Honor James

I doubt it is the family that have either instigated or `need this'. It is the country. It is respect. If he had been the husband of any head of state, world wide, his death would have been suitably recognised, as this is being suitably recognised right now, in countries all around the globe. If he had been the equally long-serving, well known and almost universally recognised (with respect) partner of the head of state of any country in the world, his passing would now be being marked in much the same way. Though not identical - and for different reasons - the closest illustration I can think of, for that, is the death of United States President, John Kennedy. Within minutes of the event the whole world knew, and responded with due respect. I was at a film showing, in the dining hall of my college `res' when that news came in. Everything stopped. And I was miles away on another continent, in the middle of central Africa.

Somebody mentioned Magpies a few pages back. Does anyone know a way to discourage them - humanely? A pair of them has taken up residence in the large cherry tree in front of my house, and they appear to have frightened away every other bird. I used to have a blackbird that regularly came down onto my front, handkerchief sized lawn and hopped about, pecking the ground - seemingly unconcerned about the (feral ) cats that pay an occasional, unwelcome visit.

I have just been given the answer to that question. Mark Covell of the RFL has just called our office, to let us know there is no RFL imposed limit to the number of children who can be admitted with one adult who has paid. Obviously, the various schools and clubs will each have their own idea of how many kids make a suitable `bunch' to go with one teacher (or two), one mentor (or more). That may be more or fewer for different outings, but ............... for this offerered opportunity to enjoy an outing free ............ the RFL, with their partners in this venture (the Salford Club and the social housing landlord, City West Housing Trust) are keen to encourage as many children as possible to take up this opportunity, and know the joy of watching your own country play international Rugby League live. Good one! :-)

Seems to me this is a great opportunity for teachers, club mentors and so on, to offer children who might not normally attend internationals, a chance to watch the best from two other countries, and see England's best in action. I wonder how many children will be admitted free per adult? I'm sure that when I was teaching it would not have seemed unusual if I'd been asked to escort a group of 10, 12 ..... 16 ....... 20? Of course, there were no international sporting fixtures on offer in the small Zimbabwean villages I taught in, but two of us would regularly take that many to the swimming pool without incident. What a great opportunity for the game to interest a wide new swathe of youngsters in this most exciting of spectator sports. Does anybody know how many? :-)

Get a life :-)

Small news, perhaps, for most Rugby League fans but a BIG thing for a club that has been through more difficult times, of late, than any club's players, coach and dedicated core supporters deserve, in exchange for their efforts. Cas is a great club no matter how delapidated `the Jungle' may be. Beauty is only ever skin deep. A club might have the money to build ten Wembley stadiums three times over but they'd get nowhere without passion for the game, and you can't buy passion. Great news, Cas fans. Stick at it! Thick and thin ........... pff! They go around and they come around no matter what but your home town is your home town and home is where the heart is. :-)

Wigan fan (and Wigan U20s kit man) Richard Catterall, has just telephoned us to say that he has a camera in safe keeping for the young lady who left it, on Saturday, on her seat at Old Trafford at the end of match. There are photographs on the camera which Richard feels sure the owner would be very upset to lose. If this camera is yours, please telephone Richard to make arrangements to collect it. As a safeguard, he will ask you to describe the photographs already on the camera. Please would all other Saints fans help by passing on this message by grapevine, smoke signals, bongo drums, facebook, twitter, text, email, sign laguage and/or semaphore. Also, if you know the webmaster for the Saints' online message board, please ask for this message to be repeated there. I'm sure that between us we should be able to reunite this young lady with her lost camera in record time. Richard can be contacted on Tel: 01942 512140 Mob: 07935 692593. These are working hours numbers and may be engage at times, but if Richard isn't free to answer please leave a message and he will get back to you. Many thanks, on their behalf, from Richard Catterall and from the young lady who inadvertantly left her camera behind at Old Trafford. :-)

I was thinking more about snow on the roads than a bit of snow on the pitch or the fans. But now I realise that's just plain wimpish! With an attitude like `we can build snowmen' we can move mountains. So let's move mountains then! Millennium Stadium full to the ginnels ......... it's gotta be a good idea.

So let's all get busy asking mother earth, providence, lady luck or whichever god or gods you believe are listening for a no snow or low snow February Can't do any harm to start lighting candles - if nothing else, it keeps the mosquitos away in Africa.

Indeed! ........ in Blackpool, in Summer! .......... and then in Brighton, in Scarborough, in Morecambe, in Torquay, Aberystwyd, Clacton on Sea and great Yarmouth, in Bristol and Hartlepool and Barrow in Furness. That would be an interesting way to keep died-in-the-wool fans still wanting to attend it each year and offering a taste of this fantastic game to holiday crowds all over the county. But a test match in Oldham? With the greatest respect to Oldham (and as the Bury born daughter, bred of Langanstrian parents (and heritage since time immemorial), I have exactly that ....... the very greatest respect for Oldham, and Rochdale, Bolton, Heywood, Prestwich and Worthington ........ Their hard-working, decent people; their down to earth, common sense attitude, and their abilty to go on laughing in the face of a life that, till recent years, knew more than its fair share of adversity, ranks them in the top row of my admired peoples. But as I said, with the greatest respect to Oldham - if a Rugby League test match staged there on a Tuesday night is the true aspiration and test of their game's success for a majority of Rugby League fans, then sadly I have to believe that Rugby League is destined to remain no more than a brave little Northern offshoot of `the real rugby' as it is currently thought to be, rather than a game the whole country, and the rest of the world, takes note of and begins to understand, admires, talks about, metions regularly on The News and writes about in newspapers. With the greatest respect to Dave T: We can have it `Our Game', arranged to suit `Us'. Or we can have it widely known, loved, admired, respected and watched by millions, at times and in places chosen to suit the millions - whose money is what might really help to keep it (this game so many fans love, for itself, not just for what they want of it) thriving and growing for all of us, at every level. But I don't believe that we can have both ways. :-)

With respect - because my association with the game goes back only eight years so I cannot be considered any kind of expert - I agree entirely with everything said by RP London (above). However, in my eight years of involvement with the game I have been privileged to see it through a wide-angle lens , by virtue of working for the publishers of three very special, rugby league dedicated publications (League Express, Rugby League World and Totalrl.com). And there is no doubt in my mind that in that time, the game has seen giant leaps forward. Massive strides in development from the bottom up, bringing the game for the first time into the lives of thousands of children and young people who had never even heard of it, who, now they have heard of it and played it love it, and are encouraging their friends to come along and love it too. In administration procedures also the advances are legion. In fact every way you look you will find advances ........... And yes, along the way some wrong turns may have been taken and an occasional U turn have turned out to be necessary but surely, it is only for the convenience of political reporting media that changing one's mind is now interpreted as weakness, wrongness or stupidity. Where I come from, changing one's mind and direction if an outcome, or another suggestion, proves one's original decision was wrong, is a sign of excellently perfect common sense. Whether, on the other hand, the timing of these announced increases was particularly appropriate is a question worthy of consideration by the RFL board of directors, with a view to avoiding controversy in future. When many of one