Monthly Archives: July 2010

Ennis wins Gold but Mo Farah steals the show

Posted on July 31, 2010
by

Jessica Ennis has just put the cream on a wonderful large cake by claiming Gold in the Heptathalon beating her closest rival Dobrynska in the 800 Metres but for me Mo Farah stole the show today by becoming double European champion at 5,000 and 1000 metres. It left me with a lump in my throat and pride in what he has given up to become the champion he is. Simply sensational.

How exciting have this year’s European Athletics in Barcelona been for UK Athletics and its followers?

It all began on day one with the 10,000 metres success with Mo “knows how to run” Farrah (28:24.99) and Chris Thompson (28:27.33) claimed Gold and Silver. It seemed to buoy the Great Britain squad pushing them to perform to their best, and often beyond, to bring home a huge collection of medals.

The only negative outcome from today was the performance from the Men and Women in the 4 by 100 metre relays, the guys putting in an absolutely shocking performance. Sitting comfortably in first place rounding the final bend, a mix up of monumental proportions between Mark Lewis-Francis, (who won silver in the 100m) and Marlon Devonish. Team GB could only finish fifth in their heat and failed to qualify for the final. An emotional Lewis-Franics told the BBC

“This is my fault, I’ve let the guys down,”. “Wow, it’s such a big blow. I apologise sincerely to all the guys, I just cannot believe that happened.”

Ennis ran 2 minutes, 10 seconds and 18 seconds, 2.12sec ahead of second-placed Ukrainian Dobrynska, to rack up a championship record 6,823 points total falling just eight points short of Denise Lewis’s British record.

“It’s been nerve-wracking having all the athletes on my heels,” admitted a jubilant Ennis.

“It feels so good …

Comments Off

Australian Gold see yellow, then red, then the All Blacks

Posted on July 31, 2010
by

Australia 28-49 New Zealand

Australia 28 (14)

Tries: Mitchell, Ashley-Cooper, Elsom Cons: Giteau (2) Pens: Giteau (3)

New Zealand 49 (32)

Tries: Carter, Muliaina (2), McCaw, Jane, Rokocoko, Flynn Cons: Carter (4) Pens: Carter (2)

New Zealand crushed Australia earlier today in Melbourne, despite a spirited fight back, thanks to ill-discipline by a number of players but most notably Drew Mitchell. The Australian was sent off for slapping the ball away while the Conrad Smith (New Zealand) was attempting a quick lineout.

The referee has warned both captains about slowing down quick play from a restart but it appeared that Australia failed to heed his warning. Yellow cards and sin bins seem to be the flavour of the tri-nations tournament so far with South Africa the main contributors to the tally. I’m not sure why the officials are hell bent on reporting every little tackle (or so it appears) but maybe they get paid per sin bin given with extra bucks for placing a player on report!

Don’t get me wrong Bakkies Botha totally deserved his 9 week ban; he was plain stupid head butting Cowan in the first game of the tri-nations. It seems to have set a president and the games are now full of players taking 10 minute breaks during the games.

Are the referees too sensitive? The tri-nations isn’t a series for the weak hearted. Seconds before sending Mitchell off Joubert  was heard to tell Wallabies’ skipper Rocky Elsom “I’m not responsible for how this affects the game because I warned you…”

Despite taking an early lead, New Zealand hit back with four tries before half time securing a bonus point. The win is New Zealand’s record eighth in a row against Australia (12 consecutive Tests) and means they are certain to retain the Bledisloe …

[ 1 Reply ]

First Weight Loss target achieved

Posted on July 31, 2010
by

A little over 18 months ago while watching “The Biggest Loser” – yes I did say “The Biggest Loser”!, I decided I had to do something about my weight. Despite the heavy slob that was me, I have always been fairly fit if not completely healthy!

When I say fit, not compared to what I was when playing a lot of sport but as and when the mood took me I could always go to the gym for a workout. Therein lies the problem, I didn’t feel like training and over the last five or more years weight ballooned.  For those of you who have read my blog before you may have noticed that 18 months ago I weighed 22 ½ stone or 315 lbs.

That’s not good at all! My first target was to get down to 16 stone or 224 lbs and despite years of kidding myself that I was a supreme athlete, capable of anything, I knew I would be facing an uphill struggle.

The first 6 months were ok, nothing amazing and progress was slow. I didn’t have a personal trainer; I had membership to a gym that gave me little enthusiasm to train. It’s all about re-educating yourself and that doesn’t happen overnight. When you put weight on, it means you are eating more calories than you are burning on a daily basis. My diet was shocking! Chips five days a week doesn’t make for a healthy mind or body. I can attest to that!

Slowly but surely I begin to cut down my food intake, exercise doesn’t really increase a great deal but at least I know I’ve made a positive start. That was a little over a year ago and the weight started falling. I needed new kit …

Comments Off

Jessica Ennis starts well in Barcelona

Posted on July 30, 2010
by

Ennis clocks the fastest time in heats with 12.95 secsGold medal hope Jessica Ennis continued the strong British showing in Barcelona with the fastest time in Heptathalon’s 100m hurdles. The Sheffield born hept-athlete clocked a time of 12.95 seconds in the third heat with Jennifer Oeser of Germany second quickest with a time of 13.37 seconds.

The sub 13 second run gave her 1132 points with Oeser on 1070 points.

It wasn’t the smoothest of heats with fellow competitors Tatyana Chernova and Linda Zublin guilty of a false start in the third heat which meant that athlete committing another transgression would be disqualified.

Tatyana Chernova, who has been widely touted as the Briton’s closest rival for Gold looked out of sorts and could only manage a time of 13.73 seconds.

Jessica is the current world heptathlon and world indoor pentathlon champion.

Following her heat Ennis said:

“It felt OK, there was a bit of a headwind, it was a good start, I’d like to have run a bit quicker.”

With the recent virus behind her it appears to have had no affect on her speed, her stamina and strength will be severely tested over the next 48 hours as she aims to add a third title to her belt.…

Comments Off

Schapelle Corby appeals for Clemency

Posted on July 30, 2010
by

Schapelle Corby has appealed for clemency from the Indonesian President. This has led to a huge surge in interest online with people looking for the latest news on Australian Schapelle Corby who was arrested and convicted of drug smuggling in Bali. Facing 20 years in Kerobokan Prison for a crime she has refused to admit to, Corby is having a tough time of it in Indonesia.

16 months ago I wrote a short blog asking the question “Has Schapelle Corby been forgotten“. For the most part I think she has but maybe these fresh appeals will bring a positive outcome and keep her plight in the limelight.

On the 8th of October 2004, Schapelle Corby was apprehended by Indonesian customs officers on her arrival in Bali from Australia. Amongst her possessions was an unlocked boogie board and upon searching the officers claimed to find 9.3 lbs (or 4.2 kg) of cannabis. Corby to this day has claimed the drugs were not hers and she had no knowledge of the narcotics.

Her defence centred on the theory that she had become an unwitting drug courier for what was supposed to have been an interstate shipment of drugs between Brisbane and Sydney in Australia.

No More Tomorrows Book, the true story.

At the defence’s last address to the court, on 29 April 2005, Corby said to the three judges:

“I cannot admit to a crime I did not commit. And to the judges, my life at the moment is in your hands, but I would prefer if my life was in your hearts….And your Honour, I ask of you to show compassion, to find me innocent, to send me home. Saya tidak bersalah (I am not guilty)”

She was convicted and sentenced on May 27th 2005 and …

Comments Off

Amazon’s Kindle available for £109 in the UK

Posted on July 29, 2010
by

Kindle is Amazon’s #1 bestselling item for two years running. It’s the most-wished-for, most-gifted, and has the most 5-star reviews of any product on Amazon.com. Now it’s even better. Two models are available in the UK (Wi-fi) and (Wi-fi +3g) at a cost of £109 and £149. Both models will be available on Augst 27th, 2010.

  • All-New, High-Contrast E-Ink Screen – 50% better contrast than any other e-reader
  • Read in Bright Sunlight – No glare
  • New and Improved Fonts – New crisper, darker fonts
  • New Sleek Design – 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6″ size reading area
  • 17% Lighter – Only 241 grams, weighs less than a paperback
  • Battery Life of One Month – A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off
  • Double the Storage – Up to 3,500 books
  • Built-In Wi-Fi – Connect at home or on the road
  • Books in 60 Seconds – Download books anytime, anywhere
  • 20% Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
  • Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
  • New WebKit-Based Browser – Browse the web over Wi-Fi (experimental)

Gone are the days of buying from US Amazon, the Kindle can be bought from UK Amazon at either £109 (Wi-fi) or £149 (Wi-fi & 3G). The prices mark a significant drop and show the power of buying.

Lighter & Thinner – Only 241 Grams
When reading for long periods of time, we know that weight matters. That’s why we worked hard to make our newest Kindle lighter than ever – only 241 grams – so you can read comfortably for hours with just one hand. Kindle is lighter than a typical paperback, and thinner than a magazine. Just 8.5mm in profile, Kindle fits perfectly in your hands.

Ergonomic Design
Kindle is easy to hold …

Comments Off

BBC’s Sherlock, episode 2 “The Blind Banker”

Posted on July 28, 2010
by

Following a highly successful opening with “A Study in Pink” Sherlock Holmes returns to the BBC this Sunday with the second of three episodes, this one called “The Blind Banker”.

FULL EPISODE REVIEW HERE

The second episode is written by Stephen Thompson and produced by Sue Vertue; Steven Moffat’s wife. Once again Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the enigmatic Sherlock Holmes with The Office star Martin Freeman. If you missed the first episode you can still catch it on the BBC iPlayer but hurry,  it won’t be there forever!

A mysterious cipher is being scrawled on the walls around London. The first person to see the cipher is dead within hours of reading it. Sherlock plunges into a world of codes and symbols, consulting with London’s best graffiti artists. He soon learns that the city is in the grip a gang of international smugglers, a secret society called the Black Lotus.

So what are we expecting this time around? More slick dialogue, great acting and a decent storyline? If the first episode is anything to go by then the answer to all of the above is a “hell yeah”! Sherlock has received wide acclaim and is fast becoming one of the biggest hits the BBC has had on its hands for quite some time.

As estimated 7.5 million viewers watched A study in pink which closely followed Conan Doyle’s A study in scarlet and to be frank I’m expecting an increase in viewers this time round now that word is out.…

Comments Off

Alec Stewart’s Cricket Companion – Book Review

Posted on July 28, 2010
by

stewartbI have always been an admirer of Alec Stewart. I never held it against him because he played for England, there was always something about him as a cricketer that caught my imagination. Was it his great work ethos, competitiveness or his cricketing ability? Whatever the answer, they are just some of his traits many people, myself included, admired about the Chelsea loving cricketer. Buy Now

Alec Stewart’s cricket companion is an interesting and eclectic look at cricket and sport in general. The book isn’t structured and Alec, in his introduction, makes no apology for this! The book isn’t an autobiography as such, it’s a chance for Alec to share his thoughts on what’s happening in the cricket world today including the way twenty/20 has captured the public’s imagination. It also includes numerous stats, trivia and a generous helping of history through the ages.

Statistics feature heavily throughout and include amongst other the World Cup, the Ashes, Twenty/20 and a ground by ground breakdown (England & Wales). We learn that Sheffield hosted a Test match at Brammall Lane in 1902. The ground’s only Test match ended in a 143 run victory for Australia) nothing new there then). It is better known today as home of Sheffield United FC.

For me, my greatest memory of Alec came during the 1993/4 season when England toured the Caribbean. Against all the odds he pummelled the West Indian bowling in Barbados and scored back to back centuries with a great deal of panache and determination.

Stewart’s Test debut was at Sabina Park, a game he remembers with pride after helping England (with 13 runs!) secure an unlikely victory. He was fortunate to be out in the middle when Wayne Larkins struck the winning runs; it allowed him to collect a stump as a treasured …

Comments Off

Harold Larwood biography – review

Posted on July 28, 2010
by

Duncan Hamilton, who is perhaps better known for his award winning book on Brian Clough “20 years with Brian Clough” has once again put pen to paper with his comprehensive biography on England great Harold Larwood. Apart from a collaboration in 1965 between Harold and Kevin Perkins there has been no other biography fully endorsed by the Larwood family and in all likelihood there never will be another. To be honest, there is no longer any need, Hamilton has it covered.

The book is as comprehensive as you could ever wish to read on the former Nottinghamshire pit boy, a book that has obviously been written with a great deal of thought, care and admiration for the once lambasted England hero who played no small part in quashing Sir Donald Bradman’s effect in the notorious Bodyline series of 1932-33.

Harold was not only fast but incredibly accurate. Countless batsmen testify to this fact but it is left to Somerset’s  tail-ender Bill Andrews to succinctly tell it how it was “he was bloody frighteningly fast”.

Andrews, like many other batsmen to face the fast bowler, was concerned for his health when faced with the prospect of facing the demon bowler.  Following a previous encounter against Larwood, Andrews was so worked up he had developed stomach pains so severe that he was caught on the toilet when he was called in to bat!

Bill called out “who’s out?” to which the reply came back “Frank Lee. They’re bringing him back on a stretcher”. Andrews said “I was really in a state, and it took some time to adjust my clothing. As I passed the umpire I said hopefully – I must have broken the two minute rule”.

With testimonies like that, the book succeeds. The descriptive powers and …

[ 1 Reply ]

BBC’s Sherlock a huge ratings winner

Posted on July 27, 2010
by

A claim by tabloid newspaper “The Sun” has given the latest indication on the popularity of the new Sherlock series to hit UK scenes. BBC one’s (and HD) modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes pulled in a reported 7.5 million viewers on Sunday for the first episode “A Study in Pink”.

Sherlock represents a huge ratings improvement for a Sunday night and the BBC are unlikely to lose a winning formula with the viewers who are still keen, after his invention by Doyle, to soak up anything Sherlockian!

Taking the following quote with a pinch of salt, we are talking “The Sun” here

“To say the top brass are made up by the Holmes ratings is an understatement,” a source told The Sun.

They really want to do more so the question is not really if, but how and when can we do them.”

Robert Downey Jr begins shooting Sherlock Holmes “2″ this October.

Episode 2, “The Blind Banker” airs this Sunday at the earlier time of 2030 (BBC One) and 2130 (BBC HD) witha HD repeat at 0100 Monday.

Credits

Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch)
Dr John Watson (Martin Freeman)
Mrs Hudson (Una Stubbs)
Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey)
Sarah (Zoe Telford)
DI Dimmock (Paul Chequer)
Soo Lin Yao (Gemma Chan)
Director (Euros Lyn)
Producer (Sue Vertue)
Executive Producer (Steven Moffat)
Executive Producer (Mark Gatiss)
Writer (Stephen Thompson)

…

[ 7 Replies ]

Toy Story 3 is a UK record breaker for Disney & Pixar

Posted on July 26, 2010
by

Disney/ Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 3′ £21.2 million opening at the UK Box office surpassed its closest rival by close to 30%. The final movie in the amazing ‘Toy Story’ franchise has broken records for The Walt Disney Company whose previous biggest opening was £13.7 million for Pirates 2. ‘Toy Story 3‘ is also the second biggest film opening ever in the UK just behind Harry Potter 3, and the biggest July opening to date. It is however the highest-grossing debut for an animated film in the UK’s history.

49% of the overseas weekend total came from the U.K. Toy Story beat out Warner Bros.’ Inception (opening in 38 countries) placed second with $56.7 million. Coming in third was last week’s champ, DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek Forever After, with $33 million. Its total gross now stands at $361 million.

3D is ruling the roost and incredibly 76% of the total ‘Toy Story 3′ box office was made up of 3D sales.  All 11 Disney/ Pixar titles have debuted in the #1 position on opening weekends in UK:

‘Toy Story 3′ is Disney/ Pixar’s first £20M+ opening in UK.

‘Toy Story 3′ beat ‘Toy Story 2′s opening by 175% (£21.2M vs £7.7M) and Toy Story 1′s by 524% (£21.2M vs £3.4M).

The UK public is also showing huge appetite for Toy Story merchandise.

The Buzz Lightyear Action Figure is tipped to be the top toy of the year and with Christmas just five months away we are sure to see huge sales leading up to the festive period. Buzz Lightyear has already sold in excess of one million units since the release of the first Toy Story film in the trilogy.

You can be sure however that the new characters from Toy Story 3, the final film of the trilogy …

Comments Off

Sherlock’s back and means business “A Study in Pink” review

Posted on July 25, 2010
by

Wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

Sherlock Holmes is back on tv, slicker, quicker and better than ever – well he doesn’t match Basil Rathbone but Benedict Cumberbatch certainly held up the Holmes tradition in brilliance.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the series but what a brilliant 90 minutes of BBC drama. Slick, full of one liners and amazing delivery the cast fronted by Cumberbatch didn’t disappoint. The BBC have a hit on their hands and I can definitely see another series emanating from this tri factor.

As I mentioned yesterday, the first episode is loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A study in Scarlet” (if by the way you get chance to read the book, I would advise it, only one of four full length novels it is, like Holmes a masterpiece!

Watson has returned from Afghanistan and is looking for new digs. A friend of Holmes introduces the pair and the detective immediately figures out Watson’s past from a 30 second introduction – the rest as they say is history. The pair meet the following day at 221B Baker Street and we, the viewers, are introduced to “Housekeeper” Mrs Hudson played by Una Stubbs.

Tonight’s episode, A study in Pink, sees Holmes and Watson chasing a serial killer hell bent on playing a dangerous game of kamikaze suicide which has DI Lestrade (Rupert Graves) in a quandary, unsure of which direction the suicides are taking him.

Holmes has a problem with Anderson (the on-site forensic guy) – in fact I’d go as far to say that Anderson annoys the hell out of Holmes and as we see on more than one occasion the “amateur” detective has no time for the policeman! While raiding 221B Baker Street on a trumped up drugs raid …

[ 4 Replies ]

F1 Farce as Alonso grabs controversial win over Massa

Posted on July 25, 2010
by

Why oh why do I bother watching an F1 grand prix when a blatant team order instruction over the team radio changed the result of the race? Barring a catastrophe after the first few laps Ferrari were going to end  with a great 1-2 result, my complaint is the way it happens.

Ok, Alonso was obviously quicker than Felipe Massa after the one and only tyre change from super soft to hard. Massa was struggling with the change of tyre and locked up on numerous occasions before Alonso passed him. Alonso may well have passed him but surely the FIA will want to investigate this sham of “no team orders”.

When the pair returned to the pits at the end of the race, Massa was clearly upset but held back what he probably wanted to say and do!

Massa, who trailed his team-mate by 31 points prior to the race, was told by Ferrari chief engineer Rob Smedley over team radio: “Ok…. So Alonso is faster than you. Can you confirm you understand?” – to which he responded by letting Alonso through on Turn Six two laps later.

Following the move, Smedley added: “Good lad. Just stick with it now, sorry.”

During the driver’s press conference Massa was asked to comment on the call afterwards, Massa, who was denied a potential win one year to the day after he fractured his skull in the Hungarian GP, said: “I don’t need to say anything about that. He passed me.”

Formula 1′s governing body the FIA, state in Rule 39.1: “Team orders which interfere with a race result are prohibited.”

If Ferrari thinks they can make excuses that team orders weren’t in operation they are taking all F1 fans and viewers for mugs. Smedley was clearly holding back and towing …

Comments Off

Perfection – Guy Sebastian

Posted on July 25, 2010
by

Way back in 2003 when I was in Melbourne having fun and playing tennis I, like milions of Australians, watched Guy Sebastian win the very first Australian Idol. I didn’t want to get caught up in the hype, I should have been watching neighbours, but I did. Despite his woolly afro hair (I wasn’t a fan!) at the time, I remember buying his first album “Just As I am” and was immediately hooked.

“She’s beautiful, flawlessly divine”

Guy has released five studio albums, the last in 2009 called “Like it like that” which happens to be the first single to be released from the album. The track hit number one in Australia going 3 times platinum in the process. His second single which featured American Idol star Jordin Sparks only reached number seven. Despite his appearance on Hey Hey It’s Saturday his third single unfortunately reached 51 in the Australian charts failing to go Platinum.

When he showed up for the Adelaide auditions in 2003 he sang Stevie Wonder’s Ribbon in the Sky. The formalities over and despite joking about his hair, the judges were mesmerised from the moment he started singing the song. Little did we know then that he would turn into the great singer he is today. He has always had talent, that much is obvious, but to make it in the business it helps to have an adoring public willing to buy your music. Without that you have nothing. Fortunately for Guy he had a following keen to soak up almost everything he offered.

There are two stand out tracks on the album for me, “Magic” and “Perfection” (lyrics below) and it’s the latter that really struck a chord with me. Despite its cheesy lyrics the song is heartfelt and until its …

Comments Off
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers: