New Year, New Job

The last month has been one of the most difficult times I've had for a long time. The company I work for went into Administration which immediately sent alarm bells ringing about my long-term future. Administration then became Receivership which confirmed the company was in a winding-down process and that eventually, I would lose my job.

On top of that, I lost my Father-in-Law who died suddenly and with no prior warning, from a heart attack which has been devastating for my wife, and extremely sad for me to lose someone I greatly respected.

All in all, it was not a great prospect for a good Christmas.

However, I have now been offered a job in a new firm, and, from what I was able to gather from the interview, would be perfect for me. A company not too large so as not to know everybody, but not too small that would be in immediate difficulty if the economic winds of change should blow.

I start on the 3rd January 2008. A far better Christmas present than I was expecting.

A Soldier's Lot

Yesterday was Remembrance Sunday which, for once, actually fell on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, and while I was standing at Aspull War Memorial my mind began to wander and I started to think about the role of the soldier in a modern western democracy.

What is the purpose of the military?

First and foremost, defense of the Realm; to repel invasion and ensure that the UK's citizen's are free to follow their dreams.

The second, to buy the time for politicians to get their acts together, find reason and settle their differences diplomatically and responsibly. The military pay for that luxury of time with their lives, and at present it feels it is being squandered and treated with disdain.

The reality is that any conflict is ended once people of good intent sit down and start talking to each other. They may hate everything their opposite may stand for, but by talking, at least there is the possibility of understanding, and from understanding comes peace.

All it requires are the people of good faith to start this process, and until they are found, young men and women will continue to die and be maimed and hold the line, buying in the only way they know, the time for the rest of us to get it together.

Rememberance Sunday

For The Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Laurence Binyon (1914)

Administration - The Latest

A meeting on Friday provided some basis for optimism when the Administrators gave an update on the situation.

There is one company they are in negotiation with who wants to purchase the company as a going concern. Obviously, they couldn't give details, but I suspect it will be the same wazzocks that got us into this mess in the first place.

Obviously, everyone at work is very tense and concerned, and a lot of 'gallows' humor is doing the rounds. As a manager, I'm finding it totally exhausting, trying to remain positive and to keep my team's spirits up.

Working in customer services, also means I have our customers to deal with and explain to them that refunds can't be processed at the moment. The last week has been exceptionally hard work, particularly emotionally, and I never want to be in a similar position again.

According to the Administrators, we should know the final position within a couple of weeks. I hope so, because I'm not sure how much of this I can take!

Administration

Came back from holiday last week to be informed that the company I work for had gone into Voluntary Administration. This means that the day to day activity of the company is in the hands of administrators, and that the company is being prepared for sale.

The future is looking very uncertain at the moment, and not a little depressing. Obviously, I've now started looking for a new job, just in case, but the administrators are hoping to sell it as a going concern.

Not much to cheer about, however, I should know more about where the company stands by Friday.

Red Sox, Game 2 - Win

The Sox won their second match in the World Series to go 2 games to 0 up with three to go. Now the location moves to Denver and Colorado's home ground.

Fingers crossed that the Sox hold their nerve and win the one remaining match to secure overall victory.

Red Sox, Game 1 - Win

First game of the season and Sox thrash what appears to be a woefully unprepared. Josh Beckett ripped the heart out of the Colorado offense while Dustin Pedroia kicked it off for the Sox with a homer in the first innings.

See, I sound like a life-long fan now! Anyway, good luck to the Soxs for tonight.

The Sox Go Marching On

My first season supporting the Boston Red Sox is turning out to be a bit of a success and is providing some lift to a bit of a deflated supporter of English sport.

After England rugby and Lewis Hamilton came second in their respective competitions, it was a moment of cheer when I read that the Sox have made it through to meet Colorado in the World Series.

Well done and good luck.

A Game Too Far - England Lose

After yet another bruising encounter, England's men of Oak just couldn't do it one more time and beat South Africa to retain the Webb Ellis Trophy - the World Cup.

Mind you, they really gave it a go and Did not allow South Africa to get out of sight. The final score of 15 - 6 accurately, in my opinion, the difference between the two teams.When it really mattered, England were just lacking in some key areas, and South Africa made us pay for a couple of early mistakes.

But what disappointment. The disallowed try, the drop-goals that didn't go over - so many if only's, but one thing is certain, those men can hold their heads up high with pride, both at what they have achieved during the World Cup, but more importantly, with the manner of the way they turned their campaign around. After the defeat to South Africa in the group matches, when South Africa scored 36 unanswered points against them, The England team dug deep and came out fighting. Whatever their obvious deficiencies (lack of ability to score trys) they more than made up for it in heart and determination.

Never pretty, it was so ugly it was beautiful!

Well done South Africa, you played well and deserved to win. England, I am proud of you.


Finally, the Boston Red Sox have pulled it around and thrashed Cleveland in the penultimate game of the play-offs. One game to go and it's even stevens. Why can't I support a team that is predictable?

Game 5 - Win

Last night the Boston Red Sox came back strongly against the Cleveland Indians to win 7 to 1.

This brings the series score to 3 - 2 in Cleveland's favour with 2 matches left to play.

Nail-biting stuff all this sport!

D-Day Minus 2

Two days to go before England's World Cup final against South Africa, and Brian Ashton has only made one change to the side that crushed France's dreams last Saturday.

Mark Cueto has been drafted in to take the place of Josh Lewsey who pulled a hamstring in last week's match.

Mark, who has been an England 'nearly' man, now has the chance to shine and show his true worth.

I have to admit that the tension is now getting to me. England have gone from zero's to hero's in less than 5 weeks, and have a chance to make history by being the first team to successfully defend the World Cup - wouldn't that just make the Aussies sick!

This weekend is going to be a sporting weekend supreme, and by the end of it, England rugby could be World Champions, and Englishman Lewis Hamilton could well be the Formulae 1 World Champion. Not to forget that the England Cricket team are actually performing quite well out in Sri Lanka, the only team to be letting the side down is the football team - nothing new there!

Game 4 - Lost

This is not looking good.

The Sox went down again, to Cleveland which means they now have to win their remaining games.

Haven't lost hope yet, but from my limited knowledge, it does look tough.

Game 3 - Lost

Oh dear,

Looks like they are going to put us through the wringer! Boston lost again, last night leaving them down 2 games to 1. Now's the time to get their heads together and get out there and make it happen.

I do not want my first year of supporting the Red Sox to end in failure and defeat! I wonder what colour socks the Yankees wear?

Game 2 - Lost

The Red Sox had a stumble on their way to glory when they went down to Cleveland on Saturday, 13 - 6.

However, the record speaks for itself, the Sox have won 9 out of the last 12 matches against Cleveland so the omens are positive.

With England doing the unexpected in Paris, who knows what the mighty Sox will do. We have to remain positive to the bitter end.

Thanks Jen for the explanations, and I didn't realise there were rule differences between to 2 divisions. Mind you, the deeper I get into this the more confusing it gets (a bit like the offside rule in Rugby!).

Anyway, good luck for tonight and hopefully the result will go the right way.

We're In The Final!

Not bad for a bunch of losers!

England rugby team, 80/1 outsiders just 6 weeks ago, have an opportunity to defend the trophy in the final of the Rugby World Cup. After a tense, and at time, pretty ugly match, they prevailed against the hosts and, after last week's win against New Zealand, favourites - France.

From the moment England were the grateful recipients of a big slice of luck, and hesitancy in the French defense to score a try in 80 seconds, to the Johnny Wilkinson (who else) drop goal in the dying moments that finally broke French hearts, England battled and defended to the point of insanity.

England's defensive line is totally unrecognisable to the team that went down by over 30 points to South Africa just 4 short weeks ago. What England lacked in endeavour and opportunity, it made up with heart, soul, guts and sheer bloody mindness.

The players left the Parc de France as heroes and now have the opportunity to be the first team to successfully defend the World Cup trophy in the history of the competition.

Roll on next Saturday - can't wait.

Game 1 - Won

It is in this blog I finally demonstrate my appalling lack of knowlede of the American version of Rounders - Major League Baseball, but in consideration of my blog friend Jen, I have been following, and in more recent days starting to properly support, the Boston Red Sox in their bid for World Series glory.

Last night they played their first game in the ALCS (whatever that is) Championship against the Cleveland Indians and won 10 - 3, which seems pretty comprehensive to me.

My understanding is that if they win 3 out of 5 games, then they will be in the World Series against the winners of the NLCS (whatever that is). The World Series is a best of 9 matches to win the overall championship.

Apparently, the New York Yankees sank without trace this year, which, according to my friend Jen is a GOOD THING - and who am I to disagree?

Just one question - why is it called the "World Series" when only teams from the Major Baseball League can take part? Seems a bit dismissive of the rest of the world.

We Were Supposed To Lose

Australia 10 - 12 England

What the hell happened? Where was the runaway Australia victory? Where was the revenge for what happened four years ago when a Johnny Wilkinson drop-goal destroyed the hopes, dreams and self-image of a nation?

England had been given no chance in this quarter-final match. If one believed the newspaper reports, all Australia had to do was to turn up and victory was assured. No-one gave England a chance, including this writer - except the 30 players from whom the team would be picked.

They were magnificent, bold, courageous and determined. Defense was resolute, and with the kicking of a resurgent Johnny Wilkinson, slowly, but surely, we kept pace with the Australian score, before taking the lead with about 30 minutes (or a life-time) to go!

Here is the Observer's report, the Sunday Times report, The Sunday Independent report - I could go on, but reading those, you get the drift. It was magnificent, and I still can't quite believe it.

But that wasn't the end to the surprises, France beat the mighty, and firm favourites, New Zealand by 20 points to 18 which will mean an England/France semi-final next weekend. It should be a great one and I can't wait.

God Bless American Business

With all the troubles going on in the world, it is good to know that the Recording Industry Association of America was able to get its pound of flesh from a Minnesota woman who shared 24 songs she had down loaded. Personally, I felt that the $222,000 (yes TWO-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS) was a bit lenient, baring in mind the difficulties the recording industry is facing!

The recording industry on Thursday won the largest judgment so far against consumers who illegally download music over the Internet when a federal jury ordered a 30-year-old Minnesota woman to pay $222,000 for copyright infringement.

The victory could embolden (a nice George Bush expression) the industry in its four-year legal campaign against piracy at a time when illegal sharing of music online is exploding and dramatically reducing music sales.

The decision by the jury in a federal district court in Duluth, Minn., against Jammie Thomas, an Indian reservation employee, is the first case of its type to come to trial. The verdict could convince others accused of pirating music to settle their cases.

Goodness knows how this poor women is going to pay it, but I suppose she now knows what path the rest of her life is going to take.

Of course, it does raise a question on how did the RIAA know she had downloaded and shared the files. Surely they weren't spying illegally on her aka the White House?

The Troops Come Home (Well Some Of Them)

One has to be cynical about the timing, but the decision is welcome enough. In an attempt to clearly take the spotlight away from the Conservative Party Conference, Prime Minister Gordon Brown flew to Iraq to 'meet the troops'.

He confirmed that the troop level will be reduced by 1,000 by the end of the year and the Basra province be handed over to full Iraqi control within 2 months. This will reduce our troops in the area to 4,500.

Of course, the Conservatives branded the announcement as 'cynical', which of course it is, but I would prefer to have seen a complete timetable for total withdraw, and not just a 'token' in an attempt to spoil the Tory conference.

Another Chance For Burma

During 1943 to 1945, my father had the honour to serve alongside the Burmese Rifles as they strove to remove the Japanese from Burma. In difficult terrain and conditions, these brave men and women, along with the 13th Liverpool Regiment, fought long and hard to remove a murderous and oppressive regime.

Eventually, the Japanese were defeated in the South-East Asia theatre of World War Two, and in 1948, Burma won its independence from the UK and had the opportunity to forge its own destiny. The Burmese Republic, called the ‘Union of Burma’ was born and its progress into the 20th Century was rapid and significant. In 1961, its UN representative, U Thant was elected as the United Nations Secretary General

This fledgling democracy was strangled in 1962 when the oppressive military junta of General Ne Win took control through a bloody coup d’etat. Since then, under a procession of cruel and oppressive military leaders, Burma or as it now wants to be known, Myanmar, the population has been held in check.

Throughout that time, pockets of opposition have grown up, only to be brutally wiped out when it became too much for the leadership. In 1990, elections were held and, of the 489 seats available, the democratic opposition won 392. This election, of course, was ruled null and void by the ruling junta. At that point, the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been held under house arrest – though that did not stop her from being awarded the Sakharov Peace Prize in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Released from house arrest in 1995, she was told that if she left the country, she would not be allowed back in. Her British husband was in the UK with their children and was dieing of cancer. She never got to see her husband, and has not seen her children from 1990.

The junta is widely believed to be at the centre of human trafficking, enforced labour and slavery, and commonly uses to torture and execution to maintain control. That situation remains.

The recent demonstrations by monks and the population are yet another effort by those who see a democratic future for the country to persuade their ‘Government’ to abdicate and allow genuine free elections. It is a window of opportunity for the rest of the world. Already, George Bush has announced sanctions to be imposed against Burma. Anyone who has read my posts knows I’m no admirer of Bush, but in this act, as far as it goes, has to be applauded. This time, there is no reason for the rest of the free world not to follow suit. As I write this, reports are coming in of 3 monks shot to death by the military. There is no time to waste. We must act now.

My father always said that the Burmese people were some of the gentlest, yet bravest and compassionate people he had ever met and it tears him apart to this day. From his descriptions, it is definitely a country I would want to visit, but not until a true democracy exists.

Aung San Suu Kyi once said: ‘It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.’