The golf is on… 

In fact, the big golf event of the year, The 2008 Ryder Cup is taking place this weekend and is basically taking over the telly at home (my dad’s a big golf fan) and in work (pub). Right now the score is USA 5½ – Europe 2½ (but apparently, Europe have had a great start to their day). What amuses me though is the great sense of pomposity and grandeur that accompanies the tournament – particularly in the TV presentation of the event.

If you’re watching it on Sky Sports you may know what I mean when I specifically pick out their break-bumpers (the short RBS sponsorship clips that feature between the programme and the actual ad break) – which mention ‘classic’ moments or statistics from golfing history to the accompaniment of some incredibly over-dramatic and grandiose music – the same kind of music that accompanies the slo-mo replays of the more ‘iconic’ moments of the day.

It’s the kind of grand and majestic music that would almost make you think these guys must be superheros or something – and yeah, while we all know Tiger Woods can walk on water (see video), I now like to imagine that Padraig Harrington can fly, Nick Faldo has X-Ray vision and Miguel Angel Jimenez can shoot lightning bolts from his arse…

Despite the competition for the Democratic Presidential candidacy nomination in the United States effectively going down to the wire, the outcome still fails to completely surprise most observers. According to the Associated Press, Barack Obama is about to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination after a marathon competition with Hillary Clinton.

That might not mean the end of Clinton’s bid for the White House though, as – even after the considerable mud-slinging which went on in their own individual campaigns so far – she now says she’s open to the idea of being Vice-President while the son of a Kenyan goat-herder (and great great GREAT grandson of an Irishman) takes the top spot.

Although, then again, there’s always this fellah on the other side… Either way, it’ll make for interesting watching for the independent observer!

By all means, draw your own conclusions, – but it would seem to me that Jim Corr, guitarist with Dundalk based band “The Corrs”, has far too much time, money and Internet access on his hands.

In a radio interview on Today FM’s “The Last Word” yesterday, he went on a well rehearsed rant about the Lisbon Treaty and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Apparently, he got on the air thanks to his buddy Tony Fenton (pictured with him here).

During his rant, he claimed that:

The Bush administration, with the help of the intelligence community – the CIA, etc., carried out the atrocities in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania

Explosives were planted in the WTC towers in order to ensure that they “collapsed neatly into their own footprint”

Rudolph Guiliani, then mayor of New York, covered it up by shipping evidence (including steel from the towers) abroad

None of the hi-jackers were actually on the airline passenger manifests and at least eight are still alive and free today

We are headed towards a “new world order” culminating in a single world government which he said would be a “scientific dictatorship” – starting with Mexico, Canada and the US merging (and using one currency, the “Amero“) – and those later merging with Europe and Asia.

It all smacks quite clearly of some very well known conspiracy theories which have been circulating on the Internet for the past 6 years (including one in a Google Video which he referenced) – most of which a lot of us have heard (and laughed at, in fairness) before and most if not all of which have been comprehensively debunked.

Oh!- and he also claimed, in a roundabout way, that the Lisbon Treaty will mean the eventual introduction of the death penalty in the E.U.

They’re also talking about this on boards.ie and Damien blogged about this earlier today (but the YouTube video he referenced doesn’t have the full interview)…

So here’s the full interview now:

Oh and Jim’s not alone either…! Won’t we all be kicking ourselves if 10 or 20 years down the line, he’s found out to have been correct all along? Ray D’Arcy said on air today that if that does happen, he’ll publicly apologise to Jim Corr for not believing him but added that he didn’t think at that stage anyone would care about the Louth man’s opinion.

Do we care now? Whatever about Jim’s “sensational” outburst – everyone should get themselves properly informed – there’s only two weeks left before the country goes to the polls in the Lisbon Treaty Referendum.