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| Tuesday, 23-Aug-2011 08:43 |
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Daddy, buy me a pony
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Apprently the term "bonkbuster" is rather confusing to Americans, who prefer to use the term "boink" when referring to what's colloquially known as "a shag", aka hide the sausage, etc (and if you're not clear what that means, you should probably stop reading now).
But in the thesaurus of best-selling sex-filled page-turners, it's only Jilly Cooper, grey-haired granny and lover of animals, who can give Jackie Collins and her adjectives a run for her money.
Cooper's latest, Jump! (about a lovely racehorse named Mrs Wilkinson who's blind in one eye but still brave-hearted enough to compete in the gruelling Grand National jump race) clocks in at more than 900 pages - and manages to say f**k on the very first one. It's classic Cooper: horses and fizz, randy jockeys and roguish businessmen, wayward schoolgirls and handsome thespians, a tree surgeon named Woody and a cad named Shagger.
It's a guilty pleasure, loving what reviewers have fondly (and, also, bitingly) labelled "Jillyworld". Cooper herself, in her delightfully silly blog posts (rich with repeats of words like "heavenly", "thrilling" and "stunning", in between gallons of champagne and borrowing dresses from Liz Hurley) says that she "used to divide writers into pop authors like me and Jeffrey Archer who longed and longed for a kind word in (the newspapers), and literary authors who got wonderful reviews ... and longed for our sales."
It has been nearly 20 years since Cooper released Polo, the third book in her Rutshire Chronicles (the first two were Riders and Rivals), a series of racy novels about England's upper middle class set in a fictional county called Rutshire, pun certainly intended. And while the 74-year-old author, who has published more than 40 books, is understandably absent from the list of 1001 books to read before you die, one must concede that a bookshelf weighted with Franzen, Murakami, Rushdie and Coetzee won't necessarily make you live longer, it will just feel that way.
Even if you know nothing about geldings, mares and stallions, Cooper's fictional horsey set is closer (and more entertaining) than you might think. Come polo time - today sees the second leg of the BMW International Polo Series, where South Africa will play Australia - and Johannesburg's Inanda Club transforms into something straight out of one of Cooper's novels, only rendered in a palette of "Sandton".
The fields are yellow, the sky is highveld blue. Cranes dangle at the edge of the stable yards where they are building parking lots and office parks and (eventually) cluster homes on land the club used to own and had to sell off.
Buppies and yuppies stare each other down from behind dark glasses, safely ensconced in hospitality tents sipping French champagne, wearing jeans made in Los Angeles while toting bags made under licence in Spain for a luxury brand based in Paris.
Before each event there is fierce debate as to appropriate dressing protocol. Try too hard and you'll end up looking like a social climber; don't try at all and you'll feel the scorn of your peers. When the ball is in play, people watching is as popular a sport as the actual polo match.
For the uninitiated: a hat is a very good idea (because it's Africa, and it gets hot even in winter), but matchy-matchy (hat and coat) should really only be attempted by those over 50. Ugg boots, sneakers and Crocs are a rather obvious no-no, but women who intend wearing heels should be warned that they will have to walk on the grass at some point, even if it's just to and from the car, and you will look silly tottering about en pointe, especially once you've had a few glasses of Pimms. If, of course, you arrive by helicopter, then whatever you're wearing is probably fine. At Inanda Club this is not unusual.
Polo is a sport that requires deep pockets. A short walk from the grandstands are the strings of glossy polo ponies - not "ponies" at all (they're all full-sized horses, whereas ponies stand a maximum of 14.2 hands), it's simply how they've come to be known.
Polo ponies' manes are shaved off, and their tails bound up before each match, to prevent the polo mallet from tangling in the horse's hair during play.
Each player needs between four and eight horses a match, changing mounts between chukkas because of the furious pace at which the game is played.
At a conservative estimate, stabling, feed and farrier costs alone would set the average polo player back not less than R25000 a month.
Despite all its accompanying largesse, polo can be a harsh sport. Players ride each other off (bumping horses against each other) at high speed to move opponents off the line of the ball - the imaginary line created by the ball as it travels on the field - and injuries are common, human and horse alike.
A local polo blog, writing about a recent horse injury at a club tournament, cautioned: "Under no circumstances should the horse be put down using a firearm in front of the public."
In Cooper's novels, animals - horses, dogs, even a goat - are as important in her cast of characters as the gloriously caricatured humans. It's this sentimental touch as much as her wonderfully over-written sex scenes (see if you can recover from the phrase "shaven haven") that has, deservedly, won her millions of fans.
And if you're still too self-conscious to admit to actually reading - never mind liking - Cooper, you can always conceal a copy of one of her bonkbusters behind a dustjacket of Atlas Shrugged. Because Ayn Rand isn't embarrassing at all.
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| Thursday, 18-Aug-2011 05:47 |
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49ers sign QB Josh McCown
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The Marvin Ridge High (N.C.) football team will be without one of its assistant coaches Friday night when it plays its first game against East Mecklenburg.
As it happens, Josh McCown, the Mavericks' volunteer quarterbacks coach, has landed a slightly more lucrative gig.
The 49ers ended their search for an experienced backup quarterback Wednesday when they signed McCown, an eight-year NFL veteran who hasn't played in the league since 2009. McCown had a workout with the 49ers on Wednesday morning, signed a one-year contract for the league minimum of $810,000 and attended practice in the afternoon.
McCown, 32, played with the United Football League's Hartford Colonials last year, but had decided to not return to the UFL for a second season. Instead, he was coaching at Marvin Ridge in suburban Charlotte while hoping to get a call from an NFL team.
That call came Monday night from the 49ers, whose quarterbacks coach, Geep Chryst, was McCown's position coach when he entered the league in 2002 as a third-round pick of the Cardinals. McCown and Chryst were together for two seasons in Arizona. Five years later, they reconnected in Charlotte, where Chryst was the Panthers' tight ends coach and McCown was a backup in 2008 and '09.
The two spoke in January - saying it would be fun to hook up yet again.
"For myself, it was the chance to work with Geep again and the chance to work with (49ers) coach (Jim) Harbaugh, which really excited me," McCown said. "Because I don't care what stage of your career you're in, you want to get better. So for me, to be around coach Harbaugh and to see him work with his quarterbacks ... (to) be around a guy like that who has played the position, and played it at a high level, is exciting."
McCown, who has thrown only six passes in the NFL since the 2007 season, provides the Niners with experience. Prior to McCown's signing, six-year veteran Alex Smith was the only quarterback on San Francisco's four-deep depth chart who had taken a regular-season snap. McCown is expected to serve as the third-stringer behind Smith and rookie Colin Kaepernick.
McCown has started 31 games and thrown 1,058 passes in a career that's included 35 touchdown passes, 40 interceptions and a 71.3 rating. He started nine games for the Raiders in 2007 and 13 with the Cardinals in 2004.
He said he was offered a contract by the Bears last year, but opted to play in the UFL to get playing time and because he had made a commitment to the fledgling league. He threw 10 touchdowns, eight interceptions and led the UFL in passer rating (79.3).
"I think I'm further along now than I would have been if I would have just sat on an (NFL) roster last year and been a backup because I played eight games," McCown said. "I think you're only getting better when you're taking reps, so I really valued that."
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| Thursday, 18-Aug-2011 05:08 |
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Popular Ladies Boots: Uggs
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Uggs are some of the most popular types of boots for ladies, known for their clunky and loose design in a variety of types – from those which reach close to the knee, to Uggs which are smaller ladies boots and worn as ankle boots. There are many types of Uggs which are available and all are popular. Uggs are a look which is worn by many young celebrities, which has increased the popularity of the shoes immensely. When it comes to boots, Uggs are not only stylish, but they are warm! Wearing Uggs can protect the feet against temperatures which are deep into the negative numbers.
Where can you find Uggs for purchase and how much are they? Generally a pair of Uggs is close to two hundred dollars and they are available through many retail stores. High end shoe stores and specialty stores stock these boots every year and seem to run out of popular colors such as the chocolate brown, every single year. When shopping for Uggs, it is important to find what you are looking for and purchase the ladies boots early in the season to ensure that you are going to be able to find the colors, style and types of Uggs boots in your size!
If you are unwilling to pay the price for Uggs, or the expensive boots just don’t fit within your budget, don’t worry! There are many other choices available which are close to the classic styles of Uggs. Many of these boots are created so similar in fact that you are unable to tell the difference until you look at the label that exists on the boot. Through these innovations, you are able to take advantage of Ugg inspired shoes at a fraction of the price.
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| Tuesday, 26-Apr-2011 07:07 |
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NBA Playoffs 2011: Four Things the Magic Need to Change to Beat
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Sure, it's happened before. Not often, but it's happened. And while many Magic fans, including myself, admit that defeat is certainly around the corner, we can still believe that the rare, but possible, 3-1 comeback is possible.
Hey, the Pistons did it to the Magic in 2003. When is it our turn?
Now, if the Magic lose it's just a first round exit at the hands of a better team. The opponent's talent and superiority is not disputable once elimination happens. I'll be the first realist to admit the Hawks got their revenge and were the better team. I'm not a 'well, if we had this or that' kind of fan. You beat my team, you deserve to advance and I'll root for you in the next round.
But the Hawks have to win four to advance and they've won three. So until that elimination happens, the Magic are alive. And here are some thoughts I have on how the Magic can get back in the series. These are things they MUST fix to survive or it's 0-22 in the title department.
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| Saturday, 23-Apr-2011 03:27 |
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NFL Draft 2011: No Change the Steelers Draft WR Jonathan Baldwin
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The Pittsburgh Steelers may end up needing some wide receiver depth. Yes, they have Hines Ward and Mike Wallace right now, but the current backups are not yet proven and Hines Ward is on the tail end of his career.
I'm occasionally seeing Jon Baldwin, wide receiver out of Pittsburgh, as a possibility for the Steelers in the draft. He had a great 2009 season followed up by an okay 2010 season, and is one of the biggest wide receivers in the draft.
Having said all that, he seems just like the kind of receiver the Steelers would not want to draft. He plays the field despite his build, so while they want a guy who plays like Ward, Baldwin plays more like Mike Wallace.
Beyond that, he is a diva. He slammed his quarterback in Pittsburgh, and if things went bad here he would probably do the same. A guy like Baldwin needs to play on a team where that attitude can be taken away quickly, and Pittsburgh likely is not it.
Mike Mayock has already stated that he has the talent but needs to grow up, and that sounds just about right. That type of wide receiver is one that Big Ben would not want to throw to.
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| Tuesday, 8-Mar-2011 03:29 |
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Confirmed: UNI men's basketball will host game in tournament
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The Northern Iowa men’s basketball team is hosting a game in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament — and students get in free, thanks to coach Ben Jacobson.
An opening-round matchup will be held at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls on March 15, against an opponent to be determined.
Tickets will cost $10 for adults, $5 for high school students and younger.
Students at Northern Iowa would also pay $10, but Jacobson will cover the cost for every student ticket purchased.
“It’s just more or less his way to throw a thanks back to the student body for their support during the last couple years,” athletic director Troy Dannen said. “It’s a great gesture on his part.”
The game will take place during Northern Iowa’s spring break, but more than 1,000 students typically attended regular-season games in the 6,650 arena.
“We are looking forward to playing some postseason basketball,” Jacobson said in a statement. “We are excited to play at home and appreciate the opportunity to play in front of our fans in the McLeod Center.”
Jacobson will pay for student tickets for every home game the Panthers play throughout the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT).
The CIT is a 24-team event with games played at on-campus sites.
Every team will play a first-round game, then the top four seeds will receive a second-round bye.
Last year, Missouri State and Creighton played in the CIT, with the Bears winning the championship.
The Panthers (19-13) faded from NCAA Tournament contention last week after losing to Creighton in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Tickets will go on sale later this week, and are available by calling 319-273-4849 or visiting www.UNIPanthers.com.
The Panthers do not expect to know their opponent until after pairings for the NCAA and National Invitation Tournament are unveiled on Sunday.
Dannen said Northern Iowa was also in contact with the College Basketball Invitational Tournament (CBI).
A key factor in deciding which to enter was the minimum guarantee to host.
A home game in the CIT cost $31,500, compared to $50,000 for the CBI.
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