dubai_phil

So. Concert season is nearly upon us here in Dubai. I've turned down the chance to see Tom Jones for the 4th time (that honour is reserved for Bruce) Got my Killers on the beach tickets and Rihanna for my B'day (well it will be better than going to karaoke AGAIN) Anyway this week they have been pushing tickets for the F1 in Abu Dhabi. Think I mentioned that Depeche Mode headline on the Sunday After Race party meh Muse play Saturday and are US$110 a ticket (including entrance to the final practice of F1) now they are WELL top of my want to see list. On the Friday they had no announcement - it was left blank. So two weeks ago they started this #first200 for a HUGE concert announcement. All you had to do was be in the 1st 200 in the queue at Virgin Megastore last Tuesday. No idea who it would be..... So paranoia started - What If? It's The Stones, or Bruce? or FFS even Adele? So muggins had nowt much to do at work and took an hour out to go down (after MUCH badgering from Mrs D_P). I arrived one hour before THE ANNOUNCEMENT time, and remarkably found myself #125 in a queue of 4 bored parents & 120 kids. They had a farking DJ beating out LOUD R&B & Hip Hop arrgh. Anyway I did my emails on the Android and the big moment came when they announced it was... Now, I WAS expecting it to be krap and hoping it was one of MY favs.... It was? JayZ Woah. Go me, I just got two freebie tickets worth $110 EACH for THE Man. Am I going to go? Hell no, saw him at Glasto when he was brilliant, but I STILL hate that genre of music. All it meant is that I now have REAL tradeables to swap for Muse Go Me! Oh and last night picked up Toploader (meh commercial sell-out bstds) but supported by Lightning Seeds Unplugged 14 quid a ticket for 26th Sept - bargain. Can watch the quality & sing a lond then go get shredded on cheap Guinness that night!

Well, I enjoyed STID. I will also enjoy watching it maybe 8 or 10 times more when it comes onto Satellite TV here and there is sod all else to watch. It has been a success, the Reboot got people's interest and made YOUNGER PEOPLE who live around the world INTERESTED in the characters of Kirk, Spock et al. STID was a very dangerous film. It HAD to expand the market base (FFS most original trekkies could be dead in 10 years or 3 movies time!) It made a whole truck load of money, and it made the Studio happy (in a year of Mega Bombs - Lone Ranger anyone) happy to continue the Franchise. How do you reboot from here? We all know that Kirk had his 5 year mission. How does Abrams et al now re-visit that? We know the Borg are out there, we know the Delta Quadrant off by heart & The Dominion. How will the paradoxes of the time line changes affect things now? Enterprise was the Federations' exploration vehicle to discover places the Vulcans had not reached. But what is the motivation now? Vulcan has gone. The road map seems pretty clear, Earth has lost a major friend, it has to open up new routes (and war movies) with the Klingon Empire, the Romulans, and who knows who from the TNG/Voyager et al would now try and colonize our part of space? Star Trek as we know it died the day we watched a 2 hour arrival of VEE GER in ST1. It developed and gave us more depth and quality of characters and history of a future universe. While b1tching about STID just ask how many of the original series back stories of exploring the Universe could actually have different characters/depth/endings? I SERIOUSLY hope that they now go off into a REAL different tangent completely and STOP trying to pay clever homage to Tribbles & the old timeline. It's gone, move on to what has changed in the dynamics of the ST Universe and exploit those. There are SO many new opportunities, the Franchise is a success and even IF they create a new Klingon War or whatever, the paying punters will now go to see the New Crew.

To be honest we don't use outside too often - it's a pain as they don't have Pedigree on Tap out there & we have to go all the way indoors to get the beers in (well, Eric does with his discount card!) Also, for early kick offs it is WAY too distracting as the Beach "empties" See ya tomorrow!

Nah but there will be one in Doha next week when Doha Saint moves over from here. We had an internal committee meeting and decided NOT to ban him from the bar for wearing the new shirt. (Be warned all other newbies!) But ONLY after he showed pics of his Misses in her shirt... And no he did PROMISE to FB the pics for us but never happened You can still sing non PC songs down here, but wear the new shirt? God help you

Actually, thanks to those damned "grey" books, it seems most of them like that kind of thing these days don't think you'll have a problem...........

Have to agree with this, Aussies have lost this series England haven't won it, our Top Order has been too inconsistent (Bell apart). IF Root bats long today then there is a glimmer for the return series, but am really concerned that we got rid of a capable if unimpressive opener and now have a problem at the top of the order and at #6. With Bairstow not progressing are we really going to have to look at Morgan & Bopara at # 6 again for down under? On the surface, Cook really had nothing to lose from letting Kerrigan have a bowl. OK so he was not ready mentally on Wednesday but surely the team ethic overnight could have helped, at Village level the lads would have been having dressing room gags and bets with him. ANYTHING to lighten his mood. But then this excellent blog http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/664523.html paints a different picture of Stage Fright. Perhaps he really was out of it yesterday as well, maybe Cook did do the right thing, perhaps keeping him away from a late run chase pasting (even with the chance of a soft wicket) gives him more chance of finally settling in by Saturday (or God forbid later today). On the subject of Cook's captaincy, I do find the criticism from the Sky Taters amusing. Think back to when they were leading the team, every single one of them had the same critiques levelled at them - bowling too short, getting the balance between attack & defence wrong, poorly timed declarations, failure to exploit the part time bowlers..... Strauss & Cook seem to love their plans - Coaching HAS improved the team in that respect, just sometimes I think Cook has even less "feel" for the game than Strauss did, which IS saying something

Oh alright then. BUT The Northam HAVE to sing it THIS well http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=KK5YGWS5H84

Well it was either that or 200 versions from X Factor or Idol. Hey it's 3am I've been on the Ale - did well to even find her let alone the link button!

So, despite his nervous start, Woakes ends up with better figures than Stuart Broad.... Still a p1ss poor bowling performance by England. Rain Saturday by all accounts should save them getting some momentum Work to do on the bowling combinations before the return series. Understand losing Bresnan they felt they needed to try out another bowler who could bat but not seeing much from him except a tidier spell today. Really need to find a #6

Ok so the song is sorted then

Assad benefits from it IF he uses the weapons BUT stage manages it so that it appears the Rebels did it. That one ain't rocket science But that is a far more high risk strategy. Damascus Saint returned to Dubai this week having spent Ramadan & Eid back in Damascus. His close family are now out and living here and safe (for which I give thanks everyday that he actually listened to me and got them Visas while he could) The fact is that apart from the Roadblocks & Snipers on Buildings every 200 metres, life in GENERAL for the Population of Damascus IS business as usual. To the general Population there they feel safer than they would IF they were in Cairo at the moment. The feeling was that the rebels have fragmented and that there is now little chance of an outright "Libya Style" win. One internal Political Issue that MAY have some bearing is that elections were due at the end of this year - (Yes, they HAVE had elections in Syria for many years, guess BBC never mention that and Yes, nobody got on the Electoral Candidate Roll unless they were saying the right things) - anyway, Assad announced that he would be standing and expected to continue in charge. That caused a slight tightening of sphincters as many felt that could have been a way for him to migrate power without complete turmoil. Obviously the status in Damascus is a complete difference from beautiful Alleppo where another buddy of mine lived in his Cellar for 4 months until he and his mates could get out to a safe small village. He's safe now, living and working in Turkey, I do take the p1ss by saying "Told You So" every time we talk, he didn't believe it would happen so he stayed when I could have got him out.

No, my comment was accurate. I was comparing Bashar to Sadam & Iran who both used Chemical Weapons during their war. There is NO evidence or allegations anywhere that PRIOR to the disintegration of Syria that Bashar had EVER used Chemical Weapons. (Although there is possible allegations that his father had used them in the Hama massacre in 1982) {Interestingly, THAT uprising - (reports suggest as many as 40,000 could have died) was started by? The Muslim Brotherhood. While not in ANYWAY condoning the Ba'ath Party & it's principles, this anti-Nationalist divide had been causing problems since 1940 and the Assads had at least kept a lid on it. Many of the complaints about the Secret Police and Persecution of normal citizens in the Country came from the Sunni's who IN GENERAL supported the aims of the Brotherhood to take Syria to a non-nationalistic Muslim State (ie what they TRIED to do to Egypt) The only ever references to them previously came with regard to them being his only deterrent against a possible Nuclear Attack by Israel. } Nobody has a clue who has used the weapons both in May or this week. You don't need to be a Pap level conspiracy theorist to see how BOTH sides could manouver the use to force an issue. As for the reports from Turkey, Sky News have run some excellent reports of the silent war waging in the Kurdistan region of Syria and the hundreds of thousands of Kurds who crossed the new Pontoon Bridge this week into Iraq to escape it and who have told pretty brutal tales of what had happened to them.

Ah ha, so when the Merry Go Round stops it will be interesting to see if any clubs in Europe that have money issues decide they need a last minute Panic Sale of a gem. Kind of the complete opposite of Arsenal & Newcastle then. (Panic buy of a Donkey)

I agree entirely, he had a little run in the middle of last season where he showed he could score goals. Composure comes with experience (Simon Kerrigan is the example of why it is an issue!) I just find it amusing that there have been some wailing at the loss of JP when we have bought in Osvaldo who would clearly block his route to the first team. Who would we drop next IF for example we brought in Banega? Anyways it makes the next couple of weeks interesting that there may be one more coming, I'm OK with our CB pairing and back up this year and I NEVER want to see us buying Delap's Kenton's & Telfers again as "Cover" or "Squad" players

Are the Russians being Israel's best friend here? The Arab Spring has so far been shown to be on the verge of plunging The Levant into the dark ages. Democracy has strengthened the Legitimacy of what were once outlawed Islamic Militants - in Egypt, around 20% of the Rural Population supported the Islamic Brotherhood and yet with multi-million dollar backing from Qatar they went from Terrorist Organisation to a fully structured & funded Political Party in a matter of months. That would have been fine IF they were competent in running a nation. They weren't. Egypt now risks being split, that poses grave issues for you in Europe from the Trade Links perspective and Israel from a security perspective. Equally in Syria, the original "Popular Uprising" has been totally hijacked by Extremists and external influences. Again, what was a Secular Society is being destroyed and pockets of nutters have erupted to fragment the original opposition. Instead of a "Civil War" the country now risks being mired into Ethnic Conflict & conclaves for years to come. Nobody will find a solution Politically while the likes of Al Qaeda are there. The attacks on Government Military Sites may well have allowed Chemical Weapons to fall into the hands of "The Rebels", as the link implies above. But. In the Border lands with Lebanon, some of the rebels greatest successes have come from being bolstered by troops from Hezbollah. Now, accuse Bashar of many things, BUT his Chemical Weapons had stayed under lock and key. Hezbollah get their hands on Sarin? In southern Lebanon? In Missile Range of Israel? The US is run by Israel in terms of ME Foreign Policy. It all seemed so simple to them 2 years ago before 100's of thousands of innocent people were killed. Now it is an almighty snafu and it will get worse. Qatar is backing the Islamists in Egypt. UAE & Saudi are backing the "Majority Anti-Morsi" THAT is a growing problem (and not just for the World Cup) The Oil Producing states taking sides? Better speed up your Fracking Projects It IS a Clusterf\/ck of monumental proportions. The Russians MAY have been right to TRY and hold Syria together

Our official EU Anti-Depressant Medication Partner. Will the WWF really open the Official Monkey Chicken Petting Zoo in every nation?

Taking this forward one step. Who will be our Exclusive Airline Partner? Who will be Osvaldo's Glasses Partner? Our Official Hot Flask and Woolly Blanket provider for the Itchen? Maybe Turks can comment on our Official Fashion Partner? Will Ann Summers really come out with an official range of Dani toys for the Woman in your life?... Oh the list could be endless.........

Actually no. 1) I had to listen to DM every week 2) Once your clocks go back mid - week matches kicked off here at midnight so didn't get to listen to many of them. Now every game is on TV so last season I probably missed watching 4 games in total. Yes it was more real and spending the cost of the club to Markus on one player seems bonkers, but after 7 years I no longer have to shrug my shoulders and apologise when people ask me who I support (actually after about 10 years). The only downside I can see is that the forum is filled with more threads about nothing very much. Back in the lower leagues we never had so many posters and never had so much time to discuss our Asian Betting Partners

Too true Professor, many fans seem to think JP is the new Zaha or whatever. Imagine the forum if we bought Banega and it meant JRod (who fans thought has a shout of playing for England) or Lallana (who was picked for England) get benched for him. (And don't give me the It will be Gaston nonsense, he'll likely be benched for Osvaldo according to the experts)

I live in Asia. I am not allowed to use SBOBET so how can they be our ASIAN Betting Partner Cortese OUT FFS

Went couple of years back for a conference. Loved Bourbon street, especially with a gang of Conferencers just so much magical music to choose from, half an hour listening to Louis Armstrong style stuff to Disco to Rocks Bars. Possibly the most fun nights I've ever had out for a work event. Acme Seafood or something - we went - there was a big queue and an ARMED Cop on the door. Walked straight in (apparently we had a reservation) All the sampler dishes. Had a damned fine steak as well somewhere near the Convention Centre. Oh and TPC Louisiana Golf Course - sensational. On the 18th my ball rolled off the fairway onto a narrow strip of sand by a lake. Got out of buggy walks to where my WTF WHOA must have been a 10 foot long Gator looking REALLY p1ssed off that I'd hit him with my slice. After all the play it as it lies jokes we adjorned to the bar. Loved the place on high on my list of go back as soon as possible Only gripe is that it is a b1tch to get to from here with plane changes and stuff

And anyway we go charging into Syria who's gonna be left to help the 90 million people in Egypt when THAT goes up in smoke? Sometimes Democracy is not the answer. It just elects more imbeciles to ru(i)n a country (bit like the EU really)

Totally. The West has to stay totally away from Syria. ll that would happen is to create even MORE places for raving nutters to gain combat experience before heading to mainland Europe. Oh and in war ravaged Syria, The internet still works, mobile network still works, there are no power outages and the shops are still full. In Central Damascus. Inflation is a b1tch thanks to the Dollar exchange rate which can fluctuate from 100 to 500 pounds = dollar on a daily basis The freedom fighters have ensured that the basic law abiding majority of Syrians have been shafted in the cause of splintering the country into a hundred factions who are now fighting each other in many places

Meh look on the bright side. If we keep improving to the plan this thread next season will be about Lallana & JRod/Ramirez after we buy xyz for 65 mil

Nick Holmes Andy Townsend