It's only Money

You cant make it up, the Samuel Eto'o transfer from Barcelona has hit a small snag, £250,000 per week plus bonus's is not enough for Eto'o he is now demanding a twelve million pounds signing on fee. I say give it to him , in fact give him a twenty million pounds signing on fee, why not after all it's only money.

BB Update

Looks like this weeks nominations are going to be Sree and Halfwit, both of them are enormously annoying in their own right, but I am going to give the title of most annoying to super fake Sree. This guy cannot be real, I refuse to accept that people like this exist, so this must all be an act and unfortunately for him the audience have seen through it. As irritating as Freddie is he will survive again. In a way though its a shame that one of these two have to leave because as I think back to however many days it has been in the house, I cant think of one interesting storyline that hasn't involved at least one of these two. Come Saturday the house will have lost one of its stars. Up to now the evictions have been pretty easy to call with no real surprises, but this one promises to be close though I suspect Sree will go out in a landslide. As interesting as I have found this years show viewing figures are still down on previous years, so with that in mind I have a suggestion for the producers that may increase viewers. A kind of task for the viewers, every week a selected number of watchers say 25 get picked randomly and receive what is called a Golden Bullet. Then every Thursday evening Channel 4 get the 25 together and let them come to an agreement about who has been the most obnoxious in the preceding week, once agreement has been reached the 25 bullets are pooled and loaded into a Uzi machine gun, the housemate that has been chosen is put a against a wall and killed in a hail of bullets, I suggest for week one Kris.

Jordan’s a pro

I cant remember the last time I looked at a newspaper and didn’t have the picture of that Professional slag Jordan staring back at me, I call her professional because it appears she has mastered the art of appearing slaggish in pretty much anything she does. Yesterday she went grocery shopping with her young daughter Princess in a skirt so short, that according to supermarket staff every time she reached for something of a shelf they were treated to a flash of her for want of a better description, her woman's area, Last week she exposed the same area to club goers in Ibiza, if you fancy seeing that area in the privacy of your own home it is plastered all over the internet.  I cannot understand the media fascination with this woman,  its not even that she is attractive. I don’t know of one person who thinks she is fanciable, and having seen samples of her adult movies on the net, I understand that fascination even less. It appears she has separated from Peter Andre  her husband of a few years and they are going to divorce. I oppose this course of action and hope they stay together, two more better suited people I cant imagine, though he currently enjoys some public sympathy because of his wife’s behaviour, he is just as bad as her I challenge anyone to find one clip off them together where he is not announcing their latest sex act in graphic detail, or telling us how dirty she is. These freaks have young children but don’t seem to understand or maybe they just don’t care that soon those kids will be old enough to see and read all this stuff for themselves. Some reports put Jordan’s fortune at forty million pounds, so its not as if she is desperate for money that she prostitute’s herself in this way. Her and her pathetic husband should stay together, even if it’s only to ensure that neither of them can end up with anyone else.

Holiday at Home

Searching on the net for an affordable weekend away I was amazed at the amount of choice out there, the sheer number of company's that specialise in holidays in England, so much so that I gave up searching and have again decided to stick with a known and trusted favourite. Warner leisure hotel's who specialise in historic hotels and themed weekends. My wife and I tried one last year and it was excellent, the theme we chose was a 70's music weekend. It was affordable enetertaining and very well organised, the hotels have a homely feel and they do not allow children. The follow up service from Warner is very good to, once you are on their data base they keep you appraised of all upcoming events that may interest you. I even received a Christmas card from them, so if you are looking for a holiday at home this year you could do a lot worse than try them.

Man City Madness

I thought that £160.000 a week for Samuel Eto’o was a ridiculous and could not believe Man City would pay him that, but now the real wage has been disclose it is £250,000 per week, that number has gone past ridiculous and is closing in on pathetic. How on Earth can that figure be justified, and let’s look at the implications of that amount.  for a start how  are other players at the club going to feel about Eto’os  money,   Carlos Tevez is only getting £140,000 a week does that mean he is only half as good as Eto’o, and what about players who are only on  70/80 and 90 thousand a week, how long before their agents are knocking on the Managers door. It’s obvious that Manchester City will not be run as  proper business this is just a very rich man’s toy, which is fine until that man gets bored with the toy then what happens to the club,  on paper there does not seem to be anyway that Man City can finance itself in the traditional way, so it  is reliant on deep pockets for its existence, its further reported that Hughes is looking for at least three more players. I predict three things, in 12 months Man City will have new owners, in 12 months Man City will have a new Manager, and in 12 months Man City will still be rubbish and hovering around 7/8th place.

Cut the price of crime

The Police have been ordered by the Government to shave 480 million pounds of  next years budget, by shave they mean cut and the only way that will happen is to cut frontline services, to you and me that means less Police out in the streets. We already have in many Towns and City’s across the Country the ridiculous state of affairs where Police stations close at certain times of the day and night, if  criminals stuck to a schedule this would not be a problem, unfortunately they don’t, crime is a bit haphazard, rather like the  Government  policy toward law and order. In case anybody at Westminster hadn’t noticed we are in the grip of a recession, traditionally crime rises at these times, I know it sounds obvious to  point this out but as people lose jobs and have money problems they can turn to crime. £480 million pounds is a lot of money, but it will ultimately cost more than that to catch prosecute and house in prison the increased number of offenders these cuts will produce. We lurch from bad to worse in this Country at the moment, roll on a general election so we can at least have a change, even if it proves not to be for the better a change is needed desperately.

Viva La French

I never thought the day would come that I would praise the French, anyone who knows me will testify that I am not their biggest fan, I find the French very arrogant and completely racist, though I will concede they are consistent, they hate everybody. Whenever I have been to France  and I have limited my visits there,  I have had a bad experience, whether  it be a shop assistant, waiter,  a policeman, ( or Gendarmes as they are  called there) what a ridiculous word that is. I have returned with a complaint. The French have an exaggerated sense of importance and tend to look down on everybody else.  I am not really sure what they have to be smug about, it’s claimed in some quarters that they excel at food, I have two words to counter that Frogs and Snails . Anyway I digress the reason for my temporary about turn on the French is President Sarkozy’s stance on the Burkha, he wants it banned in France, and I agree that it should be. Sarkozy will get his way, eventually, and it will be banned, the idea already has a lot of support, it also has a few dissenters but then liberals always crawl out of the woodwork when anything remotely controversial is mooted.  Apart from looking ridiculous the Burkha is a security risk, when a motorcyclist enters a bank or petrol station in this country he is required to remove his helmet so his face can be seen,  also security camera’s can record his face in case of anything untoward. The Burkha is much more concealing than a helmet and yet they are allowed.  Not so long ago one of the  the 2007 London bombers tried to escape Britain by wearing a full length Burkha and pretending to be a woman. Apart from the security implications it looks awful, and imagine how very young children feel when confronted with this  black monstrosity walking along the street, to a  toddler the sight would be Frightening. I wish just one of our politicians had the guts to raise this issue in this Country and at least get a debate started, but as usual the PC brigade have shouted it down. So spray me with garlic and call me a Frenchman, temporarily of course.

DurdensView calls it right again

June 27th 2009: DurdensView Predicts

June 28th 2009: The Times reports

For informed opinion and accurate predictions follow DurdensView everyday…..

Money go round

Chelsea have bid £55 million for Alexandre Pato. Who, yes that’s what I said to. And apparently they have had a £20 million pound bid accepted for Yuri Zhirkov, who you ask again, it’s getting ridiculous, I’m sure these players are decent enough, but I have never heard of them well if I’m honest Pato rings a small bell somewhere in the back of my mind, but not fifty five million bells. This is a reaction to the ridiculous amount spent on Christiano Ronaldo, brilliant wheeler dealing by Ferguson. Samuel Et’oo has just completed his move from Barcelona to Moneybags Man City, he reportedly asked for £200,000 a week and “settled” for £160,000 with bonus’s to kick in depending on success. Et’oo is 28 years old not a 21 year old that still has loads of scope for improvement, but a player who peaked possibly as long as 2 years ago, it’s all downhill from here. and thinking back to the Champions League final, he didn’t exactly shine, apart from the toe poke goal he looked very ordinary,  it will all end in tears.

The Italian Job

The latest scandal in Italy is  about their flamboyant billionaire Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi,  again he has been accused of bringing the office into disrepute by cavorting with girls young enough to be his granddaughters, at party’s held at his home. His long suffering wife has finally left him and its about time the electorate gave him the elbow to. There can’t be to many country’s in the world where the population would accept their prime minister entertaining prostitutes as a matter of routine. The nudge nudge, good on you mate,  attitude has become an embarrassment for the Italians, The pat on the back for still being so sexually active at 72 should translate in to a kick up the backside and out of office. Amazingly he still has a 61% approval rating amongst the voters, does that tell us something about him or about Italy as a whole.

A Whip round for Liz

The Queen has asked for a five million pound increase to the annual civil list allowance for housekeeping, money for the upkeep of the royal palaces, whereas it is true she has not asked for a “rise” since 1989 it has nevertheless continued to rise with inflation. The problem I have with this is nobody gets any benefit form the Palaces other than the Queen herself and the royal  family, ok occasionally a visiting dignitary stays over at Buckingham Palace,  and she does does throw a mean tea party, but I do not see why she cant fund it herself. In August 2008 the last time there were  any official figures announced, Her Majesty’s personal wealth stood at £349 million pounds. She is 83 years old assuming she lives to be a hundred, she could cover the 5 million she wants yearly herself, and even if her wealth never grew by another penny she would still have around a quarter of a billion pounds left. At anytime five million pounds is an astronomical amount of money, and with the country in  recession and people tightening their belts, you would think she would be better advised. I  am not a Royalist, I prefer elected positions, but I have no axe to grind with the Queen, and I am sure there are plenty of statistics out there to show how much money she brings in Via tourism, how The royal Estates pay millions in tax every year etc etc. But having been born into enormous privilege, and having lived a life we cant even begin to imagine, maybe Liz should put her hand in her pocket this time. 

Top Ten Bet

My final word on Michael Jackson. I wonder what odds I could get on Michael Jackson singles filling all top 10 places at the same time in the singles charts in the coming days, I don't think that has ever been achieved by any performer.

Jackson circus is in town

Here we go the Michael Jackson circus has rolled into town and I don’t think it will be leaving for some time. I wondered how long it would be before the conspiracy theories started to surface, and sure enough yesterday some news outlets were hinting at Murder, other reports sensationalised reports of missing doctors and police search’s for syringes containing poison.

Like much in Jacksons life even his death is not straightforward, though it appears for all the world based on attending paramedic reports that he suffered cardiac arrest. this is a condition whereby a persons heart just stops beating, when you take into account that MJ weighed only 9 stone, really  for his height and build 12/13 stone would be more like it.

He also  had a history of painkiller addiction starting from his early twenties when he started to experiment with his appearance by going under the surgeons knife, combined with his skin bleaching in an attempt to “become white”. As the years went by he would have needed ever larger and stronger doses to keep the pain at bay.

Combined with the stress he bought on himself with a ridiculous workload of 50 back to back concerts. a workload that would have finished of someone half Jacksons age.  After digesting these facts it comes as no great surprise that his heart finally gave up.  I am resigned to reading ever more lurid and sensational claims about his life for the foreseeable future, and when the press tire of him,we always have stories about his children to feed on.

Were they really his kids, have they inherited his talent, the obligatory custody battle, after all these children have suddenly become very valuable property. like I say the circus has rolled into town, how long it stays is anybody’s guess.

Jackson Death overshadows protests

The Iranian regime must think they have won the lottery with the news of Michael Jacksons death dominating news channels, this leaves them free to continue the brutal put down of the Moussavi supporters protests at last weeks fraudulent election result. Twitter pages contain unconfirmed reports that up to 20 protesters were killed last night, I have scanned most of the broadsheets and can find no mention of this. By the time the press frenzy subsides over the Jackson story the Iranian "uprising" could be crushed. I note to day there is a hardcore group of Tweeters trying their hardest to get Iran back to the top of the Twitter news page, I wish them luck.

Football Fever

Roll on August 15th, this date is significant because it’s the day the new football season kicks of (excuse the pun). it has only been a number of weeks since the old season finished but it feels like years. And its not just the football that I crave, I also miss the banter that goes along with it, good natured teasing and abuse amongst friends and family is as much a part of the season as the football itself. Facebook traffic must be down at least 50%, and  phone company profits dramatically reduced, as texting is almost non existent in the close season amongst my peers. I have enjoyed the Twenty20  cricket tremendously, but did not receive a single text commenting on it  for the  duration of the competition, contrast to a football match involving my team The mighty Manchester Utd when I could easily recieve 20/30 texts through a match, rising to 50 if we lost. Still seven weeks to go, how will I survive.

Third time unlucky

The world of celebrity will be looking over their collective shoulders today after the death's of both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson by a remarkable coincidence celebrity deaths tend to come in three's, its weird I know and with no rational explanation. there will be a few sleepless nights until the next one.

Who’s Bad

Love him or hate him whichever side of the fence you were on, what a massive shock that Michael Jackson is dead, without a doubt the greatest pop star of  any generation. I have mixed feeling’s, the first  is shock after all he was a young man there is only 7 days between us in age, and and for him to die of a heart attack so young makes me think about my own mortality. But apart from being born just seven days  apart we had little else in common. Michael Jackson had countless operations over the years on various parts of his body, with  a reported twenty plus procedures on his face alone. for an adult male his frame was slight, and his elaborate dance moves combined with his strict diets put a strain on his  on his already overworked heart. I grew up in the Jackson golden years and he had so many hit’s that if I were to start naming them this would run into several pages. But I will mention Thriller, which was and probably is still the biggest selling album of all time and deservedly so. In fact Jackson had sold more records than any other living artist. Thriller burst onto the scene like a thunderbolt, music fans across the world were stunned by the brilliance of the song and the groundbreaking video that accompanied it, myself in fact along with my wife sat up on the night of its release watching it over and over again stunned by the genius of  it. Genius is a term thrown  about these days like confetti, but  for Jackson it applied, though he had a troubled personal life, his professional life cant be equalled. Millions of fans deserted him in later years after the child sex trial, though he was eventually cleared, there were rumours before and instances where Jackson had settled out of court. I  never looked at  him in quite the  same way again  for me  the magic had gone, but like others  I could not ignore him he had a presence that very few artists have, when Jackson performed you watched. We will never see his like again, in the coming days and weeks millions of word’s will be written about him mostly good some not so good, but he wont be forgotten.

Hopes Crushed

It looks as though the hardliners have got their way in Iran and the rebellion looks to be faltering, by sheer force the protestors have been overwhelmed. In yesterdays protest in the centre of Tehran the security forces outnumbered protestors by at least ten to one according to the snippets of information leaking out of there. I really do hope that the opposition can galvanise themselves for one more massive push one more defiant gesture, the longer they can keep momentum the greater the chance of others joining them. their is talk of a general strike, depending on how long and how widespread it is that could be the way to go, when it comes to confrontation in the streets, the government are to well organised and to well armed, if protestors start to appear on the streets armed to there could be a massacre. I can never understand how in situations like this the Army can turn on it’s own population, to fire upon the very people they are charged with defending, troops should  be used against a foreign enemy not your own brothers and sisters, this action alone shows how desperate the mad Mullah’s are to cling to power. let us hope that  the military come to their senses and refuse the order to kill their own countrymen, after all without the guns The Mullahs have no control.

Star Man

Buzz Aldrin the second man on the moon has come up with a new way to generate interest among the younger generation in the space programme, he has released a rap single with Snoop dog, now far be it for me to criticise someone who has looked back upon the earth from space, but I cant help feeling a little disappointed with the ex astronaut. I still get a shiver watching the footage of him and Neil Armstrong on the moon, next time you are standing outside at night look up at the sky and marvel that man has actually stood on it. Aldrin and Armstrong are in a select group, genuine boy’s own type hero’s, in this day and age it’s refreshing to have such people to still  look up to, but the sight of a near 80 year old Aldrin nodding his head and rapping is cringe worthy to say the least, he looks like he has parkinson’s. Because he has done it to promote space and not to line his pockets, I am going to forgive him this time, but no more thank you Buzz.

Hairy Angel

Susan Boyle is going to guest star on the X factor, big whoopee, Isn’t Simon Cowell rich enough without trying to milk a few more pounds out of this woman, it’s clear to anyone that this woman has mental problem’s how severe I don’t know, but she is at best emotionally fragile, and worst  not to get to technical, bonkers. it is reported she has learning difficulty’s, we have already seen evidence of her quick temper,  which is a symptom of people who have learning difficulty’s, her bizarre response when the result was announced on Britain's got talent where she finished runner up after being widely tipped to win, was particularly weird,  she leaves phone messages for her cat, and sadly believes the cat answer’s her. Her treatment at the hand of Cowells company is not far short of abuse, this woman may sell  CD’s because of her novelty factor, not because she is a great singer/performer etc, if she had been she would have been discovered long before ,

Will Geordies never learn

Even Though Alan Shearer took Newcastle down to the Championship, the two prospective buyer’s of the club are still mooting him as their manager, now I know that 8 games isn’t much, and that’s all he had in charge, but that is a possible 24 points half of which would have been plenty to keep The Geordies in the premier league. Bearing in mind that football managers are paid in the millions has Shearer shown enough to warrant another stint at Newcastle, I don’t think so. If he is appointed than this is a money decision not a footballing one, Much easier to market a Shearer than a Curbishley, or a Coppell, managers who may not have set the world on fire but know the nuts and bolts of management, and have one time or other been mentioned when and England manager vacancy has arisen. With the right man at the helm The magpie’s should come straight back up, I say should, not will, the championship is fairly competitive nowadays, If Shearer is appointed I will have a small wager on them not coming up next season, and that will be a better bet than the opposite.

Money Talks Tevez walks

Hate to say I told you so But I did, in Sunday's post I asked the question was Tevez going for football or money he claimed football reasons, I suspected money. with Chelsea and Manchester City both offering deals he chose Man city for the £100,000 PW week on offer. Chelsea missed out even though they were willing to pay a reported £90,000 a week and provide Champions league football to. Sure Carlos...football reasons.

Obama Back Seat Driver

Congratulations to Barack Obama for keeping quiet while Iran implodes on itself, this is not sarcasm. I have to admire the restraint shown by the White House, it would be easy for the administration to talk tough, thus giving credence to the claims by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameni that events in Iran are being manipulated from abroad, in this instance America would do well to remain in the back seat. after all the easiest way to get Iranians to stop fighting each other is to give them a common enemy to focus on. a softly softly approach has been adopted by Europe to though we should applaud the Italian decision to open the door's of its embassy to wounded demonstrators. other Country's should follow that example of compassion, sending a message to the Mullahs without directly getting involved. Mir Hossein Moussavi supporters need to maintain the momentum for a little longer, as in 1979 when Khomeni rose from nowhere to inspire revolution, a leader will appear this time to so that protestor's can rally behind him , it wont necessarily be Moussavi.

Big Brother Misfits

I don't know why I watch Big Brother, it annoys me tremendously, yet it's like looking at the aftermath of a particularly bad car crash I cant look away. I read that viewing figures are down hugely on previous years and cant understand why. After my initial opinion that the housemates looked boring, they have turned out to be the most interesting and entertaining bunch I have ever seen they are so awful they have become good, it's hard to imagine that these people are the same in the "outside world" as they are in real life. If they were, Sree for example would have been beaten to death by a mob long ago, a more annoying, fake, obnoxious person would be difficult, if not impossible to find. Angel should be in a straitjacket, Siavash would be hosting a clothes show for gay clowns , Sophie would be on the game. As for Kris what can I say I have never seen a greater love between one man and himself. The only person to so far come across as even minutely nice and normal is Karly regretfully I cant comment on her thoughts as I haven't understood one word she has said yet. same such a attractive girl has such a awful accent. Rodrigo should be thrown out for looking like Fernando Torres, and being just as boring to listen to, he is so camp he could be his own sister. I will save comments on the other misfits for another time, I have got annoyed just writing about them.

Ban Rambo

It’s time the Government stepped in to save people from themselves, I am referring to the situation in Iraq, another two hostages murdered, and their body’s sent home to their families as some kind of macabre gift on fathers day. The latest two Victims Jason Cresswell and Jason Swindlehurst were both working as bodyguards in Baghdad for a reported £500 a day, now that is a fantastic wage, but is it worth your life, both men were fathers and now those kids will grow up without them. Times over here are tough and you cant blame men  looking to better their families lives by earning the kind of money they can over there. But like a beaten boxer who doesn’t know when to quit its up to our politicians to throw the towel in the ring for them. Simply do not allow any more family men to go to Iraq to work until the situation is stabilised. I know I sound like a wimpy liberal but I don’t care. If your a single man and want to go play Rambo that’s your choice, but if you have children and want to play , then you cant, I realise that there are thousands of soldiers out there that are family men , and the risk of kidnap and torture is just as real for them, but they are not as exposed or as vulnerable to this kind of crime as civilian contractor’s are.

Holidaying at home

n the current financial climate with everybody looking for way’s to save money, you could do worse than forsake your foreign holiday and take your break right here at home. I have just come home from a week in Skegness, and I have to say I had a very nice time, the weather was not brilliant , and the beach is not as nice as other coastal towns, but the accommodation was ok and the company excellent. Skegness has been the butt of jokes about seaside towns for many years and has gained a reputation as a hanky on head trousers rolled up sort of place. but nothing could be further from the truth, it was lively and vibrant, more geared up for kids that adults but that was fine as I had my first holiday with my Grandson, and it was a memorable one for us both. so dig out your buckets and spades and do your bit for the economy by staying at home this year.

British Airways

British Airways are the next big business to go cap in hand to the government for a bailout, In America the car industry was given a lifeline by the taxpayers because it was felt it "could not be allowed to fail" now it looks like the airline industry in this country will be looking for the same. I don't want to see BA go to the wall, nor do I think they should be helped either, if the business is sustainable let the banks finance the deal. if our flagship Airline is allowed to crash (no pun intended) it may in the long term help the Country, business's are getting complacent because they know the taxpayer will be their to dig them out of a hole. If the airline did go under there are enough carriers still out there to take up the slack, all routes would be picked up the passenger would hardly feel the difference, after all when I get on a plane I just want to get to my destination I don't particularly care who's name is printed on the side of the plane, Sir Richard Branson is already circling ready to pick the bones, that's what free enterprise is. lets get back to basics in business, you find a product market it and sell it, if its value people buy, if its not they dont, simple isn't it. British Airways is not even an attractive proposition for a takeover thanks to the massive hole in their pension fund estimated at around three billion pounds, with a market capitalisation of only 1.57 billion, you do the math's.

A change for the better

I watched a 16 year old girl die on sky news today, she was shot in the chest, some people nearby tried to administer aid but she was to badly injured,. Her crime was to protest the election result in Iran, she was unarmed and didn't appear to be doing anything other than watching proceedings, she had a right to be there the result is fraudulent. I don't think any impartial observer of events in Iran over the last couple of years will doubt the election was rigged. Madman Ahmadinejad is not likely to concede power easily so expect the death toll to rise, this is the first time since the Islamic revolution in 1979 that Iran has seen anything on this scale, it is highly unusual to go against the government in this way, but to go against the word of the Supreme leader Ayatollah Khameni is unheard of. If this momentum can be sustained for a little longer historic change will occur in that country, a change for the better. The population of Iran are no different to you and me they want the same thing's from life that we do. the chance to make their lives better. Technological advances over the last 20 years have opened the eyes of people to life in the west, the Internet, mobile phones, satellite TV, no longer can they be fed propaganda about how decadent we are, how the US is itching for a fight, how somehow the west is at war with Islam. Let us hope the death toll does not rise to high but rise it will, but this time I believe their will be change.

Snap Crush and Pop

Cereal box's are set to become collector's item's after Sainsbury's announced they are doing away with the cereal box and at the same time introducing polythene bags for milk instead of cartons. In theory this is not a bad idea, after all the mountain of packaging we accumulate shopping is growing each week, but will it work? first of all how do you avoid crushing the cereal into powder on the way home in amongst all your other foodstuff, and what about the milk "bags" bursting and soaking everything else, this would require you to pack those items in separate bags, in which case you use more bags, which also need to be disposed of. A solution may be to make the customer eat the cereal before he or she leaves the premises, thus reducing the amount of packaging taken home.... Only kidding that's a stupid idea, but no stupider than theirs.

Money Money Money

"It's not about money its about football" these are Carlos Tevez's word's after Manchester Utd withdrew their contract offer on Friday night, Tevez is now free to talk to other clubs. Who does he think he is kidding, this all about cash and only cash, it's likely now that he will end up at Utd rival's Man City, who have reportedly offered a basic salary of £145,000 per week, he wont be playing champions league football, in fact not any foreign football, it will be the following season at least before City could break into Europe, as for them becoming a top side and breaking into the exclusive top four spot, City need first to become top six getting past Everton and Villa before taking on the big boys. It is rare to find loyalty amongst top flight footballers these days, their are a few exceptions, Notably Giggs and Scholes at Utd, Terry and lampard at Chelsea, and Gerrard at Liverpool. but for the main they are all mercenaries. I don't condemn anyone for moving on to a more lucrative contract, only be honest about it, spare us the fake sincerity. There are rumours that Chelsea are also interested, and could still come with a late bid, if Tevez really is about football he will go to the London club who can offer big European nights, lets see where he goes.

Iranian Unrest

Watching events unfold in Iran on the back of a dubious election result, Obama has renewed hope of a change in leadership there, along with Netanyahu they will be keen for Moussavi to keep the pressure on. The US and Israel have been looking for a way to deal With the unstable Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for a long time, and now it looks as though the people of Iran will do the job for them. More protests are lined up for today and tomorrow and into next week and beyond. I don't expect the President to admit to cheating and offer another vote, but if the protesters hold their nerve, then internal protest combined with international pressure may bring the two sides to the table. Almost thirty years to the day that the Shah was overthrown and the Islamic republic came into being, another revolution could decide the fate of Iran.

Scared of Tiger

It's unbelievable how much the bookmakers fear Tiger Woods, We know that he is by far the best player on the Planet, he is in my opinion the best golfer that has ever lived, but even the Great Tiger will struggle to come back from being 10 shots down on the first day and win the U S open, yet the best odds you can get are 5/1, this is a massive compliment to the great man though a very stingy price. Ordinarily it is suicide to oppose Tiger but I am going to stick my neck out and tip the Englishman Ian Poulter to win, at 28/1 being paid on the first 5 places make him a solid each way bet. But don't go mad with your stake after all Tiger is still Tiger and anything can happen when he is in the mood, If Woods does come back and win this never mind running scared the bookies will be petrified of him.

You're Nicked

About time to, the Police have finally decided to call the MP's expenses enquiry a criminal Investigation, why this has taken so long to happen is anybody's guess. If this were you or I defrauding our place of work we would have been arrested long ago, such blatant criminal activity had to be checked and now it has. there are a couple of no -brainers here, one is Baroness Uddin who stole a massive £100,000 by claiming for an empty property that she claimed she lived in, when in fact nobody had lived there for a number of years. Elliot Morley is another who can expect his collar felt for fabricating a mortgage. Many others will be looking over their shoulders in the coming weeks and months because make no mistake this is to big now to be swept under the carpet. Charges and prosecutions will follow, while this is unlikely to lead to any real jail time, it will at least purge the commons of the worst offenders and put the fear of god into the remaining rabble.This whole expenses episode has made a mockery of Politicians claims that a sense of duty leads them to become MP's, and that they feel a need to serve their community's, that being a MP is some sort of "calling" it is as we have always known a gravy train, and everyone is on board for what they can get.

Never hurry a Murray

Congratulations to Andy Murray, the first time a Brit has won at Queens for over 70 years, it was a long wait but it was worth it. He produced some fantastic tennis to win 7-5 6-4, with Wimbledon only a week away I may risk a small bet on Murray. who with some Bookmakers is 11/4 second favourite behind Federer. Bobby Austin was the last Englishman to win the title back in 1938 and in the same year reached the Wimbledon final sadly he finished runner up, hopefully "honorary" Englishman Murray can go one better. Paying a compliment to Murray's form last years winner Nadal is only third favourite at 3/1, behind Andy and the even money favourite Federer. With the Brilliant performance of England's cricketers at Lords yesterday Beating reigning world champions India, how about a England/Murray double.

Sky News, The Swines

Sky news were guilty of a bit of scaremongering yesterday as their breaking news banner flashed across the screen announcing Britains first death from Swine flu, trying to make the situation look worse than it really is, as if we are all suddenly in imminent danger of dropping dead from this virus. The reality is that yesterdays victim had a host of underlying medical problems which contributed to their death, worldwide Swine flu has claimed 145 lives out of a world population of some six billion that number is minuscule. so far over 1100 people have the virus in the UK with that figure set to rise but symptoms are mild, in most cases after a few days the patient has recovered. The World Health organisation have upgraded it this week to a pandemic but that is more to do with numbers than severity. Experts are hoping that it is close to peaking and the number of new cases will start to drop in the next few months, however if the virus is still going strong as we approach the winter months then you may see an explosion in numbers, but while it remains a mild strain don't panic just yet.

The curse of Hamas

Yet again a new American President attempts the impossible and try's to make peace between the Palestinians and the Israeli's, this is not going to happen anytime soon, as shown before at Camp David when the warmonger Yasser Arafat showed that peace alone is not enough, they want Israel to. Bill Clinton said then that he would never deal with Arafat again after he was blatantly lied to , in fact at one stage the Israeli camp conceded to their demands to then be told we changed our minds we want more. If Obama is to succeed where so many have failed before him he must work towards getting rid of Hamas, while the terrorist group exist there can be no peace, their mandate is to destroy the Israeli's and reclaim Jerusalem as the Palestinian Capital. Even if a two state solution was achieved how long before Hamas took over completely, as it is the West Bank will soon be run by them. Netanyahu is to long in the tooth to expose any weakness in negotiation, and will stand up to Obama who still needs to learn that all is not as it seems in Middle East politics.

Lying Lewis hamilton

The one time world champion Lewis (the liar) Hamilton threatens to quit formula one, does anyone care. He has lost the affection and support of the racing public after being caught lying to gain a few extra points at the expense of a fellow driver. Hamilton won the world championship last year in a car that even I could have won with, this year Jensen Button, a much more personable and likeable driver has the best car and he will win. There is no fun left in Formula one, best car wins full stop. The racing authorities need to look at levelling the playing field, or soon formula one will cease to attract the crowds which will in turn impact on advertising, which will hurt revenue, this in turn could lead to the demise of the sport. How things have changed in the space of 12 months, last year we were all marvelling at the "skills" of Hamilton who hit the sport like a thunderbolt, which frankly had become boring during the Schumacker years. Now with Lewis out of the picture and being dropped by sponsors as frequently as the ball by an England fielder, Formula 1 needs to shake itself up. Maybe they could all drive blindfolded.

Children with bombs

In a new twist to the terror in Pakistan the Taliban have taken to getting children to plant bombs in city's, for pitiful amounts of money often just a few pence, youngsters as young as 10 and 11 are tricked into delivering the deadly parcels. In the pursuit of their imagined holy war they can not see that the deaths they cause are to the innocent and vulnerable. Placing bombs in markets and shopping centres does not target the military or government but the very people they claim to fight on behalf of. I hope the Army show them as little compassion as they show their victims, and kill the lot of them.

Posh cellulite

The celebrity world is in shock today as reports circulate that Victoria Beckham AKA Posh Spice has cellulite. Pictures taken at Wembley at last weeks England game look to confirm this. How is it possible that a 36 year old woman who has had 3 children could fall victim to this affliction. My immediate sympathy's lie with her husband the intellectually challenged David, their marriage survived one crisis after allegations a couple of years ago of an affair with Rebecca loo's, is it strong enough to survive this one to only time will tell. meanwhile gossip mongers look to add fuel to the fire by suggesting that the ex England captain could have a receding hairline.

Iran a step backward

As expected Violence Erupts in Iran, after observers accuse the rulers of voting irregularities, before a single vote was cast the Moussavi camp were warning that the Government would do anything to hold on to power, including cheating. Ahmadinejad claimed 63% of the vote, this figure is extremely dubious, though there was a massive 85% turnout most of these were liberal and moderate voters who turned out for the challenger, indeed one poll of five thousand voters translated into a 58% win for Moussavi. I warned beforehand of problems, and this has now become a reality with fighting in the streets of Tehran and other city's. How serious this will become is yet to be determined, without the backing of clerics it is unlikely to go further than some civil unrest for a week or so then fizzle away. The real power in Iran rests with one man The supreme leader Ayatollah Khameni who has thrown his considerable weight behind the sitting President, in fact it was Khameni's backing that bought the unknown Ahmadinejad to power in 2005. Iran is fast becoming a tyranny, the chance for Iranians to take a step back, and work towards normalising relations with we in the West, and their own neighbours looks to have slipped away.

Susan Boyle and the suicide bomber

The dwindling number of suicide bombers has been credited to singing sensation hairy angel Susan Boyle. Experts have explained that since seeing what a virgin looks like, the would be bombers have had second thoughts about entering paradise.

Pakistan Guilty

Sarfraz Naeemi was the moderate cleric killed by a suicide bomber in Pakistan Yesterday. The killer struck as he walked away from morning prayers, Naeemi had started to build a coalition of like minded clerics who spoke out against the Taliban and other terrorist groups in Pakistan, slowly the public are beginning to turn away from the crazy Mullah's and their twisted version of Islam. It has to be asked how this man could have been such a soft target, if Pakistan expect us to believe the shadowy SIS (the Pakistani security service) were not complicit in this murder, they have to purge it of Taliban sympathisers. Why was Naeemi not better protected if indeed he had any protection, after all it was obvious he was a target after condemning the strict version of the Koran preached by the militants, and the violence used to enforce it. The SIS created the Taliban, If Pakistan want to reclaim their country then its up to them to help destroy the elements bent on destroying it. President Zardari must not only talk tough he must be seen to be tough, he has tried the path of negotiation with the fanatic's and it blew up in his face with the Taliban making camp barely 100 miles from the Capital. Thanks to US pressure that surge by the terrorists has been contained and they have been pushed back and are on the run. The Government must share responsibility for Naeemi's death, they need to now make sure it was not in vain.

Utd shop at Wigan

As a lifelong Manchester Utd fan I have had a fantastic last dozen years or so, emerging from the shadow of the great Liverpool side of the 70's and early eighty's, the red army have flown the flag for British football with a mostly unchallenged supremacy, Arsenal and Chelsea threatened briefly but have been seen of by the master. This continued success has all been due to the brilliance of the manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and I for one have never seriously questioned his judgement before, any manager that spends as much time at one club will along the way make some dubious buys, Sebastian Veron is one that comes to mind, Eric Djemba Djemba another, I could go on but you see my point. Having sworn my allegiance to Fergie I have to take exception to our latest proposed buy, reports suggest that we are replacing Ronaldo with the Wigan winger Valencia, I am sure that he is a good footballer and could go on to become a great player, but having just lost arguably the greatest ever player to wear the Utd shirt we can and should do better than sign a player from Wigan. Are the years catching up with Sir Alex, after all he is almost 70, or does the great man know something we mortals don't.

Iran on the edge

It Looks as if The Iranian elections will end in bloodshed after all, both Party's were claiming victory last night. The record Eighty percent turnout favoured the challenger with the Mousavi camp claiming 65% of the vote, Ahmadinejad has called 69%, clearly they cant both be right. As in the 2005 election when an unknown Ahmadinejad came to power there are allegations of vote rigging. The official result is due later this morning, and the country is braced for trouble with isolated pockets of violence already reported in some City's. Whoever is called the winner you can bet that it will not be accepted by the other side. Nobody expects the President to go quietly.

Iraq- Crunch time

Iraq has not been dominating the news recently as it once did. Bombings in the citys are almost at a manageable level if indeed you can ever accept levels of bombings. However I think this period of calm is about to come to an end, at the end of this month an agreement comes into effect that means US troops must evacuate all City's Town's and Village's. this will result I'm sure in Secterian violence flaring up again, Though it has never fully gone away the casualty numbers have been steadily declining over the last 12 Months. General Patreus's much talked about Surge appears to have worked, in May there were 124 deaths while that sounds a horrendous amount, in the context of Iraq it is actually quite low and falling. The next 3/6 months are crucial in determining the future of Iraq if the Iraqi forces are able to keep a lid on things then there is hope that Shia and Sunni may again co-exist. But I fear to much blood has been spilt for there to be an easy transition. This without the added pressure of outside influences, IE Iran who have much to gain from an unstable Iraq. After being opressed for so long under Saddam the Shia are Reluctant to give up top dog status and share power with their Sunni Countrymen. Only time will tell if Iraq is to recover from the last 6 years, US troops will be stationed in that Country for the foreseeable future in a watchdog role, and will continue training Iraqi forces. only being called in to assist if the Government requests it. I hope that a peaceful co-existence can be achieved.

Power of the press

Just a few hours after my piece what a Winker ( see earlier post) ref the ongoing Ronaldo saga. Utd have sold their petulant star. Now I am not claiming credit for this but I wonder if Ferguson is a fan of this blog. Is it likely that Fergie took my advice and let him go or was it just a coincidence. I prefer to think the former.

Iran to close to call

Violence Could erupt in Iran after the challenger warned President Ahmadinejad not to rig the results of the general Election. The Republican guard who strongly back the president are poised to crush any dissent. Warning that the "result" must be respected. As I forecast last week this election is to close to call. Even though Ahmadinejad is well liked amongst the poor and ultra religious he does not have any backing from the younger better educated middle class Iranians. Women also favour the challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi who is both a reformist and a moderate. The West who would also like to see the current President toppled have been careful not to openly back his opponent as this could have a negative effect on Mousavi's campaign. The expected record turnout will favour the challenger as previously reformists have not voted in protest at the government. In a fair election I would expect Ahmedinejad to be trounced. However this is Iran where Fair does not always get a look in. Its unlikely this election will be settled decisively first time around and a run of between the top two candidates looks likely.

Grim Reaper

After reading about Johana Ganthaler I wont ever call myself unlucky again. She was the pensioner who after turning up late at the airport was not allowed to board the doomed Air France flight 447. She was killed yesterday in a head on car crash in Austria. Ironic that the last week of her life she was consistently reminded by everybody about just how "lucky " she was. Now in death she will be remembered for being the opposite. The Grim Reaper has a warped sense of humour.

What a Winker

The expected will he wont he farce regarding Ronaldo and Real Madrid has started earlier than usual. I was hoping it would be nearer to the beginning of the new season before we were all bored senseless with it. As a Manchester Utd fan I say let him go he is a great player possibly in the worlds top 3. But Manchester Utd are a great club definitely in the top 3 and don't deserve to be treated like this. If he thinks the grass is greener in Spain rather than trying to persuade him to stay Sir Alex should be helping him pack. Rumours of secret meetings and deals have surfaced yet again. Florentino Perez the Madrid President claims the price has been agreed A mind boggling Eighty Five million pounds. If this is true we should take the money. Then like a cheating husband Ronaldo on his return to Old Trafford should find his kit thrown out on to the lawn and the locks changed. Or he could do the grown up and honourable thing and make an unequivocal statement to the effect Utd have made him what he is after plucking him from obscurity and turning him into a global superstar with all the fame wealth that entails and that he is staying to honour his contract. So put up or shut up we are all sick of it.

Big Brother- A Retraction

I have a confession to make. I am starting to enjoy Big Brother before you call for the men in white jackets to come take me away allow me to try and explain why. I think this years show is unlike previous years because it does not seem like I am watching Big Brother but rather that I am watching a soap. After less than a week I have identified with the characters formed my likes and dislikes and I find I am actually missing the live coverage. Yes they are an assortment of posers and oddballs but somehow the mixture of freaks has worked. They have become interesting. Though this Fridays eviction is an easy one to call (The dwarf will be slung out with a record number of votes) I don't think future evictions will be so easy you can make a case for most of the contestants to win this year. I'm sure there are plenty more twists to come regarding personality's as the contestants are still in their fake persona modes but that will be hard to sustain for 3 months and true colours will come racing through. My initial thought was that "no shoulders" Rodrigo would be the winner as he seemed the type that does well in this type of show. I refer you to the inoffensive Brian Dowling who won in 2001. But he is proving to be a bit of a snake trying to be pals with all yet quite happy to bitch to all to. I have a feeling Freddy or "half wit" as he is now known. Incidentally the name he should have originally been christened with. could be the surprise package. The eye candy continues to disappoint especially mega titted sophie who doesn't appear to have any plus points. Charlie Siavash and Ciaron (the repressed gay) I'm sure will get it on at some stage. And I cant wait for the punch up between Marcus and Angel both vying for the title alpha male. my money is on Angel. As for the others Kris has not said more than two words yet opting for the strong silent pretty boy approach. but as we have seen in previous shows that tactic is rarely successful. So as the next 3 months unwind it looks my 10pm TV schedule is locked in the planner.

Nursery Abuse

After the news of Nursery worker Vanessa George's arrest parents are asking wondering just where is safe for our children. The very word Nursery conjures up a feeling of warmth and safety. Well no longer George has been charged with 7 serious indecency charges. These relate to hundreds of photo's of Kids found on her mobile phone and PC it appears she was distributing them over the net. First indications are that some if not most of the photo's are of children from under her care at the Little Tots nursery in Plymouth Devon where she worked. I cant imagine a more serious breach of trust. Our most Valuable possesions our children are entrusted to these nursery's in their formative years so the process of shaping and preparing them for life can begin. How much damage both physically and psychologically has been done to these toddlers is yet to be determined. Thankfully cases like this are extremely rare but I wonder is the law sufficiently equipped to punish this woman. Yes she will receive a custodial sentence and she will be banned from ever working with children again. But is that enough a couple of days ago I spoke about capital punishment being reintroduced for Murder. My first reaction is This animal should be hung to. Not only has she ruined the lives of the children and parents in Plymouth but no parent will ever feel 100% secure dropping their children of with carers ever again.

Caps all round

I think its a disgrace that David Beckham is getting his 112th cap this evening by starting for England. Caps are being handed out like sweets. Bobby Moore must be turning over in his grave.It is as obvious as those ridiculous tattoo's that cover his neck that this is a move orchestrated by the FA. England have all but qualified for the world cup finals and tonights minnows Andorra are almost a training match for the three lions. I expect a comfortable win. The problem for the FA is the whole country share my views about qualification and its unlikely England will falter at this late stage. So the problem is attendance with the game also being shown live on ITV they will be lucky to have a half full stadium. This will result in a huge reduction in gate receipts and advertising revenue. For all the talk of Capello being his own man who wouldn't brook any interference in team matters especially selection he turns out to be another puppy dog whom the FA can roll over and tickle anytime it wants. As a England fan I cant wish anything other than a victory tonight. But wouldn't it serve Fabio and the FA right if we got a David and Goliath result tonight.

Twenty20 cricket

I enjoy a test match as much as the next man but I cant pretend to get as much excitement from cricket as I do Football. But all that could be about to change as I have been watching the excellent Twenty20 Cricket World cup. rather than an 8 hour session as in one day cricket or the marathon 5 days of test cricket Twenty20 is a short sharp burst of cricketing skills lasting about two and a half hours. No time for batsman to feel out bowlers its a mad dash for the winning total. Last nights New Zealand South Africa game went to the last ball with the Kiwi's needing a four of the last ball to win. You cant get much closer than that. As a neutral watching it was top class stuff. The England Pakistan game Last Sunday was even more exciting. This time as a England fan I didn't have the luxury of being neutral. Throw in the added pressure of a loss for England which would have resulted in them missing out on the rest of the tournament and you get an idea of the tension involved. That made it nailbiting stuff. In the event it was a famous victory over Pakistan. Who themselves made it to the next round yesterday with a win over the Netherlands. Nerves let the dutch down after finding themselves needing only 151 runs to cause an upset. I would love for England to win it outright and they have as much chance as any other team. But if I was putting my money down I would back South Africa at 5/2 they are good value. For a small country they consistently produce sportsmen and women capable of challenging at the top level in any sport they participate in. The tournament is at the super 8's stage which is the quarter finals to you and me so if you haven't watched any yet start watching I promise you wont be disappointed.

Alan Shearer

A snub for Alan Shearer today as it was revealed he cant even get a meeting with owner Mike Ashley. After Shearer initially dragged his feet with the familiar will we wont he strategy that modern day managers employ instead of a straight yes or no. Its his turn to be left dangling. Personally I don't believe that Shearer showed enough in his 8 games in charge to warrant a full time position. A great striker he may have been but it does not always follow that a good player makes a good manager. The Newcastle fans have been to hasty in hanging the messiah title around Shearers neck you would think they learned their lesson after the shambles that was Keegan. Newcastle are a club that expect to much for all the talk of them being a big club sleeping giant etc. I cant actually remember the last major honour the magpies have won. In 1992 they won the old first division and you need to go back a further 70 years for anything else. Being relegated could in the long term be good for the club it will give them a chance to ditch the high earners and start to rebuild the club. But rebuilding wont be easy it was always hard for the north east to attract big name quality players it will be even harder now they are no longer top flight. Though he is a millionaire many times over Shearer was tempted to take over with the huge wage and promised million pound bonus for keeping them up. His greed was his downfall. He failed. His legacy now isn't the great striker with the club he supported as a kid. But rather the man who took them into the championship.

Equal Rights

Watching BNP leader Nick Griffin being pelted with eggs as he tried to host a press conference outside the Houses of Parliament. Has put me in the mood for a omelet. No seriously even though I detest everything the BNP stand for and would rather they all disappeared of the face of the earth the fact remains we Live in a Democracy and he has the right to spout his views. No matter how heinous fair minded folk find them. Further legitimacy is bestowed on his effort as the party had succeeded in European elections. The same way that the police protect Muslims in Luton protesting our soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan they should be defending Nick Griffin. After all isn't  that what our soldiers are fighting for the right to freedom and the freedom of expression.

Kaka

So the transfer merry go round has started and started in spectacular style with Kaka going to Real Madrid for a record 62 million pounds  and wages of £200,000 pounds a week. I said it before and I will bore you and repeat it again its a nonsense how can any club pay that amount of wages to one player esp a club that has done nothing for the last couple of a seasons. do you they believe that Kaka alone will win them the league and champions league this season? well if he does then he is worth that money but I suspect  they will need to buy other players to and what do you pay them. OK maybe they will not all be on 200,000 but they will all be on huge wages that in turn will raise wages in other leagues. Where will that money come from. It can only come from one place the fan. But this is not a bottomless pit when the fan can no longer afford to support his team the gates will shrink.  The player is safely locked into his contract and gets paid regardless but the club then has to get into debt to keep finance the wage bill and that is when clubs start to go to the wall I wrote in an earlier post of the death of football see http://durdensview.blogspot.com/2009/06/did-football-die-today.html. And I see no reason to change my mind.

Big Brother 10

Against my better judgement and after not watching since 2004 my curiosity go the better of me and I succumbed to this years annual borefest Big brother 10. Its obvious to see why after 10 years viewing figures are on the floor. Big Brother was an innovative idea and worked well for the first few years the idea of looking in on a group of strangers plucked from obscurity and placed into our front rooms was a ratings winner. But over the last few years producers of the show not happy with situations and story lines developing naturally took to to engineering situations. This resulted in hand picked contestants with backgrounds if not already  in television then with entertainment backgrounds and they all mostly came with the obligatory agent. Also executives of the show think that the way to get an audience is purely through shock value. This has resulted in the most gruesome bunch of contestants you can imagine. from transsexuals to Tourettes sufferers. Each year we are promised romance in the house and yet they fill it with assorted gay and lesbian contestants. This years bunch looks like a roll call from the united nations misfit brigade with amongst the locals Indians. Brazilians Iranians. Scots. A Pakistani so dull that she has already been evicted. and a four foot dwarf with dubious origins. They have at least this year put in some eye candy worth looking  but they are so devoid of personality and so vulgar in their language and behaviour that their looks alone cant keep me interested. So after a brief flirtation with this years show I'm afraid I wont be able to stay the course I managed 3 days which I think is more than most.

Capital Punishment

I have always believed in Capital punishment  for certain crimes. Child killers for one  I believe have no defence. I cant imagine any circumstance where the murder of a child could in any way have a mitigating circumstance other than mental illness in which case the perpetrator should be locked up and never released. The ultimate punishment was abolished in 1969 five years after Peter Anthony Allen became the last person hanged in the UK  in 1964. Opponents of capital punishment always argued a miscarriage of justice could result in a life being taken in error. And there are indeed examples throughout history of this happening. One of the most famous cases in this country was that of James Hanratty who in 1961 raped Valerie Storie then shot her leaving her for dead . Then robbed and killed her boyfriend. Friends of Hanratty refused to accept his guilt and Lobbied for a pardon until 1998 when the courts finally ruled that is wasnt an unsafe conviction. Though in Hanrattys case it was never proved conclusively either way and debate rages until this day. However with the advances in DNA technology wrongful execution would be almost impossible. Why do I bring up capital punishment?. Yesterday 21 year old Claire Wilson was walking to work  in Grimsby when a 53 year old stranger in a random and unprovoked attacked stabbed her in the back Miss Wilson was left to die in the street Miss Wilson was 7 months pregnant. Two lives snatched suddenly. One cruelly taken before it had a chance to start.  When is a politician going to be brave enough to stand up and say lets bring it back. Because if an MP ever wanted to find a vote winner here it is.

Nuclear Tit for Tat

The U S is right to point out that their will be consequences if Iran were to launch an attack on Israel http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6451892.ece If Iran really does want nuclear power for energy only why don't they shelve their plans for now its not likely they will forget the technology. For a country that sits on such huge oil reserves why the urgency. This is not a case of Americas flexing its military muscle but right and proper concern that the Iranian people do not let their president take them down a path from which they cant turn back. Its no coincidence that Hilary Clinton chose now to say what the Obama administration has been hinting at for months. With Iranians going to the polls now is a chance to return their country in to the international Bosom.

Claudia Lawrence

These last couple of weeks the language used by police when discussing the case of missing chef Claudia Lawrence has been a bit strange to say the least. They keep harping on about a" mysteriouslove life" or a" secretive lifestyle" and are dropping thinly veiled hints about the number of lovers she may have had. It appears to me that they are hinting that Claudia may have been a Prostitute and I notice a definite scaling down in the enquiry and not so much media attention anymore. As in the case of Steve Wright who you may remember was responsible for murdering 5 prostitutes in Ipswich back in February 2008. the media dontthink prostitute murders are worth as much coverage as "non prostitute" deaths. that case got attention because of the number of deaths but still was reported in a carefree and lacklustre way. Whether this unfortunate girl was or wasn't should be by the by. She is entitled to the same concern and effort as anyone else

No to Terror

Looks like the days of Terrorist party's are numbered in the Lebanon after preliminary results indicate the the pro west coalition will retain its seat fighting of the challenge of the Iranian backed terror group Hezbollah. in the Closest run election for some 30 years Christian groups fared better than expected in the north of the city. Lets hope this is the beginning of a trend in that part of the world.

Luck of the draw

An American rancher from South Dakota won 143 million pounds on the lottery this week. He lives in a town appropriately called Winner. I am planning on uprooting my family and moving to"Luck"a small town near Madrid in Spain hoping I can tempt fate to .Wish me well.

Warped values

The sister in law of Edwin Dyer the man beheaded By Al Quaeda fanatics this week said that the government were right not to pay a ransom to release him. I am not going to dignify that woman by posting her name. How could she make such a stupid statement. We all know that it is policy not to negotiate with kidnappers but other Country's do it and they get their people back. if the whole world stood firm then I would agree. But until that day I would raise hell and not stop harassing anybody that I thought could help to get a member of my family back. She may have made herself sound politically correct but I wouldn't like to be in her shoes when the family get together this Christmas.

Iranian elections

As I predicted in my June 1st post Obama Extends Hand to Muslim World  it looks like Ahmadinejad will struggle to get a overall majority in Fridays vote. This would mean a run of against mir-Hossein Moussavi and its to close to call. But again I believe the younger vote could well swing it the challengers way. it will be an interesting week.

Jordan and Peter

Go away the pair of you. No-one cares.

Get them out for the lads

Pictures published today show Britney Spears dancing topless around a pole this is to promote her new song Gimme more. As a parent I cant help feeling a bit disturbed looking at the photos. After all its barely a year since she had her well publicised breakdown when she shaved her head in public, got sectioned and had her children taken from her. because of her fragile mental state courts gave power of attorney over all aspects of her life to her Dad. he took over all her finances and all business decisions for her. You would think her"Daddy" would look out for her a little better than this. Even if the idea to appear topless was Britney's you would expect her Dad to overrule it. But as usual money has clouded judgement. She has two young sons 2 and 1 years old. They are to young now but they will in time get to see their mothers pictures. Is this how she wants her boys to see her. Being a father to a 23 year old girl myself there is not enough money in the world for me to encourage my daughter to pose like that. Shame on you Mr Spears.

Sky-sports

Sky look to regain the dominance in the world of sport this Month as their main rival Setanta go to the wall. this is particularly good news for me as over the last 2/3 years more and more live coverage has been aired by the Irish Company. I particularly resented Setanta because they appeared to come from nowhere and trump Sky for major sports coverage. Being a sky premium package holder I felt short changed that so many major sports were taken from me. Football and Golf to name just two. Unbelievably Setanta was started from a West London pub when two friends bought the rights to a republic of Ireland and Holland match and charged a fiver a head entry for customers to watch it. Like other "gimmicks" in business before them it looks as though this one will fail to. Though I would not normally gloat at a business failing. in this instance I will allow my self to.

Still here Gordon?

Gordon Brown is flailing around like a man drowning but in his case no lifebelt will be thrown. Its actually quite pitiful to watch. It appears he is happy to take the party down with him rather than fall on his sword. How many more resignations does he want or can the party withstand before it implodes. Labour have just had their worst showing in local elections ever they don't control one county council now. Watching him on Sky news yesterday he looked and sounded like a dead man walking but kept on with  his usual sound bytes "getting the job done" falling back on "in For the long haul" and everybody favourite "the right long term decisions". Unfortunately for Gordon though there is no long term for him only he cant or wont admit it . They say a week is a long time in politics and he is about to find out how true the old adage is.

Rafa

Word from the Kop is Rafa is on the verge of walking out after his buying plans were dashed with news of Liverpools financial troubles. It just goes to prove the old adage is true. Every cloud does have a silver lining. I don't think to many Liverpool fans will miss him. After 5 years in charge the scouse under achievers are in the same place they were when he arrived. A top four side with no real chance of winning a title. admittedly this year they finished a little closer but that was because Utd came back to them rather then they made  a significant move forward. Don't forget at one stage they were 8 points clear and had a game in hand. A couple of dodgy tactical decisions and the main one that comes to mind was resting a fit Gerrard and Torres against stoke at home while they had momentum. They never really recovered from those dropped points. So if you are going Rafa go and put Liverpool out of their misery.

The McCanns

It makes me sick to see the press trying to sensationalize a non story and I refer to the British paedophile Raymond Hewitt. Trying to make a case that he was somehow involved in the disappearance of young Madeline McCann is a cheap and cynical trick. but then that tragic young girls name has always been good for selling papers. Much was made at the time she disappeared of the lack of professionalism from the Portuguese police. I always felt that was unjustified. No European police force in this day and age could be so incompetent. The  press made them out to be the keystone cops.  Delving deeper into the Hewitt story and it appears he was investigated and cleared of any involvement at the time so why the interest in him now. I still believe there is no smoke without fire and the Portuguese police would not have arrested the McCann's without reasonable cause the fact they were released without charge is because of muddying of waters by the British press with help from our government rather than a belief they were innocent.  In the absence of a confession this case is likely to remain unsolved.

Garlic with everything

I see that Barack and Michelle Obama have turned down the chance to have a private dinner with the French President and his wife. Good on you Obama this may go a way to knocking the arrogance out of the French leader.Ever since the G20  back in April this year when Sarkozy tried to belittle the new U S President Obama has been waiting for a chance to get him back. Sarkozy accused him then of being inexperienced and uninformed. inexperienced he may have been having only been President for 3 months but uninformed ? I don't think so Obama is to shrewd a operator to turn up anywhere uninformed. or maybe the Obama's just didn't fancy garlic with everything.

Our lords work?

I was watching telly last night and there was a scene where one of the characters recited the lords prayer. and it reminded me of  primary school where we also recited the lords prayer every day in assembly. As I listened and mouthed along to the bits I remembered I realised that like a song on the radio that you sing along to you say the words without really bothering to think what they mean. Take the line" hallowed be the name" . How many of you reading this know that god actually has a name and it appears in four verses of the bible. (I will put his name at  the bottom of the page) "Thy kingdom come thy will be done" I have lost count of the times I repeated those lines at school but never really thought them until now. that's suggests that his kingdom or rule will go on and be adopted on earth. "as it is in heaven". Before I go on this post pre-supposes that a god does exist and did indeed create the heavens and the earth. Though science has I think comprehensively shown where our origins are from. But if the earth was formed from a huge explosion billions of years ago (the big bang) and we are a fragment of that explosion where did the symmetry come from how is it that the earth tilts at exactly 23.5 degrees on its axis thus primarily causing the seasons. That is spins at 25000mph or a 1000mph depending on where on earth you are standing. are these things a random happening or is someone sitting up in heaven admiring his handiwork. whichever camp you decide you are in explosion or creation it does not matter because we are here now so lets make the best of it. incidentally according to the bible his name is Jehovah.

Flight 447

All kinds of theory's are being put forward for the awful tragedy that struck flight447 on its way from Brazil to France. Severe electrical storms are a possibility as the last contact with the doomed airliner indicated that they were experiencing extreme turbulence passing through the eye of the storm. Apparently at 50,000 feet the power of these storms increase many fold. A  Spanish pilot and passenger on a separate flight some miles away reported seeing a spectacular white flash which lasted 5/6 seconds before it descended rapidly then vanished from view. this lends credibility to a explosion on board possibly caused by a bomb, also why there was no time for a mayday to be sent. another report published in a tabloid paper today claims that 6 electronic messages regarding failures on board were automatically sent one suggested air had got into the cabin further consolidating the bomb theory. whatever the cause 228 people now languish at the bottom of the sea. and the cause of their death isn't going to matter to much to them now. But for the sake of the living I hope this wasn't caused by a bomb. The family and friends of the dead will mourn their loss whatever the cause and an accident will make the grieving process a little easier to cope with. The random slaughter of so many people will not.