The Cup and the News

There was a time when the 3rd Round of the FA Cup was one of the big days in the sporting calendar. Sadly those days have gone. Nevertheless the pairing of Arsenal v Leeds United, set my mind swirling back to the 1970s, when both teams were regular visitors to Wembley. The game kicked off at 12.45pm, another sign o' the times. We made our way by Underground, which at weekends is an ordeal not to be recommended to those suffering from stress or claustrophobia.

As we approached Kings Cross just three stops from the Arsenal. The sound of leeds fans filled the platform. "Marching all together" and various other football chants. The fans all adult men were quick to sing of their hatred from Man Utd and of course cockneys ! It was a throwback to the 1980s, a type of tribalism rarely seen in the premiership given its all seater stadiums and inflated prices. For Leeds the chance to play at the Emirates was incentive enough to travel, and about 10,000 made the trip.

When the Arsenal fans chanted "we'll never play you again" they were rather premature. The game was a game of two penalties and it wasn't until the 90th minute that Cesc Fabregas fired the Gunners level after Theo Walcott had been pulled back in the box. Both sides will have to do it again in Yorkshire in 10 days time, for the right to host Huddersfield Town in the next round.

The second half of the weekend has been dominated by the news from Arizona and the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Giffords. The attack although probably the act of a mad individual acting alone nevertheless seems to me the end product of the increasingly polarisation within the USA that I have explained to students in recent years. The lack of tolerance and the promotion of "using 2nd amendment rights" to right perceived political disagreements is disturbing to say the least. The news that Palin had Gifford's district marked with gunsights on her website prior to the attack, is repugnant. At present the government agencies in the US and also the British media seem reluctant to draw these conclusions, but the rhetoric of violence that has pervaded US politics of late has come home to roost.

The only other item I have focussed upon is the statement from David Attenborough that nature/environment studies should sit alongside English and Maths on the school curriculum. Attenborough is a national treasure and if anyone will be listened to it will be him. On this theme a number of celebrity chefs are trying to persuade the British public to widened the taste in fish. it seems that 80% of fish consumed in the UK is just 5 species (cod, haddock, salmon, prawns and tuna). In these circumstances its hardly surprisingly that stocks are depleted; hopefully tastes can be altered before it is too late. Apparently many fisherman dump many fish simply because they don't think them sellable, changing tastes is essential if these species of fish are to survive.