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Saturday, April 30, 2011
CHSAA softball roundup: Spellman sweeps doubleheader
Cardinal Spellman continues it rise atop the division,
The Pilots swept a doubleheader against visiting Maria Regina, 4-3 and 7-1, in CHSAA Bronx/Westchester softball Friday. Junior windmiller Tiffany Rondon was the day’s star. In game one she allowed just two earned runs on five hits and struck out five. Rondon did not surrender a run over the final four innings. During the second contest she scattered four hits, fanned four and walked her only batter of the afternoon.
“It was nice to see,” Spellman coach Dan Crane said. “She had a great day today.”
His team trailed 3-1 going into the fourth inning of game one. Olivia O’Farrill drove in Laura McCaffrey and Jillian Santiago added an RBI single to tie the score at 3 in the fourth for Spellman (6-2). Joanne Guerra, who was also 2-for-3 with a run scored in the second game, drove in Rondon, the winning run, in the fifth with a fielder’s choice. Christine Quinones went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in game two. The Pilots travel to face rival Preston 4 p.m. Monday.
Fontbonne Hall 15, Christ the King 14: Jenna Nixon was 1-for-3 with a double and sac fly for Fontbonne (3-5) in CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens. Porschia Edgar allowed just three runs over the game’s final three innings in relief. Christ the King is 1-7.
OTHER SCORES
St. Francis Prep 10, Bishop Kearney 0
jstaszewski@nypost.com
fontbonne hall, cardinal spellman, maria regina, brooklyn queens, bishop kearney, great day today, rondon, game one, christ the king, second game, doubleheader, quinones, mccaffrey, jillian, final four, olivia, joanne, nixon, sac, jenna
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Ascot hopes to cash in on new breed of fan after throwing open its doors
Ascot hopes to cash in on new breed of fan after throwing open its doors
It began with a slow trickle of punters, filing through the gates with their picnic hampers and their deckchairs shortly after eleven on Wednesday morning.
Free thinkers: Ascot racegoers take advantage of the free admission to the course on Wednesday Photo: AP
By Jonathan Liew 8:36PM BST 27 Apr 2011
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In short order the trickle became a steady stream, and then a gush, the like of which Ascot has not seen for many years. Not on a nondescript Wednesday afternoon early in the Flat season.
Nor was this the regular Ascot crowd. The white tie and tails and the ladies’ hats the size of shopping baskets were conspicuous by their absence.
By and large, these were ordinary Joes and Joannes, dressed for no occasion at all. By late afternoon, over 26,000 of them were inside, lured not by the watery sunshine or the intriguing racecard, but by that very British pursuit of getting something for nothing.
This, it is hoped, is the future of racing. For the whole of April, racecourses up and down the country have been engaging in a curious experiment: letting the public in free for a day. Most venues have restricted the offer to a few hundred tickets, but Ascot is one of the few throwing open its doors and doing away with admission fees altogether.
Imagine Premier League football clubs granting free admission for, say, the first game of the season, and you have some idea of the audacity of the enterprise.
It is a scenario that is barely conceivable in most sports, and certainly not at a venue as prestigious as this. But Ascot’s decision to go completely free is a symbol of racing’s desperation to tap into new markets, to broaden its appeal beyond the hardened but dwindling kernel of existing racegoers. In a sport founded upon gambling, this may be the biggest punt of all.
In it tercentenary year, Ascot has a strong motivation to drum up support as the Flat season gets into full stride. While its Royal meeting in June will always be well-attended, it is hosting a new event, the British Champions’ Day, in October. Billed as the Champions League of Flat racing, it claims to be the richest-ever Flat racing event ever seen in this country, with an estimated purse of £3 million. So as well as selling racing as a sport, Wednesday was about selling Ascot as a venue.
The free day may not have cost Ascot too much in revenue — in fact, with increased betting and catering revenues, they were optimistic of breaking even — but the precedent it sets is a dangerous one. Record companies and newspaper proprietors will readily warn of the perils of giving your product away for free. Can people enticed through the gates by the lure of free racing be persuaded to part with £26 for admission to British Champions’ Day?
Upon this question does the success of the venture hang. A total of 28 race meetings at 25 courses have been designated as free, an expansion from a similar experiment last year, which featured just nine courses. Research from 2010 suggested that the initiative generated around 40,000 extra spectators, the vast majority of whom were new or lapsed racegoers.
Encouraging signs for the umbrella group Racing For Change, which has organised this month’s giveaway.
More unquestioningly than most, Ascot has bought into the new strategy.
“There is an argument that says that if you allow people in for free, it devalues the event,” says Ascot chief executive Charles Barnett. “We don’t adhere to that at all. It’s one of our smaller race days, we normally wouldn’t expect a big crowd anyway.
“The majority of our crowd will be first-time racegoers who will never have been to Ascot before. If they enjoy it, maybe they’ll come back and pay next time.” But enough about strategies and revenues. What did the punters make of it?
An unscientific sample of racegoers found that surprisingly few of them were experiencing racing for the first time. Neither of the two newcomers I did find said it was likely they would return later in the season.
Instead, it was the middle ground between the regular visitor and the absolute beginner that found the initiative most appealing. “It’s the quality of the racing that is the most important thing,” said Phillip and Pat Jones, who were members at Ascot in the early Eighties but hadn’t been since.
“Ascot have definitely got their act together in the last few years, since they underwent the redevelopment. We actually live nearer Newbury, but we’re going to renew our memberships here.”
That, ultimately, may be the real growth area for racing. Too many have fallen out of love with it; too many have drifted away. By bringing them back, the sport will go a long way to restoring its status, not only as the sport of kings, but of the rest of us too.
Telegraph.feedsportal.com
Kenny Dalglish tips Joe Cole to be revitalised at Liverpool after his lucky Birmingham strike
Kenny Dalglish tips Joe Cole to be revitalised at Liverpool after his lucky Birmingham strike
Kenny Dalglish believes Joe Cole's fortuitous strike in Liverpool's 5-0 rout of Birmingham last weekend could provide the former England international with the kick-start his Anfield career needs.
Give the man a hand: Joe Cole is being backed to come good at Liverpool despite his poor form Photo: ACTION IMAGES
By Rory Smith 11:00PM BST 27 Apr 2011
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The 29 year-old joined the Merseyside club on a free transfer last summer and was widely heralded by players, fans and staff alike as the signature which could trigger Anfield's revival.
The former England international, though, has struggled for form - his goal last weekend was only his second in the Premier League for Liverpool - and has found himself on the fringes of Dalglish's squad since the Scot took charge.
It is thought several Premier League sides, including Blackburn, Tottenham and West Ham, are thought to be monitoring Cole's situation, with the player - who is earning around £90,000-a-week - seemingly vulnerable to Liverpool's owners' desire for a younger, leaner squad.
Dalglish, though, has suggested the former Chelsea player's strike against Birmingham may give him the impetus to prove that he is worth retaining in Anfield's summer overhaul.
"It was not a little contribution," said Dalglish. "It could be massive for Joe because he has not had as many opportunities as he would have liked because he has been injured and suspended.
"It is a great credit to him the way he has been training. He is fantastic in training. He plays everything right and doesn't have a problem. Everybody has to work hard to get anything and Joe is no different from anybody else." ends
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The river is still high after recent rain - Orava river rafting - 05
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The House of Blue Leaves, Walter Kerr theatre, New York, review
The House of Blue Leaves, Walter Kerr theatre, New York, review
Ben Stiller as father Artie is compelling as a grown-up version of the likable losers he specialises in playing on the big screen. Rating: * * *
Tender: Ben Stiller and Edie Falco in 'The House of Blue Leaves' Photo: Joan Marcus
By Claire Prentice 12:44PM BST 26 Apr 2011
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In a Queens apartment block, everyone is praying for a miracle. It is October 1965, the Pope is in town, Vietnam rumbles on and, the American Dream having failed to materialise, everyone is looking for their own way out.
More than four decades before American Idol, the working class nobodies in John Guare’s 1966 black comedy see celebrity as an escape route from humdrum lives. Appropriately, the bill for this Broadway revival is packed with Hollywood A-listers.
Ben Stiller is Artie, the zookeeper who dreams of making it big as a songwriter in Hollywood. His mentally-ill wife, Bananas (Edie Falco), is confined to the house after a failed suicide attempt. Earmarked for Vietnam, son Ronnie has run away from the army and is plotting to blow up the Pope in his own bid for notoriety.
Throw in a bunch of celebrity-obsessed nuns, a beautiful, deaf starlet and a local boy turned movie hot-shot and you have the ingredients for a wisecracking if scattershot satire.
Scott Pask has transformed the Walter Kerr Theatre into a cluttered New York apartment, at once cosy and claustrophobic.
Stiller made his Broadway debut playing Ronnie 25 years ago. Returning as father Artie, he is compelling as a grown-up version of the likable losers he specialises in playing on the big screen, though Artie’s middle-age gives a pathos to his failed dreams. Jennifer Jason Leigh is delightfully ditzy as Artie’s lover, Bunny, and delivers many of the play’s funniest lines.
The stand-out performance comes from Falco, best known for her TV roles in Nurse Jackie and The Sopranos. As Bananas, the dead-eyed, doped-up housewife, she dreams not of fame or fortune but of being given a last- minute reprieve from the mental hospital, and emerges as the only character with moral depth amid a parade of narcissists.
There are touching moments of tenderness in the scenes between her and Stiller, and a heartbreaking exchange when Artie describes the beautiful blue leaf-shaded asylum to which he plans to have his wife committed.
But the tone shifts awkwardly between tragedy, black comedy and farce in David Cromer’s uneven production. Like the piano bar protagonist, some of Guare’s humour seems dated and the laughs ultimately undermine the emotional power of a cast of losers at sea in a shallow, materialistic society.
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la fauvette remorqueur de la seine
la fauvette remorqueur de la seine
vieux remorqueur qui navigait sur la seine avant guerre / Old tug boat which navigated the Seine before war
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Monday, April 25, 2011
274/365: Pulteney Weir
274/365: Pulteney Weir
Handheld 3 shot HDR of Pulteney Weir, Bath, HDR merged in Photoshop and was pretty impressed with the result, ran the merged image through topaz to bring out some of the detail and colour. Hope your all having a great Easter
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Topaz 2011 April Bath Pulteney Weir Water Weir canal spring sunshine
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Mute
Mute
A mute swan on the lily pond at Dunham Massey. Two things I really love about this: the bands of light on its neck as the sun sets behind the trees, and the swan's bow wave.
Thanks Dad for the loan of the 100-400mm lens - it certainly gets you closer to the action!
Some of you may have seen a preview of this one earlier on... :)
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dunham massey, lily pond, mute swan, 400mm lens, thanks dad, eos 5d, bow wave, swan, trees, sun
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp ready to make his move for Chelsea striker Didier Drogba
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp ready to make his move for Chelsea striker Didier Drogba
Harry Redknapp has suggested that he would like to sign Didier Drogba should Chelsea sell the striker in the summer.
On the move? Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is ready to make his move for Chelsea striker Didier Drogba this summer Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Jason Burt and John Ley 10:30PM BST 22 Apr 2011
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The Tottenham Hotspur manager said Drogba was “still a superb player” and added of the Ivorian’s future: “It’s up to Chelsea what they do.”
Asked whether he would be interested if, as appears likely, Drogba was put up for sale, Redknapp added: “It’s difficult to say, couldn’t really say that, could I? He’s a fantastic centre-forward – power, strength, he’s got everything. He plays for Chelsea and until they decide otherwise, you can’t speculate about his future. But he’s a good player.”
Drogba’s future is in severe doubt, however. He has one year left on his Chelsea contract and is unlikely, after the arrival of Fernando Torres, to receive the assurances he wants that he remains the club’s first-choice striker.
However, Chelsea have not yet decided whether to sell and will certainly not let Drogba go without a substantial transfer fee being paid. They may also prefer him to move abroad, to Marseille, than go to Spurs.
The Stamford Bridge club are considering their options for the next campaign with a variety of players, including Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian teenager, and Brazil international Neymar under discussion.
Even if Redknapp wanted to bid for Drogba, he may have a big problem persuading Spurs chairman Daniel Levy to pay a substantial fee and take on a contract which yields the player more than £100,000 a week for a striker who is already 33.
Levy has previously vetoed Redknapp’s plans to sign players, such as Matthew Upson and David James, who are over 30 if it involved a fee although the manager is keen to overhaul his attacking options and wants to sign a striker with the power and presence of Drogba.
Spurs are expected to be active this summer with Redknapp brushing aside concerns that failure to qualify for the Champions League may affect who will sign.
“If you pay them wages they’ll come,” he said. “We kid ourselves 'I’ve always wanted to play for Tottenham since I was two, had a picture of Jimmy Greaves on my wall’. It’s a load of --------. Here’s £80,000 a week, lovely jubbly. If you pay them the wages they’ll come. If you don’t they’ll go somewhere else they can get it.”
Drogba’s future may also be tied to what happens to manager Carlo Ancelotti. The player has been more settled under the Italian although his expected departure could lead to an overhaul of the squad with owner Roman Abramovich making it clear to the club that he wants Torres to lead the attack.
Interestingly Ancelotti said Drogba’s outstanding recent form has been the key factor in Chelsea’s improved results — and there must also be regret from the manager that he did not follow his instinct and play the striker ahead of Torres from the start in the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United.
Chelsea, who face West Ham United at home this evening, are now the Premier League’s form team and Ancelotti said: “The team started to play well when we recovered our important players. When they came back to be fit like Didier — he is a player than can explain this moment. He is fit, he is in good condition, good spirit, and the team is playing well.”
Drogba does indeed seem finally free from the effects of malaria which hampered him earlier this season and Ancelotti said that he was pleased with the “character” his team had shown since the Champions League exit which has put such pressure on him. They have beaten West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City and reduced United’s lead to six points.
“I spoke [to the players] after Man United because it was a good opportunity to show our personality, our character,” he said. “It would be easy to say our season is over but instead the players showed a good reaction. You have to stay in focus and show your professionalism.”
Ancelotti said his hope now was to keep the title race alive until the last weekend of the season. He added: “Everyone was looking to see what the reaction of the Chelsea players would be and it has been good.”
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Sunday, April 24, 2011
Allonby Nr Maryport at Sunset
Allonby Nr Maryport at Sunset
North Beach at Allonby, looking towards Scotland
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Saturday, April 23, 2011
Leeds United 0 Reading 0: match report
Leeds United 0 Reading 0: match report
Read a full match report of the Championship game between Leeds United and Reading at Elland Road on Friday April 22 2011.
Stalemate: Reading's Hal Robson-Kanu (left) and Leeds' Max Gradel battle for the ball during the goalless draw at Elland Road on Friday night Photo: PA
By Mark Ogden 10:10PM BST 22 Apr 2011
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Simon Grayson insisted Leeds United’s bid for a return to the Premier League remains alive, despite seeing his team drop out of the top six for the first time since November after Reading goalkeeper Alex McCarthy’s stunning performance denied the home side a crucial victory.
McCarthy produced three reflex saves to frustrate the Championship’s 78-goal top scorers, who were knocked out of the play-off positions by Nottingham Forest’s dramatic late win at home to Leicester earlier in the day.
But with three games left to play, Leeds manager Grayson believes his team can now benefit from the pressure on those clubs ahead of them in the play-off pack.
Grayson said: “It’s disappointing to drop out of the top six because we wanted to stay there, but it’s where we finish in two weeks’ time that matters.
“We have a big game at Crystal Palace on Monday, but maybe the pressure is now on the teams above us because we are chasing them and they have to keep getting results.
“We couldn’t have done much more tonight, though, apart from the score a goal. We worked the goalkeeper and created chances, but the hardest thing in the game is putting the ball in the back of the net and we couldn’t manage that.” HavIng won just once in six games, Leeds began like a team searching for confidence, and Hal Robson-Kanu was denied a 12th minute opener for Reading by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Leeds attempted to respond, but they laboured until Robert Snodgrass lifted the atmosphere on and off the pitch by forcing McCarthy into a stunning save from a close range header on 23 minutes.
McCarthy followed that by almost gifting Max Gradel a 37th minute opener when he fumbled the winger’s 25-yard shot before seeing it bobble harmlessly wide of his right-hand post.
But he replicated his earlier heroics in the second-half by pulling off a double save from Gradel and Snodgrass on 87 minutes to leave Leeds needing Forest to slip up in the final three games if they are to reclaim a play-off spot.
Reading manager Brian McDermott said: “Leeds played well and their fans stayed with them throughout the whole game, but we have kept a clean sheet and come away with a very big point.”
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Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Akihito, painted portrait DDC_3824
Akihito, painted portrait DDC_3824
Secrets revealed of the Abode of Chaos (112 pages, adult only) >>>
"999" English version with English subtitles is available >>>
hd movie - scenario thierry Ehrmann - filmed by Etienne Perrone
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voir les secrets de la Demeure du Chaos avec 112 pages trs tranges (adult only)
999 : visite initiatique au coeur de la Demeure du Chaos insuffle par l'Esprit de la Salamandre
Film HD d'Etienne PERRONE selon un scnario original de thierry Ehrmann.
courtesy of Organ Museum
©2011 www.AbodeofChaos.org
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Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The pressure now on to rebound from brutal ‘L’
Mike Vaccaro
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Blog: Vac's Whacks
BOSTON — They were cold-cocked at the end by a couple of aluminum bats’ worth of NBA playoff reality. For 471/2 minutes, the Knicks had not only played splendid basketball, tough basketball, resilient basketball, they’d played it all at the Celtics’ pace and succeeded.
Now here they were, up one, under 30 seconds to go, and here came the henchmen, dishing off a couple of primers about life in the second season.
1. Never put yourself in position where a referee’s call can hurt you.
2. Never put a couple of proud old champions in position where they can make a shot to kill you.
Anthony J. Causi
JUST FOUL: Carmelo Anthony frowns at an offensive foul whistled on him as he jostled with Paul Pierce in the final minute, part of a wretched night for Anthony in the Knicks’ 87-85 Game 1 loss in Boston.
“They’re the Celtics,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni would say quietly, about half an hour after Ray Allen had plunged a knife into the heart of his basketball team, allowing the Celtics to sprint off the floor with an 87-85 win in Game 1 of this best-of-seven first-round series. “It isn’t like we expected to come in and blow them out or anything.”
Nobody asked the Knicks to do that. But they did have a three-point lead when, out of a timeout, Celtics coach Doc Rivers drew up a play that yielded a Kevin Garnett dunk, shaving two-thirds off that advantage. And so they were vulnerable when Carmelo Anthony, fighting for position, was whistled for an offensive foul with 21 seconds left in the game.
“A tough call,” D’Antoni fumed.
“A good call,” Rivers crowed.
And they finally expired when Allen splashed one clean from 24 feet away. It was as crushing a loss as you could draw up, a game in which the Knicks led by 12 at the break, found themselves behind in the fourth quarter, then had it so clearly within their grasp that the Knicks’ bench looked like a collection of 16 seeds during the NCAA Tournament when Toney Douglas’ 3 gave them a late three-point lead.
And then it wasn’t.
“That’s a tough loss, there’s no question about it,” Stoudemire would say.
“We were right there,” Chauncey Billups said.
“Very, very disappointing,” Anthony said with a sigh.
Very quickly, then, we have reached a crucible for the Knicks. There isn’t a soul in this city — or in any other city besides New York, for that matter — that doesn’t believe this as fact: The Knicks had their chance and blew it. They had their shot last night to take a blowtorch to the Celtics’ mystique and they fumbled away the final 37 seconds. That is conventional — if not consensus — wisdom.
The Knicks claim not to buy into any of this, led by D’Antoni, who said, “We only have to win one of the games here, and we have another chance [tomorrow].
Stoudemire said he has “absolute trust in my teammates, and absolute faith” they can turn in another effort like this, maybe even one that pushes the point totals more favorably in the Knicks’ direction.
Well, if that’s how they feel, tomorrow would be a splendid chance to prove it, because it only means their season. The Knicks, in all their various incarnations, are 0-for-5 against the Celtics this year, and if they lose Game 2 there is zero reason to believe they can turn around and win the four out of five necessary to take the series.
So, in essence, they get 48 minutes to declare that this is a legitimate series and not merely an exercise in avoiding elimination. They will take this test with, at best, a diminished Billups, who took an ugly spill late in the fourth quarter and was walking with a Herman Munster-like gait afterward. They will do this against an opponent hardened by their narrow escape — when you come after the Celtics, you’d better take them down.
The Knicks came after them last night.
“They were great,” Rivers said. “Really terrific.”
And they leave with lovely parting gifts, instead of a victory that could truly have started the Celtics second-guessing themselves. For 471/2 minutes, the Knicks put themselves in position to turn Patriots Day today into a bitter civic holiday.
“We have to finish what we started,” said Stoudemire, as brilliant as he’s been all year, 28 points and 11 rebounds worth of brilliant.
They still can, and this time it would no longer be nice. Just necessary.
michael.vaccaro@nypost.com
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Alvola-amarela ( Motacilla flava) Yellow Wagtail
Alvola-amarela ( Motacilla flava) Yellow Wagtail
Reserva Natural Local do Esturio do Douro - Lavadores - Canidelo - 16 - 04 - 2011
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Tuesday, April 19, 2011
British Horseracing Authority questions businessmen in corruption inquiry
British Horseracing Authority questions businessmen in corruption inquiry
Investigators from the British Horseracing Authority’s integrity unit are understood to have questioned two businessmen with racing interests about their suspected involvement in alleged corruption in the sport.
Odds against: the BHA investigation into corruption comes at a bad time for racing, with the sport trying to raise its profile Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Paul Kelso, Chief Sports Reporter 10:30PM BST 18 Apr 2011
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The businessmen, both of whom have been registered owners, are suspected of co-ordinating the manipulation of races by compliant jockeys, and could face disciplinary proceedings under the rules of racing.
A number of jockeys have also been interviewed about their alleged involvement following one of the largest and most significant investigations ever undertaken by the BHA.
The governing body is understood to believe that it has uncovered evidence of systematic fixing in which horses were deliberately ‘stopped’ by jockeys to enable punters to cash in by ‘laying’ the horses to lose on betting exchanges.
If jockeys or owners are found to have breached racing regulations they could be banned or ‘warned off’ from the sport from between eight years, the new minimum standard for deliberately losing a race to allow someone to profit, and life.
Owners can also be warned off for indefinite periods if they are found to have breached regulations.
The Daily Telegraph understands that the businessmen under investigation are thought to be long-term associates based in the south-east of England and are listed as directors of numerous companies. It is unclear if the investigation relates to the running of any of their own horses.
The men are at the centre of a long investigation into the alleged fixing of Flat races. The probe is thought to have examined races going back several years.
Under BHA regulations the investigators have the power to view jockeys’ telephone records and it is likely that those of all the riders under investigation will have been examined.
The findings of the BHA case are now being examined by the governing body’s lawyers, and a decision on which charges will be brought and against whom will be made within a matter of weeks.
If charges are levelled the case is likely to highlight the challenge the sport faces in bringing complex prosecutions without the support of law enforcement agencies and statutory powers such as the Gambling Commission and the police.
Gambling-related corruption is not high on the lists of police priorities and there is nervousness in law enforcement circles about racing cases following the collapse of the Kieran Fallon trial in 2007.
Fallon and seven others were charged with conspiracy to defraud but the case collapsed and the accused were acquitted following evidence from the prosecution’s leading expert witness. The case demonstrated the difficulty of demonstrating that horses were deliberately ridden to lose.
The case comes as Flat racing prepares for the launch of the Champions Series, an initiative intended to raise the profile of the sport and reach a new audience.
paul kelso, british horseracing, getty images, alleged corruption, indefinite periods ebook download, sport odds, disciplinary proceedings, flat races, rsquo, daily telegraph, sports reporter, betting exchanges, bad time, jockeys, businessmen, governing body, bst, investigators, manipulation, horses
Monday, April 18, 2011
A corner in Kadriorg Park
A corner in Kadriorg Park
(More photo in the comment).
When I visited Tallinn in July 2009, places there were very beautiful and lovely with green, flowers, and birds. But now it's still the end of winter, not many things to see except the colors of buildings.
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Sunderland left in relegation mire as Birmingham City take giant step towards Premier League safety
Sunderland left in relegation mire as Birmingham City take giant step towards Premier League safety
As the movable feast that is the Premier League’s relegation places enters its final course, an appetite for survival should be pivotal. On this evidence, Steve Bruce may be advised to introduce raw meat at weekends.
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Back of the net: Birmingham City's Craig Gardner got himself on the scoresheet against Sunderland Photo: ACTION IMAGES
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Singing the blues: Sebastian Larsson scored for Birmingham City just before half time in their 2-0 defeat of Sunderland at St Andrew's on Saturday Photo: ACTION IMAGES
By David McVay at St Andrew's 6:50AM BST 18 Apr 2011
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The dip in form suffered by Sunderland has plunged them into the relegation equation along with a raft of teams, 10 according to Bruce, who has suggested that the safety target this season is 41 points.
Given that his team have taken just one from their last nine matches, it perhaps does not augur well for the remaining five games.
Wigan, Wolves and West Ham United are forthcoming opponents who might offer encouragement to Bruce, who claimed with some justification that his side were unfortunate to suffer an eighth defeat in nine games on Saturday.
“My players are intelligent enough to know they don’t have enough points,” Bruce said. “It’s quite incredible what has happened to us but we have to arrest this decline.”
Birmingham City appear finally to have recovered from the shock factor of beating Arsenal to secure the Carling Cup.
Often outplayed, they found Simon Mignolet’s generosity irresistible, the Belgian goalkeeper’s hesitation inviting Sebastian Larsson to open the scoring before failing to prevent Craig Gardner’s routine shot doubling the advantage.
While Birmingham moved above the visitors on goal difference, manager Alex McLeish accepts their fate remains in the balance with trips to Chelsea and Liverpool in the coming week before the ‘respite’ of a derby against Wolves.
“I think we are 50 per cent there and, one more game, and we should be OK,” claimed Alexander Hleb, the on-loan Barcelona playmaker whose late appearance as a substitute signalled a return from an injury sustained in the FA Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday in February.
“Things can change very quickly in the Premier League. We need to fight and concentrate. But the players will be more relaxed [after this victory].”
The midfielder confirmed his pedigree during a brief cameo, creating a late chance that Matt Derbyshire squandered. The former Arsenal player also confirmed his intention to remain in the Premier League.
“English football is the best and everyone gives their all for this club,” Hleb said.
“If we want to progress, we need to learn. It is difficult to play here, not like Arsenal or Barcelona. Here you need to fight and run, not too much passing, and this for me is something new.”
sebastian larsson, david mcvay, alex mcleish, craig gardner, west ham united, movable feast, shock factor, photo action, rsquo, action images, target, goal difference, birmingham city, scoresheet, carling cup, raw meat, giant step, five games, st andrew, goalkeeper
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Manchester City v Manchester United: Dimitar Berbatov fails to rise to the task
Manchester City v Manchester United: Dimitar Berbatov fails to rise to the task
There was no Wayne Rooney and no Carlos Tévez but there was a raw, gripping contest in which, emphatically, Manchester United missed their main striker more.
Sitter: Dimitar Berbatov buries his face after missing a golden opportunity to put United in front Photo: Action Images
By Jason Burt 10:20PM BST 16 Apr 2011
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The way things have gone of late at United suggest their title hopes lie with Javier Hernández, not Rooney, yet the young Mexican was placed on the bench as Sir Alex Ferguson put his trust in Dimitar Berbatov.
It didn’t work, though it maybe should have done. After all, Berbatov is the Premier League's top-scorer, with 21 goals, two ahead of Tévez. Yet he wasted two gilt-edged chances and contributed little. If Berbatov endured a difficult evening, however, United's defeat was also a collective failing.
Paul Scholes, playing almost certainly his last Manchester derby, and still crazy even in his 37th year, will have to look long and hard at his behaviour after an utterly avoidable dismissal at a vital time.
His partner in central midfield, Michael Carrick, played the kind of flaky pass that has undermined his career and handed Manchester City the winning goal. That came just as Carrick seemed have recovered his confidence in recent weeks.
Patrice Evra had a torrid game, John O’Shea contributed little, Nani and Antonio Valencia failed to penetrate. It was that kind of contest for the champions-elect, the Champions League semi-finalists and formerly the Treble-chasers.
It wasn’t a capitulation but by the end City, who had started so weakly, were worthy winners and probably should have won by a more convincing score.
How delicious this victory is for them. It doesn’t win a trophy but it takes the honours. Manager Roberto Mancini had talked grandly of changing history and, as impossible as that is, everyone knew what he meant. He had talked the talk and last night his players delivered, albeit aided by their opponents.
Maybe the exertions have caught up on United. Maybe Rooney, who sat on the bench, shifting his weight nervously, with the players who had missed the cut for the match-day squad, was missed too much as he served the second game of his two-match ban for swearing into a television camera.
He has become the play-maker, the orchestrator with Hernández working wonderfully with him. It is, right now, an irreplaceable pairing in the big matches. The absence of Ryan Giggs was also, perhaps, underestimated.
Maybe Berbatov was suffering from ring rust. He certainly gives that impression at the best of times and his biggest crime yesterday wasn’t the misses, his sluggish play nor, amazingly for him, the lack of surety in his first touch. The offence was how he allowed his head to drop after those misses and how he therefore let his team down.
His contribution revolved around the events of the 15th minute. Twice Berbatov should have provided United with an early advantage. First, they capitalised, wonderfully, with quick one-touch football, after Gareth Barry’s terrible back pass, to carve the striker free only for Joe Hart to save superbly. The slick inter-play between Carrick, Scholes and Ji-sung Park was exceptional. Then Nani turned sharply to cross low and Berbatov stole in front of Aleksandar Kolarov, only to steer his shot over from about four yards.
Had he scored with either chance, the sense was that City, struggling to gain a foothold in the tie, would have been overwhelmed and condemned to a defeat that would have reverberated throughout the club, undermining Mancini and their ambitions.
But the misses hurt Berbatov, who was also feeling sore when he reached a header but his nose crashed into Pablo Zabaleta’s skull. The United striker had cotton buds stuffed up his nose, even though there didn’t appear blood to stem, and seemed to lose a little heart. He was distracted. Maybe, with a lack of support, he was also let down by those around him. His lack of pace was evident as he ran on to Nani’s first-time pass, only to be easily held off by the excellent Vincent Kompany while soon after he was played out wide, only to screw his cross behind the goal. Then, Berbatov brought the ball down with a typically precise first touch only for the ball to bounce off his knee and out of play.
Ferguson’s response to Yaya Touré’s goal, appallingly set up by Carrick with a lazy pass aimed for Scholes, was to send out his substitutes to warm up, with Anderson and Michael Owen joining Hernández.
Soon the Mexican was on but after Hart brilliantly pushed Nani’s free kick on to the crossbar, United were hamstrung by Scholes’ red card for a studs-up challenge planted into Zabaleta’s right thigh. Retribution for an earlier lunge by the City defender, it was utterly stupid and also led to Berbatov’s substitution.
Predictably, Hernández was making a difference and Ferguson would not have been the only one in the stadium thinking that this striker would have taken at least one of those two chances presented to Berbatov.
Hernández wriggled free down the right. His shot was blocked but, down to 10 men, United were struggling to gain the kind of momentum they needed to force back a team as organised and physically imposing as City.
United were spent. They failed to threaten and that will have hurt Ferguson the most. Last night belonged to his noisy neighbours.
sir alex ferguson, dimitar berbatov, patrice evra, michael carrick, central midfield, roberto mancini, paul scholes, alex ferguson, jason burt, wayne rooney, top scorer, worthy winners, vital time, photo action, action images, semi finalists, title hopes, capitulation, manchester united, golden opportunity
Friday, April 15, 2011
Graffiti
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14/4/11 104/365
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Romsdalsalpene
Great Egret in the Marsh
Great Egret in the Marsh
Cedar Key, levy, Florida
4/11/11
4:19:31 PM
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Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Waiting
Waiting
Saw this chap looking for information on his flight whilst I was waiting for my own flight from Kuwait back to Manchester.......and what a journey that turned out to be!!
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The quaint arrival of spring
The quaint arrival of spring
I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.
Ruth Stout
LARGER VIEW
thanks to Skeletalmess for the textures
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Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Dead Rising
Dead Rising
Rising out of the water shot from my series.
Strobist info:
Luma pro flash off camera, subject left.
1/1 power, 105mm zoom
Naked Flash.
twitter.com/#!/ChadisHollywood
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Tiger Woods in contention at the Masters
Tiger Woods reacts to holing a putt for an eagle on the eighth green during the final round of the 2011 Masters Tournament. (Andrew Redington / Getty Images)
AUGUSTA, Ga.—
Adam Scott has taken the outright lead on a wild final day at the Masters.
The 54-hole-leader, Rory McIlroy, fell apart and opened up the chase for the green jacket to everyone from Tiger Woods to Geoff Ogilvy.
Scott seized the outright lead for the first time with an 8-foot birdie putt at the 14th. But it was still far too early to claim the title, not on a day when seven players had held at least a share of the lead.
Woods had the crowd in an uproar when he shot a 5-under 31 on the front side, but he couldn't keep up the momentum. He missed a short putt at the 12th, and another for an eagle at the 15th that would've given him the outright lead.
Scott was at 11 under, with eight players within two strokes of the lead. Woods is the clubhouse leader at 10 under.
McIlroy, the 21-year-old from Norther Ireland who had a four-stroke lead after the third round, recovered from a faltering start to reach the turn in one-over-par 37 in the season's opening major.
That left him at 11 under overall, one clear of South African Charl Schwartzel, South Korean K.J. Choi and 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina, who each had nine holes to play.
Four-times winner Tiger Woods was also in the title hunt, covering the front nine in a scintillating five-under 31 to briefly share the lead before three-putting at the par-three 12th to slip back to nine under.
Schwartzel made the first significant move on an electrifying afternoon of shot-making at Augusta National, a sizzling birdie-par-eagle run putting him into a tie for the lead with McIlroy.
Four behind McIlroy at the start of the day, Schwartzel holed out with a chip and run from well right of the green at the par-four first to get to nine under.
McIlroy, playing one group behind on a sweltering afternoon, bogeyed that hole after hitting his approach through the back of the green and failing to get up and down.
Although McIlroy did well to save par at the 575-yard second after twice finding bunkers to stay at 11 under, Schwartzel joined him at the top of the leaderboard when he holed out with a wedge at the par-four third.
The 26-year-old South African threw both arms skywards after watching his ball land on the green and then curl across the slope before dropping into the cup.
EARLY NOISE
Woods, meanwhile, was making early noise of his own in pursuit of his first tournament victory in nearly 17 months.
He sank a downhill six-footer to birdie the par-five second and then struck a superb approach to three feet at the third to close within five of the lead.
Although he stumbled with a three-putt bogey at the fourth, Woods cleverly used the contours of the greens to set up another birdie at the par-three sixth before knocking in a five-footer at the seventh.
The 14-times major champion produced a masterful second shot at the par-five eighth, his ball again tracking down the slope before ending up 12 feet from the hole.
Woods rammed in the putt to close to within one of the lead before pumping his right fist in celebration.
Despite finding pine trees to the right off the tee at the ninth and a greenside bunker with his approach, he splashed out to 15 feet and nervelessly sank the putt to save par.
McIlroy, who dropped his second shot of the day at the fifth where he missed a four-foot par putt, recovered the outright lead when he coolly sank a 15-footer from just off the green at the seventh.
He parred the next two holes to stay in front while Woods slipped back to nine under when he missed a four-footer to bogey the short 12th.
foot birdie putt, rory mcilroy, norther ireland, getty images, geoff ogilvy, masters tournament, angel cabrera, short putt, uproar, k j choi, title hunt, tiger woods, play four, charl, augusta national, adam scott, augusta ga, redington, south korean, clubhouse
Monday, April 11, 2011
Ex-Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker says breaking up Wall Street banks 'almost impossible'
Ex-Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker says breaking up Wall Street banks 'almost impossible'
Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve and a driving force behind financial reform in the US, has said that the task of splitting up Wall Street banks now seems "almost impossible".
Paul Volcker doubts banks can be made small enough to fail without impact on the financial system.
By Richard Blackden, US Business Editor 2:13PM BST 11 Apr 2011
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"I don't like these banks being as big as they are," Mr Volcker told a conference at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire on Sunday night. But "to break them up to the point where the remaining units would be small enough so you wouldn't worry about their failure seems almost impossible," he said.
The concern about the effectiveness of the reform of Wall Street since the crisis from Mr Volcker, who was chairman of the Fed for almost a decade from 1979 and, more recently, an adviser to President Barack Obama, comes as the Independent Banking Commission (ICB) today delivered its report on the future structure of British banks.
Regulators in the world's financial capitals are wrestling with how to make the financial system safer without prompting banks to leave for jurisdictions where regulation is lighter.
The former Fed chairman's concern over the failure to protect taxpayers and the wider economy from the potential failure of large banks was echoed by George Soros, the billionaire financier and philanthropist.
"I certainly consider they haven't addressed the problem correctly," Mr Soros said. "The whole issue of living wills and resolution authorities is not convincing."
While the UK government has until September to consider the recommendations from today's report from the ICB, US regulators have until July to turn last year's financial reform act known as Dodd-Frank into actual rules for the financial services industry.
Mr Soros said that authorities had not produced tough enough regulation to ensure that there won't be a need for governments to exercise the implicit guarantee that they would again bail out the financial system in a future crisis.
Mr Volcker and Mr Soros were among about 400 people who gathered over the weekend in Bretton Woods, where the monetary system that dominated in the 30 years after World War Two was created in July 1944, to discuss how economic thinking has and should respond to the most recent financial crisis.
wall street banks, mr soros, financial capitals, paul volcker, barack obama, george soros, british banks, chairman of the fed, living wills, reserve chief, fed chairman, bretton woods, philanthropist, business editor, billionaire, dodd, driving force online, reform act, federal reserve, financier
Sunday, April 10, 2011
_DSC1295
_DSC1295
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Saturday, April 9, 2011
View from the front of MNAC, Barcelona
View from the front of MNAC, Barcelona
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Friday, April 8, 2011
Wisconsin high court election turned on its head
County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus speaks with reporters about Justice David Prosser gaining votes in Waukesha County. (Michael Sears, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, MCT / April 7, 2011)
In a shocking twist, a clerk in a conservative Wisconsin county announced Thursday that she had discovered a net gain of 7,582 votes for an embattled conservative Supreme Court justice, a total that would make him the winner of an election in which his challenger declared victory Wednesday.
The election drew national attention because it was seen as a referendum on Republican Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights, which sparked huge protests and has been put on hold by a judge.
Unofficial tallies Wednesday had put Assistant Atty. Gen. JoAnne Kloppenburg 204 votes ahead of Justice David Prosser. But as county canvassing boards began double-checking totals Thursday, those margins shifted.
Then Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus announced at a 5:45 p.m. news conference that she had left out the 14,315 votes cast in the city of Brookfield in the totals she released Tuesday night. Prosser won 10,859 votes there to Kloppenburg's 3,456. Coupled with small increases elsewhere in the county, Prosser gained a total of 7,582 votes on his challenger, giving him a 0.5% margin — enough to avoid a state-financed recount.
"This is human error, which I apologize for," said Nickolaus, a Republican.
Nickolaus has drawn controversy for keeping election data on private office computers that are not part of the county network. She said the error had nothing to do with that. The mistake was discovered during an open meeting of the county canvassing board, which was attended by at least one Democrat, Ramona kitzinger.
Kitzinger told reporters at the news conference that Nickolaus was telling the truth. "We went over everything and made sure that all the numbers jived up, and they did," Kitzinger said.
Other Democrats were skeptical of the announcement.
Rep. Peter Barca, the Assembly minority leader, in a statement noted that Nickolaus had worked for Republicans in the Legislature when Prosser was a leader there. "Her approach raises questions about the integrity of the election to the highest court in our state."
nicholas.riccardi@latimes.com
milwaukee journal sentinel, david prosser, unofficial tallies, city of brookfield, michael sears, waukesha county, supreme court justice, republican gov, conservative supreme court, nickolaus, kitzinger, canvassing board, wisconsin county, election data, office computers, scott walker, private office, national attention, human error, telling the truth
Vieux Lyon
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Cross processed
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Aid agencies brace for massive refugee flows from Ivory Coast
Aid agencies brace for massive refugee flows from Ivory Coast
Aid agencies are preparing for an influx of a quarter of a million refugees fleeing across the border to escape the bloody violence unleashed by the struggle for power in Ivory Coast.
People try to get into a bus in Abidjan. An estimated one million people have already fled their homes in Ivory Coast Photo: REUTERS
By Aislinn Laing, Africa Correspondent 6:44PM BST 04 Apr 2011
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees said many people would walk for up to five days to cross the border, and predicted that the numbers could peak to 250,000 around June.
Oxfam has warned that many of the 100,000 people who have already crossed the country's western border into Liberia are living with scarce food and sanitation supplies in remote jungle areas which will be cut off when the rainy season starts.
An estimated one million people have already fled their homes in Ivory Coast to escape the fighting, which was prompted by disputed elections in November and has intensified in recent weeks as the forces of Alassane Ouattara, the internationally-recognised victor, took on those of Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent.
Olivier Germain, an Oxfam representative based in Monrovia, the Liberian capital, said the numbers crossing the border had increased in recent days, and many were "very traumatised" after seeing their villages occupied by armed groups.
"There's a strong belief that a lot of people are still on their way or hiding in the forest over the border and haven't crossed yet," he said. "We have contingency planning for a much higher number - it's a very unpredictable situation."
Kristalina Georgieva, the European Union's head of aid, said she was "alarmed" by reports of manhunts and ethnic killings and appealed to both sides to act.
"History has given us far too many detailed examples of the scale of humanitarian disaster that results when violence is not stopped decisively," she said.
Telegraph.feedsportal.com
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Scottish universities face shortfall under Labour
Scottish universities face shortfall under Labour
Labour plans to provide only £38 million per year towards an estimated £202 million annual funding gap that must be filled if Scottish universities are to retain their international standing.
Iain Gray's Scottish Labour manifesto promises to provide only #38 million of the extra #202 million Scottish universities need
By Simon Johnson and Peter Hutchison 11:15AM BST 07 Apr 2011
Iain Gray, the party’s Holyrood leader, insisted the remainder of the money could be raised by charging foreign students higher fees, making increased ‘efficiency savings’ and gifts from rich Scots.
But a report compiled by an expert group for Scottish ministers suggested these elements would be nowhere near enough to fill the gap, prompting warnings that universities would have to cut courses and student numbers.
The plans was included in Labour’s Holyrood election manifesto, unveiled at Clydebank College, which made extra spending commitments totalling more than £815 million over the next four years.
Despite cuts to the Scottish block grant of about £2 billion over the same period, Mr Gray also promised his party would abolish youth unemployment in the next parliament.
The Labour leader said he plans to fund his spending spree by finding almost £5 billion of ‘efficiency’ savings in the public sector.
These include creating a single Scotland-wide police force and fire brigade and making the country’s 32 councils share services and backroom functions.
But opposition parties said the manifesto’s policies were based on extremely optimistic assumptions and university leaders dismissed the basis of the higher education funding pledge.
The launch of the manifesto, titled ‘Fighting for what really matters’, was delayed after a fire alarm was sounded in college, forcing dozens of attendees to evacuate and stand in heavy rain.
Unveiling the document following the delay, Mr Gray said: “This is a serious document for serious times and I’m a candidate for First Minister of my country because I think we need a serious government.”
He said youth unemployment would be abolished by guaranteeing school leavers an apprenticeship, setting up a new jobs fund and investing in industries like renewable energy.
Promising not to ask for a graduate contribution from Scottish students, Mr Gray added: “We will knock down barriers to access rather than build them up.”
But an appendix to the manifesto, detailing his spending plans, revealed that Labour has allocated only £38 million extra per year for higher education from the 2012/13 academic year.
An expert funding group has calculated an extra £491 million must be found between 2012 and 2015 if Scottish universities are not to fall behind their English competitors.
This includes £202 million in 2014/15 alone. Mr Gray’s spending plans leaves a cumulative £377 million shortfall over the three academic years.
A Labour spokesman chose to use slightly lower estimates, which do not include inflation, but insisted the shortfall could be largely filled by charging students from the EU and rest of the UK more.
This assumes the same number English students come north of the Border despite plans to more than treble their fees to £6,300.
Mr Gray wants to raise £22 million from EU students despite European law banning discrimination on the grounds of nationality.
His spokesman also confirmed Labour’s calculations include £26 million of efficiency savings. He claimed savings could also be found from a ‘root-and-branch’ review of higher education.
But Alastair Sim, director of Universities Scotland, called for “realism”, adding: “Efficiency savings are not a gap-closer because English universities are going after these savings too and charging students from the rest of the UK is not a magic bullet as increased fees will affect demand.
“We have just come out of one review process and are concerned that the potential timescales of a new review would mean Scottish universities start to fall behind those in England if the funding gap isn’t addressed immediately.”
He warned failing to close the gap would mean student numbers being cut and the quality of university education being affected. Mr Gray’s spokesman later insisted that any shortfall would be met from the public purse.
However, the manifesto appendix also shows no extra funding has been allocated for another keynote policy, to create a ‘national care service’ in the NHS. Mr Gray argued the costs can be met from existing budgets.
Similarly, Labour has allocated only £250,000 for a shared equity scheme to help first-time buyers, assuming instead that housing developers will bear all the costs.
Derek Brownlee, Scottish Tory finance spokesman, said: “It appears they did a bit of hasty adding up on Monday afternoon to give their manifesto some air of substance.
“It’s reliant on a series of optimistic assumptions without much evidence of serious consideration, particularly on university funding.”
holyrood election, labour manifesto, peter hutchison, election manifesto, scottish labour, labour leader, efficiency savings, scottish universities, youth unemployment, spending spree, force and fire, share services, simon johnson, opposition parties, mr gray, scottish ministers, heavy rain, university leaders, education funding, expert group
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Hunter Line Shack
Canal killer John Sweeney faces life in prison for murder of his two ex-girlfriends
Canal killer John Sweeney faces life in prison for murder of his two ex-girlfriends
John Sweeney, a carpenter who killed two ex-girlfriends and threw their bodies into canals, faces spending the rest of his life behind bars.
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TelegraphPlayer-8427310
Link to this video
1:09PM BST 04 Apr 2011
John Sweeney, 54, will be given two life sentences at the Old Bailey for murdering Melissa Halstead and Paula Fields.
He is likely to be told that he is so dangerous, he will never be released from prison.
Detectives say Sweeney may have killed other women and will continue to try to trace former girlfriends.
Sweeney is already serving four life sentences for attacking another girlfriend, Delia Balmer, with an axe in 1994.
Former model Miss Halstead, 33, from the US, was killed in 1990. Her dismembered body was thrown into a canal in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. She was only identified 18 years later by DNA, although her head and hands have never been found.
The body parts of Paula Fields, 31, were found in six holdalls floating in the Regent's Canal in Camden, north London, in February 2001. Her head, hands and feet are still missing.
Now detectives want to know what happened to two South American former girlfriends of Sweeney who have not been seen since the late 1990s.
Little is known about them, except that one was a Brazilian woman known as Leani, the other a Colombian called Maria.
There may also be a third missing woman reportedly featured in Sweeney's "confessional" artwork.
And Dutch police are understood to be looking into Sweeney's claims to Miss Balmer that he killed two German men whom he caught with Miss Halstead.
former girlfriends, life sentences, s canal, german men, dutch police, life behind bars, head and hands, brazilian woman, former model, video1, john sweeney, balmer, halstead, old bailey, ex girlfriends, north london, missing woman, hands and feet, life in prison, delia
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
MONA
MONA
The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) is an art museum located within the Moorilla winery on the Berriedale peninsula in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The museum opened on Friday 21 January 2011 in a new building designed by architect Nonda Katsalidis. A three level subterranean structure it is the largest privately funded museum in Australia and is free to enter. The museum presents antiquities, modern and contemporary art from the David Walsh private collection.
MONA on Wikipedia
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Monday, April 4, 2011
Mosaic of Municipal house
Mosaic of Municipal house
Mosaic of Obecn dm (Municipal house), Praha (Prague), Czech Republic..
Obecn dm was built in Art Nouveau style in the first decade of the 20th century. It is a representative building and a place for social and cultural events.
There's a lot of interesting information on the website of Obecn dm (in English).
The Historic Centre of Prague in inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.
Citation from whc.unesco.org/en/list/616
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Built between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town speak of the great architectural and cultural influence enjoyed by this city since the Middle Ages. The many magnificent monuments, such as Hradcani Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge and numerous churches and palaces, built mostly in the 14th century under the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV.
Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe in terms of its setting on both banks of the Vltava River, its townscape of burger houses and palaces punctuated by towers, and its individual buildings.
The Historic Centre represents a supreme manifestation of Medieval urbanism (the New Town of Emperor Charles IV built as the New Jerusalem). The Prague architectural works of the Gothic Period (14th and 15th centuries), of the High Baroque of the 1st half of the 18th century and of the rising modernism after the year 1900, influenced the development of Central Europe, perhaps even all European architecture. Prague represents one of the most prominent world centres of creative life in the field of urbanism and architecture across generations, human mentality and beliefs.
Prague belongs to the group of historic cities which have preserved the structure of their development until the present times. Within the core of Prague, successive stages of growth and changes have respected the original grand-scale urban structure of the Early Middle Ages. This structure was essentially and greatly enlarged with urban activities in the High Gothic period with more additions during the High Baroque period and in the 19th century. It has been saved from any large-scale urban renewal or massive demolitions and thus preserves its overall configuration, pattern and spatial composition.
In the course of the 1100 years of its existence, Prague’s development can be documented in the architectural expression of many historical periods and their styles. The city is rich in outstanding monuments from all periods of its history. Of particular importance are Prague Castle, the Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradany Square in front of the Castle, the Valdgtejn Palace on the left bank of the river, the Gothic Charles Bridge, the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood, the Gothic arcaded houses round the Old Town Square, the High Gothic Minorite Church of St James in the Stark Msto, the late 19th century buildings and town plan of the Nave Msto.
As early as the Middle Ages, Prague became one of the leading cultural centres of Christian Europe. The Prague University, founded in 1348, is one of the earliest in Europe. The milieu of the University in the last quarter of the 14th century and the first years of the 15th century contributed among other things to the formation of ideas of the Hussite Movement which represented in fact the first steps of the European Reformation. As a metropolis of culture, Prague is connected with prominent names in art, science and politics, such as Charles IV, Petr Parl, Jan Hus, Johannes Kepler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka, Antonn Dvok, Albert Einstein, Edvard Bene (co-founder of the League of Nations) and Vclav Havel.
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End of citation
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Sunday, April 3, 2011
Knives out for Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho after the end of his nine-year unbeaten home league record
Knives out for Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho after the end of his nine-year unbeaten home league record
Spurs could be forgiven for feeling they are intruding on a wake when they turn up in the royal half of Madrid on Monday.
Not amused: Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho feels the pain of defeat Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Ian Chadband, Chief Sports Correspondent in Madrid 11:00PM BST 03 Apr 2011
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For as Real Madrid’s whitest cheerleading organ, Marca, pronounced like some gloomy official proclamation on its front page “Adios Liga. Adios record”, the mounting feeling here was that it may yet end up being a mere prelude to “Adios Jose”.
At a club where they have always been happy to turn the most minor drama into a crisis, you could swear you could hear the sound of knives being sharpened, perhaps ready to be plunged into Jose Mourinho’s aura like never before following both the end of the Special One’s nine-year, 150-game unbeaten league home run and, surely, of his interest in claiming his seventh national league title in eight years.
Suddenly, Real’s six, maybe seven, games in April loom as the greatest examination yet of a gilded career of practically uninterrupted success. All the talk here has been of Mourinho’s future, of his hints of returning to England and of him winning power battles with sporting director Jorge Valdano, but if he succumbs in these huge games, including possibly four against Barcelona in 15 days, his future will be written for him regardless.
His studied air of insouciance after the 1-0 defeat to Sporting Gijón here could not hide his dismay, doubtless cemented in private later by watching Barcelona’s giddy lads celebrating the win at Villarreal which puts them eight points clear and practically certain to bag a third straight title.
Mourinho talked about his side being unlucky but, inside, must have been as alarmed as those Bernabéu regulars who felt this weakened side bereft of creative juices and a cutting edge - the ingredients known primarily as Cristiano Ronaldo - had just produced their worst performance of the season.
It was so poor that even if bringing back Ronaldo with his thigh problem on Tuesday is a gamble, it actually looks like a must. “The decision of risking it belongs only to him and to me. I may risk it,” said Mourinho.
Bank on it; it is an SOS to Ronaldo which may spell Save Our Season.
Mourinho did accept his fate with some dignity as he went to the visitors’ dressing room to offer congratulations and even saluted Gijon’s coach, Manuel Preciado, who earlier in the season, in a verbal bust up, had dismissed Mourinho as a canalla. The best translation of that, apparently, is 'scumbag’ and a reminder of how there will be many here now revelling in Mourinho’s discomfort.
And how Spurs must now grasp the chance to add to it. Madrid tomorrow will be bolstered by the return of Xabi Alonso, suspended on Saturday, and Gonzalo Higuain, who feels sharper after playing his first half an hour in four months since his back surgery, but the side will not look too dissimilar to that which against Gijón laboured miserably up front and were absent-minded at the back. Alvaro Arbeloa, for one, had a woeful night.
All of which can only have encouraged Spurs, who, even while having their own goalless streak to be concerned about, were talking up their prospects of an upset even before news of Gijon’s late smash and grab.
“We’ve got a tough, tough task, but we’ve proved this year against top teams like Inter and AC Milan that we’ve been able to go to these places and get results. Hopefully we can do the same in Madrid,” Peter Crouch had said after the goalless draw with Wigan.
Being reminded of how Mourinho’s old Chelsea favourite, Ricardo Carvalho, once suggested Crouch was easy to play against was a perfect red rag. “We’ll see about that,” responded the striker.
“As for Mourinho, he’s top class. His results from Porto to Chelsea to Inter Milan and now Real. We all have a great deal of respect for him. So we go there with respect but also to get a result.”
A final word of respect, too, for that record. To go 150 home league games with various clubs without a single loss should be recalled as one of football’s most unfathomable achievements, perhaps an unrepeatable feat.
The man himself always sniffed that “it means nothing to me”, that only winning trophies continues to concern him. Maybe, but another protective layer of his aura was stripped here, enough for Spurs to be persuaded the Great Wall of Mourinho may just have developed a major structural fault.
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