Unhappy Post

Firstly, I'm in shock after hearing about Paul Gray's death - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment_and_arts/10151406.stm

I hope the riffs are particularly heavy where you are, 2, the maggots miss you already.

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Then you've got the Murdoch press complaining about the 2 boys who've just been found guilty of attempted rape at the Old Bailey. While I agree with their general point that children shouldn't be tried at Crown Courts, no matter how heinous the matter, I could do with the tone being less 'those poor boys'. In defence of a couple of the articles in the Times, it's only the leader and the editorials taking that line, both the legal expert and one of the opinion pieces are at 'the poor victim'.

Let's be honest here, those boys deserve punishment, but they also need a small army of psychologists, because what have we (as a society) done when pre-pubescents think 'let's go rape a girl'.

World Cup Adverts

(Which reminds me, I really need to bring back my football icon)

One of the best things about the World Cup build-up is the adverts.

The two I really like are the Pepsi Max one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiB3683PztQ), which is a fun advert, and really builds on the previous World Cup ad from 2006 where the tag was "play you for it". It also does the nigh on impossible of making Didier Drogba seem loveable ;)

The other is the Carlberg advert - http://www.youtube.com/englandteamtalk#p/a/u/0/66OuJZGDCHE(You might need to confirm your age for that one)

I don't know why, but there's something about the combo of the present sporting great and good (Steve Redgrave, Kelly Holmes), some fond old friends of the same ilk (Ian Botham, Foggy), the very stereotypical England fan costumes (nuns, crusaders), the unseen England team, where all you see is their backs (more analytically, genius way of getting round not knowing who would be going), a mosaic of Bobby Robson (may he be watching from heaven) and then when they walk up the stairs to the pitch and there's suddenly sunlight and old blurry footage of Bobby Moore pretty much saying, "come on, lads". It gets to me.

And, well, you all know I'll be cheering for Italy, but for one of the few times in my life (the Manchester Commonwealth games spring to mind as one of the others), I'm feeling patriotic about England.

Bloody good advert.