Archive for: November 2012

Benitez Booed by Own Fans

Nov. 26 Sporting no comments


Chelsea supporters expressed their disapproval over the appointment of Rafael Benitez as manager, following the sacking last week of Roberto Di Matteo. Fans held aloft placards and notices, and actively booed the Spaniard, during his first game in charge against Manchester City. The controversial change of manager has left Chelsea with a lot of bewildered fans, and has put Benitez into the firing line right away. He initially denied having heard the booes and catcalls, but later on admitted that he was aware  of the animosity towards him. In his fairness, nobody was going to step into the role easily.

Focused on the Game

Benitez was adamant that he was the man for the job, and expressed the opinion that h was there to get the best out of the players:

“The main thing is that the players are focused on the games,” he said. “If they are, it’ll be fine. I have confidence we will do well and win games. Some of the fans will realise it’s not the way to support their team. They’ll know they have a professional manager in charge, someone who wants to win games. I was just concentrating on the game and not listening to anything else. My experience in England is that when the fans are singing in the stands, I don’t understand what they say.”

The former Liverpool manager saw a match with a reserved style, with his side only managing a single shot on goal in a 0-0 draw.

Local Hero

Di Matteo was, and is, a local hero here, having played for the team and managed them through successes, and the fans support for him was displayed in the 16th minute when the crowd began to chant his name feverishly; 16 was the number of the shirt that he famously wore when he played at Stamford Bridge. Although he led them to FA Cup and Champion League victories, Di Matteo was unceremoniously dumped after a poor showing  this year. It is doubtful thwart Benitez, who is on a short term contract, will ever garner the same level of respect.

Tower of London Security Breach

Nov. 14 Legal no comments


One of the UK’s most famous landmarks, the Tower of London, is at the centre of a curious security breach. It would appear that someone has broken into the building – home to the world famous Crown Jewels – and stolen a set of keys. An investigation is underway, and disciplinary procedures have begun.  Historic Royal Palaces, which administers the Tower, said that the keys did not give direct access to the building, but the theft did represent a notable security breach.

Man Caught Trespassing

A man is reported to have been caught trespassing on the premises on the 6th of November, and was subsequently escorted from the site. The Tower of London was begun in 1080 on the orders of William the Conqueror, and is better known for people wanting to get out than to break in. It has been used as, variously, a prison, a home, a zoo and – most famously – a place of execution during its colourful life, and is visited by many tourists who are give tours and informed of its fascination history.

Crown Jewels

The Crown Jewels are undoubtedly one of the star attractions at the Tower, and have a history that is very much of their own. Ironically, one of the most famous traditions at the Tower is the Ceremony of the Keys, a 700 year-old ceremony in which a Yeoman of the Guard (one of the famous Beefeaters) locks the Tower every night. The Tower has been subject to security breaches during its illustrious history, not least a legendary attempt – in 1671 – to steal the Crown Jewels that was foiled by a warder.

A statement regarding the latest incident reads:

“Our well-established security systems and procedures are robust. However on this occasion, these procedures were not carried out to the expected standard.”

Coolio Speaks Against “Musical Tyranny” In the Music Industry

Nov. 11 Entertainment no comments

“Gangster’s Paradise” Rapper Coolio accused record labels of signing up “drones” and employing “musical tyranny” for the sake of earning money in place of decent music. He said in a statement that music “is not creating individuals anymore”, that the industry is continuously becoming one obsessed with making money.

He said that there is a cover up going on today in terms of how the music business works and how people are considered idols and talents. While he never stated any names, he is pertaining to the current chart-toppers and mainstays and the people who support the careers of the the current pop artists who have dominated the charts.

The 49-year old Grammy-award winning rapper said that the music industry has become a machine used by the elite to make people “easier to handle” through mass manipulation using music and making entertainment “easily packaged and sold” with a tested formula.

He said that musicians today are more obsessed with exciting “sounds”, loud bass and electronic sounds created by computers and other software. Coolio states that the “soul” of music had gone.

Coolio announces that he would be releasing an album dedicated to revealing truths about life and revolution. Best known for his song “Gangster’s Paradise”, he appeared in many reality television shows after his five consecutive albums failed to get recognition.

 

Wiggins Injured in Road Accident

Nov. 08 Sporting no comments


It has been a great year for cyclist Bradley Wiggins – until yesterday! The Englishman has been involved in a road accident when out training, and was apparently hit by a van when riding near to his home in Lancashire. The accident happened as he was training with his support crew in tow, and he is not thought to be seriously injured. The accident happened in the early evening, and police were called to the scene.

A Police spokesman said:

“A cyclist has been involved in a collision with a white van. The rider was taken to hospital with relatively minor rib injuries, possible fractures.”

The statement explained that the cyclists’ family were aware of the situation. Wiggins was taken to hospital close to his home, an area in which he often rides in training for his various competitions. The hospital confirmed that, despite fearing broken ribs, Wiggins has suffered only ‘minor rib injuries’.

Lucky Sideburns

Wiggins, who famously won the iconic Tour de France for Team Sky, heading home his team-mate Chris Frome, has become something of a sporting idol for many youngsters this year, with the momentous victory in the Champs Elysee followed by major medal success for the whole of Team GB in the cycling disciplines at the London 2012 Olympic Games. It is reported that Wiggins had recently shaved off his ‘lucky’ sideburns, a feature for which he had become as famous as his cycling successes.

Team Sky published a statement following the incident, at which Wiggins was well attended at all times:

“A cyclist has been involved in a collision with a white van. The rider was taken to hospital with relatively minor rib injuries, possible fractures.”

The details of the accident are not known, but police are involved and will be interviewing the driver of the van.

The Expanse of the UK PPI Scandal

Nov. 08 Economy, Legal no comments

The true expanse of the PPI financial scandal committed by banks, financial institutions and other lending companies in the United Kingdom is as immense as the Financial Services Authority tells it to be. Almost every citizen in the country is potentially mis sold at least one to three payment protection insurance policies costing an average of £2750 each. Claims management companies such as www.PPICo.org state that most customers might potentially have two to four PPI with their financing.

The consumer group Which? first made a collective complaint with thousands of customers about the selling methods of financial advisers, who they mentioned to have used generalizations to skip explaining about the insurance policy’s exclusions. The formal complaint was investigated by the Financial Services Authority, who then discovered that virtually all UK borrowers may be mis sold PPI.

Financial advisers often lead customers to believe that the insurance policy is a requirement for the loan application. They also hint to customers that PPI can increase their chances of getting their application approved. Customers are also led to understand that the PPI is a free product because of their high credit scores.

Based on further investigation, PPI was the main source of income for banks and financial institutions during the insurance boom of 2005 to 2007. It was sold in a way that customers will not notice the amounts they repay for the insurance while guaranteeing at least £1 billion in profit for banks.

Today, the total amount of payment protection compensation is now at £12.96 but financial analysts state that it can reach at least £16 billion by the time the PPI crisis has slowed down. The Financial Ombudsman recently reached its 500,000th PPI claim which signifies that the country is halfway to getting back all the repayments they deserve

Post-Election Market Drop Shows Signs of Instability

Nov. 08 Economy no comments

Dow Jones industrial recently dropped to at least 300 points Wednesday, right after the elections concluded Obama’s victory. Investors and financial analysts raised alarms about the situation, but many others state that it is not a big deal. However, analysts state that it clearly shows signs that the US market is fully volatile and many continue to be so with the new administration.

Stock market experts warn that unless you’re in a losing position, or you’re losing all your investments due to the downfall, you could sell today and use your losses to at least preserve your amount of capital gains. However some analysts state that it can work for the advantage of other investors looking to buy shares from some big name companies directly affected by the fallen stock amount.

The new administration focuses on a bipartisan approach to ensure that the $1 trillion budget deficit is resolved but many find that President Barack Obama might find trouble resolving the “fiscal cliff” deadline scheduled for January 1, 2013. If the issue is not resolved, budget cuts and tax rises can easily take out $600 billion from the economy and can once again send the economies to recession.

The budget cuts and increases in select areas can potentially reduce 2.5 percent of the country’s economic output and might lead to a rise in the unemployment rate due to the layoff that would follow.

Moody’s, the world-renowned credit rating agency, stated that it will not change its opinion about the US credit rating until its evaluation by next year.

Source: Thisismoney.co.uk

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