I see Afghanistan and Bangladesh are competing in the 'Backwards Third-World Dump'

[Burney]

sub-branch of the Cricket World Cup today.

Still, it gives Scotland a break, I suppose.

[Pokster]

sub-branch of the Cricket World Cup today.

Still, it gives Scotland a break, I suppose.

That's Bangladesh who wil be 1 point off 4th place if they win (as expected) today?

[Ash]

I hadn't realised that India struggled against Afghanistan until my India-supporting colleague mentioned it this morning.

[Burney]

That's Bangladesh who wil be 1 point off 4th place if they win (as expected) today?

Yes. You still wouldn't want to live there, though, would you?

[Ash]

Yes. You still wouldn't want to live there, though, would you?

I like the way their fans wave large toy tigers. :-)

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

sub-branch of the Cricket World Cup today.

Still, it gives Scotland a break, I suppose.

Remind me again, how many of the Tory toffs managed to get back from Kabul in 1842? They went in in 1839 with a pack of fox hounds and two camels carrying the officers' cigars, so I'm sure they must have had the backward 3rd world dump well under manners 3 years later.

Also, the capital of Bengal, before the 1905 partition, was Calcutta whose uni let in totty about a decade before Oxford or Cambridge did. So definitely more enlightened.

And how many holy rivers flow through Croydon?

[Sir C]

Yes. You still wouldn't want to live there, though, would you?

Often dreadfully wet, Bangladesh.

[Pokster]

Yes. You still wouldn't want to live there, though, would you?

i worked in Bradford for a while......

[Ash]

Remind me again, how many of the Tory toffs managed to get back from Kabul in 1842? They went in in 1839 with a pack of fox hounds and two camels carrying the officers' cigars, so I'm sure they must have had the backward 3rd world dump well under manners 3 years later.

Also, the capital of Bengal, before the 1905 partition, was Calcutta whose uni let in totty about a decade before Oxford or Cambridge did. So definitely more enlightened.

And how many holy rivers flow through Croydon?

A bit like how the US breezed into Afghanistan in 2001, knocked over the bad guys and , um, 18 years later are still failing to get control.

And ONE holy river flows through Croydon. The mighty Wandle. :nod:

[Sir C]

Remind me again, how many of the Tory toffs managed to get back from Kabul in 1842? They went in in 1839 with a pack of fox hounds and two camels carrying the officers' cigars, so I'm sure they must have had the backward 3rd world dump well under manners 3 years later.

Also, the capital of Bengal, before the 1905 partition, was Calcutta whose uni let in totty about a decade before Oxford or Cambridge did. So definitely more enlightened.

And how many holy rivers flow through Croydon?

Tbf, g, whilst I bow to know man in my appreciation of the delights of the *ahem* 'developing world' metropolis, you must admit that the term 'thrid world shíthole' coulkd easily have been invented for Dacca. And, by some strange coincidence, I have a new Afghani chum, and he told me recently how he was talk to strip and reassemble an AK47 by the time he was 8 years old because, 'Anyone could try to kill you at any time'. :shrug:

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

A bit like how the US breezed into Afghanistan in 2001, knocked over the bad guys and , um, 18 years later are still failing to get control.

And ONE holy river flows through Croydon. The mighty Wandle. :nod:

Wow. I didn't know we had a holy river. Where is it in relation to East Croydon station or the Whitgift Centre? Does it have chillum-smoking and meditating monks on its banks?

Still not as many as Bangladesh, mind. And there aren't many tigers, elephants or holy cows in Croydon.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Tbf, g, whilst I bow to know man in my appreciation of the delights of the *ahem* 'developing world' metropolis, you must admit that the term 'thrid world shíthole' coulkd easily have been invented for Dacca. And, by some strange coincidence, I have a new Afghani chum, and he told me recently how he was talk to strip and reassemble an AK47 by the time he was 8 years old because, 'Anyone could try to kill you at any time'. :shrug:

I trust your judgement, C. I've obviously never been to Dacca. While I respect them for letting the noble Indians liberate them from the dastardly 'Stanis in '71, I still haven't forgiven them for siding with Jinnah in '47. Hope the 'Ghanis hammer them.

[Burney]

Often dreadfully wet, Bangladesh.

:nod: To the point of drowning, in fact.

[Sir C]

I trust your judgement, C. I've obviously never been to Dacca. While I respect them for letting the noble Indians liberate them from the dastardly 'Stanis in '71, I still haven't forgiven them for siding with Jinnah in '47. Hope the 'Ghanis hammer them.

I was in and out as a guest of the Bangladeshi parliament, so you'd imagine I'd have got to see the best of it.

:-(

[Ash]

Wow. I didn't know we had a holy river. Where is it in relation to East Croydon station or the Whitgift Centre? Does it have chillum-smoking and meditating monks on its banks?

Still not as many as Bangladesh, mind. And there aren't many tigers, elephants or holy cows in Croydon.

All rivers are holy imo. Bringers of life.

[Burney]

All rivers are holy imo. Bringers of life.

As I recall, much of the Wandle where I grew up is underground. It didn't seem to possess much in the way of divinity.

[Burney]

Remind me again, how many of the Tory toffs managed to get back from Kabul in 1842? They went in in 1839 with a pack of fox hounds and two camels carrying the officers' cigars, so I'm sure they must have had the backward 3rd world dump well under manners 3 years later.

Also, the capital of Bengal, before the 1905 partition, was Calcutta whose uni let in totty about a decade before Oxford or Cambridge did. So definitely more enlightened.

And how many holy rivers flow through Croydon?

There's no such thing as a holy river, gg. Only backwards, third-world savages believe in that sort of thing. We gave up on all that when we around the same time as we stopped painting ourselves blue.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

I was in and out as a guest of the Bangladeshi parliament, so you'd imagine I'd have got to see the best of it.

:-(

One of the glw's mates is the daughter of the Bangla that signed the '71 treaty. But if you say the nice bits are shît, it must be a dive. No lovely Lutyens architecture, I take it, as in civilised sub-continental capitals?

[Sir C]

One of the glw's mates is the daughter of the Bangla that signed the '71 treaty. But if you say the nice bits are shît, it must be a dive. No lovely Lutyens architecture, I take it, as in civilised sub-continental capitals?

Not the bits I saw. Imagine the really crumbling bits of paharganj. Now imagine much, much worse...

[Sir C]

Not the bits I saw. Imagine the really crumbling bits of paharganj. Now imagine much, much worse...

Disclaimer: that was 10 years ago. It might be like Manhattan now.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

There's no such thing as a holy river, gg. Only backwards, third-world savages believe in that sort of thing. We gave up on all that when we around the same time as we stopped painting ourselves blue.

Oh, you mean when the Wops came over and taught us how to read and write centuries after the Indians had been putting up pillars guaranteeing human and animal rights in 3 different scripts? And then when they taught us to count with Roman Numerals and no concept of zero? Verily, we are so much more civilised than the Vedics.

Ash is right - as bringers of life, all rivers are holy. It's just some are holier than others and Bangla has the confluence of two of the top three.

You should go and smoke a chillum on the banks of the Parvati or bathe in the Holy Ganga. Even you would find your soul touched. They have a ghat in Benares just for the cows. Called Gai Ghat, obv., given gai means cow. They just stand there all day, looking holy and going moo.

But it was nice of the 'Ghanis to let Dr Brydon in 1842 survive so he could tell the tale.

[Ash]

As I recall, much of the Wandle where I grew up is underground. It didn't seem to possess much in the way of divinity.

All of the underground rivers in London are associated with a divinity, in the Ben Aaronovitch novels.

Also:

"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea."

[Burney]

Oh, you mean when the Wops came over and taught us how to read and write centuries after the Indians had been putting up pillars guaranteeing human and animal rights in 3 different scripts? And then when they taught us to count with Roman Numerals and no concept of zero? Verily, we are so much more civilised than the Vedics.

Ash is right - as bringers of life, all rivers are holy. It's just some are holier than others and Bangla has the confluence of two of the top three.

You should go and smoke a chillum on the banks of the Parvati or bathe in the Holy Ganga. Even you would find your soul touched. They have a ghat in Benares just for the cows. Called Gai Ghat, obv., given gai means cow. They just stand there all day, looking holy and going moo.

But it was nice of the 'Ghanis to let Dr Brydon in 1842 survive so he could tell the tale.

Who's 'us'? No Romans in Ireland, pal.

[Sir C]

Who's 'us'? No Romans in Ireland, pal.

:nod: They weren't fúcking stupid, were they?

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Disclaimer: that was 10 years ago. It might be like Manhattan now.

Wouldn't surprise me. When I first went to Delhi, CP was so run down. The neo-classical pillars that would have looked sublime when they were built were just so tatty. Nehru had introduced subsidised rents for chunks of it, so you had people with little typewriters in their office paying a pittance for what is now some of the world's prime real estate.

Now it's full of western brands. Gutting.

Though one time, about a decade back, they'd changed one of the outer circle corner blocks to look a bit like our Parliament. So there, the mock-Georgian had become mock-mock-Gothic.

I was in a taxi, a bit fragged on K, and it was lit up by lasers and looked quite beautiful. It actually made me quite proud to be British - that they'd made this corner look like Parliament as if to say CP {or Rajiv Chowk as they call the metro station now} links the world's largest democracy with the Mother of Parliaments.

The best of both worlds. I guess you know enough about me to know why this would moisten the eye a little.

[Ash]

Who's 'us'? No Romans in Ireland, pal.

Except the Romanised 'Patricius', of course. Not that he had much influence. :hehe:

[Burney]

:nod: They weren't fúcking stupid, were they?

There is a theory, of course, that between the Fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of Charlemagne, Ireland was about the only remaining European repository of what we would have called Western knowledge. That without the Irish we'd have lost the lot.

This is balls, of course (ignoring as it does the influence of the Eastern Roman Empire apart from anything else), but still.

[Burney]

Except the Romanised 'Patricius', of course. Not that he had much influence. :hehe:

He was Welsh. :-(

[Luis Anaconda]

He was Welsh. :-(

Irish people love it when you point out he was English anyway

[Ash]

Irish people love it when you point out he was English anyway

Couldn't have been English, surely. They hadn't been invented yet.

[Burney]

Irish people love it when you point out he was English anyway

He'd almost certainly been buggered silly by pirates as well. :-(

I dined in your family seat the other week, btw.

[Luis Anaconda]

Couldn't have been English, surely. They hadn't been invented yet.
Shhh - where’s the fun in that

[Luis Anaconda]

He'd almost certainly been buggered silly by pirates as well. :-(

I dined in your family seat the other week, btw.
Did you? I hope you were treated well

[Tony C]

Still glum.

8 wickets down I had £100 at 40/1 on the W Indies...

Just has sneaky feeling Brathwaite would do something special.

Only cashed out my steak...had the option to walk away with 1800 clean too.

Shame...Anyways...

This is actually quite an important game.

England play Australia, India and New Zealand next and could well do an Arsenal and lose them all.

That leaves the door wide open for Bangladesh or Pakistan who play each other last.

Granted they need to win too but those are 3 heavyweight Knock out games for England.

[Burney]

Did you? I hope you were treated well

Yes, very. I enquired about the possibility of them letting you have it back, but nothing doing. :-(

[PSRB]

Still glum.

8 wickets down I had £100 at 40/1 on the W Indies...

Just has sneaky feeling Brathwaite would do something special.

Only cashed out my steak...had the option to walk away with 1800 clean too.

Shame...Anyways...

This is actually quite an important game.

England play Australia, India and New Zealand next and could well do an Arsenal and lose them all.

That leaves the door wide open for Bangladesh or Pakistan who play each other last.

Granted they need to win too but those are 3 heavyweight Knock out games for England.

No Roy for the Aussie game either, Vince just isn't anywhere his level.

[Burney]

Still glum.

8 wickets down I had £100 at 40/1 on the W Indies...

Just has sneaky feeling Brathwaite would do something special.

Only cashed out my steak...had the option to walk away with 1800 clean too.

Shame...Anyways...

This is actually quite an important game.

England play Australia, India and New Zealand next and could well do an Arsenal and lose them all.

That leaves the door wide open for Bangladesh or Pakistan who play each other last.

Granted they need to win too but those are 3 heavyweight Knock out games for England.

I would actually be quite amused if England didn't get out of the group stage. it would serve us right.

[barrybueno]

Often dreadfully wet, Bangladesh.

India's floodplain innit? Imagine having that as part of your history.

[PSRB]

I would actually be quite amused if England didn't get out of the group stage. it would serve us right.

For losing to Pakistan and Sri Lanka? I think we'll beat both Australia and New Zealand

[Herbert Augustus Chapman]

Remind me again, how many of the Tory toffs managed to get back from Kabul in 1842? They went in in 1839 with a pack of fox hounds and two camels carrying the officers' cigars, so I'm sure they must have had the backward 3rd world dump well under manners 3 years later.

Also, the capital of Bengal, before the 1905 partition, was Calcutta whose uni let in totty about a decade before Oxford or Cambridge did. So definitely more enlightened.

And how many holy rivers flow through Croydon?

retribution was indeed taken .. oh yes!

[Burney]

For losing to Pakistan and Sri Lanka? I think we'll beat both Australia and New Zealand

No, for the hubris we’ve displayed. Fact is, our bowling just isn’t all that and our batting only has one gear.

[PSRB]

No, for the hubris we’ve displayed. Fact is, our bowling just isn’t all that and our batting only has one gear.

Was rather foolish not playing Plunkett, Root is the sole other gear.

Still think it will be an India vs England final

[Luis Anaconda]

Yes, very. I enquired about the possibility of them letting you have it back, but nothing doing. :-(
Thanks for trying

[Luis Anaconda]

No Roy for the Aussie game either, Vince just isn't anywhere his level.

Vince is one of the biggest ****s to have ever played for England - no surprises about where he comes from. Massive drop down from Roy. Cricket equivalent of replacing Lehmann with Almunia

[Burney]

Was rather foolish not playing Plunkett, Root is the sole other gear.

Still think it will be an India vs England final

Yes, trouble is, if the chaps at the other end are all trying to cart it out of the ground and failing, Root's more measured approach counts for little.

I think Australia are looking very ominous.

[Burney]

Vince is one of the biggest ****s to have ever played for England - no surprises about where he comes from. Massive drop down from Roy. Cricket equivalent of replacing Lehmann with Almunia

For a second there, I thought you meant Darren Lehmann.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

All of the underground rivers in London are associated with a divinity, in the Ben Aaronovitch novels.

Also:

"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea."

Best. Poem. Ever. (Other than Owl and Pussycat and Walrus/Carpenter.)

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Who's 'us'? No Romans in Ireland, pal.

Good point. You had to wait another millennium until us Froggy-Brits came and taught you how to write Wop and count Vedic.

[Ash]

Best. Poem. Ever.

:nod: From Highgate's finest.

Have you read Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency?

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

retribution was indeed taken .. oh yes!

I know, Herbs. Pollocks' army was mostly made up of Bengal infantry and cavalry. Left behind the idiot white women and cigar camels and left the real fighting to the sepoys. No wonder we won.

[PSRB]

sub-branch of the Cricket World Cup today.

Still, it gives Scotland a break, I suppose.

Yet again Afghanistan don't quite seem to have grasped the whole 50 overs thing, it's not a sodding test match!!

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

:nod: From Highgate's finest.

Have you read Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency?

Yup. Loved it. And the 2nd one was even better.

But many a Lit professor thinks the Person from Porlock is the most evil human in creation.