Damascus if we do, Damascus if we don't

SYRIA.

That ancient Middle Eastern nation is now well and truly back in the news headlines.

It's on the front pages of every British national newspaper, bar one.

But then, Celebrity Big Brother is rather important too, isn't it, Mr Desmond?

The current state of play is very concerning indeed. As we stand, weapons inspectors from the United Nations are carrying out detailed investigations into the alleged use of chemical devices to kill and maim hundreds of innocent men, women and children in a suburb of the nation's capital city, Damascus.

The inspectors are set to complete their work by Friday and report back to the Secretary-General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon over the weekend.

It is believed that the regime of dictator President Bashar al-Assad is responsible for the actions that caused all these deaths by use of weapons outlawed since a treaty was signed by the vast majority of the world's nations as long ago as the 1920s.

Syria, incidentally, is one of the handful of countries not to have signed the treaty alongside such other luminaries as Angola, Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan.

It is believed that since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, at least 100,000 people have already perished.

But it's only now that the world has decided to sit up and take notice - and it's all due to the usage of chemical weapons.

From my limited knowledge of the situation and taking on board my education which led to a degree in history, I find it completely inconceivable that military action taken by outside forces could lead to anything other than regime change in Syria.

For goodness sake, this isn't a particularly tricky level in Call Of Duty where you can always press the reset button if things go awry.

You are dealing with the lives of millions of people, not just in Syria but in the wider Middle East and arguably the whole world.

I just cannot agree with the idea that firing a few dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at identified military targets will immediately solve the crisis in Syria.

If anything, I believe Assad's regime will fight back in any way he sees fit. And with his allies Russia and Iran close by, that's an extremely fearful thought indeed.

But then, we have the flip side of this coin. Does the world sit by and do nothing and allow this dictator to continue gassing his own people?

It seems to me, that the only long term solution for Syria is almost certainly going to be regime change. For once a leader has sanctioned the use of chemical weapons against his own people, how on earth can he be welcomed to the table of diplomacy at the United Nations? After all, surely Assad is a war criminal and by definition would need to stand before an international court of law.

I just hope there is complete support at the United Nations for whatever action is taken. But with China and Russia hinting they may well vote against a military response led by the United States, the United Kingdom and France, I fear that may well not be forthcoming.

The next few days are going to be very important indeed for the lives of millions of people in the Middle East.

It certainly puts other things into perspective... although Big Ron's latest faux pas is pretty important too, eh, Mr Desmond?

Guilty Pleasures #2

MANY issues are discussed and dissected on the sports desk at work.

Some, nay, virtually all are not fit for repeating on this blog, largely as I definitely could not afford the legal fees the associated lawsuits would inevitably bring...

But one thing that did get a brief mention today was a movie that those distributing the Academy Awards in the spring of 1965 decided should be given the coveted title of Best Picture.

Alongside this film in the nominations for that category almost half a century ago now was the melodrama set on a liner on its way from Mexico to Nazi Germany in 1933, Ship Of Fools starring amongst others Vivien Leigh and Lee Marvin; the movie version of a play about a comedian, A Thousand Clowns, which earned Martin Balsam the Best Supporting Actor Oscar; Darling, a relationships drama in which Julie Christie received the celebrated golden statuette for Best Actress; and the epic Doctor Zhivago which brought together Omar Sharif and the incredibly-talented Christie in David Lean's critically-acclaimed version of Boris Pasternak's famous romantic tale set in Russia before, during and after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

All, according to those voting in the Academy, were equally worthy of winning the Best Picture Oscar for that year.

Except they didn't.

The movie that won the honour that evening in 1965 remains for me one of the most uplifting pictures I have ever seen.

It's been shown countless times on television and I daresay the majority of you reading this blog will have seen it.

I also know a fair number of you will swiftly dismiss it as simply three hours of sentimental rubbish laced with huge dollops of saccharine from first reel to last.

But for me, the unforgettable mix of nuns and Nazis plus some of the most memorable songs ever written by two of the last century's finest musical collaborators - Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II - makes The Sound Of Music one of my all-time favourite movies.

The cinematography is just outstanding, starting with a magical opening sequence in which the focus is on the truly breathtaking majesty of the Austrian Alps.

I'm sure most of you are all-too aware of the movie so we won't head down the plot-explaining route.

What I do recall as a child was sitting through a film that lasted a lot longer than the usual one-and-a-half to two hours - and not becoming restless.

I was completely taken in by the story - which is loosely based on an incredible true tale - and thoroughly enjoyed what was being played out in front of me.

The performances in the movie are terrific, led, of course, by the Oscar-nominated Julie Andrews as Maria.

Andrews was right up there as one of the leading theatre and cinematic draws of the mid-1960s. Twelve months before she had won the Academy Award as Best Actress playing the title role in Disney's much-loved musical Mary Poppins. And as in that "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" movie, she's on top form throughout.

For all he despised The Sound Of Music - and he did from a number of accounts - Christopher Plummer plays the role of the former German naval officer Captain Georg von Trapp marvellously. The scene towards the end of the picture where he tries to sing Edelweiss before being helped by Maria is one of many highlights. Yes, Plummer's singing voice was dubbed for the film, but it's nevertheless a standout moment for me.

The final ten minutes of the picture where the dark side of the story is re-enacted as the family are being hunted by the Nazis remains absolutely riveting while the conclusion is so uplifting it can go a long way in helping to counter any miserable feelings you may be experiencing in your life.

Oh, and why was The Sound Of Music being discussed on the sports desk? Well, a colleague of mine admitted he had never seen it.

That was some confession.

But definitely not as open as this one...

Our Luis cannon

LUIS SUAREZ has courted controversy wherever he has gone.

The first time I became aware of him was in the 2010 World Cup quarter-final clash between his country, Uruguay, and Ghana.

Funnily enough, I had pulled out Ghana in the office sweep and the African team were doing me proud after first negotiating their tricky group stage before earning a place in the last eight of the tournament with a 2-1 win over the United States.

Then came that quarter-final match against the South Americans.

Biased? Of course I was. Like most "neutrals", I was rooting like mad for Ghana to reach the semi-finals - and not just because a couple of quid was riding on their progress!

Sadly for them - and for me - it wasn't to be. As most football followers who read this blog will recall, Uruguay made it through after a penalty shoot-out.

But not before Suarez had been in the spotlight - and not for the first time in his career - for all the wrong reasons.

He handballed a goal-bound effort that led to a spot-kick that could have won the game for Ghana and was shown an automatic red card.

Fortunately for Suarez and his Uruguay teammates, the penalty was missed. Suarez was picked up by the TV cameras celebrating the miss with a fist-pump as he walked down the tunnel towards the dressing rooms.

That endeared himself forever to the Uruguay nation while doubtless alienating millions of football followers around the world.

Uruguay went on to beat Ghana - ironically via penalties - and the African dream of having a nation in the last four in the World Cup finals was dashed, for another four years at least.

Months later, my club, Liverpool, went out and bought Suarez for somewhere in the region of £23m - and he immediately became a Kop icon.

His debut off the bench against Stoke City resulted in a pivotal goal in front of The Kop and he was off and running.

So much has happened between that moment and where we find ourselves now with the forward it would take too long to recount here.

There have been plenty of ups - the FA Cup leveller at Wembley against Everton in 2012 quickly springs to mind as I was there with Matthew to witness it - but as far as I am concerned, the downs outnumber them by a hefty margin.

And now, today, August 7, 2013, we find ourselves in this dreadful mire with the player.

Already banned for 10 matches for biting an opponent - again - Suarez is, via his agent, seemingly attempting to engineer an exit from the Reds.

He apparently had a "foot injury" which ruled him out tonight's tour match in Norway. A foot injury? C'mon, were all Liverpool fans born yesterday? What a load of utter bollocks.

The fact is, he wants to go. Liverpool publicly claim they don't want to sell him but privately can't wait for a club to come in with a big enough offer for them to say: "Ta very much. Adios Luis. And don't forget to shut the door on your way out."

While this saga has been going on for what seems like forever, I've been wondering all the time what the club's most important man in their entire history would have said.

I reckon it would have been something along the lines of this: "Arsenal, son? Ye say Arsenal? If you want to play for another team in red I'll drive the bloody car for you to London. I don't want you at this magnificent club. And these fans wouldn't want you either."

Yes, leave Anfield for God's sake, Suarez. Frankly, I really couldn't care less where you end up.

All I know is you're dragging our great club through the mud yet again.

And as a Liverpool supporter of more than four decades, I know club legends when I see them - and believe me, you ain't fit to lace their boots.