Big Bother (continued)......

Memo to self: look for Jade Goody at this year's Oscars. I'm sure she'll get nominated for her performance since she was "evicted" from the Celebrity Big Brother house (said "eviction" followed her alleged racist behavior towards Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, which sparked off an international row with India and involved politicians, including Chancellor Gordon Brown).
So far we've had her (obligatory) tear-stained interviews. Then the stories about Jade being "suicidal" and wanting to travel to India to make amends.
Now Jade is apparently so depressed that she's popping into The Priory (a swanky rehab clinic) .
Well Jade, I still believe your behaviour on "Celebrity Big Brother" stank. Remember your jibe, "Shilpa Poppadom"?
You made your bed - now go lie in it.....
(PS: Jo & Danielle - deny all you like, but it looks like your 15 minutes of fame is going the same direction as Jade Goody's - and it's not upwards)

24

Only just caught the first and second episodes of the new series of "24" (saw part two last night), but I've already established two rules:

1: Don't EVER piss off Jack Bauer.
2: If Jack Bauer tells you "trust me" - trust him, for heavens sake.

As for the bad guys - we all know they're going to wish they observed rule #1......
Random Jack Bauer Facts

Prince Buck$ (sorry, Becks).......

Brand Beckham's mission to promote himself in the USA is off and running, I see...portraying Prince Charming in a new Disney advertising campaign.
Stars land fairytale Disney roles

Poetic justice?

Read this week that the person who poisoned ex-counter-intelligence agent Alexander Litvinenko last November will die of radiation poisoning within three years.
In an interview with Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, Oleg Gordievsky, the most senior KGB defector to the UK, claimed that whomever administered the fatal dose - allegedly in a cup of tea at a London hotel - would have received a deadly dose of polonium too.
A classic example of "what goes around comes around", I guess.......
Litvinenko killer 'will die of poisoning within three years'

Hello Oleg, got some uranium?

Details has recently been revealed that 50-year old Oleg Khinsagov, from the Russian North Caucasus republic of North Ossetia, was detained by the Georgian secret service last January when he tried to sell 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of highly enriched uranium to a Muslim buyer who he believed would pay him $1 million (approx. £500,000) - the "Muslim buyer" was in fact, an undercover agent, part of a joint sting operation mounted by Georgian and U.S. intelligence operatives.
To me though, the really worrying aspect of this affair is that nobody knows where Khinsagov got the uranium. The 100 grams was a sample. Had that deal gone through, he would had sold a much larger cache stored in his apartment back in Vladikavkaz. Khinsagov claimed he had a further four kilograms of uranium, which in the wrong hands is enough to make a small atom bomb (The A-bomb that fell on Hiroshima required 50 kilos of highly enriched uranium).
A Georgian court sentenced Khinsagov to eight-and-a-half years in prison on Thursday.
Russian caught trying to sell enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb

Serena Williams is back!!

Congrats are in order for Serena Williams, who easily won the Australian Open title this morning, destroying Russian number one seed Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2 in a mere one hour two minutes. This is the third Aussie title for Serena (which also takes her Grand Slam tally to eight).
One in the eye for Serena's critics too, who didn't believe she was a threat after an injury-riddled season. Serena will now move from a lowly 81st to 14th in the world tennis rankings next week.

Oh - and I liked her victory jig too.....you go, girl!!!
Superb Williams wins Aussie title

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Wonderful - less than an inch of snow falls and the London Underground is paralysed. My usual 30-minute tube journey to the office took nearly an hour yesterday.
There were severe delays on the Central and Jubilee lines because of weather-related faults at Hainault and Neasden respectively, while the East London Line was suspended because of multiple signal failures. The weather was also responsible for disruption on the District & Piccadilly Lines west of Earl's Court where the trains travel above ground. There were also minor delays on the Victoria Line and the Bakerloo Line had a truncated service for a time.

Meanwhile mainline (overhead) rail passengers suffered delays when points failure struck at major hubs including, in London, Clapham Junction, Waterloo and Wimbledon.
Furthermore hi-tech systems designed to protect trains from the effects of ice on power rails left them "stuck" and unable to move.
An estimated 80,000 South West Trains users, a further 60,000 Southern customers and up to 200,000 Southeastern passengers were caught up in the morning rush hour disruption.
Several thousand passengers on One services between London and East Anglia were also affected.

All the above chaos was caused by an average of..........2cm (0.8in) of snow which fell across southern and eastern England!

Beyoncé Knowles

This woman is so talented and absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!
Surely those are good reasons to post this picture of Beyoncé Giselle Knowles....but if you still need convincing - Beyoncé is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, Golden Globe Award-nominated actress, dancer, and fashion designer and model for House of Deréon....

(Did I mention she's absolutely GORGEOUS?)
Official site of Beyonce

A bit TOO tough on the causes of crime?

A two-year-old boy has been banned from a local shop.....for wearing a HOODIE!
Staff at the Monkton Road Stores in York, say they have a strict "no hoodies" policy because of problems caused by troublemakers and asked little Jay Cowper to remove his hood as a result.
But the boy's grandfather, John Cowper, refused and both were forced to leave the store. It was a freezing cold evening when the grandfather and grandson went to go shopping, so Jay was wrapped up in the offending outfit - a brown jacket with a furry hood.
Apparently last year the same place also barred a 47-year-old nurse for wearing a hood.

Is it me, or are we losing our perspective about hoodies?
'Hoodie' toddler banned from shop

What a result!

Late goals from Robin van Persie and Thierry Henry give Arsenal a 2-1 win over Premiership leaders Man Utd.

YYYYEEEESSSS!!!!!!!

What a start to 2007 for the Gunners!!
However the victory has come at a cost - Robin van Persie broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot while scoring the equalising goal and appears likely to be out for at least six weeks. This is a huge setback that cannot be understated.
Arsenal 2-1 Man Utd
Van Persie breaks metatarsal bone

Big Bother....

It's sad that my next post after remembering MLK Day would be registering my thoughts on the alleged racial comments on Channel 4's "Celebrity Big Brother" from Jade Goody, but here goes....

Usually I don't waste any time on "Celebrity Big Brother" (or any other "reality" TV show for that matter).

But Jade Goody perfectly demonstrates that in today's society, we get the "celebrities" we deserve - unthinking & obnoxious.
Furthermore, Jade was allegedly encouraged and supported by fellow participants Jo O’Meara, former singer with pop act S Club 7; and Danielle Lloyd, a former Miss Great Britain. If their alleged involvement is true, then these two charming ladies should also shoulder blame for the disgraceful antics towards Indian actress Shilpa Shetty on the show.

If one wants to register their feelings about "Celebrity Big Brother", use the remote and either switch off or switch to another channel. Lower the viewing figures, by not watching (peak audiences for the series jumped from 3.5 million on Monday to 5.2 million on Wednesday and over 7.8 million last night).
Hit Channel 4 & Endemol (the producers of "Celebrity Big Brother") where it really counts....
Big Brother firms put under spotlight
I'm not racist, says TV's Goody

Martin Luther King Day....

Monday 15th January will be Martin Luther King Day in the US.

In honour of that day, here is a timely reminder of how African-Americans has contributed to the United States:

Charles Leroy Thomas (1920-1980)
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.

Served as a First Lieutenant in Company C, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion, 103rd Infantry Division. On December 14, 1944, near Climbach, France, while in the lead vehicle of a task force organized to storm and capture the village his scout car was knocked out by enemy fire and he was wounded. He helped his crew out of the vehicle, but as he left was again wounded in the chest, legs and left arm.

Despite his wounds, he directed the dispersal and emplacement of two antitank guns, which then returned fire. He briefed one of his platoon leaders, on the situation, and only when he was sure the situation was under control did he allow himself to be evacuated.

At the White House on January 13, 1997, President Clinton awarded him and six other soldiers the first Medals of Honor ever bestowed on African American who served in World War II.
Charles L. Thomas
Charles Leroy Thomas

Po$h & Buck$......

"I've been lucky enough to play for two of the biggest clubs in the world - now I think it's time for something else."

And so Goldenballs finishes off his career in the land of the free (and £128 million in his pocket - almost $250 million), trying to succeed where legends like George Best, Bobby Moore, Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer failed - elevating the status of "soccer" in the US of A.
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger believes that it will take ten David Beckhams if football is ever to make a major breakthrough in the US.
One "Brand Beckham" is more than enough, Arsène.....
Beckham agrees to LA Galaxy move
He can't do it alone, says Wenger