tonyXIII

Do they pay you to go to places like that? If not, why do you go?

Okay, this is not exactly random, but it might interest a few of you. Most of you know that I lived in Greece until recently, but what you might not know is that I still occasionally read the online Greek newspaper Kathimerini. (Kathimerini means "Daily" and the English language version is available at ekathimerini.com). This article strikes a lot of chords for me, hyperbole and sports journalism, partisanship, and the relevance of sport in society. You need to know that sports clubs in Greece, in common with most European countries, have many teams playing different sports under one "umbrella" name. "Do trophies mean anything after all? By Pantelis Boukalas Pandering to the common sentiment, the national-DNA-ologists argue that the blood of Greeks is enriched with hospitalitium, antiracismium, gloriosium and other such noble substances. Until the day that we can see them under a microscope, however, we should be more concerned by the substance that does indeed flow through our veins: hyperbolium. Hyperbolium reaches all-time highs whenever a Greek team achieves an important victory. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that Monday’s sports papers celebrated the victory of Olympiakos Piraeus at the Euroleague basketball final in London with titles such as “Olympiakos rocks Europe” or “World in awe of Olympiakos.” And because Europe and the planet appeared too small to bother with, one even led with the title “The universe has kneeled.” Meanwhile, a glance at the headlines of Greek sports newspapers affiliated with rival teams such as Panathinaikos, AEK or PAOK revealed that either Olympiakos’s victory was not mentioned at all or, when it was, was referred to in small print and a sarcastic tone. In short, the victory that shocked Europe and made the universe kneel left almost half of Greece either indifferent or bitter. The truth is that the way Olympiakos won the final also made many fans of rival teams happy with the victory, partly because they saw young Greeks turn the tables and partly because after the first 10 minutes that painted a picture of almost certain annihilation, Olympiakos cruised to victory. For Olympiakos fans this was a moment for genuine celebration, unlike the previous night when they won a hollow victory in the Greek Soccer Cup final thanks to a biased refereeing performance that embarassed everyone apart from the die-hard fans. So, do trophies have any significance outside the realm of sports? In a moment of spontaneity, Costas Papanikolaou, a rising star at Olympiakos, said that his team’s win shows that Greece is here even if there are those who want to stomp it down. Coming from an athlete who just won, such sentiment is expected. But politicians would be wiser to stick to offering their congratulations to the team rather than waxing lyrical with similar generalizations. After all, we shouldn’t forget 2004, when Greece, against all odds, raised the European soccer cup: The win did nothing to make soccer a cleaner sport in Greece, while the excess of the ensuing Olympic Games left us with a hangover we can still feel and incalculable damage." I didn't even know that game had taken place, let alone that it had taken place in London, the centre of the known universe. (my own hyperbole)

Gritted teeth mode on Well done, Wigan. Gritted teeth mode off. Seriously.

They could always use those tickets for 'drowning your sorrows', relegation parties for the next three or four years. How about that?

They should win then. And lose.

Your Easter just keeps getting better and better. Happy yet? Or do you want MORE?

So do I! BBC weather has it down to -2C tonight and -1C tomorrow night, but +4C at game time. It should be okay.

You really are having a bad weekend, aren't you? And it is such a looooooong weekend, too! You're not a Boomtown Rats fan, are you? Hope you like Mondays!

As ckn said, leave a bigger gap between you and the vehicle in front. Just common sense really.

:lol: Thinking of Fergie's head exploding. LOL

I used to take great pleasure from anything that made the 'Glaswegian one' turn a brighter shade of crimson. I no longer do. I used to hate United and take great enjoyment from their misfortune. I no longer seem to care. Is this a sign that I am getting old?

You cruel sod! :D

Edited for a more interesting viewpoint.

Possibly Hugh McIlvanney? He used to write in depth and intelligent articles around football, as opposed to about football, and he probably did cover issues such as racism in the 60s and 70s.

Not to the Etihad, they didn't.

It's been fun (NOT) going to and from work this week. I've made it both ways every day, though Tuesday's journey home was a bit hair-raising. Today, though, I set off from Malton with the temperature gauge reading -11c and got to work with the temperature gauge reading -6c. However, driving through Bilsdale (between Helmsley and Stokesley), the gauge hit an eye-popping -16c. That is very cold! I wish I'd taken a photo of it for proof, but I know you will all take my word for it.

I'm quite scared by the way those statistics are presented. Presumably, they were produced by a reputable organisation, but some are skewed badly. By choosing arbitrary age ranges, they are able to show that the 25-59 year olds caused 2230 casualties, but the 16-24 year olds only caused 1350. How many people fall into the 25-59 range compared to the 16-24 range? How many people in the 16-24 range don't actually drive? How many over 60s drive as a proportion of the population. Sorry, but this is sloppy maths! 3 out of 10, must do better if they want to be taken seriously. I've no argument with the basic message that drinking and driving is dangerous and wrong.

Just a little sidetrack (though the thread is Food and Drink), but I've discovered the joys of Morrison's beer aisle. Loads of different beers for £1.89 per 500ml bottle, on offer at £5.00 for any 4, mix and match. It's brilliant. Some really tasty beers. After 14 years of tasteless Amstel, this is heaven. My favourite so far is Black Sheep, (their Riggwelter is nice, but a bit strong for me these days), but I do like the offerings of Wychwood, too.

Yeah. Just heard this on the news this evening. Sounds really promising!

I'm not listening to much at the moment. Lost all my digital stuff when the HD was screwed by a local "repairer". He saved all the documents, but didn't save the "My Music" folder. Barsteward! Anyway, this is back on YouTube. Peter Green. Check it out. A guy of whom B.B.King said "His guitar sent shivers down my spine," has got to be worth listening to. [media=] [/media]

Clapton & Winwood playing "Crossroads"

Okay, John or Craig, why couldn't I do all that in one post? Even two posts? Crazy! And now, instead of being all mellow and relaxed and calm, I'm wired and want to hit something. I need more wine!

And finally, my favourite. Elkie Brooks: We Don't Cry Out Loud. I cannot listen to this without my eyes getting all wet. I think it's fantastic. There are other versions out there. Melissa Manchester's is great, but very american and somehow not quite to my taste. Shirley Bassey's is just all wrong (for me) as her voice is just too strong and it drowns the pathos out. Elkie Brooks' version is divine.

And another. Elkie Brooks: Lilac Wine.

Okay! Now for some Chris Rea related stuff. A little girl from Salford. Elkie Brooks: Fool if You Think It's Over. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sufyYgBvW6U Brilliant!