To any climate change/green/global warming enthusiasts - as temperatures fall as low as minus 13 in some places, explain to me how our planet is supposedly warming up!
It never ceases to amuse me how a dusting of snow seems to instantly throw everything into chaos until everything subsides and we return to the mundanity of a wet, grey and chilly winter. Lord help us if this country experiences the kind of snow they get in North America on a yearly basis.
Where are these green do-gooders now? Frozen to their eco friendly hand-woven wicker chairs? They probably havn't put their heating on because that affects the planet too. These are supposedly clever people who would rather freeze to save the planet. In my book there's nothing clever about that!
What next? Are they going to campaign that as a result of global WARMING our winters are getting COLDER? Im convinced that these people have nothing better to do but just stir up trouble. They can freeze in their eco-friendly homes. I'm going to enjoy my Christmas with the heating on full blast. I'm NOT going to recycle and I'm going to leave ALL the lights on! Bah humbug!
Monday 21 December 2009
Sunday 20 December 2009
The death of common sense
It's a sad fact of football these days that referees seem no longer to be human beings with feelings and common sense but robots designed to carry out the will of the do-good blazers in charge of football.
My rant for the moment surrounds the issue of players being booked for celebrating. I was reminded of this issue's irksome tendencies when Simon Church was booked then subsequently sent off for scoring Reading's equaliser against Bristol City with the last kick of the game.
I had a heated argument last week with my housemate after watching Younes Kaboul collect a second yellow card for celebrating a last minute equaliser at Sunderland. My housemate defended the referee claiming that the players know the rules therefore shouldn't do it.
An utterly ridiculous and misguided opinion in my view. In the situation that Kaboul was in, scoring an injury-time equaliser away from home to salvage a point for your side that currently sit bottom of the league then you are PERFECTLY within your rights to celebrate. I defy any football fan to restrain himself, put up his hand, say "yep, well done lads" and trot back to the halfway line rather than immerse himself in the madness of scoring a last minute equaliser.
I'm all in favour of consistency but why can't they apply the rules with a bit of common sense. Mike Dean used his oak-aged noggin today and chose not to book Alessandro Diamanti when he put West Ham ahead against Chelsea. Top marks in my view. If he had acted as Adebayor had done against Arsenal then fair enough: book him. But to celebrate in front of your own fans after putting them ahead against the league leaders who also happen to be fierce local rivals then let them enjoy the moment.
With the game slowly becoming a non-contact sport, let's hope the do-gooders don't win this round.
My rant for the moment surrounds the issue of players being booked for celebrating. I was reminded of this issue's irksome tendencies when Simon Church was booked then subsequently sent off for scoring Reading's equaliser against Bristol City with the last kick of the game.
I had a heated argument last week with my housemate after watching Younes Kaboul collect a second yellow card for celebrating a last minute equaliser at Sunderland. My housemate defended the referee claiming that the players know the rules therefore shouldn't do it.
An utterly ridiculous and misguided opinion in my view. In the situation that Kaboul was in, scoring an injury-time equaliser away from home to salvage a point for your side that currently sit bottom of the league then you are PERFECTLY within your rights to celebrate. I defy any football fan to restrain himself, put up his hand, say "yep, well done lads" and trot back to the halfway line rather than immerse himself in the madness of scoring a last minute equaliser.
I'm all in favour of consistency but why can't they apply the rules with a bit of common sense. Mike Dean used his oak-aged noggin today and chose not to book Alessandro Diamanti when he put West Ham ahead against Chelsea. Top marks in my view. If he had acted as Adebayor had done against Arsenal then fair enough: book him. But to celebrate in front of your own fans after putting them ahead against the league leaders who also happen to be fierce local rivals then let them enjoy the moment.
With the game slowly becoming a non-contact sport, let's hope the do-gooders don't win this round.
Saturday 19 December 2009
History and Context of Journaliam
After Thursday's exam, I was reminded of my neglect for keeping up my blog on the HCJ lectures.
Firstly, it has been the most fascinating compliment to the hustle and bustle of WINOL: it's been good to sit down in a proper, intelectual environment.
Looking back on the course, I have been most fascinated by Orwell's 1984. It's incredible how Orwell managed to see things from outside the box, as it were. The scary thing is that we don't actually KNOW how much our government hides from us. Clearly the obvious points to make surround the Ministry of Defence/War and other examples of NewSpeak.
I know from personal experience how manipulation of language has had a devastating impact. In Soviet Poland, many old Polish folk songs were altered to remove any anti-Soviet sentiments within them. Now, the only versions of these songs that exist are those that were doctored by the communists.
Anyway enough about Soviet Poland. The funniest version of Orwellian deception that I can recall was in the lead-up to the latest Gulf War. In an interview with John Humphries on Radio 4's Today programme, Jack Straw went back on a statement he had made earlier in the interview. He was so adamant that he hadn't said anything that Humphries was left laughing at him!
Over the coming days I will be reviewing the HCJ lectures with a blog on each of the key topic areas so watch out for them!
Firstly, it has been the most fascinating compliment to the hustle and bustle of WINOL: it's been good to sit down in a proper, intelectual environment.
Looking back on the course, I have been most fascinated by Orwell's 1984. It's incredible how Orwell managed to see things from outside the box, as it were. The scary thing is that we don't actually KNOW how much our government hides from us. Clearly the obvious points to make surround the Ministry of Defence/War and other examples of NewSpeak.
I know from personal experience how manipulation of language has had a devastating impact. In Soviet Poland, many old Polish folk songs were altered to remove any anti-Soviet sentiments within them. Now, the only versions of these songs that exist are those that were doctored by the communists.
Anyway enough about Soviet Poland. The funniest version of Orwellian deception that I can recall was in the lead-up to the latest Gulf War. In an interview with John Humphries on Radio 4's Today programme, Jack Straw went back on a statement he had made earlier in the interview. He was so adamant that he hadn't said anything that Humphries was left laughing at him!
Over the coming days I will be reviewing the HCJ lectures with a blog on each of the key topic areas so watch out for them!
Football merry-go-round
Firstly here is my latest match report from Swindon Town's victory over Brighton and Hove Albion this afternoon. The day that I'll always remember as the day when I nearly got frostbite it was THAT cold!!
http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10341~47780,00.html
In the time that it took me to walk to my car from the ground, Mark Hughes was no longer manager of Manchester City. Surprised? Not really. Kevin Keegan put it best on ESPN just now when he said that the statement drawn up by the board read just like someone released by a business rather than from a football club.
I think therein lies the problem. The new owners have made it perfectly clear that they demand instant success. Will Roberto Mancini deliver? We shall have to wait and see. Personally the man's record reads a hat-trick of Serie A titles with Internazionale. Yes, but remember that one of those titles was handed to Inter in the wake of the betting scandal surrounding Juventus after the 2006 World Cup. The other two were won because Juve were still in the second division and no-one else really challenged them.
Having been in the job for five minutes it seems as if the jury is already out on Mancini. Unfair seeing as the man probably hasn't even set foot in Manchester yet! One thing is certain: with the big four looking to be creaking at the moment, there may be an opening for another team to take the initiative. Tottenham and Aston Villa look suitably poised. Will Manchester City?
http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10341~47780,00.html
In the time that it took me to walk to my car from the ground, Mark Hughes was no longer manager of Manchester City. Surprised? Not really. Kevin Keegan put it best on ESPN just now when he said that the statement drawn up by the board read just like someone released by a business rather than from a football club.
I think therein lies the problem. The new owners have made it perfectly clear that they demand instant success. Will Roberto Mancini deliver? We shall have to wait and see. Personally the man's record reads a hat-trick of Serie A titles with Internazionale. Yes, but remember that one of those titles was handed to Inter in the wake of the betting scandal surrounding Juventus after the 2006 World Cup. The other two were won because Juve were still in the second division and no-one else really challenged them.
Having been in the job for five minutes it seems as if the jury is already out on Mancini. Unfair seeing as the man probably hasn't even set foot in Manchester yet! One thing is certain: with the big four looking to be creaking at the moment, there may be an opening for another team to take the initiative. Tottenham and Aston Villa look suitably poised. Will Manchester City?
Thursday 17 December 2009
WINOL end of run
Well after 6 weeks it's hard to imagine that WINOL's first official run has come to a rather circus-like conclusion.
It was always going to be ambitious to create a "best of" style review but I'd like to say that from the point of view of the sports desk, it was rather fun being part of something other than a serious news bulletin.
Technical and content issues aside, I am extremely proud of the progress that we have all shown on the project so far and look forward to continuing the work in the new decade. A big thank you to EVERYONE who had any involvement whatsoever with WINOL - you've made Journalism at Winchester a much happier place to work for me!
It was always going to be ambitious to create a "best of" style review but I'd like to say that from the point of view of the sports desk, it was rather fun being part of something other than a serious news bulletin.
Technical and content issues aside, I am extremely proud of the progress that we have all shown on the project so far and look forward to continuing the work in the new decade. A big thank you to EVERYONE who had any involvement whatsoever with WINOL - you've made Journalism at Winchester a much happier place to work for me!
Tuesday 15 December 2009
"Where were you when you were s**t?"
Flicking through today's Sun (15/12), my eye was drawn to an article by Ian Wright.
He talks about a gentleman that used to sit near him when he watched his son Shaun play for Chelsea. "Win, lose or draw, he would always complain", Wright said. As a supporter who has grown up watching lower league football and (unsurprisingly) seen finishing just outside the play-off places as an achievement, it's a topic rather close to my heart.
It's perfectly normal and natural for people to follow successful sides but over the last 5 years, the way Chelsea's database has swelled is quite remarkable. I always question whether people who support the supposed "big four" are doing so for the right reasons. Fair enough if you've done so from an early age: I grew up watching the likes of Eric Cantona and the great United team of the mid-1990s. It was the done thing to support Manchester United at the time (I still have United shirts from circa. 1996/97). However, growing up in a town with a football league team, my dad took me to watch my first game in January 1996 around my 7th birthday. Hull City were the visitors to the County Ground and Swindon ran out 3-1 winners.
From that moment onwards I was hooked. Any sympathies I had with higher profile teams dissipated and I was left watching third division football. Thankfully at the end of 95/96 Swindon were promoted to the old Nationwide league Division One.
Over the years I've had plenty of experience of 'glory supporters' - The best example I had was when I questioned a Chelsea fan's longevity of support. He claimed he'd been at the FA Cup final in 1997. He then preceded to claim that Chelsea beat Liverpool 1-0 in that final... Enough said really.
The worrying trend is that more and more of these so called plastic football fans are emerging from the woodwork. In my opinion, for the worst.
Saturday 12 December 2009
In the news...
Seeing as I have been plying my trade as it were on the sports desk of WINOL, how about a sports update for a change. With a break from working at Swindon Town this weekend, I can now look forward to England's test series that starts in South Africa on Wednesday!
But first, I wouldn't be much of a journalist without commenting on Tiger Woods. It's bizarre how one train crash on the tracks of life can be so blown out of all proportion. The fact that he had to publicly come out and apologise is an example of how bad tabloid media have become. So what if he's in the public eye, no-one's perfect! Gagging orders and public statements along with allegations of extra-marital affairs is quite a large mountain to make out of the molehill of a car crash.
Why are people getting so het up about it all? Have people conveniently forgotten that golfers have just begun a winter break from playing, therefore may be involved in everyday occurrences such as car crashes. Besides, being a golfer must be pretty monotonous, who would blame him for wanting to crash a car...
But first, I wouldn't be much of a journalist without commenting on Tiger Woods. It's bizarre how one train crash on the tracks of life can be so blown out of all proportion. The fact that he had to publicly come out and apologise is an example of how bad tabloid media have become. So what if he's in the public eye, no-one's perfect! Gagging orders and public statements along with allegations of extra-marital affairs is quite a large mountain to make out of the molehill of a car crash.
Why are people getting so het up about it all? Have people conveniently forgotten that golfers have just begun a winter break from playing, therefore may be involved in everyday occurrences such as car crashes. Besides, being a golfer must be pretty monotonous, who would blame him for wanting to crash a car...
WINOL week 6
Firstly I'd like to congratulate every single person involved in WINOL's first ever live run. You've all done such a fantastic job on the bulletin and the site. Let's hope we can replicate the same standard when the 3rd years leave us in the new year.
From the outset the sports department were sorted. Everything filmed and edited by Tuesday morning was exactly the position we wanted to be in. This week was the first edition in which I felt we actually wrote to our strongest pictures. The dancing puns and and references were not only a pleasure to write but seemed to be enjoyed by all when the bulletin actually went live!
The most satisfying element of the whole operation was the fact that we managed to do a thorough run-through before recording the live bulletin. I'm sure everyone would agree that it made a hell of difference to be able to do a full practise run.
All-in-all, after feeling so down in the dumps last week, we turned things around, bounced back (can't be bothered to put any more cliches in!) and produced something of which we can all be proud.
From the outset the sports department were sorted. Everything filmed and edited by Tuesday morning was exactly the position we wanted to be in. This week was the first edition in which I felt we actually wrote to our strongest pictures. The dancing puns and and references were not only a pleasure to write but seemed to be enjoyed by all when the bulletin actually went live!
The most satisfying element of the whole operation was the fact that we managed to do a thorough run-through before recording the live bulletin. I'm sure everyone would agree that it made a hell of difference to be able to do a full practise run.
All-in-all, after feeling so down in the dumps last week, we turned things around, bounced back (can't be bothered to put any more cliches in!) and produced something of which we can all be proud.
Monday 7 December 2009
WINOL week five
It all seemed to go pear-shaped this week. Why? It's hard to say.
From the start of the week it seemed a pretty routine run-through. Even on Wednesday there was a relaxed atmosphere around the newsroom. Perhaps this was what caused everything to go awry.
From the outset I have to say that it was the technology in the studio that let us down. I'm going to make no secret of the fact that system used for playing packages needs to be seriously reconsidered because pieces are coming out on black holes, they're cutting out halfway through, something needs to be done.
On a personal note, very happy with my performance. Let's hope my presenting streak continues!
Latest Swindon Town match report
Read my latest report on the official club website -
http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10341~48560,00.html
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