforts this year.
After all, Huddersfield could never have won the top division of english professional footy could they?
back onto the footy theme (tomorrow's Saturday!) another bud tells us that browsing through what was either a Sky or Rothmans football yearbook (he can't quite recall which) he noticed that the old First Division title (i.e., what IS the Prem) is placed on the same level of the page as the soon-to-be-rebranded current First Division (i.e. "the old Division 2"). in his own eloquent words, he worryingly concludes that
In other words, the ignorant mewling brats that now infest our school system will regard the winning of the old league championship as akin to Norwich's efforts this year.
After all, Huddersfield could never have won the top division of english professional footy could they?
to personalise the kicking Labour got, where i'm from (manchester) is still hugely Labour (no whiff of Tory); where i am now w' the folks (trafford) has seen a huge swing to the Tories.
because i'm an ignorant cunt now beating himself up in the USA i forgot to sort out a proxy or whatever! all this after votematch told me my best preference for the Euros was PES (i.e. Labour and such: no thanks...)... ...gah.:-(
i wonder, out of any possible reader, whose local/home constituency has seen the biggest swing?
Iain predicted on the night itself: most interesting.
in Burnley, the BNP neither gained or lost.
because i'm an ignorant cunt now beating himself up in the USA i forgot to sort out a proxy or whatever! all this after votematch told me my best preference for the Euros was PES (i.e. Labour and such: no thanks...)... ...gah.:-(
i wonder, out of any possible reader, whose local/home constituency has seen the biggest swing?
Iain predicted on the night itself: most interesting.
in Burnley, the BNP neither gained or lost.
well yesterday was quoted a football journo mate on the football league rebranding. another chum below ain't a journo, but he is a fan and his take is certainly more, er, bracing:
Fucking yanks mate.
Cocurh colurh (as they say in Hull) will be sponsoring the Football league next year. Being knobheads totally ignorant of English football history, they want there top league (i.e. Div1) to be known as the "Coca-Cola Championship", therefore Div2 becomes Div1 and Div3 becomes Div2-stupid.
Well, at this rate at least, Alty will be in the Champions league in 10years.
meanwhile, another pal's in optimistic mood =
Against France I would go for the following:
James - GK
G Neville RB
A Cole LB
Ledley King CD (J Terry if he were fit)
S Campbell CD
D Beckham RMid
P Scholes LMid
F Lampard CMid
S Gerrard CMid
M Owen CF
W Rooney CF
Pity about John Terry. Also, Heskey and Vassell are good options to have on the bench - particularly Vassell's pace.
For the Swiss game, who arguably more vunerable at the back, I'd maybe push Ashley Cole up to play wide on the left, Wayne Bridge to slot in at left back and then you've got the option of Scholes and Gerrard or Lampard and Gerrard in the centre. Maybe go for a 3-5-2 and play all three of them??
Predictions: England to beat France 1-0, England to beat Switzerland 3-1 and a 1-1 draw with Croatia - win the group and meet Spain or Portugal in the QF.
Roy Hodgson suggests we're underestimating the Swiss but part of me can't help but wonder if this is just playing to the gallery of his old mates. i don't know. nothing should be taken for granted (talk about sitting on the fence eh?!).
Fucking yanks mate.
Cocurh colurh (as they say in Hull) will be sponsoring the Football league next year. Being knobheads totally ignorant of English football history, they want there top league (i.e. Div1) to be known as the "Coca-Cola Championship", therefore Div2 becomes Div1 and Div3 becomes Div2-stupid.
Well, at this rate at least, Alty will be in the Champions league in 10years.
meanwhile, another pal's in optimistic mood =
Against France I would go for the following:
James - GK
G Neville RB
A Cole LB
Ledley King CD (J Terry if he were fit)
S Campbell CD
D Beckham RMid
P Scholes LMid
F Lampard CMid
S Gerrard CMid
M Owen CF
W Rooney CF
Pity about John Terry. Also, Heskey and Vassell are good options to have on the bench - particularly Vassell's pace.
For the Swiss game, who arguably more vunerable at the back, I'd maybe push Ashley Cole up to play wide on the left, Wayne Bridge to slot in at left back and then you've got the option of Scholes and Gerrard or Lampard and Gerrard in the centre. Maybe go for a 3-5-2 and play all three of them??
Predictions: England to beat France 1-0, England to beat Switzerland 3-1 and a 1-1 draw with Croatia - win the group and meet Spain or Portugal in the QF.
Roy Hodgson suggests we're underestimating the Swiss but part of me can't help but wonder if this is just playing to the gallery of his old mates. i don't know. nothing should be taken for granted (talk about sitting on the fence eh?!).
Shell may have to finish its onshore production in Nigeria by 2008, according to a report seen by Bloomberg.
why?
well, there's the metaphorical bombshell of this survey - conducted by a conflict resolution agency for the group - that appears to conclude that Royal Dutch/Shell has perhaps been getting its hands dirty in Nigeria for some time (as any protestor - or reasonably well-informed peep on the street - might have told the company), due to factors such as its policies on community relations, access to land and how it awards contracts.
the 93-page report undertaken on behalf of the oil giant is quoted as saying that Shell feeds violence in the Niger delta (where about 1,000 people a year are killed, on a par with global conflicts, Bloomberg notes).
Shell spokesman Simon Buerk dismissed quitting the region and instead suggests they can help reduce conflict by changing our operating, security and community development practices.
He added We have signed a partnership with USAid to develop capacity in agriculture, health and business enterprise, and with Africare on reducing deaths from malaria.
Shell has declined to publish the report in full, and given notice of its intention to remain.
why?
well, there's the metaphorical bombshell of this survey - conducted by a conflict resolution agency for the group - that appears to conclude that Royal Dutch/Shell has perhaps been getting its hands dirty in Nigeria for some time (as any protestor - or reasonably well-informed peep on the street - might have told the company), due to factors such as its policies on community relations, access to land and how it awards contracts.
the 93-page report undertaken on behalf of the oil giant is quoted as saying that Shell feeds violence in the Niger delta (where about 1,000 people a year are killed, on a par with global conflicts, Bloomberg notes).
Shell spokesman Simon Buerk dismissed quitting the region and instead suggests they can help reduce conflict by changing our operating, security and community development practices.
He added We have signed a partnership with USAid to develop capacity in agriculture, health and business enterprise, and with Africare on reducing deaths from malaria.
Shell has declined to publish the report in full, and given notice of its intention to remain.
...and the Sri Lankan govt has asserted its willingness to meet Tamil rebels for peace talks soon, according to the Tamil National Alliance, proxies of the LTTE.
yesterday the Colombian govt offered what is, in effect, a ceasefire, to the ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional de Colombia), the country's second largest rebel group.
Bogota has said it is now considering a bilateral cease-fire (if the rebels were to lay down arms also), a reversal of previous policy.
Bogota has said it is now considering a bilateral cease-fire (if the rebels were to lay down arms also), a reversal of previous policy.
Ian 86400 on RD Laing, Thoreau, a cynical/romantic dichotomy [i checked on technorati and hardly anyone links to him: shocking! pot and kettle obv but i've nearly worked out a links bar now...]
obligatory link to Marcello's superb concise piece on Ray Charles; i like his appraisal of Modern Sounds in Country and Western (i love Big Youth's version of 'Hit the Road Jack' incidentally).
gorgeous chanters
among the hosts of heavenly troubadours or sublime minstrels one could have heard to make right to listen to (in one's own fandom way), to send Ray off - as it were - last night, i just had the Stones on endless repeat with 'Shine a Light'. silly maybe, but that chorus has some words that go like this :
May the good Lord shine a light on you
Make every song you sing your favourite tune~
gorgeous chanters
among the hosts of heavenly troubadours or sublime minstrels one could have heard to make right to listen to (in one's own fandom way), to send Ray off - as it were - last night, i just had the Stones on endless repeat with 'Shine a Light'. silly maybe, but that chorus has some words that go like this :
May the good Lord shine a light on you
Make every song you sing your favourite tune~
Thursday, 10 June 2004
all the best mr Charles; it was a pleasure
if it were, perhaps, a particularly frosty week in otherwise cheerful (not _less) feb., here ARE - seven for 7 - se7en Charles personal long-players one might want to keep them company:
Monday
genius + soul = jazz: first elpee to ever really fall for here, so the glittering roar of 'i've got news for you' cut deep, and still would
Tuesday
my kind of jazz: as a cheap disc twofer [for the frugal kid listener] w' Monday's fair-faced child, it stuttered but convinced
Wednesday
the genius sings the blues: leonine, in a word
Thursday
at newport: it's either this or Aretha's as (probly) a fav take on 'night time is the right time', ragged & wild/mammoth punching and reeling swings
Friday
doing his thing: well i want this cause all-told it's effervescent but it's out of print last wz checked? rite? dunno---
Saturday
the spirit of christmas: sure it's a Christmas/cheesy 80's thing but lovely too {always a beloved cover artwork attempt}
Sunday
the genius after hours: well it's just fucking grate ain't it. KLASSIC.
if it were, perhaps, a particularly frosty week in otherwise cheerful (not _less) feb., here ARE - seven for 7 - se7en Charles personal long-players one might want to keep them company:
Monday
genius + soul = jazz: first elpee to ever really fall for here, so the glittering roar of 'i've got news for you' cut deep, and still would
Tuesday
my kind of jazz: as a cheap disc twofer [for the frugal kid listener] w' Monday's fair-faced child, it stuttered but convinced
Wednesday
the genius sings the blues: leonine, in a word
Thursday
at newport: it's either this or Aretha's as (probly) a fav take on 'night time is the right time', ragged & wild/mammoth punching and reeling swings
Friday
doing his thing: well i want this cause all-told it's effervescent but it's out of print last wz checked? rite? dunno---
Saturday
the spirit of christmas: sure it's a Christmas/cheesy 80's thing but lovely too {always a beloved cover artwork attempt}
Sunday
the genius after hours: well it's just fucking grate ain't it. KLASSIC.
perhaps the brutal murder of Brian Williamson, Jamaica's foremost gay rights activist [Amnesty statement], will boil down to the case of a particularly violent randomly-executed robbery, or maybe there is more to it, and Williamson was deliberately targeted because of his sexual orientation.
whatever the truth amounts to here, we shouldn't forget that David Blunkett's blanket 'white list' policy on safe countries for asylum seekers should be regarded as highly unsatisfactory.
doubtless Jamaica may very well actually be a safe state for any number of people in the UK whose claims for asylum originate there, but there will always be exceptions to this (as the case would be in the other countries marked in the white list, among either the fourteen that have been added, at one stage or another, to 2002's original grouping of 10, or the original 10).
Mr Blunkett announced last year that - among other measures - the introduction in the 2002 Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act of a list of safe countries meant that "abusive" asylum claims from the 10 {then EU accession} states had fallen dramatically.
well, good for him.
yet it's a shame that - what with his thirst for quotas and seeming ease about playing to the tabloid gallery, the Home Secretary seems to frequently overlook the most important details - he sometimes doesn't pause and think about the dangers of a one-size fits all approach when he is dealing in lives.
whatever the truth amounts to here, we shouldn't forget that David Blunkett's blanket 'white list' policy on safe countries for asylum seekers should be regarded as highly unsatisfactory.
doubtless Jamaica may very well actually be a safe state for any number of people in the UK whose claims for asylum originate there, but there will always be exceptions to this (as the case would be in the other countries marked in the white list, among either the fourteen that have been added, at one stage or another, to 2002's original grouping of 10, or the original 10).
Mr Blunkett announced last year that - among other measures - the introduction in the 2002 Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act of a list of safe countries meant that "abusive" asylum claims from the 10 {then EU accession} states had fallen dramatically.
well, good for him.
yet it's a shame that - what with his thirst for quotas and seeming ease about playing to the tabloid gallery, the Home Secretary seems to frequently overlook the most important details - he sometimes doesn't pause and think about the dangers of a one-size fits all approach when he is dealing in lives.
i am really enjoying Amblongus at the moment (to give just two examples: that unintentionally hilarious Ted Rall interview on FOX, the eye-opening FAIR sheet on Mr Reagan)
you have to laugh at the absurdly simplistic and reductive argument that the waving of England flags remains a symbol of hateful nationalism and the far right dontcha {not that i want to be one of those tedious middlebrow types going on about reclaiming the flag; nor would i ever be caught waving one, most likely, as i'm hardly the world's most patriotic person}.
Pakistani flags during Eid, Irish flags on St Patrick's Day, England flags during the frantic build-up to a feverishly anticipated major sports tournament: they all seem reasonable to me.
Pakistani flags during Eid, Irish flags on St Patrick's Day, England flags during the frantic build-up to a feverishly anticipated major sports tournament: they all seem reasonable to me.
a sarcastic mate via email asks how long will it be watching tv coverage in England before some smart-aleck commentator asks the audience 'aren't we missing the zany antics of those loveable Irish/Scottish fans?'
etc.
The Tartan Army: one of the great sports media myths of our times (oh but the Celtic fans in Seville yadda yadda).
etc.
The Tartan Army: one of the great sports media myths of our times (oh but the Celtic fans in Seville yadda yadda).
The Rambler predicts.
i notice quite a few pundits have been tipping the Czechs as the dark horses (after all, memories of their performance in '96 are still fresh and their squad is useful today). i don't know anything about predictions (er, "it won't be Palace": a confident somedisco passim), but never like betting against the Dutch (for all their frailty in qualifying) or the 'traditionally slow-starting' Italians blah blah blah.
i love Portugal but they're knocking on and this tournament is clearly going to see some of their biggest names finally put out to pasture (i mean, bloody hell, Couto's knocking on a bit now isn't he and Rui Costa - one of my five single favourite European players of the last decade - is easily the wrong side of 30).
Spain national side/domestic league contradiction insert your own line here &c.
all one can say is France, on paper, have the best squad, i hope England win, i want (yunno, ideally and all that) the last eight to be Portugal, Spain, England, France, Bulgaria (no chance), Italy, Latvia and the Czech Republic, and for the next three weeks or so, things may get rather quiet round here due to the action from Iberia.
it's great to be in the USA as the Stanley Cup and NBA championships are played out, and the baseball season is just getting into the swing of things (*ouch*) but this is the beautiful game...
P.S.
He's back
i notice quite a few pundits have been tipping the Czechs as the dark horses (after all, memories of their performance in '96 are still fresh and their squad is useful today). i don't know anything about predictions (er, "it won't be Palace": a confident somedisco passim), but never like betting against the Dutch (for all their frailty in qualifying) or the 'traditionally slow-starting' Italians blah blah blah.
i love Portugal but they're knocking on and this tournament is clearly going to see some of their biggest names finally put out to pasture (i mean, bloody hell, Couto's knocking on a bit now isn't he and Rui Costa - one of my five single favourite European players of the last decade - is easily the wrong side of 30).
Spain national side/domestic league contradiction insert your own line here &c.
all one can say is France, on paper, have the best squad, i hope England win, i want (yunno, ideally and all that) the last eight to be Portugal, Spain, England, France, Bulgaria (no chance), Italy, Latvia and the Czech Republic, and for the next three weeks or so, things may get rather quiet round here due to the action from Iberia.
it's great to be in the USA as the Stanley Cup and NBA championships are played out, and the baseball season is just getting into the swing of things (*ouch*) but this is the beautiful game...
P.S.
He's back
to date, if someone whose sole acquaintances with Republican Representative Dennis Hastert had been to hear him foolishly upbraid a decent politician like John McCain, or - far, far worse even - spout wrong-headed and offensive nonsense about the Spanish electorate in the wake of the Madrid bombings, that person might have concluded here was a bit of a (frankly) politically illiterate buffoon.
i must admit, broadly put, my views occasionally don't stray too far from this perspective.
but, last night, watching the live coverage of the extremely moving memorial service for Ronald Reagan in Washington, Hastert did make a simple and very eloquent speech about a man he clearly loved and respected; it surprised me, just merely due to my extreme ignorance of American politics, i had assumed the only politician that would speak would be Cheney (Bush was still at a G8 shindig out of state; Cheney opened with some surprisingly powerful words, referring to Reagan's illness, about how everyone knew this day would come but it did not make it any easier to cope with). so i hope, at least, his words gave some comfort to Nancy (gracefully stroked a flag-draped coffin for some time; dignity in grief), and to Nancy and Ronald's son, who paused before the coffin and looked as if he were about to stumble, visibly upset.
the media commentators on CBS or whichever channel i was watching (all i know is that i prefer BBC World to all the others, CNN has Paula Zahn, FOX is, well, FOX, and Dan Rather i like) were very clever; they managed to skirt around certain issues about Reagan's presidency that co-anchors kept bringing up (various Central American entanglements for one). people would ask questions clearly alluding to the monstrously wicked events in Nicaragua or Guatemala that occured with American support (though it is sometimes easy to forget that, at the time, the majority of residents on Grenada welcomed the 1983 invasion: ridding yourself of hardline Marxist-Leninists is usually a good idea, funnily enough), and their peers would reply with a nimble overview of the man's ideological goodness, that whole 'making America feel great about itself' routine.
it was a neat (and necessary) side-step when covering the funeral of someone who had, if nothing else, so endeared himself to his admirers with the way he conveyed the news of what would be his final long struggle, the illness that would finish him off.
now maybe some people (gauging the politics of people that i know who read this blog) think the above is a little mawkish or something, and i would apologise, but i will say that - even though in terms of my views on international affairs, i'm far removed from a cheerleader for Rollback (today's equivalent? perhaps disgust for western succour for Niyazov or Karimov - 'lighten up, this is the War On Terror, guys!'...) - this was the funeral of a husband and father.
an individual's eulogy should surely not be compromised by political bile (some of it certainly despicable) unless [surely?] that individual is totally beyond the pale...
i think Eppy in a comments box at Harm's place is with it: Some of your policies are going to negatively affect people's lives, because politics is about comprimises, and some of these people might grow to hate you. That's just the price you pay.
i must admit, broadly put, my views occasionally don't stray too far from this perspective.
but, last night, watching the live coverage of the extremely moving memorial service for Ronald Reagan in Washington, Hastert did make a simple and very eloquent speech about a man he clearly loved and respected; it surprised me, just merely due to my extreme ignorance of American politics, i had assumed the only politician that would speak would be Cheney (Bush was still at a G8 shindig out of state; Cheney opened with some surprisingly powerful words, referring to Reagan's illness, about how everyone knew this day would come but it did not make it any easier to cope with). so i hope, at least, his words gave some comfort to Nancy (gracefully stroked a flag-draped coffin for some time; dignity in grief), and to Nancy and Ronald's son, who paused before the coffin and looked as if he were about to stumble, visibly upset.
the media commentators on CBS or whichever channel i was watching (all i know is that i prefer BBC World to all the others, CNN has Paula Zahn, FOX is, well, FOX, and Dan Rather i like) were very clever; they managed to skirt around certain issues about Reagan's presidency that co-anchors kept bringing up (various Central American entanglements for one). people would ask questions clearly alluding to the monstrously wicked events in Nicaragua or Guatemala that occured with American support (though it is sometimes easy to forget that, at the time, the majority of residents on Grenada welcomed the 1983 invasion: ridding yourself of hardline Marxist-Leninists is usually a good idea, funnily enough), and their peers would reply with a nimble overview of the man's ideological goodness, that whole 'making America feel great about itself' routine.
it was a neat (and necessary) side-step when covering the funeral of someone who had, if nothing else, so endeared himself to his admirers with the way he conveyed the news of what would be his final long struggle, the illness that would finish him off.
now maybe some people (gauging the politics of people that i know who read this blog) think the above is a little mawkish or something, and i would apologise, but i will say that - even though in terms of my views on international affairs, i'm far removed from a cheerleader for Rollback (today's equivalent? perhaps disgust for western succour for Niyazov or Karimov - 'lighten up, this is the War On Terror, guys!'...) - this was the funeral of a husband and father.
an individual's eulogy should surely not be compromised by political bile (some of it certainly despicable) unless [surely?] that individual is totally beyond the pale...
i think Eppy in a comments box at Harm's place is with it: Some of your policies are going to negatively affect people's lives, because politics is about comprimises, and some of these people might grow to hate you. That's just the price you pay.
speaking of Rephlex grime, the lovely Simon silverdollarcircle and i had an email chat about where to get grime easily in manchester (bcos he's familiar with mcr tho living in the capital; like how he can just pick up anything he wants, no matter how obscure, in various places where he lives, south of the river, or at least that's what i like to imagine).
i had said of course how those well known garage shops in the south suburbs (like the celebrated Floss Mode) are all actually UKG, i ain't sure about grime as such.
really.
well he tells me the always lovely pelicanneck/boomkat (check out the Warp singles campaign and Robotnick CD, and also Last Exit for under a tenner, which ain't bad surely, also Louden Up Now for about a tenner ain't bad if you like !!! can't say i'm a huge fan but they're always impressive show, anyway i digress) have started stocking the sublow/Plasticman/MarkOne sound but apparently not too hot on the sort of thing that Luka waxes lyrical about (if i say actual grime do i sound like a cock hating on Croydon??), and i must admit that's hardly surprising is it, Boomkat's an IDM-kinda store.
anyway, apologies for my spitefully mean observations, and also the parochial shabbiness of this post, but there we go, just thought i should observe.
i had said of course how those well known garage shops in the south suburbs (like the celebrated Floss Mode) are all actually UKG, i ain't sure about grime as such.
really.
well he tells me the always lovely pelicanneck/boomkat (check out the Warp singles campaign and Robotnick CD, and also Last Exit for under a tenner, which ain't bad surely, also Louden Up Now for about a tenner ain't bad if you like !!! can't say i'm a huge fan but they're always impressive show, anyway i digress) have started stocking the sublow/Plasticman/MarkOne sound but apparently not too hot on the sort of thing that Luka waxes lyrical about (if i say actual grime do i sound like a cock hating on Croydon??), and i must admit that's hardly surprising is it, Boomkat's an IDM-kinda store.
anyway, apologies for my spitefully mean observations, and also the parochial shabbiness of this post, but there we go, just thought i should observe.
i heard this was happening but it takes a sports journo to confirm it:
check this craziness out: The Football League have changed the name of Division One to The Championship, which Divs 2 and 3 will become League One and League Two. So the old Div 4 is now basically the second division? eh? what? who? where?///
check this craziness out: The Football League have changed the name of Division One to The Championship, which Divs 2 and 3 will become League One and League Two. So the old Div 4 is now basically the second division? eh? what? who? where?///
Glorious Noise's Johnny Loftus positions nu-Freaky Friday / Mean Girls starlet Lindsay Lohan as this year's Ann-Margret, replete with a delightful comments box.
it was only through reading Marcello that one learnt about the sad passing of the great Steve Lacy (who, i guess i missed this through revels, died on the 3rd of June).
Marcello noted how Lacy's death comes soon after that of Elvin Jones (which i was especially upset about) and Robert Quine.
gotta echo The Naked Maja and admit that the death of, personally speaking&for instance, Jones, depressed far more than the passing of Ronald Reagan.
anyway, enough of some offensive navel-gazing, i've no wish to wake departed spirits whatever their beliefs.
over in k-punk land, when not content with new and interesting longer posts, there's his second Stylus review (the Grime comp.).
might have to start checking this place out more often, prev. i'll admit it's not quite been a (say) Neumu/XLR8R-style must-surf but this is good...
~
on the Ronald Reagan theme, Harm refines his take on Reagan-hatin' here (complete with sensible comments from Hillary; check this on lazy pop cult. refs.)
Marcello noted how Lacy's death comes soon after that of Elvin Jones (which i was especially upset about) and Robert Quine.
gotta echo The Naked Maja and admit that the death of, personally speaking&for instance, Jones, depressed far more than the passing of Ronald Reagan.
anyway, enough of some offensive navel-gazing, i've no wish to wake departed spirits whatever their beliefs.
over in k-punk land, when not content with new and interesting longer posts, there's his second Stylus review (the Grime comp.).
might have to start checking this place out more often, prev. i'll admit it's not quite been a (say) Neumu/XLR8R-style must-surf but this is good...
~
on the Ronald Reagan theme, Harm refines his take on Reagan-hatin' here (complete with sensible comments from Hillary; check this on lazy pop cult. refs.)
Wednesday, 9 June 2004
NYLPM keeps calling it of late with all these ace new pop singles.
meanwhile a British-based correspondent tells me that Definitely Maybe is, in the estimable opinion of Q magazine, the greatest British album there has yet been.
meanwhile a British-based correspondent tells me that Definitely Maybe is, in the estimable opinion of Q magazine, the greatest British album there has yet been.
i recently had a dream (non-erotic, i hasten to add) that Rory McGrath from tv's 'they think it's all over' and Mark Steyn, hawkish columnist/Zionist (a tough Belgian-Canadian i believe his heritage is, though he lives in New England these days), and i were up on a Broadway stage singing Sinatra (a word-faithful and therefore quite long cover/rendition of the September of My Years album, i think it was: which is odd, because whilst i adore Sinatra as much as the next music lover, i'm only really familiar with his long-playing output from up to and inc. the early 60's TBH, not including his live At the Sands set of course, which i'm convinced everyone in the UK has bought at some time cheapo cause IT'S ALWAYS ALWAYS on sale in HMV for 3.99; to digress, i swear Sinatra 'at the sands' has to the most widely discounted CD album you will ever see in a British chain store, HMV has ol' blue eyes, Music Zone stores the Trojan boxes, and Virgin always seem to be trying to get you to rifle through, i don't know, repressings of the Jam or something - of course my observations may be totally incorrect here but it seems that Jacko and Madge and the Beatles are always cheap in CD stores these days, that sort of caper).
anyway, we did pretty good.
we agreed to differ on some viewpoints but agreed about the basics and it was all cheery human dignity and brotherly love until there was a punch-up cause Steyn wanted Vietnamese but McGrath wanted to go for a pizza.
i kept out of it cause i wasn't that hungry, and besides i'd just had some donuts or something.
anyway, we did pretty good.
we agreed to differ on some viewpoints but agreed about the basics and it was all cheery human dignity and brotherly love until there was a punch-up cause Steyn wanted Vietnamese but McGrath wanted to go for a pizza.
i kept out of it cause i wasn't that hungry, and besides i'd just had some donuts or something.
Hilary Benn is concerned about the adequacy and speed of what the UN is doing re. the Darfur crisis, whilst - in the region - Hilary Andersson has witnessed the burial of a toddler and reports of 400 children in a displaced persons camp unable to keep their food down.
yesterday the UN Security Council voted 15-0 to adopt a new resolution on Iraq providing for the dissolution of the American-led governing authority.
it was reported earlier that Kurdish members of the Iraqi govt might resign from their posts if asked to do so by their leaders, due to fears that the new resolution would fail to recognise Kurdish autonomy.
well, the Anglo-American backed-resolution does fail in that respect, not endorsing the wording of the interim Iraqi constitution of March, which had approved a special status of autonomy for three northern provinces.
now it's been confirmed by many sources and the FT has a fascinating story here about a letter sent from Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani to George Bush, last week, re. their concerns with western policy in the region.
meanwhile, John Negroponte is hailing the resolution as a milestone for Iraq.
it was reported earlier that Kurdish members of the Iraqi govt might resign from their posts if asked to do so by their leaders, due to fears that the new resolution would fail to recognise Kurdish autonomy.
well, the Anglo-American backed-resolution does fail in that respect, not endorsing the wording of the interim Iraqi constitution of March, which had approved a special status of autonomy for three northern provinces.
now it's been confirmed by many sources and the FT has a fascinating story here about a letter sent from Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani to George Bush, last week, re. their concerns with western policy in the region.
meanwhile, John Negroponte is hailing the resolution as a milestone for Iraq.
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.
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.
Tuesday, 8 June 2004
with apologies to Dave Stelfox...
Tom Ewing on prawn sandwiches at Pret: knew i wasn't imagining it...
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.
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 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.
_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".
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.
so i think it's kinda a shame.
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.
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.
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?
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?
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.]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
searching thru the bargain bins at a mom-and-pop electronics shop in a cookie-cutter mall in Middle America (Christ, even a MaccyD's choccy milkshake in my hand, and yes i know how they make their milk{sic}-shakes, and yes i have read my Schlosser) over the weekend, and for the equivalent of two quid i secured an unwrapped CD copy of George Lewis' Jazz Funeral in New Orleans on the Tradition label [AMG].
result (!), as they say.
anchored by such gems as a wonderful 'Burgundy Street Blues' and their indeed fabulous take on 'When The Saints Go Marching In', it just goes to, er, show...
...you never know (they also had Hemisphere's pretty bloody decent juju comp. for the equivalent of well under a fiver, but i had no more beads).
result (!), as they say.
anchored by such gems as a wonderful 'Burgundy Street Blues' and their indeed fabulous take on 'When The Saints Go Marching In', it just goes to, er, show...
...you never know (they also had Hemisphere's pretty bloody decent juju comp. for the equivalent of well under a fiver, but i had no more beads).
alright this PLUG is a bit early, but i think you'll agree it's a pretty tasty sounding line-up:
WEDNESDAY 16TH JUNE, 8:30pm at The Grapes, Trippet Lane, Sheffield, £5/3
Bus: West Street/Rockingham Street
Tram: West Street/City Hall
Other Music Presents:
SANDERS/BAUER/EDWARDS
Mark Sanders (drums)
Johannes Bauer (trombone)
John Edwards (double bass)
Stalwart of the European free improv scene, with a virtuoso British
rhythm section.
plus
LUPUS SOLO
Kev Hicks (guitars, effects, oddments)
"Polyrhythmic sounds and core themes are created using guitars,
effects, odds and ends."
Notes on SANDERS/BAUER/EDWARDS:
MARK SANDERS is an extremely versatile musician, having worked in jazz,
rock and improvised music worldwide. He has collaborated with Jah Wobble,
Evan Parker and the Gnawa musicians of Morocco, to name but a few.
JOHN EDWARDS may be better known for work in improvised contexts, but he
has been involved in many other fields of music. A busy London musician,
Edwards is at ease with drum and bass projects, John Wall's computer-based
compositions, folk, modern jazz, contemporary theatre and dance.
A freelance improvising musician since 1979, JOHANNES BAUER has led
several bands and worked with such performers as Marshall Allen, Evan
Parker and Alan Silva.
WEDNESDAY 16TH JUNE, 8:30pm at The Grapes, Trippet Lane, Sheffield, £5/3
Bus: West Street/Rockingham Street
Tram: West Street/City Hall
Other Music Presents:
SANDERS/BAUER/EDWARDS
Mark Sanders (drums)
Johannes Bauer (trombone)
John Edwards (double bass)
Stalwart of the European free improv scene, with a virtuoso British
rhythm section.
plus
LUPUS SOLO
Kev Hicks (guitars, effects, oddments)
"Polyrhythmic sounds and core themes are created using guitars,
effects, odds and ends."
Notes on SANDERS/BAUER/EDWARDS:
MARK SANDERS is an extremely versatile musician, having worked in jazz,
rock and improvised music worldwide. He has collaborated with Jah Wobble,
Evan Parker and the Gnawa musicians of Morocco, to name but a few.
JOHN EDWARDS may be better known for work in improvised contexts, but he
has been involved in many other fields of music. A busy London musician,
Edwards is at ease with drum and bass projects, John Wall's computer-based
compositions, folk, modern jazz, contemporary theatre and dance.
A freelance improvising musician since 1979, JOHANNES BAUER has led
several bands and worked with such performers as Marshall Allen, Evan
Parker and Alan Silva.
i actually had a dream about the Momart fire.
what basically happened was i had gone into the still smouldering warehouse with a camera, to document events, and also to gloat at the artists concerned (in reality, i was saddened by all the losses, including the somewhat maligned Emin/Hirst axis, i will say).
i found Rego and Ofili and the Chapmans and Heron and Hirst all lurking in a corner, passing around gauloises and a flask or something, wearing kitschy boutique tee-shirts and such. IIRC they took my banter in good humour.
the warehouse looked well considering what had gone on in there. some canvases and pieces appeared to be unaffected, including some that looked like they might have been from the CoBrA people, oddly. there were definitely some large Rauschenberg pieces (which was of course even stranger), and a lot of stuff that had some relief.
what made me check my head was plenty of Old Masters that i knew should be hanging up in central London or big continental galleries.
there appeared to be a lot of shifting and changing, and there were massive, garishly coloured blocks of Lego that turned out - on closer inspection - to be vast oblong papier-mache structures.
it was like a badly designed James Cameron set.
as if i was dreaming of an artistic rendering of the very birth of Surtsey, there were soon rumblings and shakings beneath my feet.
the situation appeared to change so that the warehouse was growing spines and chimneys and similar. i was running along rooftops and it occured to me Emin had sent a demonic (or vampiric, i wasn't sure which category) pet cat, to smite me for my cruel barbs.
i knew i had a rolled-up broadsheet newspaper on me that i might - i reasoned, hastily - be able to use as a baseball bat-like implement to defend myself. i would not have much time, as the cat was gliding towards me, with a nightmarish fixed grin on its face, as disembodied sounds emanated from nearby.
i swatted the cat away a few times, and it span off, wildly out of control. the situation was critical, as its massive jaws would be the death of me, and its claws were clearly capable of raking the very marrow from my bones.
after a few more close shaves and yelps, i woke up.
i fear if the dream had continued, the cat would have gotten me.
it was certainly feisty.
the dream recalled reading those 'Fighting Fantasy' gamebooks you might have read as a kid, a sort of cut-price Dungeons and Dragons (you know the sort), particularly the Guild of Thieves/Port Blacksand-set actioner Midnight Rogue.
what basically happened was i had gone into the still smouldering warehouse with a camera, to document events, and also to gloat at the artists concerned (in reality, i was saddened by all the losses, including the somewhat maligned Emin/Hirst axis, i will say).
i found Rego and Ofili and the Chapmans and Heron and Hirst all lurking in a corner, passing around gauloises and a flask or something, wearing kitschy boutique tee-shirts and such. IIRC they took my banter in good humour.
the warehouse looked well considering what had gone on in there. some canvases and pieces appeared to be unaffected, including some that looked like they might have been from the CoBrA people, oddly. there were definitely some large Rauschenberg pieces (which was of course even stranger), and a lot of stuff that had some relief.
what made me check my head was plenty of Old Masters that i knew should be hanging up in central London or big continental galleries.
there appeared to be a lot of shifting and changing, and there were massive, garishly coloured blocks of Lego that turned out - on closer inspection - to be vast oblong papier-mache structures.
it was like a badly designed James Cameron set.
as if i was dreaming of an artistic rendering of the very birth of Surtsey, there were soon rumblings and shakings beneath my feet.
the situation appeared to change so that the warehouse was growing spines and chimneys and similar. i was running along rooftops and it occured to me Emin had sent a demonic (or vampiric, i wasn't sure which category) pet cat, to smite me for my cruel barbs.
i knew i had a rolled-up broadsheet newspaper on me that i might - i reasoned, hastily - be able to use as a baseball bat-like implement to defend myself. i would not have much time, as the cat was gliding towards me, with a nightmarish fixed grin on its face, as disembodied sounds emanated from nearby.
i swatted the cat away a few times, and it span off, wildly out of control. the situation was critical, as its massive jaws would be the death of me, and its claws were clearly capable of raking the very marrow from my bones.
after a few more close shaves and yelps, i woke up.
i fear if the dream had continued, the cat would have gotten me.
it was certainly feisty.
the dream recalled reading those 'Fighting Fantasy' gamebooks you might have read as a kid, a sort of cut-price Dungeons and Dragons (you know the sort), particularly the Guild of Thieves/Port Blacksand-set actioner Midnight Rogue.
i was interested to read that authorities have detained people in the case of the slaying of Satyendra Dubey, an Indian whistle-blower.
all in all, it's a shocking, frightening and tragic situation.
all in all, it's a shocking, frightening and tragic situation.
i didn't know until his passing that Ronald Reagan was from Illinois. that makes it two of the most famous Republican Presidents (and, indeed, Presidents overall, really) to be associated with that state, as far as i'm aware, which ain't a bad record {if you're interested in such things}.
of course there was that wag who recently quipped that if he were around today, Lincoln would be regarded as a raving liberal by some in the GOP (Lincoln also served under the Union party as this page reminds us). i don't know about that, but it's a line that made me laugh nonetheless... ...this page shows that Lincoln was actually born in Kentucky. unsurprisingly, a lot of the early presidents were from just one or two places on the eastern seaboard.
of course there was that wag who recently quipped that if he were around today, Lincoln would be regarded as a raving liberal by some in the GOP (Lincoln also served under the Union party as this page reminds us). i don't know about that, but it's a line that made me laugh nonetheless... ...this page shows that Lincoln was actually born in Kentucky. unsurprisingly, a lot of the early presidents were from just one or two places on the eastern seaboard.
Wednesday, 2 June 2004
re. Stelfox's 'sound art' bit and its excellent analogies, one can't help but share his pessimism in the final paragraph.
you only have to recall that pretty bad Britpop film w' the likes of Jarvis, my beloved Ozwald Boateng (affordable to saveupable threads of decent quality innit), Damon, and Damien Hirst in it to realise that, alas, Fat Les and Oasis will be exactly (in the conventional histories) what soundtracks YBA.
you only have to recall that pretty bad Britpop film w' the likes of Jarvis, my beloved Ozwald Boateng (affordable to saveupable threads of decent quality innit), Damon, and Damien Hirst in it to realise that, alas, Fat Les and Oasis will be exactly (in the conventional histories) what soundtracks YBA.
Tuesday, 1 June 2004
it was a shame about Mansfield, they battled hard. but fair play to the Terriers, who clearly deserve their success.
anyway, the real world is full of plenty of bad news at the moment eh.
Karachi, Rio, Khobar, Baghdad. ugh, horrible happenings.
although good luck to Mr Yawer.
anyway, the real world is full of plenty of bad news at the moment eh.
Karachi, Rio, Khobar, Baghdad. ugh, horrible happenings.
although good luck to Mr Yawer.
THURSDAY 3RD JUNE, 8pm sharp.
Improvised music at Over The Top, 78 Kingfield Road, Nether Edge, Sheffield
(buses 22, 8 and 9, near Union Pub)
Mick Beck Presents:
GREW TRIO, plus a contrabass player new to England, PIETRO LUSVARDI.
Grew Trio is the longstanding project of self-taught pianist Stephen Grew,
who initiated the very popular Piano Forte gig put on at Sheffield University
last October. It also features Mick Beck (tenor sax and bassoon), and
Phillip Marks (drums/percussion). The Trio is amazingly purposeful for a
totally free group. It has performed at the UK's best improv gigs, and at
the Kaleidophon festival in Austria. Expect intensity!
Pietro Lusvardi is a Swiss-born classically trained double bassist who is
spending some time in England. He is well established in European and US
West Coast jazz/improv circles. He will be playing solo, as well as with
some or all of the Trio.
£5 waged, £3 unwaged.
Improvised music at Over The Top, 78 Kingfield Road, Nether Edge, Sheffield
(buses 22, 8 and 9, near Union Pub)
Mick Beck Presents:
GREW TRIO, plus a contrabass player new to England, PIETRO LUSVARDI.
Grew Trio is the longstanding project of self-taught pianist Stephen Grew,
who initiated the very popular Piano Forte gig put on at Sheffield University
last October. It also features Mick Beck (tenor sax and bassoon), and
Phillip Marks (drums/percussion). The Trio is amazingly purposeful for a
totally free group. It has performed at the UK's best improv gigs, and at
the Kaleidophon festival in Austria. Expect intensity!
Pietro Lusvardi is a Swiss-born classically trained double bassist who is
spending some time in England. He is well established in European and US
West Coast jazz/improv circles. He will be playing solo, as well as with
some or all of the Trio.
£5 waged, £3 unwaged.
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