3pm tomorrow - rugby world cup semi final

from the bbc:

England v France (Sat)

Wilkinson will be key for England, while Ibanez will lead France

England v France
Saturday, 13 October
Stade de France, Paris

England will be hoping to maintain the momentum of a shock win over Australia when they meet France in Saturday's World Cup semi-final in Paris.

Brian Ashton's side played their best rugby for four years but they face a French team inspired by an equally surprise win against the All Blacks.

Both teams go into "Le Crunch" unchanged, with a final against either South Africa or Argentina beckoning.

"It will take another monster effort by England," said RFU supremo Rob Andrew.

Interview: England coach Brian Ashton

Report: Paris set for 'Le Crunch'

Blog video: Tom and Ben hit the streets in Paris

"As they did last week, there has to be enormous togetherness, huge commitment but also a smartness in how they play."

England have slumped in the four years since beating Australia in the 2003 World Cup final, and they were given no hope last month after scraping a win against USA and losing 36-0 to South Africa in their first two poool games.

If you haven't got that will to sacrifice your body and soul for the cause, then things won't happen England captain Phil Vickery

But their performances were more encouraging in victories over Samoa and Tonga and they overpowered the Australian scrum to win 12-10 in Marseille last Saturday.

"The most pleasing thing about England last week was that they attacked areas of Australia's game which were perceived as weaknesses and in certain areas destroyed Australia," former England fly-half Andrew told BBC Radio 5live.

"This week it's about finding those holes in the France game, if you can, and then putting them into practice on the field backed up with another performance of enormous courage and determination."

Up to 40,000 England fans are expected to descend on Paris for the match and England captain Phil Vickery said: "The circumstances have changed. Suddenly there is anticipation from outside the camp of what is going to happen.

"France are favourites, but I have got confidence in my team. It won't be easy, but if we didn't think we could win the game, we wouldn't be here.

"People are going to have to find performances within themselves they never thought they had. If you haven't got that will to sacrifice your body and soul for the cause, then things won't happen."

606: DEBATE England v France will be all about the back row WeDon'tBottle

England field five survivors from their 2003 World Cup final team - Jonny Wilkinson, Vickery, Jason Robinson, Josh Lewsey and Ben Kay.

Ashton said: "Having players who have been there and won a World Cup final will help to set the right tone when the day comes.

"It will be a momentous occasion, but it won't be a massive surprise to half the team.

"We've been told 40,000 people are crossing the Channel this weekend. They will be buzzing around Paris - it is unbelievable.

The English have what we don't have - the World Cup trophy France flanker Serge Betsen

"The support has been phenomenal, and it makes a massive difference. I hope as many as possible of them get tickets."

France, who lost the opening match of the tournament to Argentina en route to finishing second in their pool, came back from 13-0 down to win 20-18 against tournament favourites the All Blacks in Cardiff.

"Beating the best side in the world [NZ] was fantastic but we have to concentrate on the task ahead," said France scrum-half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde.

"We'll celebrate later. We will still able to watch that match on ESPN in 30 years.

"This match will be our toughest in the entire campaign. We must believe in ourselves. At stake is a ticket to the most beautiful thing on earth."

France, the Six Nations champions, beat experimental England sides twice in the summer warm-up games, though Ashton's men recorded a 26-18 victory at Twickenham in March.

The hosts have never won the World Cup and lost the 2003 semi-final 24-7 to England in Sydney.

Flanker Serge Betsen, who was sin-binned in France's defeat four years ago, said: "I felt guilty because the team was penalised as a result of my yellow card, but I think that will spur me on.

"The English have what we don't have - the World Cup trophy."

---

England: Robinson; Sackey, Tait, Catt, Lewsey; Wilkinson, Gomarsall; Sheridan, Regan, Vickery (capt), Shaw, Kay, Corry, Moody, Easter.
Replacements: Chuter, Stevens, Dallaglio, Worsley, Richards, Flood, Hipkiss.

France: Traille; Clerc, Marty, Jauzion, Heymans; Beauxis, Elissalde; Milloud, Ibanez (capt), De Villiers, Pelous, Thion, Betsen, Dusautoir, Bonnaire.
Replacements: Poux, Szarzewski, Chabal, Harinordoquy, Michalak, Dominici, Poitrenaud.

Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)

Ice withdrawal 'shatters record'

Arctic sea ice shrank to the smallest area on record this year, US scientists have confirmed.

it's amazing but there are still people ( non-scientists) that refuse to believe that man is responsible for some of the dramatic changes we are seeing in our present climate.

i typed in "global warming is a myth" into google and found this site as the 3rd entry:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20070315&articleId=5086

...."I am not saying that it isn’t a good idea to take action to help the environment, but I ask you to consider this: if the majority of scientific data points to the fact that global warming is caused by the Sun, then how will a tax on carbon emissions help to stop it? How does us driving cars cause climate change on Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto, Neptune and Triton?"...

...It seems worrisome that politicians are all too eager to grab onto this man-made myth of global warming in order to make us afraid and guilty. Guilty enough to want to change it, and afraid enough to give up our freedoms and undergo massive financial expenses in order to do so. So this lie, being pushed by big money and big governments, is a convenient lie for those who want to exert control and collect money. However, it’s inconvenient for the mass amount of people who are already experiencing the problems of a widening wage-gap and fading middle class.

...If the problems we are being presented are based on lies, then how do we expect to find any true solution to helping the environment?...

right at the very end of the piece, we find out that the author is a 19-year old political student...in other words, he's not even studying a science degree! he's not even qualified to offer an opinion about a science issue!

i'm an amateur astronomer and familiar with the astronomical community and also the sun, how it works and how it will die. nobody is talking about the sun being responsible for global warming! are you reading about it anywhere in the science literature? i subscribe to a respected astronomy magazine and they sure aren't.

climate change on pluto? we know hardly anything about pluto! where are these so-called scientists getting their data from, the clangers?






better if they had mentioned nasa's new horizons pluto project, don't you think? http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/overview/whyGo.html

in science, they have a saying, outrageous claims requires outrageous evidence.

looking at the ice withdrawal image, i'd say the polar bears don't need convincing...

i leave the best nonsense i came across 'till last:

i found this gem on:
http://www.ourcivilisation.com/aginatur/prog1.htm#suspend

"What's more, 100 million years ago, there was six times as much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as there is now, yet the temperature then was marginally cooler than it is today. Many scientists have concluded that carbon dioxide doesn't even affect climate."

i wonder why they don't tell us who they are...

sir roger penrose at george mason university

daisy and i just got back from hearing a great (and controversial) talk on the beginning of the universe at GMU.

http://quantum.gmu.edu/penrose
some very acclaimed names in the large audience, including paul davies, author of "the last three minutes" (highly recommended).

brilliant!

cleveland beat the yankees to face boston for division title

it's difficult for me to feel happier about seeing any sports team lose than seeing the new york yankees lose, especially in post-season play, and even more so when they lose and their owner's dreams of chasing yet another title come to and end.

george steinbrenner's completely mad obsession with 'winning is everything - nothing else matters' mentality, is so obnoxious that it defies all moral and ethical standards about normal sporting behavior and competition. year after year after year, major league baseball allows team owners to bankroll efforts that place them at a distinct advantage in order to win themselves a so-called 'world championship', a title surely long overdue a name change, since no other countries are allowed to compete in north america...

luckily, just throwing obscene amounts of cash at A-rod and the like hasn't gotten this nasty megalomaniac the title he so perversely craves, and so on the very eve of his team facing elimination because of cleveland's outstandingly better play, he tells the media that his manager, joe torre is paid a lot of money, and will most likely lose his job if they lose.

class.

argentina vs scotland

this will be a tough remaining quarter final match-up, especially for scotland, as the pumas are ranked the fourth best side in the world but have never reached the final four, and scotland look shaky and have lost their last four out of five meetings against argentina.

as we have seen though in yesterdays and today's quarter final thrillers, anything can happen.

i'm picking argentina for the win. they have played some great rugby, look a very complete and confident side, and started off by beating both france and ireland in the tournament.

south africa vs fiji

if fiji win this world cup quarter final match-up, i'll walk through the streets of dc naked...

update:

south africa win, but a heroic effort by the fijian islanders nearly saw nutty appearing in the streets of dc sans clothing...

final score: south africa 35- 20 fiji

can he do it? - live on speed 2:00am

the chinese formula 1 grand prix.

can lewis hamilton do what no other driver has done before, win the formula 1 grand prix in his rookie season.

today i've seen:

england beat australia (how)
france beat new zealand (!@#%)
an iridium flare (rare sighting)
the international space station (fairly rare)

...come on lewis!

update:

Lewis Hamilton's world championship lead was slashed to just four points after the McLaren star retired from a dramatic Chinese Grand Prix.

The Englishman slid off the track on his way into the pit lane to change his tyres in a tricky wet-dry race.

He had already ceded the lead to Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari and was being pressured by team-mate Fernando Alonso.

Raikkonen won from the Spaniard - and they will stage a title showdown with Hamilton at the final race in Brazil.

international space station goes over dc

daisy and i went up to the roofdeck of our apartment building and saw the international space make a pass at 8:42pm.

i also managed to see an iridium flare at around 8:05pm.

for more on iridium flares, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_flare

new zealand vs france

kickoff 3:00pm

tournament favourites new zealand, will be hoping that france won't be able to manage what england did against australia earlier on today.

all of england will be hoping that france can pull off the biggest upset of this tournament...

update:

france pull off the miracle! somehow they meet england in the semi finals.

who would have thought of that at the beginning of the day...

rugby world cup quarter final - australia vs england

kickoff 9:00am

england are huge underdogs in this rematch of the 2003 rugby world cup final.




it will take more than an injury-time winning kick from jonny wilkinson for england to proceed to a semi-final.

expect australia to dominate, with their decisive pack and explosive running game. i don't see england weathering the last 20 minutes too well.

update:

england do the unthinkable, and produce a heroic performance to beat australia and reach the semi-finals of the 2007 rugby world cup!

australia 10-12 england

the US republican presidential race heats up

giuliani tries to imitate stephen hawking...

Russia marks 50 years of Sputnik

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7027199.stm


50 years ago today, marked the beginning of the space age, with the launch of the first satellite, sputnik. it was only twice the size of a football ( a round one), and it emitted a signal that could be heard on a household radio as it circled the earth for 22 days.

this might not sound much now, with our iphones and internet connectivity, but back then a tv, and especially a colour tv was a luxury, and most people didn't have one, so the radio and the newspaper served as the medium by which the masses received their news. an aluminium object, twice the size of a football, sputnik changed the world forever.

Bush Vetoes Children’s Health Insurance Bill

US President George W Bush has vetoed a bill to expand a children's healthcare insurance scheme, after it was passed with a large majority in the Senate.

for someone president of the richest nation on earth, has waged a war that has cost thousands of lives (and for what?), a supposed christian, and someone that has done everything in his power to dismantle civil rights and a woman's right to choose, let alone his appalling record on environmental issues, i'd say he's an:

evil cunt

At Starbucks, Songs of Instant Gratification

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/01/technology/01impulse.html?ref=technology

Like that song you hear playing at Starbucks, but just cannot wait until you get to a computer to download the song?

Starting tomorrow at certain Starbucks stores, a person with an iPhone or iTunes software loaded onto a laptop can download the songs they hear over the speakers directly onto those devices. The price will be 99 cents a song, a small price, Starbucks says, to satisfy an immediate urge.

“For the customer it’s an instant gratification,” said Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment. “You’ll hear the song, be able to identify what it is and download to the device.”

...er, when was the last time you walked into starbucks and they were playing something interesting, blokey, or that hasn't been played ten thousand times before?

"make mine a double mocha decaf vanilla latte with 2 diazepam..."

south africa vs usa

time to head home, usa. only 80 mins more to suffer.

ireland vs argentina

this will be a very difficult game for ireland. argentina are looking very confident, strong, and looking for a win against a shaky irish side.

it won't be easy for ireland. they must defeat argentina, score at least four tries and prevent the pumas from securing a bonus point if they are to sneak into the quarter-finals in their decisive Pool D match at parc des princes.

not much to ask, then...

Bush climate plans spark debate

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7019415.stm

A plan by US President George W Bush for countries to set their own targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions has drawn considerable criticism.

Some delegates at a meeting of the world's top 16 polluters saw Mr Bush's comments as a US reluctance to commit to binding action on global warming.

Officials at the Washington forum said legally-set international targets were the only way to tackle climate change.

Mr Bush stressed that combating climate change should not damage the economy.

And he again hinted that the US would not commit itself to mandatory CO2 cuts.

...this will be as effective in reducing CO2 emissions as would be imposing voluntary speed limits on american roads and expecting drivers to observe them.

since when did voluntary goals achieve ANYTHING?

we have laws precisely because we cannot voluntarily achieve goals set by society and government.

here's a couple of examples: "littering is illegal" signs you see at the side of roads. well how come there's so much crap lying around everywhere? perhaps they should change the signs to say "if you litter, you're a cunt!" that would make you think twice before chucking your twinkie wrapper out of the window of a moving car! i mean, who the hell wants to think they're a cunt? (don't answer george...)

or how about "please drink responsibly" bollocks you see at the bottom of on all the alcohol ads on tv. how come you see so many drunk assholes out at the weekend?

or am i fucking missing something?

scotland vs italy (kickoff 3:00pm)

scotland will be looking for a win against the azzuri with a win taking them to the quarter finals.

wales vs fiji

gareth jenkins' career could definitely use a boost with an expected win over the islanders for a place in the final eight.

should be an interesting game.

update: wow! easily the most thrilling game of the tournament so far. sorry to see wales bow out of the competition, but you have to applaud the fijians. one of the best games of rugby i've seen.

final score: wales 34 - 38 fiji

happy nuptials to kenny & milena!

they did the deed yesterday and we all met up at poste last night for drinks.

i'll post some pics when i get them.

australia vs canada (kickoff 9:00am)

australia are resting key players ahead of the england match-up, and exposing others to their first taste of the 07 rugby world cup in this test match against canada.

unlike american football, where a punt return can change the game, this will be still be command performance by australia, even without key starters.

england vs tonga! (kickoff 3:00pm)

England and Tonga go head-to-head for a place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals. who the hell would have thought that was the headline of the pool stage of the defending champions?

game on!

update: england 36 - 20 tonga

outstanding effort by the tongans. what a great performance they have shown in this year's tournament. nobody could have possibly begrudged their tries against us.

leader of the free world?

Tributes pour in for legend rally driver Colin McRae

The world of motorsport has paid tribute to former World Rally champion Colin McRae, who died along with his young son in a helicopter crash on Sunday, September 16th.

McRae, 39, the son of five-times British rally champion Jimmy, wrote his name in the record books in 1995 when he became the first Briton to win the World Rally Championship. ...i've watched colin mcrae many times on tv in britain (they actually cover world rally driving over there).

anyone who thinks nascar drivers are good should see what these guys do...

samoa vs usa

the end of any rugby world cup 2007 pride for usa if they lose this match.

update: samoa 25 - 21 usa

usa will now need to defeat south africa....(place your bets) in order not to finish bottom of group A.

the population of samoa is just over 200,000...

nothing else says "i'm a dj" quite like this...

looking for a new dj table?

how about this?

http://www.offi.com/products/tables/djKreemy.php

click on the link and check out the price...

scotland vs new zealand (kickoff 11:00am)

scotland surely face a mountain of a challenge in beating the all backs (that's their real name) at murrayfield, in edinburgh today. scotland coach, frank hadden has not only this game to consider, but also next week's match-up against italy. in short, i think he's conceding this game in an attempt to produce a side that is fresh and strong as possible for the azzurri. this tournament is all about reaching the quarter finals...

as much as i'm rooting for scotland (and me an englishman!), i can't see the best team playing rugby in the world right now failing to take apart scotland, even if the game is being played on home turf.

australia vs fiji

fiji will walk all over australia in this game.

nah, just kidding, but at least fiji are unbeaten in their two previous pool matches. they can expect a thorough beating by the wallabies.

argentina vs namibia (kickoff 3:00pm)

expect argentina to roll over namibia after their excellent victorys over france and georgia.

england vs samoa (kickoff now! 10:00am)

er, no comment, but what a game tonga played against south africa!

easily the best game of the rugby world cup so far.

let's hope england actually show some life on the field...

brian ashton: you're done if you can't get your players to even do the basics today.

south africa vs tonga (kickoff 8:00am - i'm off to get a coffee!)

all of england is rooting for the hard-hitting tongans!




...expect the same sort of dismantling though by the springboks. especially when the game wears on into the second half.

topdjgear.com

Removed post.

france vs ireland

this is undoubtedly the most important match of the tournament for both teams.

france must win or else face a shock exit, and ireland cannot be happy after their dismal performance against georgia, finally scraping a 14-10 victory against a minnows of a side in world rugby terms.

i cannot see france losing this match-up at home. do so will mean the head of bernard laporte, the french coach. he, and everyone else knows it.

anyone who watched the thrilling six nations match between ireland and france when ireland came so close to lifting the triple crown, knows that ireland can take it to the french.

final score of that game: ireland 17-20 france

but today, the french are playing at stade de france, in paris, not at croke park stadium, in dublin...and unless ireland play completely different rugby from that which they played against namibia and georgia, france will simply be too strong for them.

topdjgear.com

Removed post.

wales vs japan (kickoff 3:00pm)

after losing 32-20 to australia, wales will be relishing this game against japan, especially since it's being played in wales.

if the brave blossoms (japan) win this game, i know bugger-all about rugby, and all of wales will hang their heads in shame and go into mourning.

demolition time @ 501!

at long last nutty and rebecca are getting a decent kitchen and ripping down the connecting wall from the kitchen to the lounge area.

the contractors have walked in with a couple of sledge hammers, so i don't fancy the wall's chances...

nutty will cook a special curry for our friends when we have our new space.

before photos:

italy v portugal (kickoff 2:00pm)

scrum half, alessandro troncon will earn his 100th test cap for italy.

only seven remain of the opener against romania, and is eager to put aside their surprisingly mediocre performance.

expect an easy victory for the azzurri.

scotland v romania

a must-win game for scotland, who are favourites for what

should be an entertaining match-up from murrayfield.

underworld at central park

you were either there, or you weren't.

england vs south africa

the only good thing about this match-up is that i'm not going to be able to watch the dismantling of england by the springboks.

where to start? vickery (our captain) out, suspended for 2 games for that stupid trip, and our two leading fly-halves (critical position) are out through injuries.

if england win this, it will only be because the nazarene himself has returned, sent from above, pulled on a shirt with a rose on it and took to the field. either that, or we produce the biggest upset in the tournament so far.

...sadly, nutty doesn't believe in miracles.

italy vs romania

expect an easy win for a good looking six nations italian side here, despite their recent total dismantling by the all blacks (76-14...ouch!)

...perhaps next time they won't turn their backs to the haka.

having said that, a team doesn't have to face it, they can do what they want in my opinion. just because it's a great new zealand tradition (which i fully support, and never want to see the haka banned or disappear from international rugby) it doesn't mean the rest of the world's rugby teams has to stand there like lemons while new zealand performs it.

usa vs tonga

i wonder, given all the flag-waving tributes of yesterday, just how many americans are watching their country compete in international sport's second biggest competition this morning?

how many even know their country is playing?

usa should win this match-up judging by their performance against england. tonga are very physical, though, and it will be a tough game in the second half.

i watched espn last night and saw plenty of coverage of the women's soccer world cup, and nothing at all on the rugby world cup!

that just about says it all.

if america isn't any good at a sport, americans won't get to hear about it. don't believe me? go buy a newspaper today and try and find any coverage of the rugby world cup.

if there is any, i guarantee it will be a footnote compared to women's soccer...how depressing!

update:

usa loses to tonga 25 - 15...

Viking ship 'buried beneath pub'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/6986986.stm

A 1,000-year-old Viking longship is thought to have been discovered under a pub car park on Merseyside.

The vessel is believed to lie beneath 6ft to 10ft (2m to 3m) of clay by the Railway Inn in Meols, Wirral, where Vikings are known to have settled.

Experts believe the ship could be one of Britain's most significant archaeological finds.

...1000 years ago at the pub: "o.k. do we get a taxi, or get the oars out and row back?..."

south africa vs samoa

expect a fairly easy warm-up against england win for the springboks.

of course, samoa will take heart from argentina's performance and bring it to south africa.

england vs usa

after my experience with microsoft, i hope we crush the cunts.

update:

america played with real heart and can hold their heads up high. best i've seen them play in a world cup game. pity the england team didn't show up. we will be absolutely killed by south africa next friday.

i'm glad i'll miss the game as i'll be in new york at the underworld concert.

i hate microsoft!!!! (australia 91 japan 3)

i missed the entire australia vs japan game because windows media player (who the company uses to stream the games) decided to drop my DRM rights. if you don't know what they are, you're lucky.

it took me an hour of half fucking around with windows registry, uninstalling and reinstalling windows media player, trying to log on, only to receive error messages that i had failed to generate a licence - error number 2147188716, that i managed to see the very last 10 seconds of the match...

thank you, wankers at microsoft!

New Zealand v Italy

er, if italy can keep new zealand to within 25 points they will be doing well.