Yesterday after a surprising good sleep after the negative mood of the night before I slowly switched myself back into my normal state. It proved a day of very mixed fortunes centring on sporting and the cultural. It commenced with the smallest of wins on the Euro Lottery of £3 on the £2 stake, a net profit of £1. There was the last episode of Montalbano in the evening and an important film The Messenger on Sunday.
I caught up with the final practice of the Chinese Formula 1 Grand prix on Saturday which was interesting in that the race leader on practice times was Nico Rosebrg for the Mercedes Team which recruited Michael Schumacher the multi Championship driver when the team was formed two seasons ago. Until the race today the team had only gained one point in the driver’s championship in the two previous races (Schumacher). The race team is led by Ross Brawn#.
The Wikipedia profile introduction reads #Ross James Brawn OBE (born 23 November 1954) is an English motorsport engineer and Formula One team principal. He has worked for a number of Formula One teams, serving as the technical director of the championship-winning Benetton and Ferrari teams. He took a sabbatical from the sport in 2007 but returned to F1 for the 2008 season as Team Principal of Honda. He was the owner of the Brawn GP team, which acquired the Honda team in early 2009, and won the Formula One Constructors and Drivers Championships in that year. Mercedes bought into the team in November 2009, making Brawn Team Principal & Co-Owner with Nick Fry. In 2011 Brawn & Fry sold the remaining shares to Mercedes Benz. Brawn remains as Team Principal with Fry as CEO.
With this background and that Mercedes also supply the engine to the McLaren team of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton it is not surprising that the team would eventually come to the fore. Nico which has never won a Grand Prix before despite over 100 races kept the lead from the start and never looked in doubt as the eventual winner. It was a great day for him and for the team. The race was no procession after him and in fact seven cars were nose to tail following in the closing stages of race changing places with breath taking manoeuvres. While driving nerve and skill of the highest order was required in fact the race was settled on tyre management and by a error which resulted in Button who was third on the grid being stationery for close on ten seconds in a pit stop failure and which then resulted in his being caught up with a number of slower cars ahead. This meant that had skilfully made up places as the race progressed but the gap between him and Rosberg was too great and he finished second.
Lewis Hamilton the other British driver of the McLaren team was second in practice but received a five place penalty (I do not know why) and therefore commenced 7th. He also fought hard towards the end to finish third. The placing keeps him as leader of the driver’s championship after 3 races on 45 points with Button catching him up on 43. Alonso of Red Bull is on 37 and his team mate and world champion for the past two seasons Vettel on 36. Nico rising to 6th with his 25 win. McLaren’s have a healthy lead in the constructors championship with 88 points to Red Bull Renault on 64, Ferrari 3rd Sauber 4 and now Mercedes 6th on 24.
The big sporting event of the weekend was the Aintree course John Smith’s Grand National, regarded internationally as the great race in the world over fences. The race has attracted considerable controversy over the years because of the number of fatalities to horses, Efforts have been made to reduce the risk by altering the fences but with forty or so runner there is always the risk to horse and jockey of a mêlée with one horse spilling their rider and bring down others.
I rarely bet on horses with the Grand National or Derby the only exceptions and the gap between gambles is years and perhaps decades overall. This time I was tempted by an email from Paddy Power offering a £20 free bet for £20 placed and used on other sporting activities than horseracing. I had no idea about the runners in the race but decided to have a go. While there is not a good track record for favourites I had heard how the horse won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on my recent trip to the Midlands and I thought there was a good chance of a finish in the five places where odds were being paid.
This was not a good a choice. What happened is that horse unseated its experienced jockey during he canter to the start line and continued down the track several hundred meters before being caught and brought back. It was then checked out as fit to run, conscious of the huge financial backing it had received from the public. Jenny Pitman the experienced commentator and lover of the sport prophetically said that the animal did not look up for the event. The horse then unseated the rider on an early jump, made several jumps on its own and then broke a leg leading to it being killed.
My other choice was Seebass with the fancied daughter of the owner/or trainer riding and no woman has been placed in the top three or let alone won the race. My £5 each way investment turned up trumps as she finished third and for a time looked as she had a change of winning. Tow other horses had the stamina and had to be separated by photo finish. I ended the day with £45 in the account as a consequence.
Decided to set off for Asda at Bolden while the race was being run so listened on the radio. I decide to take the trousers of my suit for a dry clean and a repair of the hen which had become unstitched and my temporary was unlikely to last another outing. While the trousers could be cleaned by Tuesday it would be Wednesday before the repair could be undertaken. However after explaining my predicament the work would be ready for collection after 3pm on Tuesday. Before going to the cinema theatre I purchased a lettuce, some oven foil, two cartons of dried figs and substance to clean out the sink plug holes, I then was disappointed to find out that there were no seats for the relay. This was surprising given the extent of the previous audience. Later I discovered there is a performance of Rigoletto on Tuesday evening and booked a seat for £10 online with the intention of collecting the trousers beforehand together with any shopping needed. The Opera is from the Royal Opera House London.
I returned to watch Britain’s Got Talent where a 14 year old singer and a young man singer songwriter caught the attention as well as a street dance crew, and group of camp gays plus some acrobats from Hungary. The previous week a young girl and her dog stole the show.
A very different day had been planned planed for the Saturday which centred on the Durham versus Nottingham championship cricket match which I attended yesterday. A delayed start of my own making meant that on arrival I could not find and a behind glass seat on a cold day. I got an under cover balcony seat and then noticing that the pitch was at the far end I saw that I could get an over wicket view from the middle and top deck of the stand adjacent to the media centre.
I did not enjoy the experience as it was cold with a nasty biting wind and Durham commenced to lose wickets. They were all out for 35 runs less than Nottingham and I was immediately fearful about the subsequent outcome. It was a similar situation to what happened at Trent Bridge in their first game of season. However they went on to score 500 runs in their second innings and then bowled out the opposition to win the game with the three bowling points to be of the leaders in the table of those sides playing their first game. My fear was justified as Notts went on to make 335 although one batsman Lumb contributed 131 after Hales got the side off to an excellent start with 57. Durham then collapsed and it was only an excellent 80 by captain Mustard with the help of last man Mitch Claydon with who went for 55 that prevented the humiliation being greater.
Along with Lancashire and Worcestershire they only have 3 points from their first game and make the bottom of the table with Notts with their 2 wins at the top and everyone else with one win. Former Durham batsman Coetzer did not have a good start against Kent where former Durham all rounder and brother of Steve moved over the winter. He made 46 before being run out as Kent went on to win by an innings.
It was the last in the Montalbano series I discovered when I watched the recording after the talent show again there was no Livia although she was to visit for the wedding of the Deputy who was taking a month’s leave at the same time. To replace him was a young woman who Montalbano had known before when she was 12. She hits it off with his third in charge and they are seen going dancing towards the end of the film...
A well liked doctor at the local hospital appears to have committed suicide while fishing from a rocky premonitory, He is the same doctor who lashes out at the hospital when discovery that his daughter is pregnant. The girl is rescued from her father’s clutches after disclosure that she is being kept prisoner by him so that the child which she wants to keep can be placed for adoption. She is cared for a Catholic run home for single mothers. When Montalbano and his crew find out that the wife has cleared their bank account and sold up he traces the couple to fleeing the island at he air port, silently confronts them and leaves letting them know he knows and but will do nothing about this. He puts to the priest in charge of the mother and baby home the proposition that the man of otherwise good character had regretted his action and his saintly wife had forgiven him. The savings had been passed to the priest for the care of the girl and her children.
The main story concerned two women on their way to church who were stopped by someone on a motorcycle who had fired at close range. A third woman is fired at with a real bullet but misses and the fourth is shot and killed and a fifth shot again with a blank. The authorities and the media attack the failure of the police to apprehend. Montalbano work out that the first attacks are a ruse with the purpose deflecting attention from the husband of the killed woman that he had hired someone to kill her when he found she was giving her money on which he depended to a local fortune teller. There was even more of gentle meander through his detective life and those of his closest associates in this final programme. I shall miss the detective and hope to read an original work some day.
The football this weekend was all round disappointing. Sunderland could only manage a draw at home. Newcastle are not planning and trying to train in a way which mean they do not repeat what happened on previous breaks and losing momentum to a defeat. The main disappointment was the defeat of Everton in FA Cup by Liverpool late on after having taken a first half lead and that Chelsea thumped Spurs who I wanted to keep in the Cup to take their attention away from fourth place Champions versus Newcastle. Their game against Spurs will be crucial as in the QPR home game against Spurs this Saturday which I hope to watch live via a pub. Man U was defeated to reduce the lead between them and Man City back to 5 points, while Arsenal also lost at home which means that the gap between them Spurs and Newcastle has reduced. Newcastle stay 2 points ahead of Chelsea. I have used up my available Funds with Paddy Power having a cover bet win draw eith Newcastle which will net a gain of two or three pounds as long as they do not lose and a long shot bet on Chelsea winning the Champions League which would bring in £200 and be a game changer.
I use the term Game Changer deliberately for the Game Change is the title of a fascinating and presumable accurate account of the Sarah Palin selection as Vice President potential running mate for the White House. This is the best USA political documentary type film about the USA that I have experienced better than Watergate and the attempted cover up. The film begins with the Republican adopted Presidential Candidate floundering in the polls against the Charismatic personality of Obama and his team seeking a game changing move through the decision who should be his running mate for the Vice Presidency. The team had been positive vetting a number of prospects all men for several weeks five to six and this included finding out whatever personal and political dirt the other side would use, the actual political knowledge and views especially on foreign policy and any differences between view with the Presidential candidate.
They decided they needed a woman who would appeal to the right of the party. Sarah Plain appeared the ideal choice. She was married with five children. The youngest child was born with severe learning difficulties. She had tackled the old right in her own party in Alaska to gain the governorship. She had turned down proposed Federal money for a bridge on the grounds that if it was built it would be built without a call on taxation. One of sons was off to serve and fight in Iraq/Afghanistan. An environmentalist she supported exploration for home oil to reduce dependency on external interests. She supported gun ownership.
Videos of her speeches impressed. But the vetting only took 5 days before the presentation of the candidate to as meeting of the faithful.
The first problems could all be handled. Her husband has been a member of a political party supporting Alaska independence for 7 years. One of her daughters was unmarried and pregnant. She had supported Federal taxes for the Bridge only changing position later. But all this was small beer before they realised that she was apolitical ignoramus on the economy and finance, on anywhere outside of Alaska and the USA and on history. She was a brilliant actress with prepared speeches and she was great at the hand he and kissing of babies one to tour but cross examination on political issues by one political journalists and she embarrassing. She new the UK were an ally but through the Queen was the political head. She had no knowledge of finances and the economy at the time of the great bank crash and bail out. She did not know why there a North and South Korea or who fought who and why in the Second World War.
The crash course in knowledge was a disaster. She wrote down furiously without learning or comprehending. She reacted resentfully and spitefully when anyone question her or attached her thus giving value to stories about her behaviour in getting to the Governorship and once she took power. Later when she recovered especially by learning lines and getting them across as with the Presidential Vice President’s debate and was a proved vote winner she began to see herself as the President and decided to go her own way rather than support the Presidential candidate.
The film appears to be very different from the book which concentrate on the Obama Campaign. Perhaps it is a TV series rather than a film. I will have to find out later. I will also leave The Messenger as time as caught up with me.
This is a more scrappy piece than usual. Bed calls.
I caught up with the final practice of the Chinese Formula 1 Grand prix on Saturday which was interesting in that the race leader on practice times was Nico Rosebrg for the Mercedes Team which recruited Michael Schumacher the multi Championship driver when the team was formed two seasons ago. Until the race today the team had only gained one point in the driver’s championship in the two previous races (Schumacher). The race team is led by Ross Brawn#.
The Wikipedia profile introduction reads #Ross James Brawn OBE (born 23 November 1954) is an English motorsport engineer and Formula One team principal. He has worked for a number of Formula One teams, serving as the technical director of the championship-winning Benetton and Ferrari teams. He took a sabbatical from the sport in 2007 but returned to F1 for the 2008 season as Team Principal of Honda. He was the owner of the Brawn GP team, which acquired the Honda team in early 2009, and won the Formula One Constructors and Drivers Championships in that year. Mercedes bought into the team in November 2009, making Brawn Team Principal & Co-Owner with Nick Fry. In 2011 Brawn & Fry sold the remaining shares to Mercedes Benz. Brawn remains as Team Principal with Fry as CEO.
With this background and that Mercedes also supply the engine to the McLaren team of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton it is not surprising that the team would eventually come to the fore. Nico which has never won a Grand Prix before despite over 100 races kept the lead from the start and never looked in doubt as the eventual winner. It was a great day for him and for the team. The race was no procession after him and in fact seven cars were nose to tail following in the closing stages of race changing places with breath taking manoeuvres. While driving nerve and skill of the highest order was required in fact the race was settled on tyre management and by a error which resulted in Button who was third on the grid being stationery for close on ten seconds in a pit stop failure and which then resulted in his being caught up with a number of slower cars ahead. This meant that had skilfully made up places as the race progressed but the gap between him and Rosberg was too great and he finished second.
Lewis Hamilton the other British driver of the McLaren team was second in practice but received a five place penalty (I do not know why) and therefore commenced 7th. He also fought hard towards the end to finish third. The placing keeps him as leader of the driver’s championship after 3 races on 45 points with Button catching him up on 43. Alonso of Red Bull is on 37 and his team mate and world champion for the past two seasons Vettel on 36. Nico rising to 6th with his 25 win. McLaren’s have a healthy lead in the constructors championship with 88 points to Red Bull Renault on 64, Ferrari 3rd Sauber 4 and now Mercedes 6th on 24.
The big sporting event of the weekend was the Aintree course John Smith’s Grand National, regarded internationally as the great race in the world over fences. The race has attracted considerable controversy over the years because of the number of fatalities to horses, Efforts have been made to reduce the risk by altering the fences but with forty or so runner there is always the risk to horse and jockey of a mêlée with one horse spilling their rider and bring down others.
I rarely bet on horses with the Grand National or Derby the only exceptions and the gap between gambles is years and perhaps decades overall. This time I was tempted by an email from Paddy Power offering a £20 free bet for £20 placed and used on other sporting activities than horseracing. I had no idea about the runners in the race but decided to have a go. While there is not a good track record for favourites I had heard how the horse won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on my recent trip to the Midlands and I thought there was a good chance of a finish in the five places where odds were being paid.
This was not a good a choice. What happened is that horse unseated its experienced jockey during he canter to the start line and continued down the track several hundred meters before being caught and brought back. It was then checked out as fit to run, conscious of the huge financial backing it had received from the public. Jenny Pitman the experienced commentator and lover of the sport prophetically said that the animal did not look up for the event. The horse then unseated the rider on an early jump, made several jumps on its own and then broke a leg leading to it being killed.
My other choice was Seebass with the fancied daughter of the owner/or trainer riding and no woman has been placed in the top three or let alone won the race. My £5 each way investment turned up trumps as she finished third and for a time looked as she had a change of winning. Tow other horses had the stamina and had to be separated by photo finish. I ended the day with £45 in the account as a consequence.
Decided to set off for Asda at Bolden while the race was being run so listened on the radio. I decide to take the trousers of my suit for a dry clean and a repair of the hen which had become unstitched and my temporary was unlikely to last another outing. While the trousers could be cleaned by Tuesday it would be Wednesday before the repair could be undertaken. However after explaining my predicament the work would be ready for collection after 3pm on Tuesday. Before going to the cinema theatre I purchased a lettuce, some oven foil, two cartons of dried figs and substance to clean out the sink plug holes, I then was disappointed to find out that there were no seats for the relay. This was surprising given the extent of the previous audience. Later I discovered there is a performance of Rigoletto on Tuesday evening and booked a seat for £10 online with the intention of collecting the trousers beforehand together with any shopping needed. The Opera is from the Royal Opera House London.
I returned to watch Britain’s Got Talent where a 14 year old singer and a young man singer songwriter caught the attention as well as a street dance crew, and group of camp gays plus some acrobats from Hungary. The previous week a young girl and her dog stole the show.
A very different day had been planned planed for the Saturday which centred on the Durham versus Nottingham championship cricket match which I attended yesterday. A delayed start of my own making meant that on arrival I could not find and a behind glass seat on a cold day. I got an under cover balcony seat and then noticing that the pitch was at the far end I saw that I could get an over wicket view from the middle and top deck of the stand adjacent to the media centre.
I did not enjoy the experience as it was cold with a nasty biting wind and Durham commenced to lose wickets. They were all out for 35 runs less than Nottingham and I was immediately fearful about the subsequent outcome. It was a similar situation to what happened at Trent Bridge in their first game of season. However they went on to score 500 runs in their second innings and then bowled out the opposition to win the game with the three bowling points to be of the leaders in the table of those sides playing their first game. My fear was justified as Notts went on to make 335 although one batsman Lumb contributed 131 after Hales got the side off to an excellent start with 57. Durham then collapsed and it was only an excellent 80 by captain Mustard with the help of last man Mitch Claydon with who went for 55 that prevented the humiliation being greater.
Along with Lancashire and Worcestershire they only have 3 points from their first game and make the bottom of the table with Notts with their 2 wins at the top and everyone else with one win. Former Durham batsman Coetzer did not have a good start against Kent where former Durham all rounder and brother of Steve moved over the winter. He made 46 before being run out as Kent went on to win by an innings.
It was the last in the Montalbano series I discovered when I watched the recording after the talent show again there was no Livia although she was to visit for the wedding of the Deputy who was taking a month’s leave at the same time. To replace him was a young woman who Montalbano had known before when she was 12. She hits it off with his third in charge and they are seen going dancing towards the end of the film...
A well liked doctor at the local hospital appears to have committed suicide while fishing from a rocky premonitory, He is the same doctor who lashes out at the hospital when discovery that his daughter is pregnant. The girl is rescued from her father’s clutches after disclosure that she is being kept prisoner by him so that the child which she wants to keep can be placed for adoption. She is cared for a Catholic run home for single mothers. When Montalbano and his crew find out that the wife has cleared their bank account and sold up he traces the couple to fleeing the island at he air port, silently confronts them and leaves letting them know he knows and but will do nothing about this. He puts to the priest in charge of the mother and baby home the proposition that the man of otherwise good character had regretted his action and his saintly wife had forgiven him. The savings had been passed to the priest for the care of the girl and her children.
The main story concerned two women on their way to church who were stopped by someone on a motorcycle who had fired at close range. A third woman is fired at with a real bullet but misses and the fourth is shot and killed and a fifth shot again with a blank. The authorities and the media attack the failure of the police to apprehend. Montalbano work out that the first attacks are a ruse with the purpose deflecting attention from the husband of the killed woman that he had hired someone to kill her when he found she was giving her money on which he depended to a local fortune teller. There was even more of gentle meander through his detective life and those of his closest associates in this final programme. I shall miss the detective and hope to read an original work some day.
The football this weekend was all round disappointing. Sunderland could only manage a draw at home. Newcastle are not planning and trying to train in a way which mean they do not repeat what happened on previous breaks and losing momentum to a defeat. The main disappointment was the defeat of Everton in FA Cup by Liverpool late on after having taken a first half lead and that Chelsea thumped Spurs who I wanted to keep in the Cup to take their attention away from fourth place Champions versus Newcastle. Their game against Spurs will be crucial as in the QPR home game against Spurs this Saturday which I hope to watch live via a pub. Man U was defeated to reduce the lead between them and Man City back to 5 points, while Arsenal also lost at home which means that the gap between them Spurs and Newcastle has reduced. Newcastle stay 2 points ahead of Chelsea. I have used up my available Funds with Paddy Power having a cover bet win draw eith Newcastle which will net a gain of two or three pounds as long as they do not lose and a long shot bet on Chelsea winning the Champions League which would bring in £200 and be a game changer.
I use the term Game Changer deliberately for the Game Change is the title of a fascinating and presumable accurate account of the Sarah Palin selection as Vice President potential running mate for the White House. This is the best USA political documentary type film about the USA that I have experienced better than Watergate and the attempted cover up. The film begins with the Republican adopted Presidential Candidate floundering in the polls against the Charismatic personality of Obama and his team seeking a game changing move through the decision who should be his running mate for the Vice Presidency. The team had been positive vetting a number of prospects all men for several weeks five to six and this included finding out whatever personal and political dirt the other side would use, the actual political knowledge and views especially on foreign policy and any differences between view with the Presidential candidate.
They decided they needed a woman who would appeal to the right of the party. Sarah Plain appeared the ideal choice. She was married with five children. The youngest child was born with severe learning difficulties. She had tackled the old right in her own party in Alaska to gain the governorship. She had turned down proposed Federal money for a bridge on the grounds that if it was built it would be built without a call on taxation. One of sons was off to serve and fight in Iraq/Afghanistan. An environmentalist she supported exploration for home oil to reduce dependency on external interests. She supported gun ownership.
Videos of her speeches impressed. But the vetting only took 5 days before the presentation of the candidate to as meeting of the faithful.
The first problems could all be handled. Her husband has been a member of a political party supporting Alaska independence for 7 years. One of her daughters was unmarried and pregnant. She had supported Federal taxes for the Bridge only changing position later. But all this was small beer before they realised that she was apolitical ignoramus on the economy and finance, on anywhere outside of Alaska and the USA and on history. She was a brilliant actress with prepared speeches and she was great at the hand he and kissing of babies one to tour but cross examination on political issues by one political journalists and she embarrassing. She new the UK were an ally but through the Queen was the political head. She had no knowledge of finances and the economy at the time of the great bank crash and bail out. She did not know why there a North and South Korea or who fought who and why in the Second World War.
The crash course in knowledge was a disaster. She wrote down furiously without learning or comprehending. She reacted resentfully and spitefully when anyone question her or attached her thus giving value to stories about her behaviour in getting to the Governorship and once she took power. Later when she recovered especially by learning lines and getting them across as with the Presidential Vice President’s debate and was a proved vote winner she began to see herself as the President and decided to go her own way rather than support the Presidential candidate.
The film appears to be very different from the book which concentrate on the Obama Campaign. Perhaps it is a TV series rather than a film. I will have to find out later. I will also leave The Messenger as time as caught up with me.
This is a more scrappy piece than usual. Bed calls.
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