Farewell to Camelot...

I've just heard about the sad, sad news of Ted Kennedy's death. What a shame; such a great man who did so much to help the less fortunate. With his death, the end of Camelot seems even more final. Ted and his brothers could have changed the world for the better, had they not been so cruely (and very likely deliberately) obstructed in their quest. I'm sure there will be many people mourning his loss, and my heart goes out to them.

R.I.P. Edward Moore Kennedy

1932-2009

As much as I admire him, I know there are some people who not only disliked Ted Kennedy, but actively hated him. British newspaper The Daily Mail was even callous and crass enough to label him the 'Senator of Sleaze' on the same day as his funeral. Classy. (Though I would like to point out, that given just how many people and things the Daily Mail hates, this could well be seen as a positive indictment on Ted's character!)

His detractors also frequently bring up the subject of Chappaquiddick, a tragic incident which led to the death of a young woman - Mary Jo Kopechne. The accusation generally runs along the lines that, after crashing their car into a tidal canal off Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts, an inebriated Kennedy swam free and left Ms. Kopechne to drown. TOSH!!

The reality of the entire incident is far more complicated than that. It is inherently linked to the assassinations of both his brothers, John in 1963 and Robert in 1968. I'm not going to go into any great depth here, which would take an eternity, and there are many far more concise sources than I. However, if you would like to know why I believe Ted Kennedy was innocent, I suggest you read 'The Kennedys: The Conspiracy to Destroy a Dynasty' by Matthew Smith. You don't have to agree with his conclusions, but I hope you'll agree he raises some very interesting (and consequently very disturbing) questions about the official version of what happened on that infamous night in July 1969.

Who needs the Williams sisters?!

My all time favourite tennis player, Roger Federer, and his lovely wife Mirka have welcomed the birth of their twin girls, Charlene Riva and Myla Rose. He posted a picture on his Facebook page and they all look so wonderful!


I can't imagine what a shock it must be from having no-kids, to having two!! Major change of lifestyle! Though I'm sure Roger and Mirka will cope splendidly, and I'm also sure that Roger's family (and indeed Mirka's too) must be overjoyed too!

The media have been wildly speculating,"Will the girls turn out to be the next Williams sisters?" Sheesh. Making ridiculous statements about the possible future greatness of a celebrity's offspring has never been done before... How original! Wouldn't it be nice if just once, the press could simply say 'congratultions on the birth of your beautiful children' and leave it at that?

Well, that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Congratultions Roger and Mirka!! Your daughters are gorgeous, and they're very lucky to have two parents as wonderful as you! May they have every good thing in life, and their futures be filled with happiness!

This has certainly been an amazing year for the Fed-Express - he's definitely on the up and up! Long may it continue...

Long time no see...

Hey! I know I haven't posted for a while, but that's because I've been insanely busy for the past couple of weeks, and there have been some very exciting developments!

I am now officially the political editor for my university's new online magazine!!!!!

YAY!!! I can't tell you how great this is! It's not a paid position, but it means I'll finally have some real journalistic experience, so after I graduate I'll have a better chance of establishing a journalism career. I'm kinda nervous about it - hoping it won't prove to be too much on top of all my university studies - but hopefully, it should work out nicely.

So happy!! :-)

Game, set and match!

Roger Federer won Wimbledon!!!!


After much nail-biting on my part, the 'Fed-Express' finally beat Andy Roddick in an epic, 77-game, 5-set battle. Lasting for over 4 hours, it has to be one of the tensest matches I've ever seen. Despite his eventual defeat, Roddick played fantastically well in what I think was probably the best match of his career. Federer however, displayed his usual genius, taking the match 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14 in 4 hours 16 minutes, claiming his sixth Wimbledon title. The triumph marks Federer's 15th Grand Slam win, exceeding the previous record of 14-titles held by Pete Sampras, who was present on Centre Court to witness Federer's historic victory. The win also allowed Federer to reclaim his position as the number one ranked player in the world.

So Congratulations Federer!! The King of Wimbledon!! You really deserved it!

PS. And this definitely makes you Gee Whizzable!!!!!

Happy 4th July!

I'd just like to wish all my American friends, and everyone else on the other side of the pond, a very Happy Independence Day, honoured with a little Muppet-themed patriotism.

Long live Liberty and the Republic!

Deuce!

I've been watching the Wimbledon tennis tournament for the last week and a bit, and I have to say, it's been one of the best championships of recent years. The weather's been great, with very little rain, and a lot of the matches have been real cliffhangers. There have even been a few surprise early exits for some of the higher ranked players, including Maria Sharapova who got knocked out in only the 2nd round.


Today I watched the Men's Semi-Final matches between Roger Federer and Tommy Haas, and Andy Roddick and Andy Murray. Roger Federer is my all time favourite player, so I was really relieved when he beat Haas and got through to the final. Roddick beat Murray in their match, so the bubble of hysteria surrounding Andy Murray - so called 'Murray Mania' - has finally burst. He did play very well though, so I'm sure he'll be back with a vengeance next year. I can't say I'm particularly looking forward to watching the Men's Final between Federer and Roddick on Sunday (though I will of course!), as I'm pretty sure it's going to be an epic, 5-set, fiercely-fought, nail-biter. They're both incredibly good players and seem very evenly matched, though Federer has won on both of their previous meetings in the Wimbledon Final. If Federer wins this time (and I'm praying he does) it'll be his 15th Grand Slam title, beating Pete Sampras' record of 14! I'll let you know whether I've knawed my fingers to the bone after the match...

PS. On a completely unrelated note, I've been making a mesh insect screen for my bedroom window, to keep the bugs out while letting the air in. My, what an exciting life I lead...

A bit of lexicographical conservation...

Cockamamie.

It's a good word. It's going out of style. Use it.

PS. It's gee whizzable!

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

I'm a university student, studying History, which I enjoy even though it's a lot harder than I thought it would be. I'm currently spending the summer at home with my parents, and I can't get a job because the economy is (as I'm sure you're well aware) firmly in the crapper. I'd like to travel but can't afford it, prefer dogs to cats, enjoy Gilbert and Sullivan, think Back to the Future is the best film ever, and believe that there was most definitely a conspiracy to kill JFK.

Having read that, you've probably made a whole host of judgements about me as a person, and I don't blame you - I'd do exactly the same thing. ("Back to the Future?! Is she KIDDING?!") Hopefully, whatever you think of me won't stop you from reading the rest of this blog - not that I've written it yet; that's still to come...

So hang onto your hats kids, it's going to be one heck of a ride.

Hey!

Hi!
Welcome to the blog! Hope you find something to while away an idle moment or two...