Gloucester Rugby: Alex Brown welcomes support from Kingsholm …
PEOPLE power is Nigel Davies’ chief Kingsholm weapon and Alex Brown is relieved and excited to feel the benefit.
Gloucester’s new rugby operations manager admits he cannot comprehend the level of support the Cherry and Whites fans have shown him this season.
Forced to retire after sustaining a shoulder injury in the first game of the campaign, Brown feared he would end up on the Kingsholm scrap heap.
Instead rugby director Davies has brought him into a crucial role in his coaching group just as he did with former England captain Mike Tindall last summer.
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Formidable lock Brown will toast his benefit year in a celebratory James Bond-themed ball at Hartpury College on May 25.
The humbled 33-year-old believes it is an opportunity to thank all the people who have organised a benefit year he still cannot quite believe anyone wanted to put together.
The Kingsholm coaches will head to Wales tomorrow for a two-day residential camp, to set down plans for pre-season and next term.
Gloucester stalwart Brown expects a hectic but productive few days ahead.
He explained: “Nigel’s very good at empowering people he’s very happy to let you do what you feel is right.
“I think he’s happy for the players to take the initiative and lead things and move things forward.
“Retaining Mike Tindall last summer was inspired really.
“Just looking at the overall situation when Nigel came in, that helped tie a lot of things together.
“But then also now if you look at what a great season Mike has had, he’s really going well on the field but he’s also taken to coaching fantastically as well.
“I think it’s given him a new lease of life, and Nigel’s definitely given him the space and opportunity to push that forward in the new role.”
Odd Job and Jaws lookalikes and music from tribute act Surely Bassey will provide a light-hearted backdrop for Brown’s opportunity to give a serious vote of thanks to all those who have driven his benefit season.
Brown continued: “The committee have organised the whole event.
“It’s overwhelming enough for people to approach you and say they want to put a benefit year together for you.
“But the work everyone involved in it has done over the course of the year has been phenomenal.
“I can’t believe the amount of work they have all done so far.
“It’s very, very humbling to see people work so hard on your behalf it’s crazy.
“I can’t explain how grateful I am.
“And those people are organising these events to benefit two fantastic charities as well.
“The Pied Piper Appeal are a great, local charity that do some fantastic work.
“I’m not surprised that Phil Vickery’s an ambassador for them, with the work they do and the team behind them.
“And also Restart, the charity for injured players.
“Weirdly I chose that charity prior to my injury.
“But they do a huge amount of work for people who find themselves in trouble, through sheer bad luck really.
“None of this would have happened without the commitment of the committee and a lot of people.
“And I just want to reiterate my heartfelt thanks for all of that.”
Gloucester’s coaches will give formal presentations in the next two days as the planning for next season hits overdrive.
And Brown believes it will be a smart way of accelerating that process ahead of Gloucester reporting back for the start of pre-season on June 27.
He added: “I like that approach, that structure is vital for any player, and it’s a great help for someone trying to make the transition into a management role.
“It’s music to my ears that formal style, that’s what I know and what I like to work to.
“But I think it will help focus us all on the importance of what we’re dealing with.
“It’s going to be an intriguing two days, talking about how we react to this year and how we take the next step for next year.
“We’ve got to hit the ground running next season, that will be crucial.
“Last year Nigel came in pretty late and it was a pretty unsettled group before he was able to set up the great environment we have now.
“So next season is all about how we kick on from those firm foundations.
“So those plans and blueprints will be shaped and honed in these two days.
“It was vital that we gained that base and foundation this season, and Nigel has been fantastic in creating that.
“This close season will fly by, I’m sure it will.
“Hopefully I’m here to help smooth along the planning and administration process.”
To book tickets for Alex Brown’s benefit year James Bond Ball, email office@piedpiperappeal.co.uk or call 07989 302541.
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End Illegal Pirate Fishing
Target: Speaker of the House John Boehner
Goal: Ban illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, also known as pirate fishing
Illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, also known as pirate fishing, has damaged the global economy and our marine ecosystem. It occurs in both small and large-scale operations and accounts for about 20% of the world s total catch. Since pirate fishers do not report the actual amount of their catches, this number could be even higher.
Economically, pirate fishing accounts for an estimated $10 billion to $23 billion in global losses annually, with local, honest fisherman taking a major hit.
The governments of these countries lose money from licensing fees, landing fees, and unpaid taxes. Environmentally, the effects are just as damaging. Areas with the most ecological damage are the Gulf of California, coastal east Africa, the Mesoamerican Reef, and the Gal pagos Islands.
Coral reef, tuna, and sea turtles have taken a major blow; in fact, one of the primary reasons for the endangerment of sea turtles is pirate fishing.
Luckily, there is a solution. U.S. Senators Rockefeller (D-WV) and Murkowski (R-AK) introduced two bills: the International Fisheries Stewardship Act and the Pirate Fishing Elimination Act.
If passed, strict measures to prevent and deter illegal fishing would be upheld. Also, misidentifying market fish and fish products would become illegal, which would help keep fish for consumption at top-quality. Please petition Speaker of the House John Boehner and ask him to co-sponsor these acts to protect our economy and those of developing countries, as well as to protect our marine life.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker John Boehner,
Our economy and marine ecosystem are in turmoil.
Illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, or pirate fishing, is a major international issue. Ecological damage to various marine life, including sea turtles, coral reef, and tuna are some of the species that have been affected, with areas of major ecological damage including east Africa, the Mesoamerican Reef, the Gulf of California, and the Gal pagos Islands.
As for the economy, an estimated $10 billion to $23 billion are lost annually from pirate fishing. Our own economy is affected, and the U.S.
cannot afford any more economical damage.
U.S.
Senators Rockefeller (D-WV) and Murkowski (R-AK) introduced two bills (the International Fisheries Stewardship Act and the Pirate Fishing Elimination Act) which will help to put an end to pirate fishing.
I ask that you please support our marine ecosystem, our economy, and the economy of developing countries by co-sponsoring these acts.
Sincerely,
Your Name Here
Photo Credit: P l Julius Skogholt via Wikimedia Commons
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BT Sport aims to tackle Sky head on
BT Sports presenter Jake Humphrey: ‘Premier League football has to be more widely available.’ BT Sport, the new entrant into the pay TV market that plans to take Sky Sports head on, will offer its channels “as good as free” to existing customers in an aggressive bid to challenge the incumbent’s two decades of sport broadcasting dominance.
The broadcaster is expected finally to unveil details of its pricing plan and consumer proposition at an event at its Olympic Park studios , but it is understood that existing BT Broadband customers will be offered a substantial discount as it attempts to use its two new sport channels to woo new customers.
Jake Humphrey, the presenter poached from the BBC to anchor coverage of the 38 live Premier League matches per season, for which it will pay 738m over the next three years, said that part of its mission was to democratise coverage of the top flight and make it more affordable for those who feel priced out by Sky’s stranglehold on the best games.
“The important thing for me is to make it as widely and easily available as possible.
To me, Premier League football has to be more widely available,” he told the Guardian.
“It’s the national game, it’s the league in which all of our national team plays.
People need to be able to get it as good as free.
We want to make it as accessible as possible.” In addition to its Premier League football rights, BT has secured all the live rights to domestic rugby union and the women’s tennis tour.
It has also bought the UK operations of ESPN, which gives it the rights to the FA Cup and Scottish football.
BT face an uphill battle to succeed where Setanta and ESPN have failed, but claim that the 16 “first pick” matches per season will make their two sports channels attractive to subscribers.
A war has already erupted between BT and Sky over the latter’s refusal to take advertising for the new BT channels.
“We are happy to take Sky’s advertising but they seem afraid of taking ours,” said John Petter, managing director of BT Retail’s consumer division, when he submitted a formal complaint to Ofcom.
“It’s like a rottweiler running away from a newborn puppy.” BT is confident that it can strike a deal with Sky to make its channels available through the satellite platform, but will offer big discounts to BT Broadband customers in a bid to counter Sky’s relatively recent incursion into that market.
Humphrey said that BT’s coverage would have a different feel from Sky’s high-octane approach, and would aim to be more inclusive and family-friendly.
Clare Balding has also been hired to front a weekly sport talk show from its new studios on the Olympic Park, on which it has signed a 10-year lease.
Alfredo Garicoche, who is general manager of BT Infinity, BT Sport and TV Marketing, said that the company wanted to reward its customers: “We have had a large customer base from many years, who are loyal to us.
We will imprint into this our own style and we hope people will love it.
“Our idea is to appeal to everyone.
Our style is going to be different.
We like to say it’s sport with colour, sport with fun.
More engaging and approachable, maybe.
We like the word inclusive as well.”
Gloucester Rugby lock Will Graulich signs for Cornish Pirates
ALEX Brown s recommendation helped Will Graulich seal a move to Cornish Pirates for next season.
The 20-year-old Gloucester lock has completed a deal to move to the Championship club, in a bid for regular first-team rugby.
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Alex Brown helped secure a move for Will Graulich to the Cornish Pirates
The former England age-group international spent 2011-12 on loan with Cinderford, before making three first-team Gloucester appearances this season.
But his opportunities have been limited behind the likes of evergreen Will James, new recruit Lua Lokotui, Tom Savage and the fast-developing England Under-20s cap Elliott Stooke.
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With Newcastle s James Hudson on board for next season and Stooke primed to step more regularly into the first-team reckoning, Graulich s opportunities looked limited.
So he will head south to link up with head coach Ian Davies, who admitted Gloucester s new rugby operations manager Brown gave the young lock a ringing endorsement.
Davies said: Will comes highly recommended by Alex Brown at Gloucester and obviously he knows a thing or two about playing in the second row.
Will is a young player with enormous potential and it is our job to make sure he is given the platform to fully reach it.
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Questions over Paul Kimmage Defence Fund
Bradley Wiggins and Paul Kimmage, Revolution 26, December 2009
Confusion surrounds the Paul Kimmage Defence Fund with news that legal action is being taken against one of the trustees, Aaron Brown, for his alleged failure to provide money from or information relating to the fund. The defence fund was set up last September to support Kimmage, the former rider-turned-journalist, when cycling’s world governing body, the UCI, began legal action against him for defamation. It attracted support from throughout the world, and within two months stood at $90,000, with contributions from more than 3,000 individuals.
In October the UCI suspended its action against Kimmage, but the fund remained open. Now, however, some of the money – believed to be around $10,000 – is believed to be unaccounted for. The action against Mr Brown was filed on Monday in the Superior Court for Worcester County, Massachusetts, by Lesli Cohen, editor-in-chief of Cyclismas, a website devoted to cycling satire.
Brown is Cyclismas operations director, but perhaps better known for his spoof Twitter account, UCI Overlord,’ a parody of Pat McQuaid, the UCI president who, with former president Hein Verbruggen, instigated the legal action after Kimmage described them as corrupt. “I am currently engaged in a legal action against Aaron Brown,” said Cohen. “The court proceeding is to supervise the settling of accounts which Mr. Brown has, to date, refused to provide the details of to either myself or Paul Kimmage – with respect to both the Paul Kimmage Defense Fund and the business accounts for Cyclismas.com and its related ventures.
“At no time did either Paul Kimmage or myself ever have control or access to the accounts that held the Paul Kimmage Defense Fund,” Cohen continued. “Aaron Brown maintained sole control of that account, and it was Aaron who disbursed the payments to Paul to pay his attorney’s fees in December. “On Saturday, Paul Kimmage asked Aaron Brown for detailed statements showing the existence of the fund and how much was remaining in the fund. He was not given satisfactory answers by Aaron.
Paul then asked his attorney to request that Aaron either provide access to the Kimmage Defense Fund or transfer the remaining funds into an account under the attorney’s care and control. Aaron refused. “We are now asking the court to compel Aaron to provide a full accounting of all the funds mentioned above and rectify the situation.”
Brown, who relocated to Girona at the start of the year, responded by email to the claim that some of the money is missing: “It is incorrect that some of the funds have gone missing. “Due to US tax law, there was an issue of liability, which I have assumed due to the request of the others who have been involved. The fund was originally deposited into a Cyclismas account which also had other business functions.
It has been subsequently been placed into another account to prevent any confusion.”
Paul Kimmage did not respond to our questions.
Warrior Lutui joins Edinburgh
Alex Lutui: Joining Edinburgh in the summer Edinburgh have signed Tonga international hooker Aleki Lutui from Worcester on a two-year deal.
Lutui, a huge favourite at Sixways, played 186 games for Worcester – only three men have played more games for the club.
He was named Warrior-of-the-Year by his team-mates after the 2010-11 Championship-winning campaign, and played for Tonga in the 2007 and 2011 World Cup.
His final game at Sixways came against Harlequins on Saturday when he replaced Ed Shervington at half-time.
Warriors Rugby Operations Director Corin Palmer said: “We thank Aleki for his efforts and dedication during his time at Worcester Warriors.
“The fact that he has played so many games for this club illustrates just how influential he has been over the years and his professionalism is a credit to rugby.
“Aleki will always be regarded as a club legend here and we wish him every success at Edinburgh.”
Ryan appointed by Worcester
Dean Ryan: Appointed by Worcester as director of rugby Worcester have appointed Dean Ryan as their new director of rugby.
The 46-year-old, Ryan, who spent four years as head coach at Gloucester from 2005 to 2009, will begin his new role with Warriors following their final game of the season against London Welsh.
He recently played a part in the Scotland coaching team during this season’s Six Nations, where he helped them secure their highest finish in the competition for seven years.
During his playing days as a number eight, Ryan won four England caps and represented Saracens, Wasps, Newcastle and Bristol.
Ryan’s appointment comes a day after the departure of Richard Hill as Warriors head coach after almost three seasons in charge.
Rugby operations director Corin Palmer will now take charge of the side, who are safe from relegation, for the last two league games of the season against Harlequins on Saturday and London Welsh on 4 May.
Goss replaces Lowe at McLaren
Sky Bet Formula 1 Betting Retrieving latest Sky Bet odds Formula 1 Betting 10 Free Bet McLaren have appointed Tim Goss as their new Technical Director, replacing Paddy Lowe who has been strongly linked with a move to Mercedes in 2014.
Goss joined the Woking-based team in 1990 and has led car design operations since being promoted to Director of Engineering in January 2011.
He will take up his new role with immediate effect with McLaren confirming Lowe will continue with the company before embarking on “a fresh challenge in 2014.” It is widely expected that Lowe will be joining Mercedes amidst fresh reports this week that he will miss the season-opening Australia GP after being put on gardening leave.
“I’m delighted to have been offered the Technical Directorship of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – one of the most prestigious positions in global sport – and I’m greatly looking forward to making a significant contribution to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes’ on-going success in that role,” Goss said.
“As before, I’ll be leading our car design operations, while continuing the process of evolving and improving our technical and engineering function in collaboration with Martin Whitmarsh, Jonathan Neale, Sam Michael, Neil Oatley and the rest of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes’ hugely experienced technical and engineering team.” Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh says Gross’s experience will help McLaren stay at the front of the grid and confirmed the exit of Paddy Lowe.
“It’s a little-known fact, for example, that over the past 23 years he’s made crucial technical and engineering contributions to the winning of five of McLaren’s 12 Drivers’ World Championships and three of McLaren’s eight Constructors’ World Championships, and that he’s been the principal definer and developer of McLaren’s F1 car design function for more than five years,” Whitmarsh said.
“In line with what Tim has said, I firmly believe that our technical and engineering team is the best in the F1 business, and that its strength in depth has always been and will continue to be an important element of our on-track success.
“Paddy Lowe will be performing a different role within McLaren until the end of the year.
He’s been a good and successful F1 Technical Director, and we wish him well when he embarks on a fresh challenge in 2014.”
Dryml returning to the Aces
Belle Vue stars: Ales Drmyl will be back with the Aces this season Belle Vue have made Czech Republic World Cup captain Ales Dryml their fourth signing for the new Elite League season.
Dryml returns on a 4.58 average after spending the bulk of last season at Kirkmanshulme Lane and will slot in at reserve alongside Kauko Nieminen.
Manager Jason Attwood said: “I enjoyed working with Ales last season and it also worked well when we gave him the captaincy later in the season.
I am pleased that we will have such a powerful reserve pairing this year.” Aces Operations Director Chris Morton has also revealed that Sweden’s former GP star Magnus Zetterstrom is among the riders the club are talking to about a team place.
Heathrow may be hit by Olympic strike after border staff vote for action
Border control at Heathrow airport.
Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA Wire/Press Association Images Border officials have voted for industrial action, raising the spectre of strikes affecting passport queues at Heathrow during the busiest days of the Olympics.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union have agreed to a one-day strike as well as an ongoing work-to-rule in protest against eroded pay and working conditions and the privatisation of civil service jobs, and to highlight what they describe as a “public service falling apart at the seams”.
The Border Force is already stretched with supplementary staff enlisted to ensure there is no repeat of the reported three- or four-hour waits that made embarrassing headlines internationally earlier this year.
Emergency staff drafted in by the Home Office took the place of striking officials during action in May and last November.
But while those strikes did not lead to significant extra queues, the PCS claims that untrained replacements waved through many passport holders to avoid lines building up.
And Theresa May, already under fire for the G4S Olympic security fiasco where police and soldiers have had to step in for absent guards, will not wish to face further questions over security.
The PCS has balloted almost 16,000 members, who represent the majority of Home Office employees, in the Identity and Passport service, the Criminal Records Bureau and the Border Agency.
Around 5,500 PCS members are employed directly in the border operations, and others in the Home Office are supplementing the normal staff during the Games.
The union will decide what action to take and must give seven days’ notice of a strike, which could potentially mean pulling immigration officials off duty the day before the Olympic opening ceremony a date forecast by Heathrow as the peak day for sponsors and international media to arrive.
The PCS general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said any disruption was justified, claiming government cuts were leaving Home Office services particularly customs lanes at the borders massively understaffed.
“This is not about the Olympics.
What the government is doing by papering over the cracks is much more irresponsible.
If it takes this action to highlight the reckless way they are carrying on, that’s what we’ll do.
Public service delivery in the Home Office is falling apart at the seams under the cuts agenda.” Last week the chief inspector of borders and immigration, John Vine, warned that temporary staff were processing passengers more slowly while asking fewer questions, and had received only basic training.
The immigration minister, Damian Green, said: “I call on the union to call off this irresponsible proposed strike.
The security of the UK border is of the utmost importance and we will use our trained pool of contingency staff to ensure we minimise any disruption caused by planned union action.
Any action that disrupts the Olympics will be completely unacceptable and the public will not support it.” Meanwhile, a further bus strike during the Olympics was averted after workers voted to accept a bonus payment of up to 577 for full-time employees.
Peter Kavanagh, Unite’s regional secretary, said: “Bus workers finally have a fair deal which recognises their contribution to keeping London moving over the Olympics.
They would have been offered nothing by their employers and TfL would have done nothing unless bus workers took action to force them round the negotiating table.”
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