Embed from Getty Images I felt a little guilty after I posted TISM's (He'll never be an) Ol' Man River. Hadn't River Phoenix died tragically young and hadn't I enjoyed Stand By Me when it came out? But I was going through a phase in connection with my own childhood at the time. Though it's now overlain by two levels of nostalgia - the baby boomer nostalgia in which it was steeped by its makers and the nostalgia of today's parents, who first saw it when they were children - Stand By Me is not a good film. If you ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: It was a decision that meant that he no longer had to bear the burden of hope. So, we come to the latest novelisation of the latest Doctor Who episode. (For the record, the shortest ever interval between the broadcast of a new episode and the novelisation being published was The Five Doctors, where Terrance Dicks' book was available in the shops the day before the story was broadcast.) Paul Cornell has the longest record of writing Doctor Who among the four authors of the new novelisations, having started with the third of the New ...
Would I rather... Download music // buy a CD Neither. I use spotify for most actual listening, having been burnt by the Microsoft Music thing I will not pay to "own" music that can be taken away from me, so I won't buy downloads... but Spotify is OK, because it's like paying a membership fee to a library. If I really like something I'll buy it on vinyl, and then I have a permanent copy that's mine and can;t be taken off me. Use MP3 player // Use CD Player Mobile phone with Spotify app and good headphones, most often. ...
Someone said writing down your feelings and thoughts can help - so here we are - one month on. I never thought that a month ago today, my life would change in the way it did. It was completely out of the blue and unexpected. From a moment of celebration came a wake-up call that will live with me forever. One of my closest friend's hen party took place on Saturday 21st April. The warm spring weather was the perfect day for the celebrations, although maybe not to be in a kitchen in a cookery class baking gingerbread and icing ...
It is Day Two of the first test match of the summer; already, England have found a way to massively disappoint. They won the toss and elected to bat, on what was a windy, overcast day; it was as if Root had decided to bat first if he could the week before and no acts of God were going change his determination. Hearing this on the radio yesterday morning, my immediate thought was "They'll be 100-5 sometime shortly after lunch". I was being a tad cynical: England only ended up 100-4. They were all out for 184 long before the ...
New details on "help" for the Windrush generation - unsurprisingly turns out to be meanspirited racist fuckery"the status document [which they can be rejected for and don't get automatically] will not be accepted to prove a person's right to work, rent or access services and benefits in [the hostile environment], but can be used at a later date as part of a UK passport application, which would be at their own cost." Uber car 'had six seconds to respond' in fatal crash"I've seen a woman. She's crossing the road. Shall I stop? Nah, I think I'll run her over" - ...
Kirsty Williams is the Lib Dem representative in the world of Government at the moment and she's doing great liberal things. This week, she announced that Welsh schoolchildren will receive inclusive sex and relationship education from the time they start school. From Walesonline The new version - which will see the topic become relationships and sexuality education (RSE) - places an emphasis on "forming and maintaining healthy, happy and fulfilling relationships". Announcing the change the Welsh Government added: "Learners will also be given a much broader understanding of sexuality that is fully inclusive of LGBTQI+ learners and includes wider issues ...
Liberal Democrat party members have selected Barry Holliday to be their new Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, succeeding long-term activist and councillor Lucy Care.
Thu, 12:25: RT @JunckerEU: When #Bulgaria took its rightful place in our Union, the #Cyrillic alphabet also took its rightful place at the heart of Eur... Thu, 12:56: Blog: Sir Ivan Rogers' speech text in full https://t.co/u2V66Nl6EU Brilliant stuff. Thu, 15:17: RT @POLITICOEurope: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was reportedly fooled by pranksters Lexus and Vovan in an 18-minute phone conve... Thu, 16:05: On the referendum #25: a letter to Tory MPs & donors on the Brexit shambles - Dominic Cummings's Blog... https://t.co/ghpdAQ5Pje Thu, 16:27: Hypocrisy on Galileo. https://t.co/r7L0Ediiqv Thu, 18:51: Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor, by Steven ...
Jeremy Corbyn's decision to require all future Labour nominees to the House of Lords to sign up to abolition of the unelected second chamber is very welcome, but on past evidence the problem lies not in the other place (as MPs describe it) but with MPs themselves. As the Guardian records, the Labour leader, who is a long-time advocate of replacing the upper house with an elected chamber, has already made the pledge a condition for the appointment of three new peers announced on Friday. However, when it came to the crunch in 2012 and Nick Clegg needed the support ...
The most fun any Lib Dem member can have on a day that isn't Eurovision or Christmas or a new series of Doctor Who is Conference. Registration is now open for this year's 4 day bash in Brighton from 15-18 September. The registration page on the website isn't yet open, but members should have received an email inviting them to register. The process is really quick and easy. I've done it in 5 minutes this morning. As you register you get the chance to donate to the Conference Access Fund, which makes Conference possible for people who wouldn't otherwise be ...
When I was younger, there used to be a big advert up in the middle of the Kingfisher Shopping Centre proclaiming that Redditch was 'at the hub of England'. By the time I reached the town, the advert (and the part of the shopping centre it used to be in) had long gone, and having spent so long walking through first Scotland, then the north of England, I was sure that it couldn't really be as central as that old slogan had made it sound. In fact, it did turn out to be almost halfway between that point where I ...
Welcome to EnglandIt started raining almost as soon as I crossed the border. I could have stopped and enjoyed the symbolism, but instead I carried on, making my first departure from the Pennine Way almost as soon as I'd joined in to take some shelter in the little outcrop of the Kielder Forest that led down into Byrness. I didn't realise at the time, but this was a signal about how my relationship with the Pennine Way was going to be over the coming weeks — followed occasionally, but mostly avoided in favour of a better idea. Back in one of my ...
So, here's something I don't think many English people are really aware of: Scotland is huge. I mean, I knew it was far away — I'd once driven from Swansea to Edinburgh, been to Glasgow a few times, but never really comprehended just how much of Scotland there is beyond the Central Belt. So, when looking through accounts of End-To-End walks before I set off I was somewhat surprised at how much of them was about getting through Scotland, but out some of that down to people (who were normally heading up from the south) just getting slower as they got past ...
Some of you may already know this about me, but for those of you who don't, here's my most unlikely and unexpected accomplishment: in the summer of 2006, I walked from John O'Groats to Land's End. To answer your questions: yes, it is a long way; yes, it did take a while; no, I didn't actually get too many blisters; and, to raise money for the Brain Research Trust. Well, the last one needs a bit of unpacking. Back in 1998, my brother Simon was diagnosed with a brain tumour and had an operation to remove it, and that operation, ...
It is so satisfying to say: "I told you so." It is also very annoying. It is, however, one of my life goals to be as annoying as possible to President Donald Trump and his misguided followers. Being honest, however, I must admit that I am voicing the four-word admonition early in the Korean diplomatic ballet. This leaves me vulnerable to a devastating return volley of "I told you so's" from the legion of Trump supporters. I am willing to risk it. It is no surprise that the Trump-Kim summit scheduled for Singapore in June is likely to be postponed ...
I remember some years ago a TV documentary called 'why do people hate Ryanair'. I found it so influential that I never flew with them afterwards. What particularly struck me was the way they hid the free or cheap options on their website. It was as if this had confirmed what was otherwise an uneasy [...] The post By their ticket machines shall you know them appeared first on Radix.
Fri 25th
08:01
Merseytravel – Did Merseytram knock the stuffing out of innovative/progressive transport plann...
The now Transport Committee of Liverpool City Region was previously know as Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority and Executive and it had (around 10 years ago or more) an unfortunate dabble in trying to bring a modern tramway system into being for Merseyside. These were the proposed Merseytram routes serving eastern and south Liverpool Indeed, the whole project failed when the last Labour Government pulled the plug on funding following all kinds of rescue attempts by Merseyside politicians to keep it afloat. Tram tracks had even been purchased and were stored at Hull docks if recall correctly. This promotional Merseytram bookmark ...
The next West End community police surgeries take place next Monday - details below and all residents welcome :
Seven by-elections this week, but only six on the Thursday as Tamworth unusually is holding its on a Friday, which strictly speaking is a delayed election due to the death of Sarah Walters, the Green Party candidate, in the run-up to the scheduled May election. That extra day was not enough, alas, to find a Liberal Democrat candidate for the contest so it's a case of six out of seven contests having a Lib Dem this time round. Liberal Democrat GAIN Aylsham (Broadland) from Conservative. — Britain Elects (@britainelects) May 24, 2018
