You rock! Just don't do what you threatened - and come back with the quintessential sh*t second album. Please.
technorati tag: the young knives
30 March 2007
last night K9 saved my life...
Last night, whilst browsing around the Museum of Science and Industry, I was nearly attacked by a walking, talking Cyberman...
...shot at by a Dalek...
and blasted by an Ood...
but K9 saved my life! Phew...
technorati tag: doctor who, museum of science and industry
...shot at by a Dalek...
and blasted by an Ood...
but K9 saved my life! Phew...
technorati tag: doctor who, museum of science and industry
29 March 2007
Reel Spirituality - Leon, this Sunday
Leon (18)
The third in our Heroes and Villains series
This Sunday, 1st April
Doors: 6.30pm Film starts: 7pm prompt
VENUE CHANGE ** please note that we’ve moved venues (email Sanctus1 for location details) **
If you want to explore the film’s themes and issues:
Post-film discussion: 9.15pm onwards Evening ends: no later than 10pm
Feel free to bring your own food, drinks and snacks – I think there might be free popcorn!
Next month, the last in the series of Heroes and Villains:
6th May - 15 Minutes (18)
27 March 2007
the tribe...
Having heard some of their stories previously, it's great to see Jim Gilmore's take on The Tribe written up for a wider audience. Go read - it's thoughtful, reflective, empowering stuff...
technorati tag: the tribe, emerging church
technorati tag: the tribe, emerging church
16 March 2007
fight, fight, fight...
My mate Iain has always been an argumentative/ pedantic type but now he's picked the mother of all fights with the government's Chief Bulldog himself - John Reid. Go Iain, loving your work...
Reid wrong about comfort of smoking, research shows - smoking is not associated with better quality of life or increased pleasure.
Results from a study that investigated links between smoking and pleasure and quality of life showed no evidence to support a controversial comment by the former health secretary John Reid (now the home secretary) that for some people their only enjoyment was having a cigarette (Public Health 2007 Mar 2, doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2007.01.005). [*this bit is Iain's research*]
"We found no evidence to support a claim that smoking is associated with heightened levels of pleasure, either in low socioeconomic groups or in the general population. In fact, our results suggest the opposite: that smoking is associated with lower levels of pleasure and poorer overall quality of life. As a group, smokers have lower levels of pleasure and quality of life than those who have never smoked, with ex-smokers in between," say the authors. The report says that in June 2004 Dr Reid claimed that people in lower socioeconomic categories "have very few pleasures in life and one of them they regard as smoking."
He added, "What enjoyment does a 21 year old single mother of three living in a council sink estate get? The only enjoyment sometimes they have is to have a cigarette." His comments, say the authors, brought criticism from other political parties, the BMA, antismoking groups, and others. "The health secretary's assertion that smoking is a source of pleasure seems to contradict established epidemiological knowledge about the association between mental health and smoking," they say, "Despite this, no evidence based interrogation of his claims has been conducted."
In fact, the researchers say, until now no analyses of the association between smoking and measured pleasure or quality of life have been done. To see whether pleasure and better quality of life were associated with smoking, the team from Peninsula Medical School in Exeter and Cambridge University analysed data from a study of 9176 men and women aged 50 years or more who took part in the health survey for England."
technorati tag: smoking, john reid
Reid wrong about comfort of smoking, research shows - smoking is not associated with better quality of life or increased pleasure.
Results from a study that investigated links between smoking and pleasure and quality of life showed no evidence to support a controversial comment by the former health secretary John Reid (now the home secretary) that for some people their only enjoyment was having a cigarette (Public Health 2007 Mar 2, doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2007.01.005). [*this bit is Iain's research*]
"We found no evidence to support a claim that smoking is associated with heightened levels of pleasure, either in low socioeconomic groups or in the general population. In fact, our results suggest the opposite: that smoking is associated with lower levels of pleasure and poorer overall quality of life. As a group, smokers have lower levels of pleasure and quality of life than those who have never smoked, with ex-smokers in between," say the authors. The report says that in June 2004 Dr Reid claimed that people in lower socioeconomic categories "have very few pleasures in life and one of them they regard as smoking."
He added, "What enjoyment does a 21 year old single mother of three living in a council sink estate get? The only enjoyment sometimes they have is to have a cigarette." His comments, say the authors, brought criticism from other political parties, the BMA, antismoking groups, and others. "The health secretary's assertion that smoking is a source of pleasure seems to contradict established epidemiological knowledge about the association between mental health and smoking," they say, "Despite this, no evidence based interrogation of his claims has been conducted."
In fact, the researchers say, until now no analyses of the association between smoking and measured pleasure or quality of life have been done. To see whether pleasure and better quality of life were associated with smoking, the team from Peninsula Medical School in Exeter and Cambridge University analysed data from a study of 9176 men and women aged 50 years or more who took part in the health survey for England."
technorati tag: smoking, john reid
star-mega-bucks
Unusually for me, I was pretty much forced into Barstucks (as we affectionately call it) for a meeting the other day. And was horrified - nay, angry - nay, amazed - all of those and more! - that they've got a Starbucks book for sale on the counter.
Ne'ermind the music, the paraphenalia, the Times, the mugs, the coffee (which is after all what we went in there for the in the first place)... a book! By someone with a PhD no less!
Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary
Another money spinner - surely. Another opportunity to expound their "brand values" - of course. An opportunity to get under their skin, immitate, de/re-construct, learn from them, be challenged by them - that too?
technorati tag: starbucks book
Ne'ermind the music, the paraphenalia, the Times, the mugs, the coffee (which is after all what we went in there for the in the first place)... a book! By someone with a PhD no less!
Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary
Another money spinner - surely. Another opportunity to expound their "brand values" - of course. An opportunity to get under their skin, immitate, de/re-construct, learn from them, be challenged by them - that too?
technorati tag: starbucks book
07 March 2007
jennie-come-latelys...
Even though we know it, it's nice to be reminded once in a while that we're the Jennie-come-latelys... ;-)
06 March 2007
some friendly post-gig advice to The Hours...
Some friendly advice to The Hours following last night’s Academy 3 gig (aka best venue in Manc):
We came to the gig already loving the songs. But please learn a bit of patter to keep us with you between numbers.
To Antony Genn - lose the guitar more often. When you played People Say you looked really free, it came alive more. Do it more often, hire someone else to play your parts if you have to.
Try not to play venues the same night as a sold-out The Rifles gig – you’ll end up getting the disappointed dregs of people who couldn’t get in to see them. This will only pain and annoy your real fans.
Consider not playing a song about your dead dad as the first number after the encore. You’d just got us jumping when you went off stage and then it was a hard change of tempo to pull off (hence the aforementioned Rifles dregs talking through it – unforgivable but…)
Never, ever let your drummer wear a short-sleeved button-up black shirt. He looks like a hotel bellboy.
To Martin Slattery – try not to look like a rabbit caught in the headlights from the moment you come on stage. Maybe close your eyes once in a while or look at your keys if you can’t stop staring at us in a slightly off-yer-head way.
Finally - don’t try so hard. You ARE rock stars. So stop *trying* to be one and just be. You’ve seen how Pulp, Elastica, Joe Strummer and Black Grape did it, and now you’re having to work your way up again on your own terms. That must be tough. But try to enjoy it – during People Say and Ali in the Jungle last night it finally came across that you were.
PS Antony – nice teeth. ;-)
PPS We loved it, really we did. Monday night rocks! It’s the new Saturday you know…
technorati tag: the hours
02 March 2007
quote...
Picasso: "The best way to preserve tradition is to have children, and not by wearing your father’s old hat."
(from The Forgotten Ways)
technorati tag: picasso quote
(from The Forgotten Ways)
technorati tag: picasso quote
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