Chelsea’s Predicament

In the summer of 2003 few had heard of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich before he bought Chelsea, but his name was on everyone's lips soon afterwards as he financed a huge spending spree - the like of which the game has never seen - and put Chelsea well and truly up with the big boys.

Business or pleasure
Whilst everyone knows that winning is a must for Abramovich, it is rumoured that Abramovich’s team had no business plan and therefore his subordinates or rather the real people who ran the day to day affairs at the club were under the impression that the new “Billionaire” boss is all about having fun and winning trophies, and who could blame them when the boss goes around quoting "The goal is to win. It's not about making money. I have many much less risky ways of making money than this (buying Chelsea football club). I don't want to throw my money away, but it's really about having fun and that means success and trophies."

Global Financial Crisis
According to one of Roman Abramovich's closest confidantes revelation to the independent newspaper in November 2008, the Chelsea's billionaire owner had been hit hard by the global credit crunch resulting to cut back their spending and "hit the financial brakes".
It appears that this is where the u-turn occurred from pleasure to strictly business this answers the questions of many long standing Chelsea fans why Abramovich is not sanctioning transfers, but does not answer what his plans are for the club or whether it is sound to hit the financial brakes at a time when Chelsea have to live with an aging squad.
Chelsea fans owe Abramovich a lot – but he also owes them some answers.

Jacob's (another visitor to London) Commentary .

Symbolic Annihilation
Description: The soap opera Home & Away consisted of an Australian cast that is entirely white with no ethnic minority characters or background extras.

Commentary: This soap opera demonstrates symbolic annihilation because not only are there no minority main characters but there are no characters with speaking roles whatsoever that are of color. There are not even any minority extras in the background of the scenes that take place in public places. It appears that this entire community is white and everyone on the show seems to be fine with no diversity. Since London is so diverse this show poorly reflects the reality of London and its inhabitants

Hegemony
Description: While watching the Australian Soap Opera Neighbors I realized Weight Watchers sponsored the entire show. The first commercial was just a typical London street sign with the numbers 36-24-34 on it. The second commercial was the same street sign but this time it said You, Happier.

Commentary: These Weight Watcher sponsored commercials contained hegemony because it gives the impression to the viewer that a woman must be thin in order to be happy. It is specifically addressed to women because the first commercial only obtained the supposedly “perfect measurement” of a woman. Then the second commercial reaffirms the hegemonic value that women need to be thin in order to be happy. The entire soap opera is cast with beautiful actors and actresses that would make a viewer feel inadequate if they compared their looks to themselves and that’s where Weight Watchers comes in to help people lose weight so they can feel better about themselves.

Closed text
This humorous advertisement symbolizes a closed text because there is only one way to interpret the copy. The ad simply states that it was designed for you to remember a British search engine. It is very simple with a black background and the website globrix.com in the bottom right corner. There is no way anyone could interpret this advertisement as an ad for something other than globrix.com. It is refreshing because it makes fun of the fact that the advertisement is so simple and not more complex like most ads.

Open Text
This advertisement for Head & Shoulders is an open text because there are different ways to interpret the wording of the ad. The copy tie me up again sounds like a kinky sexual request, but when one reads the smaller copy below this, it is realized that the ad is talking about tying up hair into a ponytail. It’s as if the hair is talking and pleading to be tied up again now that the hair is clean and radiate thanks to Head & Shoulders.


Visual Framing
This represents visual framing because this ad draws your eyes to the center of the sunflower to the words sale and 25% off in the frames of the sunglasses worn by the flower. You can tell this is the focus of the ad because these words are in a bigger font in white and this color really pops out against the orange of the sunglasses behind it. The website easyjet.com is also in this same font and color scheme because they want the reader to know where to book their vacation needs for this 25% off deal.

Socialization
The Tube is a big part of British culture and those who are foreign to London soon understand that there are certain rules to using the underground. By the use of these various signs in the underground, newcomers are initiated into certain rituals like standing on the right side of the escalators, minding the gap between the train and the platform, and not smoking while underground. If one doesn’t follow these rules they soon learn on their own by stumbling out of the train for not minding the gap or being pushed aside by commuters trying to get by on the escalators.

Cultivation
The idea of “going green” is seen in all forms of media in recent years and this eventually leads to consumers buying in to this trend. By recycling or buying eco-friendly products, the consumer feels good about themselves because they are helping the environment according to the “green” messages around them. These messages hope that over time as more and more media messages are released dealing with the negative effects of global warming, people will react and start buying more and more of these kinds of products.

A visitors take on Interracial Relationships and the Media.

In my time here, I have found London to be a very diverse and populous city. The amount of people and the cultural baggage each carries creates a very complex structure. With so many people and so many identities, it is no wonder people of different religion; sexuality, ethnicity and race are forming relationships. However, the London media separates races when showing groups of people. Interracial relationships are not shown in the media I have been exposed to. Instead, when groups of people, romantic couples, or friendships are shown, the parties involved are of the same race. In experiencing the city, this is simply a misrepresentation of the diverse relationships that are fostered here.

Attending the play Edward Scissorhands is a great example of how the display of an interracial relationship was avoided. Actress Noi Tolmer is Thai, born in Thailand and has very beautiful Asian features. She plays a main character, Kim Boggs, whom Edward falls in love with. However, to avoid showing the mixing of races, her hair is dyed blonde, a clear case of deracination. Unless sitting near the stage, it would be difficult to distinguish the fact that she is not white, like the rest of her cast family and on-stage boyfriend. Everyone else in the play was white as well. In “Distorted Mirrors” by Yasmin Alibhai- Brown discussed the British media is undermining the diverse, multiracial society that lives here. It is obvious that somewhere in the production of this play, it was thought better to avoid showing that interracial families and relationships, even if they are prevalent in everyday London life. This example shows that she could not be part of the “perfect family” if her true race was revealed and interracial relationships we avoided.

An ad campaign that I have noticed in the tube stops is for a travel agency encouraging groups of people to book holidays together to receive better rates. The adverts show groups of friends smiling and laughing together, however, there are two prints of the ad that can be seen. One is of a group of white friends. Another ad shows the same copy, different picture. This time, it is a group of black friends. In terms of advertising costs, it would cost the company less to simply have one copy of the ad rather than running two. It goes to show the extra effort the company is going to in order to keep these races separate. Why couldn’t the black and white friends be in the same advertisement? Also, why are only two races represented? Cortese, in “Symbolic Racism,” discusses this concept of copycat ads in Advertising article. He says that such ads are run because minorities prefer to see images of people like themselves in advertising. The message here is that whites might not buy a product used by minorities, however, if these groups of people in reality are friends, family, neighbors and co-workers, there is no reason they cannot be depicted as such in advertisements.

I have experienced many examples in which interracial relationships are a reality while in London. In attending the Mosque, it was visible that groups of different races were friends and partners in their faith. Our group guide told us that there were over 50 countries represented at the London Central Mosque. We saw white, Latino, Black, Hispanic and Middle Eastern men all praying side by side. They walked in together, prayed, and left together, clearly their racial make-up made no difference in their relationships. Leo Benedictus discusses the make-up of Londoners in his article “Every Race, Colour, Nation and Religion on Earth.” He discusses how the media can skew one’s thoughts of toleration of diversity. With the population living here, it is no wonder interracial relationships occur. The mosque is a great example of how race and other differences are not issues that keep people from praying together and being friends.

I have had the opportunity of making friends while in London. We met a group of friends our second night here and have gotten to experience many parts of London through being around “locals.” The racial make-up of this group is very diverse, and they have been friends since they were young. In speaking with them, they have brought me to remember that race is about more than black and white. Everyone in London is from somewhere else, and often people are very passionate about that. However, their friendship is not necessarily always built on race or ethnicity. One of them said “if we can cheer on different football clubs, a different race is not going to keep us from being mates.”
Cortese sites media as reflections of societal structure and a barometer of the dominant group accepting minorities into mainstream society. While a different races are being represented in the media, they are not being represented together, as if assimilation of these groups is non-existent. This is not the case in London. Interracial friendships, romantic relationships and other bonds are very prevalent and should be accepted and showcased in the media because it is mainstream and would represent a realistic representation of society.

BBC Pays Substantial Damages.

Hanif Malik, a leading Muslim community worker, last week claimed victory over the BBC accepted substantial undisclosed libel damages after the broadcasters flagship current affairs program claim that Children in Need money was passed to the July 7 bombers.

Mr. Malik, who has for many years been involved with numerous voluntary and community work, sued over the report which was broadcast on Newsnight in August last year.

His solicitor, Louis Charalambous, told Mr Justice Butterfield at the High Court that the programme alleged that funds from Children in Need, which had been paid to a charitable organisation called Leeds Community School, had been improperly diverted to a neighbouring bookshop to assist the production of radical Islamist propaganda and to give financial support to some of the men who were later responsible for the 2005 London bombings.

“Although the BBC did not identify Mr Malik by name in its report, he may have been identifiable to some viewers because of his close connections with Leeds Community School as the then chairman of trustees,” Charalambous told the judge.

He added that the BBC now fully accepted Malik’s assurance that no Children in Need money was passed to the bookshop or the bombers, and that none of the money was used to pay for any propaganda, and had agreed to pay him a substantial sum in compensation and his legal costs.

The BBC’s counsel, Kate Wilson, said it apologised for the broadcast of the allegation and the distress and embarrassment suffered.

Man Who Threw A Shoe At Chinese PM Charged.

The man who hurled a shoe at Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao during a speech at Cambridge University has been charged.

The as yet unnamed 27-year-old man, will appear before magistrates in Cambridge on February 10th charged with committing a public order offence. The shoe, which was thrown in a symbolic gesture reminiscent of a similar act against former American president George Bush during a recent trip to Iraq, narrowly missed Mr Wen on Monday night during a speech on the global economy.

The protestor - who was removed from the room following the incident by university security – is reported to have shouted: “How can the university prostrate itself before this dictator?”
Mr Wen, whose current visit to Britain has been met by widespread protests, later described the incident as “despicable“.

To Honour Bush Shoe-Thrower.

A large sculpture, based on one of the shoes thrown at president bush by an Iraqi journalist during his last visit to Iraq last December, was unveiled this week just outside an orphanage in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown.

The orphans at the complex helped sculptor Laith al-Amiri build the shoe monument. “Those orphans who helped the sculptor in building this monument were the victims of Bush’s war,” said Faten Abdulqader al-Naseri, the orphanage director, adding that it “is a gift to the next generation to remember the heroic action by the journalist.” Al-Amiri praised the journalist, Muntadhar al-Zeidi, calling him a “source of pride for all Iraqis.” The sculpture also includes an ode to al-Zeidi and mentions the virtues of being “able to tell the truth out loud.”

Is technology making our brains lazy?

I remember the good old days when one could remember their Mom’s, and all their best mates phone numbers off the top of their heads. If you ask anyone today, most of us will have to dig into our mobile phones before we can even reveal our own number.

The impact of new technology, especially in the developed world, is apparent all around us in the way we communicate, run business and understand the world.

Aren’t we becoming too dependent on high tech gadgets of today? How have computers, the Internet, e-mail and mobile phones changed our life? Are there downsides as well as upsides to these technological advances?