Melo on the cheap?  Now wouldn’t that be an interesting situation.  FourFourTwo is juicing the rumor mill that Melo might be on his way out in January.  Wouldn’t it be funny if the Arsenal, ended up purchasing Melo in January?  I mean it won’t happen, too many reasons not to, but I started wondering.  What if?  What if Arsene decided, forget the C-League.  Lets go for the domestic cup.  We’re top four already and any player we bring in can play.

Granted, the FF2 report is based on the fickle anger of the Juve fans and the fact that Melo was called a failed purchase by Arrigo Sacchi.  Sacchi of course is not affiliated with Juve, that would be too easy and, well, relevant.  No Sacchi is the former manager of AC Milan (and Italy).  So his opinion definitely matters to Juve.  Yup, based on Sacchi’s comments, Juve, who spent basically 25 million euro (I’m counting the player swap as another 5 million) are going to give up on Melo in just three months.  Because the failure for this season is all his fault.  Whatever.

Juve did overspend on Melo.  And Melo should have insisted on coming to the Arsenal.  Frankly, we were a better fit for him than Juve.  We needed him and he fit with us.  So he would have slot right in.  I realize it might not have worked out, I’m just saying the situation was right for him -thus there was a good probability of success, not guaranteed.  So put those two wrongs together and you get well, the Juve disaster season and the Arsenal looking for a Melo replacement.  Life is funny like that.

But this Melo thing got me to thinking, what if Arsene did ease up the pressure on the Champs League and focus on the EPL.  I’ve already written how the Champs League is more important than the EPL.  That being said, I’ll take an EPL trophy, it’s respectable.  And if nothing else, it buys us one more year to develop the players and keep Fab.

This is important since Arsene noted the christmas magic needed to get a high quality player, that’s affordable and can play in the Champs League.  Basically it’s a fantasy that many fans have not quite accepted.  But what’s not a fantasy is getting a high quality player that can play in the EPL.  Only two teams that have fallen out of the Champs League have players essentially off limits from us -Juve and Liverpoor.

Juve won’t sell to us because you don’t splash that much cash then sell the talent after just three months.  Especially not when you can still win the Serie A, at least in theory.  You do the natural thing and fire the manager first.  Liverpoor isn’t likely to sell to us because then they’d be helping a rival too much, even if the money was nice.  Besides, we would only think about one player: Masherano, which we did once……back in 2006.  So that’s a marriage that ain’t gonna happen.

Nope, Arsene would need to look at some of the mid-tier EPL teams.  But honestly, there isn’t much there.  This means looking to one of the big teams on the continent.  France is the usual suspect, but Marseille is the only team we might find someone.  And off the top of my head, no one jumps to mind.  Remember, I’m looking at players that cannot play in the Champs League.  In Germany, Dzeko is a forward, so he comes back into play.  Plus he’s only like 23, so he’s good for next year as well.  So I kind of like that.

In Spain, welfare madrid has a couple of possibilities, although M. Diarra apparently was just taken off the market.  Besides, he’s off to the ACN soon anyway.  Gago, once again, pops up.  So I’m keeping an eye on him.  I’ve been tracking his game count -not good, especially with the World Cup coming up.  I don’t care what his agent says Gago is on the market.  Truth is, if we want an experienced box-to-box midfielder, we need to go to Spain.  The Serie A builds them down there, look at Melo.  Unfortunately, Fiorentina qualified (top of their group!) so we won’t get their MD, Montolivo.  He would be the perfect player -somewhat under the radar and De Rossi’s replacement on the Azzuri.  Had liverpoor not been, well, liverpoor, I would have bet money we would have picked him up.

I’m can’t talk too much about Liege’s Defour because he can play in the Champs League.  But for a quick digression, I have to say, I’d be pleased if we picked him and Matuidi up.  Although the lineup would be a bit small, the players slot in well with each other’s type of play and are tough.  In any case, he claims not to be leaving until the summer, but the thought is nice.

Nevertheless, the idea is intriguing.  A strong push for the EPL might free us to take a risk and bring in someone we might not otherwise.  Because a risk is needed.

-the student

So one day me and my boys were watching some ESPN Sportscenter to be exact, and there were alot of NBA highlights of games that were on that day. So me and my boys were just like “If you were to pick one player in the NBA to start a franchise with who would you chose?”  So we went around the room and mostly everyone said, “Lebron James, Dwight Howard, D-Wade, Melo and Kevin Durant.” In my opinion I’ll take Dwight Howard, I mean  you need a dominant big men to be successful in the NBA in my opinion, unless your name is Kobe Bryant! But anyways thats a different argument on a different day. So I was thinking maybe I should post a Poll and see what the world thinks? So give me your output and vote and it will be cooler if you gave me a reason why too. To make this argument even more better and interesting so VOTE!!  ight!

By:Jeremie D.

• This Pistons team is all heart & hustle!
• I still can’t root against Chauncey Billups. For me, he’ll always be a part of the Pistons – even when he is dropping 21 points on us and nearly hitting the game winner for Denver.
• Rodney Stuckey isn’t Mr. Big Shot 2.0 yet, but he is on his way. We shouldn’t try to nickname him the same as Chauncey, tough. Stuckey is a big guard like Chauncey, but that’s about it – they play very different styles of basketball.
• Ben Wallace is playing the best basketball I’ve seen from him since he left the Pistons in the first place. You can’t compare what he did in Chicago or Cleveland with what he is doing now. About 15 boards a game and a combined 5 blocks and steals per game is what he gives you every night – how awesome is that?
• Jonas Jerebko isn’t in the discussion for Rookie Of The Year yet and probably won’t get there anytime soon, but this guy is a real basketball player. He can do it all. Defend (Melo went for 40+, but Melo is…Melo…league of his own scoring-wise right now), score inside and outside, go for loose balls like his life would depend on it, pass, drive, dish…you name it, he can do it.
• Ben Wallace Add-On: Is he the most underrated passer/ball-distributor big man in the league right now or what?
• Melo went for 40+, Chauncey dropped 20+…not enough to get the W in Motown…how many of us thought the Pistons would go 4-0 over the last four games? Be honest…

This team is surprising me every time I watch a game. I don’t know if I’ve been that excited on a game-to-game-basis ever - there just aren’t any letdowns and the team is bringing the effort night in & night out. Keep it up!

I’d like to thank “God” for making it rain today so there was HELLA traffic on the way home from work/school. Luckily I am the “master lane changer” (as I’ve dubbed myself) so I had no problem getting home to get my front row seat. Only 1 year and 364 days and 5 minutes to see him back in that jersey…he’s looking mighty fine out there. But you already knew that because you aren’t blind. Unless someone is reading this posting for you…then your missing out. It’s time for The Answer.

So after writing about the major changes Arsene tried to make this summer I began to think bigger. I started to wonder what major changes could Arsene have made?  From there I began to think of the unimaginable -what if Arsene truly rebuilt the team from the ground up.  What if Arsene sold (or sells) Fab? I realized the Arsenal will be okay.  If only because the loss of Fab means a change in tactics from the 4-3-3 to the power and pace we once had.  In fact, the team might have been stronger.

Walk with me.  Assuming Arsene sold Fab this past summer for £35m, two things happen. One, Arsene has a warchest of £74m (Ade(25)+Toure(14)+Fab(35), not counting whatever amount the Board gave him (at least £13m, but more likely in the realm of £20m).  Second, Arsene can rebuild the team in a completely different style and change back to the 4-4-2.  This means other players we have are unnecessary and can be sold. Why does this imaginary world -which I don’t want to occur -matter?  Well, if Fab does leave, which I don’t think he will, we need to think about the upside.  And sometimes it’s good to think about how substantial changes will affect the Outfit, if only to reassess our views on the team, the players and our strategy.

So, back to the begining, if Fab is sold, how does it affect the players on the team?  Starting with the forwards, only RVP would be safe.  Any two of the following could be sold: Vela, Bentdner, Walcott (yes, him too), or Eduardo.  Moving on to the midfielders, only Arshavin, Nasri (currently under utilized) and Song are safe (lets consider Song a CH/MD).  And any two of the following could be sold: Diaby, Wilshere, Denilson, Ramsey, Rosicky or Eboue.  The final four are pretty easy,  Sagna, Clichy and Gallas are safe.  Senderos, Gibbs, Traore and Sylvestre can be sold.

Now lets be clear, just because a player can be sold doesn’t mean they should be sold.  And just because we are unhappy with a player, doesn’t mean they should be sold (a la Diaby).  Since selling Fab means changing how we play to a 4-4-2, certain players may become more valuable, again a la Diaby.  And with new players brought in, the needs of the team changes.  So, Fab is now gone, what do we need?

Arsene would look to buy 1-2 midfielders, a center half, likely a right back (Eboue likely leaves) and maybe a big striker.  But now, he has £74m from the sale of Ade, Toure and Fab, plus he can sell two of the forwards, two of the midfielders and at least one defensive player.  That’s £74m for the starting XI, plus what, another £25m (£99m total) he can generate from the sale of existing personnel, not to mention any other funds the Board (£13-20m) provide: £114m-121m.

So who comes in?  Start with those we tried to get this summer.  First, we get Melo because we can afford to push out Juve at £21m (and we throw in Eboue).  Next, we swoop for Sakho, again we can afford the price, £15m.  Chamakh at 10m?  No problem.  There’s £46m and our team height just increased by a foot.  For rotation sake buy Matuidi at £8m, Vermaelen at £10m and some young right back like Van der Wiel at £8m,  and all of a sudden our defense isn’t a problem and our midfield is solid (Melo, Nasri, Matuidi, Arshavin, and two or all of the following: Diaby/Ramsey/Wilshere/Denilson/Merida.  Total price?  £72m.  Power is no longer an issue; pace is still overwhelming and we are physically stronger than just about any team I can think of.  Our technique is still stunning as well.

Plus we have money in the bank: whatever original kitty the Board gave Arsene plus any money from selling Senderos, Sylvestre or any of the midfielders or forwards.  At least £2m, but more like £25m.

This would be our big game day lineup in a 4-4-2:
Alumnia, Clichy, Sakho, Gallas, Sagna, Arshavin, Melo, Diaby, Nasri, Chamakh, RVP
bench: fabianski, Van der Wiel, Ramsey, Eduardo/Vela, Matuidi, Song, Merida

Off bench: Vermaelen, Gibbs, Traore and Wilshere plus whomever wasn’t sold.  Funny part?  You can see how we might miss Eboue to help provide cover on the right back and midfield.  But moving on.

One might question, why Diaby?  Because Melo and Diaby can play together, Diaby can charge forward while Melo hangs back.  Nasri and Arshavin play the creative midfielder roles on the wings.  RVP can stay as he is, but Chamakh plays the target man.  Plus, if we need to get more defensive we have Song and Matuidi on the bench; or, if we need to get more offensive, we have Ramsey and Merida.

Obviously this is pub fantasy, arm chair managing and impossible since we don’t have the money and Melo is gone.  But it raises an interesting point, what if Fab does leave, or what if we receive an offer we can’t refuse?  What’s the magic number?  Is it £40m like some claim?  What about £50m?  How do we say no to £50m?  Or, now that we are shopping, what player do we need to really fit into our 4-3-3?  Should we change back to a 4-4-2 and if so, should we sell Fab?

Whatever happens, the Arsenal will be okay.  If only because we have Fab and he’s fabulous and if we sell Fab it doesn’t mean we’ll fall out of the top four.  It just means a change in tactics to the 4-4-2 and the power and pace we once had.  A change that might be okay.

-the student.

Last summer, Arsene tried to completely rebuild Arsenal.  This January, he is up to something again.  Arsene has been up to something for quite a while now and with the squad injuries as they are, his hand is being forced.  The big problem, however, is who to get?  Unlike the Arshavin pickup last winter, I’m not sure who is out there for him to pick up this time.  This is what scares me.

Lets take one step back first.

For all the talk about Arsene not buying anyone, the fact is, he does pursue players.  And, he pursues the players we need.  He just draws the line at some point.  This past summer we know he went after Melo, Chamakh and Sakho.  If he’d signed all three, the team would be very different right now.   Throw in the Verminator and that would have been a massive overhaul to the team (we would have lost Eboue and/or Senderos as well).   Rumors are, well rumors, but assuming these numbers are roughly correct, they make sense: £5m for Melo (and swapping Eboue and Senderos) or about 18m euro plus Eboue; 13m euro for Sakho; and, about £9m for Chamakh.  Total between roughly £24-29m.  Throw in Verminator’s £10m and that takes you to £34-39m.  Most of the money received from the Toure and Ade sale would have provided the funds.  But add his transfer kitty and everything is good.  Had this strategy worked out, the team would have been radically changed, for the better, at a price that other managers would have drooled over.

But asking Arsene to go above these numbers is ridiculous for two reasons.  One, the players weren’t worth that much more.  Those were good prices for those players.  It reflected the right balance of potential, talent and their existing contracts.  Two, the Club has to spend money in other places.  For instance, we just dropped £10m in Brazil this past week.  Those plans were a long-time coming.  Some might argue that we should have redirected that money to the bigger name signings, that’s at least a critique in the realm of the discussion.  But the judgment is Arsene’s to make.  Besides, the Brazil investments go much father than just young talent.  This is Arsenal breaking into THE FOOTBALL TALENT POOL OF THE WORLD.  We had no foothold there, now we do.  So think of that £10m as a long-term investment beyond those players.

So what can we learn from this?  Basically, we know Arsene had a plan and tried to put it into place to remake the team this past summer.  He tried to bring in THREE new starters.  We might not have even gone to the 4-3-3 had Melo been brought in.  And our defense would look entirely different with the Verminator and Song on the bench (Song maybe rotating with Melo); Gallas and Sakho would start.  And Bendtner, Vela Walcott and Eduardo?  Now with Chamakh there, totally different forward setup.  Nasri and Rosicky are on the wings, with Diaby, Denilson, Ramsey and even Merida on the bench.

For whatever reason, it didn’t happen.  So Arsene took what he had and built a team around it.  Injuries, however, and a bit of a rut have tested this team and found it a bit wanting.  We have talent, but lack the right mix of gears.   So this January window, Arsene will try again.  He won’t try to remake the team in quite the same way though, because he can’t.  On the pitch, he doesn’t have enough time to integrate three players, potentially change the entire system and so forth.   And off the pitch, he can’t afford to buy overpriced mid-tier players to appease shortsighted fans that will hobble the team come summer 2010 and the insanity of the market after the world cup.

This leaves us with some constraints:  who is available, has the talent and is within the scope of economic reason?  As Arsene pointed out, who exactly can he buy?  Many of the best players are cup tied or more importantly, their current team need them because of the cup.  Chamakh is the best example of this, but other players have the same issue.  So any purchase Wenger makes must be either immediately impactful, i.e. a HUGE signing, or, must be a smaller signing that still gives him room next summer.

That’s the tricky part; Arsene doesn’t want to limit himself from getting the right players this summer because he overspends on mid-tier players this January.  That means a big purchase is likely to be, well, another youth project, Balotelli, for instance.  Young, but already playing at high level.  Steven Defour from Standard Liege is another strong prospect because he isn’t cup tied and can slot in, but is still young.  Eden Hazard is a stretch.  That’s a summer move, maybe.

What’s worse, is that those teams we can usually pick off great talent from, like Bordeaux or Fiorentina, are actually doing well this year.  As a result, we are really screwed.  Matuidi is the poor man’s Defour, so he’s possible.  But is he the long-term solution Arsene wants?  He can play Fab’s partner of sorts, in the style of Lass or Makele, not Song, but is he the right fit for the long-term?

The point is, there’s asking for what you want and recognizing reality.  Arsene made a significant effort to remake the team while staying financially viable.  He doesn’t want to be like this: Cough cough, for those that want us to spend money like mad and increase our debt.

But the question remains, who exactly CAN we buy?

- the student

Maybe he was just saving himself for last night’s game against the Lakers, maybe his team was worn out from their win in Portland to open up their road trip, or maybe Denver just wanted revenge for their beatdown in Miami last month… but whatever the reason, Dwanye Wade could not carry his team against fellow draft class of 2003 member Carmelo Anthony and the determined Nuggets squad on Thursday. Nene (pictured above), Birdman and the Denver bigs dominated the paint and double teams limited Wade to jump shots for most of the night, effectively shutting down the Miami offense.

Nene played great, hitting shots from the outside and taking it to the hole time and time again (with some nifty passing by JR Smith) to end up with 15 points and 8 rebounds, providing the inside presence that the Nuggets desperately need.

Outside the Pepsi Center it was cold and snowy, with temps in the single digits and a few inches covering the ground. I love it when it feels like winter for real, prime weather for Basketball.

Miami did play pretty good through the first quarter, even coming up with this monster block by Jermaine O’Neal on one of Nene’s powerful drives.

They had trouble on the offensive end though, with Melo’s defense and Birdman’s length causing trouble for the Heat all night long. Miami did have too many offensive rebounds though, something the Nuggets are still struggling with, ranked 19th in the league in rebound margin.

Melo was named November’s Western Conference Player of the Month because of plays like these.

As the Nuggets announcer likes to say, “REEEEEWIIINNNDDD!”

Mario Chalmers hit a couple shots early but could not match the hot shooting of JR Swish who scored all of his 16 points in the first half, and opened the game up in the second quarter.

By halftime the Nuggets were up by 16 and like so many games at home for the Nuggets, it was pretty much already a wrap. The Tuaca Chill Zone is a great place to grab a drink, meet up with friends and celebrate.

It even has a nice view so you can still keep up with the action.

The second half was all Nugs, so we had to entertain ourselves in other ways. Rocky’s always good for that and came by for a visit.

Anya even gave him some love with some smooches.

Gotta love that crazy cat.

Although Bedz and Psycho were not loving Rocky after he sprayed them with Silly String. There’s DJ equipment over here Rocky!

Nuggets were draining shots in the third like this three from Aaron Afflalo, who was a perfect 3-3 from behind line.

Chauncey says, “Yeah I’ll take one too.”

Nené BOO YAA!

Kenyon kept it gangsta and got tossed for talking shit to the refs, other than that, the fourth quarter was pretty uneventful. Wade was one the bench along with the Nuggets’ stars and the C Team got some good playing time. Ty Lawson is really benefitting from being on such a good team where he’s allowed plenty of minutes to run the show towards the end of games when an opponent’s comeback is not possible. After the game, TNT’s Craig Sager talked with Chauncey about the Nuggets’ rise to “elite” staus. Hell, we went to the Conference Finals and save for a couple errant inbound passes, were right there with those pesky Lakers. I guess it takes a true Finals Victory before you get real credit with the national media.

After the game it was over to Beta Nightclub, where Thursday nights always bring in the big dance DJs like David Guetta and wild crowds ready to party.

See what I mean?

Pretty good company. Just another night in Denver. Good job Thuggets, hopefully we can keep it up on the road! See you next Saturday against the streaking Suns. Biz Markie will be in the building too… Nobody Beats The Biz!!!

Rieccoci puntuali con la classifica delle peggiori schifezze che Hollywood ci ha propinato in questi lunghi anni. E noi sempre, imperterriti, convinti come dei fresconi pronti a berci di tutto e di più al grido di “È impossibile che sia brutto! Il fumetto è bellissimo!” Pagherete caro, pagherete tutto. Pronti per la terza manche? C’abbiamo anche l’intervistato di pregio. Roba forte.
Entriamo nel vivo della Top Ten con le posizioni dalla 9 alla 7.

9 – Hulk, Ang Lee, 2003

Ang Lee, ovvero il più cialtrone dei registi americani. Un uomo capace di passare dal western con cantanti white trash al wu xia. Dal melò al dramma familiare. Dalla ricostruzione storica ammiccante al supereroistico. Sempre però con grandi pretese di autorialità e spocchia a vanvera tipo che ti guarda dall’alto in basso con la sua pipa in radica e fa il figo e invece è un gran babbeo. A totale digiuno di una qualsiasi passione per la nona arte, Ang Lee si limita a dare il contentino a noi “poveri sfigati lettori di fumetti” inserendo un paio di split screen a caso per poi dire nelle interviste cose come “fotogramma frammentato come le tavoile di quelle robe lì dove c’era Hulk… i fumetti”. Ma vai a lavorare, vah… In realtà non ha nessun interesse nei confronti di Hulk e trasforma il tutto in una “personale” quanto noiosa storia di rapporti difficili tra padri e figli. Con una sequenza di impostazione teatrale tra Eric Bana e Nick Nolte da ritiro della patente. Il duello finale ricorda Dragonball, e non è un bene. La sequenza in cui il Gigante di Giada combatte contro dei barboncini giganti, mutati geneticamente, per poi nascondersi tra le fresche frasche e spiare Betty Ross con la faccia di Shrek, beh… è una di quelle cose che non si dimenticano facilmente. Ang Lee… Sappi che hai tutto il nostro disprezzo.

Attore di pregio che qui rischia la fine della sua carriera
DOPPIO! Nick Nolte & Sam Elliott

8 – Devil, Mark Steven Johnson, 2003

Non bastava aver girato l’intero film come se fosse un brutto video hip-hop, ma, come al solito, ci vengono regalate anche brillanti riletture e “modernizzazioni” di personaggi fondamentali. Tralasciando il massacro del Kingpin, Bullseye ci viene conciato così:

Ma si! Sarebbe stato poco credibile con una tutina blu! Meglio vestirlo come qualcuno che frequenta locali Goth (nonostante l’età avanzata) e che darebbe fastidio a tutte le cameriere. Ora, sappiamo benissimo che Bullseye non andrebbe mai in giro con quella giacca e che conficcherrebbe una forchetta in mezzo agli occhi a chiunque si sorregga la fibia della cintura in quella maniera o abbia anelli al pollice. Ed io, che sono una persona di tutto rispetto, mi fido del senso estetico di Bullseye.

Ah! Film che si macchia anche del crimine di aver regalato il successo agli Evanescence, presenti con una loro hit nella colonna sonora. Bisogna aggiungere altro?

Attore di pregio che qui rischia la fine della sua carriera:
Kevin Smith

7 – Fantastic Four, Tim Story, 2005

Intervista al Dr Doom.
Estate 2005

Intervistatore: Quindi la sua storia andrà sul grande schermo..
Dr Doom: Già.
Intervistatore:Quale grande attore farà la sua parte?
Dr Doom:…. Julian Mc Mahon
Intervistatore: Chi?
Dr Doom: Quello di Nip &..
Intervistatore: Il chirurgo zozzone?
Dr Doom: E’ un uomo elegante e di bell’aspetto…
Intervistatore: Ma non è Australiano?
Dr Doom: … è Australiano.
Intervistatore: Se penso a Latveria non penso ad un Australiano
Dr Doom: E’ un bell’uomo ed un bravo attore.
Intervistatore:Il chirurgo zozzone?
Dr Doom: Si lui…
Intervistatore: A proposito di Latveria. Dove sono state girate le scene ambientate a Latveria?
Dr Doom:Ecco… non c’è Latveria.
Intervistatore: Non c’è Latveria?
Dr Doom: NO
Intervistatore: E da dove verrebbe lei?
Dr Doom: …
Intervistatore: Dall’Australia?
Dr Doom: …
Intervistatore: E di cosa è re?
Dr Doom: Ecco, c’è da dire che non…
Intervistatore: Sta scherzando?
Dr Doom: Sono un uomo molto facoltoso! Molto.
Intervistatore: Sei una specie di Donald Trump?
Dr Doom: Mi dia del lei.
Intervistatore: Quindi non c’è Latveria, nè un reame?
Dr Doom: Un attore bravo e di bell’aspetto, già. E la prima stagione di Nip & Tuck è bella.
Intervistatore: Mi scusi, ma dopo l’aver tentato di salvare l’anima di sua madre dagli inferi, rimanendo sfigurato, e il consecutivo addestramento in Tibet, dove diventerà gran Maestro ed acquisirà l’armatura, come ha fatto poi a diventare milionario?
Dr Doom: Bhe.. come dire, sarebbe stato troppo complicato… quindi ehm…la storia di mia madre non c’è ed il Tibet bhe..
Intervistatore: L’armatura?
Dr Doom: Ehm..non è esattamente un armatura, sarebbe la mia….pelle.
Intervistatore: Un australiano di ferro?
Dr Doom: Non mi piace il suo tono
Intervistatore: E per quale motivo avrebbe la pelle di ferro?
Dr Doom: Praticamente ero su una navicella spaziale..
Intervistatore: Dove?!
Dr Doom: E questi raggi ci colpiscono..
Intervistatore: Ci? Era con gli FQ? Ma…
Dr Doom: Oh insomma sono un magnate viziato, spocchioso e antipatico. Mi piace quella patata della Jessica Alba, ma a quella piace di più Mr. Fantastic. Mi girano tantissimo per questa cosa, perdo anche dei soldi e divento cattivo e di metallo?Ok?
Intervistatore: Ci sono i DoomBot?
Dr Doom: Se ne vada, e lasci questo triste Re sul suo freddo trono.

Attore di pregio che qui rischia la fine della sua carriera:
Stan Lee

Parte 1: dalla posizione 15 alla 13

Parte 2: dalla 12 alla 10

Adriano & Fede MC

Having the wind knocked out of their sails in a heartbreaking home loss proved to be the worst possible preparation for the Knicks’ West Coast swing against the Lakers, Kings and Nuggets.

Facing Boston at home after two successive wins (likely to be the longest such streak of the season), the Knicks fell to a Kevin Garnett buzzer beater in overtime that cost them a victory they probably deserved. It was a cruel ending for Mike D’Antoni’s men who, after falling behind in the first quarter, rode the hot hands of Al Harrington and Nate Robinson (in his best performance of the season to date) to lead by five going into the fourth quarter. The Garden crowd began to come alive.

With Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett out of sorts, the Celtics scoring load fell on the shoulders of Paul Pierce who, with 33 points, revived his team as the Knicks struggled to score down the stretch. The lack of a reliable fourth quarter threat probably had some wishing Donnie Walsh had signed up Allen Iverson just days before.

Eddy Curry made his first home apperance since early 2008 and struggled thanks to his colleagues’ collective inability to throw him good entry passes into the post. In his 15 minutes on the court, Curry battled down low with Garnett and Kendrick Perkins and his frustration boiled over late in the fourth quarter when, battling for a rebound, he launched a cheapshot push-cum-punch that sent Rajan Rondo sprawling. The resulting flagrant foul caused a three-point swing that fuelled the Celtics’ hope.

With time running out in OT and the score tied at 105, David Lee rotated from KG to double team Pierce, denying Boston’s clutch shooter the opportunity to finish the game. Pierce passed to Garnett who, limping down the court, had an open shot from the top of the key thanks to Harrington’s failure to rotate onto him. Garnett was 3 of 14 for the game but didn’t think twice about taking the shot. He sank the jumper as time expired to inflict a cruel loss on the Knicks, their seventh home defeat in 8 games.

Knowing how brittle this Knicks team can be, the body blow delivered by Garnett had fans immediately fearing the worse for the next game, a road clash with the defedning champion Lakers. To make matters worse, a traffic gridlock meant the team arrived at Staples just 55 minutes before tip-off. In spite of this disruption, the Knicks were competitive for the first half. Sadly, they disintegrated in the third quarter, surrendering 17 points without reply and trailing at one stage by 25 points, before fighting back to semi-respectability after Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant had left the game in the fourth, eventually losing 100-90.

Outrebounded 60 to 36, the Knicks had no answer to a superior Lakers team. Bryant scored 34 points in an efficient 14-for-20 performance from the field. Gasol added 11 points and 16 boards. All five Lakers starters scored in double figures. In contrast, the all-to-familiar shooting woes from Wilson Chandler (5 for 20) and Chris Duhon (2 for 9 including 0 for 5 from beyond the arc) contributed to the Knicks predictable downfall.

One night later, facing a Sacramento Kings team without their star scorer Kevin Martin, the Knicks – in theory, at least, had their best opportunity to earn a W. In typical Knicks fashion, they failed to take it. Playing their fourth game in five days, the Knicks produced a thoroughly listless performance in which they were lit up from downtown and at the rim by the unheralded Donte Greene.

Outscored 19-6 in the opening minutes, the Knicks were unable to make a serious run. They were ragged and, at times, downright lazy. Starting the second half with a 10 point deficit, Nate Robinson allowed Greene to go back door for two and then drain an uncontested three on the Kings’ next possession. Mike D’Antoni immediately called for time and chewed out Robinson like a father who’d just found out his son had disgraced his family name. The Knicks lost 111-97 with a whimper.

I’m willing to bet NBA neutrals allergic to defence really enjoyed the final game of the Knicks’ West Coast road trip in Denver. It was a high-scoring D-free affair and D’Antoni’s men showed great heart in hanging in the game as Carmelo Anthony let fly with a 50-point barrage (a career high) and Chauncey Billups added a further 32.

Buoyed by Al Harrington’s 41 points off the bench and a 23 and 10 effort from David Lee, the Knicks repeatedly dragged themselves back into the game  thanks, in part, to some dubious ticky-tack fouls called on Melo and Kenyon Martin. They led 111-110 with three and a half minutes to go and, even when they fell behind by eight points, fought back in the final seconds and gave themselves a chance to send the game to overtime.

With four seconds remaining, JR Smith missed one of two free throws. The score stood at 128-125. With no timeouts, there was nothing D’Antoni could do except to rely on his players. Characteristically, they struggled to inbound the ball, advanced it up the court in a panicked fashion and ultimately failed to get a shot off before the buzzer. Comparing this haphazard and futile play with Melo’s ice-cold execution down the stretch shows exactly what the Knicks are missing. Anthony may lack the flash of Lebron but he has matured into NBA’s purest hoops classicist, always making the right passes and shots. It was a pleasure to watch him at his best.

As for the Knicks, their performance against the Nuggets highlights their plight. Even when they play close to their best, they still lose. Whether they go with rookies or with experience, they still lose. In a week that yielded four defeats from four games in which they fell to a miserable 3 and 13, the fact that the team’s futility can’t lead to a high pick in the 2010 draft once again instilled depression into the team’s long-suffering fans.

Melo’s on his way to 2010 MVP.

Get your “Melo HOPE” shirt at www.thuggetsnation.com

2006: Fireflies in the Garden di Dennis Lee

Scarso successo di pubblico per un film che, sulla carta, sembrava possedere più di una freccia al suo arco.

Giustamente la critica non è stata tenera: “Somministrato alla sera, in gocce, per accompagnare il sonno” (Corriere della Sera), “Attori divi e divi attori: da sempre il punto di forza dei film americani. Talvolta, però, il bonus non basta a tamponare le perdite: qui le belle presenze… non riscattano il film dalla sua mediocrità di fondo” (Il Mattino), “…un goffo melodramma a spasso tra passato e presente, privo di sostanza e di dialoghi sensati” (Ciak), “Un teatrino di provincia con interpreti di nome chiamati a una rappresentazione senza un copione adeguato e con un’idea di fondo talmente sempliciotta da risultare noiosa” (Il Manifesto).

Un segreto tra di noi (titolo fuorviante, preferibile l’originale, più evocativo e suggestivo, tratto da una poesia di Robert Frost e riferito a una delle poche belle scene del film) risulta un mélo freddo e poco coinvolgente che fa rimpiangere i capolavori di Sirk Kazan Minnelli… a cui probabilmente si ispira e che inspiegabilmente il Festival di Berlino ha ospitato (sui nostri schermi è giunto con quasi due anni di ritardo).

Ritmo colpevolmente lento, scarsa tensione, regia piatta e anonima, sceneggiatura non sempre chiara (e non priva di luoghi comuni), situazioni viste ripetutamente altre volte (e meglio realizzate), mancanza di scene-madri che si imprimano nella memoria, scenografia e fotografia poco curate, passaggio tra presente e passato non ben illustrato… Si aggiunga che i personaggi appaiono non sempre credibili e dalle azioni spesso immotivate. Una trama non gradevole che dovrebbe mostrarci cosa si nasconde all’interno di una famiglia americana apparentemente normale e tranquilla ma che non desta l’attenzione dello spettatore che più di una volta si chiede come mai non si sia sgretolata fin dall’inizio. Un comportamento da parte di tutti i protagonisti che dire assurdo è poco, inspiegabile e non realistico. Finale eccessivamente accomodante ed inverosimile.

Il cast è stellare ma sprecato. A nessuno dei celebrati attori si dà modo di mostrare il proprio notevole talento e questo è uno dei maggiori difetti di un’opera che dovrebbe avere il suo punto di forza nelle interpretazioni. Dennis Lee è un regista debuttante e non sembra all’altezza del compito affidatogli (…ma sembra che la storia sia autobiografica).

scheda

Así como la revista France Football elige cada año al mejor futbolista de la temporada entregando el Balón de Oro, el programa de radio ‘Catersport’ (http://www.radio.rai.it/radio2/bidone) de la italiana RAI 2 elige desde el año 2003 al Bidone d’oro o lo que es lo mismo el fiasco del año en el Calcio.

Jugadores como Rivaldo (2003), Legrottaglie (2004), Vieri (2006), Adriano (2007 y 2008) y Quaresma (2009) han tenido el “honor” de recibir este singular premio.

Este año los oyentes italianos decidirán entre los diez nominados entre los que se encuentran viejos conocidos de la liga española como los exmadridistas Baptista (Roma) y Huntelaar (Milán), el brasileño Ronaldinho (Milán), el exsevillista Poulsen (Juventus) y el actual portero del Zaragoza Carrizo, por su anterior etapa en el Lazio.

Entre el resto de los nominados encontramos a Felipe Melo (Fiorentina/Juventus), Mancini (Inter), Quaresma (Chelsea/Inter) que podría repetir galardón, Tiago (Juventus) y el portero del Milán Dida.

Todos los pronósticos parecen presagiar que Leo Messi será el próximo Balón de Oro, su calidad y su temporada anterior lo merecen, pero ¿Quién será el peor jugador del año?…

El próximo 13 de diciembre conoceremos la respuesta.

Fuente: as.com, sport.es, RAI

Verlierer
New Orleans Hornets
Erst wird Headcoach Byron Scott gefeuert – ist der Coach of the Year Award verflucht – sehr zum Unmut von CP3, dann verletzt sich eben jener auch noch und fällt 2 Wochen aus. Als wenn die Hornets nicht schon schlecht genug waren (3-8). Neuer Coach ist GM Jeff Bower und sein “ghost assistant” ist Tim Floyd, welcher schon einmal erfolgreich unerfoglreich mit den Chicago Bulls war! Und jetzt überlegt das Management das “Okafor-Experiment” zu beenden und die Saison richtig zu “tanken”.

Memphis Grizzlies
Erst bekommt Rudy Gay als Franchise Player keine Vertragsverlängerung. Nach 7 Spielen stellt sich heraus das Hasheem “the-Beat” gar nicht so gut ist, um schon an Nummer 2 gedraftet zu werden und dann bricht ihm auch noch sein eigener Mitspieler den Kiefer. Aber Zach Randolph war ja noch nie ein Teamspieler. Dazu das Drama mit Iverson und seiner entschudligten Abwesenheit. Und nun verpflichtet man den besten Spieler auf den Markt, Jamal Tinsley um “Erfahrung” ins Team zu bringen. Wo führt das alles hin? Iverson endgültig weg? Conley zu schlecht? Das Image zu gut? Memphis (2-8) bleibt unten aber weiterhin interessant.

New Jersey Nets
Das einzige Team ohne Sieg bislang. Devin Harris verletzt. CDR mit Schweinegrippe diagnostiziert. Knappe Niederlagen gegen Boston, Philly (2x), Miami und Sota. Das einzig gute daran – es kann nur besser werden.

Golden State Warriors
Ebenso wie bei den Grizzlies läuft hier Reality TV par excellance. Monta vs. Steph. Jax vs. ALLE. Nelson vs. ALLE. Nelson vs. Monta. Achja, Basketball spielen die Warriors auch, obwohl man eher von one-on-five sprechen könnte. Coach Nelson macht einfach was er will, zB. den Break-out-Kandiadat Randolph nicht spielen zu lassen, oder Top-Rookie Steph Curry vom Starter zum Benchwarmer zu degradieren. Aber er will einfach nicht gehen.

Gewinner:

Milwaukee Bucks

2 Worte. Brandon Jennigs. 55 Punkte. 29 im dritten Viertel. Und das alles nach einem – jedenfalls statistisch gesehehen – enttäuschenden Jahr in Italien, was ihn bis an Position 10 des Drafts hat rutschen lassen. Nun ist er Kandidat für den ROY. Jennigs hat den staubigen Bucks Leben einghaucht und nebenbei seine Kritiker verstummen lassen (“his jumpshot has been inconsistent“). Aber die wirklichen Leute vom Fach haben das Potenzial schon früh erkannt. Plötzlich sieht die Zukunft wieder rosig aus in Milwaukee.

Michael Jordan
Nach dem Verständnis von LeBron sollte die Nummer 23 ab kommender Saison nicht mehr von aktiven Spielern getragen werden dürfen. Natürlich aus <a href=”“>reinem Respekt vor dem GOAT. Die Mischung unter den “betroffenen” Spielern ist gemischt, wobei der Großteil eher dazu neigt, Lebrons Petition zu folgen. Im Baseball und Eishockey sind die Nummern 42 respektive 99 “gesperrt”. Auch Phil Jackson sieht diesen Zug als Interessante Geste um die Leistungen Jordans bzgl. der Liga zu würdigen. Aber nicht nur er sieht dabei die Gefahr, andere Größen des Sports zu “dissen”.

Denver Nuggets
Carmelo in MVP Form und mit neuem Spielverständnis. Ty Lawson in ROY Form und mit anständig Hoops. JR Smith als Instant Offense von der Bank. Die Lakers mit 26 aus der Halle geschossen und nur 23 Punkte in Halbzeit 2 zugelassen. Spielen die jetzt etwa auch noch Defense?
Die Nuggets haben eine erste Duftmarke gesetzt und wollen mehr. Sie haben an den Finals geschnuppert und wollen dieses Jahr dorthin. Der wahre Katalysator scheint meiner Meinung nach Mr. Big Shot zu sein, der den ganzen wilden Haufen zusammenhält. Sie kommen so weit, wie er sie leiten kann.

Joakim Noah
Rache ist süß, oder in diesem Fall wohl eher hot. Dieser Autor hatte wenig Liebe für Noahs Spiel und fragte “You must be Joakim?” am Tag nach der Draft.
Joakim Noah, der am College wohl zweitmeistgehaßte Spieler nach JJ Reddick, hatte auch in der NBA einen schweren Start. Mittlerweile führt er die NBA bei den Rebounds pro Spiel an und ist defintiv kein Bust, sondern der Starting Center der Chicago Bulls. Trotzdem wird er es scheinbar mit seiner offenen, energetischen Art schwer haben auch in Zukunft zum Favourite der Fans zu werden, was man auch leicht in der anschließenden Kolummne des Autors heraushören kann.
Paul Pierce wird jedenfalls nicht so schnell zum Fan werden.

Andate a vedere chi era Ernesto Ragazzoni e riconoscerete nella sua barba, nei suoi lavori, nella sua vita, negli articoli e nelle poesie quella mentalità frizzante e mai pigra di inizio 900, rara, e per questo tanto preziosa per noi posteri. Nell’Italia prefascista, liberale, quella delle imprese coloniali in Africa e del primo conflitto mondiale spunta una voce fuori dai cori bottegai e perbenisti dell’epoca. Cesare Bermani ne fa un ritratto puntuale e ve lo linko come prefazione alle due poesie che propongo. Il contributo di Bermani si trova sul sito della città natale di Ragazzoni ORTA.NET

PAROLE CONTRO PAROLE

Oggi, non voglio far della poesia,
non voglio stare chiuso contro un tavolo.
Voglio prender la porta, andare via
andarmene, se càpita, anche al diavolo!
In un giorno di ciel, d’aria e di sole
posso seduto, fabbricar parole?

E così fa la mammola, e fa l’erba,
il pero, il melo, il mandorlo, il ciliegio
che una veste di fiori hanno, e superba,
e daran frutto, senza ciarle, egregio.
Se facessimo un poco come loro:
chiacchiere niente, e alquanto più lavoro?

SCHERZI E FRAMMENTI

O Signore, io ti ringrazio
d’aver dato al Mondo il vizio,
l’alto e solo benefizio
che quaggiù non soffre strazio…,
che accomuna in un sol dazio
ogni Caio ed ogni Tizio.
Che quaggiù ci sia sol spazio
per un cazzo e un orifizio,
ognun gridi mai non sazio
fino al giorno del giudizio:
O Signore, io ti ringrazio
d’aver dato al Mondo il vizio.

Vergini muse dell’Olimpo antico,
Andate tutte a farvi benedire
Perché se udiste mai quello che dico
Obbligate sareste ad arrossire.
Fuggite, o pur tappatevi le orecchie
Voi siete troppo caste e troppo vecchie.

Okay, so we are nearly to the end of my weekend adventure. It so happened that friday night (oct 30) when I returned from Minas, it was only about 10 at night (which in Montevideo there are still plenty of people out walking on the street) so I decided to walk home from the bus station. I walk about three blocks, and, surprise surprise I run into Belén (a uruguayan sociology classmate and also the one who invited me to teach english at the youth center where she works) and her roommate Sonja. They are on their way to pick up a pizza for dinner and they invite me to join them.

So we go back to their apartment and eat, and while we are talking Sonja brings up the idea of going camping for the weekend. Belén argues that no, she has a paper to work on, she needs a place where she can plug in her laptop. Then she remembers that she has a friend living in Melo (a department in the interior of Uruguay) so she calls her friend and her friend says yes, come. Next thing I know they are inviting me to come too and so I say, ¨sure, why not¨ (well, actually i said, ¨si, como no¨… ).

So we start out the next morning, bright and early, at 7am.

Sunrise over the rambla on the coast of Montevideo

It was a 5 hour drive, I slept about half of it. The other half it was raining.

I should say before I go on the Melo is northeast of montevideo. It is about 30 miles from the Uruguayan-Brasilian border. It has a population of about 20,000 but it feels smaller–in other words its a small town, not much to see, and definately not a common ¨tourist¨ destination.

However, there is one thing unique about Melo. In one of my previous blog entries I  mentioned seeing the Uruguayan film ¨el baño del papa¨… a film about a man and his family who construct an outhouse as a moneymaking scheme when the discover the Pope is going to visit Melo… and they end up loosing everything. Well, the pope really did visit Melo, here´s proof:

And here´s the church, with Sonja (left) and Belén posing in front:

pretty cool, ain´t it?

Apart from that, we spent the day visiting the plaza, walking the few blocks of downtown, eating ice cream (they had a make-your-own-sunday and pay by the kilo ice cream shop!!!), and hanging out in the town´s main park. At night we ate asado (grilled meat)  at a restaurant.

¨Carne Joven¨ = ¨young meat¨ ; our hosts having a little fun

It was halloween night, which apparently they now celebrate in Uruguay (I´m told that its fairly recent that they´ve started celebrating it, within the past ten years or so), so there were a bunch of kids running around downtown in costumes from shop to shop saying, ¨dulce o travioso¨ (or something like that, not sure if I heard right…). What was interesting is that neerly all of the costumes were grusome or scary. All witches, mummies, things with blood… not really any just cute or of fictional characters.

Just one more quick not. Our hosts, Lucia and another girl were planning to go dancing at the club that night because entrance was free if you wore a costume. Me and Sonja were going to go to, just for an hour or so–here with kooky looking witch mask she found and me geared up as a pirate. We went at 12.30 in cab–which for Uruguayans is really early to go to the club–and when we got there… it was still closed!!! The person who happened to be there told us to come back at around 2 or 3 am. Crazy!!! We ended up going back, walking to the carrito near the plaza to have some hotdogs and a beer and talk for a bit, and then me and Sonja went back to the house to sleep (our hosts still went to the club… crazy uruguayans…).

anywho, we stayed one night and drove back the next day. It was a nice break at least. End of Spontaneous weekend adventure.

We at MTJAG have a strong passion for football- with freekicker originally pledging the sacrifice of his left nut to glory for Arsenal, and I, offering  his right one for Liverpool’s greatness.

But that’s the EPL. There are a few  International friendlies this weekend, we’d love us some football. We’ve got Brazil vs England, and Argentina vs Spain.  Without much further ado, we’re going to preview 2 of them. Part 1: Brazil vs England.

Location : Qatar

Likely XI

England

Green-Brown-Upson-Terry-Warnock-Barry-Milner-Lampard-S.Wright Philips-Rooney-Crouch

Brazil

Cesar- Maicon-Lusiao-Lucio-Aurelio-Melo-Gilberto-Diego-Kaka-Robinho-Fabiano

BRAZIL vs ENGLAND: Formation and Lineups

Overview

With choices like Rio Ferdinand, Johnson, and the irreplaceable Gerrad injured , this is going to be quite a big test for the Lions, and a chance to try out a couple of new faces.

Brown might be the automatic choice at left back for the lack of anyone else, and Warnock will probably start at the opposite end. Barry and Milner will provide Lampard the support at midfield. Peter Crouch , the android who cannot help but score in an English jersey may end up partnering Rooney up front. Capello has fared much better than his predecessors, getting England through to WC2010 without too much of a hassle, and the team seems to be scoring goals by the dozen (granted that many of them were against piss-poor opposition), and other than Michael Owen, the rest of England seem to be quite pleased with the Italian so far.

Brazil, in the meantime have a slight embarrassment of riches. They’ve already qualified for next year’s world cup in clinical fashion, topping the rigorous South American group (as have England too in their respective group), and even without the likes of Pato , Adriano,  and Ronaldinho (slowly getting back to some form), they look every bit a dangerous squad. Fabiano will get the start up front, with Manchester city’s Robinho. Kaka will patrol the midfield. The rest of the XI either select themselves or are part of Dunga’s list of lovechilds (G. Silva).  Dunga has been under fire by the Brazilian press, fans, and the general football lover for robbing the  “Joga Bonito” out of the game. But just like his playing days, he bows down to none,  and believes that the system in place guarantees success.  In the process , he astonishingly even came out with a reasoning that the critics are actually a product of a mass conspiracy which wants Brazil to not succeed by resorting to the beautiful game!

Matchup: Brazil on Attack vs English Defense

As effective as team Brazil is, don’t expect to see the flamboyant team of yesteryear. Under Dunga, the team now plays in a somewhat criticized but very effective style, as reflected by the results.

1.The tremendous Maicon has the tendency to stray forward and press and he will exploit the flanks .
2. Gilberto Silva will provide some support in the midfield, but the key here are Kaka and Diego.
3. With Aurelio having the tendency to move towards centre midfield, look for Kaka to attack Brown on left flank, or Terry at the centre, thus opening up Fabiano to be man-marked by Upson. In the form that Fabiano has been, Upson’s night is going to be quite difficult.
4. Robinho will be pressing along with Kaka at the centre to provide John Terry the double headache of worrying about him as well as the roving Kaka.
5. Diego hence will have the choice of running into open zones to create the openings required for Brazil to exploit the English defense.
6. This strategy will force England to pull back Wright Philips to provide extra cover down the left Flank, and Milner to tread back to manage Diego.

BRAZIL ON ATTACK - SAMBA style

MATCH-UP: England on Attack vs the Brazilian Defense

It’s possible that Crouch plays just a little behind Rooney, but England might actually benefit pulling back Rooney as shown in the picture below. The best way is to attack Brazil through the centre.

1. Gilberto Silva and Melo are hard tackling defensive midfielders, but speed is not their forte. England might be served best to attack that Brazilian belly.
2.  Rooney should play a more withdrawn role – almost giving England a 4-4-1-1 formation, and allowing Lampard, Wright Philips and Rooney to attack Silva and Melo.
3. This may force Brazil to aid the 2 by allowing Aurelio to cover, leaving Wes Brown to wander forward and provide some much needed flank play.
4. If Joe Cole was present and in top form, he could have troubled Maicon, but with Milner (or anyone else), the best option is to hope that Maicon gets caught out of position once too often to exploit the Left flank.  Milner might be better served cutting in again.
5. After the half, if Crouch gets too little service, it might make more sense to substitute him with Bent or someone else of similar capacity.

ENGLAND ON ATTACK - Fish n Chips

Key to a Brazlian Bash: Win the Midfield battle.

Without Gerrad, it should be a little easier. Brazil is more of a counter attacking team these days, but 1 additional playmaker would have helped carve open the English defense. Ronaldinho might have been perfect if in form, but he isn’t. Brazil should realize the relative inexperience of the back 4 (Save terry of course).  It would greatly help if they play like Brazil, and not Dunga’s XI.

Key to English Glory: Treat Brazil like a European Team.

Make no mistake about it, this is not your 82 or even your 2002 Brazilian team. This team is quite physical, and will make you pay if treated otherwise. Unlike older teams, they are comfortable even with relatively less ball position, as they hit on the counter.  England must attack them through the middle and not from the flanks like they might fancy against a South American team normally. They should exploit the lack of speed in the heart of the Brazilian defense.

MTJAG’s BALLS OF STEEL PREDICTION

England 2 : Brazil 1

Már korábban is akartam pötyögni csak a lustaságom győzött. Nincs semmi extra. Voltam bent pénteken a cégnél és felmarkoltam azt a rettenetes mennyiségű pénzt, amit fizetés címszó alatt adtak. Aztán volt ám szülinapom is (mégegyszer köszi, mindenkinek mindent). Meg ma megyek, és jól megcsinálok egy laptopot (sajnos nem pénzes meló de mind1). Jah és munkát is keresek.

És egy kis statisztika:
Az első bejegyzés 2009. július 22-én született, és azóta írtam még 37-et, ezzel együtt 38-at. A 37 bejegyzéshez összesen 63 komment jött. Az egyedi látogatók száma pedig 1763. A „legeredményesebb” hónap látogatói szemszögből az október volt, amikor 585 egyedi látogatója volt a blognak. Ez mind szép és jó. Ami elkeserít egy csöppet, hogy ennyi látogatóhoz csak 63 komment érkezett (és ezek is csak 4 embertől (beleértve magamat is)).

Mára ennyi. Majd összeszedem az agyam és írok egy pár dologról, amikkel tudom, hogy tartozok. Ha valakinek eszébe jut valami, kommentben írja be nyugodtan.

The most awaited day for Melo & Karel… and me! We did our engagement shoot six months ago… yes it was too early, but it helped build up the excitement all the more in all of us, haha!

One of the best garden weddings I’ve ever been to. Karel wanted an autumn-inspired theme, and Dylan of Vatel Manila delivered perfectly. It captured the couple’s personalities very well, and helped create the  mood for everyone present in the wedding.

Check out the shots to see how much fun we had on this wonderful day!

Preps/Wedding Venue & Reception:  Richmonde Hotel/ The Mango Farm
Make-Up: Gemma of Eddie Bruan
Flowers: Dylan Gozum of Vatel Manila

Cleveland hat ja nen klassischen Fehlstart hingelegt aber nun ist ja der Retter zurück, aber was ist mit Shaq Daddy los, seit wann kann er das PicknRoll nicht verteidigen? Boston dagegen hat sich mal gleich an die Spitze des Ostens geschoben und im ersten Spiel den Lebronaliers die Grenzen aufgezeigt. Rondo’s Vertrag wurde nun doch verlängert und nun kann er es auch wieder ruhiger angehen lassen!! Aber Vorsicht mit den Zahlen in ersterem Artikel, da kennt sich jemand nicht mit dem Salary Cap aus. Miami ist 3-0 gestartet. Liegts vielleicht an der neuen Starting Five?
Orlando ist ebenfalls wie aus einem Guss gestartet und Dwight Howard zum Player of the Week East gekürt worden. Gleiches gilt für Melo und die 3-0 Nuggets. Da ist jemand in Frühform. Nice One!
Das kann man von den Lakers noch nicht behaupten. Von Dallas zu Hause ordentlich vermöbelt worden. Auf einmal schwache Bank und nun noch möglicherweise länger ohne Gasol?
Ich habe es ja kurz vor Schluss des FantasyGames noch mitbekommen, Blake Griffin für 4-6 Wochen verletzt. Die Clippers haben dann ganz Clipperesk erstmal nen 1-4 Start hingelegt. Trotzdem, da geht noch was – alle Niederlagen gegen mögliche Playoff-Teams.
Zu diesen will auch Phoenix gehören. Wenn Steve Nash weiterhin Teams derart abrippt und Grant Hill spielt als wenn er aus ner Zeitmaschine kommt, dann siehts gut aus. Gegen Miami kommts dann gleich zum Battle of the Styles & Unbeaten.San Antonio ist noch nicht sonderlich aufgefallen. Dafür Manu deswegen und Dejuan Blair diesetwegen.
Mehr dann die nächsten Tage…

Tegnap este 6-kor befejeztem az utolsó 36 órás műszakomat a turulmadaras griffmadaras biztonsági cégnél. Az egész szarból a brigád ért valamit. A melóval nem lett volna gond, mert csak a hülyéket kellett elhessegetni a sorompótól, akinek meg volt engedélye azt beengedni, tehát nem volt egy nagy meló az egész. Itt is a főnökséggel volt gond. No meg a sok fasz, nagyképű dokival, akik azt hiszik, hogy ők szarták a sotét. Most egy pár napig biztos pihenek, mielőtt elkezdek melót keresni. Piros belebaszta a fejembe a tutit a pizzafutár melóval, de majd kiderül.

Teljesen más. A héten megkezdte a trémobil az első Androidos telefonjának a forgalmazását. Az új jövevény neve Pulse. A cucc kibaszottjó és simán bevállalnám akár az iPhone helyett is. Mit tud a gép?

Mobilarena:

Az Android OS 1.5 alapokon nyugvó készülék 3,5 hüvelykes, 320×480 képpontos érintőkijelzőt, 3,2 megapixeles kamerát, 7,2 megabites HSDPA letöltési és 2 megabites HSUPA feltöltési sebességet, GPS, WLAN és sztereó Bluetooth modult, 528 MHz-es Qualcomm processzort, microSDHC kártyafoglalatot, 256 MB belső tárhelyet, és 3,5 óra beszélgetést, valamint 300 óra készenlétet biztosító akkumulátort kapott.

Amúgy az Android azért veri az iPhone-on futó osx-et mert GYÁRILAG teljesen testre szabható. iPhone-nál gyárilag pakolgathatod az ikonokat meg változtathatsz háttérképet és csókolom. Androidon szinte mindent átpakolhatsz, színezhetsz, és mindenféle faszságot kipakolhatsz az „asztalra”. Jövőhéten elgurulok egy tré boltba és megtapogatom de tuti nem cserélem le az iPhone-t egy ilyenre. Miért is nem? Mert a szifonka görgetését, képlapozását és úgy ámblokk az összes apróságát amit minden iPhone tulaj szeret semmi nem tudja űberelni. Jöhet bármilyen OS az OSX-et semmi nem veri, se telefonon, se gépen.

I’ll be posting Melo & Karel’s wedding photos very soon. In the meanwhile, here’s my lovely couple’s photo slideshow, presented during the nuptial reception.