Strike Factory

Both I know are separate nations, and never get them mixed up, but a lot of people world wide seem to. So how did this madness begin!

Well we have to travel back to the early 1990's (yes a period I am fond of I know), when most people were raving (esp in UK), Communism and the Soviet Union plus its influence was vanishing around Central and Eastern Europe! Story begins quietly in 1991 when Slovenia withdrew from collapsing Yugoslavia, managing to avoid the bloodshed of their former Yugoslav neighbours! No problems there, nothing to get worried about this new young Slovenia!

Then two years later the problems and confusion began when SHOCK HORROR the Slovaks took Slovakia out of the wonderful name Czechoslovakia! The names and flags (from a distance) are very similar. Yes they are Slavs, now EU members that have embraced the Euro. Plus both were part of the Austria-Hungary Empire. But that is where the simularity ends! Although their languages are Slavic they are as different as Germanic languages English and Dutch are (although to us Slovenes and Slovaks all sound the same. lol)! I can't really think of any massively notable Slovene sports stars (maybe winter sports), maybe tennis doubles speciallist Katrina Srebotnik.But Slovakia I can think of apart from Martina Hingis (although Kosice born grew up in Switzerland and both parents were not Slovaks), Miroslav Mecir 1988 Olympic Tennis Champion who never won a grand slam but one fan of his was surprisingly English World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson. Others include Daniela Hantuchova and Albions beloved goalkeeper Peter Brezovan plus a few other tennis professionals who I won't mention in order to prevent boredom!

At the 2010 World Cup there was some confusion indeed as both Slovenia and Slovakia appeared at the finals of a major football tournament together for the first time ever! This confusion has claimed a few victims around the world down the years, including GW Bush, Silvio Berlusconi ex Italian Prime Minister (despite Slovenia being neighbours of Italy) an ESPN commentator at this years world cup, and the Spanish Branch of Reuters. Finally according to an article written by a Slovene tourist weblog an unamed major European City that consistently wrongly addresses Slovak mail to the Slovenian embassy (guess we know where this is!) the list goes on and on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtPtfgX1olw

Plus despite the charming effects of the lady in this youtube video, I think this confusion will remain for a long time, unless they decide to merge and from a Union like the Social Democrats and Liberal Partys in the UK did in the 1980's although the nations are separated by about 400 kilometres, and the name would be difficult (Eg lets declare United Republics Of Sloveneoslovakia). They could take inspiration from an infamous old Spitting Image sketch of the Liberal/ Social Democrats merger a year before they merged! But then I would miss the rare occasions when Slovenia and Slovakia take on each other in sport as the 'Slov Derby' in football, similar to Austria VS Australia!

Random Flash Backs

For some reason drink (I was at pub quiz tonight and a bank card, seem to have a massive effect on past memorys. My first random flashback, came a few days ago when I received a new bank/ debit card unexpected, it brought back flashbacks of 29th October 2005 when after Brighton drawing Ipswich on the false dawn that Brighton had got their new stadium at Falmer, I joined in a celebration that included the likes of Fatboy (Andy Rumble), Chez (name escapes me), and Boo Sticks (Abi Jones!), at the then named Font and Firkin, me and Andy Rumble tried unsussessfuly to pass my basic bank card as some sort of debit/ credit card to save me taking a long walk to a hole in the wall! My new bank/ debit card came almost exactly 5 years late! (shocking I did not cover this story in blog due to PC then being down!).

The second one seems to relate to yours truly winning and getting special award from a karaoke competition at Broadfield Playcentre (Creseys Drive not Rathlin Road sorry for spelling) round about 1996 or 97 that was run by the main organiser of the Youth Club (we got cool state of the art cards as members!) lovely Janine (whose Dad was also a Brighton fan). Anybody know what she is up to these days? Please get in touch. God knows why random memory number 2 has popped up! lol

More next time! lol Not!

Apologys for the slight neglect of this blog 17 days! Mind you there are certain notable blogs and forums that have gone quiet in this time of recession recently!

Anyway I was honoured to be a part of McCarthys XIII birthday celebrations guests included a range of other minor celebritys including NSP founder Steve Valder, Splash FMs Nick Osborne. There was my disapointing pool performances and someone pointing out how much I looked like the great Englishman the Duke Of Wellington himself, which I was honoured! Scott McCarthy decided to not quite do as many pubs in Brighton (with Basketmakers, Lord Nelson and Duke Of Wellington being the main ones) as he had done in his 2006 birthday pub crawl of all Burgess Hill pubs (including the now burnt down and demolished Junction Inn RIP), but somehow McCarthy ended up in a bigger state than the previous ones! He ended up doing all kinds of exciting activitys that got people around curious what the legend was up too! Some of which would go on all day including having to wear a nappy and being a victim of people like Andy Rumble pouring all kinds of alcoholic liquid down it! Eventually McCarthy struggled to move at Brighton Station gaining attention for his trousers falling that attracted the attention of a cop that described him as extremely intoxicated, thanks to Mark Potter and Oli, McCarthy made a safe journey home on the train despite carrying his random cheers, chants and conversations with strangers before being left to make the long walk from the Station back to McCarthy Towers!

Apart from work experience the cooking course directed by the wonderful Phoenician Lady teacher, I have had to be careful with the pennys which resulted in me not being able to attend Brightons 4-0 RAPE of Charlton on Saturday with them still top of League 1 and becoming the most fashionable football club to follow possibly in the world at the moment! Meanwhile I plan to blitz a series of job agency websites this week continuing the never ending quest of work! There is Halloween and Bonfire Night coming up soon and I hope to make an appearance at the great scenes of the County Town for the East Of Gods County Lewes Bonfire Parade! Hopefully things can get better! :)