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Home > Cultural Tours > HINDUKUSH & KARAKURAM CIRCLE TOUR
HINDUKUSH & KARAKURAM CIRCLE TOUR
Islamabad-Taxila-Peshawar-Bamboret-Chitral-Swat-Besham-Gilgit-Karimabad-Gulmit-Duiker Village-Chilas-Islamabad
Day 01: Islamabad
Arrive at Islamabad International Airport. Meet, assist & transfer to the hotel. AM at leisure. PM Islamabad city tour.
Our sightseeing tour will start from, Faisal Mosque, Shakar Parian & National monument with a trip to Damn-e-Koh, to catch an eye bird view of the twin cities.
Dinner & overnight at the hotel in Rawalpindi/Islamabad. (Lunch & Dinner).
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning drive to Peshawar, en-route visit Taxila on the G.T Road.
Taxila is a Tehsil in Rawalpindi District of Punjab province situated just off the Grand Trunk Road about 40 kms northwest of Islamabad the capital city of Pakistan. It is an imperative archaeological site. Taxila accurately claims to be the confluence of the immense civilizations of the world. It came to celebrity when it was under enemy control by Mouriyans, Kushans, Greeks, Scythians and Parthian. Taxila is the region from where Buddhism traveled to the Far East and Persians, Greeks and Hindus all later left their mark. View the sun set from the ruins of a Buddhist monastery or stroll all the way through streets of a dug up Persian city in the information that there are two older ones buried underneath. In 1980, Taxila was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site with many locations. Now it has been given a status as the top tourist destination in Pakistan.
Lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch drive to Peshawar.
PM. Peshawar city tour. Visit Museum, Mohabat Khan Mosque.
Arrive and transfer to the hotel.
Dinner & overnight in Peshawar. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner).
Day 03: Peshawar-Bamboret via Lowari Pass
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning drive to Bamboret via Lowari Pass.
Lowari Pass is situated at an elevation of (10,230 ft.) is a high mountain pass that connects Chitral with Dir in Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Lowari Top is a comparatively low pass. Lowari Pass is closed by snow from late November to late May every year. During this time, jeeps cannot cross so men must travel by foot. This is dangerous, as there are high mountains on each side of Lowari Top, and a fatal avalanche can come at any moment without warning. Lowari Top remains popular because it is the shortest route from Chitral to Peshawar. This pass is one of the four major mountain passes to enter Chitral. The others are the Dorah Pass from Badakshan in Afghanistan, Shandur Top from Gilgit, and Brughul Pass from the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan. The Lowari Tunnel is currently being constructed under Lowari Pass by a Korean company. The tunnel is expected to be fully open in 2012.
On the way lunch in a local restaurant. Arrival in Bamboret and transfer to the hotel.
Bamboret is the main valley of three valleys, away from Chitral of 2 hours drive. Inhabitants of Kalash valley exist in two unique types of Kafirs (Infidels) the red and the black until the ending of the last century. The Red Kafirs (Infidels) were subjugated by Amir of Afghanistan and converted to Muslims. The Kalash were however not debilitated till to day and preserve their pagan rites.
Dinner & overnight in Bamboret. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner).
Day 04: Bamboret-Kalash Valleys Excursion-Chitral
After breakfast proceed for full day excursion to two Kalash valleys by Non A/C Willy Jeep.
We shall explore the two valleys of Kalasha (Rambur & Birir). Muslims used the word Kafir to stand for infidels or nonbelievers. There used to exist two distinctive types of Kafirs, the Red and the Kalash (Black). Now, there are only the Kalash, existing in the three valleys south of Chitral. To this day the Kalash people maintain their pagan life, and one can watch their ancient dances and ceremonies. The women are out and about in their villages and will invite you for tea, to look at their unusual dresses and jewelry, and will offer to braid your hair in their fashion. As well as observing the people and their customs, one must notice the spectacular scenery.
Birir remains relatively unspoiled and less visited. The majority of the people are still Kafirs. One can see the village constructed on a mountain slope in a terrace-like fashion, with houses perched upon each other. Evening drive back to Chitral.
Dinner & overnight in Chitral. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner).
Day 05: Chitral Valley tour
Another interesting place near Chitral is Birmoglasht, the summer residence of the former Mehtars (rulers). About 45 Kms north of Chitral Town are the famous hot springs Garam Chashma, known for their curing properties. Polo, the “Game of the Kings” is best seen here in its land of origin. Played by skillful, daring participants in traditional style, Polo tournament is held every year in July near Chitral at Shandur Pass between Gilgit & Chitral.
Shahi Mosque, a beautiful white structure built by the former rulers of Chitral, is one of the most interesting buildings in Chitral. In its courtyard are buried former rulers and members of their families. Nearby is the historic Fort of Chitral where a small contingent of the British Army was besieged for almost thirty days. From the fort is an overwhelming view of Trich Mir Mountain with the Chitral River flowing nearby. The winding street of the Chitral bazaar has shops selling house hold objects, antiques and handicrafts obtained from the remote valleys.
Day 06: Chitral-Swat via Lowari Pass
Morning drive to Swat via Lowari pass. On the way lunch at Dir. Arrive and transfer to the hotel.
Mingora Bazaar is the commercial hub of Swat region and well-worth visiting; there some one will find emeralds for which Swat is well-known. If time permits then continue to Murghazar to visit old white palace constructed from white marble and adorned with ornate carvings.
Day 07: Swat-City tour-Besham
After breakfast proceed for sight seeing of Swat.
The museum in Saidu Sharif has a huge compilation of Gandhara sculptures collected from some of the Buddhist sites in Swat Valley. There are some local embroidery, carved wood, rare coins & tribal jewelery displayed.
After lunch PM. drive to Besham via Shangla Pass.
Arrive and transfer to the hotel. Dinner & overnight in Besham. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner).
Breakfast at the hotel. AM. Drive to Gilgit along Karakuram Highway.
En-route lunch in Chilas. Arrive and transfer to the hotel.
Gilgit is administratively capital city of Gilgit/Baltistan and business hub in the region. Its ancient name was Sargin, later it is locally known as Gilit. Gilgit was an important city on the Great Silk Road, along which Buddhism was spread from south Asia to rest of the Asian countries.
Dinner & overnight in Gilgit. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner).
Day 09: Gilgit-Karimabad
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning Kargah Buddha visit. Then drive to Karimabad Hunza.
Located on a rock near Kargah Nullah (Narrow valley), 10 km away from Gilgit city is a Beautiful rock impression of Buddha from 7th century A.D.
On the way lunch at Rakaposhi View Point. Arrive and transfer to the hotel. PM. At leisure.
Day 10: Karimabad full day tour
Breakfast at the hotel. Proceed for excursion to Nagar valley, Baltit Fort and Karimabad Bazaar.
A short jeep traveling will take us to Nagar Valley. The beauties of the village are fruit orchards, longevity of local people and enjoy the many mountain flowers that point the landscape. We have excellent views of Ultar Peak, and the Hunza Valley as seen from Nagar.
Day 11: Karimabad-Gulmit Excursion-Duiker
Morning drive from Karimabad to Gulmit by visiting Attaabad Lake via friendship tunnels. Gulmit is the head quarter of Tehsil Gojal, in the upper Hunza region of District Hunza/Nagar of Gilgit/Baltistan. Territory is located in the deep in the Karakuram Mountain Range. Gulmit is a centuries-old historic town, with mountains, peaks and glaciers. It is a tourist spot and has many hotels, shops and a museum. Its altitude is (7900 ft / 2408m) above the Arabian Sea level. Gulmit is also a Turkish or Iranian word which means the valley of flowers. Before 1974, when Hunza was a state, Gulmit used to be the Summer Capital of the formerly Hunza state. After the abolition of the state it became the Tehsil’s set up of government. The oldest undamaged house in Gulmit is more than six centuries old.
After lunch in Gulmit drive back to Karimabad. Arrive and transfer to Duiker Village.
Dinner & overnight at the hotel in Duiker. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner).
Day 12: Duiker-Chilas
Early morning view Sunrise from Duiker village. Breakfast at the hotel.
After some times drive back to Karimabad and continue drive to Chilas.
Chilas was on the very old caravan track over the Babusar Pass into India and on the Indus trail of Besham, and many rock engravings/impressions were left by travelers in this area. Chilas is standing under the shadow of world famous Killer Mountain Nanga Parbat. Arrive and transfer to the hotel.
Dinner & overnight in Chilas. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner).
Day 13: Chilas-Rawalpindi/Islamabad
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning drive to Islamabad via Besham & Abbottabad.
On the way lunch in a local restaurant. Arrive and transfer to the hotel.
Dinner & overnight in Rawalpindi/Islamabad. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner).
After breakfast transfer to Islamabad International Airport for home bound flight. (Breakfast only).
Leave a Comment on HINDUKUSH & KARAKURAM CIRCLE TOUR
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aeroscale.co.uk web
mainAircraftAircraft: Props
Messerschmitt Bf 109 G/K
by: Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]
Author Jakub Plewka's study of the ultimate wartime incarnations of Messerschmitt's famous fighter follows the established format of the Kagero Monograph series:
Format: Softbound A-4
71 x pages of bilingual Polish/English text
101 x B&W photos
7 x pages of colour profiles
Fold-out colour centre section
Production tables
21 x sheets of scale drawings
1 x sheet of decals
After a brief introduction describing the operational needs for developing the Bf 109, the author begins a quite detailed analysis of each variant of the Bf 109 G & K. In this very useful chapter, a short section is devoted to every version, from the Bf 109 G-0 through to the 'K-4, which includes manufacturing dates and numbers, details of the equipment specific to each mark along with a list of Rustsatze as appropriate. The translation of the Polish text is very readable with only occasional, minor, idiosyncrasies to give away its origins. The differences between the early marks are easy enough to follow, but the situation becomes much more complicated by the time we reach the 'G-10 - just as in real life. Thanks to chaotic production of this variant, the text demands careful reading, but the author does a good job untangling the nightmare of different "stop-gap" variants introduced by the three major production plants - all nominally the same, but actually far from identical.
Along the way, these sections form a kind of "spotter's guide" to the different production versions, and this theme is reinforced upon by the next section - "How to identify a Gustav version?". This is only a short section, but will be very useful for historians and modellers alike. How often are you faced with photos of machines in books - with either incomplete or misleading captions accompanying them? Well, with the aid of 3 photos of a particular aircraft, this guide shows how to analyse each photo, picking out distinctive features to rule out some versions and finally narrow the search down to arrive at an identity with a fair degree of confidence.
Next up is a technical description of the 'G & 'K. This is quite comprehensive and covers the basic structure, through most of the systems from the engine, fuel and hydraulics etc., radio, armament and landing gear.
"Pilot's mark of Gustav" is the slightly quirky title of a quite unusual section for a book of this nature. It forms a combination of pilot's notes and impressions of the fighter, from getting aboard, pre-flight checks and start-up through take-off into normal flight conditions. Further sections then discuss combat in the Gustav, landing and even emergency bale-out and crash-landing procedures. The only book I've ever read anything similar in was Capt. Eric Brown's "Wings Of The Luftwaffe", and it's a very interesting way to "flesh out" the bare bones of the machine.
A real bonus is the inclusion of a full set of Bf 109 G & K production batch numbers - which is a real asset to accompany the earlier "How to identify a Gustav?". The charts include serial numbers, manufacturer and notes about the variant where known.
Last, but not least, there is a discussion of the camouflage and markings applied in the various theatres where the 'G and 'K saw combat. Obviously, on a topic where entire volumes have been written, this cannot hope to cover the myriad of colour variations, but it does provide a good basic guide for anyone modelling a mid- to late-War Bf 109 and includes some details of internal colours to boot.
Photos and Illustrations
The text is illustrated throughout with some useful B&W photos which have been well chosen to illustrate the different versions. A few are "old friends", having often appeared in print before, but there plenty which are unfamiliar (to me at least). The photos deal almost exclusively with the exterior of the '109 (there aren't any photos of the cockpit, but there are several of the engine and nose armament - some seeming to originate in German technical manuals) and include a fair number of crash-landed or derelict aircraft which give an interesting insight into the variety of colour-schemes prevalent at the end of the War in Europe.
Along with the B&W photos, there's a colour centre section with a couple of quite well-known photos, plus a full-page fold-out of computer-generated 3-D artwork of a Bf 109 G-2 (Trop). This isn't entirely convincing and appears to be the type of 3-D model featured in flight simulators with texture-mapped details, while some of the contours, the airfoil and the canopy area all look rather suspect. On the plus side, the section also includes a set of 3-D illustrations of the cockpit and and instrument panel which work rather better. It's certainly an unusual approach, but I think most modellers would prefer some detailed cockpit photos as a reference.
Turning to more conventional artwork, the book includes an excellent set of 7 full-colour profiles. These are beautifully reproduced and, most importantly from a modeller's perspective, include views of both sides of each aircraft, plus a plan view and details of the underwing markings. The subjects give an excellent cross-section of striking colour schemes, including a Bf 109 G-2 which is the subject of an accompanying sheet of decals.
The decals are beautifully printed by Techmod in 1/32, 1/48 and 1/72 scales, being thin and glossy with minimal carrier film. The sheet includes a full set of stencil data in each scale and the registration and printing is perfect, with the tiny text legible with the aid of a magnifier even in 1/72 scale.
The plans section will be of great value to modellers. Sheets 1-10 cover the Bf109 G-1 to 'G-4 in 1/48 scale, with enlargements of areas such as the armament and undercarriage. The drawings include full cross-sections and riveting patterns, plus ETC 50/VIIId pannier and Mg 151/20 underwing cannon-pod. The main Bf 109 G-2 5-view plan is repeated in 1/32 scale, which should be popular with anyone building the Hasegawa / Revell kits.
Sheets 11 - 19 are a series of 1/72 scale plans covering every version from the 'G-0 through to the K-4, highlighting the differences in an effective visual guide.
Sheet 20 is a 1/72 scale placement guide for national insignia, while Sheet 21 is a stencilling guide for the 'G-2, 'G-6, G'-10/U4 and 'G-14
This is a very useful guide to the Bf109 G/K series. It is well aimed at modellers with it's emphasis on identifying the different versions and the inclusion of scale plans will increase its usefulness as a long-term reference. The colour profiles will definitely serve to inspire some spectacular models and, while markings are only included for one aircraft, the excellent set of stencilling in 3 major modelling scales is a real bonus. Recommended.
Thank you to MMD-Squadron for kindly supplying the review sample.
Kagero can usually be relied upon to add a unique twist or two in their excellent series of aircraft monographs and this is certainly true of the latest volume about the Messerschmitt Bf 109G/K.
DETAIL: 80%
PHOTO COVERAGE: 60%
COLOUR PROFILES & DECALS: 80%
Mfg. ID: ISBN 83-89088-77-0
About Rowan Baylis (Merlin)
FROM: NO REGIONAL SELECTED, UNITED KINGDOM
I've been modelling for about 40 years, on and off. While I'm happy to build anything, my interests lie primarily in 1/48 scale aircraft. I mostly concentrate on WW2 subjects, although I'm also interested in WW1, Golden Age aviation and the early Jet Age - and have even been known to build the occas...
Copyright ©2019 text by Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2019 AeroScale and Kitmaker Network, a subsidiary of Silver Star Enterprises
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AETC Working to Reduce Number of Airmen Required to Fly RPAs
Brian Everstine
SrA.Than, a 42nd Attack Squadron MQ-9 sensor operator, flies a simulated training mission Nov. 28, 2016, at Creech AFB, Nev. Air Force photo by SrA. Christian Clausen.
The Air Force needs to change how its remotely piloted aircraft community operates if it wants to meaningfully address its manning shortfall, because it simply takes too many people to operate an RPA, the head of Air Education and Training Command said Thursday.
The shortfall in the RPA community stems from the fact that it takes 10 people to fly one unmanned aircraft, while a manned squadron operates on a 1.5 to 1 ratio, AETC Commander Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast said at AWS18.
"We have more people doing this RPA business ... than we do any of the other business lines of aviation," Kwast said. "It doesn't mean we have to live with that. We have to change that, because it's too expensive in manpower."
The Air Force's RPA infrastructure was a "solution in the throes of Afghanistan and Iraq," one that "fit the need of the day." Now, efficiency is as important as effectiveness and AETC is trying to find ways to reduce how manpower intensive it is to conduct ISR operations at a time when the need for more ISR continues to skyrocket.
The Air Force could address this by effectively using emerging technology and techniques, or finding other types of talent. There has already been some progress in this area, Kwast said. When the Air Force first flew remotely piloted aircraft operationally, it required 13 personnel to operate one MQ-1 Predator, he said.
Kwast said he is working with the whole of the Air Force to "build a strategy" and "change the game" to find ways to produce more ISR with fewer people. This process is still early on, with the biggest progress possibly happening years from now, he said.
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இவற்றிற்கான களஞ்சியம் 'World Socialist Web Site' வகை
[World Socialist Web Site] The government and their supporters want to encourage a war mentality in this country – teledrama director Athula Pieris
Published by CAPitalZ under Racism,Sri Lanka,Terrorism,World Socialist Web Site
Censorship of filmmakers, artists and writers is escalating in Sri Lanka in line with the Rajapakse government’s intensification of its war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
In a recent case, the Sri Lanka Ruphavanini Corporation (SLRC), the island’s state-funded television channel, cut dialogue from the weekly teledrama Sudu Kapuru Pethi (White Camphor) early last month and a few days later axed the series entirely, claiming it “disgraced” the military.
The then SLRC chairman Newton Gunaratne told the media the television show had insulted the security forces. “Some parts of this teledrama bring disgrace to these soldiers and their self-respect,” he claimed. Gunaratne, however, made no attempt to substantiate his claims.
In fact, the multi-episode drama directed by Athula Pieris and funded by the broadcaster is a love story involving a Sinhalese girl from Sri Lanka’s south and a Tamil boy from the north. Based on Thushari Abesekera’s award-winning novel of the same name, the teledrama is set during the island’s protracted civil war prior to the 2002 ceasefire. The drama was initiated following the 2004 Boxing Bay tsunami and promoted by the SLRC as part of the network’s attempts to present “a new vision of peace”.
While Sudu Kapuru Pethi is not an explicit antiwar drama, it is a humane work. Its central love story between Tamil and Sinhalese youth is anathema to the Sinhala communalists, who dominate the Sri Lankan state, including the army. Its censorship follows a pattern of increasingly serious attacks on artists, filmmakers and journalists who reject Sinhala racism or dare to raise questions about the government’s war drive.
Last year Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera published a comment in the Sunday Times denouncing local filmmakers—Asoka Handagama, Vimukthi Jayasundera, Prasanna Vithanage and Sudath Mahadiwulvewa—for making antiwar movies. He claimed these films aided “terrorism” and were tantamount to treason.
A few days later Weerasekera, accompanied by Brigadier Daya Ratanayke, met with several filmmakers, including Handagama and Mahadiwulvewa, and said those who failed to produce pro-military movies when war resumed against the LTTE would “face the consequences”. The “consequences” were soon made clear.
In March, Culture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana suddenly banned Asoka Handagama’s Aksharaya even though the film was not about the civil war. It had been already approved by Sri Lanka’s censorship body, the Public Performance Board (PPB) and cleared for local release.
Handagama’s movie was denounced as a “foreign-inspired” attack on Sri Lankan moral values. State authorities threatened criminal charges against the director, claiming he had violated the country’s child protection laws.
Last month’s axing of Sudu Kapuru Pethi was equally arrogant and provocative. SLRC management did not even bother to tell director Athula Pieris that dialogue had been cut from his show. He only learnt about it during the broadcast of its tenth episode on September 3.
When Pieris protested this violation, management “suggested” he re-edit the entire program. He refused and the show, which had another 13 episodes to run, was summarily cancelled.
Pieris is a well-known local television director whose Sindu kiyana Una Pandura (Singing Bamboo Bush) won Sri Lanka’s best single episode teledrama prize in 2005. He told the World Socialist Web Site the SLRC invested some 4.7 million rupees in the production, which had been initiated under the previous Kumaratunga government. The Rajapakse government approved its script in late 2005.
“After broadcasting 10 weekly episodes the SLRC stopped my teledrama without providing any acceptable reason. Without my knowledge they censored the dialogue—‘Jaffna tears are as cold as tears in Hambantota [Rajapakse’s electorate]’—in the tenth episode and then telecast it,” he said.
Pieris’s ability to legally challenge the axing of his production is limited because he is an SLRC employee and does not own the rights to the teledrama. But he is determined to fight this attack on artistic freedom.
“I condemn any sort of censorship, let alone state-sponsored censorship, which effects the creator’s and the viewer’s freedom,” he continued. “This is what happened with the recent banning of the local film Aksharaya (A Letter of Fire).
“The government and their supporters want to encourage a war mentality in this country. My drama attempts to discuss the real situation here and that’s why they censored some scenes.”
The cancellation of Sudu Kapuru Pethi foreshadows further assaults on democratic rights. As it widens its deeply unpopular war, the Rajapakse government is determined to silence any opposition. In this case, the suggestion that ordinary Tamils and Sinhalese share common problems and concerns was enough to provoke the ire of those who are deliberately stoking communal hatreds.
Sri Lanka’s state-owned television censors drama series
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Since the early days of modern smartwatches, we’ve sought to test as many relevant models as we can and recommend the watches that do the best job of making a smartwatch convenient and useful. We test Wear OS watches by wearing them while they’re connected to Android phones. Whenever possible, we ask other people to try out our potential picks to get an idea of how others react to a watch’s size, style, interface, and other features.
On-Screen Workouts/ Connected GPS/ Bluetooth/ Smartphone Notifications/ 4 Day Battery Life/ Heart Rate Tracking/ 15 Exercise Modes/ SmartTrack/ All-Day Activity/ Female Health/ Sleep Tracking And Stages/ Cardio Fitness Level/ 3-Axis Accelerometer And Gyroscope/ Optical Heart Rate Monitor/ Color LCD Touchscreen Display/ Water Resistant To 50 Meters/ Grey And Silver Aluminum Finish
But your phone will play an important part if you do get a Fitbit or Garmin device with the aim of tracking your activity. It will be the place where your health data is synced to, you can tinker with your tracking settings and review your progress. There’s also a whole ecosystem of health apps that plug into tracking devices, combining them with exercise and diet advice - MyFitnessPal, Runtastic and Strava are three of the most popular ones worth checking out.
Out of a vast field of similar watches, we picked the Q Explorist and Q Venture because of their middle-of-the-road prices, wide availability, and variety of styles. These two models are flagships for the Fossil Group’s collection of 14 style brands producing more than 300 planned smartwatches. This means that if you find a smartwatch from Diesel, Skagen, Tag Heuer, Kate Spade, Movado, or another Fossil-connected brand that fits your style better, you should feel free to buy it, because it will have roughly the same internal hardware as our picks.
The touchscreen, button, and dial (what Apple calls the “crown”) help you zoom in and out and move between apps fairly effortlessly. With this easy navigation it’s easy to forget we’re typing on a screen slightly smaller than an Oreo. In particular, we loved Apple’s app homepage, which displays all of the apps as icons in a honeycomb-like display. You can use the touchscreen to move around, and the dial to zoom in or pan out, to precisely tap on the one you want.
Overall, the updated lower price makes the Huawei Watch 2 a much better prospect if you’re in the market for a smartwatch, especially if you’re an Android user. While Wear OS smartwatches will work with iPhones, the experience is more limited compared to pairing with Android. For this reason, if you’re an iPhone user for whom money is no problem, then we’d still recommend opting for an Apple Watch.
Despite that, it's a very competent Android Wear 2 watch. What's more interesting, however, is the concentration on fitness.While it features all of the necessary sensors to track running, cycling and swimming, our initial testing has revealed the Huawei Watch isn't the stellar performer we hoped it would be. Which is a shame, because emphasising the fitness element was exactly the right thing for Huawei to do, and hopefully the company can improve its fitness tracking software updates.
That same attractive stainless steel design is here. The 240 x 240 pixel display at the heart of the body is by no means the brightest or most vibrant you'll find, but crucially delivers strong visibility in most workout conditions whether you're sweating it out indoors or outside. However, there is no touchscreen or touchpad here, you'll have to resort to pressing some buttons - that could be a deal-breaker for some, but we're sure it won't be a massive one for most.
The newest member of the TicWatch family from Mobvoi is the TicWatch Pro. The biggest feature about this smartwatch is that it actually has two displays. The first is a transparent and low-power FTSN LCD display, and that is placed on top of its OLED display. While the top FTSN display shows you basic info like the time, the date, your heart rate and step count, you can switch over to the OLED display, which shows off all of the features of Google’s Wear OS.
Google confirmed to Tom's Guide that the company won't be releasing its own Wear OS smartwatch this year. The news comes after months of rumors that a Google-branded Pixel Watch running on Qualcomm's latest processor would be launched at Google's October hardware event. Instead, Google plans to focus on adding features to Wear OS on the software side and support the companies who are currently making Android smartwatches. Google's hardware event is Oct. 9.
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Mourinho laying blame at the wrong door...
So Chelsea are six points behind the league leaders United and for the first time we are seeing slight cracks in Jose Mourinho's composure, sure the 'special one' has gone on the offensive before, but more often than not he's targeted officials or opposing teams. However following the 2-2 draw with Fulham the Chelsea manager attacked over half this first team...
Alan Hansen the former Liverpool defender and MOTD pundit analysed Jose's post match comments and concluded that not only do the Chelsea players need to respond and show their worth but so does the manager - the pressure is on. Quite. The thing is, yes Chelsea have been leaking goals but they've also been showing the mark of champions by often fighting back to either draw or win games which any normal side might have lost.
The problem with this latest public outburst is that it can work in one of two ways, the players will either respond in a positive manner or it could, worst case, work against Mourinho. Also, it's all well and good blaming players, but Mourinho has no excuse for not having top class cover for John Terry, he isn't managing Macclesfield Town is he? The 'special one' has made few mistakes during his brilliant managerial career, but he's making a fair few at the moment. Blasting your players in private is one thing, doing it via the media isn't recommended.
Mourinho has made it clear to everyone he has favourites in the Blues camp, but by blaming certain stars in public for the current defensive problems, he's in serious danager of widening any exsiting rifts.
Meanwhile, Manchester United will hopefully not be distracted by the in-fighting at the West London club, and we will be left to concentrate fully on winning our next game at Newcastle on Monday as Chelsea will be left to row among themselves for another 24 hours before they face Aston Villa in what could be a very interesting game.
Everyone is to blame barring the 'special one', or so it seems..
Chelsea slip on Fulham banana skin as the Reds go 6 points clear
A couple of days ago on here I suggested Fulham's visit to Stamford Bridge was a potential banana skin and low behold the Blues conceded another two goals and only managed a draw with their near West London neighbours - that Chelsea defence currently has more holes in it than a pair of fishnet stockings.
Meanwhile United beat Reading by the narrow margin of 3-2 with Ronaldo once again bagging a brace and in doing so putting on another man-of-the-match performance. The visitors had substitute Sam Sodje sent off in the second half - he managed only nine minutes on the pitch as that was how long it took him to collect two yellow cards. Prior to that Solskjaer headed in his eighth goal of the season from Ronaldo's perfect cross on 33 minutes. However Reading fought back and equalised before the break with a header from Ibrahima Sonko, but two second half goals by Ronaldo put United well and truly into the driving seat before Leroy Lita pulled a goal back late on to make it another nery ending for the Old Trafford faithful. Ferguson will be delighted with this win and the Chelsea result, the United manager is 65 years of age tomorrow, what better present could he have on the eve of officially becoming a pensioner?
United linked with non-league player...just how bad are the finances?
As I have mentioned several times on this blog United were the lowest net spenders in last summers transfer window, which many fans are linking directly to the Glazer family takeover, which has left the club with the biggest debt in this history of world football - currently the debt stands at around £600m and the figure is rising fast.
The January transfer window opens on Monday and of course United have been linked strongly to Owen Hargreaves - whether United will be able to prize away the England star from Bayern Munich next month remains to be seen, one thing is for certain United have done that much carping about this transfer via the media that the German club will demand a very high price and will United be able to find that kind of money given the dreadful debt situation?
The latest news is that United have been linked to a winger from non-league football
as apparently boss sir Alex Ferguson wants Michael Kightly from conference side Grays - dubbed "the Ryan Giggs of non-league". I haven't seen this player in action and a few non-league players have made it to the very top of the English game, so it would be wrong to pre-judge this lad, but while United are rummaging in the bargain basement for new players Chelsea are talking about spending another £20m on Man City's Micah Richards - the gulf between Chelsea's spending power and United is so large it is difficult to even quantify, the Blues are in fact on other planet in that respect.
IF United only sign Kightly this January, it wont be enough and it wont convince many United fans about the clubs ability to strengthen the team under the Glazer regime. The reds need Hargreaves and another striker - if it doesn't happen next month it will be a missed opportunity and one which the club could live to regret in the remaining months of this season.
Chelsea's surgery gamble with John Terry...
Earlier this week Jose Mourinho hinted that John Terry might need surgery to sort out his back problem, some 48 hours later and the operation has been done, but the surgery technique used is so new that the club had to send Terry to France for sugery as you cannot have this operation in the UK. The good news for Chelsea fans is that the Blues skipper is up and running already, apparently he's been photographed using a running machine at the Chelsea training camp.
The fact is Chelsea have taken a huge gamble on choosing this surgery to cure the problem, even the clubs own doctor has more or less admitted that surgery is always the last resort - so it begs the question just how bad was the problem? I cannot answer that, but what we do know is it was bad enough for the Blues to take a chance on a new surgery technique. The fact that Terry is up and running the day after surgery is amazing really, and the latest news is that Terry is expected to back playing for the Chelsea first team for the league game with Liverpool at Anfield on January 20th.
Banana skin fixtures for the Reds and Chelsea
Having read the rather unfortunate news about John Terry going under the surgeons knife to resolve his back problems I have been running my good eye over the remaining league fixtures for United and The rent boys and I've graded each according to their banana skin potential for either club slipping up. Three bananas represents the highest potential (obviously)
Bananas League
Man U v Reading, 15:00
Geordies v Man U, 17:15
Sunday, January 2007
Banana Cup
Man U v The Villa, 14:00
The Arse v Man U, 16:00
Man U v Watford, 20:00
Spurs v Man U, 16:00
Man U v Charlton, 15:00
Lille v Man U, 19:45
Fulham v Man U, 12:45
Scousers v Man U, 15:00
Bananas Champs League
Man U v Lille, 19:45
Man U v Wanderers, 15:00
Another season defining game - for Wanderers fans at least.
Man U v Rovers, 15:00
Unless you are The Arse, Rovers are almost always difficult to beat under the guidance of the man of iron AKA Mark Hughes
Portsmouth v Man U, 15:00
'Happy Harry' has made a habit of peeing on United's parade.
Man U v Sheff Utd, 20:00
Barclays Premiership
The rent boys v Man U, 15:00
Man U v Middlesbrough, 15:00
We've slipped up before at home against this crowd
Toffees v Man U, 12:00
North West rivalry runs deep - the Mickey's haven't forgotten Wayne Rooney's defection - even if they needed the brass
The Bitters v Man U, 15:00
Reason? City's whole season rests on this fixture - they'd love it if United's did too...
Man U v West Ham, 15:00
The rent boys's remaining fixtures
The rent boys v Fulham, 15:00
A London derby alway has the potential for ending up arse over apex
The Villa v The rent boys, 20:00
Without John Terry this could be tricky!
Bananas Cup
The rent boys v Macclesfield, 15:00
Wycombe v The rent boys, 20:00
The rent boys v Wigan, 15:00
Scousers v The rent boys, 12:45
Nothing needs adding
Fizzy Pop Cup
The rent boys v Wycombe, 19:45
The rent boys v Rovers, 19:45
Hughes remains a big Red...
Charlton v The rent boys, 15:00
The rent boys v Middlesbrough, 15:00
Banana Champs League
FC Porto v The rent boys, 19:45
The Bitters v The rent boys, 15:00
You never know what City will do..but would they do United a favour?
Portsmouth v The rent boys, 15:00
The rent boys v FC Porto (agg 0-0), 19:45
The rent boys v Sheff Utd, 15:00
Watford v The rent boys, 15:00
The rent boys v Spurs, 15:00
Hammers v The rent boys, 15:00
The Hammers could be fighting for survival
Geordies v The rent boys, 15:00
Never easy - Owen could even back for the Mags..
The rent boys v Wanderers, 15:00
Big Sam could put a big banana skin under Jose et al
The Arse v The rent boys, 15:00
Sweaty palms time
The rent boys v Toffees, 15:00
Moyes wont give anything to Jose - he's matey with Fergie
United have a banana skin factor of 25 while The rent boys's is only 23, but of course United have to face The rent boys which is itself is a banana skin x 3 game, added to which United have a better goal difference and a four point lead at this juncture. United have slightly tougher looking fixtures hence higher banana skin factor - however Terry's back problem somewhat evens out the potential for slip-ups. At this point I'm giving United the title by one point.
Why City WILL sell Richards this January..
According to Stuart Pearce, Chelsea haven't been in touch with Manchester City about signing Micah Richards and furthermore City are now on a 'sound financial footing' so they don't have to sell the solitary jewel in their crown.
I have no doubt that Pearce isn't telling any lies when he says Chelsea haven't been in touch, but money talks and everyone in football knows that City aren't exactly awash with money, they are in fact in debt. The clubs two main shareholders have both given the club large loans, so putting it bluntly if Chelsea did offer £18m for Richards they are in no position to turn it down and so if the Blues do offer that kind of money Richards will be off to West London.
Boxing Day tinkering works a treat..
Having watched rivals Chelsea drop two valuable points at home to Reading, Fergie tinkered with his starting line-up in time honoured tradition by leaving out five players including; Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, Louis Saha, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs.
Thankfully for the Red Devils, United's Boxing Day visitors didn't offer that much in the way of a serious threat as the home side created several excellent chances during the opening period. The best move of that 45 minute spell ended with a Rooney effort raking past Wigan keeper Kirkland's far post after a superb pass from Darren Fletcher, but Wigan held on and went into the break on level terms.
Fergie no doubt fearful of a disaster sent on United's best player of the season so far, Ronaldo, and with his first touch the Portuguese star headed the home side into the lead after he was left unmarked in front of goal from a corner. There was more to come though as United were awarded a penalty for a foul on Park. Ronaldo belted his spot-kick straight down the middle, only to see it saved, but the ball came back to the winger who didn't miss at the second time of asking. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hammered home the final nail in Wigan's coffin after Rooney put him through on goal with a flicked header. The visitors scored a late penalty consolation after a clumsy challenge by Silvestre - though it look like a bit of a dive by the wigan forward.
United rested five players and ended up increasing their lead at the top and improving their goal difference. All in all a very happy ending to a good day for United.
Chelsea = 2 man team?...
Is it not amazing given how much money has been spent building Chelsea's galaxy of stars that at present and for most of this season they've effectively become a two man team? I refer to Didier Drogba and John Terry, I adire both players greatly, unlike many of our revisionists in the media like Andy Gray who's spent the last two seasons saying 'all Chelsea need is a goal scorer'... The Ivory Coast striker has arguably been the best player thus far in the Premier league this season, the only other player who might have a claim to that title is United's Ronaldo.
However, the interesting thing is without John Terry in that Chelsea back four, the Blues have been leaking goals for fun, six in the last four games - this is very unlike the champions.
Following the 2-2 Boxing Day draw with Reading, Jose Mourinho hinted that Terry may require surgery, if so that will be a massive blow to Chelsea's hopes of retaining the title for a third time and of course it also reduces their chances of lifting the big one - the Champions League. It also makes both competitions a lot more interesting for all observers of the game. It is also true to say that United have relied heavily on Ronaldo this season and should he get injured then the Reds will be in trouble. Right now there's nothing between these two sides, apart from the narrow four point lead, Terry's injury has changed things dramatically in terms of who will lift the title, a lot depends on his back injury. But if United sign Hargreaves and a striker in January I'd make United slight favourites to win back the title. Time will tell.
Tribute to the quiet man..
United took on Aston Villa on at Villa Park on Saturday, it finished up 3-0 to the visitors, with Ronaldo bagging a well earned brace that earned him the man of the match award in my book. But it was Paul Scholes who scored the goal of the game and possibly of the season too.
Midway through the second half and with the Reds leading by a goal to nil, Scholes got onto the end of a high clearance. The 'ginger prince' was stationed roughly 25 yards from the Villa goal, he never took his eye off the ball as it rose high above the ground, as the ball came back down to earth the former England midfield star lashed it first time without allowing it to bounce, it crashed in off the crossbar - though the Villa keeper did manage to get a hand onto it but to no avail. It was goal worthy of winning any game and how fitting it came from the boot of the quiet man of football - in this day and age all too often we hear big-mouth managers and players spouting-off via the media, not our Scholesy who allows his boots to do his talking. Long may it continue.
Fergie wants to scrap post-match press conferences - the case against!
Fergie has revealed that he wants to put an end to post-match press conferences.
The United manager said:
"I don't think I would fall into the trap of criticising individual players myself but it is not easy.
"Sometimes managers react after a game and leave themselves open. It is not easy. I have said this time and time again, after-match press conferences should be abandoned.
"It is a waste of time and does the manager no good whatsoever. All you end up with are sensational headlines. They should be stopped."
Ferguson has a point of course and much of what he says is very true, but what about the paying public, aren't they entitled to hear what the manager has to say following good or bad performances? Let us not lose sight of the fact of who pays the players and managers wages. The fans.
Further to this, if they did scrap the post-match conference then the fans would be denied comedy classics like Kevin Keeagan's 'love it' outburst in 1996 following Newcastle's win over Leeds United.
Comedy Gold - Kevin Keegan at his best
Posted by James Ryddel - Editor at 12:39 pm 0 comments
United 'set to sign' Hargreaves...
According to the latest news on the transfer grapevine United could be about to sign Owen Hargreaves. Up and until this week Bayern have said the player is going nowhere, however, their position has softened with the club stating that if they can replace Hargreaves then they'd consider selling him.
The Mail on Sunday is claiming that the Reds will sign the player for £12m this January when the transfer window opens. Following United's win 3-0 over Villa on Saturday Fergie said: "We are waiting to see about it.
"Chief executive David Gill is always in touch with them because of the G14 and he sees Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge quite regularly, so we will see."
It was thought any deal for the 25-year-old star would have to wait until the summer because of Bayern's Champions league commitments. IF they deal goes through it will be a massive boost in terms of the Reds chances of winning some silverware this season.
Personally I can see United paying a lot more than £12m, because we always pay over the odds, but all Reds fans will be hoping that the deal is completed in January.
Exit door beckons for United stars....
United have apparently agreed to loan right-back Phil Bardsley to Sunderland until the end of the season, the Salford youngster spent the first half of the season on loan at Scottish club Rangers but was recently sent back to United.
Sunderland manager and reds legend Roy Keane also wants to sign another brilliant young United defender, Northern Ireland international, Johnny Evans. Fergie hasn't yet decided if the club will allow the player to join Sunderland but the manager has given the Black Cats some hope by saying that the North East club would be the right sort of place for Evans to develop and gain experience. United Blog Towers predicts a massive future for Evans at Old Trafford and so it would be bordering on criminal negligence if the player was sold. Please Fergie et al do not even think about it.
One player who reportedly will be allowed to leave is Kieran Richardson. I honestly feel a move for Richardson is the best for all concerned, despite being a full international I personally can see no future for the player at Old Trafford. A move to a club with a lower profile and expectations is most definitely on the cards.
Of more of a surprise comes the news that Alan Smith isn't for sale under any circumstances. Granted Smith broke his leg against Liverpool and has been unlucky with injuries and in the view of many reds fans he's been treated a bit shabbily by the manager, when he first arrived he was told by Fergie that he'd only ever be used as a striker. That soon changed as he was played anywhere but up front. The player is now fully fit yet rarely features in the squad, but apparently Fergie has stated he's not for sale. Surely the United manager is bluffing? Every player has his price and I suspect the reds are trying to encourage the right bid. I fully expect Smith to be sold be it in January or in the summer.
"Bah, humbug" message to fans on future transfers..
Scrooge - went out of his way to make people feel miserable at Christmas...
The season to be jolly is almost upon the mass ranks of the red army and so how ironic that just a few days before the festivities begin proper, comes a message from the faceless Glazer regime, who have apparently revealed their latest business plan to The Times. The Glazer business plan has been adapted / rewritten nearly as many times as Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol which stars 'Scrooge' the similarities don't end there...
WE all know the story of Scrooge, in the original novel Dickens doesn't actually state the nature of Scrooge's business, but we're led to believe that it's connected with money lending and he's portrayed as being generally quite mean to the likes of Bob Cratchit, his loyal clerk...
Roll the clock forward to Christmas 2006 and it's another tale of woe as we're once again hearing about this mythical annual £25million NET transfer budget again, in point of fact United made a profit on transfers last summer, as the club where the lowest NET spenders in the whole of the Premiership...
For one thing, many fans including myself do not believe that our very own version of Bob Cratchit, AKA Fergie will be given this annual £25m - that feeling is based on the evidence of what has happened and not on empty promises from nameless sources.
On top of this much is being made of an apparent 'one-off' £25m additional superstar signing to play alongside Rooney and Ronaldo. The proof of the Christmas pudding will come in the shape of action not talk, as with all things connected to football, results is what matter on the pitch and no manager seriously hoping to compete with Chelsea can do so with one hand tied behind his back when it comes to transfers.
Apparently the plan also reveals that tickets prices are currently 'under valued' and that by 2012-2013 they will have risen by a further 36%, on average that's 6% per year. Ticket prices vary depending on where fans are situated in the ground but currently an adult will be shelling out around £500 per season which doesn't include any cup games - that figure will have risen to around £680 for the start of the 2012 season. At 6% per year it is a rise which is way above inflation in the UK. However, while fans pockets will have proverbially picked, and revenues from media and tv income will have risen by over 40% Glazer will reportedly limit Bob Cratchit's transfer budget to £25m per year...bah humbug indeed!
I'm sure many United fans will be hoping like the novel A Christmas Carol that the story of the Glazer family ownership of the club has a happy ending. In the novel Scrooge is visited by three ghosts, the Ghost of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas present, and the ghost of the future. Scrooge has a nightmare vision of the poor people celebrating his death, he then sees the errors of his ways and puts things right and everyone lives happily ever after...at this time of goodwill to all men let us hope for the same outcome at United. (if only!)
Fact or fiction, the long running story of the Glazers business plan, how many more times will it be rewritten?
The clock ticks for United's transfer games...
United fans will no doubt be looking forward to the January transfer window, when many reds will be hoping that Fergie has something up his sleeve other than a new Christmas cardigan.
United's failure to replace Van Nistelrooy hasn't actually cost them thus far, because Carling Cup exit apart the team is doing better than last season, but it will not and cannot carry on like that. IF United want to win a trophy then Ferguson must be supported in the transfer market. This isn't just about this season, it is what needs to happen when required, like when you sell your top goal scorer and allow your midfield general to leave.
The problem is there's a growing suspicion among some fans that some of the stories that have been leaked to the press about certain players who've been linked to United is nothing more than a smoke screen which the club hides behind when things go wrong.
Take the Michael Ballack transfer, while the German was still at Bayern, rumour had it that United had a pre-contract agreement with the Munich star. Not true. Ferguson eventually stated that Ballack wasn't right for United, this even though he was available on a free transfer and of course we already have the likes of John O'Shea and Darren Fletcher.... In the end United had to spend silly money on a player with nowhere near the abilities of Ballack in Carrick. Fergie's assertion that Ballack wasn't right was the biggest load of rubbish he's come out with in a long time and that is saying something. Maybe Ballack weighed up United's lack of potential under the new regime and the player decided that Chelsea would offer more chance of honours, which is actually the reason he said he'd joined the blues. Whatever the clubs true position on Ballack is or was, United ended up looking a bit foolish.
The second example of the clubs transfer smoke screen centres on Owen Hargreaves. Until this week Bayern Munich have stuck to the 'not for sale' line. United are supposed to have good relations with the German club, yet David Gill (United CEO) recently revealed that United hadn't even officially asked Munich about the players availability, but Fergie and United have been leaking stories to the press about wanting Hargreaves.
The suspicion is that Fergie wants Hargreaves alright, but United know his club wont release him - if that is true then why are United making public their interest? Is this just to say to the fans 'look we tried to sign Hargreaves?
United have gone public about the player so much that if Munich call United's bluff and announce he can leave they will demand a huge fee. What happens then? United have backed themselves into a corner, losing Ballack on a free is one thing, but given the amount of talk emanating from Old Traffford they cannot lose out again on Hargreaves.
United's policy of leaking stories to the press seems to be a flawed one. Here's why. Firstly, if the intention is an attempt to satisfy transfer demanding fans - it will only work if the deals go through. But what happens in the case of Ballack when the deal doesn't happen? The answer if course fans get angry knowing that the club has missed out on a player who went on a free transfer. Secondly the selling club knows the buying club is desperate and so the price rises, as with the case of Carrick. Once the deal been done stories attributed to Spurs claimed that the North London club would have accepted a lot less for Carrick, this was clearly an attempt to run United's noses in it, no doubt partly for publicing so much interest in the Spurs player. So you can bet United will have to pay top money to acquire Hargreaves, and so there has to be a huge element of doubt about any deal going through. Hargreaves will cost United £20m, that might be too much for the clubs new owners. And From the outside looking in, lack of transfer cash for the manager lies at the heart of the problem for now and definitely in the future under the debt laden Glazer regime.
When the Glazer's took over United, we were told that there would be an annual transfer budget of £25m per season, yet last summer United actually made a net profit on transfers of £8.7m. The truth is the £25m figure is a media myth, it is another example of spin which comes from where exactly?
We know who it hasn't come from, at least directly at any rate, and that is the Glazer family, because they don't actually talk to the press about United. Make no mistake the clock is ticking for United and the Glazer family. The current side was built with old PLC money - so the lack of investment in the team hasn't kicked in yet, but if last summer was a sign of things to come then it wont be long before it does. Quite simply the club wont get away with continuing not to back the manager properly in the transfer windows - it is a recipe for disaster.
I always thought the impact of the Glazer family takeover would take three years before we started to see signs of a meltdown on and off the pitch. However one article which I read recently was asking how long will it before the bailiff's are sent into Old Trafford?
Balsa wood man signs new contract..
Louis Saha AKA 'Balsa wood man' has signed a contract extension with United until 2010. Saha has suffered terribly with a succession of injuries over the last few seasons at United, hence the less than flattering nickmane, but thankfully this season he's been pretty much injury free and he's scored a few goals - long may it continue. However, reds fans will be hoping that United sign another striker in the January transfer window to ease the burden on the Frenchman.
FA 'bracing' themselves for 'bung inquiry' findings
Apparently the FA are 'bracing' themselves for Lord Stevens report into bungs in football. The former top cop known as 'Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington' (why does every report on this bloke include reference to his funny sounding town name? It is of course precisely for that reason, if he came from Grimsby or Fleetwood it wouldn't get a mention, it doesn't quite have the same ring about it, does it?) will present his report today to the FA, but do not expect any earth shattering revelations or radical changes to the system.
There's talk of the FA setting up some sort of clearing house for transfers. That alone will be totally and utterly pointless. The clearing houses which the FA needs access to is those which service football managers own personal bank accounts, if the FA could find a way of getting managers to disclose their account details then perhaps the bung allegations could be laid to rest once and for all. But why would a Turkey vote for Christmas? And why should clean managers open up what is their personal bank account details to the hapless FA et al? Quite simply it will not happen.
Incredible Beckham insurance deal brokered...
They've given men nearly as much pleasure as Beck's down the years, but Dolly's airbags aren't worth a fraction of 'Goldenballs' legs
News reaches United blog Towers that David Beckham has signed a world-record breaking insurance deal for an incredible £100m! Apparently the deal dwarfs even those taken out to safefguard spaceships and even the Olympic Games. Other well known star insurance policies include: Bruce Springsteen's voice £3.5m, Dolly Parton's boobs £350,000, Ken Dodd's teeth £4m, Ben Turpin's eyes £20,000.
Mind boggling figures
Only a scouse comic could get away with insuring chompers like Doddy's
Why Fergie is likely to finish second to Jose again...
This is no knee-jerk reaction to United's loss at Upton Park yesterday, because I've felt all season long that Chelsea will make it three titles in a row. Last week John Terry said that United couldn't play any better than they had done in this first half of the season, he's right as well.
Chelsea on the other hand can play a lot better, providing the manager finds the right blend on the pitch and despite the blues spectacular comeback at Goodison Park, Chelsea are still struggling to find the right formation and so we have yet to see the West London side at their very best.
My gut feeling is that Chelsea can only throw away the title this season because as Mourinho rightly says United will drop more points and so they will. Chelsea's big strength is that they don't normally concede many goals added to which despite their often less than pleasing style on the eye, they have match-winners throughout the side, Ballack, Essien and Lampard are all registering in the goals column.
It also goes without saying that Chelsea have far more strength in depth in terms of quality. Ferguson is really limited in his engine room - take the West Ham game, Fergie took off Carrick who was once again very poor and replaced him with John O'Shea, no disrespect but he's not going to change a game is he?
I speak to many United fans and I've yet to find one who believes Carrick is a top midfield player, or was worth the money we paid. Let us not forget he was bought by Spurs for £2m - that figure is about right in the view of many United fans - yet United shelled out over 7 times that to sign him. Go figure. IF we rated him when he was at West Ham then why didn't United take a punt on him when he was available on the cheap? Only Fergie and his accolytes can answer that one. The fact is Carrick doesn't score goals from midfield, his passing is all too often poor and he cannot tackle or tank up and down the park. In comparison Veron whose time at Old Trafford is viewed as a failure was miles better than Carrick.
Expecting the midfield combination of Scholes and Carrick to take United to the title isn't realistic. Owen Hargreaves would of course improve United massively but that deal probably wont happen until the summer, if at all.
For the reasons outlined above I can see Ferguson ending the season with a sideboard full of second prizes for his work this term, but let us not lose sight of the fact that finishing runner-up to Chelsea is no disgrace.
I for one will settle for a second half of the season the same as the first with United at least trying to play the game the right way and attacking teams.
Chelsea show their metal as United reveal their soft under belly
United and Chelsea both had difficult looking away fixtures on Sunday and twice Chelsea went behind at Goodison Park only to come back and score three second half goals to snatch all three points. In East London in the 4pm kick-off United failed to notch against Alan Curbishley's West Ham United as Nigel Reo-Coker tapped home a soft goal late on to earn his new manager and his club a much needed three points.
At Goodison Park, Arteta gave the home side the lead from the penalty-spot towards the end of the first half to give Everton a deserved lead. As ever Chelsea came out after the break with all guns blazing and it looked as if it would only be a matter of time before they equalised. The Chelsea goal eventually came from another free-kick, this time from outside the box, and it was Ballack who crashed his shot home off the post, though Tim Howard the Everton keeper had the last touch.
Chelsea were more or less in complete control for the first 15 minutes after the break and it was somewhat against the run of play when Yobo scored with a header from a corner to ease the pressure on the home side. Once again though the visitors responded and it was Frank Lampard who crashed home a stunning rocket of a shot from fully 30 yards to give Howard no chance, even then Chelsea weren't done though as they hit the woodwork twice before Drogba scored the goal of the game to seal a dramatic victory. The winning goal came after substitute Shevchenko flicked a ball onto the Ivory Coast striker who controlled the ball outside the box with his back to goal, the Everton defenders stood-off the big man and that allowed him to turn, the Chelsea talisman wasted no time and smashed his shot beyond Howard giving him no chance again. Quite simply it was a stunning goal worthy of winning any game.
Meanwhile later on in the day at Upton Park United failed to take advantage of the majority of possession they had and despite having the better of the stats in just about every department it was West Ham who created the most clear-cut chance of the first half as Bobby Zamora should have given the Hammers a first half lead after easily brushing off Rio Ferdinand, luckily for United Van der Sar saved the resulting shot and Rio's blushes.
United troubled Robert Green in the West Ham goal, but only from distance and so the West Ham back line who'd lost three times at home prior to today in the league never really looked to be in that much trouble as the visitors never got behind them. The stat count did indeed show that United had created the lion's share of the chances, but in truth United's efforts on goal were nearly all speculative efforts which Green dealt with comfortably apart from one effort by Ronaldo which required an excellent save.
United knew this fixture would be a difficult one, it always is, but too many players didn't rise to the occasion, Rooney, Saha, Giggs, Ferdinand and Neville and in particular Carrick were very poor, the latter gave the ball away cheaply time and time again during the opening 45 minutes.
The only goal of the game came late on in the second and it was United old boy Teddy Sheringham who did the damage by playing the ball through the legs of a United defender to Marlon Harewood who turned Ferdinand too easily to find Reo-Coker who wandered into the United box unmarked to slide the ball home as Gary Neville and Paul Scholes were left ball watching.
United will argue that they didn't deserve to lose, but they didn't deserve to win either. At least West Ham created two clear-cut chances inside the penalty area. United didn't create a lot apart from one good effort by Ronaldo. The harsh truth is when Chelsea needed their big-guns to save them, they did so twice. In contrast United were firing misfiring all afternoon at Upton Park and yet the United players had the luxury of a whole week without a midweek game to prepare for this game. Individually and collectively the performance was nowhere near good enough. On Sunday only one team played like champions, sadly it wasn't the boys in red.
United still haunted by Upton Park memories...
United are in action today at Upton Park when they face West Ham under the management of Alan Curbishley who was installed this week after the sacking of Alan Pardew. Down the years there's rarely been a good time to visit West Ham United from a red perspective because the Hammers have a fairly decent home record against Manchester United. It's bound to be an explosive occasion today, it usually is and the sacking of Pardew has angered many home fans and this will just add to the mix.
Many older United fans will have mixed memories of this fixture, especially where the race for the title is concerned. Most notable of all was 1966-67 season when on May 6th United needed an away win to seal the title. The reds romped home winning 6-1 with goals from Denis Law (2), Best, Charlton, Crerand and Foulkes, in doing so lifted the old first division title. Happy days.
More recently United's championship ambitions have faltered at Upton Park during the run-in. In 1992 United lost out to Leeds United who became Champions of the old first division with the reds finishing as runner-up. To this day pundits often point to United's failure to beat West Ham United that season as the main reason United lost out to rivals Leeds. To rub salt into United's wounds that day it was a former Man City player who scored the West Ham goal. The truth of the matter is that United had actually messed things up badly in their previous two fixtures, by firstly only managing to draw away at Luton Town and then on Easter Monday two days before the trip to Upton Park United losing at home to Nottingham Forest 1-2. United then lost away at Anfield and in the final league game of the season we beat Spurs as Leeds won the title by four points and with the aid of a fair bit of luck along the way. From a Manchester United perspective we had thrown it away.
On the last day of the season in 1995 United travelled to Upton Park needing to win to lift the Premiership title, but the reds only managed a 1-1 draw and so handed Blackburn Rovers the title - in truth United only had themselves to blame for missing a succession of chances, most guilty was Andy Cole along with Brian McClair who did actually manage to get onto the scoresheet that day. To make things worse, United then lost 1-0 in the FA cup final to Everton.
As for today and this season, it's the week before Christmas but the pressure is on for United as Chelsea wont drop that many points in the league this season. Ironically we face the Hammers on the final day of the season this time at Old Trafford, in the previous fixture we face our bitter rivals Man City. It is to be hoped United recapture some of the spirit of '67 for that trip to City, a similar result would do very nicely thank you. We reds would of course settle for any kind of win in the remaining games as long as we are still in the race for the title when those fixtures come around. Today we will be happy to exercise the ghost of '95.
Lottery selection curse strikes rivals Arsenal...
The curse at work
United fans can sit back tonight and reflect on another fairly good day in the Premiership as rivals Arsenal dropped yet more points in the 2-2 draw with Portsmouth at the Emirates Stadium.
Apart from what turned out to be a very exciting second half performance by the home side and another stunning goal by Pompey's Matt Taylor, the main talking point post match surrounded Arsene Wenger who appears to have been struck down by the dreaded lottery selection curse, common symptons of which include blurd vision and lack of clarity of thought. Alex Ferguson has been struck by the curse more often than most - Fergie was struck down most recently against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.
Today Wenger gave Jeremie Aliadiere his first league start of the season, with Adebayor and Theo Walcott dropping to the bench from the midweek win at Wigan. After going two goals down Wenger's vision returned to normal as Adebayor and Theo Walcott returned to save a point and Wenger's embarrassment in a stunning comeback.
The magnificent seven set to return...
OK I got you with that headline didn't I? You thought United might be about to resign the 'son of god' - our very own 'messiah', AKA Eric Cantona or perhaps David Beckham didn't you? No such luck, but United are set to welcome seven potential big stars of the future, who've been on loan at other clubs, namely Lee Martin and Phil Bardsley (Rangers), Chris Eagles (NEC Nijmegen) and Giuseppe Rossi (Newcastle), plus Jonny Evans and Danny Simpson, and of course Dong at Antwerp.
OF those names, I'm fairly confident most of them will make it as professional footballers - whether or not that will be at United remains to be seen. Jonny Evans looks to be the real deal, he looks like another John Terry to me - a class act in other words.
It is to be hoped that these lads are given some chances to shine for the first team between now and the season end, but with United so heavily involved in the title race and in Europe and especially being out of the Carling Cup then you'd think first team opportunities might well be slim - so the seven stars could well be vying of reserve team places.
Further to this last week rival manager Jose Mourinho restated his belief that reserve team football is by and large a waste of time in England. Why? Because it isn't competitive enough. In Spain for example clubs like Rea Madrid have a proper second team named Real Madrid Castilla - who are the only reserve to play in the Spanish second division, to all intensive purposes they are run as a separate club - but they are not allowed to play in the same division as their parent club. I think that perhaps Mourinho has a point, the English FA needs to look at this idea - but don't hold your breath - the FA cannot do much right including appointing the right man to manage England.
United solve Chinese puzzle as Dong gets green light..
So then, three years after United gambled a massive £3.5m on an untried and unknown 18 year old Chinese star, Dong Fangzhou, he finally gets a work permit which will enable him to play for United proper.
When the red devils signed Dong he wasn't a full international and therefore getting a work permit was going to be tricky. To get round the red-tape United have an agreement with Belgium club Royal Antwerp, who are United's feeder club. The good news is that Dong Fangzhou has now played a few games for China's national side and so he now qualifies to play for the club and so he heads to Old Trafford next month.
Of Dong Fangzhou Ferguson says 'the boy has a big chance' and so he does, but only the same chance as any other youngster who is lucky enough to be signed to play for United - except of course there's additional problems to overcome for forgein stars with the added burden of having to settle into a new country, the culture and then there's the small matter of the language barrier.
Sceptics might well argue that Dong has been partly signed with a view exploiting any future commercial opportunities in the Far East - that of course may well be part of the thinking. However, if Dong cannot cut the mustard at Old Trafford, then he his name is less likely to shift products at home or indeed in China. Watch this space on Dong's future, I wish the lad well and hope he does the business for the shirts.
Brit's Champion's League draw looking good..
The five remaining British teams in the Champions League had mixed fortunes in today's draw for the first knockout round. Liverpool were handed a tough looking assignment away to Barca first leg, providing the reds keep their heads in the Nou Camp and don't get stuffed then they've got a very good chance of beating Barca over two legs as Barca don't look half the side they were last season minus Eto'o up front. If Barca under estimate Liverpool it will be to their cost.
Celtic face AC Milan who are of course capable of beating anyone and as such I doubt Gordon Strachan's side will come out on top over the two legs, but you never know as Milan have been blowing hot and cold this season following the turmoil of the summer and the departures that followed.
Chelsea face Mourinho's old club Porto, this game will be very interesting as the opposition will know as much about Chelsea as Jose will know about his old club. Again nothing can be taken for granted for the West London club, but all thins being equal Chelsea will prevail.
Arsenal face PSV and this looks like a fairly easy tie for the Gunners, I'd be amazed if Arsenal don't progress to the next round, the same goes for my club United. The reds should be too good for Lille over two legs - the only thing which may stop United is Ferguson's crass stupidity and complacency regarding team selection.
All in all we should see at least three British clubs in the next round, and if that happens we will then see two British clubs meeting for certain. No way will Uefa allow two British clubs to reach the final.
John Terry talking tough...but running scared?
Following a very narrow one-nil win over Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night the Chelsea skipper John Terry took time out to warn league leaders Manchester United that the best is still to come from the boys in blue.
The fact that Terry is even talking about United provides further evidence that Chelsea are genuinely concerned about United's credentials.
Terry says that Chelsea can go on to another level of performance while United are playing at the top of their game, he might have a point. However, what the Chelsea skipper doesn't mention is that this season the champions have looked less than a combined unit. All too often this new blues formation has looked disjointed and lacking balance, much of this is due to the summer arrivals of Ballack and in particular Shevchenko whose presence in the team has led to Jose Mourinho playing without specialist widemen. Added to which the fall-out between Shevchenko and Mourinho seems to be widening by the week. The Chelsea manager had to once again explain his decision to bench the Ukrainian striker in his post-match interview. To rub salt into Shevchenko's wounds Jose hinted again that Drogba is special, as the Ivory Coast striker played while injured after coming on at half-time.
Chelsea can talk all day long about what they are going to do, but from the outside looking in the blues camp doesn't look to be a totally happy one.
Terry talking up a good game - let us see the reality come the end of the season
FA to press FIFA for video evidence to cut out diving.
..the FA are apparently going to press FIFA to introduce video evidence in a bid to cut down the amount of players who dive. The FA say they are the only national association pressing for the use of video evidence.
I think that the FA are onto a loser here. Here's why, part of football's beauty is its inperfection, but if video evidence could be used quickly and conclusively without too much of a delay in play, then it would be more appealing to the likes myself and other sceptics.
The fact is that wont happen. Take the example of Cristiano Ronaldo who was brought down in the penalty area recently by Boro's keeper at the Riverside - the referee awarded United a penalty kick and the reds went on to win the game.
After the game Gareth Southgate went carping to the press about the decision saying it wasn't a penalty, two weeks later and a consensus cannot be agreed, some say it was definitely a penalty while Southgate et al say the player dived. In such situations it will always come down the opinion of someone - so any decision will not be universally accepted as being right because it cannot be conclusively be proven one way or the other, so if that is the case we are no better off. We might as well leave it to the referee.
I don't often agree with Sep Blatter, but he is against this technology being introduced, this time I agree with him.
AC Milan rule out Shevchenko return...
Reports in the British press claim that AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has ruled out any possibility of bringing Chelsea's Andriy Shevchenko back to Italy - the news if true may be hard to take for the Ukrainian striker who has so far failed to put in convincing consistent performances since his summmer arrival.
I actually think Shevchenko will come good given time, but he's been more or less written off by many pundits who say 'he's lost a yard of pace - you never get it back'.
Anyone who writes off Shevchenko is a fool in my book. Chelsea need to keep Sheva, their only other central striker is Drogba if he gets injured they'd be short of strikers.
Wayne Rooney hints at career in the USA...
Fresh from helping United give Manchester City a dusting last weekend Wayne Rooney visited the 'Big Apple' for some reason, no doubt for some much needed R&R, given United have no midweek game. Rooney recently signed a contract extension with the 'red devils', but in a brief interview with the Staten Island Advance he's hinted at a possible future in the USA. Rooney's current deal runs until 2012.Story
United Opus - what's all the fuss about?
IF any wealthy reds have a spare £3,000 burning a hole in their pocket and a reinforced coffee table, then you might consider purchasing this huge new book all about United. The book contains over 400,000 words written by a selection of the finest sports writers in the UK, such as Hugh McIlvanney, Paddy Barclay, James Lawton and Jim White. There's plenty of top-notch photo's too for those who like looking at pictures, apparently the publishers looked at least 2 million images prior to publication.
For those who are really well-off you might as well push the boat out and get the icons edition which has been signed by Cantona and Bryan Robson aka captain Marvel, the icons limited edition will set you back £4,250.
My copy is in the post - and my postman has recently suffered a double hernia too. I will give him an extra mince pie on delivery by way of compensation.
Arsenal to sell Henry to United?
...OK, so that was a joke, but I do believe Arsenal are preparing to off-load Henry, sadly they'd never sell him to United, Barcelona is a different matter entirely and it's there that I believe he could be heading this January.
Reading between the lines, something has been going on between Wenger and Henry, it could be a similar situation to the Fergie and Van Nistelrooy spat, maybe the relationship isn't totally broken as it was between Fergie and Ruud, but once the decision is made to part company it's usually best for all concerned. Despite his fantastic goal record at United, the team has carried on winning without Ruud. Life does go on.
I don't actually like Wenger, but football isn't a popularity contest, it's about results and there's no better manager in the world regarding finding new talent than Wenger. In a nutshell I'd have complete faith his his judgement which is a view shared by the Arsenal big-wigs. It could be perfect timing financially because Arsenal will get a packet for their French striker and Wenger will replace him, maybe not like for like, but he will find a way of replacing him.
Ferguson to get financial backing in January..
A report in the turgid Manchester Evening Newsclaims that the Glazer family will back Fergie in the January transfer window. It would be nice to believe this is actually true. To coin a David Gill phrase 'actions will speak louder than words'...
Will they or wont they back Fergie in January?
Pardew sacked - don't blame it on the Argentine's..
So West Ham United have sacked Alan Pardew - it's hardly a surprise given the clubs position, added to which the stakes have been raised following the takeover having new owners etc. The consensus among football pundits is that the clubs Icelandic owners have over-paid to purchase the Hammers, so the pressure to do well is that much the greater in financial terms - the new investors didn't put their money into the club to see it washed down the Championship drain...
What has surprised me slightly is that some reports are blaming the clubs failings on the two Argentine signings - that seems grossly unfair on the two players concerned. The fact is West Ham have a squad of over 25 players and I'm sure Pardew wouldn't blame the two South American's for the clubs misfortune.
What has undoubtedly cost the Hammers this season is their home form, they have lost three league games at Upton Park thus far to Newcastle, Reading and Wigan - if only West Ham had won those games they'd be a lot better off and Pardew would still be in charge. You have to win your home games against teams like Reading and Wigan if you want to stay in the big league, it's the same old story though, when something bad happens the media go looking for scapegoats, step forward Johnny Foreigner.
"Actions speak louder than words"...
How ironic that just a few days after Fergie hinted that United wont be signing a new striker in the January transfer window, David Gill, United CEO, announces to the world that 'actions speak louder than words' - this was in response to Peter Kenyon's recent statement that by 2014 Chelsea will be the world's biggest club.
Come the end of the current season should United come up short because of a lack of fire-power up front, United fans and the media will no doubt be keen to remind Gill of his own words about actions speaking louder than words.
Chelsea could well achieve Kenyon's goal of having the biggest turnover, but as I've said before they will never be as big as United, Liverpool, Barca and Real Madrid - they aren't even the biggest club in London.
United are doing well at present, but it's doubtful United will win the title, because the Chelsea squad has far greater strength in depth. Furthermore, under the new Glazer regime - United have spent little money on new players - this policy is the road to ruin and disaster on the pitch if it carries on like this. Gill can talk all day long about filling Old Trafford with 75,000 fans, but the current squad was largely built on money ploughed in from the old PLC. Those fans wont keep turning up if the team starts failing.
United can only compete with Chelsea with serious financial backing for the manager. We have seen little evidence of that so far. United have mountains of debts thanks to the Glazer family - no other club on the planet has such debts, so it is impossible to see where the investment on the pitch will come from, save for perhaps the ruler of Dubai or some such bailing out the Glazer family and United.
Gill says "Actions speak louder than words"...In response to Gill, United fans would say "Talk is cheap".
BBC sports personality of the year - time to scrap it?.
I may come across as something of a spoil sport, but I personally think the BBCs sports personality of the year should be scrapped. Since when does your personality affect anything in the sporting arena? A look down the list of candidates for this years farce includes a darts player (yes, really), a horse rider and an F1 driver. The first category cannot be classed as 'sport', horse riding is elitist and F1 is full of over paid ponces - F1s only ever true personality was James Hunt and that was down to his off the track 'activities' as a playboy.
The annual award does remain popular with the British public, but so does Eastenders and Coronation Street - clearly there's no accounting for taste - the BBCSPOTY is cheap tv and in my view needs to be scrapped.
Arsenal hold on for credible draw with Chelsea..
An Arsenal side that was decimated by injuries and were without Henry managed to take a well earned point from Stamford Bridge this afternoon, it finished up 1-1 in what was a highly entertaining game. Despite Arsenal's problems they more than matched the home side with some neat build up play but without troubling Hilario in the Chelsea goal.
Chelsea don't do attractive football - they play more of a pragmatic game, but the blues side is full of match-winners and they are so tough to beat which is why Mourinho's side have yet to be beaten at home in the league under the Portuguese manager. Late in the second half on 78 minutes that brilliant home record looked as though it might go as Flamini scored an exquisite goal after some fantastic passing and movement by the visitors, the ball was pulled back to the Frenchman who made no mistake with a fantastic low drive which gave Hilario no chance.
The home side weren't done though and after some controversial refereeing in which Ashley Cole fouled Alexander Hleb, the home side broke down the left and when the ball eventually found its way to Essien he blasted a fierce rocket of a shot past the Arsenal keeper - it was a stunning reply. Chelsea then hit the woodwork twice before the final whistle. In the end a draw was a fair result. The winners on the day were of course Manchester United whose lead is now eight points.
Mourinho to quit Chelsea?
There's increasing speculation in the media that Jose Mourinho will walk out on Chelsea, possibly as soon as this summer, some suggest that if Chelsea win the Champions League this season it will be his last game in charge. Last week Jose gave an in-depth and very revealing interview to the Times in which he hinted strongly about managing an Italian club at some point in the future.
Whether or not this was a veiled threat to Roman Abramovich and Peter Kenyon about meddling in team selection affairs is a mute point - because in the same interview the Portuguese manager also stated that Schevchenko isn't one of his nine 'untouchable players' at Stamford Bridge. The Ukrainian striker is of course big pals with Abramovich. Added to which fresh reports now claim Chelsea are trying to tie-up players like Drogba on longer term deals in case Jose does walk out this summer. It wouldn't be stretching things too far to suggest that many rivals would like to see the back of Mourinho - basically because he's too good. IF he does go then no one else will find it so easy and that is even with Abramovich's cash mountain.
United coach linked to top USA job...
According to the latest tabloid gossip Manchester United assistant coach Carlos Queiroz is on the shortlist to become the next boss of the USA. Rightly or wrongly some United fans would be happy to see the back of Queiroz, because he's said to be the brains behind United's attempts to play 4-5-1 which hasn't worked all that well when it's been tried. I don't actually totally go along with this train of thought, because the manager is ultimately responsible and so if anyone is to blame then it is Ferguson, it is a lame and cowardly excuse to blame any failings on your assistant - not that Fergie has done that publicly of course, but rumour has had it on the grapevine that is Queiroz who is responsible. Added to which it is said that Queiroz is less than popular with the players. Obviously I cannot confirm or deny the rumours because they are all hearsay.
On the managerial situation at United, something rather strange happened yesterday. United took the unusual step of holding a somewhat melodramatic press conference, it was announced that Fergie, David Gill and Marcello Lippi were to talk to the world's media. The announcement caused a fair degree of interest from United fans as rumours spread about the content of the impending press conference. As it turned out, it was to announce a friendly match date for March 2007. David Beckham will return to United to captain a European select XI and Lippi will be on hand to coach. It's a worthy cause to commemorate not only the 50th anniversary of the Busby Babes’ entry into European competition, but also the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, signalling a united Europe. All monies from the game will go to charitable causes - but as of yet it hasn't been announced if any money will go to the surviving families of the Munich air disaster of 1958.
The interesting thing is that despite the reds doing well this season, many seasoned United fans want Ferguson out as soon as possible and as one long time hardcore fan told me last night 'I was hoping it was an announcement that Ferguson was going' - this on the same day that United beat our bitter rivals. Ferguson is now seen as one of Glazer's accolytes, a man who no longer speaks up for the fans which he has done on occasion in the past. Not only that his tactics are appalling, take for example his madness against City withdrawing Saha and thus handing the initiative to the visitors, which was the consensus of our group of United and City fans last night during an after derby warm down in Manchester last night. So I really hope United win a decent pot this year then he might be gone.
Narrow derby win seals nine point lead at the top..
United got the breaks today in the Manchester derby and the victory they needed to take a nine point lead over Chelsea. To their credit City and came and took the game to United but where rocked on their heals on just five minutes when United carved open the city back four with a stunning ball in from the right from Ronaldo - who was once again United's best player- Rooney made no mistake gliding his first time left foot drive past Weaver into the keepers bottom left hand corner of the net. For the remainder of the first half it was nip and tuck as both sides had further chances to score, Saha missed an open goal, but on 45 minutes it was the home side who struck after Thatcher made a mistake and gifted United ball on the edge of his own box, the ball was fired into the City area and Saha finished from six yards out.
United had the better of the early second half exchanges and Rooney had a couple of good chances to extend the reds lead, but as the half went on City began to take control of the game. What happened next was quite simply ridiculous. City were chasing the game but Ferguson played right into the visitors hands by taking off his centre forward, thus allowing City to push even further forward. Quite simply it was a crazy move which gifted the ball and the majority of the remainder of play to Stuart Pearce's side as United were left with just Rooney up front. As a direct result of Ferguson's lunacy City picked up the ball time and time again as United lost possesion.
Eventually City hit back on 72 minutes through Trabelsi. The goal was well deserved given the pressure City had put on the home side, it came after United allowed City to work the ball down the reds left flank and the defender fired home from the edge of the box, Carrick made a half hearted challenge and should have closed down the man on the ball much quicker.
Somehow United got lucky late on with some nice build up play down United's right and when the ball was eventually played into the visitors box, it found its way to Ronaldo who looked to be offside - the boy wonder made no mistake and sealed a hard fought win. United won this game despite the best efforts of Ferguson who nearly threw away the points with what can only be described a schoolboy mistake in replacing Saha.
United got the breaks today in the Manchester derby and the victory they needed to take a nine point lead over Chelsea. To their credit City and came and took the game to United but where rocked on their heals on just five minutes when United carved open the city back four with a stunning ball in from the right from Ronaldo - who was once again United's best player- Rooney made no mistake gliding his first time left foot drive past Weaver into the keepers bottom left hand corner of the net. For the remainder of the first half it was nip and tuck as both sides had further chances to score. Saha missed an open goal, but on 45 minutes it was the home side who struck after Thatcher made a mistake and gifted United the ball on the edge of his own box, the ball was fired into the City area and Saha finished from six yards out.
United had the better of the early second half exchanges and Rooney had a couple of good chances to extend the reds lead, but it was City who hit back on 72 through Trabelsi. The goal was well deserved given the pressure City had put on the home side, it came after United allowed City to work the ball down the reds left flank and the defender fired home from the edge of the box, Carrick made a half hearted challenge and should have closed down the man on the ball much quicker.
What happened next was quite simply ridiculous, City were chasing the game but Ferguson played right into the visitors hands by taking off his centre forward, thus allowing City to push even further forward. Quite simply it was a crazy move which gifted the ball and the majority of the remainder of play to Stuart Pearce's side as United were left with just Rooney up front. As a direct result of Ferguson's lunacy City picked up the ball time and time again as United lost possesion. Somehow United got lucky late on with some nice build up play down United's right and when the ball was eventually played into the visitors box, it found its way to Ronaldo who looked to be offside - the boy wonder made no mistake and sealed a hard fought win.
Ronaldo named player of the month for November
...ho, ho, ho, Ingurlund fans will no doubt be choking on their own bile at the news that United's Ronaldo has been named player of the month for November. He's had his problems and his critics even among United fans, but he's a very good young player and he's an entertainer, it's well deserved.
Why Mourinho is right to lay down the law to Abramovich...
IT appears all is not well at Stamford Bridge, as yesterday we saw stories appearing in the British press reportedly coming from Shevchenko's camp hinting at a probable return to AC Milan.
As ever there's two sides to this story, from the perspective of Shevchenko, he is one of the world's top strikers, of that there's no argument, but there's no guarantees about selection at a club like Chelsea and so due to a lack of form, the Ukrainian striker has found himself more often than not of late on the bench. Prior to Shevchenko signing there was suggestions that he'd be happy to play his part in Mourinho's system - but it hasn't worked - and the truth is he was never going to put up with being on the bench for too long, at his age and with his experience you can understand it too.
Today Mourinho has said that if he wants to, Abramovich can sack him, because he's got enough money to do that. Clearly this smacks of internal meddling in team selection from the Oligarch - why else would Jose Mourinho mention the club owner when talking of team affairs if it wasn't part of the equation?
Further to this of late there's been suggestions in the media that both Ballack and Schevchenko were 'forced' onto the Portuguese manager, but that is media spin, what manager in the world would turn down the chance to have those two in his squad? The answer to that is possibly Mourinho - because with him, all that matters is winning and following his tactics - failure to do either isn't recommended. The message to those who don't carry out his orders leads to the exit door.
IF the two high-profile signings were indeed forced upon Mourinho, then you can bet Jose told his employers that he'd accept no further conditions and that both would be treated the same as every other squad member and quite right too.
The thing is while Chelsea have been winning this season, the two new boys haven't had the impact many expected, the fact is Essien has by far been the blues best player thus far. However, due to the new arrivals and injuries Mourinho has had to alter his system, often playing with either one winger or none, this has left his side unbalanced and lacking all important width. It is also true to say that in part Jose has been trying to get the best from the two new boys by fiddling with something that wasn't broken.
Mourinho is 100% right to tell Abramovich to back-off - after all there is only one 'special one'. I seriously doubt despite his wealth the Oligarch is daft enough to sack Mourinho - but should Manchester United claw back the title and the blues fail in the Champions League, then it will be very interesting to see the fall-out.
THE big derby preview...
Tomorrow United take on City at Old Trafford in what is usually passionate affair. To say there's a lot at stake for both sides wouldn't be exaggerating the situation. As ever City's season rests on the results the two derby games, because they have nothing else to play for - they are no nearer capturing a trophy now than at any other point in the last 30 potless years, in that respect life has been quite tough for those who had the misfortune to find themselves supporting City. On that note yesterday I became the proud owner of an Ulster Bank commemmorative George Best five pound note - it is a work of art, so I've been trying to think of a safe place to store this valuable keepsake - if only I had somewhere where no one goes, like City's trophy cabinet. :0)
As for tomorrow, for City, there's the added of advantage of spiking United's title ambitions. Granted the blues have done well in recent derby games over the last few seasons, so tomorrow I'm hoping United take all three points, but the blues have found some decent form of late - and they needed to. From what I've seen of City, their biggest asset is their defence, midfield is so, so, - as is their forward line. The biggest danger for United apart from not taking our own chances will come from set pieces. The blues look good on corners, with Richards and Dunne both powerful headers of the ball.
United will have to be at their collective very best to win this one, nothing less than 100% will be good enough. What we don't want is City fans walking round Stockport telling us that all that they stopped United winning the title in 2006 for the next god knows how many years. Arsenal take on Chelsea on Sunday so United have a real chance of opening up a decent gap at the top if results go the right way.
United see off Benfica as Champions League looks wide open..
United gave their fans a scare at Old Trafford on Wednesday night after going a goal behind on 27 minutes courtesy of a spectacular 25 yard drive from defender Marcus Nelson - in truth it was the first real serious effort of the night from other side, up and until that point neither team looked up for the game. The goal was actually a blessing as it finally stirred United into action. Vidic got the vital equaliser with a well taken header on the stroke of half-time, if the reds hadn't scored then it might have been a different story.
Ryan Giggs who didn't play well on the night gave the home side the lead on 61 minutes with another well taken header - this time the cross came in from the right from Ronaldo, Giggs was totally unmarked and made no mistake.
Benfica didn't come close to drawing level, but Simoa roasted Evra on one occasion and was easily the visitors best player. Louis Saha finally made the points and the game safe on 75 minutes and again it was another headed goal. I cannot actually remember the last time United scored three headed goals in one game - so that is something of a quiz question for any footy anoraks out there.
After the game Fergie talked about United's inability to play patient football. United had started with a 4-5-1 formation with just Saha up front, but on going a goal behind Fergie sent Rooney forward. The former Everton man didn't actually play well on the night - but United did look and play better once the switch was made. Fergie said that United cannot play patient football and he also talked about being a young side, which is something of a contradiction coming from Fergie, as when United have won he says 'the players have now grown up and have learnt' then we the reds have done badly or leaked a goal he says 'we are a young side and lack experience' and so it goes.
Graeme Souness tv pundit, former Liverpool and Rangers manager also picked up on this after the game and said that it's a good point, he says that United's style is suited to the Premier League where 'it's up and at 'em', but perhaps the reds aren't that great at playing the 'European way'. Nonetheless Souness is convinced that an English team will win the CL this season. I'm not so sure, yes the English clubs have as good a chance as anyone, but the competition is so wide open virtually any of around eight clubs could win it. Chelsea must be the favourites, but I wouldn't put a bent penny on anyone right now because in knockout football, over two legs anything can happen.
Liverpool wont be the next Chelsea...
According to the latest news even if Liverpool are taken over by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, they will NOT be following the same 'spend, spend, spend' route that Chelsea have taken, but money will be made available for the right investments on and off the pitch.
The fact is as far as many football fans are concerned, until this week few knew much about the Sheikh, and despite being the fifth richest man in the world, it just shows how your profile can be catapulted into the public eye once you get involved in a big football club like Liverpool. Unlike Roman Abramovich, one doubts that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum will be spending much time following Liverpool - or taking up residence in Loonypool. Why oh why couldn't this have been United, yes I am ever so slightly envious - is it too much to hope for that the Sheikh will buy-out Glazer instead?
High profile
Why lack of planning by Fergie could cost United...
Tonight United face Benfica in the Champions League, it is a game they cannot afford to lose, so the pressure is very much on. IF the unthinkable happens United will be eliminated from the Champions League at this stage for the second year running. Not only that United face Man City on Saturday in a lunch time kick-off - so it wont give the United players much time to recover for such an important game. Here again United cannot afford to drop points against our local and most bitter of rivals, as we have done all too often over the last few seasons.
Quite simply United shouldn't be in this position, we should have been like Liverpool and Chelsea who'd already qualified for the Champions League and as such this week they had the relative luxury of being able to rest key players and take it easy in their last respective group games. United do not have that luxury.
The fact that United do need to get a result against Benfica is entirely down to poor planning by Fergie, if he'd have looked at his fixture list and thought matters through no way would he have rested key players for the away trip to FC Copenhagen, it was there that United really slipped up badly by losing. Yes, we should have won against Celtic or at least got a draw, but in football you don't always get what you deserve. Losing to Celtic was no disgrace, the same cannot be said of losing to the Danes.
The fact is United players will have to play full out this evening to ensure their passage through to the knock-out stages of the CL, failure to do so could be extremely costly. God forbid United don't slip up against City this weekend, our season doesn't rest on that result, but as far as City fans are concerned - it IS their season - local bragging rights are at stake, we owe them too for recent failings.
Has Sepp Blatter lost the plot?
Every now and again Sepp Blatter comes out with something that stuns the world of football, his latest idea is that the European leagues should re-schedule their seasons to start in February and end in November. Great idea Sepp, but where would your beloved World Cup fit into that? One presumes the World Cup would be played between December and January - which kind of rules out staging it in Europe - and it always has been held in the summer months.
Contrary to Blatter's claim - I cannot see the big clubs agreeing with this. They might be in favour of a collective winter break, but that is entirely different. What would we, the fans do during those dull winter months? What would the clubs do in the summer, many fans would be away during the season on holiday?
Not so long ago Blatter announced that the Premier League would soon be reduced to 18 teams - he made the announcement without actually telling anyone - including the Premiership big wigs.
Sorry Sepp, this is another barmy half-arsed idea.
Barking mad - as reliable as a Swiss watch and as crazy as a cuckoo clock - he never lets you down when it comes to silly ideas
Why new owners for 'The Dirties' is a good deal...
IF there's one thing worse that Chelsea being owned by Roman Abramovich, it is the news that Liverpool could soon be owned by someone with even more money than the Oligarch. Apparently Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the fifth richest man in the world, it doesn't bear thinking about what might happen, perhaps Liverpool will recapture their glory years..oh no, please save us from that.
In all seriousness Liverpool are a good buy, even at £450m - which is nearly half what Glazer paid to acquire United - and Glazer did it with other peoples money - in other words borrowed money. That is the big difference here, many United fans wouldn't have been totally against foreign ownership, but they are against putting the club into hock with the banks. The thing is football clubs aren't meant to be money making machines - they do generate cash but the money generated needs to be ploughed back into the team as it largely was prior to the Glazer family taking the club into private ownership, save for the miserly dividends which the club paid out to its shareholders.
United fans wouldn't have been totally against private ownership - providing that whoever it was ran the club correctly and had its best interests at heart. The fact is the Glazer family haven't given one live public interview to United fans. No wonder they aren't trusted. The Glazer family aren't in the same league as Abramovich or Sheikh Mohammed.
We have all seen what Chelsea have achieved under Abramovich, it could happen at Liverpool too. At United the future is less certain with the clubs rising debt mountain, courtesy of Glazer's madness - it will end in tears.
Fergie unhappy with Magpies over Rossi..
So Fergie isn't happy because Rossi isn't getting enough games at Newcastle United. "Giuseppe will come back to us because he is just not getting enough football at Newcastle," said Ferguson. "The understanding we had with them was that he would play more games.
"Every manager is subject to their own opinions on players, so I don't want to say too much about that. But we could have done with him here, so he might as well come back to us." Said Fergie.
The thing is at one stage United hinted that Rossi would only be joining the Magpies if Ruud didn't join Madrid - but he did join the Spaniards, and still United allowed Rossi to join Newcastle on loan without securing a replacment for the Dutchman. So this is a mess of Fergie's own making - the fact that Rossi hasn't been getting games is nothing to do with the United manager, as Newcastle will be paying his wages. No way should Rossi have been allowed to leave the club in the first place.
No money for Ferguson to strengthen?
The short term signing of Henrik Larsson has raised more questions than answers about United's ability under Glazer to finance Fergie's needs in relation to a serious title challenge or to win the Champions League again.
On Larsson, Fergie says it's a marvellous piece of business, because the Swede can change games. The manager also said it's an important signing because Larsson brings experience he went on talk about the title run-in, but then remembered that Larsson wont be here for that...
Apparently Rossi is being recalled from Newcastle which comes as no surprise because quite simply the move to North East was a complete waste of time, Rossi has barely featured for the Magpies.
The thing is, despite the shocking lack of options up front United keep on talking about a player who they wont be able to sign, that player is Owen Hargreaves. I for one belief this is United's spin doctors at work. The rationale being that United can say we want to sign him knowing they wont be able to and then when the move doesn't come off they can blame it on Munich. United did a similar thing with Ballack, the word went out via club sources that they had an agreement with the players agent - that went pear shaped when the German decided to join Chelsea and then Fergie stated that he wasn't right for United. This time with Hargreaves the club can say 'we tried but we cannot do it' - but the fact is that David Gill has already confirmed that United have made no official approach to Bayern, so it looks like the club are just stringing the fans along...talk is cheap.
Let us not forget that United were the Premiership's lowest net spenders last summer. Also Ferguson hasn't once spoken out against the Glazer regime - he cannot be happy with his options up front. During our historic treble winning season in 1999 Fergie constantly rotated his four strikers - this time he effectively has one out and out number 9 in Saha, granted Larsson will help in the short term, but Ferguson cannot be happy.
Chances are United will come up short this season in the title race and if that happens it will more than likely be down to the forward line situation. Ferguson needs to get out of Glazers pocket and start fighting his corner by demanding more cash for transfers - that is of course if he's got genuine ambitions of actually winning it. IF Fergie isn't allowed to bring in another top striker then it will be a missed opportunity and it will probably mean that Ferguson ends his managerial career on low note - because it is highly unlikely United will get a better chance of beating Chealsea over a season while the man from Govan remains in charge.
Reds march on as Boro are left complaining..
United continued their excellent league form with an important 2-1 win away at Middlesbrough on Saturday, courtesy of a controversial first half penalty won by Ronaldo and converted by Saha. The home side hit back after the interval through James Morrison after Heinze failed to effectively clear the ball. But not long after the restart United got the vital winner from the head of Darren Fletcher after good work by Ronaldo and Giggs, in truth it was no more than United deserved. After the game all the talk centred on the penalty. Gareth Southgate the Boro boss complained that Ronaldo is a 'serial diver', as you'd expect Fergie didn't agree simply stating that it was a penalty kick. The Riverside has been a not so happy hunting ground for United on occasion, last season we lost 4-1 so despite Southgate's griping reds fans will be very relieved to have won this game.
United can now look forward to the seasons most important game so far in terms of Europe, as United prepare for the visit of Benfica in midweek.
Larsson signs 3 month loan deal but it's not enough..
The great news for Manchester United fans today is that the reds have captured 35 year old Swedish striker Henrik Larsson who will sign in January - the bad news is that he's only at United for 3 months. He returns to his club Helsingborg in March for the beginning of the Swedish season. IF the deal had gone on until the end of the season it might have been enough for the reds, the fact that United were willing to take Larsson on such a short term deal shows you how desperate the club is - perhaps Fergie has no money to spend, because there is players who are available namely Defoe and Bent, so we reds live in hope that one of them signs this January along with Larsson.
The move is also likely to anger the likes of Alan Smith, who I expect to leave the club ASAP. Smith will no doubt feel betrayed given he was told by Fergie he'd play up front when he joined the reds, but the former Leeds man has had limited opportunities up front and of course he broke his leg too. All in all it's best if Smith does move on to another club.
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Larsson signs 3 month loan deal but it's not enoug...
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A PERFECT BOOK SECTION
If I was editing a book section right now these are the books I would have written about or have had written about.
9--In 1950 when my sister came down with polio a cloistered nun sent her a 1/4inch square of cloth attached to a card. The fabric had come from the dressing gown worn at the moment of death by Pope Pius X--- who was known to take a great interest in children---
9--I also knew that in each altar of a Catholic church was embedded a relic of the saint to whom the church was dedicated. I did wonder about churches named for the Sacred Heart or the various aspects of the Virgin Mary, but did not ask too closely.
9--When in European museums and in the Met in New York on display were beautiful containers for relics and always looked closely if it was possible to see exactly what human remain was encased usually in gold. The fascination was always compromised by an understanding that when a religious object becomes a mere object of art some irreparable has been lost and I guess about the only person who knows what I am talking about would be Julian Green and he is now dead.
9--HOLY BONES,HOLY DUST How Relics Shaped the History of Medieval Europe by Charles Freeman (Yale University Press) is exactly what it says it is. Wonderfully written and inviting: “The first downward slice of the sword glanced off the archbishop’s skull and cut through to the shoulder bone, almost severing the arm of one of his attendants as the weapon fell.”
9--The passage ends, “Two more slashing cuts on his head followed and the archbishop slumped dying to the ground. The top of his head was sliced off and finally the exposed brains were scraped out of the skull and scattered on the cathedral floor.” Freeman than goes on to explain how this murdered archbishop became St Thomas Becket and his relics an object of pilgrimage as in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales…
9--How far most people have come from any interest in relics unless they are the possessions of a pop singer like Elvis Presley… But Freeman right down to the notes for his illustrations fascinates: “These early saints’ tombs were given holes into the space under the body and often sacred dust was collected from below and mixed with water to drink.”
9--A model for how history is to be written and happily for those who know Hannah Green’s “Little Saint,” the town of Conques is described and the great reliquary of St. Foy is pictured.
9—Hannah Green wrote THE DEAD OF THE HOUSE.
10—This is the year Kurt Vonnegut gets the authorized biography. Of course it will be widely reviewed as it is the easiest sort of books to review: a potted mini bio of the author and one or two little bits of info and the reviewer is done. But remember literary biographies are always the first books that get tossed from personal libraries, followed by books of literary criticism.
10—the Library of America is publishing the first of a series of volumes devoted to Kurt Vonnegut. I wish they would tell us what the remaining volumes will contain. This one has SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE, GOD BLESS YOU, MR. ROSEWATER, CAT’S CRADLE and BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS. These are the books that make his claim to be remembered. I did not read them as they were being published. I heard about them, as one could say. But, now, finally, I realize: SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE together with Joseph Heller’s CATCH 22 for the European theatre and with two novels by James Jones, THE THIN RED LINE and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY covering the Pacific theatre that this is how an American imagines that thing called World War Two. I would add only Curzio Malaparte’s KAPUTT and THE SKIN along with Celine’s CASTLE TO CASTLE and RIGADOON to fill in a little shading. RIGADOON comes with an introduction by Kurt Vonnegut.
10-- The Library of America volume devoted to Vonnegut is the best way to experience Vonnegut if like me you didn’t read him the first time around and even if you did, this is a way to over-come the prejudice that always surrounded his career: an entertaining ScFi scribbler.
11--The only competition for the Library of America is the EVERYMAN series of books from Knopf. In the Strand I notice that EVERYMAN books do not linger on the shelves and they seem to be read when they do end up there, while the Library of America books tend to gather unread. Both series are actually one of the few bright spots of publishing.
1--THE EVERYMAN CHESTERTON, George Orwell’s BURMESE DAYS, KEEP THE APIDISTRA FLYING, COMING UP FOR AIR in one volume and the COLLECTED SHORT FICTION by V.S. NAIPAUL are the three latest books in EVERYMAN. I cannot pretend to have read all three but I can tell you that these books do invite reading. The Chesterton does not have some of his classic short essays such as Writing on the Ceiling, What I Found in my Pocket or Advantages of One Leg but this made up by including his ever new ORTHODOXY, THE EVERLASTING MAN and a large collection of Father Brown Stories, which as everyone knows always delighted Jorge Luis Borges… remember always it was Robert Louis Stevenson and Chesterton to which Borges always returned and provided the constant clarity to the typical Borgesian story.
11--When 1984 came and went as a year Orwell seemed to dim a bit and while ANIMAL FARM remains it is good to have the chance to read these three books again. My own Penguin versions have become brittle and brown. Burmese Days does little for me while the other two novels constantly remind of just how dreary life was and is for the most part in England, right down to the present moment which while slightly more glammed up remains at its core, still a plate of over-cooked take-away food washed down by watery beer, that is if you got back to the dingy over-priced hotel room without being set upon by drunken soccer thugs.
11—A few factual details to remember according to the Note on the Text. BURMESE DAYS was published in England in an edition of 2500 copies with an additional 500 were called for. KEEP THE APIDISTRA FLYING was published in an edition of 3000 copies of which 2194 were sold. COMING UP FOR AIR was published in an edition of 2000 copies and an additional 1000 were called for.
11—These numbers for most books of fiction are still the reality even in the US where the population is now 300 million. And in fact might be considered rather remarkable.
11—V.S. Naipaul has become a little eclipsed though given the reality in what used to be called the Third World he is as relevant, as understandable, as necessary. Though things in that part of the world have become even worse… but these stories fill in his permanent place in the world imagination… but come to them after A HOUSE FOR MR BISWAS.
12—No one would let me write about THE SLY COMPANY OF PEOPLE WHO CARE by Rahul Bhattacharya (Farrar Straus & Giroux). How to say the guy’s last name was a starter and then if I mentioned it’s a novel set in Guyana… quickly the conversation would yo-yo between my talking about the Guyanese students at the various colleges in NYC and Reverend Jim Jones who as you remember put that country on the map with his Kool-Aid transportation into the next world. An opening line, “Life, as we know, is a living, shrinking affair and somewhere down the line I became taken with the idea…”
12—A closing few lines from SLY COMPANY OF PEOPLE WHO CARE: “Light crept like a thief out of the fragile wet houses. Somewhere in the drip drop dark a maga dog whined. And my tears, they kept returning at intervals, and I purse them to no avail. Dayclean. Gone.”
12—I would go to Guyana in the morning if given the chance and while I would not use this book as a guide I would go because of this book.
13—Reviewing Enrique Vila-Matas’s BARTLEBY & CO for the Los Angeles Times (http://articles.latimes.com/2004/dec/19/books/bk-mcgonigle19) and declaring that it is: Perfect. Beautiful. ..what can I claim for his new book, NEVER ANY END TO PARIS? (New Directions) Well, I am jealous of every single line of this book, of every gesture he makes. In memory Vila Matas is back in the attic of Duras, back in his youth in Paris, back midst names of the famous…circling constantly about Hemingway who while it seems at this moment as I am typing to have disappeared is still of course ever present--- I have thought to seek out the man who wrote BARTLEBY & CO and MONTANO’S MALADY and now NEVER ANY END TO PARIS but I have not. How could I, since I have been in Nantes with my daughter as Vila Matas has also been there--- though did we pass in the street?---Vila-Matas gives one the illusion that anyone could write like he does but like the lottery in New York State…the dollar, the dream… I am not sure you have to have gone to Paris to read NEVER ANY END TO PARIS but it is probably necessary but only if you do not speak French. You must become the perfect French tourist in the Unites States: not speaking a single word of English but understanding everything because you have seen Vertigo, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, DOA…
14—Nantes always calls up Julien Gracq and Green Integer has released a short novel of his THE PENINSULA. Again I have reviewed and written about him. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2007/12/the-passing-of.html Each of Gracq’s books is distinct and while I am not going to ever know French and live in constant poverty as a result and why I take pride in my daughter who is very fluent in French with a good accent but who is not living in France so can I ever look forward to listening to her reading Gracq to me in French and then translating his travel journal from his voyage through the American Midwest?
14—In THE PENINSULA a man is waiting for a woman to arrive at a train station. She does not come on the morning train. He sets out driving waiting to come back to see if she will be on the evening train. “She had become simply the force that was hurling him towards their impending meeting, and what he felt was the passive well-being of a pebble skidding down a slope and whose onlt sensation of existence comes from the ever-increasing acceleration.”
14— from THE PENINSULA, “He would let himself be swallowed up by the wide lazy yawn of the countryside.”
14—from THE PENINSULA: (The girl in memory)”What a prude!” delivered with a school girl sententiousness from behind thee tangled barrier of blonde hair through which only the end of her very small nose emerged and which always made him want to kiss her.
15—if you want to have my literary references for writing these sentences you should know that GOING TO PATCHOGUE is again available and now in paper from Dalkey Archive and THE CORPSE DREAM OF N. PETKOV is still available from Northwestern University Press. My other books--- among others--- JUST LIKE THAT, NOTHING DOING, FORGET THE FUTURE have not found a courageous reader.
Labels: CHESTERTON, EVERYMAN, HOLY BONES HOLY DUST, JULIEN GRACQ, Library of America, SLY COMPANY OF PEOPLE WHO CARE, VILA-MATAS, VONNEGUT
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BLOG3 Recent Examples of Planned Parenthood’s Abortion Cronyism at Work in U.S. Politics
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By Marissa Mayer Posted on: | October 06, 2016
Election season seems to bring out the worst in Planned Parenthood as their political arm lobbies support for pro-abortion policies and politicians. This year seems to be particularly bad following eight years of one of the most pro-abortion administrations in our country’s history.
Here’s what the abortion giant has been up to lately—and it’s not pretty.
1. Obama Tries to Block States from Defunding Planned Parenthood
Thanks to the authenticated undercover videos by the Center for Medical Progress, the whole nation got an intimate look at what goes on behind Planned Parenthood’s doors. And many of us didn’t like what we saw.
In the last year and a half, more than a dozen states passed legislation defunding Planned Parenthood and redirecting those funds to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Outnumbering Planned Parenthood facilities nearly 20 to 1, these FQHCs are certainly more worthy of our tax dollars compared to a scandal-ridden abortion giant with an extensive rap sheet, fewer actual healthcare services, and a penchant for selling baby parts.
It didn’t take long though for the abortion cronies to go into cleanup mode. From federal judges blocking state defund laws, to the Obama Administration funding Planned Parenthood directly through secretive grants, and pro-abortion members of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives stonewalling the Planned Parenthood investigation at every turn, the abortion giant wasn’t going to let go of our tax dollars so easily.
But the Obama Administration appears to be looking for a more permanent fix. They’ve introduced a regulation that would not only make it impossible for states to defund Planned Parenthood, but might actually end up giving the abortion giant even more of our tax dollars on top of the $500 million it already receives each year.
“It’s difficult to read the president’s new regulation as anything other than a parting taxpayer-funded gift to a loyal crony,” said ADF Senior Counsel Casey Mattox, who wrote about Obama’s parting gift to Planned Parenthood for the Daily Signal. And he’s right. Planned Parenthood’s abortion cronyism is well-documented, and it certainly seems that the Obama Administration will do whatever it takes to protect the nation’s largest abortionist—no matter how the American people feel about it.
2. No Zika Fight Without Planned Parenthood Funding
Pro-abortion democrats blocked federal funding to fight the Zika virus outbreak for months because the proposed bill didn’t include funding for two Planned Parenthood facilities in Puerto Rico. But abortion doesn’t treat Zika. All it does is kill innocent children in the womb who may or may not have potential disabilities.
It wasn’t until Congress was on the verge of shutting down the government if a spending bill wasn’t passed that they struck a compromise. Unfortunately, that compromise included funding for Planned Parenthood, which abortion cronies so desperately wanted.
3. Planned Parenthood Silences Abortion Critics in California
Planned Parenthood has worked with California Attorney General Kamala Harris to silence journalists who distribute recordings of insider communications of conversations involving abortion providers. This wildly unnecessary bill (it’s already illegal to make recordings without someone’s consent in California) is sponsored by Planned Parenthood, and creates extra criminal penalties—in this case $2,500 per violation, imprisonment of up to one year, or both—for those who distribute recordings of abortionists (ahem… “healthcare providers”).
First of all, I must point out the irony of Planned Parenthood feeling the need to silence undercover journalists like David Daleiden even though they still claim his videos are “highly edited.”
But back to the point: instead of changing their ways and becoming more—oh, I don’t know—humane and palatable to the American people, Planned Parenthood wants to silence anyone who dares show the world the truth about its dirty dealings. And if you wonder how bad this bill really is, consider the fact that not even the ACLU supports this bill that is so damaging to freedom of speech.
Unfortunately on Monday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill into law. Round 1 to the cronies.
These examples of abortion cronyism are no coincidence. Sure, they've had to ramp up efforts thanks to their growing number of scandals, but since 2008, Planned Parenthood and its affiliates have increased federal election campaign contributions by over $19 million. Clearly the lengths the organization will go to in order to protect its abortion gold mine are nothing short of extreme. They know exactly what they’re doing—and they do it well.
Senior Web Writer
AZMarissaMayer
Marissa Mayer is an Arizona native who fell in love with the written word at a young age.
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WWW & Online
Welcome to Aubrey Plaza Online, your only source for everything on the American actress Aubrey Plaza. You may recognize Aubrey from her roles in 'Parks and Recreation', 'Safety Not Guaranteed', 'The To Do List' and 'Legion'. Her upcoming projects include 'The Little Hours', 'Ingrid Goes West' and 'An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn'.
We aim to bring you all the latest news and images relating to Aubrey's acting career, and strive to remain 100% gossip-and-paparazzi-free. Please take a look around and be sure to visit again to stay up-to-date on the latest news, photos and more on Aubrey.
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The Ark and the Aardvark (2018)Aubrey as Brain the Spider
An aardvark named Gilbert lands the job of shepherding all the animals onto Noah’s Ark.
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An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn (2018)Aubrey as Lulu Danger
Lulu Danger’s unsatisfying marriage taking a turn for the worse when a mysterious man from her past comes to town to perform an event called “An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn; For One Magical Night Only.”
Legion (2017—)Aubrey as Lenny Busker
David Haller was diagnosed as schizophrenic at a young age, and has been a patient in various psychiatric hospitals since. After Haller has an encounter with a fellow psychiatric patient, he is confronted with the possibility that there may be more to him than mental illness.
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Aubrey Plaza Online is a non-profit website made by fans for fans. We have no affiliation with Aubrey Plaza herself or anyone representing her in anyway. All content is copyrighted to the owners. If you feel any of the material rightfully belongs to you & want it removed, contact us & it'll be taken off without question. If you have any complaints please contact us before taking action.
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Aubrey @ Valentino and InStyle Cocktail Party
Sorry for the delay — I was working on getting the site moved to a new host — but I’ve finally managed to add a few high-quality pictures of Aubrey attending the Valentino and InStyle Cocktail Party in Los Angeles on Sunday (October 22). She got to hang out with Dirty Grandpa co-star Zoey Deutch (they look so cute!), Marisa Tomei, Laura Brown as well as Bella Heathcote. Enjoy!
Public Appearances > 2017 > October 22: Valentino and InStyle Cocktail Party, Los Angeles [+9]
Gallery Updates / Public Appearances
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IATA Reported Air Passenger And Cargo Up
By Bill Goldston
November 30, 2009 - Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported international scheduled traffic results for October 2009 showing improving conditions. Passenger demand was up 0.5% compared to October 2008.
Demand for international cargo rose to 0.5% below previous year levels. This is significantly better than the 5.4% decline recorded in September. Load factors for passenger and cargo continue at pre-recession levels of 78.0% and 54.1% respectively.
The improvement that started since passenger traffic hit bottom in March is similar to the pace of growth in 2006 and 2007. Without an exaggerated rebound from pent-up demand, there will be no rapid catch-up to the growth trend established in the 2005 to early-2008 period. “The crisis has cost the industry two years of growth.
Adjusting costs and capacity to meet that reality will be challenging,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO. The improvement in load factors to pre-recession levels is largely the result of careful capacity management. Compared to October 2008, overall passenger capacity on offer was down 3.3%. Stripping out seasonal fluctuations, passenger capacity has been essentially flat throughout 2009. Responding to the precipitous fall in cargo demand, October cargo capacity was 7.4% below the previous year’s levels.
Cargo capacity adjustments have come with many freighters being put into storage or retired, resulting in a fleet reduction of 4.9%. In contrast, the passenger fleet continues to expand by 1.8% as new deliveries more than offset those being stored or retired. Aircraft utilization for both wide and narrow-body aircraft is now 6% below early 2008 levels. This low asset utilization is increasing operating costs.
Yields remain under severe pressure. Although there has been a modest rise in air fares since mid-year, it remains around 20% less expensive to fly in real terms today than it was a year ago.
International Scheduled Passenger Demand
Passenger demand is now 6% better than the low point reached in March 2009, but 5% below the peak recorded in early 2008.
Compared to September, seasonally adjusted passenger volumes rose by 0.8%. Carriers in all regions except the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North America saw improved demand in October compared to September.
Asia-Pacific carriers saw demand grow 0.9%, lower than the 2.1% recorded in September. The carriers in this region, together with the European carriers, have seen demand rise the most from their low points.
While European carriers saw a demand decline of 3% in October, it is an improvement from the -4.2% in September. European carriers demand is still below the levels from last year due to weakness across the Atlantic and within Europe.
North American carriers saw significant growth in international traffic through the middle of 2009. Very significant capacity cuts across both the Atlantic and Pacific have reduced traffic carried in October to -2.6% below 2008 levels.
Middle Eastern carriers saw demand grow 14.3% (compared to 18.2% in September), the highest among the regions. The region’s carriers continue to add capacity, increasing 15.3% in October and outpacing the growth in demand.
Latin American carriers saw significant increases in the demand for air travel, growing 9% compared to 3.4% in September. The region’s carriers continue to add capacity, growing 3.7% compared to 2008
African carriers saw the demand decline 2.6% in October, an improvement from September’s -4.2%.
International Scheduled Cargo Demand
Cargo traffic is 14% above the December 2008 low point, but remains 15% below the early 2008 peak.
Compared to September 2009, seasonally adjusted cargo volumes rose by 2.5%. Carriers in all regions experienced improved demand conditions in October compared to September.
European carriers saw the biggest weakness in demand with a fall of 11.3% compared to October 2008 - relatively unchanged from the 13% drop in September. The region’s carriers were also the most aggressive in adjusting capacity with a 12.4% cut compared to previous year levels.
Middle Eastern carriers saw demand growth of 18.4%. This is significantly better than the 3.6% growth experienced in September and outpaced a capacity increase of 11.2%.
North American carriers saw a 0.5% growth in demand against a 12% fall in capacity.
Latin American carriers recorded a 6.7% growth, significantly higher than the 1.8% in September.
Carriers in Asia-Pacific saw demand grow 1.9% compared to -3.1% in September. The region’s carriers have benefited from the air freight generated by the earlier and stronger economic revival in the region, with industrial production now rising strongly in a number of economies.
African carriers saw demand decline 3.8%, an improvement from the -6.9% in September.
“This recession is re-emphasizing a structural weakness in the industry. The inability to merge across political borders has created a hyper-fragmented industry. The industry is financially sick, and the medicine of cross-border consolidation is off limits due to an archaic regulatory structure. Market forces should guide our commercial operations. Instead the bilateral system, established in the 1940’s, puts governments in control of which markets can be served and limits access to global capital with ownership restrictions. No other industry faces such regulatory manacles,” said Bisignani.
Earlier this month, Chile, Malaysia, Panama, Singapore, Switzerland, the US, the UAE, with the endorsement of the European Commission, signed a multilateral statement of policy principles focused on aviation liberalization. These principles aim to promote normal commercial freedoms for market access, access to capital (ownership) and pricing on a level playing field. The economic impact of such liberalization could add 0.86% to national GDPs according to studies by InterVISTAS.
“Managing through this crisis will require all commercial tools that every other industry takes for granted.
The principles have been developed by governments covering 60% of global aviation. Now the challenge is two-fold. States that signed need to apply the principles themselves while bringing more states on board. The statement of policy principles is not a panacea, but it is a historic step in the right direction at a critical time. A financially sustainable aviation industry is a necessary catalyst for the global economy,” said Bisignani.
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BOOKS VIDEO AUTHORS CONTACT
by Michael Corbin Ray & Therese Vannier
“A fine historical fantasy tale featuring a memorable, tenacious protagonist.” —Kirkus Reviews
THE LONG WAY by Michael Corbin Ray & Therese Vannier. Take flight to China’s Opium Wars of the mid-19th century in this epic historical fantasy. Young orphan Leung Chi-Yen, born into the seedy world of Canton brothels, finds an opportunity to escape her fate during the chaos of British attacks on her country. Along with an unreliable monk from the fallen Temple of Seven Dragons, she journeys to North America at the time of the gold rush, the Indian wars, and the taming of the Wild West. Can she forge a new life for herself in this strange, dangerous world? And what about that mysterious Chinese dragon that has followed her so far from home?
Buy the paperback from Amazon.
Also available for Kindle, iBooks, NOOK, and Kobo.
Also available in hardcover.
READERS SAY
What a great gift, to carry this sense of wonder with me in reality, to daydream about dragons, and to champion the strength of a young girl. Thank you!
This is just a good old-fashioned, mind-transporting tale. I always enjoy reading, but this gave me a pure, unmitigated pleasure I associate with another time, place...self even!
Unbelievably witty and compelling. I read each page as if it were a new kind of candy I tasted for the first time.
I love Chi-Yen. She's such a strong character, and it can sometimes be difficult to find strong female characters. The book was really thrilling, and I could barely put it down.
Chi-Yen is a heroine for all times and her journey and story are so compelling that once I started to read this tale I was almost unable to put the book down. Ray and Vannier have so beautifully woven this story that at times you will forget it is fantasy and get lost in it instead believing that it is history.
What a wonderful book! The great characters, clever backstory and interesting historical backdrop come together to create just the right atmosphere for a marvelous tale that was quite hard to stop reading.
I didn't want to put it down. Chi-Yen is a heroine I really want to see again!
© 2013 Baaa! Press
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Squadron Aircraft: Summary Information
Listed below is the information available for this aircraft which served in 550 Squadron.
In particular thanks are due as listed below to sites without which it would have been next to impossible to put this information together:
Bob Baxter (Bob's Bomber Command) for details of the aircraft. Especially the following very useful link: 550 Squadron Lancasters.
Anybody wishing to locate further Lancaster histories, or to trace Lancaster losses for a raid can contact Larry Wright (a Lancaster and Manchester Bomber Historian)
or look at his website http://www.lancaster-archive.com/
Finally in the cases of bombers that Failed to Return (FTR) the site http://www.lostbombers.co.uk/ has been invaluable (although this web-site appears to have gone offline permanently).
Aircraft Details: The column headers should be fairly self-explanatory. The final column (Web links) contains, where given, links to other items on this web-site or indeed to external sources where further information or photographs, etc can be found.
Associated Aircrew: This is the list of servicemen known to have flown on this aircraft at some time or other, it is not a particular crew (that can be found on other lists available on the site such as the crew shown on a specific operation, etc).
An extended view of the Squadron Aircraft report providing more detailed information is available here [IMPLEMENTATION STILL TO BE FINALISED]. This extended version of the Squadron Aircraft report lists the crew members known to have flown in a particular aircraft.
Definitions of the abbreviations used are available: here.
Associated Aircrew
No. of Ops
BQ-Code
X LL852 - - BQ-X FTR 15/16 Mar 1944, Stuttgart.
One of two 550 Sqdn Lancasters lost on this operation (see also LM392).
Crew: 6 KIA, 1 PoW F/L J F Craig
Sgt K Thompson
Sgt R D Samuels
Sgt K R Sumner
Sgt D E Nutter
Sgt H C Petty
Sgt L W F Overend
This aircraft is one of the 550 Squadron aircraft that was lost on operations.
The details of those air-crew who lost their lives while on operations in this aircraft are listed on the 550 Squadron Roll of Honour, see: LL852.
Return to the top of the full aircraft listing.
The details were last updated: 17 June 2019
Return to the top of the page.
System time, uptime, load (F): 04:04:28 up 11 days, 10:23, 0 users, load average: 0.04, 0.05, 0.05
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Home Health Samsung and Apollo Hospitals Launch Mobile Clinic to fight NCDs
Chennai: Samsung India Electronics and Apollo Hospitals Group today launched the ‘Samsung-Apollo Mobile Clinic’ to provide access to quality, preventive healthcare against growing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to the less privileged. With this program, the two organisations aim to leverage technology to ensure citizens in rural areas in need of healthcare have access to it.
The Samsung-Apollo Mobile Clinic was inaugurated by Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri. Banwarilal Purohit in the presence of Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman of Apollo Hospitals Group, Ms Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals and Mr. Jae Young Yang, Managing Director, Samsung Manufacturing Plant, Chennai.
Samsung-Apollo Mobile Clinic is well equipped with high-end technology for advanced screening of NCDs. NCDs are a growing menace across the world. Responsible for over 50% of deaths, NCDs like Diabetes, Cancer, Hypertension and Cardiac ailments cause the biggest fatalities in India. Samsung-Apollo Mobile Clinic is targeted to win over NCDs by driving awareness and through early detection and preventive screening.
People in rural areas will receive free-of-cost access to primary screening. Medical professionals from Apollo Hospitals will be engaged to execute the primary requirement of screening and camps through this initiative.
Encouraging this initiative Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri Banwarilal Purohit, said: “It is a commendable partnership between Samsung and Apollo Hospitals and I appreciate their endeavour towards serving India and making it healthier. Together, Samsung and Apollo Hospitals will now ensure they will reach citizens by creating access to quality prevention and early detection services right at their doorsteps. Healthcare needs increased focus and I am happy to be part of this journey to make a difference.”
Marking this momentous occasion, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Executive Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said: “The biggest challenge in India is to make Healthcare facilities accessible to one and all, especially in the wake of the rising incidences of NCDs. An estimated 17 million people die of cardiovascular diseases worldwide every year. The solution to all this is early detection and prevention. But in our vast country, everyone cannot access hospitals due to time & distance issues. Apollo Hospitals decided to take the accessibility challenge head on. Powered by Samsung, we now have a Mobile Clinic which will reach everyone who needs healthcare. We are starting this with Tamil Nadu and will soon spread this across other states as well. Our fight with NCDs is not limited to metros, so why must our healthcare be limited to hospitals. Apollo Hospitals will reach every citizen and ensure we all stay healthy. Only healthy and happy citizens can build a prosperous India. And at Apollo we are doing our bit to ensure this.”
“Samsung believes in transforming communities and creating a better life for people. We are pleased to partner with Apollo Hospitals for the Samsung-Apollo Mobile Clinic that will provide free medical screening camps and primary healthcare services for non-communicable diseases to the less-privileged in Tamil Nadu. Through this collaboration, we aspire to bridge the gap and provide access to quality healthcare facilities to the people of the state,” said Mr. Peter Rhee, Corporate Vice President, Samsung India.
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Next articleInfant With Complex Congenital Heart Disease who Suffered from Heart Attack Treated at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals
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Garden Club makes a big gift
by Beacon Hill Times Staff • November 23, 2010 • 0 Comments
The Beacon Hill Garden Club made the largest donation in its 82-year history last week to benefit the Boston Common. The club gave $55,000 to the Friends of the Public Garden, which, with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, will…
Mayfair on the Hill gets in holiday spirit with gift drive
With help from neighbors, Mayfair on the Hill is doing its part to make this holiday season brighter for patients at MassGeneral Hospital for Children. The salon, located at 81a West Cedar St., will hold its eighth annual gift drive…
Playspace planning
by Dan Murphy • November 23, 2010 • 0 Comments
Members of the Friends of the Esplanade Playspace were on hand at the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) Parks and Public Spaces Committee meeting last week to discuss their playground proposal. The non-profit intends to build an approximately 10,000 square-foot…
by Beacon Hill Times Staff • November 23, 2010 • 1 Comment
Everything about our lives and about the well-being of our nation has been put in question by the nagging recession that has cost so many jobs and our belief in the banking system and even our belief in our ability…
Larceny – Pickpocket 11/11/10 – At around 2:45 p.m., a female victim reported that an unknown person removed her purse, containing U.S. currency, bankcards and personal items, from her bag while she was sitting in a Charles Street coffee shop.…
Hill House launches inaugural Girls on the Run program
By John O’Hara The Hill House’s newest children’s program received a great boon recently as local sneaker manufacturer New Balance announced its desire to bestow a ten thousand dollar grant upon Girls on the Run (GOTR) of Suffolk County. GOTR,…
‘Taste of Alsace’ at the Colonade Hotel
Guests gathered at the Colonnade Hotel on Nov. 9 to celebrate all things French with the “Taste of Alsace.” Regional gastronomic specialties were featured from 20 of Boston’s finest restaurants, including the Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro, Sel de la…
BHCA board outlines a list of aspirations for the Hill
The Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) board of directors voted unanimously last Monday to adopt six aspirations outlined in its community plan for the neighborhood. Michelle Vilms, a former BHCA board member and current Planning and Research Committee member, described…
Menino shows strength and common sense on crucial issues
Last week, Boston’s mayor showed why he remains relevant after all these years to the vast majority of residents living and working in this city. First, he issued a major statement indicating that he will be going to the State…
Police Blotter 11-15-2010
Breaking and Entering – Residence 11/03/10 – Victims reported that an unknown male entered their Joy Street apartment at around 5 a.m. while they were home in the bedroom. One victim stated that he spotted the reflection of the suspect…
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Volume 10 Issue 01| January 07, 2011 |
Writing the Wrong
Star Diary
Write to Mita
Those Kolkata Evenings...
Park Street, Kolkata.
In their later fifties, they had all travelled back to their late teens. On Kolkata's Free School Street, these days known as Mirza Ghalib Street, Zakia (and she is the woman I married long ago, for good, it seems) and her friends were coming together again, with me thrown in for good measure, to chime in the New Year. The conversation was cheeringly loud, the laughter was earth shattering and the jokes, flowing stream-like, made one roll on one's stomach for minutes on end. Kiran Singh came forth with her mixture of English and Hindi; Jawed Hassan, beside the radiant Shireen, demonstrated yet once more the throbbing soul that is his; Jaya and Raaj, with whom my meeting was nearly a quarter century after the last one, were yet the suave Bengali couple they used to be; Romy Oberoi, once the most handsome man in the group, with the girls falling for him because of his Gregory Peck-like voice, asked me in low tones if I wanted a brandy. A pity I couldn't oblige him, for my wife kept glaring at both of us. A glass of coca cola was all that I had.
And then it struck midnight. The whole of Kolkata exploded in cheers and laughter and sometimes in the inanity of screams. In that room, it was suddenly hugs and kisses that took over. Everyone felt that life was to be lived. Thoughts of posterity were far from the mind, and very properly too. I watched them all. I saw in those evergreen teenagers the verve and energy that has consistently defined Kolkata. I observed, in happy surprise, the spontaneity which gave Zakia a new dimension, a zest for life that was hers in all the years she had spent growing up in Kolkata. And I wondered what huge compulsion was there for her to move to a new country, to leave behind an ambience that had always been hers and that she ought to have held on to. As Kolkata lighted up in the early minutes of a new year, it felt good to see her laugh and scream. In that vibrant countenance, it was a long-ago, perennial image of womanhood that was fast taking shape before me once more: she striding forth, books hugging her, from the classroom to the teachers' room, to tell me I reminded her of Woody Allen. Rewind to Dhaka 1981.
Around me, around us, Kolkata was in a state of delight, as London had been a year previously. In the pre-dawn hours I would be on my way back home to Bangladesh, reliving the intense few days in which I had soaked the city into my consciousness through my long walks along Park Street and Elgin Road. The end of December in Bengal (read here the free state of Bangladesh and the Indian portion of the old landscape) is always a time for self-discovery. In Kolkata this winter, it was again memories of my father that tiptoed back in. On Ripon Street, the imagination went back to a recreation of the quarters he had lived in. I passed by the old geological survey office, the workplace that had been his for five years before he bade farewell to Kolkata for good as he boarded a train for distant Quetta. At New Market and in Chowringhee, cosmopolitan crowds flowed silently, politely by. What then had gone wrong with civility back in the mad summer of 1946, to propel Muslims and Hindus into murderous assaults on one another? Nothing can be more wounding than a mauling of history, than a feeling that what should have been one, indivisible country is today a scarred, charred landscape of geography and soul. Things should not have been this way. Waiting to cross the road, for I meant to walk into Music World on the other side, I asked myself: couldn't 1947 have come and gone, without ravaging lives, without jeopardising the future of the generations to be?
At Oxford, the books place on Park Street, I leafed through the volumes I would be taking home. I sipped tea, wishing Shona were around, wishing the moments did not rush to a close. Bibliophiles talked in various states of excitement around me. The oyster in me craved the pearl in her. The earth wished, desperately, to find itself again in the warmth of the sky.
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Posted on June 23, 2014 by Barbara Hattemer
Barbara with Long Time Porn Fighters
Left to right: Robert Peters, Past MIM President; Bruce Taylor, Justice Department Prosecutor of Pornography Cases; Pat Trueman, Present MIM President
Last month I attended the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation in Washington, D.C. where Morality in Media’s new president Patrick Trueman and assistant Dawn Hawkins gathered anti-pornography leaders from all over the country for the first time in 27 years. They have ignited a fire in anti-pornography fighters and have achieved outstanding successes this year.
As the rape rate between men and women in the military soared, Morality in Media convinced the military to stop selling pornography on all their bases and Google to drop all pornography ads. Google has implemented a new advertising policy which eliminates pornographic and sexually explicit ads and they will no longer link to sites that contain such materials. When the Federal Communications Commission decided to lower standards on television, MIM visited the FCC and convinced its new head not to do it. They also publicize a Dirty Dozen List of organizations that promote pornography. Listed organizations are asking what they must do to be removed from that list.
With these successes behind them, MIM convened the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation. Opening the summit at the National Press Club, they presented pornography as a Public Health Crisis and caught worldwide attention. News articles appeared on every continent.
The energy of the conference was electric! Young leaders with full technical know-how are producing movies, videos, and YouTubes about the horrors of pornography and writing helpful books. Good Pictures Bad Pictures by Kristen A. Jenson and Gail Poyner teaches adults how to talk to children when they are exposed to porn and how to resist the temptation to look at pornography when they see it. What Can I Do About Him? Me? by Rhyll Anne Croshaw tells those struggling with sexual addiction how couples can work through the long recovery process to heal both the betrayed wife and the addicted husband. My easy-to-read novel An Island Just for Us educates women about the effects of pornography and encourages them to start talking about it in book club and church groups. Covenant Eyes and Net Nanny described technology that protects children from seeing porn on the Internet, Ipads or Iphones.
Radical feminists spoke passionately and eloquently about what the porn industry is doing to women. Thirty percent of visits to Internet porn are from women. Formerly addicted women are working to rescue female consumers and those who work in porn films.
PornProofKids.com offers a Smart Plan to deal with exposure to porn and trains the whole family to reject it. Their helpful website offers tips and tools to protect young minds and prevent your children from using porn when they are bored, lonely, angry, stressed and tired. Suggestions for how to talk to your children about pornography are invaluable.
Ministers are being called to fight this issue. They find that 40% to 80% of their men secretly look at pornography. Jay Dennis, a minister from Lakeland, Florida, has written a book to help ministers tackle the issue in their own churches. He tells fellow ministers how to free men from dependence on pornography and become the spiritual leaders they are meant to be. He is seeking one million men and one million women who will commit to leading a porn-free life and respond to requests for action. These contacts produce results that tell us pornography can be beaten back. I returned home full of optimism that this war is winnable.
A former porn producer told us he walked the malls looking for pretty women who were alone. When he approached them, he told them how beautiful they were. By the way they responded he could tell which ones he could flatter and lure into his studio. Once they walked through that door, they were captives who were held prisoner. Drugged, filled with alcohol, often beaten, they were forced to perform on film until they were broken, contracted a disease or became physically unfit to perform. It is such a dark world we find it hard to believe that such cruelty exists today, but we must all work to bring it out in the open where healing can begin.
So much porn is now free on the Internet, the pornography industry would fail financially without human sex trafficking. We must realize that different types of sexual exploitation are thoroughly intertwined. Pornography is a major factor in creating the demand for trafficked women and children. Until we curb the demand for pornography, we will not solve the problem of trafficking. I encourage you to join the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation. Please email me for further information: barbhat@infionline.net.
This entry was posted in Live Every Day Of Your Life. Bookmark the permalink.
One Response to A Winnable War
Melody Bergman says:
Great write-up of the Summit, Barbara! Thanks for posting. Maybe we’ll bump into each other next year. 🙂
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BREATHMINT
Newton “Rotting Rainbows b/w Goodbye Candle Haus”
Rainbow Bridge Recordings
A bogglin tape-heavy + out of this world noisy collage from a hardcore vet of bizarrities you all know and love. Maybe you know him as half of FUN or his gorgeous label called BREATHMINT.
Side A’s an assault of every god damn color in the spectrum. Sounds like total synth madness with a dizzying stereo image panning party. Side B is the legendary and much anticipated and super confusing collage masterpiece of a bunch of super drunk friends of mine totally trashing the basement of Candle Haus, complete with lots of glass, after their last show before they all broke up and ruined the noise scene in Fairfax, VA. – Justin Marc Lloyd
Black ink on either light blue, yellow, pale dark red, neon orange, lime green/white zebra print, or dark violet card stock, hand-numbered.
Category: Audio Recording | Comments Off on Newton “Rotting Rainbows b/w Goodbye Candle Haus”
Various Artists “Rainbow Bridge 2014 New Year’s Media Cluster Sample Collection For Internets Only!”
Rainbow Bridge 2014 New Year's Media Cluster Sample Collection For Internets Only! by Various Artists
Previews / Clips / Samples by: Breakdancing Ronald Reagan, Breakdancing Ronald Reagan + Pregnant Spore, Collapsed Arc, Crank Sturgeon, FASX, JML, Juice Machine, Justin Marc Lloyd, Newton, Path To Lobster Believers, PCRV, Prgnnt Spr, Scant, Silver Moult, Sorcerer Torturer, Swallowing Bile, Widow’s Bath.
Category: Audio Recording | Comments Off on Various Artists “Rainbow Bridge 2014 New Year’s Media Cluster Sample Collection For Internets Only!”
Recorded Works
Past Live Performances
Newton – Live Performance @ Dustbunny
Flag Day I
Milton “∞ Brothers” tour
Newton – Live Performance @ Vox Populi
We Sing a New Language: The Oral Discography of Thurston Moore
Noise Show at Jupiter Records, New Jersey
Random Gear Festival 2016 Providence edition
Newton – Live Performance @ Lava Space
Newton – Live Performance @ Heaven’s Gate
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“I’m home!” she yelled, her voice mostly muffled by a half empty gallon of milk and mysterious tupperware and take out containers. She opened a white paper container, poking at the beef and broccoli in congealed sauce inside, and folded the lid back together, stashing it back in the fridge. She made an attempt on the freezer, and found a pint of ice cream to her liking. She heard the swinging door between the kitchen and dining room open as she was rummaging a spoon out of the silverware drawer, and turned around. Her uncle Theo was there, wiping paint off his hands.
“Hey,” he said.
“I thought you had a thing,” he said.
“Yeah, well, nobody showed.” She jabbed the spoon into the ice cream. It was frozen too hard, and the spoon bent. She frowned and pulled it out, tried to straighten it. Theo reached for the spoon.
“I got it,” he said. “Stick that in the microwave for like 30 seconds. That oughtta soften it up real good.”
She held the ice cream between her hands.
“Nah. It’ll soften on its own just fine.” She looked up at him.
“What was school like for you?”
“I never went to school.”
“So you, what, you were homeschooled?”
“Nah, babygirl. I never went to no kinda school.”
“What about mom?”
“Nothin for her until she got her GED. She took classes for that, and got some college after.”
“How is that, I mean, how is that possible? To grow up in the USA and not go to school at all?”
“Me an your ma… we were in a real shitty situation.”
“She never talked about being a kid.”
“Yeah. That’s on accounta she never got to be a kid. That’s somethin your dad gave her, a chance to feel young and not worry about nothin. Until his family found out about her, anyway.”
“Yeah, well, they’re assholes and I hate them.”
Theo shook his head.
“If they called up and said they was around the corner and you should come out and meet ’em, you’d be out the door before they finished the sentence.”
She walked over to the fridge and shoved the ice cream back into the freezer.
“Yeah, well, what can I say. It’s nice living someplace that has no corpses.”
She stalked off upstairs, leaving Theo in the kitchen holding a bent spoon.
Cassie kicked the door closed with a big slam. She opened it up and slammed it again. And then again. And then once more.She didn’t think anyone was home, so she literally jumped when someone cleared their throat behind her. She turned and saw Uncle Theo standing at the fridge, a dark blue bottle of […]
WIP: Changeling: The Ghost of Pizza FuturePrevious Entry
WIP: Summary: King of ThievesNext Entry
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Peoria, IL – Friday, May 13, 2016
a military blog
go to pjstar.com
Tag: U.S. Army
Medavac mess — another chopper controversy
And then we have other news involving choppers, this time, medavac out of the ‘stan. Controversial milblogger Michael Yon has raised the issue that medical choppers should be armed so they don’t have to wait for an escort; a wait he says might have cost hte life of a soldier:
Concerns about the evacuation of Spec. Chazray C. Clark have been raised by an Internet blogger, Michael Yon, who had been embedded with Clark’s unit, and by Missouri Congressman Tim Akin, who earlier this week wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, questioning the army’s policy of using only unarmed medevac helicopters. Those medevacs require an armed escort, which can lead to delays because of the high demand for helicopters.
Yon, a former soldier, has embedded dozens of times and has a certain level of celeb status in the milblog world. People either love him or hate him. He takes great pictures, understands the troops but is very candid at times and drives people bonkers with his statements. Here’s a sample from his story on the dust0ff mess:
This is not the only time that medevacs have been delayed in responding to 4-4 Cav requests, or had to switch landing zones due to heavy enemy fire. If thePedros were dispatched they would come right in because they can shoot back.
After ten years of war, the Army has had every opportunity to fix this problem. If the Army intended to right this wrong it would have been improved years ago. Clearly, the Army lacks the will to address this issue. We need courageous leadership. This issue should be elevated to the level of the Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, who needs to shake the Army’s political tree and fix our medevac issue before more troops die.
The Army has nixed that idea saying there is not a need to arm the chopper which are not considered combatants under the Geneva Convention. (of course, the Taliban doesn’t care about that but I guess we do).
Another important point is that arming our MEDEVACs would significantly impact the capability of the aircraft. Machine guns, related mounting equipment, ammunition and the gunners all add weight to the aircraft. The added weight would hinder the aircraft’s ability to work at higher altitudes because of reduced lift, as well as its speed and range. Additionally, MEDEVACs can carry up to four litter patients, but if weapons were added, that number would be reduced, which would in turn require the commitment of more MEDEVAC aircraft, an already low density and high demand asset.
Further, arming MEDEVACs would not reduce the need for armed escort. Again, our aircraft travel in pairs. The decision to use escort is the tactical commander’s, and the Army does not dictate how or when it is necessary to use these assets.
Finally, it’s important to remember that the Army would change its policy if battlefield commanders wanted a change. We take our obligation to perform the MEDEVAC mission very seriously. We’re a learning organization and periodically we review our policies to make sure they remain relevant. We looked at the MEDEVAC policy in 2008, but after a review, we determined no change was necessary.
Friend of the blog, Carl Prine, a reporter with mlitary.com, a former Marine and soldier (he did combat duty in Iraq) has this to say about the matter over on his Facebook page. Good guy, intelligent. Friend him and learn. There is a chopper pilot who giving out great information over there. Really well done.
Author Andy KravetzPosted on January 20, 2012 Categories Afghanistan, Army, milblogsTags Afghanistan, milblogs, U.S. Army1 Comment on Medavac mess — another chopper controversy
Video: Mud stops Abrams tank in its tracks, hilarity ensues
That’s the headline from the Army Times’ blog, “Outside the Wire.” Enjoy the video. It’s funny and a good way to waste a few minutes. Anyone who has been in the mud, whether it is a big ole tank or a little car can appreciate this.
I can’t embed the video but just surf over to the Army Times’ blog. It’s worth the few minutes.
Author Andy KravetzPosted on January 11, 2012 January 11, 2012 Categories Army, humorTags humor, U.S. ArmyLeave a comment on Video: Mud stops Abrams tank in its tracks, hilarity ensues
New cammies coming to the Army? Or will they just copy the Marines
Remember a year or so ago when I wrote about the Army considering the use of the Marine camouflage pattern because their ACU’s were just, well, not working in Afghanistan?
Well, the Army used the Multicam Pattern for its soldiers in the ‘Stan but has continued to look at possibly replacing the UCP on the ACUs. Well, this week, the Army announced its finalists.
For those who don’t know what I am talking about, here’s the Multicam pattern used by people in Afghanistan. It’s not authorized for wear back here in the states. I kinda like it better than the ACUs. There are other differences with the pockets, the Velcro and other stuff but the main thing is the pattern. The ACU pattern wasn’t considered very stealthy for the terrain there. When it is used over there, it’s called Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern. Long name, same Multi Cam pattern.
Okay, then we have the ACU pattern which uses the UCP or the The Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP), also referred to as ACUPAT (Army Combat Uniform PATtern) or Digital Camouflage (“digicam”).
So the Army has become a fashionista’s worst nightmare with differing opinions on what looks good in the the war zone. I am reminded of that sketch from Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam which basically says to wear black because it looks good in both formal and causal attire. Ha ha.
So the news here is that the Army might replace the Multicam, the UCP or keep one or the other or go possibly go with the Marine pattern, which I think is covered under a patent or something. They would have to ask permission to use it. From the news story on the possible change.
On Oct. 31, Army Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno approved the plan to continue forward with the testing of the five patterns. It’s still unclear; however, whether the Army will replace will replace the UCP.
Each finalist submitted a family of camouflage patterns for desert, woodland, and transitional along with a single coordinated pattern for individual equipment such as body armor and load-bearing gear so soldiers wouldn’t have to change out their kit from one environment to the next. Rangers units, for some time, have worn equipment in a shade known as “Ranger green.” And Marines chose coyote brown to wear with its woodland and desert camo uniforms.
Once the camouflage uniforms are produced, the field trials and other evaluations could take up nine months to complete, Dawson said. The Army will then conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine if the Army will adopt a new camouflage pattern.
Author Andy KravetzPosted on January 11, 2012 Categories ArmyTags U.S. Army5 Comments on New cammies coming to the Army? Or will they just copy the Marines
Video of Improved Humvee — Driver’s POV
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL33Opw3Ikc&feature=player_embedded#!]
Wanna feel what it is like to riding in a Humvee, complete with the weird sound that a military vehicle makes. Go to this link which came courtesy of AOLDefense blog. The military is currently looking at a new, up armored but more powerful Humvee to replace the current fleet. Seems the jeep-like vehicle which was made for the battlefields of Europe and to shoot across the hard desert (IED free of course) needs some help in the post-IED world as the enemy builds better and better IEDs, ones that can even take out MRAPs.
The debate is this. Do we revamp the Humvee which is essentially 1970s or 1980s technology or come up with something all new. They have MRAPs and MR-ATVs out there but the military’s main people-mover probably needs more oomph and more power to handle the increased armor.
The problem with the current or legacy Humvees is that their armor is too thin to handle IED blasts and the uparmored ones are underpowered. Sure, they can function and have been but the DOD wants more get up and go for its Jeep.
So what to do? The MRAPs and the MR-ATVs have saved countless lives and are a godsend to troops downrange but they aren’t necessarily the best option for all things. In other words, it’s not a one-size fits all as much as some might want to make it that way.
The guy from AOLDefense put the new truck through its paces on a test track. the video above is his driving.
It did take some time to adjust – after all, driving a 4-ton tactical vehicle down a track designed to mimic the conditions in Afghanistan is not like driving your SUV to the local Safeway.
Once comfortable with the mammoth machine, I careened down passes just wide enough to handle the vehicle’s larger wheelbase (compared to the legacy Humvee) and into hairpin corners cut into the rocky, red-clay dirt. To my surprise, the truck turned almost effortlessly into and out of the corners.
I’d never driven a Humvee before but I was able to power the truck up and over large dirt mounds smoothly, only leaving V-shaped gashes in the tops of the mounds where the IED-resistent hull scraped the earth.
Author Andy KravetzPosted on August 26, 2011 Categories ArmyTags U.S. Army2 Comments on Video of Improved Humvee — Driver’s POV
MOH recipient: “It was the right thing to do.”
From left, Cpl. Javier Rivera, Pfc. William Parker and Staff Sgt. Leroy Petry watch the Dallas Mavericks play in December 2009. It was announced in May that Petry will receive the Medal of Honor.
Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry is just a stud, pure and simple. I mean, really. I am amazed at the level of courage and dedication our fighting men and women show. for those who don’t know, Petry is an Army Ranger who in 2008, was serving in Afghanistan when a grenade landed near him. He picked the grenade and threw it away, severing his hand in the process. On Tuesday (today), he was awarded the nation’s highest medal for valor, The Medal of Honor. Stars and Stripes reporter Leo Shane has a great story that can be found right here which has an exclusive interview with the Ranger.
Check out this quote from Leo’s story which is just amazing. First off, remember that he was already wounded, that he was in the midst of a firefight and that combat has a whirl of confusion and haze about it already. Put that in your mind and then read this:
When the explosion severed his hand, Petry was already fueled by adrenaline and anger from his earlier wounds.
“I didn’t feel any pain,” he said. “It was odd. When I sat back up and saw my hand … I grabbed where my wrist was, and it was completely gone. I was waiting for the Hollywood squirt, blood to go flying in the air, but that didn’t happen. Then I went back to my military training, applied the tourniquet that I had.”
Unreal. Yeah, I know, you do what you have to. Yes, I know, survival is an instinct and yes, he has been trained but really, wow. I am thoroughly impressed. He’s the second man in the GWOT to get the MOH while they are still alive. I think he’s the ninth person overall to earn the honor.
Kudos.
Author Andy KravetzPosted on July 12, 2011 Categories Afghanistan, ArmyTags Afghanistan, medal of honor, U.S. ArmyLeave a comment on MOH recipient: “It was the right thing to do.”
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New Car Releases
Philips Brilliance 328P Review
By Paul Hadley - 2 years ago
Why Do I Need a New High Quality Display?
I believe that any photographers out there have this inner itch that you can never quite catch. And that’s the itch for new and better gears. It’s inevitable, you may say that you have already spent enough money, but once you scroll through these ads innocuously, the next page you’ll be on is Amazon.
Sliders, shoulder rigs, crane, new cameras and lenses are all very appetising, but there’s one thing that you might not know you need. A good quality monitor. After all, even the very best photos will look horrendous if it’s processed and viewed on a bad screen.
That’s why even if you’re not a photographer at heart, investing in a monitor may be prove to be astute. If you live your life on a computer, putting the money into a solid monitor is even more crucial.
Well, the good news is that while high quality panels used to be priced exorbitantly, thanks to the advent of increasingly advanced and complex displays, they’ve come down in pricing a lot. The monitor that we’re taking a look at today is one such example, cue the Philips Brilliance 328P.
In short, the 328P is an advocate for great monitors at a reasonable price. It sets out to win the hearts of consumers even just sitting on display, not by its beauty or incredibly thin bezels, but by its sheer value for money. Just by looking at the spec sheets, it is a lot of monitor for current pricing of around £565.
The Aesthetics
Coming in at 32″, the 328P’s big game is that it’s a 4K display. The golden standard that is slowly becoming the standard for Internet media production nowadays. This is also an appealing resolution choice for content creators, and it’s apparent that the 328P appeases to this particular crowd by touting its broad colour gamut, and 10-bit display. The latter of which still remains to be very much underutilised currently, other than in the pro sector.
Other than that, it’s also running a VA panel, which is the current middle ground between IPS and TN panels. VA panels have the advantage in contrast, and the 328P boasts 3 times more static contrast than a comparable IPS display. VA panels tend to be more saturated as well, albeit it traditionally loses out in terms of colour accuracy and reproduction than IPS panels.
From the aesthetics, it’s not an eminently attractive panel, as Philips does have to save money somewhere. I do like the understated and conservative ‘pro’ look personally though. Beauty is skin deep, however, as you can adjust how you want the display angle to your heart’s content. With a sturdy and robust chassis, the 328P assertively tilts, swivels, pivot and pans vertically. Since it’s not a light monitor, it does put a lot of stress on the hinge though, and it may wobble if its placed on a dubious support.
You can also find a decent selection of ports on the 328P, namely a USB hub with USB 3.0 and fast charging, which is useful in keeping clutter to a minimum. Philips also pack the cables you need to get started, DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI and VGA. There are no physical buttons on the 328P, instead, you’ll be relying on labelled touch sensitive buttons. A nifty novelty the 328P offers is MultiView, which allows for multiple signal input into the monitor itself for seamless work switching, another productivity tool. It’s also possible to mount the 328P with a custom stand.
Booting It Up
Speaking of colour, the 328P is stupendous. I don’t have a colourimeter to truly measure my results scientifically, but I could tell that it’s an impressive monitor. Looking up for information on the Internet, the 328P musters nearly 100% of the sRGB colour space, and manages a solid score in colour reproduction. Contrast is astounding as well. Overall, it’s a very strong monitor even out of the box without calibration. That said, I believe that buyers of this monitor are definitely the crowd that’ll calibrate it to get the most out of it though.
The viewing angle is also impressive, and realistically you won’t be viewing it outside of its zone. It does get pretty bright, however, you’d want to keep it off harsh sunlight anyways. It’s also very quiet under operation, and does not put out much heat at all.
What I found the most useful though is the 328P’s generous size, paired with 4K, it offered me a very pleasant experience working with it. I could easily drive multiple programs while keeping them viewable. It’s something that you just can’t do with smaller screens since you’d run out of screen real estate and you’d have to begin squinting for your files.
It’s also a great panel for media consumption. If you browse streaming sites and look at videos frequently, you’d gladly acknowledge the size of the display.
So, would I recommend it? If you find yourself often needing a larger display with a suitable resolution paired with it, the 328P with its aggressive pricing is hard to beat. There are some things you can pick at, but if you’re just a general user with a passion for photography, the 328P is perfectly suited to the job. I, for instance, found myself yearning for its size and colour after the review, and certainly find the value shockingly good.
What do you think? Is the 328P worth your money?
Philips Brilliance 328P Review was last modified: December 10th, 2017 by Paul Hadley
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The duties of the Coroner position are often a mystery to the public. Not many children aspire to grow up to become Coroner, and education around themes of death tends to be taboo in our culture. Exactly what does a Coroner do? And when should the Coroner be called?
According to the Pennsylvania Statutes pertaining to the Office of the Coroner, Section 1237: the Coroner must be notified to investigate the circumstances concerning deaths to determine the identification of the deceased, cause and manner of death, and whether an autopsy should be conducted. Deaths that require Coroner’s investigation are sudden or unexpected, medically unattended, suspicious or violent deaths. The Coroner is also empowered to conduct an inquest and subpoena witnesses in deaths that may have resulted from criminal action or a negligent act. Specifically, the Coroner is called to investigate:
Death of unknown cause
Death occurring under suspicious circumstances, including alcohol, drugs, etc.
Unidentified or unclaimed body
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Operative and peri-operative deaths
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The Coroner is also responsible for maintaining the security of the scene, determining medical history, notifying the next of kin, securing the personal property of the deceased until the family can claim it, and issuing death certificates. Annually, there are about 300 deaths referred to the Clinton County Coroner’s Office. Of those, about 10% require autopsies, so the Coroner spends about 30 days a year transporting bodies to and from either Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College or JC Blair Hospital in Huntingdon, where autopsies are performed. He may assist in the autopsy process and determine cause and manner of death, whether natural, accidental, suicide, homicide, or undetermined.
A Little History Lesson
Even before they were known as Coroners, individuals were designated to investigate deaths in a community. The official title of “Coroner” originated in England around 1100-1200 A.D. At first called “crowners,” these citizens were appointed by the Crown to investigate violent, unexplained deaths and to make sure that any property left by the deceased was added to the treasure trove of the King of England. The term also relates to the Latin word for crown, “corona.”
It is believed that William Penn appointed one of the first Coroners to determine cause of death in the Colonies in 1682, after a dead body was found on a river bank. Early American Coroners, like their English counterparts, relied mainly on common sense, since most did not have a medical background. In some cases they simply guessed. The only requirement for a Coroner, at the time, was proof that he was not an ex-convict! As the country grew, Coroners were elected for all of the original 13 colonies. As more new states and territories developed, Coroners were elected as county officers, comparable to sheriffs, with whom they often traded places.
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