Archive for June, 2006

Had to crop this one to fit the blog :

Click here for proper size

Just how did he manage to finance the blog ?

An excerpt from the blog :

Tactics Of Referee Deception

The blog published today is based, in large part, on the work of the The Football Association (FA).

What I believe the assessed intelligence has established beyond doubt is that Paraguay has continued to produce both strikers and defenders, that it continues in its efforts to develop a formidable attacking force, and that it has been able to extend the range of its set piece plays. I also believe that, as stated in the blog, Paraguay will now do its utmost to try to conceal its tactics from English journalists.

Paraguay has used unfair defensive tactics, not only in competitive matches, but in friendly games and warm-ups for The World Cup. FA reports make clear that it sees the increase in use of tactics of referee deception (TRD), and the belief overseas that it would use these ploys, as vital to its World Cup campaign, and in particular its goals of midfield domination. And the blog discloses that its military-style planning allows for oranges to be brought on at half-time, cut and pips removed within 45 minutes of the order to kick-off.

The threat posed to England’s campaign and defence when TRD are in the hands of a cynical and brutal team like Paraguay, is real. Unless we face up to the threat, not only do we risk undermining the reputation of the English game, the stature of which Paraguay denies, but more importantly and in the longer term, we place at risk the careers and prosperity of our own players.

To further exposure of my stuff, I’ve been doing a few pictures for the website anorak.co.uk some for the World Cup and others for Big Brother.

I’ll post a few here when I think they fit.

Here’s the first :

Click the picture for a bigger version.

I am very much anti-war, but I’m loathe to be seen as a bandwagon jumper and in no way want to be associated with the small minority of anti-war campaigners (let’s call them The Anti War Glee Club) who, in reality, are revelling in the disaster in Iraq as they can use it to further their own domestic agenda - but these concerns should not stop me from commenting on certain things that make me just plain, bloody furious.

Call me an American basher if you want but let me clarify this - I am an American Government Policy basher if anything.

The scandals of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay (should) shame the US Government but the recent reports of civilan ‘executions’ by American forces in Ishaqi and Haditha are incredible beyond belief.

And the US Military now state that Ishaqi is beyond belief because they have carried out a full investigation into the civilian deaths in this town and have cleared their forces of any wrongdoing.
The Pentagon report states that US forces used appropriate force in dealing with the Ishaqi incident.

“The investigation revealed the ground force commander, while capturing and killing terrorists, operated in accordance with the rules of engagement governing our combat forces in Iraq,”

Rules of engagement - Let’s get this clarified :

“As the enemy fire persisted, the ground force commander appropriately reacted by incrementally escalating the use of force from small arms fire to rotary wing aviation, and then to close air support, ultimately eliminating the threat,”

I wonder what ‘close air support’ can accomplish ? - We get a hint a little further into the report :

“The investigating officer concluded that possibly up to nine collateral deaths resulted from this engagement, but could not determine the precise number due to collapsed walls and heavy debris,”

Well, I’m glad that everything is now clear.

Even if you believe that families were not executed and an airstrike was called up to destroy the evidence as The Pentagon report denies, then the least you can summise about ‘appropriate force’, ‘rules of engagement’ or US Military tactics is that they do not seem to take into account the innocents caught up in the conflict.

Or should I say Iraqi men, women and children - or maybe Afghan men, women and children - killed in a long range air strike a few months ago. (Don’t worry they got a bad guy as well.)

Watch CSI ?, Law & Order ?, Starsky & Hutch ?, NYPD Blue ?, Hill Street Blues ?

When there was a hostage situation or innocent civilains were caught up in a gunfight, can you remember someone phoning up and calling for bomb to be dropped on the trailer, brownstone or condo that the bad guy was holed up in - just so they could get the baddie ?
And in any Die Hard film, when did John McClane and those he was trying to save get blown to Kingdom Come by the cops - just so they could get the baddie ?

And in real life in The U.S. when is it acceptable reduce buildings to rubble and eliminate whole families who get in the way in order to kill the villain ?

There would be very little left of many major U.S. cities if this was the case - wastelands of bricks, blood, stone, skulls, mortar and mortar rounds.

Can you imagine the U.S. Government sanctioning ‘acceptable force’ Iraqi-style in downtown Las Vegas ?