Was it just me, or does anyone else think the reaction to Martin Taylor's tackle on Eduardo was ridiculous? I think it was more of a freak injury than a bad tackle. Nonetheless, it ensured plenty of media coverage and earned the match between Birmingham and Arsenal the coveted first spot on Match of the Day.
Round 8 of the Promroiship was dominated by the challenge on Eduardo, which was considered more important than Manchester United's thumping of Newcastle. The Croatian striker was treated at Selly Oak hospital, where contrary to previous media reports (which as usual are never properly corrected) he is in no danger of being abused by Muslim visitors to civilian wards. We wish him all the best and hope he makes a speedy recovery.
Manchester United remained at the top despite a Promroiship losing performance against the not-so-mighty Toons. Thrashing a team 5-1 may help you in the Premier League, but it justifies an early appearance on MOTD which is why they only got 18 points this week. Derby are third from bottom despite another notch on the Gubbometer, thanks to yet another non-appearance on MOTD by Blackburn and Aston Villa. These two teams are sabotaging my entire scoring system.
A reminder, points are calculated using the following formula:
(Points for position in running order - number of goals in match) * number of matches on MOTD
where a team gets 10 points for featuring in the first match, 9 for the second etc.
Promroiship Results February 23rd 2008 (Match of the Day Running Order)
Birmingham City vs Arsenal...........(10-4)*6=36
Newcastle vs Manchester United.......(9-6)*6=18
Liverpool vs Middlesbrough...........(8-5)*6=18
Fulham vs West Ham United............(7-1)*6=36
Portsmouth vs Sunderland.............(6-1)*6=30
Wigan Athletic vs Derby County.......(5-2)*6=18
The Promroiship Table after Round 8
Manchester United ...276*
Arsenal .............242*
Tottenham Hotspur....233
Birmingham City......230*
Chelsea .............231
Reading .............219
Everton .............215
West Ham United......204*
Portsmouth ..........203*
Fulham ..............178*
Newcastle United.....173*
Middlesbrough .......163*
Liverpool ...........162*
Bolton Wanderers ....155
Sunderland ..........150*
Wigan Athletic ......126*
Manchester City .....124
Derby County..........92*
Aston Villa ..........75
Blackburn Rovers......61
* indicates match played in Round 8
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Socialist Choice
Unlike some bloggers, the People's Republic was glad that Northern Rock was taken under state ownership earlier this week. The only criticism would be that it should have happened sooner. The Conservative Party have started bleating that we are back to the nationalisations of the 70's which wrecked the economy. Personally, I am just glad we are not back to the botched privatisations of the 90's in which they sold off the family silver to their rich mates below cost price in terrible deals for the taxpayer and the consumer.
As far as I can see it there were three choices: leaving Northern Rock to the mercy of the market; a botched privatisation in which the taxpayer would have underwritten the debts while shareholders of the takeover company pocket the profits; or nationalisation. Now, there is a lot to be said for the first one and this would be the choice for anyone who truly believes in laissez-faire capitalism. However, the Conservatives preferred the second option, in which the rich would make money with any mistakes covered by poor old Joe Public through taxation. For them, this is true to form. The privatisation of water under the Conservatives left us with the worst of both worlds, with shareholder profiting from a monopoly industry (just try phoning Severn Trent with a query and timing how long you wait; in proper capitalism, you would close your account and take your business elsewhere). Then they sold of our railways on the cheap in such a way that there was no competition on any given route, thus offering no incentive for lower prices and better services. Gas and electricity almost worked, until you take into account the latest price hikes. With the telephone networks, BT's size and control of the networks leaves them with an unfair advantage; remember how they held back broadband? How anyone who genuinely believes in free markets can support the Conservative position is absolutely beyond me. Unfortunately, botched private/ public partnerships and private protectionism also became the bedrock of New Labour's economic theory; trying to sell off the Tote to their horse-racing mates was just one of the examples that springs, not to mention the many failed PFI ideas.
The reason why I believe in the third option above is that the credit crunch is unprecedented, in recent years at least. The whole market seems to be affected, and the main central banks are so concerned they have come together to try and limit the damage. The first option is an acceptable way of doing things, but would have left many customers anxious as their life savings (although protected by regulation) faced an uncertain future. The third option at least protects the consumer and gives some stability to the banking sector. It is not without its downsides however. After all, will some banks decide to gamble recklessly with other peoples money, safe in the knowledge that if they mess up the government will come in and save the day? I personally do not think banks think like this, but it does raise the precedent of state intervention in such circumstances.
For those of us with a soft spot for socialism however, the best thing about this privatisation is that it allows us to play the free marketeers at their own game. I can choose to bank in a nationalised industry, which at the moment offers some very competitive savings rates, safe in the knowledge that the savings are guaranteed. For once, it is not the shareholders getting the best deal. It is the ordinary man on the street.
I think I will go and open an account in the bank which I own through the Government right away.
As far as I can see it there were three choices: leaving Northern Rock to the mercy of the market; a botched privatisation in which the taxpayer would have underwritten the debts while shareholders of the takeover company pocket the profits; or nationalisation. Now, there is a lot to be said for the first one and this would be the choice for anyone who truly believes in laissez-faire capitalism. However, the Conservatives preferred the second option, in which the rich would make money with any mistakes covered by poor old Joe Public through taxation. For them, this is true to form. The privatisation of water under the Conservatives left us with the worst of both worlds, with shareholder profiting from a monopoly industry (just try phoning Severn Trent with a query and timing how long you wait; in proper capitalism, you would close your account and take your business elsewhere). Then they sold of our railways on the cheap in such a way that there was no competition on any given route, thus offering no incentive for lower prices and better services. Gas and electricity almost worked, until you take into account the latest price hikes. With the telephone networks, BT's size and control of the networks leaves them with an unfair advantage; remember how they held back broadband? How anyone who genuinely believes in free markets can support the Conservative position is absolutely beyond me. Unfortunately, botched private/ public partnerships and private protectionism also became the bedrock of New Labour's economic theory; trying to sell off the Tote to their horse-racing mates was just one of the examples that springs, not to mention the many failed PFI ideas.
The reason why I believe in the third option above is that the credit crunch is unprecedented, in recent years at least. The whole market seems to be affected, and the main central banks are so concerned they have come together to try and limit the damage. The first option is an acceptable way of doing things, but would have left many customers anxious as their life savings (although protected by regulation) faced an uncertain future. The third option at least protects the consumer and gives some stability to the banking sector. It is not without its downsides however. After all, will some banks decide to gamble recklessly with other peoples money, safe in the knowledge that if they mess up the government will come in and save the day? I personally do not think banks think like this, but it does raise the precedent of state intervention in such circumstances.
For those of us with a soft spot for socialism however, the best thing about this privatisation is that it allows us to play the free marketeers at their own game. I can choose to bank in a nationalised industry, which at the moment offers some very competitive savings rates, safe in the knowledge that the savings are guaranteed. For once, it is not the shareholders getting the best deal. It is the ordinary man on the street.
I think I will go and open an account in the bank which I own through the Government right away.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Another Declaration of Independence
Europe got its newest nation earlier this week. No, the existence of the People's Republic has not finally been recognised by the UN. Rather Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, ending nearly ten years under the jurisdiction of the UN. The declaration of independence has been backed by most EU countries and the US, while Cyprus, Slovakia and Romania join the Russians in opposing it.
But let's hold on a minute. The US supporting the independence of a predominantly Muslim country from a Christian one? Can this happen in the post 9/11 world? Of course it can; as I pointed out previously, US policy is not anti-Islamic but depends on the situation and the interests in the region the US has. I will not be holding my breath for an Osama Bin Laden video praising the US roll in Kosovo's independence, neither will I be expecting idiots from MPAC to give the US and NATO any credit. It kind of blows there "US is the enemy of Islam" empty rhetoric out of the water".
Kosovo's independence does raise interesting questions however. In the words of one Serbian, how can someone kick you out of your own house?. Should an immigrant community, once settled, be allowed to declare independence from its host community? There is precedent for this of course; Jewish immigration to the Holy Land led to the creation of Israel after the Second World War. It could be argued that America and Australia were among modern nation states founded in a similar way, although these waves of immigration took place without the permission of the natives at the time. How far do we go back? Did the Anglo-Saxons wrong to carve out England over the centuries from the culture of the Celtic Brits? What about before them? And in future, will we see Britain pockmarked by pockets of a new Islamic nation, operating under Sharia Law with the blessing of the Archbishop of Canterbury?
These questions are difficult. I believe immigration is generally a good thing, allowing cultures and ideas to fuse and flourish. I think the problem lies with the concept of the modern nation state, which is all too often based on the restrictive notions of the ethnicity and culture of a certain population (not always the majority) rather than protection of the rights and freedoms of the individual, whose efforts often make a country what it is.
But let's hold on a minute. The US supporting the independence of a predominantly Muslim country from a Christian one? Can this happen in the post 9/11 world? Of course it can; as I pointed out previously, US policy is not anti-Islamic but depends on the situation and the interests in the region the US has. I will not be holding my breath for an Osama Bin Laden video praising the US roll in Kosovo's independence, neither will I be expecting idiots from MPAC to give the US and NATO any credit. It kind of blows there "US is the enemy of Islam" empty rhetoric out of the water".
Kosovo's independence does raise interesting questions however. In the words of one Serbian, how can someone kick you out of your own house?. Should an immigrant community, once settled, be allowed to declare independence from its host community? There is precedent for this of course; Jewish immigration to the Holy Land led to the creation of Israel after the Second World War. It could be argued that America and Australia were among modern nation states founded in a similar way, although these waves of immigration took place without the permission of the natives at the time. How far do we go back? Did the Anglo-Saxons wrong to carve out England over the centuries from the culture of the Celtic Brits? What about before them? And in future, will we see Britain pockmarked by pockets of a new Islamic nation, operating under Sharia Law with the blessing of the Archbishop of Canterbury?
These questions are difficult. I believe immigration is generally a good thing, allowing cultures and ideas to fuse and flourish. I think the problem lies with the concept of the modern nation state, which is all too often based on the restrictive notions of the ethnicity and culture of a certain population (not always the majority) rather than protection of the rights and freedoms of the individual, whose efforts often make a country what it is.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Cloverfield
The Promroiship took a break this weekend to make way for the FA Cup, leaving me with an opportunity to go to the cinema to see Cloverfield, the new film produced by JJ Abrams of Lost/ Alias fame.
The best way to describe the film is Godzilla meets Blair Witch Project starring the Alien's big brother; the events surrounding a monster terrorising Manhatten happens to be captured on film by a group of young people armed with a video camera. As they try to escape the monster and save their friends, they happen to get some astonishing close-ups of the entity and the army's attempts to subdue it.
The film taps into the post 9/11 / 7/7 collective consciousness by exploring what it would be like to be caught up in a city under attack (albeit by a monster rather than Islamist terrorists). As one building collapses, our heroes take shelter in a shop to avoid the dust cloud which consumes the streets, and later on they find themselves walking down subway tunnels in the dark in an attempt to reach safety. I was unsure whether this film was a direct consequence of the aforementioned attacks, and whether it is as yet OK to use these circumstances in an attempt to create a box office hit.
Morality aside however, the fact this film was excellent was marked by the silence of the audience as the final scenes ended and the credits started to roll. I got the sense that the audience would have liked the film to continue a bit longer, being rather short at just under one hour thirty minutes. Or maybe they were just terrified of what would happen on the way home as they entered central Birmingham...
The best way to describe the film is Godzilla meets Blair Witch Project starring the Alien's big brother; the events surrounding a monster terrorising Manhatten happens to be captured on film by a group of young people armed with a video camera. As they try to escape the monster and save their friends, they happen to get some astonishing close-ups of the entity and the army's attempts to subdue it.
The film taps into the post 9/11 / 7/7 collective consciousness by exploring what it would be like to be caught up in a city under attack (albeit by a monster rather than Islamist terrorists). As one building collapses, our heroes take shelter in a shop to avoid the dust cloud which consumes the streets, and later on they find themselves walking down subway tunnels in the dark in an attempt to reach safety. I was unsure whether this film was a direct consequence of the aforementioned attacks, and whether it is as yet OK to use these circumstances in an attempt to create a box office hit.
Morality aside however, the fact this film was excellent was marked by the silence of the audience as the final scenes ended and the credits started to roll. I got the sense that the audience would have liked the film to continue a bit longer, being rather short at just under one hour thirty minutes. Or maybe they were just terrified of what would happen on the way home as they entered central Birmingham...
Thursday, February 14, 2008
From Brum, With Love
When I was at University one of my Muslim friends joined the Society for Future Husbands of Britney Spears (apparently it was either that or the Taliban). I did not bother as I thought there was no hope of her ever marrying a Brummie of Asian origin.
Shows what I know.
The website is now defunct but given her track record there is surely plenty of hope yet for anyone who decides to marry the schoolgirl-clad songstress one more time.
Does anyone know if Christina Aguilera is still available?
Shows what I know.
The website is now defunct but given her track record there is surely plenty of hope yet for anyone who decides to marry the schoolgirl-clad songstress one more time.
Does anyone know if Christina Aguilera is still available?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Wheeling Around
Finally! The New Street redevelopment project has been given the go-ahead after the government released the remaining cash. Regular readers will know this is one of my favourite topics (see here, here, here and here). With a new coach station also on the way, the first impression people get of Brum will finally be closer to reality.
Why retire a good strapline? The Sun resurrect the Talibrum headline that they previously used during the plot-to-behead-a-British-Muslim-soldier case. Of course, the fact there is very little substance to the story and that the Black Country is not part of Birmingham will not get in the way of a good headline.
It appears London is slipping behind in the world's largest Ferris Wheel league table. Perhaps they can retain world class city status by building a giant merry-go-round instead?
And finally... in the South it is about race; in the North it is about gender. A detailed analysis of the demographics of the support of Clinton and Obama.
Why retire a good strapline? The Sun resurrect the Talibrum headline that they previously used during the plot-to-behead-a-British-Muslim-soldier case. Of course, the fact there is very little substance to the story and that the Black Country is not part of Birmingham will not get in the way of a good headline.
It appears London is slipping behind in the world's largest Ferris Wheel league table. Perhaps they can retain world class city status by building a giant merry-go-round instead?
And finally... in the South it is about race; in the North it is about gender. A detailed analysis of the demographics of the support of Clinton and Obama.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Spurs Denied Top Spot by Odd Running Order
I think I might catch a quick nap after writing this post because according to the BBC website Birmingham City are last on Match of the Day again, which means there is nothing decent on TV until at least 11.30pm, and as Birmingham City will be "playing football" at that time there will be nothing decent on then either.
Round 7 of the Promroiship contained none of the Big Four (presumably they were trying to arrange some money-spinning fixtures overseas for the 2010/11 season) leaving the lesser clubs a rare opportunity to be the main feature on MOTD. Aston Villa's thumping of Newcastle meant they took full advantage of the fixture list, but the number of goals they scored did their Promroiship title hopes no good at all. In fact, the BBC were in a no-win situation today given that there was a two goal difference between the highest scoring and second highest scoring game, which meant that even if they ran the programme on the number of goals scored in each match, Villa and Newcastle would have scored less points than the next highest scorers, Tottenham and Derby. In theory this should make it harder for teams like Manchester United and Arsenal to win the Promroiship, as their cricket score victories over the Premier League fillers damage their Promroiship hopes. Yet so far, Manchester United still lead the Promroiship, despite not even being top of the Premier League. How strange.
However, the BBC have put on an incredibly bizarre running order with a string of 1-0 victories coming higher than the game where three goals were scored. They must have been cracking matches for this to happen. It is a pity I will be asleep when they are on.
Promroiship Results February 9th 2008 (Match of the Day Running Order)
Aston Villa v Newcastle......(10-5)*7=35
Everton v Reading ..............(9-1)*7=56
Sunderland v Wigan............(8-2)*7=42
Middlesbrough v Fulham....(7-1)*7=42
Bolton v Portsmouth............(6-1)*7=35
Derby v Tottenham.............(5-3)*7=14
West Ham v Birmingham....(4-2)*7=14
The Promroiship Table after Round 7
Manchester United ......258
Tottenham Hotspur......233*
Chelsea ........................231
Reading .......................219*
Everton .......................215*
Arsenal ........................206
Birmingham City........194*
Portsmouth ................173*
West Ham United.......168*
Newcastle United........155*
Bolton Wanderers ......155*
Middlesbrough ...........145*
Liverpool .....................144
Fulham .........................140*
Manchester City .........124
Sunderland ..................120*
Wigan Athletic .............108*
Aston Villa ....................75*
Derby County................74*
Blackburn Rovers..........61
* indicates match played in Round 7
Round 7 of the Promroiship contained none of the Big Four (presumably they were trying to arrange some money-spinning fixtures overseas for the 2010/11 season) leaving the lesser clubs a rare opportunity to be the main feature on MOTD. Aston Villa's thumping of Newcastle meant they took full advantage of the fixture list, but the number of goals they scored did their Promroiship title hopes no good at all. In fact, the BBC were in a no-win situation today given that there was a two goal difference between the highest scoring and second highest scoring game, which meant that even if they ran the programme on the number of goals scored in each match, Villa and Newcastle would have scored less points than the next highest scorers, Tottenham and Derby. In theory this should make it harder for teams like Manchester United and Arsenal to win the Promroiship, as their cricket score victories over the Premier League fillers damage their Promroiship hopes. Yet so far, Manchester United still lead the Promroiship, despite not even being top of the Premier League. How strange.
However, the BBC have put on an incredibly bizarre running order with a string of 1-0 victories coming higher than the game where three goals were scored. They must have been cracking matches for this to happen. It is a pity I will be asleep when they are on.
Promroiship Results February 9th 2008 (Match of the Day Running Order)
Aston Villa v Newcastle......(10-5)*7=35
Everton v Reading ..............(9-1)*7=56
Sunderland v Wigan............(8-2)*7=42
Middlesbrough v Fulham....(7-1)*7=42
Bolton v Portsmouth............(6-1)*7=35
Derby v Tottenham.............(5-3)*7=14
West Ham v Birmingham....(4-2)*7=14
The Promroiship Table after Round 7
Manchester United ......258
Tottenham Hotspur......233*
Chelsea ........................231
Reading .......................219*
Everton .......................215*
Arsenal ........................206
Birmingham City........194*
Portsmouth ................173*
West Ham United.......168*
Newcastle United........155*
Bolton Wanderers ......155*
Middlesbrough ...........145*
Liverpool .....................144
Fulham .........................140*
Manchester City .........124
Sunderland ..................120*
Wigan Athletic .............108*
Aston Villa ....................75*
Derby County................74*
Blackburn Rovers..........61
* indicates match played in Round 7
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Duncan Edwards 1936 - 1958
Today is the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. Regular readers may know that I am not much of a Manchester United fan; indeed you could say the reverse. Some things however transcend football's tribal nature.
Probably the most famous victim was Duncan Edwards, who I only recently discovered was a son of the West Midlands. He was born and is buried in Dudley. I discovered this website, which is a useful guide to anyone who is interested in exploring Duncan's life and roots.
The Manchester derby is on Sunday in which the commercial behemoth that is Manchester United will play in a replica of the 1950's kit without any sponsorship. Manchester City will also be playing in a special kit. Let's hope the fans also mark the occasion with an impeccably observed minute's silence.
Probably the most famous victim was Duncan Edwards, who I only recently discovered was a son of the West Midlands. He was born and is buried in Dudley. I discovered this website, which is a useful guide to anyone who is interested in exploring Duncan's life and roots.
The Manchester derby is on Sunday in which the commercial behemoth that is Manchester United will play in a replica of the 1950's kit without any sponsorship. Manchester City will also be playing in a special kit. Let's hope the fans also mark the occasion with an impeccably observed minute's silence.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Robbie Savages Brum's Promroiship Hopes
Arsenal may have returned to the top of the Premiership, but the gap between Manchester United and Arsenal widened in Round 6 of the Promroiship (formerly the PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index). Despite being first on MOTD, Arsenal's match had two more goals which left the Red Devils with more Promroiship points than their Premiership title rival.
When Robbie Savage first left Birmingham, the Blues were relegated that season from the Premiership (does anyone know if Derby is closer to Wales?). His return to St. Andrews yesterday saw Birmingham return to the bottom three in the Premiership, and drop another two places in the Promroiship after leading the competition for much of January. Playing Derby is a curse on MOTD as it seems to be a no-brainer amongst the programme's producers to put them on last, despite a nil-nil bore draw yesterday between Blackburn and Everton yesterday; indeed Derby are romping the Gubbometer. However, amazingly Villa prop up the Promroiship after missing yet another Saturday kick-off. I am starting to wonder if the entire north half of the city have become Seventh Day Adventists.
A reminder, Promroiship points are calculated as follows:
Last weeks points + (Points for position in the MOTD Running Order - Number of Goals in Match)*number of matches on MOTD.
The Promroiship Table after Round 6
Manchester United ......202+(9-2)*8=258
Chelsea ...........................183+(8-2)*8=231
Tottenham Hotspur......163+(9-2)*8=219
Arsenal ...........................158+(10-4)*8=206
Birmingham City...........172+(3-2)*8=180
Reading ..........................131+(6-2)*8=163
Everton ..........................127+(4-0)*8=159
West Ham United..........122+(5-1)*8=154
Liverpool ........................112+(7-3)*8=144
Portsmouth ....................90+(8-2)*8=138
Manchester City ............76+(10-4)*8=124
Newcastle United...........(no match) 120
Bolton Wanderers .........88+(6-2)*8=120
Middlesbrough ..............(no match) 103
Fulham ...........................(no match) 98
Sunderland .....................46+(7-3)*8=78
Wigan Athletic ................34+(5-1)*8=66
Blackburn Rovers ..........29+(4-0)*8=61
Derby County..................52+(3-2)*8=60
Aston Villa .......................(no match) 40
When Robbie Savage first left Birmingham, the Blues were relegated that season from the Premiership (does anyone know if Derby is closer to Wales?). His return to St. Andrews yesterday saw Birmingham return to the bottom three in the Premiership, and drop another two places in the Promroiship after leading the competition for much of January. Playing Derby is a curse on MOTD as it seems to be a no-brainer amongst the programme's producers to put them on last, despite a nil-nil bore draw yesterday between Blackburn and Everton yesterday; indeed Derby are romping the Gubbometer. However, amazingly Villa prop up the Promroiship after missing yet another Saturday kick-off. I am starting to wonder if the entire north half of the city have become Seventh Day Adventists.
A reminder, Promroiship points are calculated as follows:
Last weeks points + (Points for position in the MOTD Running Order - Number of Goals in Match)*number of matches on MOTD.
The Promroiship Table after Round 6
Manchester United ......202+(9-2)*8=258
Chelsea ...........................183+(8-2)*8=231
Tottenham Hotspur......163+(9-2)*8=219
Arsenal ...........................158+(10-4)*8=206
Birmingham City...........172+(3-2)*8=180
Reading ..........................131+(6-2)*8=163
Everton ..........................127+(4-0)*8=159
West Ham United..........122+(5-1)*8=154
Liverpool ........................112+(7-3)*8=144
Portsmouth ....................90+(8-2)*8=138
Manchester City ............76+(10-4)*8=124
Newcastle United...........(no match) 120
Bolton Wanderers .........88+(6-2)*8=120
Middlesbrough ..............(no match) 103
Fulham ...........................(no match) 98
Sunderland .....................46+(7-3)*8=78
Wigan Athletic ................34+(5-1)*8=66
Blackburn Rovers ..........29+(4-0)*8=61
Derby County..................52+(3-2)*8=60
Aston Villa .......................(no match) 40
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Brumney Spears
According to the Daily Star, Britney Spears adopted her boyfriend's Brummie accent as doctors tested her sanity in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center a few weeks ago.
She was admitted to hospital yesterday as a result of ongoing mental health problems. Rumours suggest that the doctors decided to act quickly after discovering she really was mad (for it) when she started speaking in Mancunian.
She was admitted to hospital yesterday as a result of ongoing mental health problems. Rumours suggest that the doctors decided to act quickly after discovering she really was mad (for it) when she started speaking in Mancunian.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Devils Benefit From Late Kick-off
On the final day of the season, all the matches kick off together to ensure no-one benefits from knowing the result they require in advance. Although results do not matter in the PRoBrum Match of the Day Running Order Index, those who played on Wednesday benefited from an earlier appearance on Match of the Day, allowing Manchester United to return to the top of the PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index as well as the Premier League.
Does this mean the scoring system is unfair? I think not. The BBC made a decision to have one MOTD on Wednesday rather than one on each day, and in any case, they could have shown the matches in chronological order which cynics might say they would have done if it had benefitted Manchester United. Birmingham City, who lead the league throughout February, dropped to third as a result of the lower exposure of the Tuesday contests.
More interestingly, Villa and Blackburn who got 8 point by appearing as the only Premier League matches on Saturday probably would have got more if they had played on Tuesday or Wednesday night as a result of the multiplier related to the number of games. I don't think this is a huge problem, as the PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index was always supposed to be a measure of how much overexposure a team gets on MOTD with a fullish fixture list rather than a measure of which teams are always last on the show; for the latter, it's the Gubbometer you are after.
Manchester United ....130+(10-2)*9=202
Chelsea ........................120+(8-1)*9=183
Birmingham City.........154+(4-2)*9=172
Tottenham ..................100+(7-0)*9=163
Arsenal ........................140+(5-3)*9=158
Reading .........................68+(8-1)*9=131
Everton .........................64+(7-0)*9=127
West Ham United.........50+(9-1)*9=122
Newcastle United........102+(5-3)*9=120
Liverpool ......................40+(9-1)*9=112
Middlesbrough ..............85+(3-1)*9=103
Fulham ..........................80+(2-0)*9=98
Portsmouth ..................18+(10-2)*9=90
Bolton Wanderers ........70+(2-0)*9=88
Manchester City ..........40+(6-2)*9=76
Derby County...............16+(6-2)*9=52
Sunderland ...................28+(4-2)*9=46
Aston Villa ....................(no match) 40
Wigan Athletic .............16+(3-1)*9=34
Blackburn Rovers ........(no match) 29
Finally, I will have to retire from blogging early from RSI if I keep having to type "PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index" every time, so I have decided to shorten it. Taking the initial letters, a few inbetween and adding "ship" to the end, you get "Promroiship", which quite interestingly, nearly sounds like a bad cockney impersonation of a drunk Brummie saying "Premiership".
A perfect name, I'm sure you will agree.
Does this mean the scoring system is unfair? I think not. The BBC made a decision to have one MOTD on Wednesday rather than one on each day, and in any case, they could have shown the matches in chronological order which cynics might say they would have done if it had benefitted Manchester United. Birmingham City, who lead the league throughout February, dropped to third as a result of the lower exposure of the Tuesday contests.
More interestingly, Villa and Blackburn who got 8 point by appearing as the only Premier League matches on Saturday probably would have got more if they had played on Tuesday or Wednesday night as a result of the multiplier related to the number of games. I don't think this is a huge problem, as the PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index was always supposed to be a measure of how much overexposure a team gets on MOTD with a fullish fixture list rather than a measure of which teams are always last on the show; for the latter, it's the Gubbometer you are after.
Manchester United ....130+(10-2)*9=202
Chelsea ........................120+(8-1)*9=183
Birmingham City.........154+(4-2)*9=172
Tottenham ..................100+(7-0)*9=163
Arsenal ........................140+(5-3)*9=158
Reading .........................68+(8-1)*9=131
Everton .........................64+(7-0)*9=127
West Ham United.........50+(9-1)*9=122
Newcastle United........102+(5-3)*9=120
Liverpool ......................40+(9-1)*9=112
Middlesbrough ..............85+(3-1)*9=103
Fulham ..........................80+(2-0)*9=98
Portsmouth ..................18+(10-2)*9=90
Bolton Wanderers ........70+(2-0)*9=88
Manchester City ..........40+(6-2)*9=76
Derby County...............16+(6-2)*9=52
Sunderland ...................28+(4-2)*9=46
Aston Villa ....................(no match) 40
Wigan Athletic .............16+(3-1)*9=34
Blackburn Rovers ........(no match) 29
Finally, I will have to retire from blogging early from RSI if I keep having to type "PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index" every time, so I have decided to shorten it. Taking the initial letters, a few inbetween and adding "ship" to the end, you get "Promroiship", which quite interestingly, nearly sounds like a bad cockney impersonation of a drunk Brummie saying "Premiership".
A perfect name, I'm sure you will agree.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Early Cup Exits Improve League Postions
'It allows us to concentrate on the League' has been the mantra of many a manager whose team has exited the worlds greatest domestic club cup competition at an early stage and yesterday saw Aston Villa and Blackburn obtain an immediate return at least as far as PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index was concerned. Missing out on Round 4 of the FA Cup meant they were the only Premiership teams playing on MOTD in Round 4 of the PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index and of course one of the rules in the initial post was that only Premiership matches count, leaving both Aston Villa and Blackburn achieving ten points for being the first Premiership match on MOTD, with two points being subtracted for each goal scored in the match. Mulitplying by the number of Premiership matches on MOTD (one) leaves both clubs with eight points added to their tally.
Birmingham 154
Arsenal 140
Manchester United 130
Chelsea 120
Newcastle 102
Tottenham 100
Middlesbrough 85
Fulham 80
Bolton 70
Reading 68
Everton 64
West Ham 50
Aston Villa 40
Liverpool 40
Manchester City 40
Blackburn 29
Sunderland 28
Portsmouth 18
Derby 16
Wigan 16
Villa vs Blackburn was actually the fifth match featured on MOTD last night, and I did toy with giving them the number of points usually given to the teams featuring fifth (six points) as the original rules were actually a bit vague on yesterday's unusual situation. In the end, I decided against this because more Premiership matches shown at the end of an FA Cup show would leave teams no longer taking part in the FA Cup with potentially large negative scoring.
Birmingham 154
Arsenal 140
Manchester United 130
Chelsea 120
Newcastle 102
Tottenham 100
Middlesbrough 85
Fulham 80
Bolton 70
Reading 68
Everton 64
West Ham 50
Aston Villa 40
Liverpool 40
Manchester City 40
Blackburn 29
Sunderland 28
Portsmouth 18
Derby 16
Wigan 16
Villa vs Blackburn was actually the fifth match featured on MOTD last night, and I did toy with giving them the number of points usually given to the teams featuring fifth (six points) as the original rules were actually a bit vague on yesterday's unusual situation. In the end, I decided against this because more Premiership matches shown at the end of an FA Cup show would leave teams no longer taking part in the FA Cup with potentially large negative scoring.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
King Kev Reigns in Round 3
His first game back may have only been a disappointing nil-nil bore draw, but in the PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index King Kevin produced an immediate result for the Toon Army by getting the Geordies featured first on Match of the Day, producing the highest score in a week since records began (three weeks ago). Their opponents Bolton also benefited greatly, getting into the top half despite this being their first appearance on MOTD since the New Year began.
Interestingly enough last night saw MOTD start with the lowest scoring match and end with the highest scoring match, leaving Portsmouth and Derby getting the same amount of points as the teams who did not feature on MOTD last night - none. This is perhaps a sign that the BBC's flagship footie show spends at much time discussing events of the pitch than showing the action on it. Derby fans may feel particularly hard done by this season, not only propping up the Premiership and the PRoBrum Index but also clearly leading the Gubbometer which counts the number of times a team features last on MOTD.
Birmingham continued their fine form (!?) maintaining their 14 point lead over their closest rivals Arsenal. Indeed, all three games involving the big three received a 42 point boost which means that the gap between the top four remains unchanged. With a break for the FA Cup next week, Brum will go into February having led the PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index throughout the whole of January.
Birmingham 112+(7-1)*7=154
Arsenal 98+(9-3)*7=140
Manchester United 88+(8-2)*7=130
Chelsea 78+(7-1)*7=120
Newcastle 32+(10-0)*7=102
Tottenham 72+(6-2)*7=100
Middlesbrough 64+(5-2)*7=85
Fulham 38+(9-3)*7=80
Bolton 0+(10-0)*7=70
Reading 26+(8-2)*7=68
Everton (no match) 64
West Ham (no match) 50
Manchester City (no match) 40
Liverpool (no match) 40
Aston Villa (no match) 32
Sunderland 0+(6-2)*7=28
Blackburn 0+(5-2)*7=21
Portsmouth 18+(4-4)*7=18
Derby 16+(4-4)*7=16
Wigan (no match) 16
This is the first week all Premiership have featured in at least one Match of The Day since the New Year; the competition is well and truly under way.
Interestingly enough last night saw MOTD start with the lowest scoring match and end with the highest scoring match, leaving Portsmouth and Derby getting the same amount of points as the teams who did not feature on MOTD last night - none. This is perhaps a sign that the BBC's flagship footie show spends at much time discussing events of the pitch than showing the action on it. Derby fans may feel particularly hard done by this season, not only propping up the Premiership and the PRoBrum Index but also clearly leading the Gubbometer which counts the number of times a team features last on MOTD.
Birmingham continued their fine form (!?) maintaining their 14 point lead over their closest rivals Arsenal. Indeed, all three games involving the big three received a 42 point boost which means that the gap between the top four remains unchanged. With a break for the FA Cup next week, Brum will go into February having led the PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index throughout the whole of January.
Birmingham 112+(7-1)*7=154
Arsenal 98+(9-3)*7=140
Manchester United 88+(8-2)*7=130
Chelsea 78+(7-1)*7=120
Newcastle 32+(10-0)*7=102
Tottenham 72+(6-2)*7=100
Middlesbrough 64+(5-2)*7=85
Fulham 38+(9-3)*7=80
Bolton 0+(10-0)*7=70
Reading 26+(8-2)*7=68
Everton (no match) 64
West Ham (no match) 50
Manchester City (no match) 40
Liverpool (no match) 40
Aston Villa (no match) 32
Sunderland 0+(6-2)*7=28
Blackburn 0+(5-2)*7=21
Portsmouth 18+(4-4)*7=18
Derby 16+(4-4)*7=16
Wigan (no match) 16
This is the first week all Premiership have featured in at least one Match of The Day since the New Year; the competition is well and truly under way.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Laptop For Sale
The theft of an MOD Laptop from a car in Birmingham containing the names of 600,000 people who have demonstrated an interest in joining the armed forces was of particular interest to me, mainly because on two occasions while minding my own business I have been offered a laptop for sale by total strangers. Once I was walking down the road and was called over by a woman and a child sitting in a car who spoke to me in such a strong accent I had to get them to repeat their offer twice before I went on my merry way. The other time I was parking my car outside my home when someone knocked on my window and offered me a laptop.
It begs the question: if I am offered a laptop in the next few weeks is it my patriotic duty to buy it just in case it is the laptop in question. Or would I be foolish to handle what are probably stolen goods? If I did come to be in possession of the laptop I would of course hand it over to the authorities despite almost certainly being under suspicion of being a terrorist; despite recent reports it is not true that everyone in Birmingham is now under the control of the global jihadists.
It begs the question: if I am offered a laptop in the next few weeks is it my patriotic duty to buy it just in case it is the laptop in question. Or would I be foolish to handle what are probably stolen goods? If I did come to be in possession of the laptop I would of course hand it over to the authorities despite almost certainly being under suspicion of being a terrorist; despite recent reports it is not true that everyone in Birmingham is now under the control of the global jihadists.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Bobby Fischer 1943 - 2008
I couldn't possibly begin to explain to someone not interested in chess the impact Bobby Fischer had on the game when in 1972 he defeated Boris Spassky to become champion of a game the Soviet Union had made their own at the height of the cold war, so I will have to point you to this article which will give you a flavour.
He never defended his single world title in protest at the nature of the chess tournaments were played, leading to a never-ending battle between Karpov and Kasparov in 1986 when his ideas were finally adopted and nearly bankrupted FIDE, the World Chess Federation.
In 1992 he came back defying US sporting sanctions against Yugoslavia, defeating his nemesis Spassky 10-5. He spent the final years of his life in Japan before taking citizenship of the nation which hosted the 1972 match, Iceland, to avoid extradition to the US in 2005. He spent some of this time praising the September 11 attacks and making the odd anti-Semitic remark despite being of Jewish parentage. Rabid anti-Americanism seemed to have replaced his rabid anti-communism.
There is a fine line between genius and madness, and I think we can safely say that Fischer straddled both worlds.
He never defended his single world title in protest at the nature of the chess tournaments were played, leading to a never-ending battle between Karpov and Kasparov in 1986 when his ideas were finally adopted and nearly bankrupted FIDE, the World Chess Federation.
In 1992 he came back defying US sporting sanctions against Yugoslavia, defeating his nemesis Spassky 10-5. He spent the final years of his life in Japan before taking citizenship of the nation which hosted the 1972 match, Iceland, to avoid extradition to the US in 2005. He spent some of this time praising the September 11 attacks and making the odd anti-Semitic remark despite being of Jewish parentage. Rabid anti-Americanism seemed to have replaced his rabid anti-communism.
There is a fine line between genius and madness, and I think we can safely say that Fischer straddled both worlds.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The Best of Blogpower 2007
Blogpower is currently hosting the self chosen best posts of 2007. My submission was The Far-Right to Offend, an explanation to those particularly but not exclusively on the right-wing of the political spectrum, who often harp on about Islamofacism and the threat to our way of life exactly what freedom of speech is really supposed to protect. Not the politics of hatred but something far more important: our right to criticise the government without threat of persecution.
There are some good posts on this round-up so if you have some time get over there and have a look.
There are some good posts on this round-up so if you have some time get over there and have a look.
Six Goal Win Sees Devils Drop
Manchester United may have returned to the top of the Premiership, but thanks to their six goal demolition of Newcastle they dropped to third after Round 2 of the PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index, with Birmingham sitting pretty at the top after two low scoring matches against the main Premiership contenders.
There could be few complaints about the running order last night which pretty much ran from the top to the bottom of the league table, leaving those involved in the Villa and West Ham matches feeling rather unloved near the end of the show despite scoring more goals than average this weekend.
Birmingham have a great chance to extend their lead at the top (I don't get to write that often) being involved in the Blues derby next week against Chelsea. However, the Gubbometer shows that Chelsea are the only Premiership contender to have featured last on MOTD - twice. Could a shock at St Andrews put the big two back in their rightful place?
A reminder, scores are calculated using the following formula:
last weeks points+(running order points-number of goals)*number of matches on MOTD
Birmingham 56+(9-2)*8=112
Arsenal 42+(9-2)*8=98
Manchester United 56+(10-6)*8=88
Chelsea 30+(8-2)*8=78
Spurs 24+(8-2)*8=72
Middlesbrough 24+(7-2)*8=64
Everton 24+(6-1)*8=64
West Ham 42+(4-3)*8=50
Manchester City 0+(6-1)*8=40
Liverpool 0+(7-2)*8=40
Fulham 30+(4-3)*8=38
Aston Villa 24+(5-4)*8=32
Newcastle 0+(10-6)*8=32
Reading 18+(5-4)*8=26
Portsmouth 18+0=18
Derby 0+(3-1)*8=16
Wigan 0+(3-1)*8=16
Bolton, Blackburn and Sunderland have yet to feature on MOTD this year.
I have treble checked this but if you spot any mistakes please let me know.
There could be few complaints about the running order last night which pretty much ran from the top to the bottom of the league table, leaving those involved in the Villa and West Ham matches feeling rather unloved near the end of the show despite scoring more goals than average this weekend.
Birmingham have a great chance to extend their lead at the top (I don't get to write that often) being involved in the Blues derby next week against Chelsea. However, the Gubbometer shows that Chelsea are the only Premiership contender to have featured last on MOTD - twice. Could a shock at St Andrews put the big two back in their rightful place?
A reminder, scores are calculated using the following formula:
last weeks points+(running order points-number of goals)*number of matches on MOTD
Birmingham 56+(9-2)*8=112
Arsenal 42+(9-2)*8=98
Manchester United 56+(10-6)*8=88
Chelsea 30+(8-2)*8=78
Spurs 24+(8-2)*8=72
Middlesbrough 24+(7-2)*8=64
Everton 24+(6-1)*8=64
West Ham 42+(4-3)*8=50
Manchester City 0+(6-1)*8=40
Liverpool 0+(7-2)*8=40
Fulham 30+(4-3)*8=38
Aston Villa 24+(5-4)*8=32
Newcastle 0+(10-6)*8=32
Reading 18+(5-4)*8=26
Portsmouth 18+0=18
Derby 0+(3-1)*8=16
Wigan 0+(3-1)*8=16
Bolton, Blackburn and Sunderland have yet to feature on MOTD this year.
I have treble checked this but if you spot any mistakes please let me know.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
PRoBrum Primary Delivers Boost to McCain
Hot on the heels of Iowa and New Hampshire, the People's Republic of Birmingham Primary delivered a boost to the McCain campaign after the GoToQuiz candidate selector gave him a decisive victory over fellow Republican rival Mike Huckabee. Unfortunately, both the Republican and Democratic parties have stripped the People's Republic of Birmingham of all its delegates due to the technicality of it not being part of the United States. Bill Richardson, who was given a boost by finishing fourth behind unknown Democratic hopeful Chris Dodd, has given up his Presidential bid in protest (although some reports suggest his poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire were the real reason).
The full results of the People's Republic of Birmingham Primary are as follows:
71% John McCain
69% Mike Huckabee
66% Chris Dodd
66% Bill Richardson
63% Barack Obama
63% Hillary Clinton
59% John Edwards
57% Mitt Romney
52% Rudy Giuliani
50% Fred Thompson
49% Joe Biden
45% Tom Tancredo
44% Mike Gravel
44% Dennis Kucinich
37% Ron Paul
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
It does not surprise me that John McCain came top in this poll as I have always considered McCain to be head and shoulders above the other Republican candidates. Like me, he is fiercely independent in his beliefs. His pro-immigration tendencies and belief that we should see out the war in Iraq probably were the deciding factors, even though I opposed the original military action. You only have to look at Kashmir and Palestine to look at the mess that can be made when the West (in those cases Britain) decide to mess with things and then cut and run before seeing the job is finished.
I was surprised that Mike Hukabee came second but to be fair, both our politics are heavily influenced by Christianity.
Next stop: Michigan.
Hat tip to Beaman's World
The full results of the People's Republic of Birmingham Primary are as follows:
71% John McCain
69% Mike Huckabee
66% Chris Dodd
66% Bill Richardson
63% Barack Obama
63% Hillary Clinton
59% John Edwards
57% Mitt Romney
52% Rudy Giuliani
50% Fred Thompson
49% Joe Biden
45% Tom Tancredo
44% Mike Gravel
44% Dennis Kucinich
37% Ron Paul
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
It does not surprise me that John McCain came top in this poll as I have always considered McCain to be head and shoulders above the other Republican candidates. Like me, he is fiercely independent in his beliefs. His pro-immigration tendencies and belief that we should see out the war in Iraq probably were the deciding factors, even though I opposed the original military action. You only have to look at Kashmir and Palestine to look at the mess that can be made when the West (in those cases Britain) decide to mess with things and then cut and run before seeing the job is finished.
I was surprised that Mike Hukabee came second but to be fair, both our politics are heavily influenced by Christianity.
Next stop: Michigan.
Hat tip to Beaman's World
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Last on Match of the Day
(Update 12/08/2008: The results of this experiment along with a full explantion of the rules are available here. Click on the graphs to make them bigger.)
Being last on Match of the Day has become a bit of a topic recently, after Phil Neville's comments that Everton were always in that position. Last night Gabby Logan almost apologised for Walsall vs Millwall taking the uncoveted position, saying
“If you’re a Walsall or a Millwall fan, someone had to be last. It’s nothing personal, OK?”
Freelance sports write Mike Whalley has been keeping a tally of the teams ended up last on the BBC's flagship footie show on a table he calls the Gubbometer, after his belief that Tony Gubba also always ends up commentating on the last match of the show. I have decided that a slightly more sophisticated system is needed to find out if the BBC are indeed biased against certain teams, and have come up with the 'PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index'. Catchy, isn't it?
(Updated 16/3: Now shortened to 'the Promroiship'. For an explanation, see this post.)
The rules are as follows: all teams appearing on Match of the Day will be awarded points based on the position of their game in the running order, the number of goals scored and the number of matches appearing on MOTD that weekend. Only Premiership games will count and MOTD2 is not included. Midweek MOTD will also count towards the total. The rules are as follows:
1) Teams appearing in the first match will be awarded 10 points, the next 9 and so on all the way down to 1 if necessary. As there are 20 teams in the premiership, a maximum of 10 matches can be played on any day involving all teams once.
2) Because matches with more goals should in theory come first, 1 point will be taken away for each goal scored in the match. I deliberated a lot about this rule, because a few high scoring matches before Christmas made this potentially unfair, but I think it is the easiest way to factor in "entertainment" at an objective level. In any case, it would not be football if their was not potential for an argument over the fairness of some rule or other.
3) Thanks to security considerations, Sky and European involvement, sometimes there can be very few matches on Saturday and so we need to factor in the number of matches shown. I have decided to multiply the result of the first two rules by the number of matches appearing on MOTD. Obviously the fact that some teams do not play on Saturday adds in some additional unfairness, but I hope that over half a season there will not be too much bias, and we should pick it up week by week if there is.
So, using the above rules for MOTD on January 1, we get the following results:
Manchester United 6*(10-1)=56
Birmingham 6*(10-1)=56
Arsenal 6*(9-2)=42
West Ham 6*(9-2)=42
Fulham 6*(8-3)=30
Chelsea 6*(8-3)=30
Aston Villa 6*(7-3)=24
Spurs 6*(7-3)=24
Middlesbrough 6*(6-2)=24
Everton 6*(6-2)=24
Reading 6*(5-2)=18
Portsmouth 6*(5-2)=18
Ironically then, Birmingham, who appeared last on three MOTD's over the Xmas period and were second last once, lead the table after the first round of matches by virtue of playing Man United.
I will keep this up until the end of the season or until I get bored, whichever is earlier. I think it will be interesting, in a kind of sad way, to see if we can glean any trends from this data.
Being last on Match of the Day has become a bit of a topic recently, after Phil Neville's comments that Everton were always in that position. Last night Gabby Logan almost apologised for Walsall vs Millwall taking the uncoveted position, saying
“If you’re a Walsall or a Millwall fan, someone had to be last. It’s nothing personal, OK?”
Freelance sports write Mike Whalley has been keeping a tally of the teams ended up last on the BBC's flagship footie show on a table he calls the Gubbometer, after his belief that Tony Gubba also always ends up commentating on the last match of the show. I have decided that a slightly more sophisticated system is needed to find out if the BBC are indeed biased against certain teams, and have come up with the 'PRoBrum MOTD Running Order Index'. Catchy, isn't it?
(Updated 16/3: Now shortened to 'the Promroiship'. For an explanation, see this post.)
The rules are as follows: all teams appearing on Match of the Day will be awarded points based on the position of their game in the running order, the number of goals scored and the number of matches appearing on MOTD that weekend. Only Premiership games will count and MOTD2 is not included. Midweek MOTD will also count towards the total. The rules are as follows:
1) Teams appearing in the first match will be awarded 10 points, the next 9 and so on all the way down to 1 if necessary. As there are 20 teams in the premiership, a maximum of 10 matches can be played on any day involving all teams once.
2) Because matches with more goals should in theory come first, 1 point will be taken away for each goal scored in the match. I deliberated a lot about this rule, because a few high scoring matches before Christmas made this potentially unfair, but I think it is the easiest way to factor in "entertainment" at an objective level. In any case, it would not be football if their was not potential for an argument over the fairness of some rule or other.
3) Thanks to security considerations, Sky and European involvement, sometimes there can be very few matches on Saturday and so we need to factor in the number of matches shown. I have decided to multiply the result of the first two rules by the number of matches appearing on MOTD. Obviously the fact that some teams do not play on Saturday adds in some additional unfairness, but I hope that over half a season there will not be too much bias, and we should pick it up week by week if there is.
So, using the above rules for MOTD on January 1, we get the following results:
Manchester United 6*(10-1)=56
Birmingham 6*(10-1)=56
Arsenal 6*(9-2)=42
West Ham 6*(9-2)=42
Fulham 6*(8-3)=30
Chelsea 6*(8-3)=30
Aston Villa 6*(7-3)=24
Spurs 6*(7-3)=24
Middlesbrough 6*(6-2)=24
Everton 6*(6-2)=24
Reading 6*(5-2)=18
Portsmouth 6*(5-2)=18
Ironically then, Birmingham, who appeared last on three MOTD's over the Xmas period and were second last once, lead the table after the first round of matches by virtue of playing Man United.
I will keep this up until the end of the season or until I get bored, whichever is earlier. I think it will be interesting, in a kind of sad way, to see if we can glean any trends from this data.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Eight Wishes For 2008
A few people around the blogosphere have been tagged with an "8 wishes for 2008 meme". Although I haven't, and to be honest, I wouldn't know if I had, I struggled to get to sleep last night even once the fireworks had finished and so spent the time thinking of what I would like to see the New Year bring. I quickly gave up and thought up the following, which are the product of a sick and depraved mind. I apologise now unreservedly for any offense caused.
USA
1) In a final attempt to secure his legacy, President Bush appoints an unborn child to the supreme court. As the most lively member, the child upholds Roe vs Wade. Mitt Romney accuses it of flip-flopping.
2) Unhappy with the choice of Republican Presidential nominees, the religious right throw their weight behind Mullah Omar of the Taliban, after he agrees to ban gay marriage, prevent gun control, stop (female) illegal immigrants from holding driving licenses and oppose female presidents. A new era of inter-religious peace ensues, where the Abrahamic traditions agree to bury the hatchet and some atheists instead.
Socialism
3) Hugo Chavez, upset at not being able to run for a fourth term in his own country, runs for and wins the American presidential election on an anti-American ticket.
4) Fidel Castro is invited to the Oxford University Debating Society and turns up in a Che Guevera T-shirt.
Religion
5) Richard Dawkins finds God, but not his car keys. He writes a new bestseller, called 'The Fob Delusion'.
Closer to Home
6) Boris Johnson blows his mayoral campaign after describing London as "the a**ehole of England". He is immediately given the freedom of Birmingham.
7) Jeremy Clarkson is found dead in the Helmand province while attempting to drive through it with "Man Love Rules OK" written on the side of his car. The Tipton Taliban's new spokesman, Richard Hammond, claims responsibility for the killings. (Note: this is topical)
8) Birmingham City are not last on Match of the Day.
Happy New Year!
USA
1) In a final attempt to secure his legacy, President Bush appoints an unborn child to the supreme court. As the most lively member, the child upholds Roe vs Wade. Mitt Romney accuses it of flip-flopping.
2) Unhappy with the choice of Republican Presidential nominees, the religious right throw their weight behind Mullah Omar of the Taliban, after he agrees to ban gay marriage, prevent gun control, stop (female) illegal immigrants from holding driving licenses and oppose female presidents. A new era of inter-religious peace ensues, where the Abrahamic traditions agree to bury the hatchet and some atheists instead.
Socialism
3) Hugo Chavez, upset at not being able to run for a fourth term in his own country, runs for and wins the American presidential election on an anti-American ticket.
4) Fidel Castro is invited to the Oxford University Debating Society and turns up in a Che Guevera T-shirt.
Religion
5) Richard Dawkins finds God, but not his car keys. He writes a new bestseller, called 'The Fob Delusion'.
Closer to Home
6) Boris Johnson blows his mayoral campaign after describing London as "the a**ehole of England". He is immediately given the freedom of Birmingham.
7) Jeremy Clarkson is found dead in the Helmand province while attempting to drive through it with "Man Love Rules OK" written on the side of his car. The Tipton Taliban's new spokesman, Richard Hammond, claims responsibility for the killings. (Note: this is topical)
8) Birmingham City are not last on Match of the Day.
Happy New Year!
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