I read yesterday about the radical proposed changes in the rules for Formula One starting in 2011. Some of the things I think is a good idea, but other’s are just silly. All this in an effort to make the sport more environmentally friendly or as everyone is obsessed with saying a smaller “carbon footprint”; and reducing costs and making F1 technology more road relevant. The biggest change is the proposal for a 1.3 – 1.5 litre four cylinder engine, but wont be restricted on revs or boost options including turbo units. Personally I think it’s a ridiculous idea, why have engines that small, in the last 15 years we have moved from 3.5 litre turbo charged V12 engines to 2.4 litre naturally aspirated V8 engines, this is supposed to be the pinnacle of motorsport. But the idea of having an electronically controlled wing system that would reduce drag in straights, but still maintain cornering grip is a good idea in principle, this in turn would aid overtaking. But this new technology means that engine size would be capped to reduce speeds as the current engines would be too powerful for the new proposed aerodynamic regulations. There are a raft of other recommendations to be discussed by the teams, but a definite plan needs to be agreed by the teams by the end of this year. I have mixed feelings about these changes, they may well work, but the whole concept of having such a small engine in a race car confuses the hell out of me. OK it helps the environment, and reduces the ‘carbon footprint’ of F1 but in reality what difference does it make on the global scale when countries like America refuse to acknowledge the problem and resolve to cut their carbon emissions. Read about the full list of proposed changes here!
England’s first Twenty20 match against the West Indies didn’t go according to plan being beaten by 15 runs by the Windies; setting the home side a target of 209 runs to win at a rate of 10.5 runs per over. Devon Smith, Shiv Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin created 177 runs combined towards the West Indies total of 208. You have to say the squad selection was a strange one; bringing in a load of relative newbies, especially on the bowling side and leaving out Monty Panesar is unforgivable after the test series the spinner had. Newly crowned one day captain Paul Collingwood was the only Englishman to do anything with the bat scoring 80 off 41 deliveries hitting 4 sixes and 5 fours. I think Alistair Cook needs to be dropped from the one day squad, you can’t have a player that scores less than a run per ball in the international one day side, let alone a Twenty20 side. Matt Prior did better scoring 25 off 14 deliveries before being caught by Daren Powell in the 5th over. Kevin Pietersen got out cheaply again trying for a third run that was never there and got run out. So I think England coach Peter Moores will have to choose his team for the second Twenty20 match more carefully, it baffles me why he left out Michael Vaughan in favour of Cook and leaving out Monty Panesar, that’s simply an unbelievable decision in my opinion.
British hopes of taking the Wimbledom men’s championship were dashed again today as Tim Henman went out to Spain’s Feliciano Lopez. Although the typical British pluck was still in evidence from ‘Tiger’ Tim Henman; fighting back from two sets down to take match to deciding fifth and final set. But Henman ran out of steam all but conceeding the final set 6 – 1, and with Andy Murray’s late withdrawal from the competition, British interest in the championship is over. I have never been a great fan of Tennis, but being a patriot when it comes to sport, I’ll support any English sports-person. Everyone is tipping Scotsman Murray to be a future Wimbledom champion, but I don’t see it happening, the UK doesn’t seem to be able to produce Wimbledom championship winners in recent years!
At this time I am up shit creek without a paddle, despite being in this predicament last week knowing I needed to save every penny I earnt I have still been drinking; spending those valuable pennies. I had to buy some food in, there’s no way I could have survived for a week without eating, but that food is gone now and I know I am going to have a shortfall of £10 on the rent unless I borrow some money, even then that still means that I will have to not eat tomorrow and Saturday, on Sunday I am going to my dad’s for Sunday lunch. I bought bread, butter and jam thinking it’ll tide me over, but the bread started to go mouldy after a few days, trust me, mould isn’t a nice taste! Why do I keep on doing this to myself, that’s the eternal question, and if we learn by our mistakes, why the hell haven’t learnt this lesson, I keep on making the same mistake. Which leaves me with two options, swallow my pride and ask my dad for a loan of £20, £10 to pay the rent deficit and £10 for food to tide me over this weekend! Or option two would be to tell the landlord I am 10 quid short and will pay the arrears next month and starve myself for two days. I hate asking for help at the best of times, I am very independent and I got myself into this screwed up situation in the first place. You know the most annoying thing, I am no longer working tomorrow now as it’s a private gig and they have their own engineer, at least I know the guy and he can be trusted, he’s very anal about his input gain levels and will look after the system, although we are a sub down at the moment, same problem as before, just the opposite side. Yes, anyway, the most annoying thing apart from losing £50 in fees for my services is that it’s my friend’s birthday tonight and I can’t go out for a few drinks with him to celebrate.
But I am not so down about Ali constantly now, I do feel down when I have nothing to occupy my mind and my thoughts veer towards her. But I am trying to keep busy with life, which is why I am drinking so much I guess and talking to people in pubs to take my mind away from Ali. The other thing that has been bugging me was people talking about me behind my back which has almost ruined what could be a good friendship. Teri and I have been texting back and forth trying to sort out our issues and plan to meet again next week to try to make another attempt at being friends, I will just have to try to gain her trust, I never expected automatic trust, but what was said came as a shock to me after our initial meeting which went so well. And we had plenty in common as well as many differences to debate. I have been trying to make friends like Teri because I am looking for an escape from living like this; sleeping all day, going to work and then drinking from the time I finish work until 4 – 5am in the morning. It’ll be nice to meet people to do stuff during the day, even if it’s just one day a week, five friends, and I meet each one on different days of the week will help me out of the hopeless cycle of sleep, work and boozing; it really has to stop!
So Paris Hilton then, jailed then released by the sheriff only to be sent back to jail by the original judge to serve her full 45 day sentence and then is released again 22 days earlier than she should have been for good behaviour. Apparently her time in jail was “traumatic” and it has made her revaluation her lifestyle and will party less and become a better role model. one word springs to mind, BULLSHIT, it’s a public relations exercise plain and simple. Oh and she reckons that she shouldn’t have been in jail in the first place, and I quote “I think the crime did not fit the punishment. I don’t feel like I deserved to go to jail” – Let’s see, getting banned for driving while under the influence of alcohol, and then flouted the ban on many occasions, driving while disqualified. I think that deserved a jail term; there is no deterrent if she just gets a slapped wrist every time she gets behind the wheel. People like that seem to think that because they are famous that the law doesn’t apply to them. Oh, while I am on the subject of celebrity news; the Spice Girls are reforming for a farewell 12 month tour of the world. But it’s not because of financial reasons, it’s because they wanted to say a thank you their fans. here comes that word again. BULLSHIT. Of course it’s about the money; with the exception of Melanie C (Sporty Spice), none of them have had any real success since the Spice Girls split, so it’s basically a cash cow, a licence to print money, I don’t have a problem with that if they were honest about it, but they have consistently denied that its about the money. I would love to see their shows fail spectacularly and have to play to a handful of people in a huge arena, but realistically that isn’t going to happen!
Finally, the United Kingdom now has a new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Will he be any better? in one word NO!!! I was watching Panorama this evening taking a look at Gordon Brown’s tenure at No.11 and he is even more guilty of using spin than Tony Blair. Let’s look at what he has done, in the past 10 years he pledged to not increase the basic and higher rate of income tax, which he didn’t do, but what he did do was abolish the lower rate of income tax for low earners. So in simple terms he has screwed over the poorest workers/families who will now have to pay the basic rate of 20%, which is down from 22% as he announced with much fanfare earlier this year. But then again several million people will be paying the basic rate of tax instead of the lower rate, which makes up for the 2% reduction for people already on the basic rate of tax! Not only that, he has made up the shortfall of not increasing the basic rate of tax by introducing several stealth taxes. Now think again, do you really want to have this lying cheating bastard in charge of our country; and worst of all we have no say until the next general election. Personally I think that if an elected Prime Minister steps down during his term, an automatic general election should be called to decide democratically if we want this man and his policies to rule our country!