Park Life

Attention seeking at its most boring.

Fries yer brain apparently.

"Eluana Englaro, the 38-year-old Italian woman who spent 17 years in a permanent vegetative state, died shortly after 8pm last night in a clinic in the city of Udine, frustrating the efforts of Silvio Berlusconi to pass a law that would have kept her alive. Eluana suffered disastrous brain damage in a car crash in 1992. Her father, Beppino, fought a bitterbattle to have what he said were his daughter’s wishes, not to endure a living death, respected. His voice wracked with emotion, he said last night: “I’ve done everything alone, I’ve brought it to this level alone, and I want to finish alone. I don’t want to talk to anyone. The only thing I ask ofmy true friends is not to come looking for me.” The news exploded in the Senate in Rome, which was in the process of debating a hurriedly cobbled-together law that would have made the termination of Eluana’s force-feeding illegal. Senators stood for a minute’s silence in her memory, but the pious mood was shattered when a member of the ruling People of Liberty party, Gaetano Quagliariello, shouted: “Eluana is not dead, she’s been murdered!” The session was suspended amid noisy protests. When senators returned, the Senate leader of the centre- left Democratic Party, Anna Finocchiaro, declared angrily, “The umpteenth act of political outrage on the body of Eluana is under way.” The Englaro family’s long agony – Beppino’s wife is gravely ill with cancer – appeared to be at an end last November when Italy’s highest court approved the removal of the feeding tubes that have kept Eluana alive all these years." Not really sure where I stand on this, if infact they have been in a coma for ages.

He's not even hard ffs!!

You mention Huntley a lot Stevie. Just an observation.

Tetchy when you're not right aren't you. It's not a case of wanting to be right. I was (imo anyway) discussing something interesting. I was on about how religious architecture is impressive in a way nothing else (in building terms) seems to be able to touch on. That's a personal view, to do with the scale, atmosphere and so on. You said there were ancient buildings that have now been destroyed which were just as impressive. I asked about them. You avoided specifcs and insinuated that I said Islam had completely invented its own style of archictecture. When I explained I thought the opposite was true., you again referred to these (un-named) buildings. I asked for specifics again (out of genuine interest) so you went on about Greeks designing Islamic buildings anyway. I honestly don't know what you're getting at. Do you even know what you're on about? The Fog of Fop. ©

A common complaint from Mrs P I bet. When I give it she feels it alright.

They are quite confident they can win as it goes. Laws in Sweden are pretty lax. "Arguing that it is better to allow people to share culture for free, the group has even gone as far as setting up a political party, Piratbyrån, to promote its agenda. The website and its political offshoot have reacted angrily to attempts to shut it down in the past, suggesting that they were the result of the US government and entertainment industries trying to enforce American laws in foreign countries. "I don't like the word untouchable, but we feel pretty safe," Kolmisoppi told the Guardian in 2007. "The US government is losing popularity every day in Europe, and people don't want to see us give in to them."

I like him. I noticed the sharing knowledge bit. What does it mean?

The most high-profile anti-piracy case in recent years begins on Monday when four men behind the world's largest filesharing website will stand trial in Sweden. The team behind The Pirate Bay, which has more than 22 million active users worldwide, are due to appear in Stockholm district court, accused of assisting copyright infringement. The website does not host any material but acts as a search engine for more than a million "torrents", small files that act as pointers allowing people to download copies of music tracks, movies and television shows. Media and music companies, led by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), have argued that Pirate Bay promotes copyright infringement, and has made millions of pounds in profits since launching in 2003. They are claiming more than $100m in damages. Pirate Bay has said its activities are legal under Swedish law because it does not host the material, acting only as a search engine. It has also denied making large profits, saying any money raised through advertising and donations goes into the maintenance of the site. The defendants include three of the website's co-founders Fredik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg and Peter Sunde Kolmisoppi, but prosecutors also charged one of the site's donors, Swedish dotcom millionaire Carl Lundström. Good luck lads.

I was at the Rota Flora on Sat night for a heavy dub session. The green was Dutch and pretty strong...I went for a piss and I swear I couldn't feel my cock. Maybe it wasn't your cock you were holding. Honestly man those are the last toilets on earth you want to be grabbing cock in.

The world's second biggest pharmaceutical company is to radically shift its attitude to providing cheap drugs to millions of people in the developing world. In a major change of strategy, the new head of GlaxoSmithKline, Andrew Witty, has told the Guardian he will slash prices on all medicines in the poorest countries, give back profits to be spent on hospitals and clinics and – most ground-breaking of all – share knowledge about potential drugs that are currently protected by patents. Witty says he believes drug companies have an obligation to help the poor get treatment. He challenges other pharmaceutical giants to follow his lead. Pressure on the industry has been growing over the past decade, triggered by the Aids catastrophe. Drug companies have been repeatedly criticised for failing to drop their prices for HIV drugs while millions died in Africa and Asia. Since then, campaigners have targeted them for defending the patents, which keep their prices high, while attempting to crush competition from generic manufacturers, who undercut them dramatically in countries where patents do not apply. The reputation of the industry suffered a further damaging blow with the publication and film of John le Carré's book The Constant Gardener, which depicted drug companies as uncaring and corrupt. Fantastic stuff.

I was at the Rota Flora on Sat night for a heavy dub session. The green was Dutch and pretty strong...I went for a piss and I swear I couldn't feel my cock.

Prevention is always better than cure. I smoke a lot but i think getting information to kids in a balanced way is the right thing to do as if they want to do it, they will do it anyway with or without the right information. Congrats to you boys at GSK btw on the new initiative. Got through to you at last eh?

Drugs campaigners welcomed a new television advert shown last night aimed at warning teenagers of the mental health problems associated with cannabis. The £2.2m government campaign is targeted at 11-18 year olds. In the advert, one actor demonstrates the symptoms associated with smoking the drug. The film shows the mind-altering effects of the drug. The voiceover at the end warns: "The more you mess with cannabis, the more it can mess with your mind." Promoted by Frank, the drugs advice and information service for teenagers run by the Home Office the Department of Health and the Department for Children, Families and Schools, it aims to tackle the high number of teenagers treated for cannabis use. In 2005, 10,000 11 to 17-year-olds were treated - 10 times the number a decade ago. It also aims to curtail the increasing use of skunk, a potent form of cannabis. While it is not the first anti-cannabis advert to appear on British television, it is the first to specifically target 11-14 year-old "dabblers and contemplaters", children considering smoking the drug without awareness of any consequent problems. It is also aimed at slightly older peers who may have already tried the drug. The campaign follows the reclassification of cannabis last month from class C to class B. The home secretary overruled the opinion of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which advised that cannabis should remain class C. A spokesman for Frank, Chris Hudson, said: "Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug in Britain and binge smoking to achieve maximum effect may be putting people's mental health in serious danger. There is evidence of a link between cannabis and mental health problems such as schizophrenia, and those who first use it at an early age may be more at risk. You never truly know what you're getting and stronger cannabis, such as skunk, can increase the chance of a nasty reaction." Steve Rolles of the drug policy foundation Transform welcomed spending on drugs education because it was "usually starved of resources". American campaigns showing how cannabis can make people boring had been more successful than the "just say no" message", he said. Another complete waste of money. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/feb...s-mental-health

Funnily enough you probably get a better choice of wine over there than we do here because the better stuff is either exported or too expensive. Seems mad that it's cheaper to buy after it's been half way round the world but the exchange rate does that. I've drunk a lot of pinot noirs since I've been here but it's mostly been supermarket plonk or Aussie stuff which is better value. We sometimes go to this place for lunch http://www.brickbay.co.nz/information.html but it's typical of the sort of vineyard in the Auckland area alone and most of them are set up for food. We're spoilt for choice really I'd like to get an olive farm one day.

Adriano starts.

It's the way I roll baby.

Roman is a shy man, left an orphan at the age of two and a half. His first business was importing old Lada's from Poland into Russia and from these humble beginnings he made himself one of the most dynamic and outward looking Russians on the planet. His vision well buttraced with his 4 Superyacts (Eclipse still in build here in Hamburg), his many mansions and two private jets and of course Chelsea. Some chance events have piqued my curiosity into the man.. The next 12 months at Chelsea will be boom or bust imo. It was at a christmas party of a certain shipyard I caught glimpse of Roman. People eating and drinking were not even aware that their patron was on the premises. By chance as a door slowly swung open and drinks were taken into the room (he doesn't drink alcohol) there sitting forward and attentive was Abramovitch watching football alone on some cable channel at his own christmas party. It was at that moment I realised the magnitude of his project at Chelsea and the real personal engagement rather than the 'toy' monika of slack hacks. Laden with heavy debt and an ageing side, Hiddink a psychological fortress of a man has been drafted at the personal behest of Mr A. For those unaware of the movements of the planets and the gentle information of the tides...Be aware that battle is now truly joined. Chelsea is now Romans personal Stalingrad...........

Or perhaps: He's fat he's shit, his heart'll give out in a bit...Houllier!! Houlier!! Is it safe to do JFK one's yet?

I would take him but do we really need to put another one back in hospital? The chant: "He's fat, he's French, he collapses on the bench, Houllier ! Houliler !"

Fuck. Pompey looked like slot ins for the tricky 3rd relegation spot.

Dodgy ticker?

Can someone please do me av of this please?