Sunday 29 March 2015

Crazed GermanWings Pilot & Other Crazy People Out There

Terribly sad the news of the murder of 150 people by the crazy German Wings Pilot Lutbitz. 

What pains and saddens me is that I know that there is no Hell Fire which will allow this murderous vermin escape punishment. He has killed the dreams of 150 families and the aspirations of many others (friends, future relationships, lifesaving acts that any of the people he single handedly murdered in cold blood could have rendered in the future)

The mad man had a choice to die alone. Although not his prerogative as he didn't give himself life. I doubt if any of us will begrudge him the right to kill himself. After all he was only a pilot. A job that many will kill for. He was also only young, something many middle aged people will wish to be. He was lucky with a beautiful woman who considered him desirable enough to be the father of her unborn child. No this wasn't enough for the deranged & demented tool. He had to go and kill other people because killing himself didn't appeal much to him. 

What pains me a lot as I write this is that if anybody had murdered this low life the day before he committed his heinous crime, that person will now be in jail awaiting trial for murder. Why? Surely he is a nailed on candidate for Enemy of Humanity and in pole position to be burnt at the stake or for piece by piece dismemberment. 

What pains me even more with people like this thing masquerading as a human and others of his ilk like the animal who killed the school teacher Ann Maguire in Birmingham in 2014 or the lunatic girl who stabbed a random shopper to death in Bexleyheath in 2011 is the fact that someone knew what they were capable of. They told people / hinted at what they wanted to do. 

People in the medical profession and his girlfriend knew what Lutbitz was capable of doing. He wanted to go down in a blaze of glory. They did not consider it important to alert his employer. I am sorry, they have a responsibility in the death of those 150 people. I don't care what the ethos of the medical profession are and I don't care about what binds you to your boyfriend or the father of your child, if you know he has the capability to kill 150 people by virtue of his profession, you rat him out. SIMPLE.

This lunatic was flying almost 600 people at least on a daily basis, he was training to fly a bigger plane that will enable him fly more people and some people knew he was an unsteady bomb close to detonation and said nothing. This is a big shame and I hope all the people who could have done something about his deeds suffer for their actions. 

Similarly with the killer of Ann Maguire. He told one of his class mates he was going to stab his teacher and that one thought he was joking. Unfortunately  a wonderful mother and family member has been lost because someone kept quiet. Invariably and unfortunately I believe that the class mate who kept quiet has a share of the blame in the murder of their school teacher. 

The Bexleyheath female killer knew she was ill and voluntarily checked herself into a mental health institution. But no, the bean counters masquerading as medical practitioners weren't having it. They rejected her and she promptly went and murdered someone. A total stranger going about her own daily routine. In  my opinion, the people who refused her admission into the mental health hospital are equally as guilty for the crime she committed. 

I get that people joke about some things and we can't legislate for every event but in light of the German Wings crash, I will suggest we err on the side of caution and if someone tells you he is going to murder another person and if this person has the capability to do it or do it in an abominable fashion like the German Wings pilot, please report the person. You might be saving lives. 

Back to the unhinged and disturbed mass killer of a pilot, how do we punish someone who commits such a heinous crime? Clearly he wanted to do something spectacular. I think we owe it to his victims and future victims of people like him that they never get their wish. Similarly for terrorists too. DENY THEN THE OXYGEN OF PUBLICITY. 

By all means, let the family know what happened to their loved ones, let them know why you are not going 'full on' in the media with the story. If the family want to turn the murder of their relatives into a circus, it is their prerogative. Make sure that unstable mass murderers like this pilot never get their dying wish.

People like Lutbitz should know before they die, that their properties, pension, life insurance and other assets will be confiscated by the states following their heinous act. Doctors should be aware they risk their professional qualifications and fitness to practice and a criminal prosecution if they inadvertently or deliberately forget to notify the relevant authorities about the risk their patients pose to the public. 


Sunday 22 March 2015

Arsenal FC Away Days - Nice

It was my second trip away (out side of London) with Arsenal FC for the Newcastle game yesterday. The first was for the West Brom game in the Capital One Cup competition last season. That's 2 in 2 now. So you know what do, if there is a must win Arsenal away match, persuade me to go. Tickets plus transport costs only would do very nicely.

It was also my first visit to Newcastle. That legendary city of lovely people and Mike Ashley. My initial plan was to make it a proper weekend away but the cost of driving up or taking the train was prohibitive so I stuck with the club's arrangement.

While I attended loads of matches last season and earned enough ticket points to be invited to purchase  tickets for the FA Cup semi - final match versus Wigan and the Community Shield match versus Manchester City, I have only attended the Capital One Cup competition versus Southampton at The Emirates this season. My focus this season was to attend Away matches outside of London.

I was torn between attending the Burnley and Newcastle matches and eventually settled on the Newcastle one due to child care commitments.  Getting a ticket was a horrible experience. I was scammed by a guy that appeared somewhat legitimate. It appears I was in good company as searching for his name on Twitter reveals he was prolific in scamming others too. I have reported him to Action Fraud and Pay Pal. That's the best I can do. To be fair, I wouldn't mind meeting him face to face somewhere in Dalston or Peckham.

I finally got my ticket from a season ticket holder of Arsenal. It was either bravery or stupidity. Same method - Twitter advert, responded. Except this time, I paid cash for the ticket at a face to face meeting after receiving something close to an assurance that he his genuine. Although giving my previous experience,  I was apprehensive even after I sat down inside St James' Park Stadium.

I wonder if the club can do anything about the scammers. Perhaps, a data base to verify tickets? Ticket Exchange system for away games? Anything. Twitter shows the level of scamming going on on football ticket issues. You can imagine the scale of the problem if multiplied by the number of football clubs who sell out their allocations and the number of events with sell out crowds.

In my eagerness, I was first to the Coach departure point. The journey was somewhat eventful - on the Coach TV, there was highlights of FA Cup quarter final match versus the club that used to be known as the Red Devils (NO Glory Glory *music* and all that) (We have Danny Wellbeck & he is better than your lot - tongue firmly sticking out), a film, cup of hot chocolate, a chance to catch up on all my old newspapers plus the two I bought for the day, charger for my mobile one). A stopover in Sheffield, seeing the directions to Hartlepool (reminded me of Jeff Sterling of Sky Sports), Leeds, Burnley, Sunderland and arrival in Newcastle  and the City's answer to Rio the Janeiro's Christ The Redeemer statute (LOL at The Angel of the North).

Initially and looking at the demography of the Arsenal fans in my coach, you will assume a large proportion of fans are old men and middle aged men but on entering the stadium at the away end, you can see the much younger fans - teenagers / early twenties type. It was absolute 'carnage' like a party / rave. The police were helpless and the young fans were ribbing them mercilessly. Of course there was the obligatory abuse of T*ttenham Spuds. I learnt a new song too "We won the league at the shit hole". (Lord forgive me for I have sinned).

St James Park' is a huge stadium, somewhat intimidating. I have driven past Old Trafford and Stade de France, been to the Emirates many times but St James' Park felt as huge as any of these stadiums. As the match started, Newcastle fans were very quiet and we had to ask them if they wanted us to sing for them.

We also asked where their famous atmosphere was. I have heard Alan Shearer, Mark Lawrenson & Alan Hansen bang on about this atmosphere at St James' Park for many years. It wasn't there. I suspect the events of the Mike Ashley years has dampened this famed atmosphere. To be fair to the fans though, as soon as the Newcastle players got going in the second half, they responded well and cheered their side on. However, it was nothing on Crystal Palace fans. While I understand the Classical Conditioning / Pavlov's law / Pavlov's dog conundrum, I actually believe that fans should be vocal and bring the roof down for their club win draw or lose. It is pointless in my opinion going through the chicken and egg issue. Effing support your team (No please, just do it).

By the way, the food was crap. I bought a burger combo for the princely sum of £7.50. Now I understand why and how Mr Ashley is a billionaire. Maybe the food was worth £2 if at all. Burger bread was worse than a Lidl value bread. Packaging was Styrofoam - probably need to get my spleen checked for carcinogens next week.

To the football itself, I hope I am right in thinking that I am somewhat immune from seeing Arsenal play. Negative results hurt definitely. I can't remember the last time I felt the way I felt on the night Arsenal lost 3 - 1 to Monaco. I don't care if my team lose to another clubside as long at they put in what the unbiased knowledgeable neutral can say was a decent shift, as long as they get their tactics spot on, are defeated by a much much better team without the referee's help.

I am not a good football analyst by any stretch of the imagination but I think I know what I see and I can try and convey what I see to other people. I expected Arsenal if they turn up to defeat Newcastle. I was worried about the effect the Champions League exit will have on the players but was comforted by the Newcastle injury list. Truth be told, I was hoping Newcastle get maybe a few more injuries and have to either field 2 of their ladies team and another 2 from their Under 11 squad.

In my opinion, Arsenal always need other peoples help to achieve its footballing targets especially in recent years, In 2006, we needed dodgy pasta to leap frog Spuds to 4th place. In the last 2 seasons, we have relied on both Spuds (again) and Everton self imploding to get 4th place. Last year, I was hoping to get Wigan in the Semi Final and a few of my mates were mouthing off about beating Man City. Not sure what planet they were living on. We were lucky against Hull to win the FA Cup. Yes we were a better team we had recently beaten them by 3 goals. But we were lucky not to be 3 down within 20 minutes in the FA cup final. We were luckier with the Cazorla free kick. I digress.

As the game started yesterday, I thought we looked livelier and we harried them. It was good to see no obvious sign of a carry over from Monaco. To me, there were a few moans, it was clear Cazorla was off his game and Ramsey never tired of his clever (NOT) flicks. Ramsey is a man who said I needed to simply my game to have such a fantastic game last season. So why don't you continue to keep it simple Aaron? We Arsenal fans know how good you are. We call you the Welsh jesus FFS (although I think the jesus reference is blasphemous). You were by many many miles the best Arsenal player last season despite you been out with injury for over 3 months. Keep it simple. KIS (I will save the last S for now) Who is Aaron trying to impress?

I was expecting a rout although I had predicted a 3 - 1 score before the match. Arsenal are generous like that. A friend called them Socialists and I understand this reference especially if all the comments about Arsene Wenger's niceness are anything to believe. I always believe we will concede usually from freakish events. Even as the game was winding down, I still expected a 3 1 score and we had loads of chances to make that score happen.

The second half was atrocious from Arsenal's perspective. Clearly the Newcastle players were more up for it. I don't think the fatigue from mid week champions league kicked in at the start of the second half. To me this was more mental. As far as I am concerned Francis Coquelin has started reading all the stuff about his performance for the side. In that second half and before he suffered a nose bleed, he gave the ball away and was somewhat hesitant in his tackle. Danny Wellbeck tired quickly and still has his brain working quicker than his limb. I love Danny a lot but I want to lay some of the fault for Chamber's performance at his door step. Gabriel was very impressive, Koscienly was the bossman himself and I have nothing but respect for David Ospina.

I won't go into the 'who is a better keeper' between him and Wojciech. Better is a very woolly term. Sczesney is a high risk goal keeper and David appears to take very little risks. I see Wojciech giving the ball away a number of time. For example during the FA cup game at Manchester United that nearly resulted in a goal. I don't like that. However both keepers know that their manager is very patient but will not hesitate to demote you to number 2 if you balls up in (I hope) ways he has clearly outlined to you. If any of them don't like it. I suspect the double doors at The Emirates & London Colney are wide open. In fact they can both leave. We will get another top keeper. Its all about Arsenal for me. Players come and go. And Managers too.

We survived Newcastle's onslaught. I was extremely worried they would equalise but it wasn't nail biting or bottom clenching for me. I just wondered why we can't be a bit more cynical. Get a break in the game cynically. Take deep breaths, organise yourself, contain them, juggle that ball around the way you know Arsenal can, make your opponents run araaand a bit and when you get your chances as we did in the 2nd half, put them away.

So we won. Saw the Arsenal Fan TV scrum on the way out, jumped on the Coach and the long drive back to good ole London via a Burger King Triple Whooper (NICE). Life's problem. What problem?

Just woke up to my reality. Life goes on.



Saturday 7 March 2015

I know Paul Scholes. He can't be that daft

The first I knew of Paul Scholes' (hereinafter referred to as Piss Speak) comments were Arsene Wenger's measured and matured response in his news conference where he simply said he (referring to the person who used to be a very good player but a hopeless pundit) would love to play with Mesut Ozil. CLASS. PURE CLASS. For me that was it. END OF.

Although to be fair, Piss Speak had infuriated me on Wednesday night when he went on about how he knew Johnny Evans and the latter will never spit at someone. What infantile drivel. You don't even know yourself, talk less of knowing someone else or vouching for them in all instances.

I detected a tone of xenophobia in Piss Speak's comments that night. It brought the shameful memories of respected pundits like Gary Lineker refusing to call Wayne Rooney out for diving. Its always Johnny Foreigner's fault. or Johnny Blackman's. I hope all the foreigners and people of colour who look up to Piss Speak can really see through the vacuous human that he is and the disguised prejudice that can never be tackled as the practitioners are too smooth.

Unfortunately, I stumbled on Piss Speak's said Evening Standard article this morning and I have already tweeted my disgust at his poor excuse at proffering what he considers informed opinion.

It is obvious PS does not believe in the 'stop digging' admonition. You were wrong on Wednesday night bro. You are wrong now and you will be wrong forever on this issue. You don't know Johnny Evans 100%. You can't even know yourself 100% talk less of knowing another person. Please tell me. Did you know Ryan Giggs well too? Did you know he was shagging his sister in law's wife? I'm sure you can vouch that Ryan will never spit at anybody too. eh.

I am glad that the FA have now found Evans guilty. I am disappointed that they did not add to his ban for denying what was so blatantly obvious to everybody but Piss Speak and his ilk. I am of the opinion that the instigator should always get more of a ban than the person who retaliates.

I will admonish Piss Speak to invest in some mirrors so he can take a good look at himself and be disgusted. As a player he had and still has a very good reputation. From memory, I am of the impression he was never far away from a red card but that should not detract from the fine player he was.  Also, he was known for avoiding the media circus.

However, as a pundit especially in the period before the World Cup, this individual is unrecognisable. He is going from one extreme to the other. Where is the real Paul Scholes. Abducted by aliens?

He was quite happy to keep his gob shut perhaps because he knew he had nothing rational or sensible to say. But now, in a desire perhaps to court readership, he is going for controversy with both barrels. Does he have bills to pay that we don't know about? Gambling debts? Is he jealous of Adrian Durham and wants to become the biggest knob of punditry?

This man who shame 'facedly' embraced the job of Manchester United deputy manager a few months ago. He had a young family and other personal commitments then.  But he now has the bollocks to claim that he can't take his life long dream job of managing Oldham because of his young family.  Hiding behind his family. Is that what they call a little girls blouse. Make up your mind Piss Speak, you never wanted to be a manager you said but you jumped at the United job but won't now take the Oldham job.

I can guess you have probably sussed out how easy it is to sit at the sidelines and throw brick backs at people who have the balls to throw their hat into the ring. You now realise how much hard work is required to be a proper manager. Not one parachuted in to one of the best managerial jobs in the world because of his reputation as a player. You bottled that one.  DINT YA

 Now to your main article. Your very pathetic attempt to disparage Mesut Ozil. The stats men have proved your lies about Ozil wrong. Would you now accept you were wrong?Would you hell? No you won't. "you don't care how many ground he covers" you say. Inept punditry if you ask me. Someone supposedly knowledgeable who doesn't care that a player raaan araaand. YOU COULDN'T MAKE II UP. COULD YOU.

You talk about Arsenal leaders and couldn't find space in your spite filled article for Thierry Henry. Really? Seriously Piss Speak. Were you in the pub crying into your Lime Cordial when you wrote your article?

So yes like Paul Scholes knows Johnny Evans. I know Scholes too. I can vouch that he can't be as daft as the writer of that infantile article. His ghost writer has done him a huge disservice here.

Sunday 1 March 2015

The Rozanne Duncan Comments - was it really wrong?

I haven't watched the Rozanne Duncan documentary where she claimed to have a problem with negores and people with negroid features. I have however read a lot about it. I am aware she was on LBC radio station and declined the offer to meet a black person. Now matter how disgusted you feel about her person or comments, there is  a suggestion she has deeper issues perhaps repressed from her childhood and I sympathise with her.

Due to the accident of genetics, I am one of those people she has a problem with. However I do not have a problem with her comments. I believe in free speech including the right to be obnoxious. I consider her a fascinating subject of research. What I have a problem with is the hypocrisy manifested by the 'we are upset' brigade.  The same people who hate others for any reason, criminals, abusers of any kind, liars etc.

Why is Rozanne's supposed crimes any less than yours? She was bold enough to express her feelings and despite all the bile and hatred directed at her, she hasn't tried to retract them or gloss them over with some PR crafted no sense defence.

In my opinion, I do not see any form of malice in her comments. She is not about to kill, perjure or abuse a black person. She just doesn't like them. The same way a lady can say "I don't like short ugly fat men and I have no desire to meet any". Is that really a crime? An unforgivable sin? Yes you might consider such a person shallow but eh. Why is it that the skin colour issues turns the reaction into a frenzied situation?

For me the biggest issue is that Rozanne is a Councillor. Does she represent any Black person in her constituency? What is her history in dealing with these constituents if any? Are the electorate in her constituency happy with her?

With the kind of view she has expressed, I will suggest that public life is not for Rozanne Duncan in an increasingly diverse and multicultural British society. However as a private citizen, I will defend her right to forever have a problem with whoever she chooses. And the law of the land is on her side as there are no crimes for disliking people of any skin colour.