Happy Face

John Pilgers summer reading list.... http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/20...ry-times-pilger

Read the next couple. Plan of Attack is the second book in the series which looks at the time between invading Afghanistan and going into Iraq. It's more of the same justifications for war from the people who made the decisions with no author contextualisation. This is forgivable though given how quickly they were released. It's clearly intended as a glimpse of that time, untainted by hindsight and reflecting the lack of clarity around the case for war. The WMD jury was still out when it was published and Woodward is scrupulously fair. The jury was well in when the third part came out though. State of Denial is far more scathing of the the CIA and the bush administration. It's the first one of the series where Bush refused to be interviewed and he's condemned repeatedly. Rumsfeld still agreed to be interviewed for this one though, and he perhaps comes out of it worse of all. It's been the best one so far and i look forward to reading part 4 which came out last year. Got through Bad Science by Ben Goldacre in a day. Very funny righteously indignant attack on big pharma, hippy healers and the media. He's marvelously upbeat about the positives all three can provide while being contemptuous of the charlatans associated with each. He makes complex statistical analysis fun (but then I can't think of any statistical analysis that isn't ) and his anger was expressed well enough to boil my blood as i read. Currently halfway through Globalization and its Discontents by Joseph Stiglitz which tears apart the actions of the IMF in just about every country where it has intervened backing up the widely held belief they do more harm than good every time with cold hard facts. It's great to read how much they ignore the advice of the best economic minds out there. But rather disheartening when you consider the author spent years as Clinton's chief economic advisor and was later appointed senior vice president of the world bank. If he's this disgusted with the IMF and couldn't do anything about it from such positions of power, what hope is there? It's pretty dry too.

As Parky as it sounds, it's all shockingly true.

I don't think you were bragging...just attention seeking. Others do it, with threads about their love lives or fat family members or jobs or school or whatever their current strifes might be. I tend to cringe at all that stuff irrespective of the poster. If you think anyone's interested go and start a bleeding hearts blog about yourself and link to it in your sig.

It's been 226 days since Ashley last took the club off the market and admitted to mistakes in communication and promised an improvement on that score going forward (as well as recommending you have a flutter on us to qualify for Europe). I think he's released 2 statements since. One to apologise for relegation and another to say he's selling up again. It's the one thing that costs nothing whatsoever and is entirely in his control, but with the continued lack of communication he shows nothing but contempt to the fans he's lied to for 2 years and, even worse, for the players who are as in the dark as we are.

Caught a bit of that 'Homicide - Life on the Streets' quite recently and it looked very dated and a bit dodgy (admittedly I only saw about 5 mins of it). That was done about 15 years ago though I think. Talking of stuff that's dated, I downloaded the first season of Hill Street Blues. Supposed to be classic TV, but I couldn't get through the first episode.

Aye aye. I wouldn't sing it's praises too high like. Nowhere near as good as The Wire. But definitley well worth it.

It's got Lester and Bubs... http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8e4df_th...iler_shortfilms

Not surprising you're misunderstood is it though, when you claim to be on the bones of your arse...but insist on going to vegas for your stag do. If my best man was fucking up organising my stag do such a degree that he could only muster 4 interested people, I'd say he was shit...not your mates who won't get themselves into similar financial straits to cater to your ego....what kind of a friend does that make you asking them to do it anyway? Seems like they have their head screwed on wheras you'll do anything to be able to brag to the other rah rah nurses about your exotic travels...when Amsterdam or Blackpool clearly match your budgetry constraints a bit more.

Have a word with yourself mate.

agreed ! make it happen, then all you sheep can have your wanking circle about this boring over rated piece of shit all to yourselves !

I'd be glad to see the back of the bastard. The 50p footed freak couldn't pass the dutchy. ...but that would assume we were actually going to spend any of the money we've raked in off this transfer window. EDIT: Or the previous 2

Don't listen Wyki. It's praises can't be sung highly enough. We should have a Football, a General Chat and a Wire board. You feel me?

He's not a mate, but I had to get a picture of this advert... Looked to me like a cunt of a Newcastle owner has lost some weight and has started doing some entertaining in Greece.

The BBC commentator was a bell end wasn't he? Reckoned few of the travelling support would have a clue who Krul was. The entire bar was disgusted with him, even before he pulled off some great saves. Rarely has a player had 2 better initial first team starts. His punching worried me a tad...but no more than Harpers (which led to the goal).

Just back from a week away where the only exposure I had to Newcastle was the 90 minutes on Saturday. Without the papers or the internets we didn't look in too bad shape and I'd cheered right up. Shame I came came back to hear we've sold Beye and Bassong (I did guess like) and David o'tatey heed is in the running Any more bad news?

I agree. I was up at the stadium yesterday....and walked straight past. I had no desire to go in or lay any sort of tribute, but I was impressed so many people did. What I was trying to convey is he's different to Diana/Jacko/Goody, people generally only had a bad word for those three. Nobody (I'm aware of) has yet tagged us as mawkish...because the population as a whole is in complete agreement that he WAS a great man.

I'm struggling to think of another man held in such high esteem. Whenever any other person that's achieved any level of fame dies there's inevitably jokes about it or a backlash against the oversentimentalisation. But there's not been any of that with Sir Bobby, and you can confidently say there won't be. He deserves every platitude given. My lass surprised me today when she'd said she met him. I never, so I was already jealous. Apparently she was on a course up at the old training ground and they'd broken up for lunch, she was at the buffet and heard a knock on the window. She turned around and there was bobby, with a cheeky grin on his face he mimed through the glass how fat she'd get if she had any more. She can't stand football, she's never been to a game and doesn't have a clue what he did for us...but just from that one meeting where he came in and chatted to her and the others she saw what a good bloke he was. Nothing to do with what he achieved or who he inspired, just that he was a nice man. She's been as close to tears as me watching the coverage.

"I'm not taking you shopping Elsie!" Hero

“Andy O'Brien has an horrendous nose, the poor lad. It is massive, it is black and blue and it is awful”

Roger Tames put it together.

who did you hear this from happy ? Every fucker that's been reporting on the club for the past 2 months.

I hear it'll be sorted within a week.

Not read many biographies, but Bob Monkhouse's has a terrible story about Frankie Howerd