Radio Newsday Story

Councillor Ken Thornber has agreed an extra £250,000 to be allowed to improve access to libraries and outreach for young people and adult learning in the Hampshire County.

Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage, Cllr Margaret Snaith, is said to be delighted at the extra funding for the department, which will be effective at the start of the forthcoming financial year.

The £250,000 increase in the budget will be shared amongst the following: opening the library on Sundays, a Home Library Service, Rights of Way, Outreach for Young People, and Adult Learning.

Materazzi Recieves Apology From British Paper

Italy and Inter Milan defender Marco Materazzi has received a full apology from The Daily Star, after the newspaper published a series of false articles relating to Zinedine Zidane’s sending off at the 2006 World Cup final.

Zidane was infamously sent off after head-butting Materazzi in the chest during extra-time, before Italy clinched the trophy on penalties.

The following day, the Daily Star printed a series of articles ‘explaining’ why Zidane reacted. One read out that Materazzi called the Frenchman’s mother a ‘terrorist whore’.

It was later revealed by Materazzi that Zidane’s sister was the subject of Zizou’s provocation, and insisted that there was no use of the word ‘terrorist’ or any racist intention involved.

However, the Daily Star haven’t corrected their error or issued an apology to the Italian defender.

Leaving the newspaper to libel, Materazzi’s lawyers issued a High Court action for damages, which he won last month.

‘The Matrix’ (as he is known in Italy) will now attend London’s High Court on Monday to hear a full apology read out by the newspaper’s representatives, in addition to themselves printing out another apology in the Daily Star.

100 And Out?

26th March 2008.

France hosted England in a friendly in a match both managers Raymond Domenech and Fabio Capello deny as meaningless (however one is going to Euro 2008, the other has no choice but to twiddle his fingers this summer due to his predecessor’s incompetence).

A match where arguably England’s best defender is made captain for the night.

A match where, even without the likes of Thierry Henry and Karim Benzema, France (and Nicolas Anelka in particular) dominated their English counterparts, exposing their lack of guile and flair.

But this match will always be remembered for a certain David Robert Joseph Beckham making his 100th appearance in an England shirt.

Even though he didn’t lead the Three Lions out on the Stade de France pitch, he was welcomed with a warm reception by both sets of supporters.

But the question remains; can he still cut it ON the pitch?

Let’s face facts. Beckham the Footballer will always be overshadowed by Beckham the Celebrity. Type in ‘David Beckham’ on Google Image search, and more often than not the first page will display him either with his wife and kids, lounging in a beach, or sporting a new tattoo.

Don’t get me wrong. He was instrumental to Manchester United’s success, particularly in 1999. He is a role model for the younger generation of budding footballers, especially after the way he dealt with his treatment after France 1998. He can still strike a dead ball with such accuracy and panache. Hell, his display against Greece in October 2001 was one of the best I have seen from a player (and that’s not even mentioning THAT free-kick). He was a good player. Nothing more.

Compared to the other Manc youth products, Beckham was a limited player. He was never going to be more skillful than Ryan Giggs, nor as intelligent as Paul Scholes. He wasn’t the type of player who’d have a team built around him (examples: World Cup 1998, 2002, and 2006; Euro 2004). His work-rate and drive were outstanding, but that can only take one so far on the pitch. His A-list status overshadows almost all of his cons.

After Barcelona lost out on the Beckham bidding war against Real Madrid in 2003, and opted to go for the less marketable Ronaldo de Assis Moreira a.k.a. Ronaldinho, they benefitted with back-to-back La Liga trophies. It took Becks and co. at Real 4 years after his move to win one. Real did sell more shirts though…

An interesting argument on why he was able to reach 100 caps for the national side is that there is a lack of natural right-sided talent in the country, meaning that he is needed to provide that extra spark more often than not. Blackburn’s David Bentley is currently favourite to step up to the plate, impressing Signore Capello this season, but what of Messrs Pennant, Wright-Phillips, Lennon, and etc.?

Now plying his trade in the footballing hotbed that is America, he insists that he can play a pivotal role in the 2010 World Cup should England qualify. One can ask if a 34 year old right midfielder living on past glories and endorsements is needed in the grandest stage of the footballing world in two years time.

Oh by the way, England lost 1-0 to a Franck Ribery penalty. Celebrity overshadowing sport I daresay?

Councils Approve High Street Revamp

Winchester High Street faces a revamp after recent years have indicated that the High Street’s overall appearance has declined and that it isn’t keeping with Winchester’s historic image. 

The High Street revamp is part of the Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council’s plans to accommodate to the public’s needs by creating a Town Access Plan, in which people who live in or work around the city centre are being asked to deliver their views in order to improve the community. 

The Winchester Town Access Plan (WTAP) follows on from the Winchester Movement and Access Plan created and developed during the 1990s. 

Hampshire County Council ensures that the pathways are safe by replacing damaged paving slabs on a regular basis; however, there are several other factors such as excavation work by utility companies, vehicle damage, and unavailable materials which further compound the problem. 

The refurbishment of the High Street, through new paving and street utilities such as benches and rubbish bins, would improve conditions for pedestrians for the foreseeable future. 

A public exhibition will be held at Winchester Guildhall on the 7^th and 8^th of March, giving the people of Winchester a chance to state their views publicly.

PM’s reaction to Blair’s bid for EU presidency

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s bid for the European Presidency has not been recognised by the current PM Gordon Brown, the PM’s spokesman stated.

Prime Minister Brown’s spokesman replied at a recent press conference that Downing Street did not recognise the story and that it was very premature.

He added, however, that the Prime Minister had stated on several occasions that he thought Mr Blair would be a good candidate for the EU presidency, even though it is still early days, as this post doesn’t come into effect until January the 1st, 2009.

When asked about when the official candidate from the United Kingdom will be decided, the PM’s spokesman said that there will be plenty of opportunities to discuss this matter later in the year.

about moi.. and the lecture..

i am a 1st year journalism student.
i am a football manager and pro evolution soccer addict.
i support man. united, my favourite player is ryan giggs.
i like my music.
i like my movies.
i like my clothes.
c’est fin.

In the said lecture, even though I had a fair grasp of the matters of politics, I had learnt a substantial amount regarding the British government and their diverse laws. Although politics isn’t my forte (I want to enter the field of sports journalism), it seemed to be an interesting lecture, and I am looking forward to progressively learn more about the world of politics, as they are important in the world we live in today.

is Kanye West the modern-day Nietzsche?

strange as it seems, there is a connection between the Grammy-award winning rapper and the nineteenth-century German philosopher, albeit a very vague one..

one of Frederic Nietzsche’s most famous quotes, “That which doesn’t kill us, only makes us stronger” is repeated as a line by West on his hit single ‘Stronger’, in which the rapper says “That what don’t kill me, only makes me stronger”

I don’t believe West intended to imbed Neitzsche’s philosophy in one of his tracks, although his ego tends to be similar to Nietzsche’s theories about the Ubermensch, which translates as ‘superhuman’, in which he believes to be better than every artist currently performing..

this is open for debate..