Howard Jacobson Awarded Booker Prize

13th October 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Howard Jacobson, author and columnist, has won the Booker Prize for his 11^th novel, The Finkler Question. Jacobson’s novel is the first comic novel to win the Booker Prize in the entirety of the award’s 42 year history.

This is the first time that Jacobson has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize after repeatedly making the long list and being denied.

Jacobson joked about his long wait for an award as he accepted the £50,000 prize. He began, ‘I am speechless.’ and as he reached into his pocket said ‘fortunately I prepared one earlier, its dated 1983’

‘I see here there’s another altered acceptance speech from 1994, then 2002 that I appear to have amended only slightly for 2004, 2006 and 2008’

‘Tonight, I forgive everyone. They were only doing their job, those judges, every one of whose names I could reel off.’

Andrew Motion, chairman of the judges, praised The Finkler Question for the way in which its humour, as with all great comedies, was so intimately and fascinatingly connected with tragedy. Motion called the book ‘very funny, of course, but also very clever, very sad and very subtle’.

When asked about the role of the comic novel in a modern age where people feel beset by great social problems Jacobson responded that comedy is not ‘consolation’ it ‘takes us to the truth, takes us to the hard places and makes us look at the hard places’ and enables us to ‘deal with it more fully and still feel invigorated in the face of it’

The decision to award the prize to The Finkler Question was not unanimous. The Judges: Sir Andrew Motion, journalist and broadcaster Tom Sutcliffe, Royal Opera House creative director Deborah Bull, author Frances Wilson and Financial Times literary editor Rosie Blau, voted 3-2 in favour of Jacobson.

Jacobson beat Tom McCarthy’s C which at been the 8/15 bookmakers favourite to win and also denied Peter Carey the title of first author to win the Booker Prize three times. Carey won the Booker in 1998 for Oscar and Lucinda and again in 2001 for True History of the Kelly Gang.

‘The Hour Has Come’: Rescue Begins for Chilean Miners

13th October 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

The rescue of the 33 Chilean miners, who have been trapped for 2 months almost 700m underground, began in the early hours of this morning. 9 of the men have been rescued at the time of writing and the miners are reaching the surface one by one approximately an hour apart.

The miners have been trapped since the gold and copper mine they were working in collapsed on the 5^th of august. The miners were believed dead until the 22^nd of August when rescuers managed to establish contact with the group. They had managed to keep themselves alive by consuming tiny rations of milk, two spoonfuls of tuna and a biscuit every 48hours.

3 drills were deployed to reach the men and one, Schramm T-130, finally broke through on the 9^th of October beginning a long rescue process where the men could be winched up to the surface in a rescue capsule. The top portion of the shaft was lined with a metal casing to enable the capsule, named ‘Phoenix’, to travel smoothly up and down the extremely narrow and twisting 622m shaft.

NASA have advised the Chilean rescuers on all aspects of the process, from psychology to the building of the capsule. Phoenix weighs approximately 250kgs and is fitted out with oxygen tanks and mask, a camera directed at the face of the ascender and a two way audio link to allow rescuers to monitor their progress.

The men have been split into three groups:  ‘Able’, ‘weak’ and ‘strong’, and are being rescued in that order. The able group, consisting of 4 fairly healthy men, was the first to test the rescue procedure and reported back to the weaker miners in order to prepare them for the journey. There are 12 men classified as weak whose health is considered to be precarious. The fittest men will be the last to leave the mine in a rescue process that has been estimated to take between 24 and 48 hours.

Florencio Avalos was the first miner to be rescued, reaching the surface at 12.11 Chilean time, 4.11am UK time. Avalos, 31, has acted as cameraman and second in command to Luis Uzua, the shift foreman.

Urzua has become a national hero after his leadership during the groups ordeal and will be the last man to leave the collapsed mine. The foreman was responsible for the strict rationing that kept the men alive and has been instrumental in maintaining order and providing the men with a sense of purpose.

The miners have been equipped with dark glasses and green waterproof suits for their journey to the surface. They will be taken to a darkened ward in a field hospital and re-introduced to light over 2 days after almost 10 weeks of darkness. NASA has praised Chilean Health authorities for the startlingly good health of the miners. However, all are aware that psychological issues will be the most pressing for the rescued miners as they try to readjust after being isolated underground for so long.

The government yielded to demands from family members for immediate contact with the rescued miners. A maximum of 2 family members have been allowed to greet the rescued as they leave the capsule. Videos and photos of the rescue have shown emotional scenes as the miners are reunited with their loved ones.

Image courtesy of The Guardian

Browne Review: Universities Free to Set Unlimited Fees

12th October 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Former BP Chief, Lord Browne, has stated that the cap on university tuition fees should be lifted entirely and universities should be free to set unlimited fees for their courses.  The cap, set by the Labour Government at £3,290 already leaves the average graduate with almost £10,000 worth of debt from tuition alone, excluding costs of living and hidden costs of university such as books and transport.

The review threatens dissent in the coalition ranks after the Liberal Democrats categorically stated their opposition to increases in tuition fees during the general election. The coalition agreement allows Lib Dems to abstain from the vote though prior to election they pledged that they would actively campaign against increased fees. If the Liberal Democrats meekly abstain or back down to Tory power in this, a core campaign principle, their position in power will appear merely nominal. The NUS have claimed that nearly 30 Lib Dem backbenchers are prepared to rebel by voting against the government over a rise in tuition fees.

Browne said there should be ‘no single fixed price’ for tuition fees as different courses cost different amounts. Institutions will simply have to persuade students that the fees they charge represent value for money.  ‘Institutions are all different and they provide a wide range of different courses. We want this diversity to flourish.’ He said.

However Browne has also said that the government should be given scope to remove funding for all but ‘priority’ subjects such as medicine, science, engineering and modern languages. This is in aid of attaining a ‘closer fit between what is taught and the skills needed in the economy’. Teaching grants offered to departments by their university may be threatened by such prioritizing with non-priority subjects being sidelined when it comes to distributing funds. The requirement for teacher training for academics threatens to encourage burgeoning university bureaucracy that will eat up funds that would be better placed in teaching budgets.

Browne has talked at length about how the changes will empower young people and place them in the driving seat of higher education. ‘Word gets around’ he said, ‘If you go to a university where they don’t do anything for you, people will get the point and not go.’

Prospective students will not be reading this news and punching the air in victory now that they can control the ‘free market’ of university education. Rather the dark feeling of despair of ever being able to afford the future they want will begin to settle in the minds of this generation. As graduate debt increases, graduate schemes remain pared back, youth unemployment at a high and an ever fewer number of first-time property buyers the UK appears a grim place to be a young person trying to build a future.

In reality it is the big graduate recruiters who will control the market of education as it will be they who drive demand for certain degree streams and offer the salary that enables the government to get back their investments. Universities will no longer be a place for education in the broadest sense but rather a supporting structure for British industry.

Universities will charge the fees they believe they can command but through encouraging their students to behave as consumers there may be far reaching implications. In recent years some students have taken their university to court in an attempt to sue them for being miss-sold a degree that claimed to offer an education or job prospects that it did not attain in practice. Given the limited contact time offered on several degree courses, often less than 5 hours a week and taught by post graduates as opposed to professors, how many students will believe they have got value for money.

NUS president, Aaron Porter, said: ‘If adopted, Lord Browne’s review would hand universities a blank cheque and force the next generation to pick up the tab for devastating cuts to higher education. The only thing students and their families would stand to gain from higher fees would be higher debts.

‘A market in course prices between universities would increasingly put pressure on students to make decisions based on cost rather than academic ability or ambition. Those already feeling the pinch will clearly be unwilling to take such a gamble and face being priced out of the universities that would opt to charge sky-high fees.

‘There is no clear assurance that a hike in fees would improve student choice or quality and the evidence since fees tripled four years ago shows that neither student satisfaction nor quality has improved.’

According to the review, universities that choose to charge over £6,000, almost double what students pay currently, will be subject to a tapered levy which will be used to cover the cost to the government of providing students with upfront finance. The university would get to keep a diminishing proportion of fees over £6,000: 94% of the first £1,000, 89% of the second, 85% of the third etc. Browne has said that this levy will ensure that those who charge the most contribute more to supporting poorer students. This may be less than will be needed to replace the current public funding

Browne has said that graduates should start repayments once they earn £21,000, a much higher salary than the current repayment bench mark of £15,000. The interest rate at which graduates repay their loans will be increased from the subsidised rate of 1.5% to match the governments cost of borrowing: inflation plus 2.2%. Students earning under £21,000 will have their loan balance increase in line with inflation which means that they will accrue no interest until they become able to repay. Debt will be written off by the government after 30 years, 5 years later than the period after which it is currently wiped.

Browne has also advocated a 10% increase in university places to meet demand and no cap on numbers of students at a university, allowing popular universities to expand whilst others may be forced to contract. Part time students will be entitled to the same help with tuition fees offered to their full time counterparts and will no longer pay fees up-front, paying them when they graduate instead.

Universities are to issue ‘student charters’ that provide prospective students with information on employment rates for their courses and schools must provide individualised careers guidance for their pupils administered by a certified profession. Decisions made about which course to take and what university to attend will have even weightier implications for young people who must now make a gravely serious investment in their future. Careers advice in some schools is abysmal, consisting of a computer based multiple choice test that invariably advises you to become a teacher of whatever subject you claimed to have enjoyed or offers totally obscure career choices such as embalming or puppet making. Careers advice will help students to assess what they want from university but poorer students will inevitably be required to lean towards cheaper institutions rather than face crippling debt whilst the wealthy have the freedom to buy the education they desire.

If Browne’s review is taken up in full all students would be entitled to flat-rate maintenance loans of £3,750 per year, rather than the current system, where loan sums are means tested. Maximum maintenance grants available to students from households with incomes of less than £25,000 would be increased from £2,906 to £3,250. The upper threshold under which students receive partial maintenance grants would rise from £50,020 to £60,000. Universities will no longer be required to provide the minimum bursary of £329 a year for students on full grants, the funds will be distributed through the grants system.

Such a mammoth hike in fees risks creating a two tiered education system, where a ‘good degree’ can be bought by the wealthy and the poor are priced out of the country’s best universities. The back-lash will no doubt be extreme and it remains to be seen whether the coalition government will take up this Labour authorised independent review. The Conservatives, defenders of private education and privilege may find little wrong with these changes but it remains to be seen if the liberals will be able to swallow this bitter pill in the name of power.

New Generation Shadow Cabinet Appointed

8th October 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Members of Labour’s shadow cabinet have been elected and appointed their roles as Ed Miliband’s shapes his new generation Labour frontbench.  10 of the 19 elected backed David for leadership and the majority are old hands coming straight out of Gordon’s shadow cabinet or from roles as junior ministers. This new generation looks suspiciously like the old.

Alan Johnson, the dark horse of the competition, has beaten Yvette Cooper and Ed Balls to be appointed Shadow Chancellor. Cooper has been given the role of foreign secretary whilst Balls has been appointed Shadow Home Secretary.

Labour’s election rules stipulate that each voter must choose 6 women and 6 men in order to ensure a degree of equality and much the female Labour population have managed to outdo this minimum by achieving 8 positions of 19 in the shadow cabinet. Ben Bradshaw, the shadow culture secretary, Pat McFadden, the shadow industry secretary and Diane Abbott, who stood in the leadership contest, all missed out on roles in Ed Miliband’s Shadow Cabinet.

Miliband said: “I am delighted with my new shadow cabinet, drawn from a broad range of talents across our party. My team is united in one central mission for the future: to win back the trust of the British people and take Labour back to power. Together this new generation of Labour will work together to reject the pessimism of this coalition government as we set out our vision of what Britain can achieve. Our values are those of the British people and this shadow cabinet will ensure that the hopes and concerns of working families are at the heart of our offer to the country.”

Labour’s new Shadow Cabinet in full:

Leader of the opposition: Ed Miliband

Deputy leader and shadow secretary of state for international development: Harriet Harman

Shadow chancellor of the exchequer: Alan Johnson

Alan Johnson was thought likely to stay on in the home office after gaining 163 votes to place him 6^th in the Shadow Cabinet Elections. Johnson, a former trade union leader, held various cabinet posts working as Home Secretary and Shadow Home Secretary since 2009.

Shadow secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs and minister for women and equalities: Yvette Cooper

Cooper topped the polls with 232 votes, 40 ahead of her nearest rival, John Healey. With this resounding victory Ms Cooper strengthened her claim to a senior post, and was the favourite to land the role of Shadow Chancellor. Cooper is married to Ed Balls, a candidate who made no secret of his own desire for the role of Shadow Chancellor. Cooper rose to prominence as work and pensions secretary in the latter years of Gordon Browns reign; she was first elected in 1997 and has had three children whilst working as an MP. After his own ruthless climb to leadership Ed may have sympathized with the home wrecking potential of appointing husband or wife to the role of Chancellor. The bookmakers had Cooper as the front runner for the role with Balls playing the stay at home Dad but it appears Ed M has saved them from the argument over who wears the trousers in their relationship.

Shadow secretary of state for the home department: Ed Balls

Before today Balls stood as Shadow Education Secretary and managed 179 votes placing him third in the poll. Balls couldn’t be described as quiet about his suitability for the coveted title of Shadow Chancellor but at least has been saved the potential indignity of being beaten by his partner to the role. Balls is arguably the strongest economist in the Labour ranks but his strong views might have denied Labour the centre ground and mainstream support they are so keen to reclaim. Conservatives are keen to smear Balls as a ‘deficit denier’ as he wants to cut slower leaving the deficit to fester whilst he makes growth a priority.

Chief whip: Rosie Winterton

Winterton is the MP for Doncaster Central and was elected unopposed to the role of Chief Whip last week.

Shadow secretary of state for education and election co-ordinator: Andy Burnham

Andy Burnham achieved forth place in the vote for the shadow cabinet and has received an accordingly prestigious position in the cabinet. Burnham, who was another candidate for party leadership, previously held the role of Shadow Health Secretary and polled 165.

Shadow lord chancellor, secretary of state for justice (with responsibility for political and constitutional reform): Sadiq Khan

Sadiq Khan was responsible for the running of Ed Miliband’s leadership campaign and came away from the cabinet election with 128 votes to his name. Khan is a former transport minister and his support of Ed Milibands leadership will have contributed to his attainment of this role.

Shadow secretary of state for work and pensions: Douglas Alexander

Douglas Alexander was responsible for co-ordinating Gordon Brown’s election campaign and was co-chair of David Milibands leadership campaign. Alexander, the MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, attained 160 votes in the cabinet election.

Shadow secretary of state for business, innovation and skills: John Denham

John Denham was one of the three shadow cabinet members that backed Ed for leadership and obtained 129 votes in the cabinet election. Denham previously held the role of Shadow Communities secretary and resigned from Blair’s government over the Iraq War before being reappointed by Brown.

Shadow secretary of state for health: John Healey

John Healey surprised all by gathering 192 votes in the Shadow Cabinet election, catapulting him into second place, over the head of Ed Balls. Healey is a former housing minister and a prominent supporter of the man he beat to second place.

Shadow secretary of state for communities and local government: Caroline Flint

Caroline Flint famously quit the government in 2009 claiming women were being sidelined, used as nothing more than ‘window dressing’ after Brown declined to put her in the cabinet. Flint, Blairite former Health Minister, took 139 votes and will return to the top of Labour politics in this role. The MP of Don Valley has proved a forceful opposition, attacking the Government’s plan to give anonymity to rape suspects.

Shadow secretary of state for defence: Jim Murphy

Jim Murphy was the other half of the chairmanship of David Miliband’s leadership campaign. The former Scottish secretary got 160 votes from his peers in the Labour party cabinet election.

Shadow secretary of state for energy and climate change: Meg Hillier

Meg Hillier got 106 votes from the party poll. She backed her London neighbour, Diane Abbott, for the leadership but is an instinctively leadership-loyal London centre-right politician.

Shadow leader of the House of Commons: Hilary Benn

Hilary Benn, son of the veteran Labour left-winger Tony Benn, got 128 votes from his peers. The Leeds MP failed in his bid for deputy leadership of the Labour party despite being bookmakers favourite after early party polls. Benn, a former Environment Secretary, was another who backed Ed for leadership and has been rewarded.

Shadow secretary of state for transport: Maria Eagle

The less well-known twin of Angela Eagle, Maria got 107 votes. Eagle who entered parliament in 1997, 5 years after her sister, is MP of Garston and Halewood and a former Equalities Minister.

Shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs: Mary Creagh

Mary Creagh obtained 119 votes and is the least experienced Shadow Cabinet Member, never having held a ministerial post. Creagh nominated David Miliband for the leadership despite her seats proximity to Balls and Cooper.  Creagh has had just one year on the Labour front bench as a whip and has been the MP for Wakefield since 2005.

Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury: Angela Eagle

Angela Eagle is the second-highest-scoring woman in the Shadow Cabinet contest with 165 votes. She served as a minister for five years under Tony Blair but was sacked in 2002. Gordon Brown brought her back to the government as Treasury minister and pensions minister five years later. Ms Eagle, 49, was the first female MP to enter a civil partnership.

Shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland: Shaun Woodward

Woodward was not one of those elected to the Shadow Cabinet by his peers but has been confirmed in his old role through Ed Milibands selection. The shadow Northern Ireland Secretary only achieved 72 votes.

Shadow secretary of state for Scotland: Ann McKechin

As the only female candidate from Scotland, McKechin was favourite to be chosen for Shadow Scottish Secretary. A supporter of Ed Miliband, Ms McKechin is a former solicitor who served as a junior Scottish Office minister between 2008 and 2010. Her 117 votes gained her entry to the shadow cabinet.

Shadow secretary of state for Wales: Peter Hain

Peter Hain was a notable omission from the Shadow Cabinet election. The Welsh secretary was an early and close supporter of Ed Miliband. No other Welsh MP was appointed by the Labour party and as such he was an obvious choice for Ed to bring in to the cabinet.

Shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport: Ivan Lewis

Ivan Lewis is a former foreign office minister, he gained 104 votes to join the shadow cabinet. Lewis is massively experienced as a minister spending over nine years in what seems like dozens of departments.

Shadow leader of the House of Lords: Lady Royall of Blaisdon

Shadow minister for the Olympics: Tessa Jowell

Tessa Jowell is an ex-Cabinet Office minister and Culture Secretary. She is already experienced in the role of minister for the Olympics and obtained 152 votes placing her 9^th in the party poll. At 63, after 13 straight years as a minister and survival of both the Blair and Brown cabinets Jowell may struggle to qualify for the ‘New’ tag of Ed’s generation.

Shadow minister for the Cabinet Office: Liam Byrne

Liam Byrne got the smallest number of votes of any in the shadow cabinet with only 100 to his name and has yet to live down his nototious ‘theres no money left’ note left for his successor in the treasury.  Unsurprisingly he has not been let near the treasury again but with a management consultancy background he could have been well placed to shadow Vince Cable in the business department.

Lords chief whip: Lord Bassam of Brighton

Shadow attorney general: Lady Scotland

Also attending shadow cabinet meetings:

Shadow minister of state for the Cabinet Office: Jon Trickett

Image courtesy of The Guardian

Commonwealth Swimmers Hit By ‘Delhi Belly’

8th October 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Adding to a Commonwealth games that has been blighted by problems the Commonwealth Games Officials are to investigate water quality in the practice pools after several swimmers have been taken ill. An estimated 20% of the England swim team, including high profile athletes Rebecca Adlington and Fran Halsall, have suffered stomach upsets during the competition in Delhi. Australia has reported at least six swimmers suffering from illness, including Andrew Lauterstein who pulled out of the 50m butterfly on Wednesday.

“It’s a matter we’ll deal with with the greatest of urgency,” said Commonwealth Games Federation Chief Mike Fennell. “We must find this out immediately. If there’s something unsafe you can’t swim in that water. We have ensured the water quality is tested, and food. We don’t have specific reports about illness and the reasons why. “We are concerned if athletes are not well and cannot perform at their best. We haven’t had specific reports of swimming being different from the rest.”

Whilst a certain degree of stomach upset is to be expected from a few of the team when adjusting to a different climate, Halsall appeared seriously unwell when photographed receiving her bronze for 100m freestyle. Halsall found it necessary to cut short her post-race interview with the BBC in order to be sick in relative privacy. “I don’t think I’m very well to be honest.” She said, “I came down with a bit of a tummy bug and had nothing to give, I pretty much couldn’t stand up after my final. I need to go before I am sick on you.”

The England team doctor has confirmed that Adlington and Halsall are just two of “quite a few” swimmers who have come down with the illness. “It is hygiene related.” He said, “They have been assiduous in their personal hygiene but everybody is going down with this acutely.” Australia’s swimming team spokesperson said that their doctors were looking into the illness which has prevented some athletes from training.

A Commonwealth Games England statement says: “As of today there are 541 England team members in the Village. Over the past 28 days 8% of our team have had some kind of mild stomach conditions. These levels are lower than we expected coming into this environment. But we are not complacent and continue to reinforce the need to be vigilant in areas like hand hygiene. Separately, we have asked for reassurances as to the water quality at the aquatics venue.”

Attendance has been poor for much of the games so far, with many athletes competing in front of near empty stands. Now that the cricket, which was free to watch, is over, ticket sales have gone up. Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi has said “Ticket sales are going up and most of the major issues have been sorted out. Ticketing is not an issue any more.” Tickets for 80% of the tennis and 90% of the boxing semi-finals and finals have been sold and next week’s rugby sevens tournament and the remainder of the swimming are both sold out.

Australia stands at the top of the medal table with 48 medals, 22 of which are the coveted gold. India is in second place with 12 gold and England is third with 7.

Chairman Battles Co-Owners as Liverpool Sale Heads For High Court

8th October 2010 | 1 comments | 1 person likes this

Liverpool will be passed to another U.S owner after it has been wrested away from the hands of current owners in a court and boardroom battle. Chairman Martin Broughton and his board have agreed a £300m sale to New England Sports Ventures, owners of the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Current owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are opposed to the deal and have attempted to block the sale. Broughton, bought on in April to lend credibility to Hicks and Gillett’s sale of the club, is now locked into a legal fight with the owners.

The Liverpool board agreed the sale with NESV and in attempts to block the deal Hicks and Gillett have refused to accept Broughton’s authority and tried to fire two members of the three man board. Christian Purslow (managing director) and Ian Ayre (commercial director) were to be replaced with Tom Hick’s son, Mack and Lori McCutcheon of Hicks Holdings in a boardroom coup.

Broughton is confident in his authority to sell the club despite opposition from the owners. “When I took the role they gave a couple of written undertakings to Royal Bank of Scotland – that I was the only person entitled to change the board and that they would take no action to frustrate any reasonable sale,” stated Broughton “they gave those written undertakings and on Tuesday they flagrantly abused those undertakings.” Hicks has said that his new board is entirely legal and they have the authority to decide upon the deal, “We legally reconstituted the board” He claimed “and the board does not approve of this transaction.”

The Anfield club has long faced the possibility of going into administration and the accompanying 9 point penalty that would drop them out of the Premier League. Royal Bank of Scotland set a deadline for loan repayment which Liverpool is currently unable to fulfill. The sale agreement will enable the club to pay the bills as long as it goes through before the 15^th of October. Of the agreed sale price, £200million will go to RBS to clear the outstanding debt liable under the latest refinancing, £40million will go on non-bank liabilities and the last £60million will go on costs incurred in development of the Stanley Park Stadium. The deadline for repayment creeps ever closer as the board and the owners now take to court for a declaratory judgment on whether the sale can be made.

Hicks and Gillett will do all they can to frustrate the sale as they stand to lose the £144m they’ve put into the club over their three and a half year tenure. The £300m agreed sale price is all tied into settling the clubs debts and the enforced sale will leave nothing for the owners. Even if they successfully disrupt the deal their loan with RBS must still be repaid by the 15^th or else Kop Holdings, the company which owns Liverpool will be put into administration. RBS will give no further refinancing to Hicks and Gillett and could pursue them personally for the £237m owed. Because of this, Broughton has argued that this deal is within their interests as well and this is ‘their last opportunity to be the good guys’ after a less than positive legacy at the club. Adding insult to injury, once Kop Holdings is put into administration Hicks and Gillett’s ownership will be removed completely and RBS will be expected to sell the club to NESV anyway.

NESV is a group of 17 investors lead by American multimillionaire John W Henry and if the sale goes through the buyers are anticipated to attend the Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park on Sunday the 17^th. The appearance will be an attempt to differentiate themselves from the rarely present Hicks and Gillett. John W Henry has helped the Boston Red Sox win two World Series and his motor-racing team win the Daytona 500. Owner presence is a troubling feature of American ownership for anxious Liverpool fans but Broughton hopes that this track record will go some way to dispelling fans fears about yet another American owner.

Memorial Held for Hollywood Legend Tony Curtis

6th October 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Hundreds stood in line well in advance of the 11am schedule time in order to say their last goodbyes to Hollywood legend Anthony Curtis. Curtis died of a heart attack at the age of 85 in his home in Nevada last Wednesday.

The legend of the silver screen was buried in Las Vegas with several mementos such as the novel Anthony Adverse, from which he took his stage name and wearing his driving gloves and favourite White Armani scarf. Stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger performed readings and his seven pall bearers included Kirk Douglas and singer Phyllis McGuire. One mourner arrived dressed as Marilyn Monroe in tribute to Curtis’ role in Some Like it Hot.

His daughter, actress Jamie Lee Curtis welled up as she described her father as ‘a little mashugana (Yiddish for crazy) but always full of life’ she paid tribute to him and to his influence with the words ‘we are the evidence of him. We walk the walk led by him. All of us got something from him. I of course, got his desperate need for attention’ she joked. Jill Curtis, Anthony’s sixth wife described the actor through her tears as ‘a once in a lifetime man’, and said ‘he was that charming handsome man you saw on screen.’

The Spartacus star was an infamous womaniser marrying six times in his lifetime and seen with high-profile girl-friends such as Marilyn Monroe, co-star of Some Like it Hot and Natalie Wood. His first marriage was to actress Janet Leigh who gave birth to his two daughters, actresses Jamie lee and Kelly Curtis. After divorcing Leigh he married Christine Kaufman, who was only 17 when they met. Curtis was once quoted as saying ‘I wouldn’t be seen dead with a woman old enough to be my wife.’ A policy he stuck by even in his last marriage; Jill Vandenburg was 45 years his junior.

The service, for 400 family and friends was held in the main chapel at Palms Mortuary and Cemetary, the surrounding 3 chapels broadcast the hour long service to the overflow of mourners unable to fit inside.

Image courtesy of The Daily Mail

Hastings Pier Destroyed By Fire

5th October 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

The alarm was raised at 1.00am by police patrol and local people. Despite arriving 5 minutes after the first emergency call, the fire-service was unable to get the fire under control until 8.00am. Reports were initially of a small fire on the pier but the construction was quickly engulfed in flame with residents reporting hearing a series of explosions.

The pier was closed in 2006 due to fears about the structures safety and locals had been campaigning for it to be saved. The Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust was established to raise funds in order to be able to renovate and reopen the historic attraction.The Victorian landmark was opened in 1872 and was originally 910ft long, it was host to big name concerts such as Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Bob Marley and the Rolling Stones. Now the ballroom at the end of the pier has been completely burnt out and most of the upper level has been destroyed.

Sixty fire-fighters were at the scene at the peak of the blaze but little could be done to save the construction. Estimates suggest that 95% of the piers superstructure was totally destroyed by the fire, the second in its history. Councillor Jeremy Birch, leader of Hastings borough council said ‘The firefighters have worked heroically to try and contain the blaze but unfortunately because of the wind, the state of the pier and the danger of going on it, the fire really took hold’.

The priority of fire-service was to preserve as much of the structure as they could, including the steel work frame in the hope that the pier could be rebuilt. Earlier this year the council had agreed to make a compulsory purchase of the pier and the process of redevelopment was underway. The Hastings pier and white rock Trust had invited architects to submit designs for its redevelopment the day before the fire took place.  Councillor Jeremy Birch said ‘The council will now be looking at a new structural survey so that we can be absolutely clear on the degree of damage to the sub-structure. Then we can see what the future holds for this iconic building on our seafront.’

No one was hurt in the blaze but the cause of the fire remains unknown. Two teenagers from St Leonards have been held for questioning on suspicion of arson.

Image courtesy of The Daily Mail

Legendary Comedian Sir Norman Wisdom Dies Aged 95

5th October 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Norman Wisdom, much loved British comedian, passed away Monday evening in Abbotswood Nursing Home on the Isle of Man. The London born actor had suffered a series of strokes over the last 6 months, leading to declining mental and physical health. The actor who clowned his way out of a poverty stricken childhood and into a knighthood was said to have died “peacefully”.

Charlie Chaplin famously dubbed Norman Wisdom his “favourite clown” and the comic had gained international appeal in his slapstick role as Norman Pitkin, becoming something of a cult icon in Albania. The physical comedian was knighted in 2000 and retired in 2005 after a 60 year long career including starring roles on Broadway, in 19 films and in 32 television shows.

His family grieve for a “much loved father and grandfather” whilst his publicist said “Of all the artists I’ve ever worked with, he’s been the closest. It’s a sad day.”