Bloody Bleeding Nora! West Brom having surprised everyone, themselves included, by getting promoted to the Premiership last year should be enjoying a golden age. All should be warm, everyone should be aglow. They should be looking forward to the new season like no other. But no. First their chairman was pretty much forced to resign, after falling out with the manager, then the manager messed about before signing a new contract. A middling division one player declined to sign for them (thus passing up the opportunity to play in one of the 3 greatest leagues in the world) because he didn't want to take a pay cut.
Now it looks like the players may be going on strike. I have a massive soft spot for West Brom. Nevertheless, I am chuffin pissing myself.

The Cannibal Manifesto

When I was a nipper I loved the novel, The Graduate and would read it ceaselessly. Growing up in a pretty impoverished part of Brum in a family that seemed pretty normal to me, but these days would probably be described as dysfunctional, that whole Californian lifestyle was immensely appealing. I could appreciate even then that Charles Webb was railing against that lifestyle, but I saw fit only to soak up the imagery of lounging around a pool on endless hot summer afternoons, enjoying effortless affluence and it seemed pretty idyllic to me.
I read Webbs other novels and didn't think much of them, then he seemed to just disappear, until the publication of New Cardiff a couple of years ago. It turns out he and his Mrs have led an extraordinary life, giving up all their money and taking pretty shitty jobs to get by. It all seems a bit barking to me, but fair play to them, they are living by what they believe. (Oh Dear, it's the Guardian again)

The U.S shoots itself in the foot again in the battle for hearts and minds in Afghanistan.

Bleeding Bloody Nora all over again. Came across this N.Y Times editorial on Mefi, you would think it was an archived piece from the 50's, but it isn't. It is truly scary that this can still happen. Also courtesy of Mefi is this much more in depth account of events.

All night I have been listening to Village 900 am, which I think comes from Canada. Just the job for a mellow Monday evening. If you like the folksy rootsy world music type stuff, I recommend it. It has news from the BBC world service, which strikes me as a bit odd, welcome though.