a blog about a lot of things

At lunchtime on the second day West Indies are putting a better performance than may people expected. Most people, however, weren't expecting very much so conceding 400 plus runs in the first innings being a positive performance is a matter of perspective. On the first day of the match Jerome Taylor is again injured. Not his back this time but a new hip injury, despite him being underbowled in the warm up match to prevent injuries from occurring. The person/ people who are responsible for the fitness and conditioning of Taylor need to be replaced very soon. Before his injury, he looked threatening sporadically but was guilty of being too wayward and expensive. Ravi Rampaul made his test debut yesterday. At 25 years old he is still young but vastly experienced since we've all been hearing about him since the Under-15 level. There has been a lot of expectation placed on him and nervousness clearly showed yesterday. He was too short and too wide and was duly punished by the Austra...

criteria : must do stand-up comedy. only judged from stand up and sketch . 10.Demetri Martin why: He likes constructing palindromes. That's reason enough. Uses all sorts of visual aids and sketches. Great with the one liners too. Most unconventional comedian since Gallagher.Maybe. 9. Russell Brand why: Obnoxious, loud and very strange. Known as much for his off stage antics than his comedy. But one of the best young 'angry' comedians out there. Although there's a sneaking suspicion the accent makes him cool (er). 8. Robin Williams why: Back in2002 with LIVE on Broadway, the show broke several records for a comedy show. Showed he's still funny, hasn't let success go to his head and can still make it all up on the spot. 7. Ricky Gervais why: In the Office for the first part of the century, everywhere else for the last. Most people know him for his film roles, but he's great on the stage too. Doesn't shy away from the controversial topics. And it isn't ...

30. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown - 2003 why: poorly written, plotline with several holes. pushing the limits of the so-called ' factuality' he stresses. Absorbing read though, once you don't take it too seriously. Shows that you don't need to write well to sell well, but if that a good thing or not remains to be seen. 29. Reading Lolita in Tehran - Azar Nafisi - 2003 why: A tale of the triumph and importance of literature during wartime. Shows how novels are an assertion of identity and the importance of the freedom of choice. 28. True History of the Kelly Gang - Peter Carey - 2000 why: Retelling the story of Australian folk hero Ned Kelly where he writes the story for his daughter . Although set in Australia, you could say this is one of the best Westerns in a while. 27. The Enchantress of Florence - Salman Rushdie - 2008 why: Large scale epic set in Florence during the Renaissance. Machiavelli and Akhbar the Great are characters in this tale. 26. The Dam...

Almost the end of the year. And the decade. So this list seems logical. Wanted to do it before Oscar season gets into full swing and late editing is required. Also, non- documentaries. 1. City of God – Fernando Meirelles – 2002 – Crime Drama Why: The best crime movie of the decade. Probably the best ever that’s set outside of the US or Hong Kong. It’s hard out in the city of god- little children running around with guns killing people. And when there’s a gang war, everybody’s in trouble. But there the main narrative of Buscape, who makes it out while telling us what he saw. 2.Y tu mama tambien – Alfonso Cuaron -2001 – Drama/ Road movie Why : One of the most natural film casts ever. This movie makes you feel like they’ve been spending time with each other their whole lives. Both a realistic portrayal of late teenage years as well as a road trip fantasy everyone’s thought about. 3. The Lord of the Rings trilogy - 2001, 2002, 2003 - Peter Jackson – Fantasy/ep...

Criteria leans more towards mainstream than minority interest. More towards long periods of good output than occasional one off flashes of brilliance. And this list is more lyrically oriented than musically oriented.(& rap is a whole other list. so no rappers on this one). Only English songwriters too. 1. . Bob Dylan -Solo- USA listen to : ( "Like A Rolling Stone", "Blowin' In The Wind", "Mr. Tambourine Man", "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", “Positively Fourth Street”) 2. John Lennon & Paul McCartney - The Beatles, Solo, - England Listen to: ("A Day In The Life", "Hey Jude", "Yesterday", "Let It Be", "Imagine") 3. Bob Marley - The wailers- Jamaica listen to: ("No Woman No Cry", "One Love/People Get Ready", "Redemption Song", "Exodus", "Johnny was a good man") 4. Bruce Sp...