Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

I do take your point, though I can think of a lot easier targets in the obscene use of money stakes. The game of football leaps to my mind - though maybe that's because I enjoy it less than fireworks !

Yes, you are right, of course, there are worse examples by far.

If you refer to the policing costs of football, I thought the Clubs paid that?

If you just refer to the astronomic wages & ridiculous finances of the top clubs, & the dumb, stubborn & pointless point blank refusal of adjacent Clubs, Club Boards & Supporters to ground-share (Liverpool/Everton, Chelsea/Fulham, Villa/Birmingham, Bristol/Bristol, Stoke/Port vale etc) that is completely different in my mind, as it is not public money, & folks can do whatsoever they wish with their own lolly. Still daft, but different thing, it is their money to do what they wish with.

One day Bill Gates will knock on Abramovich's front door, & sell him the Gates idea of using untold personal wealth for the greater good of the world. Roman will say "OK" & close down Chelsea FC. Wonder what the supporters would make of that?

For clarification, here is a smiley.

 

[Graham C]

Talking of obscene, did you see Messi turned down a move to Anzi of £460k per week!  That's after they offered £205m to buy him too.    Now I don't know much about Russian football but I'm guessing there's no way they're going to be financially stable offering that sort of money.

[tikay]

Talking of obscene, did you see Messi turned down a move to Anzi of £460k per week!  That's after they offered £205m to buy him too.    Now I don't know much about Russian football but I'm guessing there's no way they're going to be financially stable offering that sort of money.

Ha!

How much?

The mind truly boggles, though I believe Anzi are like Chelsea + Man City x 10 when it comes to spending money. They tried to buy Ronaldo too, I heard.

I also heard that the Anzi Supporters are top of the league at racist chants, which they do accompanied by "monkey" gestures, presumably to suggest that black people are not as clever as them. Oh the irony.

The "funny old world" stuff just keeps giving.

They (the Team, not the supporters) are owned by this pauper......


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suleyman_Kerimov

[Graham C]

WAL, quite like his yacht.  Out of all the billionaire toys, I'd quite like a luxury yacht.  I quite like it down near Poole where Sunseeker are, great looking at them in the yards there.

[kinboshi]

Talking of obscene, did you see Messi turned down a move to Anzi of £460k per week!  That's after they offered £205m to buy him too.    Now I don't know much about Russian football but I'm guessing there's no way they're going to be financially stable offering that sort of money.

Ha!

How much?

The mind truly boggles, though I believe Anzi are like Chelsea + Man City x 10 when it comes to spending money. They tried to buy Ronaldo too, I heard.

I also heard that the Anzi Supporters are top of the league at racist chants, which they do accompanied by "monkey" gestures, presumably to suggest that black people are not as clever as them. Oh the irony.

The "funny old world" stuff just keeps giving.

They (the Team, not the supporters) are owned by this pauper......


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suleyman_Kerimov

Think the Zenit St Petersburg fans take it to a different level:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20770678

[pokerfan]

WAL, quite like his yacht.  Out of all the billionaire toys, I'd quite like a luxury yacht.  I quite like it down near Poole where Sunseeker are, great looking at them in the yards there.

I've got the Sunseeker app, just need a quadruple Euromillions rollover win now to make it real

[Royal Flush]

A quick search comes up with a £1.9m budget for London fireworks, though very much doubt that covers the whole policing, clean up, free transport etc.

I went and saw the London fireworks this year and was hugely impressed, not only by the display but also by the whole organisation of the event. The crowds seemed extremely well controlled and we had no problem finding a great spot on the Mall to watch despite getting there around 11.30. The free transport also worked well, though the last train home at 2am wasn't much fun...

Thought it capped-off 2012 rather well and a great advert for our Capital as well as entertainment for it's inhabitants and visitors.

Quite a big error.

The fireworks came under £250k, the total cost of everything was £1.9m

[Tal]

Tikay, you know about trains...

I'm currently sitting at Birmingham Snow Hill choo-choo station, as my train is delayed.

Why is it delayed, Tal? I pretend I heard you ask. Well.

You know the lady who does all the prerecorded announcements? Turns out she recorded more than the stops and a couple of standard "London Midland apologises for this train being made of balsa wood and sticky back plastic".

The train in front of mine is also delayed and that, we learn, is the problem. A slightly robotic lady enunciated the following over the tannoy:

"The 17.22 service to Dorridge is delayed. This is due to disruptive passengers"

Disruptive passengers?

DISRUPTIVE PASSENGERS?!

This got me imagining the day she did the recording session.

"This is due to a delayed preceding service"
"This is due to a signal failure"
"This is due to today's inclement weather"

Just a couple more, please, Melanie:

"This is due to disruptive passengers"
"This is due to the enslavement of mankind by cyborgs from the future - damn you John Connor!"
"This is due to the driver suffering from Bradford AND Bingley"
"This is due to a late-running episode of Bargain Hunt"

Are there any others, Tikay?

[Tal]

I'm on the train now. Call off the search party.

[kinboshi]

I'm on the train now. Call off the search party.

Hope you're not being disruptive, again.

[Tal]

I'm on the train now. Call off the search party.

Hope you're not being disruptive, again.

Disruptive? Moi?

[tikay]

Tikay, you know about trains...

I'm currently sitting at Birmingham Snow Hill choo-choo station, as my train is delayed.

Why is it delayed, Tal? I pretend I heard you ask. Well.

You know the lady who does all the prerecorded announcements? Turns out she recorded more than the stops and a couple of standard "London Midland apologises for this train being made of balsa wood and sticky back plastic".

The train in front of mine is also delayed and that, we learn, is the problem. A slightly robotic lady enunciated the following over the tannoy:

"The 17.22 service to Dorridge is delayed. This is due to disruptive passengers"

Disruptive passengers?

DISRUPTIVE PASSENGERS?!

This got me imagining the day she did the recording session.

"This is due to a delayed preceding service"
"This is due to a signal failure"
"This is due to today's inclement weather"

Just a couple more, please, Melanie:

"This is due to disruptive passengers"
"This is due to the enslavement of mankind by cyborgs from the future - damn you John Connor!"
"This is due to the driver suffering from Bradford AND Bingley"
"This is due to a late-running episode of Bargain Hunt"

Are there any others, Tikay?

Birmingham Snow Hill was a magnificent, Cathedral-like edifice back in the day, the exact opposite of it's ghastly new neighbour, Birmingham New Street, which I rank as truly the UK's worst railway station by a considerable distance.

Snow Hill used to be part of the Great Wesrern Railway empire, & was on the now long defunct Paddington to Wolverhampton via Birmingham line.  Now sadly, it has been demolished/tarted up & it a sort of Toytown Station with trams & all sorts there. The original perished during the Birmingham building boom which I much regret I had much involvement in.


The 2nd & the last of the photos below features an iconic GWR "King" or "Castle" Class loco. Ooohhhh.

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[tikay]

Now see how dreadful & incongrous it looks when you place a GWR Hall Class Loco in a modern setting, this being the modernised Snow Hill. All wrong, in every way.

Ugh.

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[Mohican]

Does it look better through Black and white tinted spectacles?

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[tikay]

Ha!

As it happens, yes, it does. A bit.