I took this article from a UK cricket website, though it originally came from The Daily Telegraph (Aussie version):-
Gloating before battle starts
By Ray Chesterton
June 22, 2005
ONCE the sun never set on the British empire.
Now it rarely shines on a home-grown Briton. At least in most of their sporting teams.
Ah, the joy of sport in England.
Wandering over to Lord's to watch a one-dayer between Australia and a United Nations side masquerading as England.
Listening to the historic ground resonate with great names such as Tony Greig, Allan Lamb, Robin Smith, Andy Caddick and Graham Hick.
All Africans, except Caddick who was a Kiwi but don't quibble.
And don't forget Geraint Jones, England's current wicketkeeper, was raised in Queensland.
After the one-dayer, let's go to Wimbledon when well-known Pom, Sir Cliff Richard (born in India), will lead the cheering for another popular Pom, Greg Rusedski (born in Canada).
Ah, Mother England.
Who knew you spread your favours so wide?
Driven by sheer snivelling, embarrassment and decades of being an international sporting joke, the desperate Brits have become Check Point Charlie in world sport.
They process foreign visas into English passports to turn foreigners into Poms the way ancient alchemists tried to turn other base material into gold.
Even their promising batsman Kevin Pietersen is about as English as a barbecue on the veldt.
He petulantly walked away from South African cricket and qualified for England because of his English-born mother.
When Australian born-and-raised fast bowler Martin McCague was picked in the England side in 1993 he was described as "the rat who joined a sinking ship".
Martin meet Kevin.
The reason England is delirious with joy at the moment and more on the nose than cheap perfume is because its cricket team won a one-dayer and a Twenty20 game against Australia.
That's it. Just winning a couple of puff-and-powder one-dayers was enough for England's cheeks to rouge with excitement and her crinoline petticoats to fly at mid-calf.
It is like being able to tell the difference between jellied eels and welks and saying you're a gourmet.
Australia have won the past eight Ashes series (in 1989 4-nil, 1991 3-nil, 1993 4-1, 1995 3-1, 1997 3-2, 1998-99 3-1, 2001 4-1, 2002-3 4-1.
In all that time, England have won just one "live" match (first Test 1997). The other wins were in dead rubbers where compassion might have stayed Australia's hand.
In one of the Tests a car backfired outside the ground and a player said loudly: "Good God, Mike Atherton's shot himself."
Atherton was steadily working his way towards a Test record 19 dismissals by Australian bowler Glenn McGrath at the time.
The most excited England became was in 1997 when they won all three one-day games and the first Test.
Then the heavens realigned themselves and Australia yelled "April Fool" and won the next three Tests by (1) 268 runs (2) an innings and 61 runs and (3) 264 runs.
When Sir Cliff is at Wimbledon he might talk to Lleyton Hewitt who says England might be sorry for poking the Tiger.
"I'm thinking that with England it will all come back to bite them," he said.
"England talk themselves up every time."
In New York Harbour the Statue of Liberty proclaims: "Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed to me."
The Poms have the same sign hanging off Brighton Pier, but they added an extra line.
"Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed to me.
"And we'll put them in our sporting teams and pretend they're home grown."
They were going to make offers to Japanese sportsmen but they could not reach agreement.
The whale wouldn't fit in the Thames.
One day Australia will lose the Ashes to England and it will be as horrific as waking up after a night on the drink in a room full of images of Camilla Parker Bowles.
But it won't be this year.
Original Article
That may be true, though all of the people mentioned as being English hold UK passports, which in my eyes qualifies them as being true Brits.
This train of thought then brought me to the Cricinfo Australian squad website, which quotes Andrew Symonds, the Australian Andrew Flintoff, as being born in Birmingham.
I also looked at the page for Stuart MacGill, or fully "Stuart Charles Glyndwr MacGill".
Stuart - Royal House of the UK 1603-1714
Charles - name of two UK kings, as well as the current heir to the throne
Glyndwr - Welsh nationalist from 1349-1416
Mac - Scottish prefix, indicating "son of"
Gill - English word, meaning "a valley or woody glen; a narrow dell with a brook running through it; a small stream"
But don't worry, he's definitely an Aussie!
If genealogy comes into one's qualification to play for a country, then the Aussies are all Brits, albeit the reject Brits removed in the 18th and 19th centuries.
A letter to the author of the Telegraph article asks:-
A cursory glance at the list of Australian athletes at the Athens Olympics will reveal, amongst others, Irina Lashko, a Russian born diver appearing under the Australian flag, Alex Parygin, who despite being born in Kazakhstan represented your country in the Modern Pentathlon, Miao Miao was born in China yet represented Australia as a swimmer, Sergo Chakhayan is an Armenian born Australian Olympic wrestler. And I assume you are lobbying for the Australian sporting authorities to return Russian born pole vaulter Tatiana GrigorievaÂ’s silver medal back to the International Olympic Committee forthwith?
So how about we wait until the Ashes and let the results speak for themselves?
Tim (British and proud!)
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Monday, June 20, 2005
blogging this week
When I said I was going to report on the Amsterdam Staff Band at the Rink, I may have been telling a few white lies. Nothing particularly interesting happened so I decided not to bother.
It is a special day for Nicole Kidman, who is 38 today, and for my blog, which reaches the ripe old age of 1 today.
I can still remember the happy Sunday afternoon when I stumbled across Blogger and decided to share my vast wealth of experience(!) with my pals.
We have seen some highs (like the Reading Festival) and some lows (like the Reading Festival aftermath) and shared in some momentous occasions. The UK General Election, The Presidential Election, Euro 2004, Wimbledon, Butlins at Bognor and two Gospel Arts Concerts!
Here's to another year of jollility and merriment!
Tim
It is a special day for Nicole Kidman, who is 38 today, and for my blog, which reaches the ripe old age of 1 today.
I can still remember the happy Sunday afternoon when I stumbled across Blogger and decided to share my vast wealth of experience(!) with my pals.
We have seen some highs (like the Reading Festival) and some lows (like the Reading Festival aftermath) and shared in some momentous occasions. The UK General Election, The Presidential Election, Euro 2004, Wimbledon, Butlins at Bognor and two Gospel Arts Concerts!
Here's to another year of jollility and merriment!
Tim
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
sounds of praise - gospel arts 2005
This weekend the time came round for the Army's annual Gospel Arts Concert, held once again at the Royal Albert Hall and entitled "Sounds of Praise"
The Internationla Staff Band kicked off the evening with a rousing rendition of JS Bach's "Toccata in D Minor", played to their usual high standard. As if in a subtle juxtaposition, the International Staff Songsters were next up with a piece entitled "With Wings As Eagles". I must say I was a little disappointed with their diction and performance, and if I didn't have a programme, would have guessed the piece to be called "With Wins as Eels".
After Major Peter Ayling's prayer/mini-sermon, the evening's guests, the Amsterdam Staff Band and VasaGospel, as well as cornet soloist David Daws.
The ASB started with a piece named "Vitae Lux", a nice and lively arrangement by Norwegians Frode Alnæs and Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen.
In the presence of the composer, Lt-Col Norman Bearcroft, David Daws played the solo he is most well known for, "Golden Slippers", ably accompanied by the ISB.
The ISB continued the programme with a Kevin Norbury piece, "Rhapsody On A Theme By Purcell", a piece which was heavy to say the least.
VasaGospel then brought two songs, both of which were well performed and well received.
The ASB's next contribution was "Sinfonietta - The Dawning" by Peter Graham, which served as the band's big piece for their "Symphony of Hope" tour of the UK. A number of people I spoke to during and after the evening felt this was a bit too much like a test piece and that it took a bit too long to get going. These comments notwithstanding, the piece was played well and appreciated by the most part of the audience.
The second half began with Michael Clack on the RAH organ (which presumably didn't break when he played it this time) playing the Marche Triomphale "Now Thank We All Our God". In my humble opinion those who consider this to be music perhaps will not see eye to eye with me on what music is.
Next up was "A Time of Praise and Worship" (what was the rest of the evening?) which did seem a) to be a token gesture and b) to be a little forced.
The ASB then brought "Chassidic Dance" by their leader Howard Evans, before VasaGospel brought another three songs, which were the same kind of songs as they had previously contributed.
David Daws brought two more solos, again accompanied by the ISB, "'Mid All The Traffic" and "Hejre Kati".
In an unexpected (or not on the programme at least) appearance by the TC, Lt-Col Cr Ray Steadman-Allen was awarded the Order of the Founder, and in a break from last year's tradition, the presentation and acceptance did not take an hour.
By this point, the concert had been going on for about 3 hours, and people were getting noticeably bored and agitated.
The ISB premiered a new Kenneth Downie piece, "King Of Heaven" based on the great hymn "Praise, My Soul". This was again rather heavy and not so well received due to the fact it was a long way into the evening.
The ISS then brought their feature on 25 years of ISS, featuring former members and leaders. Sadly they did not perform to the high standard one would expect of the premier Salvation army choir.
After Commisioner Helen Clifton brought a scripture message, the ISS brought the RSA piece "Vesper" and the evening was concluded with "Hail, Thou Once Despiséd Jesus". The Salvationist described this as "poignant" but I describe it as a bit raucous and too loud.
Back tomorrow with the happenings of Sunday at the Rink with the ASB.
Tim
The Internationla Staff Band kicked off the evening with a rousing rendition of JS Bach's "Toccata in D Minor", played to their usual high standard. As if in a subtle juxtaposition, the International Staff Songsters were next up with a piece entitled "With Wings As Eagles". I must say I was a little disappointed with their diction and performance, and if I didn't have a programme, would have guessed the piece to be called "With Wins as Eels".
After Major Peter Ayling's prayer/mini-sermon, the evening's guests, the Amsterdam Staff Band and VasaGospel, as well as cornet soloist David Daws.
The ASB started with a piece named "Vitae Lux", a nice and lively arrangement by Norwegians Frode Alnæs and Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen.
In the presence of the composer, Lt-Col Norman Bearcroft, David Daws played the solo he is most well known for, "Golden Slippers", ably accompanied by the ISB.
The ISB continued the programme with a Kevin Norbury piece, "Rhapsody On A Theme By Purcell", a piece which was heavy to say the least.
VasaGospel then brought two songs, both of which were well performed and well received.
The ASB's next contribution was "Sinfonietta - The Dawning" by Peter Graham, which served as the band's big piece for their "Symphony of Hope" tour of the UK. A number of people I spoke to during and after the evening felt this was a bit too much like a test piece and that it took a bit too long to get going. These comments notwithstanding, the piece was played well and appreciated by the most part of the audience.
The second half began with Michael Clack on the RAH organ (which presumably didn't break when he played it this time) playing the Marche Triomphale "Now Thank We All Our God". In my humble opinion those who consider this to be music perhaps will not see eye to eye with me on what music is.
Next up was "A Time of Praise and Worship" (what was the rest of the evening?) which did seem a) to be a token gesture and b) to be a little forced.
The ASB then brought "Chassidic Dance" by their leader Howard Evans, before VasaGospel brought another three songs, which were the same kind of songs as they had previously contributed.
David Daws brought two more solos, again accompanied by the ISB, "'Mid All The Traffic" and "Hejre Kati".
In an unexpected (or not on the programme at least) appearance by the TC, Lt-Col Cr Ray Steadman-Allen was awarded the Order of the Founder, and in a break from last year's tradition, the presentation and acceptance did not take an hour.
By this point, the concert had been going on for about 3 hours, and people were getting noticeably bored and agitated.
The ISB premiered a new Kenneth Downie piece, "King Of Heaven" based on the great hymn "Praise, My Soul". This was again rather heavy and not so well received due to the fact it was a long way into the evening.
The ISS then brought their feature on 25 years of ISS, featuring former members and leaders. Sadly they did not perform to the high standard one would expect of the premier Salvation army choir.
After Commisioner Helen Clifton brought a scripture message, the ISS brought the RSA piece "Vesper" and the evening was concluded with "Hail, Thou Once Despiséd Jesus". The Salvationist described this as "poignant" but I describe it as a bit raucous and too loud.
Back tomorrow with the happenings of Sunday at the Rink with the ASB.
Tim
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
jackson trial over - acquitted
So Michael Jackson, the self-styled King of Pop, has been acquitted of all child abuse claims against him. What almost evaded the news were the interviews with the jurors, many of whom believed him guilty but felt unable to reach a guilty verdict due to insufficient evidence. The man had a lucky escape!
Tonight's Evening Standard had an interesting headline:-
Jackson: I will stop sleeping with boys
Almost seems like a token gesture!
Timo
Tonight's Evening Standard had an interesting headline:-
Jackson: I will stop sleeping with boys
Almost seems like a token gesture!
Timo
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
live 8 and g8
I was curious as to what G8 is and what they do, so I checked it out. My findings are thus:-
"The G8 stands for the 'Group of Eight' nations. It began in 1975 when President Giscard d'Estaing of France invited the leaders of Japan, the USA, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy to Rambouillet, near Paris, to discuss the economic problems of the day. The group expanded to include Canada in 1976 and Russia in 1998. Unlike many other international bodies, the G8 does not have a fixed structure or a permanent administration. It is up to the country that has the Presidency to set the agenda and organise the annual G8 Summit.
At the Summit, the leaders of the eight member countries discuss major issues of the day. They seek to reach informal agreements on measures that they can take individually, but in a cooperative manner, to achieve their goals more effectively. At each Summit, leaders agree upon certain initiatives; there are follow-up meetings throughout the year to make sure commitments are being honoured.
G8 Summits are hugely important if we are to manage the effects of globalisation, a task more relevant today than ever before. The G8 is able to help secure political commitment to action on key global issues. It involves the Heads of Government of the major economic powers and their decisions can make a real impact. The G8 is unique in bringing together the key like-minded players from Asia, Europe and North America. This small, informal grouping is still capable of setting the agenda thanks to the economic and political weight of its members and their shared commitment to global security and prosperity. As well as being an opportunity for the world’s leaders to discuss major issues, G8 summits have achieved many concrete things such as:
* Setting up the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Health Fund). Between them, the G8 have given $1.4bn to this fund. This money is now being used for many different projects: rebuilding clinics in Sierra Leone and training over 2000 healthcare workers in India are just two examples.
* Establishing a new relationship with Africa with the G8 Africa Action Plan in response to the African-led New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
* Making safe nuclear facilities in Russia, through the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction: $20bn was pledged over 10 years for this initiative.
* Launching the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, an agreed process for cancelling the debt of the world’s poorest countries.
Action against money laundering (through the Financial Action Task Forces). The G8 led in setting up these regional task forces, which many other countries have now joined. They have produced specific recommendations to prevent criminals and terrorists financing their operations.
The main themes for the G8 in 2005 are Africa and climate change. Both are pressing issues for the world. Africa demands particular attention as the world’s poorest continent. Climate change is happening and should be of concern for all. Holding the G8 Presidency gives the UK the chance to focus international attention on tackling these issues."
taken from the G8 Gleneagles 2005 official site
In recognition of the Scottish location of this year's summit, an official tartan has been produced
In addition to this, I can only ask that you support the Live8 and Sail8 campaigns via the official websites, as well as the Make Poverty History campaign
Toodles
Timo
"The G8 stands for the 'Group of Eight' nations. It began in 1975 when President Giscard d'Estaing of France invited the leaders of Japan, the USA, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy to Rambouillet, near Paris, to discuss the economic problems of the day. The group expanded to include Canada in 1976 and Russia in 1998. Unlike many other international bodies, the G8 does not have a fixed structure or a permanent administration. It is up to the country that has the Presidency to set the agenda and organise the annual G8 Summit.
At the Summit, the leaders of the eight member countries discuss major issues of the day. They seek to reach informal agreements on measures that they can take individually, but in a cooperative manner, to achieve their goals more effectively. At each Summit, leaders agree upon certain initiatives; there are follow-up meetings throughout the year to make sure commitments are being honoured.
G8 Summits are hugely important if we are to manage the effects of globalisation, a task more relevant today than ever before. The G8 is able to help secure political commitment to action on key global issues. It involves the Heads of Government of the major economic powers and their decisions can make a real impact. The G8 is unique in bringing together the key like-minded players from Asia, Europe and North America. This small, informal grouping is still capable of setting the agenda thanks to the economic and political weight of its members and their shared commitment to global security and prosperity. As well as being an opportunity for the world’s leaders to discuss major issues, G8 summits have achieved many concrete things such as:
* Setting up the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Health Fund). Between them, the G8 have given $1.4bn to this fund. This money is now being used for many different projects: rebuilding clinics in Sierra Leone and training over 2000 healthcare workers in India are just two examples.
* Establishing a new relationship with Africa with the G8 Africa Action Plan in response to the African-led New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
* Making safe nuclear facilities in Russia, through the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction: $20bn was pledged over 10 years for this initiative.
* Launching the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, an agreed process for cancelling the debt of the world’s poorest countries.
Action against money laundering (through the Financial Action Task Forces). The G8 led in setting up these regional task forces, which many other countries have now joined. They have produced specific recommendations to prevent criminals and terrorists financing their operations.
The main themes for the G8 in 2005 are Africa and climate change. Both are pressing issues for the world. Africa demands particular attention as the world’s poorest continent. Climate change is happening and should be of concern for all. Holding the G8 Presidency gives the UK the chance to focus international attention on tackling these issues."
taken from the G8 Gleneagles 2005 official site
In recognition of the Scottish location of this year's summit, an official tartan has been produced
In addition to this, I can only ask that you support the Live8 and Sail8 campaigns via the official websites, as well as the Make Poverty History campaign
Toodles
Timo
random stuff from the past week or so
Whilst on a quick jaunt around the South Bank, where I bought a new book, the excellent "Baghdad Blog" - linked on the left - I took what I think is a cool picture of the London Eye
I also spotted a pigeon on the Tube, which I helped to escape after a few stops!
I also spotted a box of rat poison with an ironically amusing warning on it.
Surely the rats don't eat the poison and die of the box is kept away from children and animals...
Timmy
I also spotted a pigeon on the Tube, which I helped to escape after a few stops!
I also spotted a box of rat poison with an ironically amusing warning on it.
Surely the rats don't eat the poison and die of the box is kept away from children and animals...
Timmy
work work work
Hey folks!
After what feels like a month of working continuously at the Rink coffee shop, I finally have a few days off! So I will return to my blgging ways hopefully, and give you all the exclusive goss on bad warnings on rat poison, pigeons on the tube and other random stuff that has happened in the past few weeks!
Magique
After what feels like a month of working continuously at the Rink coffee shop, I finally have a few days off! So I will return to my blgging ways hopefully, and give you all the exclusive goss on bad warnings on rat poison, pigeons on the tube and other random stuff that has happened in the past few weeks!
Magique
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