I'm a bit quiet on this blog at the moment. You knew that. I'll be pre-occupied with coverage of the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup on Cricketwoman for a while.

This is a great challenge, as the media coverage is shaping up yet again as being appalling. This is a case of Stop complaining about the media. Be the media.

Sad news of the passing of Dave Allen in England on Thursday at the age of 68. For many years through the 1970s, Friday nights at our place was defined by watching either The Two Ronnies or Dave Allen At Large on the ABC.

Dave Allen was a wonderful, laconic, Irish stand-up comic, except that he did all his TV shows sitting on a stool, and generally drawing on a fag at the same time (that's in the toxicity sense, not the Public School sense). For more than one reason, his show would never cut it in prime-time TV these days.

From Australian Associated Press (via today's Sydney Morning Herald)

After the outstanding success at staging the first ICC v ACC tsunami relief match at very short notice in Melbourne in January, I was disappointed to read of the cancellation of the return game, originally planned for February 13, then pushed out to April. However the reason given by [insert the cap he's wearing today] Jagmohan Dalmiya on Sunday is totally pitiful.

With no announcement yet on the websites of either the ICC or the ACC, this is the Press Trust of India's report on Sunday's proclamation by JD:

Yes it's that time of year again, the Why-it-looks-like-my-uncle-O***r (Not TM) Awards are being handed out in Los Angeles. And, for the first time in four years, not a hobbit in sight.

Having seen barely any 2004 releases yet, here are my predictions for the major WILLMUOs:

Best Film: Million Dollar Baby
Best Actor: Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles
Best Actress: Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake)
Best Supporting Actor: Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby)

I was pleased to see that the majority of Australia's national league netballers have affiliated with the Australian Workers Union. The AWU website has more news of the alliance with the ANPA.

Firefox 1.0.1, the latest version of my browser of choice, has been released. The 4.7 meg setup file for Windows can be downloaded from Mozilla.org. See the Mozillazine announcement.

If you are using Firefox 1.0 or an earlier version, upgrade now. If you are still using that internet "explorer" from the House of Gates (ie, IE), then there is no better time to convert than today!

Mrs Cui Yu Hu turned 104, and received a letter of congratulations from the Prime Minister, John Howard, which reads:

"Janette and I are very happy to learn of your 104th birthday. We would like to join with your family and friends in extending our congratulations and best personal wishes to you on this wonderful occasion."

But the mailman also delivered a letter from the Immigration Department, refusing her an aged parent visa.

"The players broke the club's disciplinary code and have also been found guilty of unauthorised use of a fire extinguisher and a bicycle."
- Newcastle Knights chairman Mick Hill, 21.2.05

(Please refer to the source and background to this deathless prose.)

It's quite unsettling to hear the news of Hunter S Thompson's death, apparently by shooting himself. It's only last Friday that I wrote a short appreciation of him on these pages.