Even more tennis!

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Sssssh, don't tell those arrogant Britishers this, but no less a tennis luminary than John McEnroe has tipped Andy Murray to win this year's Australian Open!

Especially don't tell Seafront Plodder, or there'll be no end of it.

It all starts tomorrow. Can't wait!

[Seafront Plodder]

Well Murray has, according to the 'experts', a tough draw. The way he demolished the qualifier last night is obviously no indicator to the way he'll progress, but we'll see. He has as good a chance as any of the top 6.

That's my safe prediction sorted. The winner will come from the top 6 as Davydenko is also very capable and has form.

And IIRC, Murray was tipped to win the US open too.... I'd prefer to read into McEnroe's comment that one day he'll win a slam. His contemporaries in Djokovic and Del Potro have already achieved that. Oh how he could guarantee Sports Personality of the Year by doing so.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Well Murray looked the goods I have to say, unlike Federer who really struggled - although he of course in typical style toughed it out and prevailed. Nadal however again looks in fantastic shape. Yet to see Davydenko, Del Potro et al, so we'll see.

Andy Roddick again would be my long-odds pick. Looking as firey as ever!

In the womens' draw it's harder to say, although with Screamerpova already eliminated, Sarina Williams would have to be a firmish fave.

Scintillating stuff.

[Seafront Plodder]

I don't really take an interest in the women's draw until the second week, but it's great to see Henin back to add a touch of gravitas to the game.

And whoever thought it was a good idea to dress the ball-kids in pink, needs shooting.

[Sweder]

Bit bat, bit bat, bit bat ... Zzzzz ...
Wake me up when it gets to the shemis wouldya?

Anyway, apropos of nothing to do with this (except I'm flying part-way to Oz this weekend) I received this (as did SP) from one of our golfing colleagues.

Caution: PC Advisory - may offend those who intend harm to travellers.
Sound required (I think this was broadcast on Howard Stern's show in the US)

http://www.animatronics.org/strangers/strangers.htm

In a kind of 2-for-1 deal here's an amazing animation of the Miracle on the Hudson when Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger pulled off a James T Kirk and saved the lives of his crew and passengers on Flight 1549 following a terminal bird strike during take-off from New York La Guardia. Takes a while, but well worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=tE_5eiYn0D0#t=109

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

And whoever thought it was a good idea to dress the ball-kids in pink, needs shooting.

It's a breast cancer awareness/fundraising thing. The whole country is pretty much decked out in pink these days.

[Sweder]

And whoever thought it was a good idea to dress the ball-kids in pink, needs shooting.

It's a breast cancer awareness/fundraising thing. The whole country is pretty much decked out in pink these days.

Hence that Jane McGrath day during the recent test with Pakistan (hoorah! Cricket!). Slats looked particularly fetching in his full pink suit; Shayne Warne seemed to find this particularly amusing and rattled on about it at every opportunity. Nice touch by the Pakistan team to get in the spirit by wearing pink caps & handing them over to Glenn McGrath on the boundary as they came onto the field. Sometimes sport can warm the cockles.

[Seafront Plodder]

Err.....back to the tennis, I wasn't aware that our favourite antipodean poster person was so well connected at Melbourne.

Just watched a match, and when the camera shows a close up of the net posts, the letters MLC are clearly visable. Subliminal advertising?

[El Gordo]

And whoever thought it was a good idea to dress the ball-kids in pink, needs shooting.

It's a breast cancer awareness/fundraising thing. The whole country is pretty much decked out in pink these days.

Hence that Jane McGrath day during the recent test with Pakistan (hoorah! Cricket!). Slats looked particularly fetching in his full pink suit; Shayne Warne seemed to find this particularly amusing and rattled on about it at every opportunity. Nice touch by the Pakistan team to get in the spirit by wearing pink caps & handing them over to Glenn McGrath on the boundary as they came onto the field. Sometimes sport can warm the cockles.

Am just reading a brilliant and thought-provoking new book, "Smile Or Die" (Barbara Ehrenreich - "How Positive Thinking Fooled America & The World"). The author is a breast cancer 'survivor' who rails against the "pink ribbon culture" and the way it, in her view, infantilises women and trivialises the disease. Why are we not angry about it, she asks? Why are we not demanding an answer to the fact that in industrialised countries, breast cancer has increased an astonishing 1% every year since the early 1950s? (Even immigrants from non-industrial nations quickly get pulled into the statistics when they arrive in 'the west'.) Instead we have a passive regression to fluffy childhood with regiments of pink teddy bears, and rules that forbid us from using the word 'victim'.

Highly recommended read, and I haven't even got onto the bit I'm really interest in -- the discussion around the corrosiveness of positive thinking in business which, she argues, is largely responsible for the current economic disaster.

Sorry -- back to your tennis chat.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Am just reading a brilliant and thought-provoking new book, "Smile Or Die" (Barbara Ehrenreich - "How Positive Thinking Fooled America & The World"). The author is a breast cancer 'survivor' who rails against the "pink ribbon culture" and the way it, in her view, infantilises women and trivialises the disease. Why are we not angry about it, she asks? Why are we not demanding an answer to the fact that in industrialised countries, breast cancer has increased an astonishing 1% every year since the early 1950s?

Are you sure about this? I'd not heard anything of that sort so did a quick bit of Googling and can't verify those figures.

I've run in two breast cancer awareness/fundraiser events and the enormous popularity of them and the clear emotion on show certainly seemed very positive to me.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Err.....back to the tennis, I wasn't aware that our favourite antipodean poster person was so well connected at Melbourne.

Just watched a match, and when the camera shows a close up of the net posts, the letters MLC are clearly visable. Subliminal advertising?

Just a bit of harmless graffiti. Very professionally done too, I think.

[El Gordo]

Am just reading a brilliant and thought-provoking new book, "Smile Or Die" (Barbara Ehrenreich - "How Positive Thinking Fooled America & The World"). The author is a breast cancer 'survivor' who rails against the "pink ribbon culture" and the way it, in her view, infantilises women and trivialises the disease. Why are we not angry about it, she asks? Why are we not demanding an answer to the fact that in industrialised countries, breast cancer has increased an astonishing 1% every year since the early 1950s?

Are you sure about this? I'd not heard anything of that sort so did a quick bit of Googling and can't verify those figures.

I've run in two breast cancer awareness/fundraiser events and the enormous popularity of them and the clear emotion on show certainly seemed very positive to me.

Nothing wrong with being positive, of course, but it doesn't cure the disease, or delay the consequences, despite popular belief. It also puts pressure on women not to express justifiable outrage or misery. It's also a highly profitable industry.

The figures were quoted in the book. Will look it up later.

[Sweder]

Nothing wrong with being positive, of course, but it doesn't cure the disease, or delay the consequences, despite popular belief. It also puts pressure on women not to express justifiable outrage or misery. It's also a highly profitable industry.

I see both sides, though you have to wonder what happens to the afflicted when the ribbons come off and the band moves on to the next cause Celeb (sic); in some ways the deafening silence after the party could make things a whole lot worse.

I'm certainly getting hacked off with the emotional tsunami flooding the media (including the Twittersphere) regarding Haiti. If the US treats Haiti like it did Peru - that is, make an enormous, globally public fuss and call for all good people to rally under the flag, promise help to rebuild and when the cameras move along simply look the other way - then you may as well send troops through the streets of Port au Prince to despatch the survivors. Better that than the cruelty of 'save today to starve tomorrow'. The people of Peru had every right this week to politely ask what happened to the US$ 20 million they were promised after devastating 'quakes in 2007 and 2009. That said the US seems to have learned from the shameful (lack of) response following Katrina, taking a comendable lead this time. A bit like helping a stricken neighbour after one of your own children has suffered terribly from neglect perhaps, but it's a step in the right direction. Of course it helps if you divorce your socially crippled, bullying brute of a husband and take up with that nice Mr Obama.

Cancer, like the congenital poverty and dreadful suffering in Haiti exposed and multiplied horrifically last week, doesn't sleep, give second chances or quit. It piles on the pressure, 24/7, 365. Raising awareness is all well and good but some of the bandwagons are creaking at the axles, most notably with tearful celebs tripping over themsleves to add another ribbon to their portfolio. I don't count Brad & Angelina (or Clooney for that matter) amongst them; they've consistently used their fame and fortune to battle against injustices, the former building homes in Louisiana over several years to shelter the Katrina homeless. The sound of artist after artist queueing up to weep into the microphone during the recent Haiti Telethon left me feeling a tad queezy.

I meant to say I find I agree to some extent with the opinions expressed above but I've ended up ranting like a rabid junkie. Sincere apologies

[Sweder]

Hey!!!! Just caught up with the Murray/ Nadal result - bloody hell!
OK Nadal retired hurt but looks like Murray had him on the ropes anyway.
Anyone see it? Damn shame; I might've been able to catch some of that if I could work out what day of the week it is ...

[El Gordo]

Hey!!!! Just caught up with the Murray/ Nadal result - bloody hell!
OK Nadal retired hurt but looks like Murray had him on the ropes anyway.
Anyone see it? Damn shame; I might've been able to catch some of that if I could work out what day of the week it is ...

Murray was superb. I'm not a tennis-head, but this was the best I've seen him play. He must be a genuine contender though I hear that Federer is playing out of his Tarantino-like skin at the moment.

The final, if the schedule holds together, has the mens final at 9 or 9.30 Spanish time on Sunday. If Murray gets there, and if it goes to 5 sets, we might just be able to catch the very end post-race.

Talking of televised sport in Almeria, it looks like these 2 games Sunday evening:

Atletico Madrid v Malaga, 18:00
Sevilla v Valencia, 20:00

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Murray played extremely well, and was winning fair and square when Nadal pulled out. Definite chance, although as EG says, Federer is playing brilliantly too. Murray should at least take a set off him, though.