iPhone = iVibrator?

After jokingly texting my friend and telling him that while my iPhone might not have brilliant signal, at least it doubles up as a vibrator, I decided being to see if it actually can.

It appears the iPhone can do just that, and there is an application called Vibrating Massager on the App store available to download. Much to my amusement, one "Simon Smartie" commented it is great as a sexual tool, and there was another person bitterly dissapointed. Being so strange and funny I thought this was all worth sharing.








I of course found this hilarious. It's available for just 59p too:







If it's true what Simon says, it must be the cheapest sex toy known to man. There's definitely the question of whether it works in quite the same way though!



Still, just makes me wonder whether if there's a lot of claims on people's iPhone insurance for breakage from sexual misuse? I can't imagine the phone working after a while!






-- Post From My iPhone

Northern Trains

Without Northern Trains I probably would not be able to make my 9am lecture on Wednesdays for German politics. Maybe a good thing. But to get there on time I need to get the 7:17 from Stoke-on-Trent.

Northern Trains, by comparison to XCountry and Virgin, are god awful to boot. The trains are like Arriva's, it's a cardboard box with tiny toilets, no desks or power sockets. And it takes a full hour to get to Manchester because Northern like to stop at all the little stations like Kidsgrove, Congelton, etc. What's the point when the pull of trains is that it's faster than a car? If I had a car I'd probably get there quicker than a Northern Train!

And that's a sad thing to contemplate. Not to mention the ridiculous times I have to wake up just to get there for 9am.

Most people are still asleep at this time. So for me, it calls for a blog, some relentless and reading the news on my iPhone.

I guess, putting it that way it's not all bad....


-- Post From My iPhone

Self-Consciousness

Yesterday I had a Philosophy of Mind tutorial, on Cartesian Dualism. This blog has a slight personal touch to it, as you will soon see. Most of us hadn't done the reading but the conversation nevertheless kicked off philosophically on whether we can have self-consciousness.

First we argued on the basis of animals, and I brought up a story of my own showing that animals do not have self-consciousness because their natural instincts are supreme - those of you who might know think of my first dog mickie and the car accident, where he went to die but when he was rescued to be treated, he bit the person that picked him up. This as I see it, as proof.

One person in the class, whether he disagrees personally or not is up to debate, but he used the analogy of disabled people to question, ponder the possibility whether disabled people (he didn't specify so naturally I take this in most general terms) like animals, whether they are capable of self-consciousness. In his defence, I understood what he really meant but there is an element of ignorance on his part where he failed to specify what he means. People will, mainly take things as given and this is an implication that is ludicrous and evidence to show that clarity of expression is paramount. Never mind the fact that philosophically speaking he was arguing for the sake of arguing. There is a fine line between thought and intent. Had I not known any better I'd have cried fowl. But this is not a minority crying wolf, even though I think it such a thing said in print SCOPE would have a field day. Look no further than Jeremy Clarkson's recent comments to see what I mean here.

For arguments sake it should always be said that when making a point there is no intent to offend. Otherwise people simply will, whether offence was intended or not.

On the topic, I would suggest that even the very definition of what a self-consciousness is. It would appear from the philosophical quagmire of yesterday this is unclear among students.

I know full well what I am and I know, also believe that the very notion of CP on a piece of paper or mind can illicit the most stereotypical of responses. I am not your average, conventional, stereotypical Cereal Palsean. But the very notion that any persons being any different is an affront to any idea of equality of persons in the basic sense, any idea of fairness among persons. It smacks of pure ignorance.

For anyone who doubts my position, I would invite you to read the US Declaration of Independence, the Social Contract ethic that is the foundation of social morality today :

"All men [peoples] are created equal"* (Thomas Jefferson)

*NB: The use of language is understandably gendered, cultured to the time. It is now universally understood that 'men' in this context is to extend to all humankind. Think of the iconic Star Trek opening credit declaration as an example - From 'no man' (TOS) to 'no one' (TNG).


This is unequivocally a truism. Black, White, Gay, Straight, Transexual, Hermaphrodites, Disabled and non-disabled, everyone, we are all equal. And not just in the eyes of God, but in the depths of our soul and understanding of humanity. Any advocate of inequality of this scale is contradicting themselves - it would always be possible then for them to be the supressed, the weak, and not the opressors and the strong.

A final note to finish on with the general bracketing of disabilities. The response I've given, I argue to quote Brian Barry, is the only intellectually honest one. Second, PVS or not (which I believe is what he really meant to refer to), using disability in a general context equates not just Cerebral Palay to Persistant Vegetative State, but obesity and even left-handedness which can be considered amongst those as disabilities. It is also debated whether those with PVS are without a self-conscious if this is the argument to make and it is known I am assured that people can come out of PVS.

There are degrees to disabilities, stereotypes and brackets are undeserved and ignorant.

And to say that people with disabilities, or anyone with anything beyond average, as not having a self-conscious - which is centre to self-realisation and being? Heaven forbid.

-- Post From My iPhone

By Gosling!: Transfer roundup and FA Cup

My namesake, Lucas saw himself sent off in tonight's derby game between Liverpool and Everton tonight as Liverpool lost 1-0 deep into extra time thanks to a Dan Gosling goal in the 118th minute. It wasn't the red card, I feel that changed the course of the match, as it was a scrappy, typical tackles go flying game. Rather, the substitution of Steven Gerrard 10 minutes into the first half due to a hamstring problem drew a standing ovation of the Evertonians and undoubtedly a lift to Everton to hold their own against an impotent Liverpool team. This was what characterized the game and ultimately befell Liverpool's exit. Not an indication of Liverpool as a one or two-trick pony (counting Torres), but rather an awesome display of Everton's teamwork ethic that consistently draws results - a kind of Moyesian punching above their weight.

In the end, neither side really deserved to win or lose and it was some great skill from ex Plymouth Argyle youngster (defender-cum-midfielder) Dan Gosling that danced around two Liverpool players with the ball at his feet at the 6 yard box to slot it past Pepe Reina. Brilliant goal and the lad is English. Are you watching Fabio Capello?

Liverpool failed to win because they failed to open up avenues too early enough - the introduction of Babel - so effective as a substitute as against Arsenal (one example) - did not come until late in extra-time - and in place of Torres. Surely oh surely Torres should have stayed on, Babel could have done most of the legwork for him? That is where I feel Liverpool fell short tonight.

But at the end of the day it is a great advertisement for the FA Cup and English football - one of the big four out - and who would bet against the winners of the 5th Round tie Everton vs. Aston Villa winning the cup? That is who my money is on, and that is the game of the round to watch for sure.

And perhaps now, Liverpool have one less competition to worry about, they can now give the League full focus and go for the title at full-pelt.

---

A short transfer roundup, after the window closed on Monday. The biggest ones on deadline day included Robbie Keane back to Tottenham after 6 months. Have the Premier League decided to ignore the one-year transfer rule on players? I wonder...

And Andrei Arshavin, the comrade who destroyed the Dutch at Euro 2008 signed for Arsenal.

The interesting thing, I've noted is something I've touched on in pub conservations about Stoke City. A Typical Stoke criticism goes to the throw-ins, but also the large quantity of tall, strong, mainly, black players. A criticism on the basis that it is not representative of Stoke City at all.

In fact, with the signing of Henri Camara (Wolves Wanderers flop, signed from Wigan), is now the 6th Senegalese player playing for Stoke City:

Amdy Faye,
Abdoulaye Faye,
Mamade Sidibe,
Ibrahim Sonko,
Salif Diao,
Henri Camara.

Add that to two Jamaican players in the squad (Fuller & Demar Phillips in midfield) and two Nigerians - Seyi Olofinjana and Olufemi Oluyi (midfield).

In Stoke's defence, most of their players are either English or Irish rather than an African/black contingent that seems to be levelled at them. But with just a few more Senegalese players they could in theory be fielding the Senegalese national XI in the Premier League. They nearly added another Senegalese striker from RC Lens over Christmas, and I'm sure if Diouf wasn't such a prima-donna he'd have come to the Britannia.

Nothing really to say, not criticising it, it just amazes me that most of their players, though on first glance you might say were African - are actually more or less from the same country.

Other than that, it's been reported that Stephen Kelly from Birmingham City (right back) has been signed on loan until the end of the season.

A lot of Stoke fans seem to think that Andy Griffin is too slow - could this be the end of Griff's Premier League career? It seems a far cry from the days when I used to know him personally in his days as a Stoke youth - alongside Dean Crowe and Iain Nicolson, back in the days of "League One" Stoke!

How times change...

Baby, You Wouldnt Last a Minute on the Creek

Chiodos at the Sugarmill. Good performance, loud and crazy stage dives. The guy does Triple H-esque water spits. Fun.

Bought a teeshirt too!





Best shirt there!

-- Post From My iPhone

Hacked

It would appear a friend posted a blog for a joke attempting to be funny.

Let this be a lesson to keep things private!


-- Post From My iPhone

Shoes defend Human Rights!

Watch the video above. A protester threw a shoe at the Chinese PM at a lecture at Cambridge University, over China's Human Rights record and occupation of Tibet.

One poster on my Buddhism blog argues for saves Tibet....

Rightly there is a lot of people who are angry over China over their record, protests taking place during the Olympics, freedom of speech being notoriously restricted for native Chinese. For foreigners, it is increasingly difficult to go to visit China - it is not so straightforward, visas have to be applied for before travel.

The argument protesters will give is that giving these kind of people the space to speak freely, air their views justifies their actions and condones them.

The other is, of course is that without letting people like these speak out or treat them as individuals, equal to everyone else, we cannot see the error of our ways.

Personally I'd like to see a bit of both - I'd have seen the humor in the shoe hitting him in the face, but I also think diplomacy, discussion and debate will eventually help China turn the tide and establish a democracy one day. It will happen. Force tends to never really achieve anything - look at Iraq, Ireland, - the Second World War may have ended Fascism but it created the Cold War of Capitalism v Communism. Real change comes peacefully. We are no better than the people we criticize for their actions if we wish to restrict their views, rather than persuade them.

Analytics for January 2009

January 2009

9 Countries have visited the blog - despite a substantial bounce rate from many of these countries but I'm still rather proud! UK/USA/Greece the main ones that figure here!

82 Unique Visitors as well - the main blogs that got hits were

Unholy Urine - a critique of a Liberal Conspiracy blog
Bring Home the Revolution - relating the Obama win to UK Republicanism (referred to Republic's website)
Buddhism: A Spiritual Philosophy? - a controversial blog among some, now posted on Liberal Conspiracy. Even they think I want you to convert to Buddhism - It's not what I am saying at all!...

Goals I stated at the end of December was to campaign and expand my readership - this seems to be having an effect with returning visitors according to the statistics, and also the biggest blog hits were ones that get a plug on external websites.

It's become apparent, and suggested by some of my readers that my blog requires a kind of direction, a focus - certainly something to entice readers to come back: Recurring themes that I base my blog on. I'm sure at some point I may well decide whether I plan to have certain blogs written on certain days to give it a sense of regularity for recurring readers of a certain theme. Football, Ethical/Moral/Religious issues and Politics seem to be areas where I focus most - Other than the beer blogs, of course. With that, I have updated my blogs and all will fit into any of the following themes - subject to change of course:

*General* - For anything nonsensical, or related to the website, perhaps general, weird stories I might tell about my life, University, Technology or anything else will be posted here too. .
*Politics* - Anything that falls within the realms of politics - be it domestic, foreign affairs, etc.
*Philosophy* - Anything philosophical - civil liberties, privacy, freedom, equality, etc. Religion as well will also fall under this topic for the religious ones amongst you.
*Soccer* - Anything to do with soccer (or football as it's called here), whether I go to matches or post my views, they will appear here. I'm calling this section "Soccer" because its universally understood to be Association Football, not Aussie Rules, or American Football or Rugby Football.
*Real Ale* - Any Beers I rate on my trips! It could well be just posted in General but I think it merits its own section for the real ale enthusiasts among us!

The tagging system of keywords I use may well take on a new dimension to show which blog theme I base them in, so I can still keep everything on the one page. I'm hoping this way of sectioning my blogs while keeping the indexing of keywords and labels will help people find all they could need - a section of blogs on a topic, or they may wish to go by individual labels through the labels page.

With that, I would like to thank you all for reading over the past two months. LucasWeatherby.com is growing, and it wouldn't be possible without the feedback it generates.

Blast from the past - Visual Voicemail on iPhone gone crazy!

Can somebody tell me how this is at all possible? My visual voicemail is exploding with the following:





To make it even more strange, these voicemail are dated 1st January, 1970!:





How on earth is this possible?

Is it Dr Who?

Someone messaging me through time? Across the space-time continuum?
From an alternate reality?

The funny thing is these messages don't play either.

I wonder what it is?!

-- Post From My iPhone

Examination Period January 2009 Overview

Examination period for January is over today. For me, it was over yesterday, a tough week and tough times revising, and the usual exam stress, sickness and delusion that usually comes with it!

Unlike most though, I only had 2 exams this period, compared to my 4 I will have in the summer.

Semester 1 : France under the 5th Republic (Tuesday) & Freed and Equality: Contemporary Debates (Thursday)

Semester 2: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophical Logic, Britain: From Blitz to Brown & The National Politics of Germany

There is also an exteded essay to do, 5,000 word research project for which I am centering on Republicism. The topic and the question it takes I am not sure yet, hopefully I have get my tutor to sign off on the following:

Is an Elected Head of a State a Human Right? Discuss with reference to the United Kingdom

This brings in for me, the Republicanism aspect of which I am interested in terms of my own domestic politics and personal convictions, and researching political human rights as I have so greatly enjoyed reading the works of Rawls.

But back to the topic at hand that I am discussing in this blog: The examination period is over. Stressful times, but a huge sigh of relief. Not much revision done for the second exam but by comparison,I found it easier in exam conditions (Freedom and Equality), thean in my other exam. French politics. On Tuesday morning it wasn't a case of not knowing enough, it was knowing too much. That and the exam being just an hour - the shortest exam I've ever had of any real significance - it was harder to get into the groove and there was a feeling that I felt a bit rusty, despite not being away from writing as I have been writing academic-esque, journalistic blogs over the past two months.

As regular readers may recall and other fellow students, I cocked up on the Freedom and Equality essay earlier in the year. I have considered, and shall attempt to take action take what I feel is an injustice. Ironic, considering the course module, it largely concerns Justice to a degree! What is unclear is whether I will have my marks substantially reversed, though I do feel that I was harsh;y penalised over my bibliography, which was no different from previous essays. Indeed, the feedback I got from such essays were comments that my bibliography was "good".

My other essay for French politics went really well by comparison and I was pleased in comparison with the mark. Having said that, the exams in question were a reverse really (though hopefully not as bad!); I felt I did better on Freedom and Equality (1700+words per question compared to 1300 for French politics). It's not the words but the content, but the word amount to an extent explains for me that I struggled with my frame of writing and articulating my ideas.

Still, I am more than confident to have passed, and with regards to French politics be very suprised to have got a 2:1, where I more than likely expect a 2:2.

Freedom and Equality on the other hand is a different issue. By the exam I hope to have safely passed the 2:1 mark, that I will be pleased with and regardless to the situation with the essay I will have passed the course, and ended up with a respectable 2:2 in that as well. Unless, by some miracle, the second marker sees my essay in a radically different light, a 2:1 is out of my reach (unless of course I have mastered the exam). A course colleague has also informed me that an good showing on my exam will mean that my essay mark will be bumped up on account of better reflecting ability to write. I am not so sure if this is true, but perhaps if it is then perhaps a borderline 2:1 is not impossible (I would hope).

But then, I never know with university exams. I was unable to get a 1st in any of my essay-style exams though in Introduction to Logic I got above 80, and came close in Comparative politics with a good 67. So there is no reason to beleive I do not have the ability, but results and time, will tell. I hope that I have passed and done well to help cure my disillusionment with the University of Manchester and my course as of late. Unfortunately I think I will have to wait some 6 weeks before I find out the provisional scores. Until then, I need to pull my socks up and get something going with the extended essay which is due in April, not to mention the extra workload of 4 course modules this semester as well.

For now though, this weekend at least and for the introductory week of the semester starting on Monday, I am going to relax, enjoy myself, and ease my way back into the scheme of things. The number one thing to look forward to is Chiodos on Tuesday night at the Sugarmill.

With that. I'm going to listen to my favourite song of theirs - Baby, You Wouldn't Last a Minute on the Creek (lyrics here):

Buddhism: A Spiritual Philosophy?

After reading parts of a book over the Christmas period, "Destroying Emotions: A Dialogue with the Dalai Lama", and my initial knowledge of Buddhism, I have become increasingly curious about Buddhism.

I decide to do some research. Knowing that some call it a religion, others a "spiritual philosophy, I was interested into looking into the basic teachings and I can see where, arguably there is Buddhism as a spiritual philosophy, and Buddhism as a religion.

SoYouWanna's convert to Buddhism article deals with the basics and the crux of the Buddist ideal - I will refer it to as an ideal for now and return to the question of spiritual philosophy/religion later.

There are, it argues, and this corresponds to Wikipedia's various articles on Buddhism - I will discuss a few Buddhist concepts later - many different factions of Buddhism, just like in Christianity or Judaism or Islam, and the same for the "Eastern Religions" of Hinduism, Sikhism, etc. There is no central thesis, no bible, but there are guidelines. Also Buddhism does not, it asserts, deal with the question of a God of Classical Theism. So by right, it is possible to be a Buddhist and believe in a God. From this perspective I would call it "religious Buddhism".

Buddhism as a 'spiritual philosophy' is based on 5 precepts, and a 8-fold path, in order to eliminate bad thoughts, and promote the good. Here we find the classic thing when we think of as Buddhism - meditation. As a bit of education, I quote from SYW the 8-fold path and 5 precepts below. The 5 precepts should be thought of as guidelines, they are rules but given that Buddhism has no strict doctrine, despite many religious texts, they are guidlines in the aim of being mindful at all times in order to acheive enlightment. The 8-fold path, is the path we should follow.

5 Precepts:

1. Don't kill - man or beast
2. Don't steal
3. Don't lie
4. Don't cheat on your loved one
5. Don't take drugs or drink booze

I would personally agree with all on the basis of acheiving mindfulness at all times, and at first glance it might appear that being a strict vegetarian or vegan is the way of a Buddhist. However, given the main aim of Buddhist ideals is to acheive enlightenment, I would not say that the killing of animals for food violates this objective.

Second, I would have to reexamine the 5th precept. As a guide of course, it is always a good idea not to drink excessively or take drugs. The 'Don't drink and drive' policy is the obvious one we can think of here. However some Buddhist of the spiritual kind might argue that some drugs and alcohol, taking recreationally is fine and can be used to acheive mindfulness. My father even calls real ale "brainfood", for one. The importance of the 5th precept must not be ignored, it is common sense not to drink too much that we lose control of our way of thinking, but in moderate amounts, recreational drugs and drinking can acheive happiness inone sense. It only becomes a violation when the 5th precept, I would argue, violates any of the other 4. I'm not a Buddhist scholar, but for me this is acceptable from a philosophical point of view.

The 8-fold path:

The whole reason for becoming Buddhist is to achieve happiness and become "enlightened." In order to do this, you must follow the Eightfold Path. Once you have accomplished all eight steps, you are officially enlightened:

1. Right Knowledge: Strive to comprehend the first three Noble Truths. This might seem a bit circular, but language is a tricky thing, and the Great Seer wanted to make sure you had all your bases covered. The Noble Truths perhaps aren't as straightforward as they may seem at first. So you must strive to fully comprehend them.
   
   
2. Right Thinking: Consciously dedicate yourself to a life in harmony with the Noble Truths elucidated by the Buddha.
   
   
3. Right Speech: No gossiping, lying, backbiting, and harsh language. If you don't have anything valuable to say, keep your big yapper shut. Always good advice.
   
   
4. Right Conduct: For lay Buddhists (meaning Buddhists who aren't monks), Right Conduct means following the Five Precepts (see below). If you're a monk, there are some more rules for conduct, but don't worry about them until you're ready to become a monk.
   
   
5. Right Livelihood: Go peacefully into the world and do no harm. So choose a profession that's harmless to living things, and refrain from killing people.
   
   
6. Right Effort: Conquer the flow of negative thoughts, replacing them with good thoughts.
   
   
7. Right Mindfulness: Achieve an intense awareness of your body, emotions, and mental states. Quiet the noises in your head and dwell in the present.
   
   
8. Right Concentration: Learn about (and practice) various kinds of meditation, an important booster rocket on the launch pad to enlightenment.

None of these, I think are unreasonable and I think everyone could learn something from these from a philosophical point of view.

Taking the 8-fold path and the 5 precepts into account and following them would lead us to become enlightened and therefore we would becoming a Buddhist in its spiritual philosophical form.

As various Wikipedia articles will show and as SYW points out, there are various strains, concepts and beleifs that fall within Buddhism that one might not strictly call philosophical, but rather religious. This includes (among others), the ideas of rebirth, and as I have already pointed out, the neutral stance on the idea of a creator. It could be taken either way from a philosophical point of view.

Though the philosophy of Buddhism from its spiritual perspective is something I largely agree with, the argument has to be made that Christianity or Judaism could be seen as a philosophical, spiritual teaching rather than a religion. Religions attest to a certain way of living, a doctrine tyhat we ascribe to in order to acheive some utlimate goal or good. Buddhism becomes this when Buddhist texts and teachings regarding the issues of rebirth are taken. It is a rather religious beleif, the more philosophical (and perhaps, realistic) may want to stand more rather neutral on the issue: In the end, the basic philosophy and teachings given here are to live a good life, something all religions do.

I can therefore only see that simple subscription to one religion, philosophical or given doctrine's moral values are spiritual, not religious. Religion is about worship, the Spiritual about fulfilment. Of course, these two can intersect and perhaps to be religious you cannot have a spiritual dimension. However you can merely ascribe to spiritual ideals and not be religious, if religion is thought to deal with primarily worship, before all other doctrine on how to live. The 10 Commandments is a classic example here to demonstrate this point - the first being: 'I am the Lord your God and no other God may be worshipped before me'

It is possible therefore, to be a spiritual Judeo-Christian, or a Muslim, or a Buddhist, or Jew or Christian, taking in the basic philosophical teachings as a guidline rather than a law of life that we live or die by. This is what chiefly characterises the religious - if we do not follow the teachings of Jesus, God in the bible as explained to us by the Pope in the Roman Catholic religion (if we cannot think, understand or have any direct view in the Bible we can read from - such as the use of IVF, use of contraceptives regarding AIDs, etc) - we are either destined for Heaven or Hell. From the spiritual side, accepting morals given by a doctrine as guidlines as a way of life and being open to the question of a supreme deity is not religion. This is where the two differ and it is entirely possibly to be a spiritual Buddhist and exercising restrain with regards to the 5th precept to acheive Enlightenment; or a religious Buddhist through accepting given teachings such as the samsara (rebirth).

So then, for those of us that may not subscribe to any religion I propose the following: Not Agnosticism, but Spiritual Philosophy. If we ascribe to any agree to more than one code of conduct (say the 10 Commandments in Christianity and others from other religions, or indeed perhaps even philosophical views, political-philosophical views or that of a "civil religion" (if we choose to accept this - think Robert Bellah's argument that America is a civil religion, or the idea of fanatics and supporters of a sports team that that sport is a religion and the stadium is the 'place of worship'), then we are spiritual philosophers. If we strictly adhere to a religion and that religious teaching, then we are of that religion - be it Christianity, Judaism, etc. Finally, no strong convictions on religion or philosophical views, if we do not concern ourselves with either because we feel it is not important; is Agnosticism.

From my own personal viewpoint I cannot argue and agree more with what I have said about my take on Buddhist philosophy. It would of course be a bit weird if I didn't agree with myself! From the 5 precepts and the 8-fold way of life, they are good guidelines for a way of life. Furthermore, the fundamentals of the religious teachings of which I was brought up in (Christianity), I do not reject, nor take too seriously. The aim is to live a good life, or in philosophical terms, Kantian summum bonum; living life for a higher good. For that, I beleive, whether there is a God or not I cannot say, and I would not argue that any religion is inherently wrong though I find some views suspect as I did with the 5th precept. In my view, if there is a supreme being, a creator, then if I have lived a good life (of which many philosophical texts are influential and good, including justice as fairness, Kantianism, Buddhist philosophy, Judeo-Christian 10 Commandments), I will be judged on the value and the basis of that. If God were to make worship to him is paramount to access to heaven, it seems reasonable to suggest that we would all be born with this knowledge of Him. God-worship is not the most important, though it can be a good tool for some in order to live a good life. For me, the synthesis of theological teachings, philosophy and life experience I feel will lead me to live a good life and be judged on the basis of that conviction. For that I call myself not a religious person, a Catholic, or any more an agnostic (of which I have labelled myself), but a spiritual philosopher.

Aston Vanilla: Title chasers?

A football blog, for once. Thanks to Aston Villa beating Portsmouth 1-0 in their Premier League yesterday, (of which, I predicted & expected) - they now move up into 3rd in the Premier League table:

Barclays Premier League Table 27 January 2009

		P	GD	PTS
1	Man Utd	22	29	50
2	Liverpool	22	22	47
3	Aston Villa	23	14	47
4	Chelsea	22	29	45
5	Arsenal	22	13	41
6	Everton	22	4	36
7	Wigan	22	2	31
8	West Ham	22	-2	29
9	Hull	22	-13	27
10	Fulham	21	1	26
11	Sunderland	23	-8	26
12	Man City	21	9	25
13	Tottenham	23	-4	24
14	Portsmouth	22	-13	24
15	Bolton	22	-8	23
16	Newcastle	22	-9	23
17	Blackburn	21	-11	21
18	Middlesbrough	22	-15	21
19	Stoke	23	-18	21
20	West Brom	23	-22	21

Arsenal are due to play Everton midweek, so its fairly possible that with a draw Aston Villa could be looking for a lucrative UEFA Champions League spot. Coming up in February are some winnable games for 'Vanilla', until they meet Chelsea on the back end of the month.

Unthinkable, maybe, but if Arsenal fail to beat Everton and Aston Villa begin to keep winning, could a win over Chelsea transform the title race into an unexpected 3-legged horse race between Manchester United, Villa and Liverpool?

It is perhaps no suprise for some that Manchester United lead the Premier League table but Liverpool are in touching distance despite a recent slip in form. Villa could yet gatecrash the party and they face a dauting task that will ultimately decide their Premier League fate this season with Liverpool and United back-to-back away games in March/April. It's a little too early to specuilate maybe which is why no journalists seem to be giving any ideas that Villa could make a surge for the title.

I would not be too suprised if they did - I personally felt they would finish 5th this season ahead of Everton, despite Manchester City's riches (and look where they are!...). What is more probable though is that Villa could ultimately twist the title race or decide it - Especially as their game comes straight after the supposed "title decider" at Old Trafford between United and Liverpool. I don't think that will indeed be the title decider - United have Manchester City, Arsenal, Villa, and Everton to get through who could all trouble United.

I would hope that people start to sit up and take notice at the great work Martin O'Neill has done at Villa Park - even when my local side Stoke managed to beat them early on in the season. Football is indeed a funny game.

As for Stoke, there are just 4 games of the remaining 15 games that arguably they can expect to lose: the games against Villa, Manchester City (given their talent), Arsenal and Everton. Every other game Stoke could conceivably nick a point, and if they are lucky maybe 2 points out of these 4 as well. A point per game would leave Stoke with a finish of 38 points - below the 40-point benchmark of recent seasons to stay up. Given 8 of these are home games, and Stoke have won over half of their home games this season, Stoke could win 4 of these games but it still leaves them short. Even winning all of their remaining home games would probably only just see Stoke stay up. Out of 12 away games, Stoke are the only team other than Fulham yet to win away, and Stoke have a poorer record: just 3 points out of a possible 36 in away games so far.

Given Stoke's record over the season, we can expect them to get close to the 40 point mark but they are going to need to pick up points away. I, along with many saw Stoke as whipping boys this season but they've outshone the god-awful Billy Davies/Paul Jewell's Derby side and the Sunderland sides (twice!) of recent times.

Whatever Stoke's outcome, they can be proud of themselves.Like with Villa it is too early to really know what their outcome will be. Crucially, if Stoke can win a couple of away games then they are right in the thick of it and it's game on.

It's the best football season I can remember.

Tru. that...

Why is Truphone better than Fring?


I've been using Fring for quite some time on my mobile because it lets me connect to MSN. Yahoo and Skype all at once. It's good for that, but all too often lately I've been getting crashes.

So I looked for alternatives - obviously still w anting to use Skype - but then I found a better alternative: Truphone. It's cheaper than Skype and you don't need to be in a Wifi zone to make a call through it, as they trick the phone networks into routing it through a local number.

Altogether as well, the interface looks much nicer and Truphone is even adding Skype capabaility and other instant messaging networks soon as well.

Fring has now been relegated to the last home screen on my phone, my "useless apps" page. I could just 'delete it' but it might come in handy. So far I've not had a single problem with Truphone, and the voice connection is much, much better than Skype as well.

All nighters

Exam in the morning. Luckily I have this for the night:





Here's hoping it helps for tomoro French exam, keep all things fresh in mind...
-- Post From My iPhone

Coachmakers Arms - Dragon Smoke

Beowulf - Dragon Smoke - 4.7%ABV





I needed it. ****/5
-- Post From My iPhone

Handjobs!

Look close enough, it says the BEST HAND JOB IN TOWN


... Just one of the many wonders of Stoke-on-Trent.

Need to get a picture of the Cock Inn in Leek next!...





-- Post From My iPhone

The next Terminator!

Arnie, now Governer of California!







Doug. If Terminator drinks, that is...


-- Post From My iPhone

I'm a Sven Lookalike

Sven-Goran Eriksson, former England Football manager, now Mexico Football Manager





Me. I look like Sven with a hat of course...

-- Post From My iPhone

Coachmakers Arms - Old Raby Ale

Village Brewer - Old Raby Ale - 4.8%ABV






***/5. creamy!

-- Post From My iPhone

Illegitimate Presidency

The talking points surrounding the Inauguration meant that Barack Obama was NOT officially POTUS after taking the oath, as the wording was wrong. Now rectified, the agenda to close Guantanamo Bay has been ordered and the top US official post of Secretary of State has been confirmed : Hilary Rodham Clinton


Guantanamo Bay has been the main talking point, where Obama has ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay, the "gulag of our times".

It seems pretty clear that there were some forces behind the Bush Administration's inability to close Guantanamo - the stubborness of one Dick Cheny (suprise, suprise), and the fact that the Bush administration started the operation in the first place. John Bellinger, an advisor to Condeleezza Rice, shares his regret and frustrations over Guantanamo.

It would appear, I would expect, that Obama has retook the oath before signing the executive decision to close the detention centre. Though the era of change has begun, I fear that this is all a little more than symbolism by the Obama Administration.

If a 'perfectly logical' plan to set up the centre in the first place descended into such controversy where torture was used and accepted, if Bellinger's words are to be beleived, then we cannot ignore this possibility again. I can't fathom personally how the religious neo-conservatives can resort to such violence and inhumane nature - surely God judges at the end of the day.

The infamous legacy that this leaves behind will remain with Bush administration though I do not feel that the anti-Americans out there will see it that way. There is a history of US interventionism and dare I say 'imperalism' over the course of the twentieth century.

Having argued for a new era of openness from his administration and the closure of Guantanamo Bay, this is a good start by the Obama administration. Torture is indefensible - there are moral imperatives and all humans have rights - not simply those kept to and enshrined by national constitutions, bills of rights. The BBC is even asking readers, "Do you agree that Guantanamo prison should be closed?"

The bottom line is, people would say anything under torture to make someone stop. Its an involuntary human reflex, like jerking your hand away from something that's too hot. How anyone can ever justify something like this is beyond me.