Yes, it's been slim pickings lately. I've had a stinker of a cold. Deal. I just about managed to...

In Het Grauniad, we're reminded that it's twenty years since the US invaded Grenada. For the humour-impaired, this is a small island in the Carribean, not a region in Spain, or a television company in Manchester (though the thought of Normal Schwarzkopf barging into the Rovers' Return looking for communist propaganda might be worth following.)

Yep, the full might of the US Military Machine went into a country with a regular population of 100,000. The ostensible reason, it was going a bit too left-wing; the real reason, a shot across the bows of Cuba.

The crucial difference between Then and Now: Mrs Margaret Thatcher whispered into the ear of Mr Ronald Reagan, telling him that he was being a plonker, and there were mutterings about Europe being a better bulwark against US follies in the future. Now? Mister Tony Blair whispers into the cauliflower ear of Mr X, giving him personal support, and Europe tries to act as a bulwark against a US folly, but is let down by one of its key members.

Over at somedisco, Mr Scott muses about Radio 2's place in the world.
there's something about this upper-low to lower-middle_brow narrative of the last 3 or 4 years that Radio Two is the don for 20 to 40somethings of discernment and choice given that Radio One dumbed down (or whatever happened, happened), that, well, narks me (is that a word?)_
This, I think, is where the age gap comes into play. Radio 1's demographic has been shifting in recent years: Bannister trimmed it from 15-50 to 15-35, while Andy Parfitt has deliberately targetted the 15-25 age bracket.

I'm outside Radio 1's target audience, and it's not my first choice of listening any more. Part of that's because they still employ Sara Cox and Zane Lowe, both of whom I find unlistenable. Part of that is the station's music policy, championing dance and rock music, ignoring the vibrant acoustic scene until its acts gets too big to ignore. Alex Parks didn't rise out of nothing, but when was the last time we heard Ani DiFranco on Radio 1?

i know i'm being very childish here, but it's this soft middlebrow pipe and slippers, or is it? maybe it's not that, i don't object to that after all, i'm no ageist, and don't want to fight against the inevitable, it's just i seem to find something of a smug, preening tone there sometimes. dunno like.

Radio 2 still tends to play too many oldies, be far too predictable, but it's less samey than Radio 1. And when the station does good programming - such as Jeremy Vine's retrospective of the 80s in August - it's really great.

For my money, digital station 6Music is the logical next step for Radio 1 listeners - the contemporary sound without being so deliberately in-yer-face as the big station. Those of us with digital radios also get to listen to Xfm, like Radio 1 but without any pretence at pop.

Ludacris or Kelly Clarkson - i know who i'd rather listen to___

So do I, and I think we'll have to agree to differ.

1xtra and 3 and 4 and 1 are all better.

Confession: I've never heard !xtra, so won't pass judgement. The best of Radio 1 (waves at Mark & Lard, and Chris Moyles on a good day) is better than the average Radio 2, but the average Radio 1 is at best on a par, and probably a little below. When Radio 3 remembers there's more to life than classical music, it does well. I'm not even going to try and compare Radio 4 with anything, because it's speech radio, and doesn't equate to music radio.

perhaps the reason the Gambaccini show on radio two has stopped playing a lot of the billboard charts is because, frankly, it's the 'wrong kind of music from black folks'.

Could be. Could be that Paul's decided that his show sounds better ending with something other than what (to the casual listener) sounds like the same song every single week. We know it's different, and that it doesn't fit in as well to the format as perhaps it might.

The highest score in test cricket is no longer Brian Lara's. It belongs to Matthew Hayden, who smashed the hapless Zimbabwe attack for 380 in Perth. His innings completely overshadowed Adam Gilchrist's 113 off 94 balls.

Releases of note for the rest of the year:

October 13
50 Cent - P.I.M.P.
The Beautiful South - Just A Few Things That I Ain't
DJ Bobo - Chihuahua
The Eagles - Hole In The World
REM - Bad Day
Sugababes - Hole In The Head
Blonde - The Curse Of
Sheryl Crow - The Very Best Of
Travis - Twelve Memories

October 20
Hilary Duff - So Yesterday
Thea Gilmore - Mainstream
Kosheen - Wasting My Time
Annie Lennox - Wonderful
Damien Rice - Cannonball
Outlandish - Aicha
Erasure - Hits! The Very Best Of
Texas - Careful What You Wish For
The Strokes - Room On Fire
Suede - Singles

October 27
Johnny Cash - Hurt
Elbow - Fugitive Motel
Electric Soft Parade - Lose Your Frown
Mark Owen - Alone Without You
Pink - Trouble
Primal Scream - Some Velvet Morning
David Sneddon - Baby Get Higher
Underworld - Born Slippy 2003
The Beautiful South - Gaze
Hilary Duff - Metamorphosis
REM - In Time: The Best Of REM 1988-2003
Sugababes - Three

November 3
Dashboard Confessional - Hands Down
Matt Goss - I'm Comin' With Ya
John Mayer - Bigger Than My Body
Kylie Minogue - Slow
Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne - Changes
Pet Shop Boys - Miracles
Blue - Guilty
Bon Jovi - This Left Feels Right
Liberty X - Being Somebody
Alex Parks - Beginnings
Primal Scream - Dirty Hits
LeAnn Rimes - The Very Best Of
David Sneddon - Seven Years, Ten Weeks (re-issue)
Underworld - Anthology: 1992-2002

November 17
Chemical Brothers - Get Yourself High
Girls Aloud - Jump (For My Love)
Enrique Iglesias - Addicted
Alicia Keys - U Don't Know My Name
Meat Loaf - Man Of Steel
Alanis Morrisette - Eight Easy Steps
No Doubt - It's My Life
Alex Parks - Maybe That's What It Takes/Beautiful
Liz Phair - Why Can't I
Westlife - Mandy
The White Stripes - The Hardest Button To Button
Busted - A Present For Everyone
Michael Jackson - Ones
Cliff Richard - Cliff At Christmas
Britney Spears - In The Zone

November 24
Kelly Clarkson - Low/The Trouble With Love Is
Evanescence - My Immortal
Rachel Stevens - Funky Dory
Shane Ritchie - I'm Your Man
Will Young - Leave Right Now
Nelly Furtado - Folklore
Lemar - Dedicated

December 1
The Cheeky Girls - Follow My Star
Gareth Gates - Say It Isn't So
Alicia Keys - The Diary Of Alicia Keys
Will Young - Friday's Child

December 8
Christina Aguilera - The Voice Within
Big Brovaz - It Ain't What You Do
Nelly Furtado - Powerless (Say What You Want)
Cliff Richard - Santa's List
Texas - I'll See It Through
Luther Vandross - Dance With My Father

December 15 Blue & Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed, Delivered
The Darkness - Christmas Time (When Will The Bells End?)/Friday Night
Avid Merrion - Paper Chrimbo!
Sugababes - Too Lost In You

And finally, the complete results from California show that Brian Tracy attracted a whopping 755 votes, enough to tie him for 78th place. That's almost half way up the field, and a great platform from which to run for host of Broadcasting House.

Spot the difference: the US treasury has issued a new USD 20 banknote. And it's in colour. For the first time, something other than shades of green is being used on the devalued banknotes. The new USD 20 note is worth about ECU 17.

Even more shockingly dim, the Catholic sect claims that condoms don't stop HIV, citing spurious claims that they contain holes small enough to allow the virus through. This is, of course, as wrong as any wrong thing.

What did they say? Turns out that the official US translators at Guantamo Bay have beenbotching the language. Many translations have inaccuracies in the detail; some are wrong in general.

Fact. The top ten singles in this week's Billboard Hot 100 are all by black acts.

Fact. Paul Gambiccinni, on the show formerly known as America's Greatest Hits, has stopped using the Hot 100 to end the show, and now uses the US Singles Sales chart. Reason? In the past year, only Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson's hits have fitted into Radio 2's incredibly broad format.

Tentative conclusion. Billboard's Hot 100 has stopped reflecting the popular taste in the US, and is tilted too heavily in favour of radio airplay.

An interesting variant on the Nigerian spam today. Edited highlights (well, lowlights... you get the drift)

From: Mrs Serena Jones
PLEASE ENDEAVOUR TO USED IT FOR THE CHILDREN OF GOD.
I am the above named person from Kuwait. I am married to Dr.Harry Jones who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine yearsbefore he died in the year 2000.We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both born again Christians.Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against.When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of$8.6Million (Eight Millionsix hundred thousand U.S. Dollars) with one finance/security company in Amsterderm Holland. Presently, this money is still with the Security Company. Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next
three months due to cancer problem. Though what disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to church or better still a christian individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct here in. I want a church that will
use this fund to fund churches, orphanages and widows propagating the word of God and to ensure that the house of God is maintained. The Bible made us to understand that Blessed is the hand that giveth.

Ah, touching. How many misprints and typos?.. Hmm. USD 8.6 million. Is that slighly more than almost two Euro?.. What's a stroke sickness, and how does it link to the lovely Samantha?.. You want to donate this huge sum to a "christian individual". So how come you're writing to a pagan? Onwards!

I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don't want my husband's hard earned money to be misused by unbelievers. I don'twant a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly manner.

Then why in flimmery are you giving it to some bleedin' heart chritsians? If you want your money used in a manner you approve of, you blimmin' well spend it yourself, and don't tempt other people with it. Does not your lord's prayer witter on about "lead us not into temptation"?

As soon as I receiveyour reply I shall give you the contact of the Finance/Security Company in Amsterderm Holland. I will also issue you a letter of authority that will prove you as the original- beneficiary of this fund. [..] Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein. Hoping to hearing from you. N.B-PLEASE I WILL ADVICE YOU TO GIVE THE LAWYER IN CHARGE A CALL IN HOLLAND IMMEDIATELY, HE DOES EVERYTHING ON MY BEHALF AND HE'S VERY UNDERSTANDING AND I BELIEVE HE WILL LEAD YOU TO YOUR SUCCESS IN JESUS
NAME: Vincent James
Tell: 0031645840763
Email: vincent_james@rediffmail.com
Remain blessed in the name of the Lord.
Yours in Christ,
Mrs Serena Jones

After being invoked here, Mr Christ said, "Gawds, not another nutcase out to fleece other people in my name. I'd smite with my new-fangled Type 68 Smite-O-Matic, if only I could figure out how to get it to work properly. Tried to smite that sanctimonious Cameron Stout the other month, but instead of seeing the suffering in Africa, he saw the Big Brother in Africa. Technology. What's a modern deity to do, eh?"

A poll in today's Indescribablyboring says the Lib Dems, not the Tories, are the popular party of opposition. Quite what this is doing in the news columns, I don't know...

Blimey, that's crap. Can we all have a go?

Oh George
Your poetry is even
Worse than mine

Well, that's what
My friend Kevin says.
Not that he's my
Friend anymore.

-- EJ Thribb

Michael Moore asks some interesting questions about the crimes against humanity a couple of years ago.
How come we've never seen the headline, "Saudi Arabia Attacks US." It's always been the stateless epithet, "terrorists".
And how did the pilots manage to hit a five-storey building (the Pentagon) with such precision? It's one thing to take a side-swipe at a tower a quarter of a mile high, quite another to slam into a fifty-foot high building.