Blog :: Mark Pullen

The first story that ever has to be told in this realm

Mark Pullen — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:00:19 GMT

I have been accused of being a bit single-minded of late, of ignoring my family, neglecting my sport and obsessing over what I believe to be an outdated system. I'm sorry if that's the perception I've been giving, but I continue to lose sleep over the lack of balance on this planet. I just can't help myself. I dream of self-sufficient circular housing for everybody that produces its own energy through nano-carbon windows, solar panels and wind turbines; housing that collects and processes its own water, which travels from drinking taps, to hydroponics systems for growing organic fruit and vegetables, to wash facilities, to toilets, to heating pipes that clean and filter the water and send it back into the system; housing with mini waste processing units that turn all household waste into compost within a year, causing no pollution, creating nutrients and feeding the untouched nature between homes. I dream of vehicles for all that are charged by the houses themselves, family hover crafts that d

Established vs. Emergent - Ustanovljeno vs. Pojavno

Mark Pullen — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 09:00:58 GMT

established [ -st b l sh d]: brought about, set up or accepted; especially long established; "the established social order"; "an established precedent"; "the established Church"; accepted, traditional, conventional, historic, customary, time-honouredUstanovljeno: uveden, postavljen ili prihvacen; dugo uvrezen, zvanicno prihvacen; "uspostavljeni drustveni poredak"; "ustanovljen presedan"; "zvanicna crkva"; prihvacen, tradicionalan, konvencionalan, istorijski, obicajni, vremenski potvrdjenemergent [ɪˈmɜːdʒənt]: coming into being or notice "an emergent political structure"; coming into view, existence, or notice; sudden, emerging, nascent Pojavno: dolazi u postojanje i zapazanje "rastuca politicka struktura"; dolazi u vidokrug, postojanje,ili zapazanje; iznenadno, proizaslo, koje se radjaThe persistent among you will have seen with my last post that there's a fine line between theory and fantasy, dogma and fiction, dream and real

the final story that ever has to be told

Mark Pullen — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 01:00:45 GMT

Sit back, relax, swallow the red pill and let go of your frequency of fear. Can't relax? Well that's because you don't know this. (Sorry, no Serbian - but we all know it's not required for this one.I was never a fan of the system. Job, mortgage, 2.4 kids, big car. No thanks. I could never quite believe that that was what life was about. I wanted to travel, explore, enjoy a good time with friends. I never really felt like I wanted "more", but rather that I wanted "life". I avoided joining the rat race from the start - rebelling at school, dropping out of college, backpacking and exploring, living overseas. Eventually, though, life caught up with me and a wife and child ensured I could no longer skip around the system having some sort of semi-free life. I had to bite the bullet and join the system fully. I reluctantly learned the rules, formed a company, started making money, but all the while I knew it wasn't life. Nevertheless, I was prepared to take it for the sake of

Destination unknown - Nepoznata destinacija

Mark Pullen — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 22:00:35 GMT

I think it was in the spring of 2002 that I made my decision to prepare to abandon the UK. It was around that time that I entered my regular bank branch in the city centre, which had just reopened after renovation, to find that it lacked a single human being. The entire staff had been replaced by machines. Mislim da je to bilo u proleće 2002 kada sam doneo odluku da se pripremim da napustim Veliku Britaniju . Negde u to vreme sam ušao u moju regularnu bankarsku filijalu u centru grada , koja je upravo ponovo otvorena posle renoviranja, da bi saznao da unutra nema ni jednog ljudskog bića. Svi zaposleni su zamenjeni mašinama.Alongside the familiar cash machines, there was a machine for making deposits, a machine for making general enquiries and a machine displaying credit/debit options, but nothing with a pulse. I cancelled my account within the week.Pored već poznatih bankomata , tu je bila i mašina za izradu depozita, mašina za izradu opštih pitanja i mašina koj prikazuje kreditne / debitne opcije, ali ništa

I am not Archibald Reiss - Ja nisam Arčibald Rajs

Mark Pullen — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:00:21 GMT

Serbs beware! Be careful what you wish for!Srbi, čuvajte se! Pazite šta želite!The system you are in the process of integrating with, in the opinion of many, is flawed. Sistem u koji trenutno pokušavate da se integrišete je pogrešan po mišljenju mnogih. What will happen if you choose to fully integrate into a system led by principles of profit and scarcity, a system that encourages you, as individuals and as a nation, to live above your means and tie yourself to more debt obligations... (some of this has already happened)?Šta će se desiti ako izaberete da potpuno uđete u sistem koji se vodi principima profita i oskudice, sistem koji vas, i kao osobu i kao naciju, ohrabruje da živite iznad svojih mogućnosti i tonete u sve veće dugove... (nešto od ovoga se već dogodilo)?Let me tell you briefly what the last 50 years or so of "change" in the form of globalisation brought my hometown of Hull in the UK:Dozvolite da vam ukratko ispričam šta su tokom poslednjih 50 godina „promene" i globalizacija done

Vreme je da se uozbiljimo - Time to get serious

Mark Pullen — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 20:00:17 GMT

Dosta više sranja ljudi! Sve religije su prevaziđene; svi ratovi su proizvedeni; razlike između ljudi na planeti su potpuno zanemarljive; globalna ekonomija je podešena da obezbedi da isti pojedinci uvek budu na vrhu, a Teslina slobodna energija postoji ali je potisnuta!Enough of the bullshit people! Religions are all obsolete; wars are all manufactured; differences between the peoples of the planet are entirely negligible; the global economy is rigged to ensure the same individuals come out on top and Tesla's free energy exists, but is being suppressed! Mnogi od nas znaju i prihvataju sve ove stvari, dok su drugi uslovljeni da ih odbace i podvrgnu podsmehu - samim tim navodeći one koji znaju i prihvataju ove istine da izbegavaju diskusiju o njima kako bi se zadržao status kvo. Mislim da ovo nije više opcija.Many of us know and accept all of these things, while others are conditioned to disregard them and subject them to ridicule - thereby prompting those who know and accept these truths to avoid discussi

Union blues

Mark Pullen — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:37 GMT

Growing up in east Hull, rugby union was always something alien, but also something distant. Indeed, I think it was only when a PE teacher at Andrew Marvel High revealed that he played union for one of the village teams around Hull that I realised the sport even existed in my home county. Here in Serbia, however, the union is like a wasp feeding on the sweet league.My first run-in with its loyalists came in the summer of 2011 when I got a phone call from a guy I hardly knew who used to play for the team: "Mark, some guys will turn up at your training session tonight. They're good guys and they want to form a Red Star rugby union club. Please be nice to them."I knew immediately this was a no-no for the simple reason that the race to establish ‘The Derby' (Red Star vs. Partizan is the ultimate Serbian derby in all sports except ours, which are currently Red Star vs. Dorcol in league and Partizan vs. Pobednik in union) is one of the most important in the race to popularise the sport.The timing

Serbian RLF 2012 State of Origin series kicks off

Mark Pullen — Tue, 08 May 2012 08:00:02 GMT

This new three-match series brings the cream of Serbian rugby league to the top... of an empty stadium.Prior to the 1980s, the Australian rugby league interstate representative series between New South Wales and Queensland saw players represent the state where their current club was based. This meant that, as Queensland produced top quality players but had much poorer clubs than the rich Sydney teams, many native Queenslanders would be forced to pull on the blue NSW jersey and compete against the maroon QLD shirt of their homeland. Queensland's frustration led to the birth of the State of Origin concept in 1980, which pitted "state against state", but also "mate against mate", with players from the same rich Sydney clubs competing against one another in a ferocious contest over three 80-minute battles. In addition to Australian ‘state pride', the State of Origin series is also viewed as an informal trial series for the Australian national team, with players often directly opposing

Red Star sacrifice style for strength

Mark Pullen — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:00:16 GMT

Red Star RLC made it two wins from three in the Serbian rugby league this weekend with a resounding victory over a young Radnicki Nova Pazova outfit, though the final score line of 58-28 clearly flattered a seemingly rudderless Red Star team, who let physical superiority get in the way of carefully laid plans and spoiled the chance to play to a pattern that proved successful in patches against the top team in town.The ying and yang of a rugby team is represented by the forwards and the backs, with the halves or pivots, generally numbers 6, 7 and 9 (stand-off, scrum-half, hooker) acting as the conductors of the team.The forwards, collectively known as the pack, are the heavy artillery of the team. Fierce and aggressive, their job is to hit and take hits; to force the defence to bring multiple defenders into contact with a single attacker (thereby creating time and space for the pivots to release the backs) and to force errors from the opposition in defence. The forwards lay an attacking platform for the backs,

Myth busting rugby league style

Mark Pullen — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:00:50 GMT

Today saw a great step taken towards bridging the gap between the Red Star rebel alliance and the Dorcolian empire - or at least overcoming the myth of Dorcol's invincibility (cue Imperial March). Yes Red Star lost 46-16 (almost mirroring Hull KR's result over London this afternoon), but that's a lot better than the 106-6 thrashing they gave us last time out. In fact, that's probably Dorcol's smallest winning margin in any domestic battle since 2009.I think our work on trying to teach the players about the bigger picture has paid dividends. They are now not only more aware of the need to hold onto the ball, particularly in key areas, but of the importance of completion rates. They realise that if we complete our sets of 6 and force defensive errors Dorcol will tire; that if we hold our defensive line, communicate and get in their faces when possible, they won't be able to open us up; that if we hit them hard and clean they will go down or lose the ball... because, get this, Dorcol play

Lebanese yield to Dorcol & cancel Red Star game

Mark Pullen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:00:27 GMT

10th April 2012 - this morning we had our hopes of a competitive fixture dashed when the team from Lebanon's American University of Beirut cancelled after having been unable to recover from their devastating 106-0 loss to Serbia's indomitable champions Dorcol RLFC.Since Dorcol recently demolished us 106-6, we figured this one was ours 6-0 for sure ;)Dorcol sent six of their players to hospital and completely demolished and demoralised them, just as they've done to every other club team not from France or the UK since around 2009. Judging by reports, we would probably also have beaten the AUB team comfortably, though probably with less bloodshed.In my opinion, there probably isn't a rugby league team in the northern hemisphere (beyond the UK & France... and maybe Russia) that could take on the might of Dorcol at this moment.Red Star and the other teams in Dorcol's league (let's face it, it is ‘their' league from top to bottom) are in the best position to close the gap...**This a

Red Star brings 2011 to a close

Mark Pullen — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:00:25 GMT

The Red Star Rugby League senior squad marked the end of the woeful 2011 season with a festive reception at Belgrade's Little Bay Restaurant on 20th December. All players were presented with certificates for their personal contributions to the past season, while special awards went to the players recognised as having excelled on the pitch during 2011.A number of senior players and club pioneers were also presented with Hull Kingston Rovers replica shirts, which were a gift from the Hull-based Super League club to mark the new development partnership between these two red & white rugby league clubs. The award for Young Player of the Year went to 18-year-old hooker/halfback Vlada Dedic, who is already a veritable Serbian veteran after seven years playing the sport. "Vlada has shown leadership and the ability to direct play to a level well beyond his years, not to mention his bravery in defence and creativity in attack," said Red Star director Zeljko Delic.Second-row/prop forward Ivica Djordjev

Post #4 – exposing weaknesses; knowing limits

Mark Pullen — Tue, 03 May 2011 12:00:34 GMT

A certain level of aggression is essential to the game of rugby league, particularly in defence and particularly in the middle of the field, where the big boys collide. Rugby league is, in many ways, a combat contact team sport. The collision and tackle aspect of the game is a form of wrestling and, let’s face it, only a few scary people are able to compete in any form of combat without first setting an aggressive mindset. There’s nothing wrong with a rugby league tackler facing up to his opponent with the desire to hurt him and there’s equally nothing wrong with a trainer asking that of his players…just as long as it remains within the rules of the game. Aggression and aggressive physicality have both a psychological and physical impact: knock him down hard and he’ll think twice about running at you again; drive your shoulder into his upper body and the ball might pop out; give him a dead leg and he might need to be replaced by a lesser opponent. Take the noble art of boxing, for example. If you were a

Post #3 – to Vranje and back

Mark Pullen — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 05:00:27 GMT

The Serbian Rugby League season is now in full swing, with three rounds already completed, a domestic regional representative match played and Serbia having walloped Germany in an international friendly! Here at Red Star we started with a pre-season friendly at new club Soko down in Vranje, which is seemingly closer to Greece than it is to Belgrade. A pioneering venture that’s now competing in the second division thanks to the great work of the boys from Vranje and the team at the Serbian RFL, Soko is seemingly flourishing. They asked if they could field 25 players against our 16 (17 is regulation), with unlimited interchanges (12 is regulation) and four 20-minute quarters (instead of two 40-minute halves). We agreed to all requests, eager to allow as many boys from the town as possible to experience a proper game environment and, besides, it was a ‘friendly’. A healthy crowd of, I’d say, 150+ turned up to watch and when Vranje scored their first try the place erupted. I won’t give you a full match report

Post 2 – rugby league explanatory

Mark Pullen — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 01:00:32 GMT

Prompted by popular demand, this is an explanatory post aimed at shedding light, as succinctly as possible, on the differences between the various types of rugby, but principally ‘Union’ and ‘League’.You may want to read it in instalments! By the early 18th century various forms of ‘football’ were being played across the British Isles, with differing local rules blah blah. Around 1870 the Rugby School in the town of Rugby became the first to write down its rules, which allowed it to spread and gain prominence. With the exception of the ubiquitous 'soccer', All other modern forms of ‘football’ (rugby league/union football, American football, Gaelic football, Australian Rules football) are derived from either the rugby school or one of its contemporaries. The schism Rugby league and rugby union were one sport until 1895, when the southern Rugby Football Union opted to enforce a strict amateur policy, crippling the working class, yet highly successful, northern teams that relied on “broken time paym