here's Brummie Dave's two penn'orth:
Just like you, my play-off hopes differ largely to my predictions.
Palace are the form team despite their 2-1 defeat at Cov City but it's hard to see them having enough quality to beat Sunderland over two games, although their work rate is outstanding - as you might expect from a team managed by Dowie. On their day, West Ham can beat anyone, but I think the disappointment of not being promoted automatically coupled with losing the FA Cup semi to Millwall will spur Sunderland on and it will be they who beat West Ham in the final.
Division Two should be a lot more clear cut. Bristol City, along with QPR and Plymouth have been the team to beat all season and will be again in the play offs. I just don't think that either Hartlepool, Swindon or Brighton will have enough over two games. Personally I'd like to see a Bristol City v Swindon final - anything as long as fucking Brighton don't go up!
Division three faves must be Huddersfield. Too big to be in Division Three and certainly will feel cheated having occupied third spot for much of the latter part of the season. Maybe I should be backing Northampton here in order to avoid offering support to Yorkshire and Yorkshire sympathisers (in Lincoln and Mansfield). Nah fuck it, come on Huddersfield.
As for the conference. Couldn't give a fuck as I'm still gutted about Hereford not going up. I hate Aldershot and Shrewsbury too.
i'm not entirely sure why a Birmingham City/Stafford Rangers fan (Brummie exile in Staffs. currently) should go a whole hog on the Brighton antipathy; everyone knows that the source of all evil in the lower divisions is Macclesfield Town. compared to them, everyone else is alright (well, i have residual problems with Wycombe, Boston, and Rushden, but we won't go into that now).
Tuesday, 11 May 2004
Monday, 10 May 2004
the clock on the wall
Radio Australia is reporting that Bangkok is planning a "major" offensive in the south.
here's a Malaysian view on the horrible violence that recently flared in Pattani.
unsure how convincing Mr Shinawatra sounds here, whilst this shows he is not quite yet ready to listen to local demands in full (For now, though, the Prime Minister thinks it's safer to bet on the healing power of rice and rhetoric).
Radio Australia is reporting that Bangkok is planning a "major" offensive in the south.
here's a Malaysian view on the horrible violence that recently flared in Pattani.
unsure how convincing Mr Shinawatra sounds here, whilst this shows he is not quite yet ready to listen to local demands in full (For now, though, the Prime Minister thinks it's safer to bet on the healing power of rice and rhetoric).
'And if Mark Latham goes to apologise now, it's too late, Marky. You should have just kept your bloody Liberal shirt on.
Mr Frankland said he believed this was the first time Aborigines had formed a national political party. The party was formed at a series of recent meetings with the support of Aboriginal, church and social justice groups, he said.'
brilliant.
Mr Frankland said he believed this was the first time Aborigines had formed a national political party. The party was formed at a series of recent meetings with the support of Aboriginal, church and social justice groups, he said.'
brilliant.
The World Today reports on an Adelaide march protesting Canberra's abolition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, which has been followed by the launch of Your Voice, a new party whose arrival was announced at a Melbourne rally today.
Downing Street received Red Cross report in February
At very least, the minister of state was in dereliction of his duty. Or had you or your officials quite simply forgotten to tell him or is this just the government's continual or serial complacency?
Nicholas Soames on Geoff Hoon's batman Adam Ingram.
as the FT reports that Mr Hoon is offering what they call a 'limited apology', it speaks volumes about the British govt that - in this FT story - it is an opposition spokesman (Soames) and a rogue backbencher (Cook) that sound the most powerful and truthful.
At very least, the minister of state was in dereliction of his duty. Or had you or your officials quite simply forgotten to tell him or is this just the government's continual or serial complacency?
Nicholas Soames on Geoff Hoon's batman Adam Ingram.
as the FT reports that Mr Hoon is offering what they call a 'limited apology', it speaks volumes about the British govt that - in this FT story - it is an opposition spokesman (Soames) and a rogue backbencher (Cook) that sound the most powerful and truthful.
I'LL WIPE DOWN THE SCREEN LATER
five minutes ago one admitted one was practically creaming one's pants at a story.
now this has sent me over the edge.
how do you spell 'ohmigosh total fucken godhead'?
a bldg. [in one of the greatest cities on earth] that - on the face of it - sounds/looks like a stone cold, by Herzog and de Meuron.
filled with much to wonder and marvel at.
inc. some ppl talking.
one of whom is Jose Saramago.
oh yes.
five minutes ago one admitted one was practically creaming one's pants at a story.
now this has sent me over the edge.
how do you spell 'ohmigosh total fucken godhead'?
a bldg. [in one of the greatest cities on earth] that - on the face of it - sounds/looks like a stone cold, by Herzog and de Meuron.
filled with much to wonder and marvel at.
inc. some ppl talking.
one of whom is Jose Saramago.
oh yes.
Tue. 3.50 Stolis, Wed. 3 quesadillas, Sun 4.50 bloody marys & mimosas
the other week, it was reported that dealer Larry Gagosian intended to open Europe's largest commercial art gallery in King's Cross.
a more in-depth piece is here.
<--{inelegant segue}-->
whilst Manchester will soon host (14th June onwards) what is apparently the largest incarnation yet of the Cow Parade, i'm currently creaming my pants at the story here.
i can't be arsed to click - what is it?
well, Manc businessman Frank Cohen (pretty sure he's a Utd fan, but we'll let him off) is proposing to open a dedicated gallery of contemporary/modern art in his hometown.
wealthy dude Cohen is renowned for the size and, indeed, quality, of his keen collecting.
this is a story that first started to surface as rumours in the local press around this time last year, or a bit earlier, but this is the first thing i've seen of it definitive! gravy, as they say.
perhaps this will go some way to help correct the otherwise spotlessly ace Adrian Searle's testy east-coast preference (re. the sphere of provincial northern spaces; i recall a fairy nuff but still somewhat snarky and odd aside once, f'r instance, about the kiddy-friendly panels they have on some pieces at the main art gallery in mcr, and something silly about lpool).
i can understand always going ga-ga over Baltic completely, but there is the small matter of Liverpool Tate, for one...
the other week, it was reported that dealer Larry Gagosian intended to open Europe's largest commercial art gallery in King's Cross.
a more in-depth piece is here.
<--{inelegant segue}-->
whilst Manchester will soon host (14th June onwards) what is apparently the largest incarnation yet of the Cow Parade, i'm currently creaming my pants at the story here.
i can't be arsed to click - what is it?
well, Manc businessman Frank Cohen (pretty sure he's a Utd fan, but we'll let him off) is proposing to open a dedicated gallery of contemporary/modern art in his hometown.
wealthy dude Cohen is renowned for the size and, indeed, quality, of his keen collecting.
this is a story that first started to surface as rumours in the local press around this time last year, or a bit earlier, but this is the first thing i've seen of it definitive! gravy, as they say.
perhaps this will go some way to help correct the otherwise spotlessly ace Adrian Searle's testy east-coast preference (re. the sphere of provincial northern spaces; i recall a fairy nuff but still somewhat snarky and odd aside once, f'r instance, about the kiddy-friendly panels they have on some pieces at the main art gallery in mcr, and something silly about lpool).
i can understand always going ga-ga over Baltic completely, but there is the small matter of Liverpool Tate, for one...
I am still at the crease though the bowling has been pretty hostile of late and in case anyone doubted it can I assure you there will be no ducking the bouncers, no stone walling and no playing for time.
The bowling is going to get hit all round the ground, that's my style.
_Margaret Thatcher at the Guildhall, 12th November 1990.
The bowling is going to get hit all round the ground, that's my style.
_Margaret Thatcher at the Guildhall, 12th November 1990.
clicking here will help for definition of the man {princeton (more, er, academic)}
while, in Fort Ashby, WV different views, debate, and some soul-searching is going on, Geoff Hoon is under fire from the Mirror newspaper, accused of throwing up chaff in the national conversation about abuses of Iraqi prisoners.
as Hoon gets on - seemingly - doing what he does best, this Roy Greenslade article from abitback is one of the sanest things read in a newspaper this year.
while, in Fort Ashby, WV different views, debate, and some soul-searching is going on, Geoff Hoon is under fire from the Mirror newspaper, accused of throwing up chaff in the national conversation about abuses of Iraqi prisoners.
as Hoon gets on - seemingly - doing what he does best, this Roy Greenslade article from abitback is one of the sanest things read in a newspaper this year.
everything shall reveal itself in the fullness of time
whither Seinfeld?
doubtless we are reduced to imagining that Bush and Cheney's dutiful 'stand-up guy' routine is the typical (& not uncommon) act that runs roughly like this:
I. soothing words
ii. before-an-execution.
III.\LOOK! here comes the knave (aka "Rummy"). we'll ask him directly. look out "'Rummy'". look out, they say!
divers alarums.
iv. byebye.
well, given the volumes of disgrace and horror that have come to light, it'd surely be the least to expect.
whither Seinfeld?
doubtless we are reduced to imagining that Bush and Cheney's dutiful 'stand-up guy' routine is the typical (& not uncommon) act that runs roughly like this:
I. soothing words
ii. before-an-execution.
III.\LOOK! here comes the knave (aka "Rummy"). we'll ask him directly. look out "'Rummy'". look out, they say!
divers alarums.
iv. byebye.
well, given the volumes of disgrace and horror that have come to light, it'd surely be the least to expect.
everybody was having a starter, so i stuck to pate. the salmon was good
in 1903 Bury beat Derby six nil.
you wouldn't get the Shakers doing that nowadays.
in 1903 Bury beat Derby six nil.
you wouldn't get the Shakers doing that nowadays.
all we need now is some girls
over the weekend saw a raft of films i'd never watched before ('strange days', 'pleasantville', 'contact', 'independence day', to name four).
i can certainly see why UNCUT magazine did a critical rehabilitation on 'strange days' some years ago, there are delightful scenes that are in love with the joy of moviemaking as an end in itself, and some breathtaking stuff too.
some of the supporting cast have winning tics and the like in their characterisation (the ferrety techie guy who's brain-swamped near the end, for one; meanwhile, Michael Wincott is deliciously credible as a paranoiac & gloriously fucked clip-head), whilst Sizemore and Bassett sizzle with life in a fine story that is only implausible in Bigelow's pessimism. she made it, when? mid-90's? and she reckons LA looks like that four years later?
i know it's yr own realities, and art of the imagination and such, but still...
'pleasantville' started off like a (less charming) rip-off of one particular eerie, indiana episode but as usual Joan Allen was not far short of marvellous. and the scene where Maguire brings the art book to the soda counter guy with a secret passion for painting is, well, beautiful. as was the scene doused in pink petals when our boy Tobey is driving his amour to Lovers' Lane near the end. and Macy brings another American masterclass in acting without saying again. and it was nice to see the late, great J.T. Walsh as a "pleasant" town mayor battling "unpleasant" phenomena.
after watching 'Contact' {the Jodie Foster space aliens one, based on a Carl Sagan book apparently, and dedicated to Sagan at the end) i can confirm i adore Matthew McConaughey's accent in this, even if his character could have been fleshed out far more satisfactorily.
i think the most searing critical insight i want to make after watching 'independence day' - apart from to note it was a right laugh, and that the bloke who played Jeff Goldblum's dad was a hoot, OH, and that Vivica Fox is HOTT - is that Bill Pullman looks like the chap who plays Max in Aronofsky's 'Pi'.
that is to say, a bit.
over the weekend saw a raft of films i'd never watched before ('strange days', 'pleasantville', 'contact', 'independence day', to name four).
i can certainly see why UNCUT magazine did a critical rehabilitation on 'strange days' some years ago, there are delightful scenes that are in love with the joy of moviemaking as an end in itself, and some breathtaking stuff too.
some of the supporting cast have winning tics and the like in their characterisation (the ferrety techie guy who's brain-swamped near the end, for one; meanwhile, Michael Wincott is deliciously credible as a paranoiac & gloriously fucked clip-head), whilst Sizemore and Bassett sizzle with life in a fine story that is only implausible in Bigelow's pessimism. she made it, when? mid-90's? and she reckons LA looks like that four years later?
i know it's yr own realities, and art of the imagination and such, but still...
'pleasantville' started off like a (less charming) rip-off of one particular eerie, indiana episode but as usual Joan Allen was not far short of marvellous. and the scene where Maguire brings the art book to the soda counter guy with a secret passion for painting is, well, beautiful. as was the scene doused in pink petals when our boy Tobey is driving his amour to Lovers' Lane near the end. and Macy brings another American masterclass in acting without saying again. and it was nice to see the late, great J.T. Walsh as a "pleasant" town mayor battling "unpleasant" phenomena.
after watching 'Contact' {the Jodie Foster space aliens one, based on a Carl Sagan book apparently, and dedicated to Sagan at the end) i can confirm i adore Matthew McConaughey's accent in this, even if his character could have been fleshed out far more satisfactorily.
i think the most searing critical insight i want to make after watching 'independence day' - apart from to note it was a right laugh, and that the bloke who played Jeff Goldblum's dad was a hoot, OH, and that Vivica Fox is HOTT - is that Bill Pullman looks like the chap who plays Max in Aronofsky's 'Pi'.
that is to say, a bit.
play-offs wise being in the USA means i've yet to hear off virtually any mates about what they think will happen (though we earlier saw QPR John's views on Shrewsbury who - i must say - didn't impress me in the slightest when i saw them against Altrincham [a division lower than the Shrews of course at present] in the FA Trophy earlier this season; mind you, saw Alty play Aldershot a couple of years back when the Shots were about one or maybe two leagues lower than they are now and Alty were definitely better).
anyway i guess i've been thinking standard inside the box, Sunderland or Hammers First, Bristol City 2nd w' dark horses Hartlepool, and Swindon and Brighton both capable, and either Huddersfield or Lincoln in the 3rd.
however, this just in from the man himself (he's like a ghost-writer or whatever you call it):
Palace for me as I am a Dowie fan. Sunderland bore the arse of me. Hartlepool for Div 2 and Mansfield for Div 3 as they are a good footballing side. There is talk of a summer tour to Inverness and other parts of Scotland which I will definetly do if it is confirmed. Got a wicket in my first over off the season and was batting quite well until I smashed it straight down the fielder's throat. Reading Thus Spoke Zarathustra and listening to Maroon 5.
Weather over here is crap/
anyway i guess i've been thinking standard inside the box, Sunderland or Hammers First, Bristol City 2nd w' dark horses Hartlepool, and Swindon and Brighton both capable, and either Huddersfield or Lincoln in the 3rd.
however, this just in from the man himself (he's like a ghost-writer or whatever you call it):
Palace for me as I am a Dowie fan. Sunderland bore the arse of me. Hartlepool for Div 2 and Mansfield for Div 3 as they are a good footballing side. There is talk of a summer tour to Inverness and other parts of Scotland which I will definetly do if it is confirmed. Got a wicket in my first over off the season and was batting quite well until I smashed it straight down the fielder's throat. Reading Thus Spoke Zarathustra and listening to Maroon 5.
Weather over here is crap/
re. one's general flip-flopping and knock-kneed consensualising centrist wuss positions (i'm not sure if Luke, for one, hasn't expressed some unease with one's apparent fence-sitting in the past), i suppose what i meant the other day is that there are very few things my moral compass is sure of, and that i know for certain, indubitably.
some of these include 'obvious' convictions&orobservations&c that - for instance - female genital mutilation is wrong, that a fifty pound note is rarely in my pocket, that i like jazz, and that Budweiser is an awful beer (i suppose two quid bottles of Blue Nun are its cousin in the grape world).
i know most people are of course admirably shades of grey (wot's so special 'bout you...) but i always seem to be such a ponce about it heh-heh. apologies.
some of these include 'obvious' convictions&orobservations&c that - for instance - female genital mutilation is wrong, that a fifty pound note is rarely in my pocket, that i like jazz, and that Budweiser is an awful beer (i suppose two quid bottles of Blue Nun are its cousin in the grape world).
i know most people are of course admirably shades of grey (wot's so special 'bout you...) but i always seem to be such a ponce about it heh-heh. apologies.
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