Owner: eeore's Missing Link URL:http://www.blogcharm.com/eeore/ Join Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 08:07:24 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: The collected blogging of Jeremy Young.
A blog about whatever takes my fancy, from politics to trash TV and evevrything in between. Written from a politically neutral socialist standpoint. Site statistics:Click here
Chocolate and T-Shirts 0000-00-00 00:00:00 The transfer deal for Tevez and Mascherano is a deal that doesn't make sense. And may indeed be a dangerous and possibly fatal move for West Ham, if the rumours that Kia Joorabchian is behind the take over bid.
Of course the details of the transfer deal are still unknown, but Vickorino, (Tim Vickery) the BBC South American Football correspondent has a stab at explaining:
"The essential contradiction of South American football in this globalised world, is that it runs at a financial loss but produces some of the most marketable commodities: the best players.
"So investment consortia take advantage of the financial weakness of the clubs to secure the rights to sell the players - which is where the money is.
"MSI - who also own a stake in Corinthians - bought Tevez's registration for $20m (£10.5m). South American football just doesn't generate the sort of money that makes that investment worthwhile.
"So where's the return on the investment? From selling the players to Europe Read more:Chocolate
, Shirts
Money Laundering, Football and the Boys from Brazil 0000-00-00 00:00:00 West Ham fans are excited about the signing of Tevez and Mascherano, but there are signs that maybe their excitement may be short lived. Last season Corinthians won the championship, this season they are second bottom and the fans are not happy?.
And, there maybe something else for them to worry about around the corner.
Ever since the MSI take-over of Corinthians, rumours have abounded that the club was being used for money-laundering. And the Brazil
ain authorities have launched an investigation. And EUFA have also launched an inquiry into allegations that European clubs may also be involved in money-laundering.
This is not something that escaped the notice of the MSM at the time when MSI first showed an interest in West Ham last year.
However this article by the Brazilian sports journalist, Rafael Maranhao, offers a new perspective on the activities of Joorabchian and MSI, without the usual roll call of names: Abramovich, Berezovsky and Badri Patarkatsishvili.
For instance, Read more:Football
, Money
The Murk Thickens as West Ham Enters Take Over Talks 0000-00-00 00:00:00 The saga of West Ham
rumbles on today.
The club have confirmed to the stock market that they are in take-over talks. At stake are 20, 202, 352 ordinary shares valued at 25p, or a total of £5,050,588. Which if true would appear to be as astounding as the transfer of Tevez and Mascherano.
Recently, the American Randy Lerner, owner of the Cleveland Browns, took over premiership club Aston Villa with an offer of $118.8million (@ £60million). And arguably Aston Villa are a bigger club than West Ham. They have been in the Premiership longer, have won the European Cup, and have a bigger stadium.
President for Media Sports International, Kia Joorabchian, denied that his company were involved in the take over, he told Radio Five Live, "MSI is a company that will not invest in European football as such by investing in a club, so that speculation is out for sure."
Which raises the question of what he means by 'as such'? And why did the company enter into take over talks with the
Sperm Fuels Cervical Cancer 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Is anyone surprised that a new survey has found that sperm may fuel cervical cancer?
The hormone Prostragladin is used by the womb to regulate cell growth and and controls the shedding or thickening of the womb lining during the menstrual cycle. The levels of prostragladin are a 1000 times higher in spem than in the female body.
But this is hardly shocking news.
Practically every advice site on teenage sex, includes this statistic:
"The number one risk factor for cervical cancer is early sexual activity, the second is multiple sex partners.
Source: CT, Hatcher et al, 1994, pp. 515"
It tends to be overlooked amid all the other potential health issues surrounding sex, and the moral arguments surrounding teenage sex. In essence it gives the lie to the saying, 'if they are old enough to bleed, they are old enough to breed.'.
Despite sexual activity being the way in which animals replicate, the enviroment of the vagina is not exactly hospitable to the sperm. And for good re Read more:Cancer
, Cervical
, Cervical Cancer
, Fuels
, Sperm
Money on the Spin Cycle 0000-00-00 00:00:00 The rumoured figure of £1 to £5million paid by West Ham to secure the services of Tevez and Mascherano, only muddy's the water further.
Let us imagine that MSI is acting a front to launder money.... and we have no reason to think that they are.... but let us imagine that they are.
They are supposed to being paying the players £40,000 per week: which equates to £2,080,000 per year.
Let us focus on Carlos Tevez. He transfered to Corinthinians in December 2004. By all accounts his wages are being paid by MSI. That means that he has recieved 20 months (including December) worth of wages: equating to, £3,200,000.
Using this report to Congress, we see that the commision fees charged in Colombia by money launderers, is 20%. Therefore if this money was to be laundered by traditional means, you would expect £640,000 to be creamed of the top. Making the ammount of cleaned money returned £2,560,000. Or if MSI are acting as the agent, would require around £4million Read more:Cycle
, Money
And Today's Truth Is..... 0000-00-00 00:00:00 I make no apologies for banging on about the business at West Ham, but it is one of those stories that just can't be ignored for the deliciousness of it's twists and turns.
For instance on Saturday, the Daily Telegraph ran this story: West Ham Take Over Talks Fail.
The opening sentence, was clear enough sign that the Daily Telegraph was behind the times on the story:
"The prospect that West Ham could become the latest Premiership club to fall into the hands of mysterious new owners seemed to be fading last night as the man at the centre of the bid insisted he had no plans to launch an immediate takeover."
Clearly they hadn't heard that Joorabchian had just resigned his position from MSI, (presumably the company has been moved to the broom cupboard of the accountancy office firm which it is run) though they did have a new angle on events. As it seems that Mr Joorabchian's father has recently died.
""I am in no position to do anything because I have had a very serious and tra Read more:Today
, Truth
Ofcom in Breach of their Rules 0000-00-00 00:00:00 I recieved this letter this morning.
Dear Mr Young
Channel 4 News; 24.08,2006, 19.00pm
Thank you for contacting us, we are sorry this programmme caused you concern.
Firstly we should explain we do not make programmes or give them prior approval. As the regulator, we can intervene if the item provokes widespread offence, causes significant harm, or is materially inaccurate i.e if there is a breach of our Broadcasting Code.
We obtained a recording of this programme and we watched it with your comments in mind, though we have to say we do not feel there has been a breach in this instance. Our Broadcasting Code is concerned with the actual content of a programmme, i.e. what is said and done on air. We have no regulatory remit over legal matters.
If you feel that the appearance of this juror was in breach of any law then your concern is best directed to the relevant authority. However we did note that she interviewed in her capacity as a juror from the so-called "Ricin" trial in Read more:Breach
, Rules
NATO and the War In Afghanistan 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Each day seems to bring new news of deathes of British soldiers in Afghanistan
. And, an increasing amount of criticism of of the tactics, and indeed the purpose of NATO being in the country.
Rather than deal with the ins and outs of the merit of this intervention in a country that could hardly be described as sovereign (in any conventional sense of the word), I wanted to point out the inherent flaw in the plan put forward by many for dealing with the problem: namely that to prevent Afghanistan being a centre of opium production, we (the west) should step in and buy the enitre crop.
In fact this would make the situation worse, since it would be in effect subsidising opium product. And farm subisdies, whether in Europe or North America have a very poor record. Subsidies both encourage over production and encourage corruption.
The classic example which is always mentioned when this topic comes up is the EU Directive on bananas. Though according to this site, there never was such a d
Feeling Sick 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Perhaps this is why your mother always told you to chew your food.
peace
Read more:Feeling
Quick Update 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Don't worry, I'm still here. I've been playing a lot of championship manager to take my mind off things.... doing very well actually, but then I am managing Man Utd.... which might sound easy but is pretty tough due to the wieght of expectation. The funeral is on Wednesday. It sounds as if it is going to be a pretty traditional affair. Not sure how I will cope. The last time I went to a family funeral it was my Gran's... I was 11.... and I had to be lead from the church because I cried so much. But I am pleased that it is going to be a burial in the village church. It's a pretty church, fairly puritan, white washed walls and the heads chopped off of the statues, but it is a church that I grew up with. Though my memories of the place are fairly scant, my family not really being into churchy stuff. In fact I am not even sure if my dad believed in god. Certainly whenever I broached the topic he was fairly condemning of the whole organised religion thing. But then I like to think of h Read more:Quick
, Quick Update
, Update
0000-00-00 00:00:00 At six twenty five in 19th September, my father died. peace
Another Quick Update 0000-00-00 00:00:00 The funeral went ok. I guess the hardest bit was when the coffin slid into the hole. And I didn't argue with my sister or any of my other relations come to that, so that was nice. I was rather pissed off with the village idiots who work behind the bar at the club. It would have been nice if my father had been in the ground for more than a day before idiot woman started making catty comments and having sly digs.... but no matter, they'll get theirs the next time I have some bad karma to offload. Other than that not much has happened in the past week or so. I do keep meaning to update, but whenever I am online this site is always down. Ethel now has a mountain of clothes. Derek's cousin has just had twins, and they clearly have more money than sense because most of the clothes are from Gap and Next, and most of them have never been worn. Not that I am complaining you understand, merely observing. And I notice that they didn't have a furry Pooh Bear outfit.... no class. Not that Ethel Read more:Quick
, Update
Baby Love 0000-00-00 00:00:00 The other night Channel 5 broadcast a ceasarian section. I can't tell you what happened because I was in the bath. Derek tells me that the child was a boy, and that as soon as it was freed from the womb, it pee'd everywhere. I have never liked medical stuff. Derek on the other hand is dead keen, having been to medical school. And since we are awaiting a happy arrival it would have been mean of me not to let her watch the program. It is still a matter of some debate as to whether I will be at the birth. Personally I don't want to, as I do not think it is a suitable place for a man (for religious reasons.... as a pagan of the northern tradition, I can find nothing that says that traditionally men were present at births. Indeed, the few referances I can find state that only women were present, and as soon as the baby was born, the women would burst out of the hut and beat any man they could find with birch branches). However, as things stand, although I have not officially declared tha
Religious Nutters Make Their Own Laws 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Now forgive me for mentioning this, but I thought the law on Religious descrimination was thrown out of parliamenty last year. Which makes the two stories dominating the news particularly stoopid. The first is of a BA checker innner (or whatever the official title is for people who check in baggage) who has been disciplined for wearing a crucifix. She is taking the company to court claiming religious discrimination. Now please bare in mind that she has not been told that she cannot wear the crucifix. Rather she has been told that she must not wear it on the outside of her uniform. And given that there is no law against religious discrimination, I find it idifficult to see what she is blathering on about. The relaity is that her arguement is basically that 'they wouldn't say this to muslims.' Which is soemthing one hears regularly from nutcase crhistain types. Who fail to notice that the reason muslims are treated with kidgloves is because they have a reputation for murder and violen
News for Numpties 0000-00-00 00:00:00 I have stopped bothering with the news because I feel a little like Alice. It isn't that it is filled the usual half truthes and distortions, but that it seems to have infected supposed responsible people. Take for instance the case of Terry Lloyd who was an ITN reporter who was killed in 2003. Today a coroner decided that he was killed unlawfully by American troops and that he is writing to the Attorney General to see if there is a possibility that the troops involved should be charged with murder. Well excuse me, but I was under the impression that he was in a war zone, that he was further in the war zone than he should have been (his boss admitted at the inquest that he made a mistake in sending the reporter into the area and had attempted to pull him out), and that prior to the shooting an Iraqi truck with a heavy machine gun was driving alongside the vehicle in which Terry Lloyd was driving. And, sure it makes a nice news story, and feeds anti-Americanism, but you do have to ask
Football Crazy 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Oh well, the honeymoon for is over for McClaren. And the question I find myself asking is, "is anybody surprised?" I mean, Middlesborough were hardly a team that set the world alight, and they were certainly a team that suffered from inconsistency and tactical ineptness.... so why should McClaren's England team be any different? The signs were there in the build up. You knew from the moment that McClaren was quoted as wanting 'passion' that disaster was only just around the corner. And Rooney is not a player who is hoing to get a hatfull of goals. To be frank, I don't see why Rooney is lauded as he is. He has only ever scored one hattrick. And it does have to be asked, what has he ever won? Oh and while I am on the subject of teams and players that have been over hyped, I do find myself spooning shardenfreude down my throat in large dollops at the goings on at West Ham. Since the Argentinians joined the club they have gone from bad to worse. And a couple of weeks ago, I noticed tha Read more:Crazy
, Football
Babies in Bags 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Last night I went to the open mic competition at the Ilkley festival.... I didn't win. But then I knew I wouldn't. Since I know one of the judges, Valerie Laws, and she doesn't like me. I met her on a writing thing with the BBC, and I am still at a loss as to what I have done to upset her. It might be that she is dull, talentless and boring. Put it this way she was giving out prizes, and one of the prizes was a book of poems that she had done, full of poems about Star Trek. Oh, and she is some kind of teacher. And from what I can gather she has a gang of talentless flunkies hanging around her. And don't think this is just sour grapes on my part. I assure you that if you ever have the misfortune to come across her or her work, I guarantee that you will agree with me that it is pitched at people with a reading age of seven, is overlong, obvious and ecologically unsound; since large numbers of trees were murdered to dissemminate it. And it is probably telling that she is still hanging Read more:Babies
Learning to Spit Melons 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Last night I went to my first parenting class. To be honest I was not keen on going, since I am sqeamish and in my experience these sort of things get more graphic than they need to. In the event it turned out to be ok. The midwife running the thing was was nice, and she only got the pelvis out once to demonstrate some point about the the realtionship between the hole and the opening (the big hole at the center of the pelvis is not aligned with the vaginal opening). She made a crap joke about nature being actually father nature, which is a complete misunderstanding of why this came about, and is a trashy bit of femist nonsense along the lines of 'all men are porential rapists'.... which is true, the same way that all women are potential shoplifters, all girl children are potentially Jodi Foster, or all chimps are potentially the president of America or islamic clerics (notice the impartiality). Anywho.... In case you are interested, the reason human birth's are comparatively more di Read more:Learning
eeore in the Family Courts 0000-00-00 00:00:00 I see the McCartney/Mills divorce case has flared up again.... she reckons he drank a lot and took drugs. If you ask me she hasn't got a leg to stand on. peace
Read more:Family
Don't Scare the Horses 0000-00-00 00:00:00 So the industrial tribunal hearing the case of the teaching assistant who refused to remove her veil has reached a fudge. Unable to find that the woman had been discriminated against on the grounds of religion.... principally because no such law exists.... it instead awarded her £1000 for injured feelings (or £333.33p for each week that she was employed). Of course had this been a private company, they could have got away with not paying her a penny, on the grounds that she would have been on a trial period. And one wonders why this case ever appeared before a tribunal in the first place. I was reminded of a blog I read a while ago.... during one of the seemingly endless arguments that muslims have engaged in during the past year.... in which a muslim woman said that she was pleased to see people wearing veils because it was a sure sign that they were sympathetic towards terrorism and she needn't bother having anything to do with them. Of course I would not dare to suggest such Read more:Horses
, Scare
Swinging From the Family Tree 0000-00-00 00:00:00 First off.... to all of those that belive the bullshit about passive smoking.... consider this. The number of molecules in 2.016 grams of hydrogen (don't ask me why that weight) is 6.0221367 * 10 to the power 23. Or put another way if each moecule were the size of a popcorn kernal it would cover the United States (not sure if this includes Alaska and Hawai (or however it is spelt)) to a depth of nine miles. And since the average cigarette (particularly if I am rolling) weighs considerably less than this.... it is about time you got a life and started complaining about traffic fumes. Meh.... I know you are not going to.... because you are robots.... but it is an extraordinary thought that something so simple as 2 grams of fresh air.... and not even fresh air since hydrogen is lighter than air and therefore contains less molecules.... could be so full of stuff. I recieved in the post today some inforamtion form my mother about my father's family. This was triggered by a conversation I Read more:Family
, Swinging
Talking to the Bump 0000-00-00 00:00:00 We had parenting class on Monday. Again I didn't fancy going but went out of duty. It was OK, the session was about pain relief, birth positions and included a demonstration of a baby being born using a plastic pelvis and a pair of old tights. I do have to say that the tights looked rather ragged once the baby had been through the hole. btw, here's an experiment that you might like to try. Place your fingers in the corner of your mouth and pull as hard as you can for about ten minutes. Apparently that is what it is like when the baby's head comes out. To be honest I can't see what all the fuss is about. I mean it's not like the head is that much bigger than my cock.... and it's not like women don't know this is going to happen.... I spoke to my mum about it on the phone later, partly because I was interested in what happened when I was born. She was in a fairly good mood, though she did make what she thought was a joke but only proved that she had been spending too much time wit Read more:Talking
Pundit eeore 0000-00-00 00:00:00 I must say how pleased I was to see that bunch of cloggers Man City get beaten 4-0. In fact it has been satisfying to watch their recent matches for any number of reasons... the attempted murder by Ben Thatcher, which Stuart "psycho (until Basil Boli headbutted him)" Pearce claimed to have been a perfected fair tackle, the fact that they have Dichio in the team and not least because of the bullshit about Beanie the Donkey. Stuart, take a tip from me.... a beanbag horse is less likely to improve your results than an understanding of tactics and the purchasing of some flare players. It was also interesting to watch Match of the Day and listen to the praise for Portsmouth goalkeeper Calamity James. Supposedly he is a great goalkeeper. And according to Alan Hansen if Portsmouth had not had him in goal Chelsea might have scored 7 or 8. The eventual score was 2-1 to Chelsea. And the match stats showed that Chelsea had 13 shots of which 5 were on target. Ergo, Calamity James did not stop Chel
Dionysus Would be Turning in his Grave 0000-00-00 00:00:00 I had the misfortune of witnessing that Ali Gee bloke on Jonathon Ross last night.... can someone please explain to me why this is funny. In fact does anyone know of anyone who finds this funny? Of course he is no longer Ali Gee, but now is Borat, the cultural ambassor for Khazakstan..... which is highly original, given that for the past 40 years Barry Humphreys has been doing exactly the same act in the form of Les Paetrson. It isn't that the act is racist.... I don't mind racism when used for satire.... what annoys me is that the racism is rank, base, and acceptable.... since the joke in the new film is that Americans are stoopid and insular. Oh how funny.... Gosh it must have taken ages to think that one up. I mean it is hardly as if that hasn't been said for the past 250 years. It also goes to show that satire today is basically telling unfunny jokes. Whereas the reality is that satire should be about savaging sacred cows. I was struck tonight whilst watching Rory Bremner, and i Read more:Grave
Eulogy 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Your mum let herself in: she hadn't long had the key.I awoke, surprised to find her biting her lip.She said she had news. The cliche would have me frightened,doing a runner, demanding snap decisions; butI was so happy. And from that moment I loved you.You used to appear in my daydreams: chattering.drawing, wanting to know what I was doing;why the sky is blue, how far to the moon.On Monday you helped me carry the shopping home.Pleased as punch that you had your own bag.But it hasn't been easy. On the day I rang grandma,she dampened the mood with news of granpa's illness.I so wanted him to live long enough to see you, and nowyou and he will get to spend endless time together.For despite my grief, I cannot bare to think of you alone.You made us laugh with you antics. The way you bumped when Chelsea scored, or when you tickled mummy's ribs.Or how you would hide when the midwife wanted to hear your heartbeat.And what I would give for you again to kick me in the kidneysin bed. Or feel yo Read more:Eulogy
Baby Care 0000-00-00 00:00:00 In the time of Death, we all turn to Godand we are no different. Hours ago,locked in the fury of Napoleanic sea combat,five decked ships of the line pouringbroadsides of contractions into your bodyI could not concieve of this calm water.We stand around the perspex cribas our dearly loved and much lamented babyis properly named and enters the church.We have often joked and laughed at religion.Yet now, as the chaplin tries to lay onthe new, all inclusive, trippy, hippyversion of God: we seek for older forms;prefering 'hath', 'thee' and 'thou':the rythems learned in school by rote.They offer extra weight to the solemnity.It is 3.30, or there abouts, the timeat which the tide turns and the dead depart.
Too Weak to Push 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Maternity pads and funeral arrangementsare never a perfect combination,but they have entered our lives:become another part of the situation.Why are prams and pushchairs everywherewhenever I walk about the streets?Why do people say we should talk,when we have not stopped, nor cannot sleep.And as a way of making contactpeople say they understand the way we feel.Not a good thing to say. Because you don'tand I hope and pray you never will.
Between Waking 0000-00-00 00:00:00 I awoke at just before four,soaked in sweat, my mind raging:I throw death curses, with venomand maximum malign intent.They do not bring balance.Everything is in shadow.A parrallel world runs beside mine.I do both what I doand what I should be doing:but actually achieve nothing.I awake at just before four,and find you sleeping.Only our feet touch.Our positions of comfort have altered:my arms now encircle you.Who could guess that timecould pad with such slow feet?
Ethel Mae Young 0000-00-00 00:00:00 This week has been very tough.
Regular readers may have noticed from the poetry that our first daughter Ethel Mae died last Friday. We had her funeral today.
The bare details are that she was pronounced dead on Friday, and was born on Sunday.... and it makes even less sense when I write it..... there is just something so wrong about that statement.
And yet, the funeral today has brought a sense of peace that seemed impossible even one day ago. The hurt is still there, and the sorrow, but something a friend said suddenly placed a whole new context on the fact that we are blessed.
Because we did at least have time with her, we got to hold her, and talk to her: we have pictures and are able to say, 'she has your nose,' or 'my lips' or whatever. Ok, I don't know the colour of her eyes, or never heard her cry, laugh, or respond to my smile. But there are plenty of people who have lost children that have nothing more than the optimism of pregnancy.
And there is consolation
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