Hamilton Saint

Thanks a lot for these!

revelatory

Lots of technical problems with this article. Beginning the whole thing with an apology is very weak stylistically. Most journalism (unless it's supposed to be an opinion piece, like the work of a columnist) avoids personal asides like "I was reminded", "I was extremely interested", "I'm sure you'll all agree", etc. It would sound more emphatic and authoritative, if you avoided that sort of self-referential thing. The second paragraph is a complete mess. The punctuation is all over the place. You need to review the proper use of the semi-colon and the comma. There are some redundancies: "speculation of transfer rumours", and "to quote the man himself" (no need to announce it - just do it), for example. The fourth paragraph begins with a mixed metaphor; and the second part of it ("which blew the poker table right open"), doesn't sound right anyway. Avoid using cliches like "cool, calm and collected". With names of people, avoid nicknames and chummy references. Give the manager's name in full at the first mention - Mauricio Pochettino - after that call him Mr. Pochettino, or Pochettino (depending on the outlet's style manual). Your use of "Pochettinos responses' " contains two errors (errors which illustrate two of my pet peeves): there should be an apostrophe between the o and s at the end of "Pochettinos" (to show possession); and there should not be an apostrophe at the end of "responses" (the plural form just takes an s at the end - no apostrophes needed anywhere). The gist of your article is good, but the delivery of it is undermined by lots of technical flaws. When you submit a piece of journalism to a paper, magazine, etc. (especially if it is done freelance), it should be virtually free of errors. Certain grammatical or punctuation issues might be debatable, but spelling people's names incorrectly (easily checked via the internet) is inexcusable. You shouldn't expect an editor, or sub-editor, to go through it and fix all the mistakes. They don't have the time or inclination. I would recommend reading and studying several good books about style, grammar and punctuation. The Lynn Truss book, Eats, Shoot and Leaves, is a good example. Strunk and White's The Elements of Style is excellent. And William Zinnser's On Writing Well is especially good for aspiring journalists - it is focused on non-fiction writing. Reading works such as this - written by highly-experienced writers and journalists - is a wonderful shortcut. You don't have to be in the business for decades in order to pick up a lot of this basic stuff. Good luck!

In an incredibly long career Pete Seeger made just ONE music video. At the age of 92 (in 2012) he recorded a video of Dylan's song "Forever Young". Since Pete's recent death, the video has gone viral. No wonder - it is inspiring.

Indeed! Should keep the negativity at bay.

Lambert! That'll shut a few people up, eh?!

Thanks for posting that!!!!!

You beauty!

We've seen the bad so far; second half we'll get the good. Yes?!

Yeah, but what else is new?

Schneiderlin booked.

Two great saves from Boruc.

Cork likely to replace Wanyama!!

Wanyama booked for tripping Parker.

DM says that Fulham are crossing the ball into our box as quickly as possible.

Boruc makes a "flying" save from thr corner.

Blackmore and Merrington comparing Wanyama's play so far (unfavourably) with that of Cork's recent form.

Three points today would take advantage of Swansea's and Newcastle's losses earlier this afternoon. We'd be only two points behind the Geordies.

Come on, Saints! Three points today!

How do you see a person for what they are? You can't see inside their soul; you can't examine their conscience. You note what they do. Kissinger didn't "belong" to a political party. He wasn't a Republican or Democrat. His party was the party of self. He was willing to do and say whatever advanced his own drive for power and influence. Check the historical record. See what policies he pursued in Vietnam - and Chile and many other parts of the world. He is personally responsible for the death of tens of thousands of people. He supported fascist despots because of his belief in realpolitik. Power and influence, that is; not truth and justice. Would you rather have a bias in favour of those who seek and exercise power, or those who work for truth and justice? My bias is for the latter.

I understand your point and agree to a certain extent, but the Nobel committee can be quite inconsistent. Barack Obama didn't do any "specific" peacemaking, did he? His prize seemed to be merely a metaphorical huge sigh or relief that the U.S. President was no longer GWB! Kissinger's "act of peacemakling" - the winding up of the failed Vietnam War - came after a long period of escalation (the carpet bombing of Cambodia, for example), when the U.S. attempted to win the war with a massive wave of destruction. Like giving someone an award because they've stopped torturing and poisoning people.

Exactly. Kissinger is not a man of peace - he is a war criminal. Just like Ariel Sharon. No amount of whitewashing events can change those facts.

Ron Davies - surely?!

And a second video of Seeger. Everywhere you go in Cuba they sing this song - based on a poem by Jose Marti.

R.I.P. to the great Pete Seeger. Pete Seeger wrote, or co-wrote, "Where Have all the Flowers Gone?", "If I Had a Hammer", and "Turn, Turn, Turn." He was a member of The Weavers. He was a committed activist, who got into trouble by defying the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. His warm, disarming performing style always had him more as the leader of a sing-along, rather than an emoting artist. A wonderful inspiration. Here is a video in his honour: