Lest we forget....

1 July 2006 marks the 90th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme, one of history’s bloodiest battles. On the first day of that battle alone, Britain suffered 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 dead — the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. There were over 420,000 British and Commonwealth casualties by the end of the campaign in November 1916.
The Battle of the Somme was one of the costliest battles of the First World War on all sides. A German officer, Friedrich Steinbrecher, wrote:

Somme. The whole history of the world cannot contain a more ghastly word.

We must NEVER forget...
Britain's oldest veteran recalls WWI
The Somme: Its place in British history

And then there was one....

Well, Wimbledon has run true to form for Britain's hopes....Andy Murray is the home nation's only representative in the third round of the men's or women's singles. The 19-year-old Scot defeated Frenchman Julien Benneteau today 7-6 6-4 4-6 6-1 in the second round, but now faces a huge test in the last 32 against American Andy Roddick, the 2004 and 2005 runner-up.
Murray wraps up Benneteau victory

He's baaaack....

Once again, you'll believe a man can fly.
"Superman Returns" cost more than $200m (£109m), so a lot is riding with Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth. But it appears reviews have been very positive so far.
Critics wowed by Superman Returns

Sympathy for Thierry.......

Ok - so Thierry Henry clutching his face following a collision by Carles Puyol against Spain looks at best, exaggerated and dubious.
But I see it as the perfect answer to Spanish coach Luis Aragonés. Cast your mind back two years ago, when Aragonés racially abused Henry to his Arsenal team-mate Jose Antonio Reyes (he branded the Frenchman a "black shit").
Aragonés has never apologised for the comment and received a paltry fine by the Spanish FA (3000 euros). Henry's actions might have been in poor taste, but it was also poetic justice.
PS: I still think he was fouled anyway....
Henry denies diving against Spain

Meanwhile.....

A tsunami warning system covering the Indian Ocean region is now "up and running", according to Unesco.
The UN organisation, which has overseen the project, says the whole region can now receive and distribute warnings of possible tsunamis. The system is in place 18 months after the devastating tsunami of December 2004 that killed over 200,000.
Other warning systems are planned for the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Caribbean.
Asia tsunami warning system ready

The World Cup (continued)....

And then there were eight - let the Quarter-finals commence!

Friday 30 June 2006
Germany vs. Argentina - Olympiastadion, Berlin (16:00 BST)
Italy vs. Ukraine - FIFA WM Stadion Hamburg, Hamburg (20:00 BST)

Saturday 1 July 2006
England vs. Portugal - FIFA WM Stadion Gelsenkirchen, Gelsenkirchen (16:00 BST)
Brazil vs. France - FIFA WM Stadion Frankfurt, Frankfurt (20:00 BST)

Skinny Spice?

Hmm...
"Posh Spice" Victoria Beckham reportedly lost 2.7 kilograms by eating only sushi and pineapple before she flew out to Germany for the World Cup.
Jeez.....lady, get some Big Macs - PLEASE!!!

England 1 Ecuador 0

Very poor, overall. I can't believe people still think England will win the World Cup playing like this.
I'm hoping against hope that England will raise their game when they play against the better teams in this tournament (against Portugal or Holland, we'll HAVE to).
But it is scary that after 5-odd years in charge, Sven still appears unsure of his best formation!
And as for David Beckham's comments that he answered his critics after scoring the winning goal - one swallow does not make a summer, Becks....
England 1-0 Ecuador
I proved critics wrong - Beckham

The OTHER World Cup......

While we're on the subject of international football (aka soccer), congrats to the Aussies for winning the World Cup(!)
Actually Aussie robot dogs are the world champs.
A team of robotic dogs from Australia steamrolled opposition from Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and the US to win the World RoboCup. There is a serious goal to these antics - by 2050, it is expected that an android/robot soccer team will be able to compete with the human equivalent on even terms.
After watching England so far, I think the robots are already playing.....
Stop fussing about World Cup, Robo Cup's far more important
Aussie robot dogs are world champs

The World Cup (so far)....

Well, now the World Cup gets serious, with the "win-or-bust" knockout stage. The matches are as follows (times in BST):

Saturday, 24 June 2006
Germany v Sweden, 16:00
Argentina v Mexico, 20:00

Sunday, 25 June 2006
England v Ecuador, 16:00
Portugal v Holland, 20:00

Monday, 26 June 2006
Italy v Australia, 16:00
Switzerland v Ukraine, 20:00

Tuesday, 27 June 2006
Brazil v Ghana, 16:00
Spain v France, 20:00

Sweden 2 England 2

Bloody Hell!
Ok, so job done and England finish top of their group, but what a sorry display from a team whose aim is to win this tournament!
Another poor second half, and as for Beckham - what a waste of space.
Ecuador now awaits England on Sunday. I was assuming that match would be straightforward, but after tonight it's anyone's guess...
The harsh truth is we simply can't win the World Cup with performances of such poor calibre.
Sweden 2-2 England

England 2 Trinidad & Tobago 0

And England continues to struggle against opposition they were expected to cruise past. I'm now trying to remember the last time they delivered a world class performance.
God help England if they come up against teams like Argentina on current form!
England 2-0 Trinidad and Tobago

Janet Jackson

Not often I'm lost for words, but the cover of US Weekly magazine did it for me, with Janet Jackson proudly displaying her brand-new slender figure after losing 60 pounds in four months!

Great googa-mooga!

Musical interlude (continued)

And my musical marathon continues with Alice Cooper - Poison.
A great song and a fave from one of rock music more influential artists, 'Poison' reached # 2 in the UK and #7 in the US in 1989.
Alice Cooper - Poison (video)

Musical interlude (continued)

Kim Wilde - Kids In America.
Ok, so she's not American, but Kim's 1981 debut single Kids in America, hit number two in the British music chart and ended up in the top 5 across Europe. In the US, the single peaked at no. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Kim has signed a new record deal with EMI Records and is preparing for the release of a new single this Summer.
Kim Wilde - Kids In America (video)

Musical interlude (continued)

Herbie Hancock - Rockit.
The video for Rockit is infamous since Hancock's minimal presence was attributed to MTV's perceived unwillingness at the time to show black musicians on their channel.
Herbie Hancock - Rockit (video)

Musical interlude (continued)

A classic by Sisters of Mercy - This Corrosion.
I first heard saw the video many years ago on a TV program called "The Chart Show". Ever since, I've been chomping at the bit to see this in full - and here it is....
Sisters of Mercy - This Corrosion (video)

Musical interlude (continued)

And the eighties theme continues with those innovative samplers, the Art Of Noise. Their work has been appreciated in Pop music, Hip-hop and Chillout - to name but a few music genres.
Music definitely ahead of its time - enjoy!
Art Of Noise - Moments In Love (video)
Art Of Noise - Close To The Edit (video)
Art of Noise - Beat Box (video)

Musical interlude (continued)

A couple of videos from Level 42, one of my favorite groups from the 1980s. When Level 42 first started out, they were a jazz-funk group, who successfully crossed over to mainstream pop (one of my biggest regrets was selling their very first single "Love Meeting Love").
"Something About You", and "Leaving Me Now" are from the group's 1985 album, World Machine.
PS: Cherie Lunghi (who played Guenevere in the 1981 movie Excalibur) appeared in the music video for "Something About You".
Level 42 - Something About You (video)
Level 42 - Leaving Me Now (video)

England 1 Paraguay 0

Ok, Paraguay were a very hard team to beat and one should be celebrating an England victory, but their second-half performance was simply poor.
At this rate, Sven, Becks & company will have a very short World Cup unless they improve.
England 1-0 Paraguay

In defense of Hip-hop....

I see the new Tory party leader David Cameron has contracted foot-in-mouth disease.
Yes, there are problems and violence in all parts of British society, but to accuse BBC Radio 1 & Tim Westwood of encouraging violence by playing rap music is, at best, laughable.
Cameron reportedly stated: "I would say to Radio 1, do you realize that some of the stuff you play on Saturday nights encourages people to carry guns and knives?"
I'm no fan of artists like 50 Cent and I despair at certain rap music which denigrates women. But to claim Hip-hop incites people to violence is to ignore artists like OutKast, for example. Heck, I never heard Will Smith influence anyone to pick up a knife or gun through his music. But then Cameron was being a typical British politician in "rent-a-quote" mode, talking tough instead of actually doing something about it. And the usual hyprocritical suspects in the British media backing him up was no surprise.
Oh well - guess we won't be seeing pictures of Cameron dancing away at the Rapattack sound system in this year's Notting Hill Carnival then....
Cameron attacks Radio 1's hip-hop
OutKast - The Way you Move (video)
OutKast - Hey Ya (video)

6th June 2006 (the final word)

Well, it appears we're all still here. I can only assume the apocalypse was cancelled for another day.
Good - since I would be really upset if I'd missed the World Cup....

6th June 2006 (continued)

"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."
Revelation 13:18

Well the Devil's day is upon us now - 06/06/06. The day of the Beast or the Antichrist (take your pick).
Hopefully instead of Armageddon, it'll be a normal Tuesday - unless you're a fan of heavy metal band Slayer, who kicks off their "Unholy Alliance Tour" today.
Or unless you're a resident of a small Michigan town named Hell, roughly 60 miles west of Detroit.
Or unless you have a fear of the number 666 (also known as hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia)...
Prayer vigil targets Devil's Day
Some expectant moms avoiding 06-06-06 delivery

Computer games

Currently playing OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, an updated PSP version of the classic "OutRun" arcade game (and boy, does that bring back happy memories). I enjoyed the PSP game so much, I've also purchased the PS2 version as well!!
So now seems an appropriate time to list the 100 greatest computer games of all time....
Who's number 1 on the list? It's not OutRun, Pokémon, Super Mario or Street Fighter II. You'll have to click on the link below, to find out.
The 100 greatest computer games of all time

Musical interlude

Some controversy with "Smack My Bitch Up" by The Prodigy, originally released in 1997. The uncut video for the song explicitly showed someone shooting up heroin, but that scene is removed from this version (however the other scenes involving drinking, snorting, fighting, vandalism and sex remains...hmm).
Since the lyrics and title of the song were interpreted to promote violence against women, "Smack My Bitch Up" was banned by the BBC and the music video was banned by various TV stations (MTV did show the video - but only at nighttime).
The video also stars British glamour model Teresa May, who'll be 40 this year (damn - now I feel old).
The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up (video)