‘Mystery Missile’ in California Creates Buzz

KCBS television caught the long exhaust plume on camera as it arced into the evening sky west of Los Angeles on Monday night, sparking reports of a missile launch. But The US military has so far been unable to explain an apparent missile vapour trail off the coast of California, and is still trying to determine its cause, a Pentagon spokesman said.

A Tale Of Two Penalties

Tonight the R's travelled to the South Coast in search of extending our unbeaten start to the season. Portsmouth were looking to spoil the party and bounce back after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Derby at the weekend. How would things turn out? We're about to find out.

Lofty picked up Sam and myself just after 4pm and we steadily made our way through traffic as we arrived in Portsmouth at around 6.45. Having gone for a short walk to grab some money, we came back to Lofty and he had got direction off of a policeman and after following these we realised once we got to the entrance to the away stand that we had been sent the long way round, goes to show that sometimes you just cant trust anyone!
Having made our way inside the turnstile we walked up the stairs to find a small walkway that was about two people wide and was heavily crowded. Having met Michael and Luke, we made our way to our seats only to find that we were right behind the goal and 8 rows from the front and with the view very restricted by the net, so throughout the game we were ducking and weaving to try and get a decent view of what was happening at the other end.



The first half was a pretty even affair that flowed from end to end. John Utaka stood out for Portsmouth down their left hand side and he was giving Kyle Walker all sorts of problems with his pace and trickery.
Rangers' first real chance came when Rob Hulse knocked the ball back for Shaun Derry and he let fly with a left footed volley but Jamie Ashdown in the Portsmouth goal was more than equal to it.
Portsmouth then had the best effort of the half as Utaka cut in from the left hand side and curled a right foot effort on goal over Paddy Kenny but fortunately for the R's the ball bounced off the bar before being cleared to safety.

The teams went in at half time all square. The game could really go either way and Portsmouth may of shaded proceedings with the Utaka effort hitting the bar but this was a game that the R's could win providing they produced a moment of magic.



That moment of magic nearly came early in the half as Smith crossed into the Pompey box and Hulse went up with Ashdown and looked certain to beat the Portsmouth 'keeper to the ball and nod home from six yards out, however despite beating Ashdown to the ball he failed to get a contact of any conviction and saw the ball cleared by a Portsmouth defender.
The game was largely a midfield battle and the centre of the pitch was highly congested so it looked as if the game may be won on a decision, and on 70 minutes that decision came.
Matt Connolly collided with Dave Kitson and the ginger striker tumbled to win the hosts a penalty and in the process Connolly was sent off as he was the last man. I'll be honest, it was the right decision.
Lawrence stepped up to take the penalty and shot to Kenny's left and the Rangers' keeper saved once another penalty, much to the delight of the Rangers' fans but then referee Ward (who looked about 12!), for some reason ordered the spot kick to be retaken. Having seen the replay I'm still as baffled and frustrated as I was inside the ground. The decision was as bent as Alan Carr!
Lawrence stepped up and blasted home the retaken spot kick and put the home side 1-0.
Owing to the sending off Mr Warnock was forced into a change so he took off Taarabt, much to the surprise of us, and replaced him with Gary Borrowdale, which was an even bigger surprise!! Rob Hulse also came off and he was replaced by Patrick Agyemang.
Rangers played largely on the counter attackk and were more threatening of the two teams in the final 15 minutes and on the stroke of the end of normal time the R's were awarded a penalty.
As Mackie crossed the ball in Liam Lawrence jumped to block the cross with his arm raised and the ball looked to hit Lawrence's arm and the linesman immediately flagged to award the R's a last minute lifeline from the spot.
Lawrence fiercely protested his innocence by lifting his shirt and showing an inprint of the ball on his chest and because he wouldn't back down from his protest he picked up a second yellow card. At the time I thought it was the right decision, maybe after seeing it again I can understand the protest but sod it, Portsmouth had a dodgy decision to go 1-0 up so why cant we have one of our own to level the game?
Tommy Smith stepped up to take the penalty against his former club and shot low to Ashdown's right and the penalty hit the back of the net to send the travelling support wild!
Upon the final whistle the whole Rangers' team came over to show their appreciation to the R's faithful as the fans were superb all night and really helped drive the team on after the controversy of the Pompey penalty. Well done to everyone that were in attendance tonight.


All in all after all that happened I can honestly say that I'm delighted with the point gained tonight. Mr Ward nearly ended our unbeaten streak single handedly tonight butthe R's never say die attitude, and a bit of luck, meant that we got a point that was rightly deserved!
Having seen Neil Warnock's interview on Sky Sports news when we got home and seeing him say that it was a definite penalty really did make me laugh out loud, the man is a legend!

Tonight's Man of the Match award was discussed over a KFC after the match, having gone to great lengths to get it. The shop was closed so we had to go back to Lofty's car and took a different route to the KFC drive-through as Lofty mounted a kerb, drove over a path and through a gap in the boundary of the retail park and eventually got to order our food. Matt Connolly was my man of the match up until the sending off but in my eyes that cost him the accolade tonight. Shaun Derry had another strong outing for the R's but our man of the match is given to a man who gave a good second half performance and grabbed the all important equalizer, Tommy Smith.

Portsmouth: Jamie Ashdown, Greg Halford (Joel Ward 26), Carl Dickinson, Aaron Mokoena, Liam Lawrence, Hayden Mullins, Michael Brown, John Utaka (Nadir Ciftci 86), Dave Kitson, Ibrahima Sonko, Kanu (Hermann Hreidarsson 90).

Subs: Darryl Flahavan, Richard Hughes, Ricardo Rocha.

Goals: Lawrence (pen 70)

Bookings: Lawrence (54 & 90), Ashdown (84)

Red Cards: Lawrence (90)

QPR: Paddy Kenny, Clint Hill, Shaun Derry (Leon Clarke 80), Adel Taarabt (Gary Borrowdale 72), Alejandro Faurlin, Jamie Mackie, Kaspars Gorkss, Kyle Walker, Matt Connolly, Rob Hulse (Patrick Agyemang 72), Tommy Smith.

Subs: Radek Cerny, Martin Rowlands, Hogan Ephraim, Bruno Andrade.

Goals: Smith (pen 90)

Bookings: Derry (40)

Red Cards: Connolly (67)

Referee: Mr G L Ward

Attendance: 17, 818

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R's on the Road To.......... Portsmouth.

On Tuesday the unbeaten record is once again on the line as QPR travel to the South Coast as Portsmouth play hosts.
With the R's getting back to winning ways over the weekend and Pompey losing for the first time in six games this looks to be an intriguing encounter and one that the R's will have to be at their best to gain any kind of result.
Here are a few hints and tips for the journey down to Portsmouth.



Club History.

Portsmouth are getting used to life in the second tier having been relegated from the Premier League last season under a cloud of money troubles and administration, which the club have just emerged from.
Portsmouth are no strangers to money troubles. During John Deacon’s time as Portsmouth Chairman the club found itself needing £25,000 to pay off debts and insolvency in 1976. Players were sold to pay off the debts and untried manager Ian St. John was appointed to the hot seat and only had a squad of inexperienced players to work with, as a result the club were relegated to the Fourth Division in 1978.
Alan Ball managed to get the club into the top flight in for the 1987/88 season but midway through the season financial trouble hit the club once more and ultimately played its part in Portsmouth getting relegated that season.
Former QPR Chairman Jim Gregory bought the club from Deacon in 1988.
Another former R joined Portsmouth in 1991 as Jim Smith was appointed manager and with Smith’s belief in the young stars that were emerging at Fratton Park, the club reached the FA Cup Semi Final in the 91/92 season, eventually losing to Liverpool on penalties. The same season saw Pompey miss out on promotion by a solitary goal, West Ham were the team that broke their hearts.
In 1996 Terry Venables took over the club for £1 but in the 1998/99 financial trouble hit the club once again and Milan Mandaric saved the club in May 1999 and under Mandaric the club gained Premier League status after appointing Harry Redknapp as manager. The club remained in the Premier League from then until their relegation last season.
In 2008 Portsmouth won the FA Cup after defeating Cardiff 1-0 in the final. This was Pompey’s second FA Cup success having previously won the competition in 1939.
Pompey’s two other major honours came when they won the First Division title in 1949 and 1950.

The Stadium.

Current capacity – 20,700



Portsmouth play their home games at Fratton Park, in Portsmouth. The ground has been home to the club throughout its entire history.
Plans for relocation were first mooted as long ago as the early 1990s, but due to various objections, the club has continued to play at Fratton Park. As of September 2008, a new stadium is planned for a site offered by the Royal Navy at Horsea Island, between Stamshaw and Port Solent. The new project is also a Herzog & De Meuron design and the plans include an adjacent 10000 capacity indoor arena.
At one end is the Fratton End, which is a new looking single tiered stand. It is of a good size and is the tallest stand at the ground. Opposite is the recently covered Milton End, which is all seated. Part of this stand us given to away fans. There is a small moat in front of this area. Both side stands are two tiered and originally had terracing at the front, which has now been replaced with seating. The South Stand dates back to 1925, and is starting to show its age. However, it still has some character with an old fashioned looking media gantry perched on its roof and raised team dugouts at its front. Opposite the North Stand looks somewhat plain and functional. Both the North & South Stands are two tiered and have a number of supporting pillars. The ground is completed with a superb looking set of tall floodlights that were first used in 1962.
Away fans are housed in the Milton End, which has finally had a roof put on now, so an atmosphere can really be created by the travelling R’s support.


The History between the teams.

At Portsmouth(17)

Portsmouth 7
QPR 5
Draw 5

This is the first time the two teams have met since the 2000/2001 season, where both games ended in 1-1 score lines. The season before the R’s took the spoils at Fratton Park when they triumphed 3-1courtesy of goals from

How to get there.

By Car: - The postcode for Fratton Park is PO4 8RA.
Go down the M27 and continue down until you join the A27. At the Junction with the A2030, turn right and head towards Southsea/Fratton. Continue down this road and you will see the floodlights ahead of you.
For parking there are a few recommendations, there is street parking down the A2030 before you reach the Good Companion pub, you could also park at Miltoncross School (five minutes from the ground) and i costs £6 to park there, postcode for this is PO3 6RB. There’s also a large car park on the corner of Velder Avenue/Milton Road, this costs £5 to park there.

By Train: - The closest station to the ground is Fratton and is a 10 minute walk from the ground. Fratton station has a footbridge as the only way out. At the top of the stairs from the platform turn left onto the footbridge and exit onto Goldsmith Avenue. Turn left along Goldsmith Avenue and walk about half a mile passing straight around a small roundabout. Continue on Goldsmith Avenue, passing Frogmore Road, shortly after this turn left into Apsley Road. The entrances to the Milton End are just ahead.


Pubs 'n' Grub.

Having read up on what pubs to go to I have seen that there are two pubs to avoid the Milton Arms and the Newcome Arms.
Pubs recommend are the Good Companion pub (on the main road A2030, five mins walk from the ground), the Brewers Arms and The Red, White and Blue pub (just off Fawcett Road and a mile away from the ground).
There are plenty of places to eat around the ground, there’s a KFC and McDonalds near the ground, a Harvester is close by and a variety of take-aways can be found down near Fawcett Road.

20 year old Asian guy disguises self as old man for flight--wow.

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- Canadian authorities are investigating an "unbelievable" incident in which a passenger boarded an Air Canada flight disguised as an elderly man, according to a confidential alert obtained by CNN.
The incident occurred on October 29 on Air Canada flight AC018 to Vancouver originating in Hong Kong. An intelligence alert from the Canada Border Services Agency describes the incident as an "unbelievable case of concealment."
"Information was received from Air Canada Corporate Security regarding a possible imposter on a flight originating from Hong Kong," the alert says. "The passenger in question was observed at the beginning of the flight to be an elderly Caucasian male who appeared to have young looking hands. During the flight the subject attended the washroom and emerged an Asian looking male that appeared to be in his early 20s."
After landing in Canada, Border Services Officers (BSOs) escorted the man off the plane where he "proceeded to make a claim for refugee protection," the alert says.
"The subject initially claimed to be in possession of one bag; however, flight crew approached the BSOs with two additional pieces of luggage which were believed to belong to the subject. One bag contained the subject's personal clothing items while the second contained a pair of gloves. The third contained a 'disguise kit' which consisted of a silicone type head and neck mask of an elderly Caucasian male, a brown leather cap, glasses and a thin brown cardigan."
The man put on the disguise for the officers who "noted he very much resembled an elderly Caucasian man, complete with mimicking the movements of an elderly person. The subject admitted at this time that he had boarded the flight with the mask on and had removed it several hours later," according to the alert.
Read the intelligence alert
"We can confirm that officials from the CBSA met a passenger arriving off AC018 Hong Kong to Vancouver on October 29 and the matter is still under investigation," said Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick, who noted that "there are multiple identity checks before departure at the Hong Kong international airport, including Chinese government-run Hong Kong passport control, which Hong Kong originating passengers must undergo."
Hong Kong officials said they are aware of the incident and would call back with more information later.
Jennifer Bourque, regional communications officer for the CBSA, confirmed that "we intercepted an individual, on October 29, attempting to enter Canada under false pretenses on-board an Air Canada flight."
"CBSA can confirm that the foreign national is currently in CBSA detention," she said. "The individual will present before an IRB hearing. The officials of the CBSA will not disclose further information on this file."
Because of Privacy Act regulations, she said, she cannot provide details about specific cases.
"However, I can tell you that CBSA officers examine all passengers arriving on international flights at Vancouver International Airport," she said. "CBSA works closely with air carriers and local, national and international law enforcement partners, to ensure the safety of our borders and our communities. Getting the right information at the right time is a key element in keeping Canada's border closed to safety and security threats."
The agency would not discuss when or why the man put on the disguise or details about how he boarded the plane. But the alert indicated that the suspect boarded the plane with a board pass belonging to another passenger.
"It is believed that the subject and the actual United States Citizen passenger (whose date of birth is 1955) performed a boarding pass swap, with the subject using an Aeroplan card as identification to board the flight," the alert said.

Aeroplan is a credit card where card holders can earn frequent flyer miles.

Ten Men, We Only Need Ten Men...

QPR 3-1 Reading

Okay, a somewhat smug title to this report, but there is no taking away what was a tremendous performance from Queens Park Rangers, which saw the R's return to the top of the Championship.

As always, the gang were at full strength, including an appearance from Jo's nephew/ Sam and Lee's cousin, Daniel - and descended on the Springbok for pre match and I must say, what with Reading's recent goalscoring form, there was a slight bit of nervousness amongst a few of us. I don't think any of us quite expected what was to come...

Rangers were superb at times and any neutral joining the match in the second half, would not have known who had the advantage of the extra man. It was a very lively opening and Rangers should have had the lead as early as 8 minutes, when Faurlin's shot crashed onto the underside of the bar and fell loose, to Rob Hulse, but his follow up barely trickled towards the line and was cleared easily.

There were further chances for Hulse and Smith before the R's finally took a deserved lead on 27 minutes - the outstanding, Adel Taarabt twisted and turned his way into the area before being bundled over - the resultant spot kick just oozed class and confidence as he cheekily chipped the ball down the middle.



There was a further chance for the R's to extend their lead but Hulse headed over Taarabt's cross. Almost on the stroke of half time, Bradley Orr was sent off for a challenge on Hal Robson-Kanu. At the time, it looked a hard but fair tackle, and the referee certainly appeared to let the game go until Kanu started rolling around on the floor. The ref then pulled out the red card to the amazement of the Loftus Road crowd. It was later mentioned by someone that Orr's foul and abusive language led to his sending off, which would make sense, but I guess we will never know for sure...

In the half time discussions, Mel had stated that Rangers had been dominant, but now we would have to hang on to get a result. Although he seemed correct in his statement, how wrong it turned out to be. Jamie Mackie slotted in at right back and Rangers looked more than comfortable, despite being a man down and on 61 minutes, Loftus Road went beserk as the R's doubled their advantage - Mackie was sent clear down the right by Taarabt and he laid a cross back into the area for Hulse, which was cleared away, but only as far Faurlin who blasted the ball home via a deflection.



The deficit was halved when Shane Long's superb 25 yard effort found the top corner - but Rangers clinched the points on 71 minutes when Tommy Smith blasted home his first goal for the R's, after Federici had kept out Adel Taarabt's superb free kick.



QPR: Paddy Kenny, Bradley Orr, Shaun Derry, Adel Taarabt (Leon Clarke 81), Alejandro Faurlin, Jamie Mackie, Kaspars Gorkss, Kyle Walker, Matt Connolly, Rob Hulse (Patrick Agyemang 81), Tommy Smith (Hogan Ephraim 90). Subs: Radek Cerny, Mikele Leigertwood, Martin Rowlands, Josh Parker.

Lofty's Man of the Match - Well, this caused a great amount of debate and discussion amongst the gang and to be honest, you could quite easily give this to the whole team on a performance such as today's. Jo called for Shaun Derry who was everywhere, especially during the first half. California Hoop named his as Jamie Mackie, who put in another great performance and that of a right back/winger in the second half. Lee and Corp both went for Faurlin, who had a superb match and it was great to see him on the scoresheet once more. But myself and PK both went for the Moroccan Magician that is Adel Taarabt who scored one and was more than involved in the other two. He was simply unplayable today and he often frustrated the Reading players into literally just kicking him over to stop him - and seeing as it's me that is writing the report for this one (sorry guys, hehe), the award goes to Adel Taarabt.


In summary - a great day had by all and the R's are back on Top of the League - GET IN THERE!!!

Lofty Heights will be at Fratton Park on Tuesday night for the clash against Portsmouth and Lee will return with the report, see you all then!

COME ON YOU R'SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!