About

Glen - Breakfast Host:

What chance an agreement in Copenhagen in December ? Is your optimism diminishing at the same rate as mine ?
News through today that U.S. groups pushing for a new international accord on climate control are scaling back their expectations for an end-of-year deal, openly talking about either pushing for an “interim” plan or a simple extension of negotiations set for December in Denmark.
With fewer than 75 days remaining before an international conference convenes in Copenhagen , some climate change experts are assessing the lack of progress and crafting what might be called a “Plan B.”
Reports out of Oslo and London also say a summit of world leaders has lowered expectations for a strong new U.N. climate pact to replace the Kyoto Protocol in Copenhagen in December, with details looking ever more likely to be left for 2010.
Steady as she sinks….
Meanwhile, stand by for the battle of Pittsburgh as anti-poverty, globalisation, war and government protesters prepare to do battle with assembled security forces as the leaders of the G20 countries gather in the industrial city.
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From the wires :
The former head of Boris Yeltsin’s security has dismissed a journalist’s claim that the former Russian president was found drunk and looking for pizza near the White House in 1995.

Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Taylor Branch made the allegation as he was promoting his book detailing Bill Clinton’s presidency.

Branch said Yeltsin had been staying at Blair House, near the White House, when he was discovered late at night roaming by secret service agents, dressed in his underwear.

Couldn’t possibly be true…
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Debbie - Sport

When Glen inadvertently back-announced one of my reports today with the words “Debbie Spillane looking at weather for us this morning” it made me laugh because, to me, it sounded closer to the truth than perhaps he realised.
Presenting sports bulletins in a grand final week feels not so much like “reporting weather”, as “reporting whether”.
As St Kilda and Geelong prepare for the biggest match of the season on Saturday, obviously they’re playing their cards close to their chests. They’re actively trying to prevent useful information getting out and they’re staging carefully choreographed media events where everyone gets access to the same one or two players or coaches mostly saying the same two or three things.
In terms of the lead sport story Monday to Friday in a grand final week, there’s just one game and two teams left to talk about. But to be brutally frank nothing’s emerging that’s really news. So the main storyline becomes whether Max Hudgton will be selected. Or whether Matthew Stokes will play. Or whether Nick Riewoldt’s knee is OK. Or even whether a helicopter hovering over a training session behind closed door will provide an insight into anything at all.
Looking at whether indeed.
Of course, a lack of hard news on a topic doesn’t prevent robust and extensive discussion amongst fans and pundits. And one of the time-honoured areas for discussion is who deserve to be favourites. (Teams usually prefer to address this in terms of who are the underdogs in an effort to put the weight of more expectation on their opponents.)
As St Kilda have been the best team throughout the season, it might seem odd that Geelong are favourites. But in the match-up between consistent season-long form vs momentum plus recent grand final experience, I’ll take the latter every time.
The flip side of this is that the Cats are under more pressure. On some levels it’s crazy to think of either side being under more pressure than the other when it comes to a whole season’s work going on the line. But consider this. Geelong have lost only 10 games in three years. If they lose a second grand final in a row, you’d have to start to think in terms of psychological scarring.
So my tip is Geelong. But you know, I do prefer the St Kilda storyline. If you’re sitting on the fence, move over. I’ll be waiting right there until Sunday morning when Scott Wales and I will dissect the GF into small pieces on Weekend Half Time.
And then from Monday I’ll be the “whether girl” for the NRL grand final between the Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm. (You heard it here first!)
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Looking at all the coverage of Sydney’s dramatic red dust storm last night a random sports-related angle occurred to me. Exactly nine years ago on the 23rd September we were smack-bang in the middle of the Sydney Olympics.
Red faces would’ve gone with the red dust if we’d been forced to reschedule morning events because of visibility and respiratory issues.
Would’ve kept us very quiet about air quality issues in the lead-up to Beijing….!