Bring on the yanks....

Peter Jackson (LOTR, King Kong) has announced his next project is to be a remake of 'The Dam Busters'

Jackson: "..as authentic as possible and as close to the spirit of the original as possible".

So,

• the Yanks will wander over,
• tell us brits that we're all saved,
• fall in love with a local nurse/land girl/widow,
• invent a new form of laser guided bomb,
• fly a shot up plane(s) without support through german airspace (stopping off in Berlin for dramatic effect)
• drop the bombs and win the war for the good old U S of A!

On a positive note any out of work history teacher can head to the US to tell audiences nationwide what actually happened.

U-571 ring any bells?

Newcastle Squad - My View

The transfer window has slammed shut on another hectic period with West Ham seemingly pulling off the deal of the season, bringing Tevez and Mascherano in from Brazilian side Corinthians.

As for Newcastle, we must make do with our lot until January. The summer has seen a number of ins and outs

Out:
Shearer - Retired
Boumsong - Juventus, 3.3m
Faye - Charlton, 2m
Chopra - Cardiff, 500k

Bowyer - West Ham, Undisclosed

Elliot - Sunderland, Free
Brittain - Ipswich, Free

In:
Martins - Inter, £10m
Duff - Chelsea, £5m

Siberski - Man C, Undisclosed

Rossi - Man U, Loan (till Jan)

A lack of defensive signings have left the squad unbalanced in both numbers and quality, this was exposed last weekend by Villa's 20 year old striker, Agbonlahor, who repeatedly waltzed passed Babayaro like hwasn'tnt there. It would also be interesting to know iNewcastlele regret not taking up the option on Sol Campbell when he was available for nothing.

The midfield, which would havbenefiteded fom the signing of Graveson, looks the most balanced we've had in a number of years. Damien Duff was a phenomenal piece of business that should help provide some penetration from both flanks. The last minute signing of Antoine Sibierski does appear to be a strange move and does suggest that hopearen'tnt high for Dyer's fitness this season.

I am also concerned for the lack of strength upfront, even with owen fit, we lack a player capable of winning and holdinpossessionon, allowing us to relieve the pressure on the back four when things are going against us.

This could be seen as a harsh view of the squad that has a huge amount of ability buI i am of the opinion that the time to make thescommentsts is now, and not when they are on the pitch.

Like all the fanI i wish the lads the best for the comming season. The target must be a top siFinnishsh and qualification foEuropepe if the squad is to progress in the future. Whateverer the result come May, if the lads show the passion the fans will forgive a whole host of sins.... Silverware would be better though!

GWIP

Class of 2006

NUFC 06/07

Goalkeepers:
Shay Given
Steve Harper
Tim Krull

Defenders:
Stephen Carr
Peter Ramage
Kris Gate

Titus Bramble
Craig Moore
Steven Taylor
Paul Huntington (Still at Plymouth)

Celestine Babayaro
Ollie Bernard

Midfielders:
Nobby Solano
James Milner

Nicky Butt
Scott Parker
Emre
Antoine Sibierski
Kieron Dyer
Matty Pattison

Damien Duff
Charlie N'Zogbia
Alan O'Brien

Strikers:
Shola Ameobi
Obafami Martins
Albert Luque
Michael Owen
Guissepe Rossi

#: Inexperienced
#: Long Term Injury

Orange Investigates... Right or Wrong?

A number of websites are running the story of Inigio Wilson, In his own time he wrote an piece for ConservativeHome.Com. In this report he is described as working for 'a large telecoms company'.

This on its own is nothing unique as many people from all backgrounds use the internet and other media as a platform for airing personal views. The content of the article looks at how politically correct terms are replacing 'plain English' and includes a glossary. There is an obvious bias to the piece which is not surprising given site it was published on and the headline 'Lefty Jargon' but it is a mildy amusing view of a subset of the modern English language (Think management Speak)

Some of the content has caused great offence to a number of people, specifically his definitions for

Islamaphobe: "Anyone who objects to having their transport blown up on the way to work"
Palestinians : "archetype 'victims' no matter how many teenagers they murder in bars and fast food outlets. Never responsible for anything they do – or done in their name - because of 'root causes' or ‘legitimate grievances’."
al Qaeda: "Muslim 'militants' who for some reason or other continue to kill far more Muslims than people of any other faith"

This has led to people calling for his dismissal from his role as 'Community Affairs Manager' at Orange, despite there being no connection between his comments, the article and the company.

Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPACwhosehos forums contain support for hdismissalsal, provided a quote to The Register, "We don't want to go down the path of 'Muslims don't have a sense humorour'," she said. "But at the same time, it is hard to read that without wondering if there is some underlying prejudice."

Orange have suspended Mr Wilson while they investigate a large number of customer complaints but have stressed that this does not constitute a dismissal.

It is however concerning that comments made, rightly or wrongly, by an individual would lead not to calls for the article to be removed but for the person to be dismissed from his job without any suggestion that those views had influenced his work.

It will be interesting to see what actions Orange decides to take in the long term.

I was Ere

This funny looking building (The Atomium) is in Heysel, Belgium, just outside the centre of Brussels.

Some may remember it as the location of the Heysel Disaster. On 29^th May 1985 Liverpool FC played Juventus when part of the stadium collapsed, Liverpool fans were blamed for their actions which contributed to the disaster (39 people died) following investigations British clubs were banned from competing in Europe for five years,

For the history bit, The Atomium was built in 1958 for the World Fair and is modelled on a ‘Body Centred Cube’ or an Iron Crystal to those none chemically inclined. It has recently been refurbished and is now a museum, with a number of the big shiny ‘Iron Atoms’ open to the public.