This story on the BBC's website has annoyed me somewhat. There seems to be some subtle hint, some suggestion or inference that this perhaps wasn't the tragic accident the coroner has ruled it was.
I should maybe mention that I feel slightly protective as Jessie was actually in the year below me at school and we were quite friendly during my last 2 years or so.
But still...
Friday, 16 April 2010
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
The eyes have it
Or not. I was quite interested by this story about organ donation and how many people don't give permission for their corneas to be donated. 1.2 million. That's quite a few. The reason this caught my attention is because I'm one of them. I'm registered as an organ donor although I selected to donate everything except my corneas and my heart. I've been blessed with good eyesight and, so far, haven't developed the need for glasses or contact lenses. In my case it's because I'm horribly squeamish about eyeballs. Even pictures of eyes make me feel quite sick. And don't get me started on the ad that's currently on telly which has loads of eyeballs on sticks walking around (that is, people dressed as eyeballs - still bad enough thank you very much).
And the heart? I was born with a congenital heart defect which, although now fixed, probably means they wouldn't want that organ anyway. Interestingly, the article goes on to say that the heart is the second least popular organ to donate.
Thing is, now I feel a bit guilty. If we all refuse to donate our corneas and hearts there will be a shortage. Well there already is a shortage but maybe we could reduce that if we weren't squeamish or worried about symbolism or whatever. Is that fair? To ask someone to trade their beliefs to give the gift of life? Tricky. And not a question I think could be answered satisfactorily.
And the heart? I was born with a congenital heart defect which, although now fixed, probably means they wouldn't want that organ anyway. Interestingly, the article goes on to say that the heart is the second least popular organ to donate.
Thing is, now I feel a bit guilty. If we all refuse to donate our corneas and hearts there will be a shortage. Well there already is a shortage but maybe we could reduce that if we weren't squeamish or worried about symbolism or whatever. Is that fair? To ask someone to trade their beliefs to give the gift of life? Tricky. And not a question I think could be answered satisfactorily.
Monday, 12 April 2010
Testing the water
I make no bones about my lack of political knowledge and my ignorance of all things fashion related but I figured it was about time to proffer my views on one or t'other. In fact the Daily Mail has enabled me to cover both in one post by providing this comparison of what the Party Leaders' wives are wearing.
I'm not sure what percentage of the electorate vote based on the sartorial choices of the spouses of the candidates but I reckon on this evidence I'd vote Conservatives. Mrs Cameron looks chic, classy and her outfits contain nods to current fashion. That surely bodes well for the way her husband would run the country, n'est-ce pas? Mrs Brown on the other hand looks a tad frumpy, especially in that cardi-and-belt combi. I'm getting bad austere vibes if Gordon Brown is permitted to continue his Premiership.
On a serious note, I do wonder why national newspapers feel fit to comment on what The Wives do/wear/eat. It's not them that will be running the country or making decisions that will shape our lives for years possibly even decades to come. Do voters care what footwear they choose to wear? Would the wrong choice honestly swing the polls towards another party? I can't see it. I realise this may be slightly wishful thinking - who wouldn't be disappointed if their fellow citizens felt it acceptable to judge a political party on such irrelevant points?
Instead we should be judging them on things like this - Iain Dale (a Conservative candidate) posted an article on his blog on how many promises Labour made in their 1997 manifesto which they have failed to meet. 27. That's quite a lot. And they were promises on quite meaty, important subjects such as unemployment, education, tax and inflation.
But would the Conservatives have fared any better? Or indeed the LibDems or one of the smaller parties? It's tricky isn't it? I don't have the time to scour each of the party's manifestos so how do I know who to vote for? The Telegraph offered a mapping quiz to test where in the political spectrum you sit. I'm not sure how accurate it is - the possible answers were "Yes", "No", "Open-minded" or "Skip question", but it didn't offer a "Depends" option which was my instinctive response to some of the questions. But it's given me a better idea of roughly where I should be looking - and it includes the smaller parties which is brilliant.
This year the election will affect me more directly than before - if there is a change of power, it is highly likely that my employer will change. Hopefully my day-to-day role will stay the same but I could be looking at a new location, new working conditions or more. Whether it's just that, or the fact that I'm getting older and realising how important these things actually are, my previous apathy to political events is slowly sliding away and I find myself almost excited.
I'm not sure what percentage of the electorate vote based on the sartorial choices of the spouses of the candidates but I reckon on this evidence I'd vote Conservatives. Mrs Cameron looks chic, classy and her outfits contain nods to current fashion. That surely bodes well for the way her husband would run the country, n'est-ce pas? Mrs Brown on the other hand looks a tad frumpy, especially in that cardi-and-belt combi. I'm getting bad austere vibes if Gordon Brown is permitted to continue his Premiership.
On a serious note, I do wonder why national newspapers feel fit to comment on what The Wives do/wear/eat. It's not them that will be running the country or making decisions that will shape our lives for years possibly even decades to come. Do voters care what footwear they choose to wear? Would the wrong choice honestly swing the polls towards another party? I can't see it. I realise this may be slightly wishful thinking - who wouldn't be disappointed if their fellow citizens felt it acceptable to judge a political party on such irrelevant points?
Instead we should be judging them on things like this - Iain Dale (a Conservative candidate) posted an article on his blog on how many promises Labour made in their 1997 manifesto which they have failed to meet. 27. That's quite a lot. And they were promises on quite meaty, important subjects such as unemployment, education, tax and inflation.
But would the Conservatives have fared any better? Or indeed the LibDems or one of the smaller parties? It's tricky isn't it? I don't have the time to scour each of the party's manifestos so how do I know who to vote for? The Telegraph offered a mapping quiz to test where in the political spectrum you sit. I'm not sure how accurate it is - the possible answers were "Yes", "No", "Open-minded" or "Skip question", but it didn't offer a "Depends" option which was my instinctive response to some of the questions. But it's given me a better idea of roughly where I should be looking - and it includes the smaller parties which is brilliant.
This year the election will affect me more directly than before - if there is a change of power, it is highly likely that my employer will change. Hopefully my day-to-day role will stay the same but I could be looking at a new location, new working conditions or more. Whether it's just that, or the fact that I'm getting older and realising how important these things actually are, my previous apathy to political events is slowly sliding away and I find myself almost excited.
Sunday, 11 April 2010
The curse of the Manager of the Month
.... or is it? I'm having a lazy day today ahead of settling down to watch this afternoon's FA Cup semi-final so I thought I'd do a bit of research.
Someone on Cottage Corner asked why we did so badly in March and my automatic response was "Roy won Manager of the Month for February". But how much of a curse is this award? In the words of Harry Hill, there's only one way to find out. So here for your delectation are the winners of the MOTM award for the 2009/10 season so far and the results of the following months' fixtures.
August – Harry Redknapp, Tottenham
12.09.09 Tottenham 1 - 3 Man Utd
20.09.09 Chelsea 3 - 0 Tottenham
23.09.09 Preston 1 - 5 Totttenham (Carling Cup)
26.09.09 Tottenham 5 - 0 Burnley
September – Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester Utd
03.10.09 Man Utd 2 - 2 Sunderland
17.10.09 Man Utd 2 - 1 Bolton
21.10.09 CSKA Moscow 0 - 1 Man Utd (Champions League)
25.10.09 Liverpool 2 - 0 Man Utd
27.10.09 Barnsley 0 - 2 Man Utd (Carling Cup)
31.10.09 Man Utd 2 - 0 Blackburn
October - Roy Hodgson, Fulham
05.11.09 Roma 2 - 1 Fulham (Europa League)
08.1109 Wigan 1 - 1 Fulham
21.11.09 Birmingham 1 - 0 Fulham
25.11.09 Fulham 3 - 0 Blackburn
28.11.09 Fulham 1 - 1 Bolton
November – Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea
02.12.09 Blackburn 3 - 3 Chelsea (Carling Cup)
05.12.09 Man City 2 - 1 Chelsea
08.12.09 Chelsea 2 - 2 Apoel Nicosia (Champions League)
12.12.09 Chelsea 3 - 3 Everton
16.12.09 Chelsea 2 - 1 Portsmouth
20.12.09 West Ham 1 - 1 Chelsea
26.12.09 Birmingham 0 - 0 Chelsea
28.12.09 Chelsea 2 - 1 Fulham
December – Alex McLeish, Birmingham
02.01.10 Nott Forest 0 - 0 Birmingham (FA Cup)
09.10.10 Birmingham 1 - 1 Man Utd
12.01.10 Birmingham 1 - 0 Nott Forest (FA Cup)
23.01.10 Everton 1 - 2 Birmingham (FA Cup)
27.01.10 Chelsea 3 - 0 Birmingham
30.01.10 Birmingham 1 - 1 Tottenham
January – David Moyes, Everton
06.02.10 Liverpool 1 - 0 Everton
10.02.10 Everton 2 - 1 Chelsea
16.02.10 Everton 2 - 1 Sporting Lisbon (Europa League)
20.02.10 Everton 3 - 1 Man Utd
25.02.10 Sporting Lisbon 3 - 0 Everton (Europa League)
28.02.10 Tottenham 2 - 1 Everton
February – Roy Hodgson, Fulham
06.03.10 Fulham 0 - 0 Tottenham (FA Cup)
11.03.10 Juventus 3 - 1 Fulham (Europa League)
14.03.10 Man Utd 3 - 0 Fulham
18.03.10 Fulham 4 - 1 Juventus (Europa League)
21.03.10 Fulham 1 - 2 Man City
24.03.10 Tottenham 3 - 1 Fulham (FA Cup)
27.03.10 Hull 2 - 0 Fulham
March – David Moyes, Everton
04.04.10 Everton 2 - 2 West Ham
I have to say that I'm not convinced. Look at Everton after Moyes won the award for January - they beat Chelsea and Manchester Utd. Admittedly both at home but I watched the Man Utd game on the telly and Everton really did display some quite special football.
Birmingham got through 2 round of the FA Cup and picked up 2 draws in the league after Alex McLeish was crowned MOTM for December. One of those FA Cup wins was against Everton at Goodison Park - never an easy tie.
Chelsea is probably the best candidate for supporting the view that the award is a curse. Two wins at home (against Fulham and Portsmouth - both "expected" wins), 1 defeat away to Man City and 5 draws, including against West Ham which most people would probably have thought Chelsea should've won comfortably given West Ham's form this season. Being held to a 3-3 draw at home to Everton probably wasn't one of Chelsea's finest hours either. (Everton seem to be cropping up a lot in this "study" one way or another).
So Fulham.... well that's a tricky one. In November we took 5 league point from a possible 12 and got beaten by Roma and the Refs. Not brilliant. In March we took no points from a possible 9, got beaten quite convincingly by Juventus and missed out on a trip to Wembley. All that alone would suggest to me that Roy does seem to be a victim of The Curse.
But then on 18th March this happened.
And for that reason, together with my ever-so-scientific research above, I can't quite bring myself to buy into the curse nonsense.
Someone on Cottage Corner asked why we did so badly in March and my automatic response was "Roy won Manager of the Month for February". But how much of a curse is this award? In the words of Harry Hill, there's only one way to find out. So here for your delectation are the winners of the MOTM award for the 2009/10 season so far and the results of the following months' fixtures.
August – Harry Redknapp, Tottenham
12.09.09 Tottenham 1 - 3 Man Utd
20.09.09 Chelsea 3 - 0 Tottenham
23.09.09 Preston 1 - 5 Totttenham (Carling Cup)
26.09.09 Tottenham 5 - 0 Burnley
September – Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester Utd
03.10.09 Man Utd 2 - 2 Sunderland
17.10.09 Man Utd 2 - 1 Bolton
21.10.09 CSKA Moscow 0 - 1 Man Utd (Champions League)
25.10.09 Liverpool 2 - 0 Man Utd
27.10.09 Barnsley 0 - 2 Man Utd (Carling Cup)
31.10.09 Man Utd 2 - 0 Blackburn
October - Roy Hodgson, Fulham
05.11.09 Roma 2 - 1 Fulham (Europa League)
08.1109 Wigan 1 - 1 Fulham
21.11.09 Birmingham 1 - 0 Fulham
25.11.09 Fulham 3 - 0 Blackburn
28.11.09 Fulham 1 - 1 Bolton
November – Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea
02.12.09 Blackburn 3 - 3 Chelsea (Carling Cup)
05.12.09 Man City 2 - 1 Chelsea
08.12.09 Chelsea 2 - 2 Apoel Nicosia (Champions League)
12.12.09 Chelsea 3 - 3 Everton
16.12.09 Chelsea 2 - 1 Portsmouth
20.12.09 West Ham 1 - 1 Chelsea
26.12.09 Birmingham 0 - 0 Chelsea
28.12.09 Chelsea 2 - 1 Fulham
December – Alex McLeish, Birmingham
02.01.10 Nott Forest 0 - 0 Birmingham (FA Cup)
09.10.10 Birmingham 1 - 1 Man Utd
12.01.10 Birmingham 1 - 0 Nott Forest (FA Cup)
23.01.10 Everton 1 - 2 Birmingham (FA Cup)
27.01.10 Chelsea 3 - 0 Birmingham
30.01.10 Birmingham 1 - 1 Tottenham
January – David Moyes, Everton
06.02.10 Liverpool 1 - 0 Everton
10.02.10 Everton 2 - 1 Chelsea
16.02.10 Everton 2 - 1 Sporting Lisbon (Europa League)
20.02.10 Everton 3 - 1 Man Utd
25.02.10 Sporting Lisbon 3 - 0 Everton (Europa League)
28.02.10 Tottenham 2 - 1 Everton
February – Roy Hodgson, Fulham
06.03.10 Fulham 0 - 0 Tottenham (FA Cup)
11.03.10 Juventus 3 - 1 Fulham (Europa League)
14.03.10 Man Utd 3 - 0 Fulham
18.03.10 Fulham 4 - 1 Juventus (Europa League)
21.03.10 Fulham 1 - 2 Man City
24.03.10 Tottenham 3 - 1 Fulham (FA Cup)
27.03.10 Hull 2 - 0 Fulham
March – David Moyes, Everton
04.04.10 Everton 2 - 2 West Ham
I have to say that I'm not convinced. Look at Everton after Moyes won the award for January - they beat Chelsea and Manchester Utd. Admittedly both at home but I watched the Man Utd game on the telly and Everton really did display some quite special football.
Birmingham got through 2 round of the FA Cup and picked up 2 draws in the league after Alex McLeish was crowned MOTM for December. One of those FA Cup wins was against Everton at Goodison Park - never an easy tie.
Chelsea is probably the best candidate for supporting the view that the award is a curse. Two wins at home (against Fulham and Portsmouth - both "expected" wins), 1 defeat away to Man City and 5 draws, including against West Ham which most people would probably have thought Chelsea should've won comfortably given West Ham's form this season. Being held to a 3-3 draw at home to Everton probably wasn't one of Chelsea's finest hours either. (Everton seem to be cropping up a lot in this "study" one way or another).
So Fulham.... well that's a tricky one. In November we took 5 league point from a possible 12 and got beaten by Roma and the Refs. Not brilliant. In March we took no points from a possible 9, got beaten quite convincingly by Juventus and missed out on a trip to Wembley. All that alone would suggest to me that Roy does seem to be a victim of The Curse.
But then on 18th March this happened.
And for that reason, together with my ever-so-scientific research above, I can't quite bring myself to buy into the curse nonsense.
Friday, 2 April 2010
Flumps 2 - Wolfsburg 1
Yup. Wolfsburg. Current champions of the Bundesliga. Their current season perhaps isn't as successful as their last, but we can't detract from the fact that last season they were really very very good.
As we get (got in some cases) further in each competition I get more nervous. Is it that we're playing tougher opponents? Possibly not, that would be unfair on the likes of Roma who we faced in the group stages. Is it because there's more to lose perhaps? Well that's not strictly true either. What is there to lose other than a jam-packed schedule tiring out the players and providing a distraction from the league? It's the hope, the dream... dare I say the expectation that we can get through another round and show the world that we're to be taken seriously. Finally. This week Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Fulham played in Europe, yet Fulham was the only English team to win a game. How d'you like them apples eh?
There was an article about the Juventus game in the (award-winning) matchday programme last night by David Roodyn and he signed off with something so exquisite it brought a lump to my throat and made me proud to be a Fulham fan;
It could. It really really could.
As we get (got in some cases) further in each competition I get more nervous. Is it that we're playing tougher opponents? Possibly not, that would be unfair on the likes of Roma who we faced in the group stages. Is it because there's more to lose perhaps? Well that's not strictly true either. What is there to lose other than a jam-packed schedule tiring out the players and providing a distraction from the league? It's the hope, the dream... dare I say the expectation that we can get through another round and show the world that we're to be taken seriously. Finally. This week Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Fulham played in Europe, yet Fulham was the only English team to win a game. How d'you like them apples eh?
There was an article about the Juventus game in the (award-winning) matchday programme last night by David Roodyn and he signed off with something so exquisite it brought a lump to my throat and made me proud to be a Fulham fan;
"No one is laughing at us anymore. Of course, we have survived in the Premier League for nine seasons, but on this night of nights we became the toast of football. It does not get any better. Or does it?."
It could. It really really could.
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