2008 Lists…

Countries Visited (5) -

United States (three times), Ireland, Honduras, Belize, Mexico

New Sporting Venues Visited (5) -

Prudential Center (New Jersey Devils), Wachovia Center (Philadelphia 76ers), Centennial Field (Vermont Lake Monsters), Trent Bridge (England v New Zealand test match), Queen’s Park, Chesterfield (Derbyshire cricket)

Test Centuries Witnessed (1) -

Kevin Pietersen v South Africa at The Oval

The Dmitri Loss List -

Singlehood, Wallet (once – but recovered. News travelled fast and I got two new wallets for Christmas), Mobile Phone (somewhere in County Clare), wedding ring (once – but recovered).

RIP -

Thankfully only one I knew well enough to go to his funeral, Mickey Bright. Long may this list be short.

Memorable Moments

Getting married in Cape May is obviously the highlight.

The engagement scene at Canary Wharf was also one of great amusement and joy. I confess I swore.

Snorkelling in Cozumel was exhilirating, as was swimming with Stingrays off Belize.

The Engagement party took a lot of organising, but was a tremendous laugh. I had too much to drink.

Christmas Day arrival of the beloved.

The moment I heard the visa had been granted. Thank God there was no-one in the office.

Disappointments

Being let down badly by Nationwide and the crap solicitors they appointed, and then being stitched up by their own watchdog. Disgraceful and disheartening.

The Oval Test was a damp, meaningless squib and I hope this year’s is better.

Fernwood in the Pocono.

The UK Border office – Passport control who still can’t get it in their skulls that my wife is a legitimate visitor with a valid visa now.

But other than that, not a lot really.

Memorable Places Visited -

I love Vermont, and Burlington was brilliant. Would love to go back there.

Cape May in late summer is good, with lovely sea temperatures, beaches and places to wine and dine.

I warmed a little to Miami.

San Pedro in Belize.

Would have been nice to see the Cliffs of Moher. Unfortunately when we got there it was fog bound. The bits of Clare we did see were stunning.

And my first camera stuck where the sun don’t shine! Hurrah!

Hopes for 2009

Happiness, health and hopefully some very good news some time…

My wife to settle in London and have a great time here.

WindyBricks to be promoted. Occidental Cured Meat to go bust. Yankees to implode under the weight of egos. Red Sox to win it all again. The Dolphins miracle to continue. KP to slam the Aussies and regain the Ashes. And Dmitri not quite as Old to chill out and enjoy life!!!!!

Global Warming, Sorry, Climate Change Spin…

I would just ask people to look at these two press releases from the Met Office / University of East Anglia…

Prediction for 2007…

2007 – forecast to be the warmest year yet

2007 is likely to be the warmest year on record globally, beating the current record set in 1998, say climate-change experts at the Met Office.

Each January the Met Office, in conjunction with the University of East Anglia, issues a forecast of the global surface temperature for the coming year. The forecast takes into account known contributing factors, such as solar effects, El Niño, greenhouse gases concentrations and other multi-decadal influences. Over the previous seven years, the Met Office forecast of annual global temperature has proved remarkably accurate, with a mean forecast error size of just 0.06 °C.

Met Office global forecast for 2007

• Global temperature for 2007 is expected to be 0.54 °C above the long-term (1961-1990) average of 14.0 °C;
• There is a 60% probability that 2007 will be as warm or warmer than the current warmest year (1998 was +0.52 °C above the long-term 1961-1990 average).

The potential for a record 2007 arises partly from a moderate-strength El Niño already established in the Pacific, which is expected to persist through the first few months of 2007. The lag between El Niño and the full global surface temperature response means that the warming effect of El Niño is extended and therefore has a greater influence the global temperatures during the year.

Katie Hopkins from Met Office Consulting said: “This new information represents another warning that climate change is happening around the world. Our work in the climate change consultancy team applies Met Office research to help businesses mitigate against risk and adapt at a strategic level for success in the new environment.”

And now…the Prediction for 2008…

Global temperature 2008: Another top-ten year

3 January 2008

2008 is set to be cooler globally than recent years say Met Office and University of East Anglia climate scientists, but is still forecast to be one of the top-ten warmest years.

Each January the Met Office, in conjunction with the University of East Anglia, issues a forecast of the global surface temperature for the coming year. The forecast takes into account known contributing factors, such as El Niño and La Niña, increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, the cooling influences of industrial aerosol particles, solar effects and natural variations of the oceans.

Met Office forecast for global temperature for 2008

Global temperature for 2008 is expected to be 0.37 °C above the long-term (1961-1990) average of 14.0 °C, the coolest year since 2000, when the value was 0.24 °C.

For 2008, the development of a strong La Niña in the tropical Pacific Ocean will limit the warming trend of the global climate.  During La Niña, cold waters upwell to cool large areas of the ocean and land surface temperatures. The forecast includes for the first time a new decadal forecast using a climate model. This indicates that the current La Niña event will weaken only slowly through 2008, disappearing by the end of the year.

Prof. Chris Folland from the Met Office Hadley Centre said: “Phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña have a significant influence on global surface temperature and the current strong La Niña will act to limit temperatures in 2008. However, mean temperature is still expected to be significantly warmer than in 2000, when a similar strength La Niña pegged temperatures to 0.24 °C above the 1961-90 average. Sharply renewed warming is likely once La Niña declines.”

These cyclical influences can mask underlying warming trends with Prof. Phil Jones, Director of the Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia, saying: “The fact that 2008 is forecast to be cooler than any of the last seven years (and that 2007 did not break the record warmth set on 1998) does not mean that global warming has gone away. What matters is the underlying rate of warming – the period 2001-2007 with an average of 0.44 °C above the 1961-90 average was 0.21 °C warmer than corresponding values for the period 1991-2000.”

 

Now, readers, look how good their prediction was for 2007. The WARMEST ever. No messing, no bull. Unequivocal. No doubt. Tipping points, unreversible climate change. Look for the admission where they got it wrong in the dismal summer of 2007 – and I’ll bet 2008’s top heatwave is going to match the figures set out by these politically funded and motivated cretins before long…

I am NO expert. Before scientists come on here and give it all that, as one or two ludicrously did on my old blog, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t tell us to mend our ways, change our planet, restrain our lifestyles on the back of a load of old bullshit, when our eyes tell us the opposite. You can’t piss on my leg and tell me its raining. Yesterday my car registered its lowest temperature that I can recall when I started it up at 9:15. It was -4.5 Celsisus. No, not scientific, but f*cking cold nonetheless, and in the days of having cars with temperature gauges, it was the lowest I recall.

It’s getting colder. Even the latest press release shows 2008 as the lowest reading in the last 8 years. Oh, they claim it is in the top 10 ever, which of course is crap, because no-one can possibly measure what happened decades ago, but the fact is when we are being told to cut down, rein back etc., and how beastly we all are, its colder. No dispute.

Consensus my hole.

Sporting Hopes – 2009 – Cricket

England to regain the Ashes and restore some pride to a team that promises quite a bit but just doesn’t seem to deliver. Regrettably I think this could only be done with a new coach, and as the current incumbent doesn’t seem to be under any real pressure, I’m not sure how we are going to do it. The bloke has not taken us to a series win of any real merit since he’s been in charge.

Kevin Pietersen to be a real success in 2009, and score over 700 runs in the Ashes series and nab himself a big double ton along the way. He is the only real hope for that sort of score these days, and yet we burden him with the captaincy.

Alastair Cook to fulfill his promise and make a really big score. I said that never has a batsman gone a year without a test ton and still been an automatic choice, but Cook did that in 2008. He has temperament, he has class, he has ability, now he needs to go through with it. He’s got to show he’s more Strauss than Bell.

England to drop Ian Bell and find someone, anyone, else. Give Robert Key a go. Give Joe Denly a go. Give Owais Shah a go. Give Paul Horton a go. Give Scott Newman a go. Give Darren Maddy a go for chrissake. Anyone but this perennial failure and bottle job. Someone came out the other day that he’s learning the lessons of a young batsman. He’s played 45 f*cking test matches and he’s still in need of learning? No, we pick him for the West Indies….

A year of full fitness and pace for Simon Jones, and a fairytale return to the international scene. The unsung hero of 2005, the prospect the Aussies faced of having seen off the probing swing of Hoggard and the fire of Harmison only to have to cope with Flintoff and Jones made us a feared team. We now bring on the likes of James Anderson or Stuart Broad and they just don’t have it for me. Jones back in the England team is a pipe dream, but I am hoping.

Flintoff to recover some form with the bat and take at least one six wicket test haul. There were signs with the bat in India, and importantly Australia won’t be bringing a class spinner with them as Freddie definitely struggles starting up with them. In the bowling department, I want less “bowling like a Trojan” and more “ran through the top order”. I still say he isn’t a test number 6.

Surrey to go straight back up, although I doubt it. For a while now they’ve coasted along and not been able to hire the bowling forces to take 20 wickets on a consistent basis. Now they are back down in the division they destroyed three seasons ago but with a much weaker team. The pursuit of Harbajhan Singh may be great for the second half of the season, when most county cricket is going to be played, but it is imperative the Surrey team get off to a quick start. Kent are obvious favourites for Division 2, and Essex are going to be tough as well. I couldn’t care less about limited over shin-digs.

On the international front, India to get their wings clipped, which is unlikely in New Zealand in our spring, but hoepfully they’ll not win the World 20/20, although they have to be the strongest of favourites. India are due to host Sri Lanka in the Autumn, which should pose a decent test for them. However, they have warmed to England a bit after the players went back for the two test series and provided a fantastic match at Chennai (which although we lost, and I had the hump about it, you have to say was a great game and an advert for test cricket) which got the right result for the host country. I just abhor the IPL and all it stands for….

Australia to continue their regression back to the pack and the blood letting that will inevitably ensue. Already whispers and murmurs are being raised about Ponting’s captaincy – nothing he wasn’t doing when England were duffing them up in 2005 – and of the dearth of bowling supplies coming through. I still believe they could pick any six out of 10 batsmen – and I’m leaving Hayden out as they should be – and still put a team out that can score enough runs to put teams under pressure. Perm any six out of Jaques, Rogers, Katich, Ponting, M. Hussey, D. Hussey, M. Clarke, Voges, D. Thornely and Hodge. They also speak highly of some guy called Hughes at NSW. Their batting will be formidable, their bowling needs sharpening up.

Steve Harmison to actually care would be nice.

But most importantly, and selfishly, a lovely summer so that I can enjoy cricket and go to see games at grounds such as Guildford, Whitgift and Tunbridge Wells, and maybe a day trip to an outground in the country somewhere…