The Latest: Earthquake shakes the nation

After feeling the tremors of an earthquake, I took it upon myself to become part of the media hysteria surrounding one of the strangest occurrences in my lifetime. After calling my friend in Hull (minutes before finding out that the city was closest to the epicentre of the earthquake), I converted his quotes to create my first real piece of breaking news, having written the piece within half an hour of the seismic activity. See my report here or on The Latest!

REPORTS are coming in thick and fast of seismic activity across Britain.

The Global Seismic Monitor places the epicentre around 30 miles south of Hull, in range of Lincoln, with a strength of 4.7-5.0 on the Richter Scale.

Alistair Horsley, 21, from Hull, said: "I couldn't believe what was happening.

"I froze for 30 seconds to consider what had happened. It was only until half of my street had come out of their houses to see what had happened that it was a big deal.

"Many of my friends on Facebook had posted similar comments and I knew it wasn't just a local thing."

The US Geological Survey has told the media that it was a strangely large earthquake for this part of the world.

Other areas such as Manchester, Boston and West Yorkshire have reported strong tremors, with others feeling their affects as far away as Bristol and Southampton.

In 2002, another earthquake hit Dudley, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to homes in the area.

Although no reports of damage from the earthquake have been released, the public will have to wait until later today to understand the full extent of the activity.

The Latest: Mobile phone speaker is 'worst invention yet'

In another rant against a socio-cultural trend that continues to destroy the very fabric of humanity, I turned my attention to mobile phone speakers. Puzzled? I'm sure you will understand exactly where I am coming from in my newest blog at The Latest.

It is everyone's worst nightmare. Even if coming to terms with being a slave to poor public transport wasn’t bad enough, you get on the bus or train to hear awful music amplified through some idiot’s phone with 2-watt speakers.

On a disgraceful amplifier that makes music from rave to rock sound like muzak, this teenage trend is getting worse by the day.

It seems like the kids who do it purposefully want to mark their musical territory much like a dog urinating to geographically chart their area. Sadly, this mobile phone phenomenon is much, much worse.

I believe the creation of loudspeaker mp3 phones to be possibly the worst (anti-)social trend in recent years. It seems to stem from the one device that in itself has caused nothing but annoyance to millions worldwide.

Firstly it was the showing-off of ringtones. After Thomas Dolby (who Blinded Us With Science in the 80’s) created the polyphonic ringtone, this got much worse.

Then came arguments and cases of bullying through text messaging. It seemed that anything that was created as a force of good could be wrangled by the less desirable teenage population into something bad.

And now these people deem it necessary to show off their musical “taste” by playing it through the tinniest-sounding output, much to the annoyance of anybody that does not like rave with transposed female vocals, inadvertently sounding like The Chipmunks have relaunched their career. Headphones should be made a legal requirement.

It adds to the list of social acts that almost seem aggressive in their nature. Luckily, for many people, I am one of the few that has the guts to tell them to turn it off in the face of the silent threat of violence hangs heavy in the air.

I just hope that designers of mobile phones will one day be trapped with inconsiderate fools who play this insufferable noise and reconsider the flaws in their creations.

Atomic Sports Media: What's in a Name?

My friend Jon came up with the idea a while ago to collate as many aptronymical names as possible - that is to say, names that describe said person's charms. Given it was for Atomic Sports Media, he decided to stick to sport. After the piece got sidetracked due to Jon's work commitments, I took over, adding a few more names to the six selections I originally submitted to him. I hope you enjoy it! Click here to read the article on the website, or continue below...


I am sure plenty of you will be aware of the Mr. Men or the Seven Dwarves. As bastions of the modern age of literature, their basic beauty is in their descriptive names. Mr. Happy was a jolly fellow. Sleepy was the lazy sort. I’m pretty sure Snow White wasn’t African-American.

But it’s certainly interesting to note that there are plenty of examples in real life to help us play the name game. Nominative determinism -- that is to say, how a person's name sounds has an effect on who that person becomes -- is to thank for George McGovern, former presidential candidate in 1972. Joe Holiday is Gibraltar’s Minister for Tourism. Margaret Spellings is the Secretary of Education in the United States Government. My favourite is probably Cardinal Sin, former Archbishop of Manila. Or Kevin De Cock, Director of HIV/AIDS at the World Health Organisation, who promoted the benefits of circumcision and safe sex.

Luckily, we sports fans have the best selection of well-named superstars. Maybe one day, they will all have to be renamed for the sake of clarity. Until then, we will have to bless the almighty Sporting Gods for those who already grace, or have graced, TV sets and internet pages across the world.

1) Gary Player is a South African golfer who turned professional in 1953. His career is widely regarded as one of the best in the history of golf, notching up 24 career wins including three Masters tournaments (1961, 1974, 1978), three British Opens (1959, 1968, 1974), one US Open (1965) and two PGA Championships (1962, 1972), making him the most successful golfer to come out of South Africa. It is not known what his skills are like with the ladies, but no doubt he's just as good a player there as he is when it comes to golf.

2) Chris Moneymaker is a poker player from Atlanta. Gaining a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2003 by beating Sam Farha with a full house on the last hand, Moneymaker has gone on to make a lot of money, turning an original $39 stake into $2.5 million in his debut live performance. His name is not a pseudonym, and apparently derives from the German name “Nurmacher.”

3) Eldrick "Tiger" Woods, possibly the most successful golfer of all time and still going strong at the age of 31, has used his woods to his advantage, clocking up 13 major championship wins and 86 professional wins to make him world No. 1. In 2006 he was the highest paid professional athlete in the world, making more than $100 million in winnings and endorsements.

4) Michael Ball is a 28-year-old soccer left-back born in Liverpool, England, currently playing for Manchester City. Having brief spells at PSV Eindhoven in Holland, five seasons at Rangers and four at Everton, as well as one England international cap, Ball prefers to get rid of the ball, given his defensive role.

5) Mario Lemieux is possibly the most famous NHL star in Pittsburgh, and probably the second most famous in Canada after some guy called Wayne. His role in the Penguins' line-up between 1984-94, 1995-97 and 2000-06 gave the team the boost they needed, also leading the team to successive Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992. His number, 66, was selected due to his comparison to that other Canadian bloke, who wore the same number but upside down - 99. His name - Lemieux - literally translates as "The Best" in French. This is amazing considering the records he holds, including most goals in one period (4), longest goal scoring streak (12 games), and the only player to score 30 power-play goals in two seasons.

6) George Best is possibly the most famous soccer forward in Britain. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, many of his fellow countrymen express their love for him by saying: “Maradona good, Pélé better, George Best.” The first example of a “playboy” soccer player, his lifestyle would ultimately lead to his premature death, aged 59, in 2005. Although the bulk of his talent and memorable moments were during his 11-year career at Manchester United, he also graced the NASL, playing for the San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles Aztecs and Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Belfast City Airport was named after Best in 2006, even though it is not the top airport in Ireland.

7) Chuck Long is gifted with probably the best name for a QB in NFL history. A college Hall-of-Famer from the Iowa Hawkeyes, Chuck did not put his name to good use during his time at college due to his team’s strong running game. Drafted in the first round by the Detroit Lions, he was a bit rubbish. Then again, the Detroit Lions were/are rubbish, so he did not have much of a fighting chance. His best season came in 1987 with 2,598 yards, 11 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. After a year with the Los Angeles Rams and a one-year return to Detroit, Long chucked in the towel after a five-year career, and now coaches San Diego State.

8) Willie Thrower, another QB in the NFL, became the first African-American quarterback in the NFL, and was cited by Warren Moon as a key influence and a groundbreaking presence in the sport, even though he only played for one season at the Chicago Bears. Pittsburgh owner Dan Rooney unveiled a statue to Thrower in his home town four years after his death, in 2006.

9) Mack Strong was strong enough to be the lead blocker for three 1,000-yard rushers in Chris Warren, Ricky Watters and Shaun Alexander during his 14 years with the Seattle Seahawks. With two Pro-Bowl selections to his name in 2005 and 2006, Strong finally announced retirement this year after he received a herniated disk in his neck after a Week 5 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

10) Derek Jeter, current captain of the New York Yankees and the longest-serving position player on the 2007 team roster, Jeter is French for “to throw." It is a shame it is not French for “to catch” after his 12th-inning Superman dive into the stands to stop Trot Nixon’s ambitious effort in the Yankees’ 2004 game against the Red Sox. Rivalries can make you do crazy things. Having said that, he’s now getting $22 million a year. I’d jump into a moving truck to make a catch for that salary.

11) Scott Speed was, for all intents and purposes, rubbish. His name, particularly in relation to his Formula One performance, seems more ironic than anything else. Racking up 0 points in 28 races, his career was finished before it started due to an unreliable car, poor team relations and entering the only racing championship that Americans aren’t very good at.

12) Arsene Wenger is the manager of Arsenal F.C., who are currently in or are jostling for the top spot in the English Premier League in soccer. Labelled “Comical Wenger” by Manchester United fans in earlier 2003 for predicting that his team could go unbeaten for the 38-game season, Wenger proudly held up a t-shirt produced by the rival fans when he accomplished the feat. Although he’s a brilliant manager known for his brilliant purchases and transfers, I must warn you that he’s a bit… French.

13) Wolfgang Wolf managed German Bundesliga team VfL Wolfsburg. I mean, come on. That’s just getting silly. He’s either an insane fan that has changed his name by deed poll, or he’s their mascot with an unimaginative name like “Steely McBeam”. I’m still coming to terms with it actually being true.

I hope that some day this trend will take off so that I, or anyone else, will not forget a player name in a pub conversation. Having said that, I think nominative determinism works well as it is. I am quite good on the horticultural circuit, and Jon Bellwood, whose idea it was to create this in-depth analysis into this phenomenon (and who I am writing on behalf of), had a brief career as an ornamental instrument carver. One way or the other, it makes life easier.

The Latest: Would the world work without Wikipedia?

I decided to take on an issue very dear to me - the impressive power of Wikipedia. You can read it below, by following the link in the top right hand corner of the page, or by clicking here to go directly to the article!

I remember the dark days of the internet. Yahoo was the default browser, eBay lacked safety and fair bidding, and one of the world’s greatest inventions - Wikipedia - was not even heard of.

Now, many of us cannot think of a world without it.

A true portal into the unknown, one can often find themselves lost in the pages of links. For example, in three clicks I moved from The Siege of Sevastopol (1941-1942) to Lauryn Hill, formerly of the Fugees.

I now know the major events on my birthday, from the births of Paul Weller, Sheriff John Bunnell and Mike Myers to the fact that Hands Across America took place on the very day I was born.

Without it, I would never have known that more Vietnam veterans committed suicide after the conflict than died during it, or that Wentworth Miller - Michael Scofield in Prison Break - was born in Chipping Norton.

However, far from being just a source of pub conversations, Wikipedia highlights something significant - not just about the evolution of the internet, but of the necessity for information by all people.

Students have never had it so easy. Had it not been for Wikipedia, my studies at university would have been ten times harder. This is not out of laziness either - it just so happens that Wikipedia provides easy, concise and interesting information about any given topic.

Failing that, many others will have happily provided links at the bottom to other hard-to-find websites and selected essays. These not only provide a solid factual basis to many points raised by those who choose to write about the given subject, but also shows active encouragement for others to learn more about the topic in what can only be seen as a selfless act.

It can have its drawbacks, however. With interest comes relative article length. The phenomenon, known by many as Wikigroaning, has showed us that the article on Jedi knights is longer than the one about Christian saints, or that the entry for Marvel Comics’ Iron Man is more substantial than that for iron, the metal.

But really, who cares? It is not as if there are restrictions on the size of Wikipedia, or that certain topics deserve more coverage than “less important” issues.

Wikipedia is perhaps the closest we will get to democracy. Truths are upheld and lies are quashed by right-thinking members of society. Like everything free and open, it is open to abuse, falsities and unsubstantiated beliefs. Regardless, it’s probably the quickest, easiest and most interesting way to get information on absolutely anything and everything, and shows how much we value it.

The Latest: What next for the Premier League?

Here is an article written for my blog on The-Latest.com regarding the ever-increasing boundaries of sport. Read it below, by clicking my link in the top-right of this website or by clicking here!

WITH news that the Football Association Premier League in Britain is looking into expanding its national borders to find larger audiences further afield, one must consider the impact of recent developments in sport and the changes they will bring.

Last September, in a piece for American sports website Atomic Sports Media, I wrote about the National Football League’s International Series at Wembley Stadium, pitching would-be Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants against the would-be worst team in the American football calendar that year, the Miami Dolphins.
Little did I know that many of my predictions would come true.
The success of the game, as low-scoring as it was, was unparalleled. In fact, two weeks ago, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced another London game between the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints.
After the NFL announced their first game, the NBA and NHL scheduled games in London to extend the boundaries of both basketball and ice hockey. The NHL converted the Ralph Wilson Stadium in New York State into a 72,000-seater arena for a hockey game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres.
The net result of the latter? The biggest television audience share for the National Hockey League in 10 years.
And now, to fulfil what originally seemed to be a rather average prophecy, the Premiership is looking to expand to foreign soil.
It would only seem fair to play any game in one of three places: the United States, South-East Asia or the Middle East. All three have huge audiences for merchandise, media sales and, perhaps most importantly, advertising.

This is what infuriates most fans: the greed element. Many seem to forget that sport is possibly the biggest business in the world.
Most of the limelight has been taken by Premiership managers, fans and directors arguing against this potentially revolutionary move. Many forget the people who will really suffer - lower league teams, who are already struggling to consolidate their promotion to the Premiership to stay for just one season.
Lower clubs, including my team Hartlepool United, already have little or no chance of making it big, aside from the lucky teams, most recently Bristol City.
Perhaps the Premier League bosses do not realise the effects the proposed changes to their domestic game will have on the tiered system - after all, no American sports have it. If anything, American sports pride themselves on a fair and balanced game, reflected in their need for a draft system that gives the worst teams first choice.
It makes many question whether or not the Premier League cares any more; after all, since the split in the early 1990s, the economic divide between them and the Football League has become greater and greater.
It may only be a matter of time before promotion and relegation between the Football League and Premiership becomes severely limited, or abolished completely, thus mimicking the American model.
One thing is for sure, however - whatever turns out the most profitable outcome will no doubt be the future for football in this country. Until other issues concerning the future of the Premier League are fully addressed by the media, we may never know.

The Latest: Do we thrive on celebrity tragedy?

Today, in the early hours, I joined The-Latest.com after seeing their promotion on HoldTheFrontPage. As I cover sports on Atomic Sports Media and all things daft on The Twaddle (when I get time!), I wanted an outlet to give me chance to write about somewhat more 'regular' news. I am running a daily blog (time allowing) to discuss current events and popular issues.

After reposting The RacCommies, I wrote this short article about tragedy and celebrities. You can read it below, or click here for the direct link. You can also access my page by clicking The Latest's logo in the top right of this blog.


WHAT would celebrity news be without constant tragedy?

I would like to think that I am not seduced by the cult of celebrity, but with websites like TMZ.com, television channels such as E! News and several hundred magazines akin to Heat, Closer and OK!, it can be hard to resist the temptation to revel in the woes of any person in the limelight.

It seems to stem from a mixture of jealousy and natural hatred of those better off - a potentially worrying combination.

The scariest thing is that now, with the advent of round-the-clock news, media outlets such as Sky and the BBC will pounce on any developments in so-called “news” to keep people watching.

G2 columnist Charlie Brooker, on his brilliant BBC Four show Screenwipe, highlighted this approach when Sky reported the death of opera legend Pavarotti, at one point pushing the big red Breaking News button to report that yes, his kidneys had indeed failed.

And at the moment, it seems impossible to escape the trails, tribulations and falls of pop divas.

I’ve never liked Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse or Girls Aloud, yet I know everything about Britney’s breakdowns, Amy’s drug habits (destroying a once beautiful woman) and Cheryl Cole’s overpaid, oversexed boyfriend.

And why? Because it interests me. Media bombardment aside, it feels like magazines thrive on tragedy, without even considering the effect one tiny factor of what they are reporting could potentially have on their own lives. This also makes us forget how they would affect us.

As a trained journalist fully knowing the importance of a consistent source of news, I worry that the direction and angles the media can take on the problems celebrities have not only shows their enjoyment of them, but actively encourages other people to enjoy them too.

And I do. We all do. Apart from our selected favourite celebrities we will defend to the grave (most likely theirs, with paparazzi pressure), the overall morality of socio-cultural outlets and their audiences is going downhill.

Sadly, we’re all along for the ride.