The View from the Spaghetti Factory (proper redesign coming soon!)

Now that’s what I call good news!

In this household’s occasional ruminations upon whether we could justify paying for a subscription-based cable or satellite TV service, FilmFour represented the main motivation for doing so (along with the Italian football, since its departure from Channel Four). However, the obstacle was always my fundamental opposition to subscription TV… I refuse to pay upwards of £15 per month in order to buy the right to *then* pay additionally for channels I want to watch. If the whole thing was truly “pay per view”, based on single payments for major sporting events (or even single films) or subscriptions for individual channels, I’d be all too willing to sign up, but I’m not paying for a load of “free” channels I’m never going to watch.

(Obviously, I’m already paying a subscription of sorts via the BBC licence fee, but I’m talking specifically about commercial channels here.)

But lo… a golden ray of hope amid the dumbed-down cheapness and corporate sponsorship. The free-to-air relaunch of FilmFour coincides perfectly with the sad end of the weekly “Director’s Chair” feature at my local cinema, a rare alternative to the usual “free overhyped blockbuster with every kilo of junk food purchased”. Watching films on the small screen is never ideal, but it’s better than nowt, and there’s still the good old NFT for the proper cinema experience, as well as the really unusual stuff that they’ll never show on FilmFour.

The cynic in me would probably wonder if all this is just a PR stunt, building viewer loyalty in preparation for some as-yet-unnannounced revolution in subscription TV. For the moment, though, I’m making the most of it and keeping my cynicism at bay!

I recently switched my Gas and Electricity suppliers, choosing a dual-fuel deal (with “green electricity”) from Scottish Power in favour of my previous contracts with Npower and Ecotricity. The reasons for this were twofold… I’d recently received a price increase notification from Npower and Ecotricity were being rather coy about giving me precise details of their tariffs. Anyway, it’s easy enough to switch, so when you find a decent deal, you might as well take advantage.

So when I received the usual confirmation phone call from Npower today, I expected it to be the usual box-ticking exercise… “We’re sorry to hear you’re leaving us. No problems? Just the prices? Goodbye then, sir”. Instead, I got this…

NPOWER: Did you actually check to make sure we weren’t the cheapest?
ME: Yes, I did all the comparisons on uswitch

…

NPOWER: Well, if you do decide to come back to us, just give us a call, because some of these companies are putting up their prices and there are more price rises to come…
ME (piqued): Yeah, that’s exactly why I’m leaving Npower. I got your price rise letter.
NPOWER: No, you can’t have done. We’re not raising our prices.
ME: I did. I got a letter.
NPOWER: No, that’s your direct debit amount. Our prices aren’t going up. They changed in May.

We eventually agreed to differ, although I was annoyed that I didn’t have the letter to hand. I managed to find it and sure enough, it states the following…

Your new prices from 1st July 2006 will be:
Unit rate, up to and including 4572 kWh per year - 3.639p (up from 3.165p)
Unit rate, over 4572 kWh per year - 2.047p (up from 1.691p)

Ha! I do like to be proved right. A letter to the Guardian’s consumer column, I think…

As you know, I always like to support people who Do Their Stuff independently of the corporate mainstream. And when those people are my friends, hey, they even get free advertising here!

Jon Boyes is a classical and flamenco guitarist based in south-west England, and his debut album “Haçienda” is now available from his website. It’s a great little mix of Spanish-flavoured guitar instrumentals, with some really interesting arrangements and plenty of great playing. The perfect antidote to all those generic easy-listening Spanish guitar albums.

Bill Jehle started off releasing quirky instrumental music. He then did a multimedia CD showing how he built guitars and used them to create more quirky instrumental music. He’s now taken the next step and released a DVD, “How to Build a Guitar: The String, Stick, Box Method”.

Go and support these people by buying their products! They put my own lack of productivity to shame…

For George Bush, there are two types of murder.

The first type is very very bad indeed. George is so sure of this, he uses his ultimate legislative power as president to stamp it out. Dirty, nasty murder. Gone. Sure, there are some liberals who would justify this terrible crime as vital, life-saving medical research, but they’re crazy.

The second type isn’t so bad at all, really. It’s a bit messy, especially as it involves people throwing vast quantities of explosives at civilians, something that those liberals would describe as war crimes, but never mind. George isn’t going to get involved and stop the whole thing because he thinks he’s backed the winner. Besides, a ceasefire wouldn’t sit too well with his big plans for the world.

[Edit, 21 June: A blog post from Jyoti Mishra brought my attention to the excellent graphic on the front of Independent]

This afternoon, temperatures are set to be hotter than at any time since yesterday afternoon. Even at 5:00 this morning, the sun strength was greater than at any time in the previous eight hours. This is likely to be the hottest and driest 19 July 2006 on record. We live in remarkable times, boys and girls.

Like all work-shy, not-enough-to-worry-about, Guardian-reading liberals, I’m incredibly concerned by the implications of global warming, not least the distinct possibility that it may have been caused largely by our own misuse of the planet. But can’t we just have some of this for a couple of months every year, without the nasty side-effects of global famine, floods and mass species extinction? If we promise to be well-behaved and put up with several weeks of slate-grey skies and sleet in the winter? Please, Mr Weather Deity, sir?

(Hang on… it hasn’t rained here in south-east England since 1937. If there’s any melted polar ice-caps going spare, we could make use of them.)

What is it about this country and the weather? We have a temperate maritime climate, and although our weather is changeable, it’s always polite and unassuming, never reaching extremes. Yet when it snows, our schools close, our motorways close and our public transport system grinds to a halt. When it’s unusually hot, our office air-conditioners fail, our roads melt and our public transport system grinds to a halt. When the leaves fall in autumn, our public transport system grinds to a halt.

I suspect it’s because we’re all too aware of the mild, non-threatening reputation of our weather. When building roads, railways or offices, it’s all too easy to quote our national winter and summer averages of 5 and 15 degrees and plan accordingly.

We also seem to suffer from an inability to make individual choices based on comfort. Now that’s partly down to meaningless social pressures (why anyone would allow their employer to dictate that they wear a collar and tie at all, never mind in summer, baffles me completely) but there’s also an inbuilt conservatism and lack of self-determination. I’ve boarded trains on hot summer days, to find a carriage full of sweaty people, none of whom has taken the initiative to open the windows. And the converse… cocooned by our ever-growing car culture and over-heated houses, people seem quite offended to find that a t-shirt and trackie bottoms just aren’t suitable for ambling down the High Street in January.

From yesterday’s Guardian, one of the best summaries I’ve seen explaining why the government’s proposed ID card system is wrong…

Henry Porter: Beware of Card Tricks

FINAL: Italy 1 - 1 France
(Italy win 5-3 on penalties)

World Cup finals rarely live up to the full-blooded attacking abandon of the earlier rounds, because there’s just so much at stake. Both France and Italy had demonstrated their full potential in earlier rounds (against Brazil and Germany, respectively) but played much more cautiously in the final. Whether that was a result of tactical caution or simply the combination of French fatigue and an unadventurous Italian 4-5-1 formation, I don’t know, but I don’t think it was a bad match overall. Italy looked brightest for most of the first half, spurred into action by Zidane’s early penalty, but France took control after half-time, bringing into question Lippi’s decision to play Luca Toni as a lone striker. Totti was overwhelmed by some effective French marking, and watched the match drift past him, much as he’d done for the rest of the competition.

However, the whole match really hinged on two players.

It’s not surprising that one of those players was Zinedine Zidane. France’s steady improvement has run in parallel with Zizou’s rediscovery of form, and here he was, playing his last ever game of professional football in the World Cup final and scoring the opening goal. But Marco Materazzi?! Gawky and lacking subtlety, Materazzi has never really been considered one of Italy’s best defenders, and his clumsy challenge on Malouda that led to Zidane’s penalty. However, he’s been improving steadily throughout his career, and made amends in spectacular form, scoring the equaliser and then one of Italy’s five flawless penalties.

But will we ever really know what happened in the 110th minute? I’ve watched the replays several times, and all I see is Zidane and Materazzi walking out of the Italian penalty box together after an unsuccessful French attack. A few words are exchanged, Zidane grins, a few more words, Zidane starts to walk ahead of Materazzi… but then what did Materazzi say to make Zidane turn round and go for him? Nice bit of nutting, though; I like to think that Zizou, ever the cultured virtuoso, was paying his own tribute to the great Yosser Hughes there.

It was sad to see such one of the finest players of all time ending his career on such a sour note, but it certainly added a touch of extra intrigue to the match. And of course, that’s Zidane for you, and it’s not like he hasn’t had those “red mist moments” before. You get the whole package with Zizou… masterful footballing brilliance and dramatic mood swings. And despite what the prudish BBC team made of it, it’s one hell of a way to end a career for a man who has already won all the trophies!

Third place play-off: Germany 3 - 1 Portugal

I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering whether there’s really any need for a third place play-off match at all. Both teams are beaten semi-finalists, physically spent and in mental anguish over what might have been. The penultimate match of the World Cup mini-season often seems like a needlessly masochistic act of deliberate tedium in order to make us appreciate the final.

If FIFA do intend to continue with this tradition, I think it needs a few tweaks. Listeners to the Guardian’s World Cup podcast have been making suggestions, of which I quite liked the idea of a charity gala, with a match featuring a selection of the best players who didn’t make the final. My suggestion would be to copy the Olympic approach to match-based sports… introduce a Gold/Silver/Bronze medal system, so the beaten semi-finalists have something to play for. The finalists already receive medals (for winning or losing) so it wouldn’t be a major adjustment to the current system.

Even with the current system, while many teams do indeed grit their teeth and go through the motions for the sake of FIFA regulations, there is another way. Take pride in your top-four position in world football and take advantage of the opportunity for a stress-free exhibition match. That’s how Germany played this evening, providing an almost-perfect climax to their World Cup run. They played quick attacking football, taking chances and demonstrating (to England especially) that this stodgy Portugal side can easily be beaten with this approach.

Portugal simply continued as before, suggesting that Cristiano Ronaldo (or indeed the entire Portugal camp) has never encountered the concept of PR. Given the perfect opportunity to redeem himself amid a good-natured atmosphere, he dived spectacularly on at least two occasions. In return, the mostly German crowd dutifully jeered every time he touched the ball. It seems young Ronnie is keen to leave Manchester United, but is there really anywhere outside Portugal where he can be sure of avoiding the backlash? Could he really not see the opportunity to build bridges and heal wounds in tonight’s match?

On the other hand, the German team has recognised, and grabbed, the opportunities presented by this whole competition. Few people expected them to get much further than the second round, but they’ve pulled together, made the most of their strengths and given their fans something to be proud of. With the general sense of goodwill that has grown up in Germany over the past few weeks, things are looking rosy for German football.

Semi-final: Portugal 0 - 1 France

Do you mind if I just dispense with any attempt to be impartial for this one? I’ve been a good boy so far, don’t you think? I haven’t said “C’MONYOUINGERLUN!” once, have I?

I know some English people still have a bizarre animosity towards the French (I mean, come on… it’s been 191 years now) but it’s fairly safe to say that very few English football fans wanted to see Portugal win tonight. Sure enough, they didn’t, but the score, not to mention the character of the match, was quite revealing.

First of all, if France are to have any hope of beating Italy in the final, they’ll need to recreate the stunning Zidane-centred attacking flair they demonstrated in the Brazil match… and then some. Italy have by far the best defence in this World Cup and while Zidane may be just the person to unlock it, the French will have to be on their guard against Italian counter-attacks. Barthez kept a clean sheet despite being at his Hulot-esque best but, unlike 1998/2000, he can’t rely on an almost unbeatable defence to get him out of trouble every time.

Secondly, do we really ever want Scolari to coach England? I was certainly in favour of his appointment back when it looked like a definite possibility, but I’ve seen a lot to dislike over the course of this World Cup. The current Portugal squad has a great capacity for attractive, attacking play, but several of their performances in Germany have looked stodgy and unimaginative. Deco’s suspension provided a reasonable excuse for the lack of creativity in the England match, but not tonight. He played, but just couldn’t seem to get involved.

The biggest issue, though, is still the diving and play-acting. This is not entirely the fault of Big Phil (Portuguese teams have always been rather lightweight in the tackle) but he’s done nothing to avert the media shitstorm of the past week. Portugal stood to gain some PR brownie points by approaching tonight’s match with a more gentlemanly attitude, but no… if anything, they were even worse than against England. ITV picked up on several examples of absolutely blatant diving both at half-time and after the match, but what made the whole thing worse was the screaming, pop-eyed outrage from Scolari and all denizens of the Portugal dugout. It was a rare pleasure to see these cheats ejected from the World Cup.

It wasn’t a vintage French performance, but it was enough. No doubt questions will be asked about the penalty (like the free-kick against Spain, Henry *was* fouled, but over-acted somewhat) but World Cup matches have been decided on far more controversial decisions.

Semi-final: Germany 0 - 2 Italy

Classic.

Less than three weeks ago, Germany were plodding unconvincingly through their first two group games, while Italy were showing off their self-destructive tendencies in spectacular fashion against the USA. But now look at them… both teams combining their traditional solid defensive play with some tasty attacking football. For me, Italy possibly just about shaded it during the 90 minutes, but their performance during extra time was a real feat of endurance, skill and determination. Fabio Cannavaro could well be the best centre-back in the world and Rino Gattuso never stopped battling, even managing some flamboyant skills after nearly two hours in the heat.

It’s slightly ironic that their first goal, capping a sweeping attacking move, was scored by Fabio Grosso. It was Grosso who dived to win the penalty against Australia, ending Italy’s most Catenaccio-style performance. This time, though, he wasn’t the sole influence in breaking the deadlock… Alex Del Piero may not get many full-match performances these days, but it’s good to see his scoring touch is still there.

And what a treat for numerologists. Italy have established a pattern of appearing in the World Cup final every twelve years…

1970: Runners-up
1982: Winners
1994: Runners-up
2006: ?

Meanwhile Jürgen Klinsmann can be proud of his achievement. Before the competition started, he spoke of having a wider vision beyond simply winning matches; he wanted to improve the reputations of both German football and Germany as a whole. The World Cup experience certainly seems to have done wonders for the country’s reputation as a hospitable, welcoming tourist destination, while Klinsmann has built an exciting, attacking team whose earlier defensive frailties diminished with every match. I’ll wager they’re going to be a force to reckon with in Euro 2008.