The most exciting year in British football?

Is it possible this has been the most exciting year in British football? Around October, the press were complaining about the stale quality of the matches, remarking the numerous 'bore draws', i.e. 0-0 results that didn't really produce any real incidents, including Roy Keane's last match for Man. Utd. against Liverpool.
It has become strangely unpredictable since then however.
Even before that, the European competitions were throwing up all sorts of upsets. Who would have ever predicted a Welsh English derby in the Champions League, with TNS Solutions playing Liverpool? Everton's heroics last year to earn them a place in the Champions League, was cruelly rewarded with a tough draw against Villareal, and then more tough opposition in the UEFA cup qualifiers. Celtic's early exit from the Champion's League to the unheard of Artsmedia Bratislava, (who many quipped sounded more like an advertising company, or university course than a football team), probably spurned Rangers on to being the first Scottish team to emerge from the group stage of the competition, again twarted by Villareal. In the actual competition Liverpool and Chelsea were drawn together in the same group, and both qualified, much to the envy of Man Utd, who were the second British victims of Villareal, when they finished last in their group, thus not even having the consolation of the UEFA cup.
Domestically, in England, Chelsea looked set to run away with the Premiership by Christmas, but in the end up, they only won it with two games to spare.
Wigan, who five years ago, were in the third league, have maintained a top-half position throughout the season, and put on a spirited performance in the League Cup Final.
The F.A. Cup has also gone the way of the romantics, with West Ham making it to the Final, and Liverpool's defeat of Chelsea put the thoughts of a double to the dumpyard.
In the Scottish Cup, Celtic were knocked out of the third round by Clyde, and their Old Firm rivals Rangers didn't even get to the quarter finals. The two big Edinburgh battled it out for the place in the final, and their opponents are Second Division Gretna.
Despite Hearts disgraceful record of employment with their managers this season, they are still clinging on to the second Champion's League spot.
Middlesbrough having twice scored the four goals that they needed have got through to the UEFA Cup final, and Arsenal's team of youngster's have pushed aside a who's who of Europeaen football to make the Champion's League final, setting a record of clean sheets in the competition while they're at it.
So, potentially, should the two English sides win the European cups, every cup that's available to British clubs, with the exception of the Scottish League Cup, will be going to a different team.
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Of course, I failed to mention the Championship, which was won by Top-Flight virgins Reading, who have broken a series of records by winning it. The earliest team to ever secure promotion to the Premiership, and this weekend set a new points record of 106, after defeating Q.P.R. on the last day of the season.

Labour spin resorts to American mud-slinging

Dave the Chameleon - available in any colour (as long as it's blue)

And so, the lowest denominator draws near, as Labour start emplying US-type mud slinging tactics for the local elections campaigns.
Long since reknowned for their spin tactics, Labour has now started leading their election campaign with an effigy, of sorts, of opposition leader, David Cameron, as a chameleon, because of his refusal to outline what his policies actually consist of, just supporting the opposite to what Labour are doing.
Perhaps Labour should concentrate on removing the shit from their doorstep, with numerous scandals unfolding over the past few weeks, such as the Cash-for-honours, Cherie's £8000 (taxpayers money obviously - they didn't want to break a £100,000) haircuts, the multiple-fold NHS layoffs, which they continually brush aside, and numerous calls for the Home secretary, the health secretary, and the education secretary all to quit.
They continued arrogance of B Liar's cabinet is beginning to tell on the grassroot electorate. A very real threat of the BNP taking over several (maybe dozens) councils in next week's election looms large. Unfortunately, because of the Popular press' anti-left bias (the Scum, and Mirror included), not as many as one would like sees the Lib Dems as the real alternative to Labour. And those that do, will probably split the left vote, allowing the Tories in.
Blair's refusal to step down before the last election may have a disastrous long-term effect on the country, as I cannot see Labour winning back the electorate's trust before the next election.

Does anyone remember this???

A show called C.O.P.S, which used to b on on summer mornings when i was about eight. I have asked my friends do any of them remember it, and they say no.

Religion. Tom Cruise and the Scientologists.

Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - Studio Briefing

If my increasing suspicion of religion needs any justification, one only needs to point to Scientology. Tom Cruise has probably done irreprable damage to his credibility within the last year for his zealous defence of the religion.
(Anyone who argues that Scientology isn't a real religion, then consider how Christianity, Judaism or Islam would have been regarded in their first fifty years of existence. Jews were enslaved for decades by the Ancient Pharoahs of Egypt, Christians were repeatedly thrown to the lions by the Romans, and a few hundred years later, Christians from England went half way across the known world to butcher Muslims in the Crusades. All these acts took place because a new religion was deemed crazy, and downright wrong).

In a career that was defined by constantly hitting the top of the box office, and promotional posters that only needed to include his face, Tom Cruise could do no wrong in Hollywood. In roles, such as The Color of Money, Born on the Fourth of July, or The Last Samurai, he even showed he could act when he wanted to. He has had to bat off allegations that he is gay throughout his career, but that is probably to maintain his teenybopper fanbase (his sexuality is of no interest to me, whatsoever).

However, last year, he fired his publicist, prior to the release of The War of the Worlds.

Since then, he has constantly flouted his devotion to Scientology, starting by denouncing his friend, Brooke Shields, for using anti-depression medication to overcome post-natal depression.
He has since gone on to openly attempt to convert his new girlfriend, Katie Holmes to the ways of Scientology, and these have become increasingly dictatorial, by the sounds of things. He insisted they wed in a Scientology ceremony, despite Holmes' parents wishes to have a traditional Christian wedding (they are practising Catholics), and insisted the birth of their child be 'silent', meaning she has to endure excrutiating pain, without screaming.

Now, you may be wondering why I am using this to denounce religion. Well, Tom's stringent adherence to stupid practices, is no different than the numerous examples of stupidity exhibited by zealots in any religion.
Politicians in the Southern States of America who want to win the votes of the Christian conservatives support Christian anti-abortionists, who claim that God is the only person who can take a person's life, but yet are also advocates of the death penalty.
In the Phillipines, they practice traditional Catholicism, not the watered-down version we in the West are accustomed to, which entails an Easter Ritual complete with repeatedly whipping yourself in order to repent for any sins.
If a baby had died before being baptised in medievil Britain/Ireland, it would be buried outside the cemetery (in fact, this practice went on up until the 20s in some places) because it had not been cleansed of The Original Sin (which, by definition, renders inaccurate any claim that babies are 'innocent'), and the same punishment applied to children born out of wedlock.
Taliban regimes would stone a woman to death, if she got raped, because she had presented the temptation to the man.
Judaism believes that defacing a child's penis (circumcision) somehow brings them closer to God, (I have actually been having trouble finding the spiritual function of circumcision, which may prove its fallacy).

Faith is very important to a lot of people, and I do not have a problem with that. However, Religion stifles faith, and sets limits on faith. Who can say that by not having sex before getting married will give you a free pass to Heaven. How do we know that the Rastafarians are not correct in saying that smoking cannabis brings one spiritually closer to and Higher Being?

If everyone was encouraged to believe in what they think is spiritually accurate, as opposed to being indoctrinated into one absolute belief, and encouraged to believe everything else is wrong, the world would be a considerably more peaceful place.

Ghosts! The proof is out there.

The existance of ghosts has been confirmed once and for all. I have procured several of my own photographic evidences confirming the existence of other-worldly beings.... Read on!....

All the following pictures were taken in the same room of a very old house in Farnham Surrey, that was condemned before my student friends took it at a cut price rent. This was one freaky party.



Above Ollie's head, on the extreme right, you can see an inexplicable floating object which looks like something on the lens. However, if you look at the reaction of the other attendees of this party, it is clear there is a sense of panic in the room. Ollie was complaining at the time of feeling a sharp tug on his hair (and you can see him feeling around his right ear).





This one makes it even more convincing. John, in the red t-shirt, was helping me with a picture, by blowing his cigarette smoke into the air. As we did so, a face appeared in the smoke, so we had to immediately take a photograph of it. The fear is present in both John and Pughie's faces.





This was just a normal photograph of LB, or so we thought. It transpires that we took this picture IN THE SAME SPOT as the cigarette smoke face. When we got this photo developed there was a tormented screaming face in the developed photograph.
This picture must quell the doubts of any Thomas's...






This picture was a dud, we thought the flash wasn't working, but, as always happens, it flashed when we were randomly pointing at a table. Those are my hands to the right, and it was supposed to be me in the photo. However, the 'person' in the foreground was a complete mystery to us. It looks like someone just sitting at the table, but look closely at his elbow... it is GOING THROUGH THE TABLE...


Well, the proof is out there. To me it is pretty conclusive, but it is entirely up to you whether you believe it or not...

The Lunchtime Sardine Club

Meet Ollie Newton, the brains behind experimental post-rockers, The Lunchtime Sardine Club. Apparantly he hates playing Russian Roulette, because he always loses...

Running Macs and Windows on the one machine

Apple's Dual Boot Solution Has Arrived - Softpedia

There are MANY people out there who are sick to death of Windows, especially it's frailties when it comes to Spyware, and viruses (virii??). Obviously the alternative is to switch to Macs, but most people are so unfamiliar with them, the thought of spending £500-£1500 on something they may not know how to use is intimidating.

Well the solution is just around the corner. The Keifer Sutherland-narrated ads have been doing the rounds on T.V. letting everyone know that the Intel chip is now being manufactured for Macs. Well, the next obvious step (for hackers at least) was to use Windows on the machines. In order to curb the influence of the hackers, Apple has announced that all their next generation computers (Mac OSX 10.5... the Leopard) will come with Windows built in.

This would be the perfect opportunity for anyone who is unsure about making the switch, but wants to have a viable alternative to Windows. I am sure within about a month of using the Mac system, most people will have begun shunning their Windows.