| No excitement please, we're Reading
An FA Cup run would have been a bit risky, so striker Dave Kitson informed us all that they did not give two 'hoots' about that. They want to concentrate on the league, but of course they don't want to do too well in that because that would put them in Europe. And they wouldn't want that. The most incredulous thing of all is that Royals fans, blinded by their love of Coppell, call radio phone-ins defending the club's position. "Our Steve's right, we're not ready for European football," they garble. So instead they'll stumble on aimlessly until their luck runs out and they go back down to the Championship. They could have made the most of their elevated status and had some fantastic memories that would have lasted a lifetime - as a Bolton fan who has seen his side venture into Europe twice in the past three seasons, I can assure them of that.
Railroads rallying?
With the economy moving off track, there's mixed news for the train industry. There's even a possibility of longer waits at railroad crossings for many motorists in the region because of that. "The economy is really slowing down," said Rudy Husband of Norfolk Southern Railroad. "It's been hitting every railroad in the country. With the drop off of the automotive and housing industries our overall carloading is off." Steve Davis, development officer for CSX Ohio, said while 2006 was a record year for the railroad, 2007 brought changes. "In 2007, our earnings continued to improve, but the number of items being shipped dropped off slightly, mainly because of the housing and automobile industries," he said. Garrick Francis, spokesman of the CSX Midwest division, said it's a mixed bag now for railroads.
A Day For The Ages
My Halloween morning starts in an elevator, where a young woman is trying to hook a fake ring onto her lower lip. It's not going well. The same can't be said for the proceedings upstairs, where costumed employees of Riverside's Best Best & Krieger law firm render a near-flawless performance of the chicken dance. The Oktoberfest motif, complete with braids of suspect origin, at least one chicken mask and a small keg of Heineken, must be a delightful departure from the customary agenda in the sprawling conference room. But it won't be the only departure. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" starts in 15 minutes. Just outside of town, Highgrove Elementary School's Halloween parade is still hours away. Mrs. Jarvis has morphed into Raggedy Ann. Fourth-grader Pablo Miranda has a trick up his sleeve.
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