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From The London Times: A Well-Planned Retirement   
A perfect example of government mismanagement.   

         
Outside England 's Bristol Zoo there is a parking lot for 150 cars and 8 buses. For 25 years, it's parking fees were managed by a very pleasant attendant. The fees were for cars (£1.40), for buses (about £7).
Then, one day, after 25 solid years of never missing a day off work, he just didn't show up; so the Zoo Management called the City Council and asked it to send them another parking agent.

The Council did some research and replied that the parking lot was the Zoo's own responsibility.

The Zoo advised the Council that the attendant was a City employee.

The City Council responded that the lot attendant had never been on the City payroll.
 
Meanwhile, sitting in his villa somewhere on the coast of Spain or France or Italy ... is a man who'd apparently had a ticket machine installed completely on his own, and then, had simply begun to show up every day, to collect and keep the parking fees, estimated at about £560 per day -- for 25 years.
 
Assuming 7 days a week, this amounts to just over 7 million pounds ... and no one even knows his name.

just want to get an idea of what people think the allstars will be, will post my own taughts later

So who is going to take it? I cant see tipp winning on their semi display, shipping 1-18 to a team playing with one forward for long spells, Alot was made of the manner of their victory over waterford and that the scoreline didn't reflect fully their dominance. The fact is that the manner in which you have won does not matter if you havent put that dominance on the scoreboard. The cats rarely have the ball in their possession for longer than 20 - 30 seconds in total before an attempt on goal is made and usually converted in fairness. It's this ability to keep the score board ticking over constantly which i think is kilkennys defining characteristic, and which is what makes them so hard to compete with let alone beat. tipp may well push them close however unless they can convert more possession into scores than they have all year i think the cats will get the 5.

So we find ourselves at this stage of the year again, four left each with different motivating factors, Kilkenny aiming to achieve immortality, Cork trying to prove they still have the pedigree and the legs, Tipp looking to prove last year was no flash in the pan and that they truely are team to take kilkennys plint and Waterford seeking to end a 51 year famine with some of the old heads who so many people would not begrudge a celtic cross for the entertainment they have provided since the breakthrough year for them in 1998, also looking to put the disaster of the 2008 final to bed.

Cork vs Kilkenny,
The one thing about Cork is that they fear noone it's bred into them down leeside, They feel it is their god given right to be making their way to Croke Park in September, however attitude alone will not be enough you would say against these opponents. The Cats although not looking as impressive this year (in my opinion) as they have done in years previous are still odds on favorites for the championship and with good cause. This team oozes class from every line on the pitch including the sideline. I can't see Cork overcoming this one, however if they can perform at the pace they did for the tipp game i think kilkenny will be pushed close.  my prediction kilkenny by 5 points.

Waterford vs Tipp,
Waterford play a completely different style of hurling this year than we have come to expect of them, gone is the wreckless abandon with which they played for the past ten years or so, in place they now have a very formidable defence built on work ethic and commitment. With The Brick at half back they have a linch pin which holds it altogether with dogged determination. They also now have a much stronger bench than i can remember them having ever, with impact subs like shanahan and mcgrath waiting in the wings. Tipp will be in no doubt they will get nothing easy having watched tapes of the munster finals, but they know what they have to do, i think alot will depend on the eoin kelly and eoin murphy tussle as it has in these games over the last few years, if kelly is on form and wins a couple of early balls to boost confidence murphy could be in for a tough days work. however the same could be said for mullane and which ever tipp back is charged with curtailling him. my prediction is Waterford by 2 points

heres hoping this will be up to the standard of games played previously between these two teams.

I think it will be close with waterford edging it by the odd point.

I think maybe Kilkenny hit the peak of their powers in the 2008 final, and now the games under their belt are starting to tell. I think there are a few teams capable of beating them on the day but what does everyone else think?

i think after today tipp will be well up for this game. it's still hard to see them stopping kilkenny in their quest for 4 in a row. should be a decent final though.

Predictions please. I think galway will win by about two.

Mine would have to be the Cork vs Waterford, Munster Final 2004.

Over the last number of years i have noticed alot of matches where kilkenny have got away with more than their opposing teams. In almost identical instances against waterford kilkenny where awarded frees while waterford were waved away. The same could be said for thw galway game. this is called "playing on the edge" when the cats do it. It's already hard enough to beat them without having to play to different rules.. Any Opinions???