Okay, X-Factor was knocked to the number 2 UK chart position for the Christmas number 1 single… beaten by a social networking pushed project – Rage Against The Machine took the number 1 spot as people stood up to the Cowell lead X-Factor machine.

The thing is it needed to be done – but no-one will argue that RATM’s song isn’t exactly “Christmassy”….

As such, just before Christmas I decided to push for a Christmas number 1 that is Christmassy…. and what could be better than “Fairytale of New York”….

FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK XMAS No.1 2010 and @FairytaleNY2010

Fairytale of New York has never been number 1 in the UK, yet is often voted as the best Christmas song out – so I figured it was about time we got it to number 1…

Added to this, it is the 10th anniversary of the sad and tragic death of Kirtsy MacColl, when she was hit by a speed boat in dive restricted waters whilst on holiday. This tragedy has never been properly resolved – and after 9 years of fighting for justice the case has finally run out of anywhere to go as the authorities have closed the door on it.

The day people will need to buy Fairytale of New York to make it count for a Christmas chart release is the day after the 10th anniversary of this untimely passing of Kirsty – so getting Fairytale of New York to number 1 will be a tribute, a return to a Christmassy song for Christmas, and another kick in the teeth to those that set up TV shows to force a manufactured number one.

Fairytale of New York is not a manufactured number one – Sure we will be pushing to get it there, but for over a decade it has been in the Christmas charts and it is a well loved song. It hasn’t just been made up to grab money for Simon Cowell…

This project is still in the initial stages, but much like RATM, we will be making sure Fairytale of New York does good. As such there will be a charity donation system set up. This will all be sorted as the project progresses.

I have contacted various people within The Pogues camp, and also to Kirsty MacColl’s mother. I would like them to be involved as this would be very important to the project.

There is a Facebook page set up : FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK XMAS No.1 2010

I won’t be able to do this on my own, so FTONY isn’t an “I” thing… it is a “WE” project – and I am currently being ably assisted by Phil Karn (met thanks to Twitter). There may be more people called in to help – and we’ll be grateful for any help!

I have started this group early as I want to build up the numbers of followers throughout the year. For most of the year the group will be a little quiet – just general chat and news – I don’t want people to burn out too soon!

As the time to buy draws near come November/December 2010 I shall then kick the group into action with group emails to ramp up the drive to get that number one spot.

You can also follow via Twitter with @FairytaleNY2010

If you want to get involved, you can email me at fairytale@sometimespace.com

Please spread the word!

Let’s get a Christmas song to Christmas number one – a song that has not been there before… and we can all remember Kirsty MacColl at the same time!

Thank you!

Sergio García se aleja de los puesto de cabeza del Dubai Wold Championship tras terminar la tercera jornada con un acumulado de menos nueve. El de Castellón ha firmado un excelente 69 que no ha sabido culminar con el put. García ha realizado 29 impactos dentro del green. Un número de golpes nada desdeñable para un torneo de este tipo. Pero Sergio sigue estando lejos de la élite y no culmina los puts de tres, cuatro, cinco o seis metros. El español necesita dejar su bola en un área de tres metros de bandera para asegurarse el birdie. Hoy, ni si quiera a embocado una de las cuatro oportunidades  que ha tenido en el 10, 14, 17 y 18. Algunos más complicados, otros con menos caída. Pero, en la desesperanza de lo imposible no ha entrado ninguno. Lo que deja claro es que no es un mal pateador, pero tampoco uno de los mejores. Porque a la hora de embocar el put que marca la diferencia con los 66 golpes, los de la élite lo hacen más rápido.

Mientras, Lee Westwood ha ofrecido una clase magistral de juego corto en Dubai.

Las ha metido de todas las formas imaginables. Puros kilométricos e incómodos golpes de metro y medio. No ha desperdiciado la oportunidad de diferenciarse de su competidores y ha acabado con quince golpes por debajo del par. Y ya le saca dos a su más cercano competidor y compatriota Ross McGowan (- 13), que se consolida como uno de los jugadores revelación del Circuito Europeo este año.

Y es que en este tercer día han metido su dosis de puros hasta los menos pensados. Paddy Harrington hacía lo propio en el hoyo 3 y Ross McGowan se consolidaba como el más fuerte en torno a green haciendo una imitación del líder.

El que parece haberse quedado sin opciones al título de mejor jugador europeo es Rory McIlroy. El joven de Irlanda del Norte comenzó la jornada de ayer siguiendo el ritmo que le marcaba Westwood. Un nivel que se ha roto en el hoyo 16, firmando tres bogeys seguidos para terminar con menos 10. En el 16, golpeaba con un pie en el agua, en el 17 un tripateo lo noqueaba y en el 18 decidió mandar la bola al agua.

En cuanto al resto de representantes españoles sólo Miguel Ángel Jiménez (-1) ha podido terminar bajo par. Mientras, Gonzalo Fernández Castaño y Rafael Cabrera finalizaban con un golpe por encima de lo estipulado. Un resultado que los deja totalmente fuera de cualquier quiniela.

Por supuesto, para informarse en directo ten-golf y ahora mismo retransmisión en directo de Golf+ en el dial 53 de Digital+. Hoy se disputa la última jornada. The race is on Dubai.

Fuente: Crónica realizada a partir de la visualización del torneo en directo mediante Golf+.

]]> http://madhatters.me.uk/2009/10/28/shit-hits-the-fan-jury/ Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:30:39 +0000 duncanr http://madhatters.me.uk/2009/10/28/shit-hits-the-fan-jury/

38-year-old Weusi McGowan caused a stink during his trial in San Diego, California for a 2007 robbery in which he broke into a man’s home, demanded money and hit him with a rock in a sock.

Browned off that the judge refused to dismiss the case against him, he snuck a bag of excrement into the court, smeared his defense attorney with the shit, then threw the rest at the jury.

At this point the judge declared a mistrial, and McGowan was assigned a new defence attorney.

At the second trial, McGowan was sentenced to 31 years and 4 months for the 2007 robbery, plus the assault with the faeces.

Amid many changes in police work over the past 50 years, one tactic remains mostly unchanged: using a trained dog to track down a bad guy.

That’s the K-9 unit’s most significant quality to retired Lt. John F. McGowan, who was in the first group of Norfolk K-9 officers in 1959.

McGowan and other current and retired officers and their families gathered Saturday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the unit.

“We have a K-9 corps that is still tracking, searching buildings, searching for bombs, searching for narcotics,” McGowan said. “It’s still going, and it hasn’t changed.”

The 50th-anniversary reunion was held at the Fraternal Order of Police lodge on Harmony Road in Norfolk. Betty Whittington, who has been the K-9 unit secretary since February 1977, helped coordinate it.

Retired officers told old stories and flipped through books of newspaper clippings and photos about what was originally known as the Norfolk Police Department K-9 Corps.

One of the original dogs, Rex I, was certified in court as an “expert witness” by a judge after he tracked down a criminal, McGowan said.

When McGowan’s own dog, Nip, wasn’t at work, he was the family pet. McGowan’s son tied the tan-and-brown German shepherd to a leash and then told other kids to hide in the bushes so he could use Nip to find them.

McGowan, then 30 years old, was the sergeant over the corps when it was formed in November 1959. The officers under him – Frank W. Cupp, David W. Emory, James W. Hinson and Robert L. Morgan – used German shepherds donated by citizens.

They spent eight weeks training the dogs at Langley Air Force Base, McGowan said. Then, the Norfolk officers and their dogs began patrolling neighborhoods on foot.

By 1962, the corps had 15 officers who eventually trained other departments.

The unit now has 19 dogs: German shepherds, Belgian Malinois and one Dutch shepherd.

The department buys the dogs now, said Lt. Harry Twiford, who oversees the unit.

Like the officers of McGowan’s day, the K-9 officers still take tremendous pride.

“You have to be able to work with a dog, and not everybody’s cut out to do that,” Twiford said.

LINK

Sinopse:

“Fifty Dead Men Walking” conta-nos a chocante história real de Martin McGartland, um jovem irlandês, no final dos anos 80. O filme narra o percurso de Martin (Jim Sturgess), desde que foi recrutado pela polícia britânica para espionar o grupo paramilitar IRA. Ao infiltrar-se, ele passa a conviver com o mais alto graduado do IRA, correndo enormes riscos, Martin envia informações aos britânicos e salva milhares de vidas. Até o dia em que é desmascarado, capturado e torturado.

- Gosto de filmes baseado em fatos reais e esse é mais um que gostei!

- Assistido em 29/08/2009

The Indians may be the worst team in the AL, but that means nothing when you face the Jays in July

Not-so-fun fact: The Jays are 0-19 in games that Scott Rolen doesn’t start this season. Actually, that’s not true, but I wish it was so our savvy, motivated manager would take note and stop sitting him. Didn’t Cito get the memo when the American League introduced the designated hitter in like 1970? If Rolen is so in need of a rest after a night game (and why is he?), why not DH him? At the very least, let him hit for one of the two .240 career hitters (Bautista and Barajas) in the ninth inning of a one-run game. Oh, by the way, if you didn’t catch on by now, the Jays lost to the Indians this afternoon, 5-4.

In what’s become the theme of the week, another Jays’ rookie left-hander struggled with his command — today it was Mark Rzepcynski, who walked four in four-and-a-third innings and gave up four runs, two courtesy of a ground ball through Jose Bautista’s legs at third. Aaron Hill and Kevin Millar hit homers for Toronto, though it wasn’t enough to beat the surging Indians, who won for the fifth time in 14 games to improve to 38-58.

A couple more Jays notes: It was reported today that Dustin McGowan had surgery for a knee injury suffered while rehabbing his arm injury. How that’s possible is beyond me, though it’s not that big a deal considering his arm doesn’t look like it’ll be back to normal anytime soon. Also, David Dellucci was designated for assignment after going 1-for-25 in eight games in the bigs. I never imagined a mid-season signing of a washed up outfielder could turn out even worse than that of Brad Wilkerson last season, but I suppose you learn new things everyday.

It’s remarkable that such a distinctive looking figure should have made a career in impersonating others but MacGowan slipped effortlessly in and out of characters throughout the interview, giving the audience what they had doubtless come to see.  All this despite the fact that his ‘Big Impression’ series finished three or four years ago; even he could not remember.  There was also the slight hint that he is not entirely content with his art; the comment made by fellow comedian Steve Coogan that impressions are a ”cheap trick” clearly still rankles.

Whilst MacGowan was happy to please with multiple personalities, he was anxious to talk about his other work; acting, including work with the RSC and his forthcoming book that tracks his attempt to give up his obsession with football.

The session was chaired by Fiona Lindsay, a great adventurer but not a natural interviewer.  As Aaronovitch had demonstrated earlier in the day you need stage craft.  Lindsay looked nervous and her questions were pedestrian.  She has some of the bigger gigs at Hay, this one was a near sell out on the main stage.  Let’s hope she sharpens up.

If nothing else, Pedro Martinez would bring his ability to fight old men to Toronto

14-6 — A major league-best 14-6, for that matter! Too early to crown Toronto the World Series Champs? Yeah, definitely. Case in point: Six days ago, the Florida Marlins were well on their way to late-October baseball with an 11-1 mark, now they’re 11-7. Still, it’s hard not to get excited about what the Jays are doing this April.

So what’s next? Do the Jays’ brass sit on their hands and hope Brian Burres and co. keep it up, or do they go out and look for a starting pitcher? Here’s what I do if I’m J.P. Ricciardi — I go get Pedro Martinez. After a strong showing at the World Baseball Classic, Martinez is apparently holding out for $5 million, and with no takers yet, the Jays have a chance to move in. Really, what’s there to lose? It would be $5 million they didn’t spend on any major league free agent this off-season. Besides, for these big-name companies, $5 million is nothing more than a write-off. And no, I don’t know what a write-off is, but they do, and they’re the ones writing it off.

If the Jays aren’t interested in Pedro, other veteran options not named Tomokazu Ohka, Victor Zambrano or Matt Clement remain, one of which is Kelsey Grammer-lookalike Paul Byrd. Byrd pitched decently last season with Cleveland and Boston and is a bit of an upgrade over a certain Baltimore outcast that got the ball for Toronto two nights ago.

It’s early, and I’m probably a bit too excited about the Jays’ fast start, but with all the injuries in the rotation and with Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum not returning anytime soon (if at all), I don’t think it would a bad idea to bring in a veteran arm. After all, there have been worse investments (apologies to Frank Thomas)…

Todd McGowan’s article in the latest issue of Film-Philosophy is quite good, though a classic example of what Baidou would call the didactic aesthetic.  Entitled, ‘Hegel and the Impossibility of the Future in Science Fiction Cinema,’ it is quite good though curiously doesn’t mention Althusser.  This might seem like a typical critique coming from someone who likes Althusser, but in my defense the piece devotes a significant amount of space to arguing that it is not possible to think the outside of an ideology while within that ideology (and since one is always in an ideology all thought is limited by an ideology).  I would take issue with this point as well.  Having said that, for an article that says a lot that I disagree with, it is very interesting and warrants consideration.

One of these two is about to strain a hamstring

…actually, it technically started last July when Dustin McGowan’s arm fell off, and then got worse when Shaun Marcum fell victim to the same fate in September. But the Jays got their first bad news of the spring today after Vernon Wells pulled a hamstring in a routine baserunning drill.

Wells had an MRI and is expected to be out four weeks, and “maybe a little more” according to J.P. Ricciardi, who was on The Fan this afternoon. Is that a hint that Ricciardi knows “maybe a little more” about the injury than the rest of us, as he did with B.J. Ryan a couple years ago? Probably not, but it’s still troubling to lose Wells this early, especially following a season in which he played just 108 games coming off shoulder surgery. Wells missed a month last year with an injury to the same hamstring.

Former state senate president pro tem Don Perata was on Mr. McGowan’s segment this morning. What’s the point? It’s the same schtick each time… “I didn’t have anything to do with this mess, term limits and the initiative process are the problem!”

Day 43 of the Don Perata Watch. Still no questions about the federal investigation into Perata.

Perata offers nothing substantive to this discussion so why continue to trot out this tired old hag of a politician? He’s following the Willie Brown playbook of faking nonpartisanship now that he is out of politics while remaining fiercely partisan and connected to the Democrat establishment in California… the same establishment that has really been running things in Sacramento for 30+ years.

Perata talks about Californians wanting more than they are willing to pay for but at the same time he refuses to accept any responsibility for failing to stand up to the forces in Sacramento that wanted well more than the state could afford.

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The current issue of Springfield Business Journal reveals my picks for the top quotes published in our pages this year.

This is my fourth annual ranking of SBJ’s top quotes. In 2005, when I started the Top 10 list, I also compiled my choices for the top business stories of the year. That idea has blossomed into a full-fledged section with a recap of each, along with how those storylines will shape the new year. (See pages 11–24 in the Dec. 22 double issue.) Now, the entire editorial department votes on the top stories of the year.

Here, I’d like to note the topics that just missed our 2008 Top 10. Honorable mentions, if you will, are:

• “Cox, Ferrell Duncan reach costly federal settlement”
• “St. John’s opens patient tower”
• “Celebration City closes amid Branson tourism decline”

The 2008 Quote of the Year was from Heer’s owner and St. Louis businessman Kevin McGowan, whose name joins the ranks of developers who attempted to rescue the abandoned department store with little success so far. Davis (Warren), Prost (Vaughn) and now McGowan have each had stop-and-go moments in redeveloping the one-time “gem of the Queen City” on the city’s public square, which led to McGowan’s top comment:

“I took the big stick away.”

He was speaking in July 2008 about a change in his development agreement to remove a city buy-back option.

After financing fell through later in the year, I wonder if McGowan wished he had that stick. However, now he’s got his sights set on some U.S. Housing & Urban Development-backed financing.

Sure would be interesting to sit down with the trio of developers to talk about the Heer’s experience. Could whispers of a Heer’s curse emerge?

For old time’s sake, here are the No. 1 quotes each year since 2005:

“You can call it a lollipop for all I care.” –Matt Morrow of the HBA of Greater Springfield, on Ozark’s $1,500 builder impact fee that city officials renamed a sewer connection fee (May 9, 2005)

“Oh, is he?” –Gov. Blunt brother and lobbyist Andy Blunt, expressing surprise about cousin Greg Wilmoth’s plans to build an ethanol plant east of Rogersville. (Nov. 13, 2006)

“I wouldn’t know an iPod from a pea pod.” —SRC Holdings CEO Jack Stack, on his use of the latest technologies (Nov. 5, 2007)

Jack McClinton scored 12 in the Canes victory.

Los Huracanes se calentaron para los encuentros contra Ohio State y Kentucky de forma cómoda, fácilmente derrotando a los Hatters de Stetson 79-65 en el Bank United Center.

Miami (4-1), el numero 22 del ranking nacional, tiró casi 60 por ciento en el primer tiempo y con poco mas de tres minutos para jugar ganaba por 18 contra Stetson (2-3).

Cyrus McGowan terminó con 14 puntos y ocho rebotes en la victoria y Dwayne Collins añadió 12 y siete rebotes.

Jack McClinton y James Dews marcaron 12 y 10 puntos respectivamente.

Garfield Blair lideró a los visitantes con 25 puntos pero fue suficiente en un partido dominado por los Huracanes. Kris Thomas anotó 14 y Sheldon Oliver 11 en la derrota.

“Jugamos bien en la pintura,” admitió el entrenador Frank Haith después de la victoria. “Estamos mejorando cada partido en la pintura y eso nos ayudará luego en la temporada.”

Los de Haith dominaron 28-18 en la pintura y usaron un parcial de 19-5 para escaparse en el primer tiempo, entrando al descanso ganado 39-27 gracias a cinco triples de ocho intentos.

El segundo tiempo fue más de lo mismo aunque Stetson marcó siete triples. No fue suficiente y los Huracanes ganaron el segundo tiempo 40-38.

“Teníamos que ejecutar perfectamente y no lo hicimos,” declaró Derek Waugh, entrenador de los visitantes. “Teníamos que defender bien, tirar 50 por ciento y marcar los triples. No soy matemático pero se que no lo hicimos.”

La victoria también trajo más buenas noticias para los Huracanes.

Lance Hurdle fue titular por primera vez esta temporada tras volver a jugar la semana pasada en la Islas Vírgenes después de una lesión al tobillo que le perjudico al principio de la temporada. El veterano controló el partido para los Huracanes y terminó con ocho puntos en 21 minutos.

Ahora Los Huracanes se enfocarán en el partido del martes contra Ohio State en el Bank United Center, parte del ACC / Big Ten Challege. Será la primera vez que Miami juega un partido del torneo en casa.

Los Buckeyes (3-0) llegarán a Miami sin haber jugado fuera de casa en lo que va de temporada y aunque llegarán invictos, sus victorias contra Delaware State, Bowling Green y Samford no indican que han tenido que jugar contra un equipo como Miami. Aun así, Ohio State ganó el NIT el año pasado y jugó en la final nacional hace dos así que no hay duda que vendrán listos para ganar.

Putting rumours of her breakup with boyfriend Robert Rodriguez to rest, the Grindhouse star Rose McGowan announced that they are engaged and would get married in 2009.

According to reports, McGowan told reporters at Hollywood Style Awards that she and the director are planning to marry in 2009.

She said: “I am engaged,” revealing Rodriguez proposed to her in September after divorcing his first wife Elizabeth.

McGowan and Rodriguez met on the set of Grindhouse and are now reportedly teaming up to make remakes of Red Sonja and Barbarella. 

The actress admits she has her perfect wedding in her sights. She said: “I just want to go to an island and pay someone else to deal with it (ceremony).”

AMY WINEHOUSE’S RACIST CRACK VIDEO

A video has been released showing Amy Winehouse in a crack dive singing racist songs. Now this isn’t much of a revelation since most of us already knew she was on crack. The interesting thing about his video is that she may be prosecuted for it. The video which was filmed by her husband Blake in 2007, currently in jail, showed the troubled singer sitting by a table, spread with what has been reported as heroin and drug paraphernalia. Actually, I’m surprised she hasn’t used it in one of her music videos. “Why I’m not going to rehab no, no, no.” This evidence has come into light just days after Britain’s top police officer, Sir Ian Blair, called for celebrities caught snorting drugs on camera to be put on trial. Since the evidence is so ovewherlming in Winehouse’s case she may become a test for Blair’s theory. “My position is that a sensible jury would not expect people to be sniffing talcum powder.” Recently the star has been getting publicity as going to rehab and getting her life back in order, though I for one am not buying her reformed attitude. The video shows exactly how much of a disaster she is. But this new kink in the life of bizzarro Amy certainly could put her back into tailspin mode. She has been making noise about wanting to be a mommy so she can join the ranks of Michael Jackson and Brittney Spears as disfuntional celebrities that should never be allowed to reproduce. Can you see her and Blake trying to raise a kid. It makes you shudder.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN – THE OPERA?

Here’s a genius concept. Let’s turn Brokeback Mountain into an opera. Yes, plans are in the works to convert the academy award winning film into an opera. I can hardly wait, singing cowboys, yuck. The New York City Opera commissioned Charles Wuorinen to compose an opera based on “Brokeback Mountain,” the 1997 short story by Annie Proulx. “Ever since encountering Annie Proulx’s extraordinary story I have wanted to make an opera on it, and it gives me great joy that Gerard Mortier and New York City Opera have given me the opportunity to do so,” Wuorinen said in a statement. They’re aiming for a release date of 2013. Hey aren’t people saying the world will end in 2012? Well maybe that’s the bright side to that, we won’t have to put up with this opera.

COLLEGE INSTATES MONKEY GOD AS CHAIRMAN

I’m not sure how good of an idea this is.  Hanuman, the popular god known for his strength and valor, has been named official chairman of the recently opened Sardar Bhagat Singh College of Technology and Management in northern India, a school official said Saturday. Has anyone looked at his resume. He’s a monkey god! Monkeys like mischief, not business. “It is our belief that any job that has the blessings of Lord Hanuman is bound to be a success,” said Vivek Kangdi. Blessing, yes, actually running the show, not well thought out. The position comes with an incense-filled office, a desk and a laptop computer. Four chairs will be placed facing the empty seat reserved for the chairman and all visitors must enter the office barefoot, said Kangdi, the school’s vice chairman. It seems to me it is going to make it awfully hard to get any decisions here. “When we were looking for a chairman for our institution, we scanned many big names in the field of technology and management. Ultimately, we settled for Lord Hanuman, as none was bigger than him,” Kangdi said. I think next time they should consider an employment service. Though I expect the monkey god works for bananas.

METAL BAR IN MAN’S HEAD

Donovan McGowan lived with the piece of metal inside him for three months after an operation. You would think he’d have done something about this sooner. It’s not like you can’t notice this. The 18-year-old suffered from blinding headaches and also had an unsightly lump on the side of his head. Eventually, he demanded a scan and it was then doctors found the bar. Duh, It’s right there. They said, “This is quite embarrassing but there is something metallic like a tube still in your head. It’s been more than embarrassing for me having to walk about with this lump,” said Mr McGowan, from Glasgow,Scotland. I bet it made it hard to pick up girls. The rod was left behind during an operation at Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, in March after he was hit by a car. From his picture he looks like still has part of the fender in his head.