"In Cold Blood" by Truman Copote

This is a compelling novel which appears to be ever so dispassionately factual. However the themes of the book are anything but. Crime, punishment, pity, forgiveness, abuse, poverty; themes that resonate and are relevant to us today. There are lots to learn from this novel, but thankfully, the abuse meted out to children is, with the odd gruesome exception, on the wane. A great book which is deep and well worth reading – 4/5.

An (almost) Open Letter to Vancouver

Below is an edited email I have sent to a Canadian friend. It deals with the Winter Olympics and the criticism it has received by some in the British media. Oh - and it was sent before Amy Williams won her gold....


"The Vancouver 2010 Olympic director has been on British TV. Apparently some of our media have been slogging the games off.

My view on this is simple - our media are a bunch of whingeing poms (some of my fellow countrymen really try to live down to the worst reputation that others have of us.) Slagging off the winter games is so very convenient - because there is a parallel story here; "Look - it’s rubbish! The Olympics are a waste, and it’s going to be so much worse when we have them in London....and we will be paying for it!!!!!"

I’ve seen some of the games on TV - and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Ice skating - bobbins, utter rubbish.
Ice Hockey = good fun, downhill racing on the skis and boards looks groovy. And it’s really funny how our TV gets really into the Curling (it's our only hope for gold).

Anyway - tell your Canadian friends that we Brits are cool - our newspapers are just printed for idiots.

Hope all is well - I’m not though, I’m ill *sigh*
Speak soon"

Amy Williams’ Gold; and what it says about the Olympics, and the world

Congratulations to Amy Williams for winning the Gold in the skeleton. An outstanding performance, by Amy, more so than for other gold medal winners. Nobody had her down as a favourite, and her training track in Bath is concrete, not ice. But it is even more amazing as she established two track records to do it. She obliterated the rest of the field, beating them by over half a second. That may not sound much, but it means she was 15-20 metres ahead of everyone else.

Whatever happens now in her life, she can look back on this with immense pride, as she has entered into an elite group of people, Olympians, and Gold Medallists.
What was also interesting was what it says about the Olympics. Now, it is very rare for GB to win Gold at the Winter games, which again emphasises even more Amy’s immense achievement. A quick montage from the BBC showed all the GB Gold medals throughout Olympic history, and the differences from earlier times stand in stark contrast to today.

If you watch behind the athletes today, cameras, fans, cheering, screams are now an almost pavlovian response to victory. A quick look at past gold medals could not be more different. The only ones that seemed to be cheering when GB won Gold in the Ice Hockey in 1936, were the team themselves. And to our Canadian cousins, their eyes are not deceiving them, GB did win in 1936.

Now, with cheaper air travel and increased leisure time, thanks to our ever increasingly globalised world, fans can travel to almost any location. For sure the track in Vancouver will have mainly been Canadian, but spectator participation and support has increased at the Olympics, despite the current economic crisis. Within living memory, (let’s say the 1970s and 1980s) it would have been almost unheard of for members of an athlete’s family to have been at an event and to share the experience with them. But Amy William’s mother and father were both on hand to share in the celebrations.

What has not changed is the great experience the Olympics is for the athletes. If anything, increased numbers of fans can only enhance it. Let’s hope London 2012 can be supported as enthusiastically.

6 Nations Review - Thom Evans

Short post this to wish him well. At the time of writing, medical staff are very pleased with his progress.

Join the facebook group and send your message to Thom.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Get-Well-Soon-Thom-Evans/320628272336?ref=ts

6 Nations Review - Down to the wire

The French were outstanding again. And their dominance is Paris against last years’ Grand Slam winners, Ireland, is a clear statement of intent they mean to win the 6 Nations this year. It would not be amiss to keep an eye out for their odds to win the World Cup in 2011 (currently between 8/1 and 10/1).

Of more immediate interest were the other two games. Both the Wales-Scotland and Italy-Dirty Pom games had one thing in common. Both results were in doubt with ten minutes to go. For a game like Rugby this is essential. It is clear that dramatic games make for entertaining viewing, which is great for broadcasters and fans alike. But there is an essential long term factor at stake here.

Rugby, by its nature, is heavily stacked against giant killing, as opposed to say, Football. But more games where the underdog still has a sniff of a chance in the last ten minutes, can only spur the likes of the Italians to greater efforts in the short to medium term future. Many English people would have been cursing their team’s inability to put the result beyond doubt well before the last quarter. This Pom here was more than happy to see the Italians play well – Allez Italia !!

6 Nations Review - Genius of Wee Shane

Dramatic. Immense. Tense and downright heartbreaking for the Scottish. To be leading the game, with minutes to spare and to have it all snatched away has got to hurt. Especially for a Scottish team that has had an indifferent couple of seasons. Off the back of a good autumn series this 6 Nations campaign was meant to be different for Scotland.

Injuries to Patterson and Thom Evans did much to disrupt their back line early on. Having watched the game from a pub in Edinburgh, it was all the Scottish fans could do to shake their heads as two of their players were binned. Wee Shane is difficult to stop when he has quarter of a gap. Quite simply – you have to love him. Wee Shane – genius.

6 Nations Review - The French are coming

Quick note on the games this weekend.

The Irish were steady, but not too impressive.
England were better than expected, but not even I will deviate from saying that the yellow card for Wyn-Jones was crucial.

Scotland were competitive, and showed some good signs. Just a wee bit more cutting edge in attack and beef at prop needed.
Wales - oh dear.

Italy were gallant as ever. But their lineout went backwards, which has got to hurt.

Now the French - stand out team of the weekend. Oh and a word on Bastareaud for any of his opponents. Legs - tackle him there, and he can't run.

6 Nations - the Also Rans

It's one of the greatest sporting events in the calendar, and frankly anyone that won’t be dedicating their time to watch ALL 15 games are to be pitied.
Yes it’s the 6 Nations, the premier annual international Rugby tournament.

This column has given a prediction about the winners elsewhere. But now, in no particular order, is a prediction of how the rest will fare.


Ireland - Tough ask to get back to back championship wins after last year’s Grand Slam, and from having a heavy Irish presence in last year’s Lions tour. Should be second, but don’t be surprised if they lose to Wales. Watch out for Ferris to do a passable impression of Rocky Elsom. Also expect BOD to showboat.

Wales - Good news: Byrne plays against the Poms. Bad news: Gethin Jenkins injury. They should still beat England, Scotland and Italy. Capable of shocking either France or Ireland, but don’t expect a Grand Slam. Do expect an improved and bullish performance from Ryan Jones this year.

England - the poms are still rebuilding. Should still be strong enough to reach fourth in the table. But with Borthwick as Captain and Johnson as coach don’t expect the earth to move. Good to see Delon Armitage and Dylan Hartley are starting, but Ricki Flutey will be missed. Plus will they find a space for Dave Strettle or Ben Foden at some point in the campaign?

Scotland - could quietly provide a shock or two this year. Their backs are more dangerous than in previous years. They have a handy back row. But, will they get enough ball, and will the Outside Half do anything half decent with the ball he does get?

Italy - My heart goes out to them. Best they can do is Wooden Spoon avoidance. Need some cut and thrust in midfield to go with their excellent forwards. Hopefully having two sides admitted to the Magners league next season will begin the process of developing this area in years to come.

6 Nations 2010 - The Year of Invictus

Painful betting lessons will rarely lead to any other conclusion other than you never see a poor bookmaker. That doesn't stop some of us trying, of course. This is given extra spice when I consider my strange relationship with betting on a favourite. My own internal rules on betting will be covered in another post, where whether to bet on the favourite in any sporting event is a good idea or not.

However, it is hard not disagree with the bookmakers on this year’s favourite for the Rugby 6 Nations, France. Now you can point to their domestic club side’s steady progress in European competitions this year. The astute will notice that they play two of their toughest opponents, Ireland and England (the former being far tougher than the latter) in Paris this year. England need to be particularly wary, as they will play the French on the last game of the season in the spring.

And as we reach ever closer to the World Cup next year, Lievremont, the French coach, seems less likely to make the sweeping changes that characterised his team selections in the past. Consistency is the key to winning any championship. Although it is disappointing for those of us that are fans of Vincent Clerc, France's answer to Shane Williams, being dropped.

Of course, a bit like the Germans in the Soccer World Cup, you should never rule out the French in Rugby. They are always likely to provide a surprise (ask the All Blacks), and always seem to be in contention for the 6 Nations title. This year gives them cause for extra optimism, and the release of "Invictus", a film based on the South African success in the 1995 Rugby World Cup offers a clue.

No matter how gruelling France's summer tour in 2009 was (beating the All Blacks in their own back yard this time!) it will have had no comparison to the battering the Lions had in South Africa. In the professional era, France has won the Six Nations title the following year after each Lions tour. It would be no surprise to see a repeat this year, and that’s why the bookies are right to make them favourites.