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Ben Jackson

@jacksobc.bsky.social

2K followers 2.6K following 2.5K posts

Welsh. Former central banker. Mostly skeeting about my cooking and LFC. Mostly. He/him. Almost died once and I wrote about my accident and the role Zwift had in my rehabilitation: https://zwiftinsider.com/the-fresh-puncheur-of-watopia/

zwiftinsider.com

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Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 7m

Matthew Syed on Question Time. Strap in, folks! #BBCQT

Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 19m

My brother is staying so I cooked him a big plate of lamb chops with chilli and salt. 🍜🍽️ #foodsky

It’s a photo of a white plate piled high with lamb chops. They’re a deep brown colour, and they’ve been finished in a wok with loads of garlic, chilli (green and red), spring onion, and a Sichuan peppercorn and salt mix.

Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 23m

Yeah, there are peaceful protests every single day in Amsterdam. Tel Aviv fans came to town, tore down flags and generally caused chaos. When there were consequences for those fans, it was reported like it was a pogrom. It was just football hooligans being football hooligans.

Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 32m

I was in Amsterdam for the Maccabi Tel Aviv attacks. The West Midlands Police and Aston Villa have done exactly the right thing by banning away fans.

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Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 8h

Once upon a time, a first class train ticket here used to come with free food and drinks/alcohol. Now it’s just an expensive seat and another way to extract even more money from you. Rail travel in the UK is consistently terrible.

Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 8h

I was fascinated by this bit. He’s a self-proclaimed dimwit, but smart enough so it’s not immediately obvious what side he comes down on with the flag wavers, although if he’s upset with someone being arrested for xenophobic tweets, I’ve got a good guess…

"I'm not massive on reading politics," Shelvey said. "I just see some of the things that go on.

"I see people getting arrested for tweeting and, then, all of the flags and 'taking back the country.

"I'm not going to sit here and comment on things like that because I'm not clever enough to, and I'll get myself into trouble if I carry on, but I just feel that the UK isn't what it was 10 to 15 years ago."

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Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 14h

The FT limit the number of clicks. Here’s the full article.

Top US financiers have warned of an erosion in lending standards after credit markets were shaken by the collapse of First Brands Group and Tricolor Holdings.

Apollo Global Management chief executive Marc Rowan said the unravelling of the two businesses followed years in which lenders had sought out riskier borrowers.
"It does not surprise me that we are seeing late-cycle accidents," Rowan said on Tuesday.

"I think it's a desire to win in a competitive market that sometimes leads to shorteuts."

Last month's failure of First Brands and subprime auto lender Tricolor has reverberated across credit markets and left investors such as Blackstone and PGIM, as well as major banks including Jefferies, nursing heavy losses.

It has also prompted further scrutiny of bank loans, private debt markets and the lack of transparency around borrowers, which tend to be highly levered with debt.

"In some of these more levered credits, there's been a willingness to cut corners," Rowan told the Financial Times Private Capital Summit in London.

Both Rowan and Blackstone president
Jonathan Gray pointed the finger at banks for having amassed exposure to First Brands and Tricolor, but said the collapses were not signs of a systemic issue. "What's interesting is both of those were bank-led processes," Gray told the same FT conference, rejecting "100 per cent" the "idea that this was a canary in the coal mine" or a systemic problem.

Far from championing First Brands, Apollo went so far as to build a short position against debt linked to the group prior to its collapse, meaning it would profit if the company failed to repay loans. "Most of the announced holders of risk are, in fact, financial institutions," said Rowan.

Banks and private capital firms have been at odds in recent years as businesses have increasingly turned to private credit for their borrowing needs. Traditional lenders have labelled the shift regulatory arbitrage and complained that non-bank financial institutions are too lightly regulated.

But First Brands and Tricolor have exposed how both sides are intertwined through complex financial structures that can obfuscate who holds the underwriting risk, especially as bank lenders aim to maintain their market share.

JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon echoed some of the concerns on Tuesday as the bank reported strong earnings that were marred by a $170mn hit from Tricolor's collapse.

"My antenna goes up when things like that happen. I probably shouldn't say this but when you see one cockroach there are probably more," he said. "There clearly was, in my opinion, fraud involved in a bunch of these things, but that doesn't mean we can't improve our procedures," he added, acknowledging that the Tricolor exposure "was not our finest moment"

Meanwhile, the IMF on Tuesday called for regulators to focus on bank exposure to the sector, noting that "banks are increasingly lending to private credit funds because these loans often deliver higher returns on equity than traditional commercial and industrial
lending".

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Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 23h

I’m sorry, that really is shit

Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 23h

It baffles me that that can be legal! I work for a Texas based company so I get the whole employed at will stuff, but still, that’s maddening!

Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 23h

Jamie Dimon is terrible on a lot of subjects, but this does make me think about how I can short the US economy. Gift link: on.ft.com/4nT0cQg

Top US financiers sound alarm on lending standards

Apollo’s Marc Rowan warns of ‘willingness to cut corners’

on.ft.com

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Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah, no official prices yet, although FIFA have said that there will be (a few?) $60 group stage tickets available. Looks like dynamic pricing with no minimums for all knock out games…

www.si.com/soccer/2026-...

2026 World Cup Tickets: Staggering Prices For Group Stage Through to Final Revealed

The majority of tickets for the tournament will run into hundreds and, eventually thousands, of dollars.

www.si.com

Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 1d

Doesn’t quite answer your question, but this is a good article, which also talks about the use of dynamic pricing. Seems these are the prices that the winners of the first ballot are reporting.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

World Cup tickets: 2026 USA tournament prices, visas and security explained

BBC Sport explores the issues which could make fans feel less than welcome when the World Cup takes place in the United States next year.

www.bbc.co.uk

Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 1d

And Qatar was up on Russia as well.

The price list for the 2018 World Cup in Russia

FIFA WORLD CUP
RUSSIA 2018
BUY TICKETS
MATCH
CAT 1
CAT 2
CAT 3
CAT 4*
OPENING MATCH (N° 1)
USD 550
USD 390
USD 220
RUB 3 200
GROUP MATCHES (N° 2 TO 48)
USD 210
USD 165
USD 105
RUB 1280
ROUND OF 16 (N° 49 TO 56)
USD 245
USD 185
USD 115
RUB 2 240
QUARTER-FINALS (N° 57 TO 60)
USD 365
USD 255
USD 175
RUB 3 800
SEMI-FINALS (N° 61 TO 62)
USD 750
USD 480
USD 285
RUB 4 480
3*°/4™ PLACE MATCH (N° 63)
USD 365
USD 255
USD 175
RUB 3 800
FINAL (N° 64)
USD 1100
USD 710
USD 455
RUB 7040

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Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 3d

He’s been railing against his various business daddies for a long time now:

youtu.be/cseF-q2CkV0?...

The Bugle to LWT: John Oliver vs Business Daddy since 2011

YouTube video by They Call Us Legends

youtu.be

Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 3d

Yeah, he’s consistently good. He’s like Jon Bernthal, you know you’re going to get a good hard man performance.

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Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 4d

Caught up with Peacemaker S2 and, sure, a show just to promote a movie two years away… But mostly I was thinking about whether Frank Grillo could actually be Joel Kinnaman’s dad. Just about! Somehow Frank Grillo is 60, the same age as John Thaw when he died. Like a different species. 📺

Certified beefcake Frank Grillo dressed all in black leaning on the backs of two black leather chairs. There’s a hint of gray in his hair, but somehow this guy is 60 years old.

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Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 6d

“Fuck the casual viewer / reader” is one of my favourite quotes and always indicates that David Simon is at his best.

David Simon @audacityofdespair.bsky.social · 6d

Never. Signaling sarcasm or parody ruins it for the rest of us. The necessary cost of sarcasm is that 5-8 percent of any audience will remain in the wilderness. We pay that cost and simply hope the morons somehow endure.

Reposted by Ben Jackson

Laura Lexx @lauralexx.bsky.social · 6d

Yeah.

The front cover of my book - Klopp Actually

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Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 6d

I agree, but also Gry Larsen did post this photo of herself five years ago.

It’s a photo of Gry Larsen from Facebook. It features a red cap, MAGA-style, reading MAKE HUMAN RIGHTS GREAT AGAIN.

Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 6d

“When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.”

Surely the Portland Frog is a shoo-in for the Nobel Peace Prize next year. #Trump

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Reposted by Ben Jackson

Barry Glendenning @barryglendenning.bsky.social · 9d

Simon Jordan on TalkSport, unchallenged yet again.

As a Talksport employee, I am embarrassed by this rebuttal of what Neville said. This moron pontificates without question. It is bonkers.

And yeah, i'll probably be sacked. Fuck it.

youtube.com/watch?v=FrXr...

"APPALLING STANCE!" Simon Jordan rages at "COWARD" Gary Neville after Union Jack REMOVAL admission!

YouTube video by talkSPORT

youtube.com

150 170 1.1K

Reposted by Ben Jackson

Matt Green @mattgreencomedy.com · 10d

Meeting two potential American refugees from Denver…

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Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 10d

What’s very funny about this, and is so often the case with these jingoistic, flag-waving types, is that they got the union flag wrong on the cover of their shitty book. 🇬🇧

Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 14d

Brexiters, including Lord David Frost, John Redwood, Steve Baker and Jacob Rees-Mogg are awfully excited about this.

Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 11d

Thank Goodness You’re Here! is such a terrific game. Like Untitled Goose Game but Northern and crammed full of innuendo. Proper laugh out loud stuff. A perfect way to spend a Sunday evening 🎮🕹️

It’s a promotional image for the game, Thank Goodness You’re Here! Set against a blue, cloudy sky is a motley array of colourful characters. They’re all the people in the town you need to help out while they make smutty jokes.

Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 11d

It’s so hard to watch fascism in the US unfold before our eyes.