England

Nature Wow, this is grim. From an ABC News affiliate in Arkansas: "In recent months our Seven-On-Your-Side office got several complaints that we had never heard before. People were voluntarily giving their horses to what they believed would be a "forever home," only to now have serious second thoughts about the wisdom of their decision. We went to Johnson County... where these horses should be living out their days. The real story is not what we found...but what we failed to find. We didn't find a lush 60 acres. We didn't find plenty of hay. And most importantly...we didn't find any of the horses in question." I think you can tell that this doesn't end well. Poor horses.

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History Four days before he met his fate, John F Kennedy visited Tampa Bay. It was an unremarkable stop, and if the President hadn't lost his life a few days later would have gone unremarked. But a researcher, Lynn Marvin Dingfelder, is determined to illuminate why it was important for the people of Tampa with a new film: “I want this to be about the joyous time he spent in our city,” Dingfelder added. “I don’t want this to be about mourning and conspiracy theories.” She's researching and collecting recollections of the visit for a documentary. The response has already, apparently been excellent, but on the off chance that someone in the area does read this blog (you never know) (I fail to be surprised by anything these days) the full details of how to make contact are here.

Emirates Stadium side set to begin hunt for summer additions. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts Arsene Wenger is readying moves to bring in a trio of top talents having seen his Arsenal side secure the all important Champions League spot the Gunners boss needed in order to be able to lure his 'A-Team' of targets. The Arsenal manager had drawn up and alternative collection of targets, which would have seen the North London club have a lesser transfer war-chest to invest this summer, but is now set to move ahead with advanced negotiations as Wenger looks to bring in new signings as early as possible. Top of his list of priorities is the need to strengthen a strike-force that sorely misses Robin Van Persie and with that in mind Wenger has been in lengthy talks with Fiorentina with regards to signing Montenegro striker Stevan Jovetic. Arsenal are said to be closing in on a deal to bring in the 23 year old, who has reportedly already agreed terms on a £100k a week contract, and only the matter of the Serie A side's valuation said to be a minor stumbling block. Vincenzo Montella's side failed to secure a Champions League spot and as such have seemingly lost any hope of keeping hold of the in-form forward who has netted 13 top tier goals this season. Olivier Giroud has failed to provide a prolific enough option up front, scoring just 11 goals in 34 Premier League matches this season, however Wenger doesn't wish to sell the French international, or fellow summer signing Lukas Podolski, and hopes Jovetic will offer able support to his Arsenal attack. Arsenal's need for a defensive midfielder will see Wenger look to take advantage of Lyon's continuing financial problems by bidding for French battler Maxime Gonalons. The 24 year old is a regular in the French national team set-up and may well be tempted by a move to the Emirates Stadium having represented his hometown club since the age of ten. Wenger will hope to persuade the Ligue 1 side to sell, a distinct possibility given Lyon's well documented financial problems, stemming from years of overspending and leading to the sales of a number of high-profile players, most recently Hugo Lloris, Aly Cissokho and Kim Kallstrom leaving last summer, so the North London club's offer may well tempt owner Jean-Michel Aulas to sell. Victor Valdes is another player on Wenger's 'A-List' and the Barcelona keeper has recently reaffirmed his desire to leave the Nou Camp and with the Spanish international having just a year to run on his current contract it is likely the Catalan side will elect to sell the experienced custodian this summer to avoid losing the 31 year old on a free transfer at the end of 2013/14. Wojciech Szczesny has been shaky this term and Wenger is keen to bring in a safe pair of hands that will in turn give his defence more confidence. Valdes is considered one of the best keepers in Europe and Arsene Wenger will hope to lure the Barcelona man to the Emirates Stadium when the Spanish league season comes to an end in early June. Victor Valdes has made 500 appearances for Barcelona, helping the La Liga side to six domestic titles and three Champions League successes. Arsene Wenger's final target comes in the form of right-back Daryl Janmaat, who the Arsenal boss has been scouting for some months. The 23 year old full-back has been impressive since moving from Heerenveen to Feyenoord last summer. With Bacary Sagna's contractual negotiations continuing to stall and the French defender having not been all that consistent this term, Wenger is ready to listen to offers for the Arsenal man but still sees youngster Carl Jenkinson as a potential long term replacement but wishes to bring in another option who can challenge the Dutch international for a starting spot. Janmaat may feel a high-profile move will greatly aid his push for a more prominent role in Louis Van Gaal's national team set-up, which he may see as especially important with a World Cup Fi

Spanish giants release statement confirming Mourinho exit. Check in to Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid Real Madrid club president Fiorentino Perez has confirmed that they will be parting company with manager Jose Mourinho at the end of this season, according to the Guardian. The 50-year-old has had a difficult year with the Bernebeu club, failing to win a major trophy in a season for the first time in his career, and is widely tipped to be replaced by PSG boss Carlo Ancelotti. Mourinho, meanwhile, will now be free to talk to Chelsea, as he seems likely to be heading back to Stamford Bridge after a six year absence, to replace departing interim manager Rafael Benitez. Perez said: "We have decided to bring our relationship to an end at the end of the current season. The club and manager agree the timing is right to bring our relationship to an end. "On behalf of the board of directors I would like to thank José Mourinho for all his hard work over the last three years. The team have improved in the last three years and we wish him all the best." Mourinho won two league titles in his time at Chelsea, but left the club in 2007 after falling out with owner Roman Abramovich, though the two now seem happy to work together again. The Portuguese tactician went on to enjoy further success at Inter Milan, winning the Champions League in his second season at the San Siro, before being chosen to take over at Real Madrid. He led Real to the title last season, but has failed to follow up his success this time round, and has fallen out with a number of the players in his squad.

Under the Shadow of the Drone by James Bridle, Brighton seafront. Photo by Roberta Mataityte I closed my report of the exhibition The Air Itself is One Vast Library on the promise that i'd come back to my last visit to Brighton with a few words about the crime scene-style outline of a drone that James Bridle painted on the city seafront. Under the Shadow of the Drone, commissioned by The Lighthouse, is a one-to-one representation of one of the military drones piloted remotely to strike targets in distant areas of the world. The aerial attacks they conduct leave hundreds of people dead, many of them innocent civilians. The controversy surrounding unmanned aerial vehicles has been recently intensified in the UK with the news that pilots at Waddington (Lincolnshire) are now working in relay with the military in the US to remotely operate American Reaper drones in Afghanistan. For Bridle, what matters is not so much the drone in itself but the 'black box' side of contemporary warfare technology. "I have a political interest in drones as well, but beyond that, they stand for all aspects of these invisible technologies that have a great effect on the world but are kind of largely hidden from view," he told the Creatorsproject. Installing Under the Shadow of the Drone by James Bridle. Photo by Roberta Mataityte Installing Under the Shadow of the Drone by James Bridle. Photo by Roberta Mataityte We might read about drones, get horrified by the way they monitor, gather intelligence, destroy and kill but we still cannot fully understand them, simply because we don't see them properly, even people who are directly affected by them hardly ever get a chance to see UAVs. Under the Shadow of the Drone suddenly brings drones into our daily life. I had intended to write down the notes i took during a talk that James Bridle gave last month in Brussels for The Digital Now series of events but The Lighthouse has recently uploaded on youtube a similar talk that the designer gave to the Brighton audience. I highly recommend it. It is both entertaining and chilling. Bridle explains in detail his research into drones and more generally his investigation into the way we perceive and understand technology. He analyzes how the most reproduced 'photo' of a Reaper drone is actually a photoshopped image that first emerged in a forum for 3D modeling hobbyists, he discusses the Disposition Matrix and the escalating assassination program which tracks and kills suspects militant terrorists in other part of the world, etc. He also illustrates his research by explaining briefly some of his own projects such as Dronestagram: A Drone's Eye View which collects images of locations of drone attacks along with a description of the carnage they incur and A Quiet Disposition, a software system that is constantly scanning the web for news reports on Disposition Matrix and drones and finding links between them. James Bridle - Meet The Artist presentation on 9 May at The Lighthouse in Brighton This much shorter video brings the spotlight on Under the Shadow of the Drone: The most reproduced image of a drone firing a missile is actually the work of a 3D modelling hobbyist Protesters hold up a burning mock drone aircraft during a rally against drone attacks in Pakistan (Credit: Reuters/K. Pervez) Image Under the Shadow of the Drone by James Bridle, Brighton seafront. Photo by Roberta Mataityte Installing Under the Shadow of the Drone by James Bridle. Photo by Roberta Mataityte Installing Under the Shadow of the Drone by James Bridle. Photo by Roberta Mataityte Under the Shadow of the Drone remains on view on the Brighton seafront, five minutes' walk east from the Brighton Wheel (do stop by The Lighthouse, they'll hand you a map with the location of the shadow) until May 26, 2013. The work was produced by Lighthouse and Brighton Festival. Previously: The Digital Now - 'Drones / Birds: Princes of Ubiquity', The Air Itself is One Vast Librar

Liverpool's search for a new left-back could mean Enrique is available this summer. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts Southampton are rumoured to be lining up a £5million bid for Liverpool's Jose Enrique, as they prepare for a summer exit from the club of in-demand youngster Luke Shaw. The 17-year-old left-back has been a revelation for the Saints this season, establishing himself as one of England's most promising young players with his displays at St Mary's, and attracting strong interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham. The London trio are expected to bid for the youngster, who is the latest exciting young talent to come through the ranks of Southampton's famous youth academy, following in the footsteps of the likes of Gareth Bale, Theo Waclott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Liverpool are not currently in for him, but are looking for a new left-back this summer, having already found themselves linked with Tottenham's Danny Rose, who is also wanted on a permanent deal by Sunderland where he has just completed a season on loan, as well as highly rated Toulouse defender Aymen Abdennour. This apparently suggests that Enrique is not in Brendan Rodgers' first team plans next season, and could be available if the right offers come in for the former Newcastle man. Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino is keen to strengthen his squad next season, particular if star player Shaw leaves, and is said to be looking at several players from La Liga, where he has previously managed with Espanyol. However, his liking of Spanish players could also see him move for the Premier League-based Enrique. The 27-year-old is an experienced defender, capable at the back as well as going forward and could certainly be a good signing for Southampton as they look to establish themselves in their second season since winning promotion to the Premier League. Sadly, they are used to losing their best young players like Shaw, who will likely choose a move to Chelsea after admitting he is a boyhood Blues fan, though he may also fancy his chances of more first team football at Tottenham, who are looking for a left-back to replace Danny Rose and Benoit Assou-Ekotto, who are both likely to be sold. Shaw would have to work his way past Ashley Cole at Stamford Bridge, which is no easy job even for a player of his ability, and the club don't have a great recent record of handing opportunities to young players.

United may land Italian international this summer. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts Juventus may be willing to listen to offers from Manchester United for star player Claudio Marchisio this summer, according to the Daily Express. The Italian international has been identified by Sir Alex Ferguson and now by David Moyes as a good long-term replacement in midfield for the retiring Paul Scholes. The 27-year-old has been at Juventus for his whole career, and has established himself as a key member of their team, particularly in their recent title-winning seasons. However, with Juve manager Antonio Conte keen to strengthen his squad this summer to help push for a third consecutive Serie A title as well as progress further in the Champions League, it is thought that he may sign a number of players that would threaten Marchisio's place in his starting lineup. The club could then listen to offers from United, who are said to be willing to offer around £30million for the midfielder, as they look to strengthen in that position with Scholes retiring and Anderson possibly leaving. Marchisio's Juve team-mate Arturo Vidal has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford, though the Chilean committed his future to the Italian giants.

Injury-prone midfielder earns England call-up. Check in to England vs Republic of Ireland Manchester City midfielder Jack Rodwell has been called up by Roy Hodgson for his latest England squad, Sky Sports have reported. The 22-year-old has represented his country twice before at senior level, and is widely regarded as something of a wasted talent in the Premier League due to his repeated problems with injuries. The former Everton man has hardly featured for Manchester City this season, after joining the club for £12million last summer, but finished the season on a high note with two fine goals in his side's 3-2 defeat against Norwich City at the Etihad Stadium. He will now hope to feature in England's friendly games against Brazil and the Republic of Ireland and joins Reading goalkeeper Alex McCarthy as a somewhat surprise call-up. The England squad in full is as follows: Goalkeepers: Ben Foster, Joe Hart, Alex McCarthy. Defenders: Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Phil Jagielka, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott, Kyle Walker. Midfielders: Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Jack Rodwell. Forwards: Andy Carroll, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck.

Italian boss confirms he will be leaving Napoli this summer. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts Napoli boss Walter Mazzarri has shocked the club’s fans by announcing that he will be leaving the club this summer according to TuttoSport. Mazzarri has enjoyed a successful campaign with the Serie A giants, leading them to a second place finish in Serie A. But it is thought that Mazzarri was somewhat disappointed with the nine point gap between Napoli and league winners Juventus and has decided he has taken the club as far as he can. The Italian boss made the announcement following the completion of the club’s game against Roma during the weekend. The news is likely to be of interest to a number of top European sides with many expecting some of the club’s best players to leave now that Mazzarri has confirmed his departure. Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani has been linked with a number of top European sides over recent weeks and it is thought that his chances of leaving will have increased even more following the news of Mazzarri’s departure. Cavani has been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, PSG and Real Madrid over the last few weeks. Slovakian midfielder Marek Hamsik is also widely expected to leave the Serie A giants this summer.