CHAPEL END CHARLIE

By way of contrast to the US TV lovefest above, thanks to Freeview's diet of endless repeats I've just discovered the wonders of the utterly British 'Rumpole of the Bailey' (Drama Channel 10am weekdays) Don't ask me what the hell I was watching when this series was first aired back in the 70's (the ITV button on our family TV may have been removed) but I now realise I was missing out on a truly special piece of Television. Written by a real lawyer of course - John Mortimer - Horace Rumpole is a devious old Barrister with a love of quotations, a formidable battleaxe of a wife ('She who must be Obeyed') and a courtroom manner that would surly infuriate any judge - and sway many a jury. Above all that lays the late Leo McKern's central performance as Rumpole. Now I may well have been found guilty on here of the crime of hyperbole on occasion, but if I were to say this defining role is about as perfectly judged as it could possibly be, then I hope I would not be going too far. So if you love good writing, if you take your humour dry, and if you appreciate seeing a fine actor in the role of his life, then I strongly suggest you acquaint yourself with our learned friend Mr Rumpole - I doubt you will regret it.

I could hardly disagree more. Leaving aside the fact that the newspaper in question is actually mentioned in the thread title, far from being some perverse behavior restricted to the Internet, the observation that everyday discussions do tend to stray from their original topic and head off at a tangent on occasion exactly mimics most 'off line' conversations I have ever experienced. I would also suggest that anyone who sat down with their mates in a pub and issued a set of instructions ordering them that the following conservation must remain strictly on topic at all times would be looked upon as being somewhat odd to put it mildly! As for this type of (very Human) behavior being sufficient to cause depression among readers ... well this seems to me to be a overreaction to put it mildly. Indeed if something as trivial as that is sufficient to inflict distress then how some cope with the real annoyances of the everyday world is a mystery to this football fan. But in a effort to prevent mental illness among our more delicate 'linear thinkers' on here, I will add that from what I've seen of him thus far Victor Wanyama looks to be a very good player. Happy now?

Umm, it seems to me your obvious hatred of this publication might itself be a form of prejudice. As for the so called 'Star of Africa' - this reminds me that my old dad had the Africa Star - mind you he had to do something a tad more dangerous that kicking a football around to earn it ...

How do you reconcile this view with other stories the Daily Mail has run over the years - such as that newspaper's outspoken stance on the Steven Lawrence case for instance?

I thought 'A Simple Act of Violence' was such a bloody good read that when I saw another RJ Ellory title - 'A Quiet Belief in Angles' - on the shelf of the local charity shop the other day I snapped it up without a moments hesitation. A good decision as it turns out because 'Angles' is yet another stunningly good novel. The standard of Ellory's insightful and elegant prose is a cut above the normal stuff I read, indeed writing of this caliber is in grave danger of elevating the crime novel into the whelm of proper literature. With my interest in this writer growing by the book, I decided to check his wiki page out and what a eye opener it is. First off I was shocked to learn that this author - a man who writes so convincing of the American south - is actually a Englishman. Coming from Birmingham is no crime of course, but it would seem that RJ is something of a rogue because he was caught using something called a 'sockpuppet' account to write rave reviews of his own books, slag off his rivals efforts, and then posting the lot on Amazon.Com! This is bad behavior in anyone's book and it (quite understandably) earned him the wrath of his fellow authors in the prestigious Crime Writers Association. Cad that he undoutably is then, his writing is so good I shall probably continue to read him. It all does go to show however that the old adage that a man should 'never meet his hero's' is a wise one.

http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2013/08/southampton-set-to-renew-interest-in-roma-forward/

It seems perfectly obvious to me that seen from a 'survival of the species' viewpoint most complex multicellular living organisms are 'designed' to engage in male/female sexual reproduction in order to ensure the propagation and evolution of the species. So from that strictly scientific perspective claiming that the observed homosexuality we see in all Human society is a 'unnatural' behavior is not a inherently unreasonable one. However the question of Human sexual behavior and the relationships we form is obviously a enormously complex subject and not merely a matter of the mechanics of sexual reproduction. Given the often problematic nature of the homosexual lifestyle (more so in the past than now one suspects) I find it hard to believe that many people would really choose to be 'gay' as if that were some desirable life option open to them. Therefore I suspect that there must be at least some genetic component in 'LGBT' behavior. So a flaw in our genome then, or just a naturally occurring variable like red hair or left handedness - make your own mind up. It strikes me that rather than seeking to place people into 'gay' or 'straight' boxes as if they must be one thing or the other, we would do well to question whether the division between Homosexuality and Heterosexually is quite as categorical as some assume. Scientific research shows that Bisexuality may in fact be a more widespread human (and animal) behavior than is generally assumed. For instance, a study by the well respected Kinsey Institute concluded that some 37% of the male population had engaged in both Homosexual and Heterosexual activity at some point during their lifetime. Given the understandable reluctance of many to admit such a thing (even in a anonymous scientific study) it seems safe to conclude that that is probably a significant underestimation of the true situation. In the final analysis perhaps people are just naturally attracted to attractive people, regardless of age, class or even gender.

This dismal thread has long since passed beyond the whelm of the merely distasteful and become a truly gruesome spectacle. A young man has been brutally murdered, parents have lost their much loved son, a little boy will grow up without his father .... all I can say is that thank Christ none of them are ever likely to read this thread. Yes I know - pot/kettle/black - but my (unsolicited) advice is that all parties to this atrocity would do well to drop it now before both their dignity, and their mental health, are called even further into question.

The worrying injury to (the excellent) Luke Shaw aside, this was a enjoyable and entertaining match considering it was little more than another low pressure preseason 'run out' in truth. In many ways a typical latter day Saints performance this, we pressed the ball with real intent and quality, got forward well as a unit and created plenty of chances - only to fail to converted nearly as many of them as we should! The (4-3) result was unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but it's always better to win I suppose - and we did. What I liked: 1 - Victor Wanyama. Did we only sign one player of this name because he seemed to be everywhere you looked on the pitch? Good vision, a tireless tackler and as keen as mustard. A proper player this lad and a PL midfield star in the making maybe. 2 - Rickie Lambert. His audacious attempt at chipping the keeper from near the half way line was a wonder to see - so close to a unforgettable moment. Unusually he lost his cool badly a little later mind you. 3 - Jay Rodriguez and Adam Lallana. Both these players looked off the pace at times last season I though. Well the summer must have done them both a power of good because they looked back to their very best today. Sorry Roger but Lallana my MOTM. 4 - Morgan Schneiderlin - If you are paying attention this player just oozes class every time you see him. Could play for any team in this division in my view. 5 - Maya Yoshida. Never a worry is he? Honorable mentions: 1 - Jason Puncheon. Unlike some of our other substitutes JP made damn sure he left his mark on this game when he came on late. You can tell he thinks he should be starting every game, and sometimes methinks he may well be right. 2 - Guly do Prado. To be frank I'm not his biggest fan - to put it mildly - but fair goes he was pretty decent in the first half today. 3 - Jack Cork. Replaced Chambers at RB and did well there. Such a gifted footballer it seems a terrible waste not to find some place for him in the starting 11 if Wanyama replaces him in Centre Midfield. 4 - Calum Chambers. A big strong lad who - for the most part - seemed perfectly at home playing in the first team. So the next one off our ever productive youth team factory then? Well I hope so, but youthful inexperience led to him being caught out of position more than once, so let's just wait and see. Not quite so impressive: 1 - Gaston Rameirez. He came on at half time but - a few nice touches aside - didn't do nearly enough for me. He allowed a opposition runner to go past him with ease who then went on to score of course. 2 - Danny Fox. One of those dangerous/stupid sliding tackles earned him a well deserved yellow card that might have been red in a proper game. I just don't think he's got the brain for playing at this level. 3 - Dejan Lovren. Early days and not a bad performance by any means. However I can't honestly say this (v expensive) player left all that much of an positive impression on this fan today. Reputations mean nothing in this game and he has to do rather more to earn a starting place ahead of decent defenders such as Fonte or Hooiveld if you ask me. Conclusions. We still may need a quality striker to help lift burden off SRL's shoulders and if Shaw's injury is serious then the RB position will require attention too. Having said all that I honesty think we're in much better shape than we were 12 months ago. So we can look forward to the new season with a sense of real optimism I reckon. Let's hope it lasts this time ...

Two is very young - but I first took my Godson to St Marys when he was just four and he loved it. He'll be back this afternoon and is doubtless working himself up into a highly excited (excited = v naughty) state as I write this. It is shame these preseason games are normally terrible. Note to Sir Rickie - please knock one in today as you are his hero but he still hasn't seen you score!

While I'm pleased to see Sir Rickie receive this prestigious recognition of his talents - indeed what a remarkable 'journey' his career has proved to be - but I'm also mindful that a disproportional number of players seem to pick up long term injuries while playing for England for some reason. So I'm looking forward to seeing him play - and score - against the Jocks. However given our failure to sign (thus far anyway) a class striker this summer, I'll be even more happy to see RL exit the pitch still in one piece frankly.

My take on it is that the huge majority of conspiracy theories - from the supposed Roswell 'UFO' crash to Princess Diana being assassinated and the various silly 9-11 theories - are pure brain rot that really should not trouble grown adults. But there are always exceptions to any rule, and the scandalous involvement of the CIA in funding/creating Nicaragua's long and bloody civil war between its (democratically elected) government and the US backed Contras was a truly shameful episode in that great nations history. The more you read about it (and I don't claim to be a expert) the worse it becomes - many believe that as part of its covert fund raising the CIA actually played a key role in creating the South American drug trade that has caused so much death and misery there and on the streets of the USA. It's appalling stuff this and Reagan was as bad - if not worse - a criminal than Nixon ever was. In my view he probably should have been impeached.

I would have loved it to be Idris Elba, but realistically that was always unlikely. Peter Capaldi looks to be a good choice.

If I recall correctly when he first arrived at SFC - way back during our previous PL stay - he looked like a good, borderline outstanding, young prospect. In retrospect when we signed Kelvin he probably should have taken the hint and looked for another club then because too many years spent playing second fiddle to other keepers has done him no good at all. As others have already said, it's virtually impossible to develop into a proper top class keeper when you're not playing regularity at an appropriate level. By the time he last played in our first team he looked to have 'developed' (if that is the right word) into a bag of nerves frankly. We so often criticise players for being too ambitious and seeking moves to where the grass is supposedly greener. Well Barts time here shows that not being ambitious enough can also prove to be damaging to a young footballer's career. Leaving this club may paradoxically prove to be the best thing that has happened to this player for many a year.

'The Red Coffin' turned out to be a more than decent novel I thought - to the extent that I'm now on the look out for more from Sam Eastland. Setting any story in such a utterly different time/place from the mundane world of the here and now (Stalinist Russia in this case) always requires much more intellectual effort from the writer if it is to come across as truly convincing. The added interest all this work generates for the reader however is invariably rewarding. A ripping yarn I can recommend to all without hesitation. In a similiar vein the Tartan Noir tale 'The Hanging Shed' by Gordon Ferris is nae bad either. Douglas Brodie is struggling to cope with life on civvy street after active war service with the Highland Division during WWII. Then he receives a letter from a childhood friend pleading for help as he has just been convicted of murdering a young boy and is sentenced to hang in a few weeks. What follows is a sordid story of organised crime, pedophilia and corruption set amid the grim slums of post war Glasgow as Brodie learns that human evil didn't end with the fall of Nazi Germany ... I can make no claim that Ferris is yet quite the equal of more established Scots crime writers (such as Stuart McBride or Ian Rankin) but for a first effort this mix of 'boys own' adventure and hard edged crime story satisfied this reader more than he was expecting and is proving to be something of a (bloody) success I see. This is the type of book you can easily imagine being turned in a TV series or even a film one day. PS - I understand this title first saw the light of day as a highly popular E-Book before making it into 'print' as it were. A sign of the times methinks.

Compared to the genuine misery and harm inflicted on the poorer elements of society by the government's egregious 'spare room tax' then I'm struggling to get my nickers into a twist about this story.

I don't think many Saints fans would disagree, it would be lovely if AL (and the rest of our midfield for that matter) had scored more often last season. However I do hope you realise just how rare it is to find a midfielder who is capable of scoring frequently at this level. The record shows that Morgan and Gaston only scored 2 more than Adam, while Jason Puncheon matched Jay Rod by scoring a very respectable (considering his relative game-time) 6. So if Adam was no Frank Lampard last season then that doesn't mean he must then be a poor player - far from it.

Well it's potentially not a bad month for us fixture wise, but West Brom away being described as a "quite easy" prospect does kinda set the alarm bells ringing. ... I hasten to add that the above should not be taken to signify that I think we're dead certs for relegation either!

Although admittedly the Black Swan's were originally classified as 'Sloops' and only became 'Frigates' post war, I still consider them to be quite the best class of trade protection/escort ship ever to serve the RN. The outstanding service record of this type is testament to their effectiveness, their only major drawback being the expense and complexity of this design made them less suitable for wartime mass production. No match for a Black Swan in terms of surface armament (or looks for that matter), but perfectly adapted for mass production and equipped with truly 'state of the art' ASW sensors and weapons, the rather utilitarian Lock class were probably one of the efficient sub killers ever made. As for the best looking Frigate type, well surely few warship designs were ever quite so pleasing to the eye as the majestic Type 12 Leander Class - before their mid-life refits messed up their appearance that is.

What an extraordinary life this little boy is destined for. He'll never have to worry about money or finding a decent job. On the other hand he'll live a life constantly in the public spotlight, a life domination by duty utterly unable to enjoy the freedom and sense of anonymity that most of us enjoy without ever having to even think about it. As this thread demonstrates, you'll be loved and hated by complete strangers for reasons that have nothing to do with the strengths and weakness's of your own character. So welcome to the world little one, l would hope that even the more churlish among us on here can at least find within themselves he common humanity to wish you long and happy life. I'll be long gone before your time comes to reign over this old nation, but the promise of continuity your birth brings pleases me no end.

As it builds towards what looks like being a stunning climax, I suspect that few who decided to give the Channel 4's French series 'The Returned' (Les Reverents) a go will be regretting the investment of their time and attention. Plot wise there's so much going on here I hardly know where to start - so I'll just restrict myself to saying that the dividing line between those who are/were dead, and the rest of the town's population, seems to be becoming increasingly blurred. Indeed I'm starting to wonder if the whole town is something akin to a kind of Alpine Limbo or Purgatory - a place that exists between this world and the next - rather like that memorable 2001 Nicole Kidman film 'The Others' perhaps. It equally may be something entirely different altogether, that's what is special about this beautiful, mysterious and utterly unpredictable series. I can't wait to find out what answers we are to be given - if any - to this enigma. However, as I see a second series is in the pipeline I would not be at all surprised to see a 'open ended' conclusion to the series, which would be a shame because television as perfectly formed as this deserves better in my view. Be that as it may, those who decided that 8 hours of subtitled French television was really too much of a effort for them have I'm afraid missed out on what is one of the best drama series of the year.

Hard evidence of the contribution this nation made to the fighting on the 'Ostfront'. A British designed Valentine infantry tank that some poor Soviet crew had the misfortune to find themselves manning: The commentary is wrong by the way - this is not the last Valentine because I saw one at Bovington only last week!

Most remarkable of all perhaps, the best fighter of its day and the pride of the Luftwaffe. A almost complete FW190 found deep in a forest near Leningrad: Edit - I see this aircraft has been restored and now belongs to Paul Allen no less - one billionaire who seems more interested in spending his money on historic aircraft rather than football clubs. http://www.eaa.org/news/2010/2010-10-14_fw190.asp

Not a tank but a German STuG III assault gun - treated none too gently if you ask me but this is not a episode of Time Team! [video=youtube;f-UrieZwqeg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-UrieZwqeg

In western Europe the old WWII battlefields we soon 'tidied up' after the fighting ceased and there is comparatively little hard evidence of the war to be seen now - not without some serious excavation anyhow. But the more remote areas of eastern Europe are quite a different matter. The following clips document what is to my mind some truly remarkable finds that have been made there in recent times: The Soviet T34, the tank that won the war - although judging from the markings on the turret this particular T-34 decided to change sides sometime before it drove into a swamp: In remarkably good condition all things considered.