My nom de plume

I have chosen a nom de plume that seems to me to accurately reflect my inner elderly bitch ;) For those of you who watch British comedies, the reference will be immediately apparent in my choice of Diana Trent as said nom de plume. For everyone else, she's an unmarried elderly woman, fiercely independent, fiercely loyal to family and friends, and gives a new definition to the term "outspoken." I am not near as old as dear Diana, but I feel a deep kinship with her. Oh, the comedy she's on is called "Waiting For God."

Chandira

When I went to England to research my failed biography of Andrew Irvine, one of the things I brought away with me as a treasure in my memory was the feel of the grass at Oxford. Lush, rich grass beneath my feet, like walking on moss or velvet. For me, that's one of the things that still evokes England...

Becks escapes punishment

Ohmigawd, do I love this man or what? Sorry, can't help it... And today's Miami Herald reports that he has escaped punishment for his yellow-card stunt. Good for Becks ;) Sorry, can't help it...

FA Won't Punish Beckham Over Yellow Card

Associated Press

LONDON - David Beckham won't be punished by England's soccer federation for intentionally getting a yellow card in a World Cup qualifying game.

The Football Association said Thursday there was "insufficient evidence" to pursue a case against Beckham, who acknowledged he deliberately fouled defender Ben Thatcher in England's 2-0 win over Wales on Oct. 9 at Old Trafford.

Beckham, who already was carrying a yellow card from a previous game, said he did it in order to get another yellow that would automatically suspend him for England's game four days later at Azerbaijan.

Beckham had broken a rib moments before in a collision with Thatcher and realized he would have to sit out the next match anyway.

Beckham was severely criticized by FIFA president Sepp Blatter and others for violating the spirit of fair play. Blatter asked the FA to take action.

Beckham issued a formal apology.

"Following due process under the FA's disciplinary regulations, the FA's compliance department has reviewed all available information and concluded that there is insufficient evidence to pursue a disciplinary charge," the FA said in a statement.

"However, David Beckham has been reminded of his responsibilities and the rules of conduct he is expected to adhere to both as an England player and as captain. The FA now considers this matter to be closed."

Tony Blair denies he's converting

Interesting tidbit that I didn't think quite fit totally in my political blog:

Blair dismisses speculation about conversion

Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair dismissed speculation he intends to convert from the Church of England to Roman Catholicism. Blair commented after British newspaper quotes from the Rev. Timothy Russ, who regularly leads Catholic services at Blair's country estate, Chequers.'

'If you ask me do you think he wants to become a Catholic, I would say yes,'' Russ was quoted as saying, and: ''He didn't say to me, 'Can I become a Catholic?' What he said to me was, 'Can the prime minister be a Catholic?' ''Britain's Press Association said Blair responded to reporters, ''I am saying no. Don't they run this once a year? I think they do. Every year I get this."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair awaits the arrival of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan at his official residence, 10 Downing Street in central London, Tuesday Oct. 19, 2004. Blair said Tuesday British troops would only be redeployed to the more volatile, U.S.-controlled sector of Iraq if it was militarily justified.

Blair has regularly accompanied his Catholic wife Cherie and their children to Mass, triggering conversion speculation. By law, Britain's monarch must be Protestant. There is no legal barrier to a Catholic prime minister but there hasn't been one since the title came into use in the early 18th century, a constitutional expert said.

--The Associated Press

3,000 year old Chinese tombs found

From this morning's news:

Archaeologists unearth 3,000-year-old tombs in northwest China
Tue Oct 19, 1:19 PM ET
BEIJING (AFP) - Chinese archaeologists are unearthing a group of tombs believed to be the family cemetery of the Duke of Zhou, a de facto imperial ruler who lived about 3,000 years ago, state media said.

Archaeologists discovered the group of 22 tombs in February at Qi Mountain in the northwestern province of Shaanxi. They cover an area of about 80,000 square meters (860,800 square feet), the Xinhua news agency reported.

Ten of the tombs each have four passages -- an indication that the owner was from the highest rank in the the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC - 771 BC).

"Judging from the scale of the tombs, the owner might be somebody of high rank, a duke, a prince, or even a king of the Western Zhou Dynasty," said Lei Xingshan, associate archaeology professor at Beijing University.

Four inscriptions on some 700 tortoise shells unearthed during the excavation suggested that the tombs were linked to the duke's family.

The archaeologists also unearthed a 1,500-meter (4,950-feet) city wall and six construction ruins.

The Duke of Zhou was the founder of the Western Zhou Dynasty. He helped his brother overthrow the Shang Dynasty (c.1600 BC - c.1100 BC) and became prince regent to his brother's young son after the brother died.

He was best known for established the ancient feudal hierarchy and etiquette systems that laid the foundation for Chinese civilization.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1540&e=10&u=/afp/china_archaeology

Lord Lucan investigation reopened

From the BBC, this article on the murder investigation of Lord Lucan:

Lord Lucan murder case reopened

The investigation into the Lord Lucan murder case has reopened - almost 30 years after his
disappearance.

Detectives are examining existing police evidence and will use DNA profiling to try to solve the case.

The 7th Earl of Lucan vanished in November 1974, a day after the murdered body of his children's nanny Sandra Rivett was found at his London home.

Over the years numerous people have claimed sightings of the aristocrat, whose body has never been found.

There's still information coming into the police every year and each call is assessed and lines pursued where appropriate Police spokesman

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "As with any unsolved murder the investigation is subject to review to examine any possible new lines of inquiry.

"There's still information coming into the police every year and each call is assessed and lines pursued where appropriate."

Declared dead

Lord Lucan's blood-soaked car was found abandoned in the port town of Newhaven, East Sussex, leading some, including his wife Lady Veronica Lucan, to believe he had drowned himself in the English Channel.

He was officially declared dead by the High Court in 1999.

A photograph of an elderly man - claimed to be Lord Lucan - was dismissed last year when it turned out to be that of a banjo player from Merseyside.

Former Scotland Yard detective Duncan MacLaughlin claimed in a newspaper that the missing Earl had died in Goa, India, in 1996.

He said the 1991 photograph of a dishevelled man with a long beard bore a resemblance to the 7th Earl of Lucan and claimed he had lived under the assumed name Barry Halpin, or Jungle Barry.

But BBC Radio 2 presenter Mike Harding poured cold water on the claim, saying that Barry Halpin, or Mountain Barry as he was known, was actually a well-known figure on the 1960s UK folk music scene.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/3748892.stm
Published: 2004/10/16 10:54:22 GMT© BBC MMIV