Hot Off The Press

Winter Shoots

2012-01-29T01:10:00.000-08:00

As tensions rise between Iran and the West with sanctions against Iran's oil industry being put in place by the US and European countries, UN nuclear inspectors arrive in Tehran. Their task to check out claims that Iran's nuclear programme is not purely to make energy but nuclear weapons too.

These inspectors, from The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expect full and open access to Iran's nuclear facilities and lead scientists. They need to confirm Iran's claims that the programme does not include the production of nuclear weapons.

Iranian's appear welcoming of the visit, feel that it will stop once and for all 'rumours' spread by the West and in particular by the US, that its nuclear programme is not only a civilian operation.

Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asgar Soltaniyeh, calls these rumours "enemy plots".

winter shoots
the power of nature
over words

Paul Conneally

Snow Blind

2012-01-24T01:58:00.000-08:00

A teenage girl watches in horror as her mother collapses and dies in a ski slope chair lift. Jade Ramsden and her mother, Cheryl Fairbrother, are going up Monetier’s L’Yret at Serre Chevalier, when Cheryl suddenly becomes ill.

Emergency services try to resuscitate the stricken skier but to no avail and she dies before reaching hospital. Cheryl was visiting her daughter Jade working in the French ski resort of Serre Chevalier when the tragedy occurs.

snow blind
nothing but sadness
on this mountain

Paul Conneally

Bone and Blood

2012-01-22T06:40:00.000-08:00

Ex boxing champion turned promoter, Ricky Hatton, tells boxer Amir Khan to avoid Floyd Mayweather. Hatton says Khan should put off all thoughts of meeting Mayweather for the foreseeable future.

Hatton believes that Mayweather would be just too good for Khan at present. Khan has made it known that he would like to fight Mayweather as soon as possible. Khan recently caused uproar in the boxing world when he accused the ringside judges of skullduggery after his controversial loss to Lamont Peterson last month.

bone and blood
the boxer looks anxiously
at his towel

Paul Conneally

Vitamin D Could Save Elderly Eyes

2012-01-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

Vitamin D supplements could help combat many eye diseases of the elderly according to new research undertaken in the UK. Taking a simple vitamin D supplement was shown to lead to improvements in the sight of mice as quickly as six weeks into treatment.

The vitamin, which also prevents rickets, can combat such diseases as macular degeneration of the eye. Scientists believe that the vitamin could have similar effects on the human eye as it does on the eyes of mice.

Vitamin D deficiency causes a problem with blood flow and scientists believe that this effects the blood flow to the retina at the back of the eye. Better circulation could result in less eye problems.

READ FULL STORY ON ALLVOICES

Epilepsy and Schizophrenia Link Found

2011-09-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

A new study seems to show a link between epilepsy and schizophrenia. The report by research teams in Taiwan states that people with schizophrenia are six times more likely to also have epilepsy than the rest of the population.

Read Full story here:
Link Between Epilepsy and Schizophrenia Found

A Taste of Singapore In New York

2011-09-18T05:12:00.000-07:00

SEE FULL REPORT AT :
New York Licks Lips Over Singapore Takeout

New Yorkers love their food and this weekend some of the lucky ones got a taste of Singapore on their own own block. The travelling pop-up kitchen Singapore Takeout set up in the Big Apple offering tempting Singaporean cuisine to New York folk.

Visitors to the kitchen could sample classic food from Singapore including pork buns, laksa, short ribs buah keluak. The dishes were all cooked up by Malcolm Lee, top chef from Candlenut Kitchen who specialises in Peranakan food.

The food drew interest from some of New York's top chefs including Anthony Ricco, Dominique Ansel and even Ed Cotton. Ed Cotton might down the line feature Singaporean dishes on his TV show Top Chef. Ed Cotton said:

"I was able to spend a fair amount of time in Singapore and learning about the actual foods and the culture and everything. One of my chief favourite dishes is chilli crab, along with this noodle dish that I had - char kway teow. I'm gonna replicate that dish and turn that into a ravioli."

Below is a video of a chef flossing Singapore Pork Buns:

TUrner Prize Won By Art School Reject With Old Folk Song

2010-12-07T00:04:00.000-08:00

The prestigious Turner Prize for art has been awarded to Susan Philipsz, 44, an art school reject who specialises in sound art. The prize winner was announced at London's Tate Britain art gallery in London last night.

The £25,000 prize is the biggest accolade an artist under 50 can achieve in the British art world and sets winners up for life. Previous winners include Tracey Emin, who won the prize for her controversial 'Unmade Bed'.

See Full Report at AllVOICES : Art School Reject Wins Turner Prize With Old Folk Song

Amitabh Bachchan Furious At Rice Company Copyright Caper

2010-11-13T12:13:00.000-08:00

Amitabh Bachchan is fuming. The Bollywood legend is threatening legal action against a company that sells rice. He claims that the rice company is running an advertising campaign that rips off his KBC quizmaster avatar and the show's format.

Bachchan writes on his blog:

"A company selling basmati rice has done an exact imagery of KBC. The set, the computers, the question and the contestant being asked from an over the shoulder shot of AB, in suggestion and the voice being used again to ask a question on the product being marketed. This is so unethical and legally wrong."

Forest Songs

2010-07-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

Papua, Indonesia.

The Korowai Tribe number about 3,000.

Nomadic tree-dwellers living in the forest canopy at heights of up to 50m above the forest floor.

Living off forest animals and plants, hunter foragers, they also cultivate some crops.

The Korowai have their own language.Their only clothes, when they wear any, banana leaves.

Until 1970 they believed that they were the only people on Earth having never met anyone outside of their tribe.

Now included for the first time in Papua's census they have been given the status of 'tree-dwellers'.

They are believed to be the first people anywhere in the world to be given this official status.

catalogued
like some new species
forest songs

Paul Conneally

A Green Guide To Drinking Tea And Coffee

2010-06-18T23:21:00.000-07:00

Re-posted from: Hold The Milk! A Green Guide To Drinking Tea And Coffee at Allvoices:

Some of us do drink an awful lot of coffee and tea so maybe it adds up to a significant amount. But is it significant enough for us to consider how we take our tea and coffee and how we prepare it?

So what’s the score when it comes to tea and coffee?

Berners-Lee and Clark present us with these figures:

21g CO2e: black tea or coffee, boiling only the water you need
53g CO2e: white tea or coffee, boiling only the water you need
71g CO2e: white tea or coffee, boiling double the water you need
235g CO2e: a large cappuccino
340g CO2e: a large latte

What strikes one immediately is the difference in carbon footprint that taking tea or coffee white makes. Taking milk more than doubles the carbon footprint of a cup of tea or coffee. It’s surprising at first that the milk makes such a difference. One might have expected that the growing and transporting of the tea and coffee itself would have been the biggest factor but no it’s the milk. Why? Well milk comes from cows and as ruminants they produce an awful lot of methane at both ends!

Berners-Lee and Clark claim that drinking three large lattes a day equates to twenty times as much carbon equivalent as flying half way across Europe.

So the most environmentally sound beverages other than cold water seem to be black tea or coffee made with water from a kettle that’s been used to boil just enough water to fill the cups and no more and certainly not sugared.

So green tea really is amongst the greenest drinks one could choose!

Enough thinking I’m off for a brew.

morning sun
a wren flits in and out
the back border

paul conneally

James Bulger Killers Were Old Enough To Be Tried for Murder

2010-03-13T05:18:00.000-08:00

Robert Thompson and Jon Venables - James Bulger's Killers - were old enough to know what they were doing and so it was right to try them for murder.

This is the response from the British Government to calls from Maggie Atkinson, the Children's Commissioner for England, who said yesterday that children under 12 should not be held criminally responsible.

Maggie Atkinson wants the age of criminal responsibility raised from 10 to 12 in the UK.

A Government spokesperson from the Ministry of Justice said:

"We are committed to tackling crime, and in particular intervening early with young people to prevent crime and antisocial behaviour.

"We believe that children aged 10 and over can differentiate between bad behaviour and serious wrongdoing. We do not intend to raise the age of criminal responsibility. It is not in the interests of justice, of victims, or the young people themselves, to prevent serious offending being challenged."

The Pill Cuts Cancer Risk Heart Disease And Prolongs Life

2010-03-11T22:54:00.000-08:00

Women that use The Pill live longer.

A new study by Professor Philip Hannaford in the British Medical Journal reports that using the contraceptive pill reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease when looked at across all women.

The pill slightly increases the risk of cancer and heart disease in younger women but the protection it offers older women more than compensates for this.

Some Catholic organizations believe that by concentrating on the positive health benefits for older women that younger women will not realize that they are putting themselves at increased risk of cancer and heart disease by using the pill. The Catholic Church opposes all artificial modes of contraception.

Other pro-contraception groups such as Planned Parenthood warn those with more than one partner should also use a condom to protect from sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and syphilis.

Facebook Killer Gets Life

2010-03-09T23:40:00.000-08:00

A man who killed his girlfriend after seeing a picture of her on Facebook with another man has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Paul Bristol, an IT technician, flew 4,000 miles from Trinidad to England where he stabbed girlfriend Camille Mathurasingh 20 times.

An Old Bailey jury took only an hour to convict Bristol of murder and the Judge ruled that he must serve at least 22 years behind bars.

After starting their affair when Mathurasingh went to work for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Trinidad. Bristol was enraged when after returning to London the love of his life rejected him and posted pictures of herself with new lover Besim Haxhia on gthe social networking site Facebook.

Bristol flew to London, confronted Mathurasingh and killed her.

Giving Bristol life with a minimum of 22 years the Judge added to the arguments around the early release of toddler James Bulger killers, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. Venables was returned to prison last week after breaking the conditions of his parole.

daffodils

another friend request

from a stranger

National Rail Strike Travel Chaos

2010-03-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

Britain is steeling itself for the first National Rail Strike in 16 years as pundits predict a heavy 'Yes' vote when the RMT strike ballot result is announced on Thursday.

Any such strike will see travel chaos over the coming Easter holiday period not only for rail travelers but road users too as train passengers switch to car and coach.

The strike, claim union leaders, is not about pay but more about working practices which workers feel put the safety of passengers at risk.

Leader of the RMT Union, BOB CROW, said:

"No matter how they try to spin it, the maintenance cuts and the changes to safety practices involving signallers will leave the senior management at Network Rail with blood on their hands in the event of another Hatfield or Potters Bar"

This said the fact that the RMT want to make train drivers and crew work on Sundays without extra pay and the threat of 1,500 redundancies built into Network Rail forward plans are also factors in any strike vote.

Network Rail say that any strike will only cause minimum disruption but many will already be looking to find alternative transport or just stay at home over the bank holiday period.

traveling first class
missing the second class
conversation

Paul Conneally

Further Coverage at NowPublic national rail Strike Planned

Ray Ashburn says "I Am Gay" - US Anti-gay Senator Comes Out

2010-03-08T23:58:00.000-08:00

US senator RAY ASHBURN has come out. In a radio interview Ashburn who has voted time and again against gay rights said "I am gay... those are words that have been so difficult for me for so long".

Speaking on KERN Radio Mr Ashburn said that he had voted so many times against gay rights bills because that was what his voters would want him to do rather than it being based on his own "internal conflict"

Last week Asburn was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. At the time it was rumoured and reported on NowPublic that he had just left a gay club in the company of another man.

Ashburn has said that he will not run for any further public office when his term ends later this year.

Colorectal Cancer Drug Failure - AstraZeneca Shares Fall

2010-03-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

Trials of AstraZeneca's new cancer drug recentin resulted in failure in a head to head with avastin made by rival Roche in colorectal patients.

.

On release of the results shares in Astra fell by 41.5p to £29.54.

Full Story on NowPublic : Colon Cancer Drug Failure Kills Town - AstraZeneca Shares Down

The news comes on the back of last weeks news that Astra is to close its R&D facility in Loughborough UK with a loss of 1.200 jobs. This has shocked redidents of the small Leicestershire town who feel that this will impact significantly on the Town's economy.

Loughborough's other big employer is Loughborough University which will host the Japanese Olympic Team for the London 2012 Olympics.

the doctor says
let him eat what he wants
mum's tears

paul conneally

Spanish Eyes On UK Banks As Santander Look to Buy RBS Branches

2010-03-08T00:34:00.000-08:00

Santander are looking to take over 320 Royal Bank of Scotland branches in England.

The huge Spanish company has already taken over the Aliance and Leicester, Abbey and Bradford and Bingley now looks set to move in and aquire the ailing RBS network of what was Williams & Glyn's.

The RBS is currently propped up with emergency funding from the Bank of England and any buyer would have to repay this within 3 weeks of any deal.

Santander are not going to get RBS branches without a fight as Virgin says that it is still in the race to buy as are Santander's Spanish rivals BBVA.

One can almost hear the old Al Martino song Spanish Eyes is probably playing through the minds of British bankers as the great UK banking sell off continues.

Easter egg windows
the bank teller's perfume
in my pocket

Paul Conneally

Scotland Has Strongest Beer and Highest Insurance Premiums

2010-03-07T23:13:00.000-08:00

A Scottish brewer has brewed the world's strongest beer at 41% ABV.

The drink is called 'Sink The Bismarck!' referencing Germany where the previous strongest beer was brewed.

The news that UK brewer BrewDog is bringing the worlds strongest beer to market comes at a time when concern over alcohol consumption and anti-social behaviour in Britain has never been higher.

The extent of alcohol related and other crime make insurance premiums in Scotland among the highest in the UK.

Scotland has one of the highest rates of emergency hospital admissions in the world.

The cost of this beer is a huge £40 per bottle and so will not contribute greatly to Scottish alcohol fueled violence.

snowfall
a young woman vomits
vodka and red bull

paul conneally

Alcohol Abuse Clinics

poetry haiku haibun health chlamydia

Wayne Rooney To Miss Manchester United AC Milan Champions League Match

2010-03-07T00:04:00.000-08:00

Wayne Rooney may miss Manchester United's second leg Champions League Fixture against A.C. Milan due to a knee injury sustained during England's friendly match against Egypt last week.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson believes the injury is due to the unforgiving Wembley pitch and says that "Wayne is very doubtful".

The match will see United seek to build on their 3-2 lead from the first leg with Milan and also the return of David Beckham to Old Trafford for the first time since leaving the club.

Rooney has had a fantastic last few weeks scoring freely for United and showing the kind of skills and commitment that make him one of the worlds finest and most valuable players.

With Michael Owen also ruled out due to injury and Berbatov not firing on all cylinders, United's back room team will be trying their hardest to get Rooney fit for at least part of this important match.

new shoots
the linesman turns into
a ball boy

Paul Conneally

Nike sponsor Rooney and will want him to play if possible.

The Ants' Nest - Identity of James Bulger Killer Jon Venables Blown In Prison

2010-03-05T00:14:00.000-08:00

There are fears for the life of child killer Jon Venables as prisoners in the jail where he is being secretly held discover his true identity.

It is reported that hardened lags in the undisclosed top security prison where Venables know of his presence and are looking for an opportunity to hurt or even kill him.

Jon Venables along with Robert Thompson was sent to prison when he was only 10-years old for the horrific torture and killing of 2-year old toddler James Bulger in Liverpool in 1993.

He was released on license in 2001 after spending less than 10 years in jail. Venables and Thompson were given new identities and strict rules, including not visiting Liverpool, that if broken would result in them being returned behind bars.

Last week Venables was arrested and returned to prison for breaking the rules. The police and Home Secretary Jack Straw have refused to say what Venables has done. It is thought that he has returned to Liverpool on a number of occasions where he has reportedly been seen drunk.

The murder of Jamie Bulger by two children shocked not only Liverpool and the UK but the world. That two so young could commit such a crime horrified people. Many thought that the two boys Venables and Thompson should be jailed for their whole lives others thought that they should be treated in prison and released which is what happened.

The fact that they were so young made for some their crimes worse but this of course cannot be so. Murder is murder at whatever age and one would not expect them to be punished more than an older killer.

Gordon Brown has indicated that he feels while understanding the public outrage at such crimes the criminal justice system needs to be allowed to conduct its business in accordance with law so that 'justice is seen to be done'.

Meanwhile thousands of pounds a week are being spent on prison officer overtime as Venables is put under constant surveillance in a perspex fronted cell. He will with certainty eventually be released again and have to be given another new identity, a new place to live.

mahonia flowers
a stirring deep down
in the ants' nest

Paul Conneally

Half of six-year-old girls 'want to be thinner'

2010-02-22T09:37:00.001-08:00

The study was undertaken for a new TV programme Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance for UKs Channel 4.

In the study 6-year-old girls were asked to ring their ideal body shape from a range of different body shapes. Over half chose the thinnest possible - in general this was 3 sizes smaller than their own shape.

The study raises interesting parallels as recent reports have highlighted a growing obesity problem amongst UK children.

The mental health of UK children has been reported as being amongst the poorest in Europe especially around self-esteem and emotional wellbeing and the results of this study are worrying in that girls of such a young age are already showing dissatisfaction with how they look.

It is thought that some of this dissatisfaction might come from their exposure to airbrushed images of size zero models and celebrities on TV and in women’s and girls’ magazines.

first crocus

the colour not quite

what she wanted

"Many of the girls questioned in the study, by Cambridge University, said they thought being skinnier would make them more popular"

"Cambridge's Dr Terri Apter said girls linked thinness with being popular and said “it’s distressing”"

NowPublic

Chopsticks

2010-02-22T00:11:00.000-08:00

Children who learn to play a musical instrument may have an advantage when it comes to reading.

Professor Nina Kraus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois found that a part of the brain stimulated in musicians when they play music is also important in reading.

Professor Kraus found that people that can pick out harmonies and timing in sounds are better at reading.

Many chidren in the UK are entering secondary school with reading ages below that expected for their age and some are asking if music was given a higher position within the curriculum would reading improve?

Although all UK pupils up to the age of 14 have to have at least one lesson of music education a week very few pupils actually learn to play a musical instrument.

Music education and learning how to play a musical instrument are not the same thing.

The number of children learning musical instruments has decreased since free music instrument tuition for all was withdrawn from state education. Most pupils have to buy an instrument and pay for private lessons and for many families this is an expense that they just can't afford.

A curriculum that features more strongly learning how to play a musical instrument might bring real benefits for improving reading and language skills.

spring snow

her fingers too cold

for chopsticks

"Schools which fail to make music a core subject are making a mistake, because it has advantages for the growing brain and would help all children, including those with dyslexia and autism, neuroscientist Professor Nina Kraus said yesterday."

"Words and music, such natural partners that it seems obvious they go together. Now science is confirming that those abilities are linked in the brain, a finding that might even lead to better stroke treatments"

"Musical experience can enhance everyday listening and language tasks. We are making new strides in understanding what changes happen in the brain with musical experience."

NowPublic

Long Live Life

2009-12-03T07:31:00.000-08:00

New research from the Institute of Healthy Ageing at University College London, suggests that eating a low protein vegetarian diet could extend human life-span.

The research is built on earlier findings that showed a diet just above malnutrition levels can extend life by as much as 25 years. This new research finds a reduction in meat and fish protein is the important factor not the level of calories.

at eighty-five
Dad still carves the joint
winter vegetables

Pinkstinks

2009-11-30T23:27:00.000-08:00

Pinkstinks is a campaign set up in the UK against the marketing of pink toys to girls.The founder of the campaign Emma Moore believes that the rows and rows of pink toys, clothes and other items aimed at girls encourage an obsession with body image and lead to the unequal pay and lower status that women in general have compared to men.

Pinkstinks is encouraging customers to boycott the Early Learning Centre chain of toy shops as they feel that they are hypocritical in claiming that their toys help children explore boundaries of imagination and creativity whilst heavily marketing stereotypical pink toys for girls.

Boxing Day
Ken turns Barbie
fifty shades of blue

Womens Aid

The Hall of Mirrors

2009-11-29T16:08:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you finally locate your long lost dad and find he's a woman? Well that's just what happened to Emily Wallis and she couldn't be happier.

Although shocked to discover her father is called Chloe, wears high heeled shoes, tight dresses and is living in Margate she totally accepts her for the glamorous woman she now is. She wants to be by Chloe's side when she has her full sex-change and for her to be by her side to give her away when she gets married.

In truth it was perhaps harder for Chloe to meet Emily than for Emily to meet Chloe after years of struggling with her sexuality living as a man whilst always knowing that she was at heart a woman. Like so many in this predicament it led to despair, shame and in Chloe's case self mutilation as she attempted to push her despised male genitals back up inside her body.

So what to do when you find your lost dad or best friend or husband's a lady? Well maybe taking a leaf out Emily's book and support and accept them for who they really are might be a good place to start.

the difference
between ice and water
a hall of mirrors

Charles Darwin's Beard

2008-11-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

Charles Darwin wrote iconic works that are still making waves today as creationists attempt to get their ideas in to the science curriculum alongside his famous theory of evolution.

But its Charles Darwin's beard not his writing that's causing a stir at London's Natural History Museum where hair from his famous beard has gone on show to the public.

By all accounts its just a few strands rather than the whole beard that are on show which is a shame as the whole thing would have been a wonderful thing to see. If only someone had had the foresight to 'scalp' his beard after death it would have made a marvelous interactive exhibit. Imagine the fun of trying Charles Darwin's beard on.

I believe that not only children but adults and even some famous scientists such as Richard Dawkins for instance who seems to have been wearing Darwin's metaphorical beard for some time, would enjoy trying it on. Now Dawkins sporting Darwin's beard would be worth seeing - in fact I'd pay to see that.

In the great age of science that Darwin inhabited no real scientist worth their salt (even the women I'm told) would dream of not wearing a beard but these days many scientists look so normal that I immediately begin to mistrust them and their science, begin to think that they are not real scientists at all but wanna-be celebrities who see their science as a way to make big bucks through populist quasi-scientific books rather than discovery.

Yes, give me a scientist with an eccentric beard, strange dress sense and syntax to match and I'll return to my studies. I might even stop shaving.

something moves
in grandad's moustache
winter supper

Foreplay

2008-11-08T22:57:00.000-08:00

A survey of over 2,300 women comes to the conclusion that foreplay as an aid to orgasm has little or no significance. It also reveals that intercourse for Europeans is on average about 16.2 minutes whilst Americans come in on an average of 7 minutes.

The researchers speculate that: "It could be that this reflects, a greater appreciation of intercourse and sensuality by Europeans than by Americans."

Many people suffer mental and general health problems when they feel that their sex life or performance is not up to what ever standard the most recent style magazines suggest and whereas this type of research might refocus some away from having to perform the greatest foreplay it now places an emphasis on length of intercourse.

Scientists and lifestyle gurus conspire to bringeth us up and putteth us down again.

As to the American vs European intercourse time trial - well people live fast lives in America and maybe its like in skiing - the 'adrenalin junkies' do the downhill and the 'skills that kills' folks do the slalom. The important thing is that they both get to the finish line - just in different ways.

clocking off
the first snow of the year
slides off the roof

paul conneally

Of God and Guns

2008-10-24T02:08:00.001-07:00

Barack Obama is taking it to Nevada. A land of God and guns.

The state has traditionally had Republican sympathies but recent and large inward immigration could see the Democrats make real inroads if they work hard at it.

Both Obama and Clinton are scheduled more visits to Nevada before election day and significantly to country areas that perhaps the Democrats would in the past have given up as lost causes.

The image of candidates actually out on the stoop in unfamiliar territory has to be a good thing.

Whoever wins this election will have to win by showing the public that they really want their vote and are willing to work for it.

Halloween lanterns
shot through with bullets
'just a little sport'

paul conneally

Enter Sandman

2008-10-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

From this weekend the British institution that is the 'Speaking Clock' will change.

The British Telecom Speaking Clock will be spoken by... Tinker Bell.

Yes that's right Tinker Bell.

But, I hear you think, Tinker Bell, the fairy from Peter Pan can't talk - well she can now.

Disney are sponsoring the BT Speaking Clock and putting the all American schmaltzy and non-fairy like voice of the Tinker Bell from their new film inside the speaking clock.

enter sandman
the darkness comes
an hour earlier

Here is a link to Tinker Bell speaking the time.

On Diet and Robbery

2008-10-22T05:20:00.000-07:00

The paucity of good nutritional information including the amount of fat etc. on some food goods in UK shops could have been a factor in the apprehension of a naked burglar who was too fat for the chimney at a Tesco Express store in Wigan.

Had he had access to such information over the months before his unfortunate predicament he may have eaten more healthily and so undertaken his robbery without worry of getting stuck.

He now faces charges and a possible spell at Her Majesty's pleasure.

almost November
a supermarket aisle
of tinsel and stars

paul conneally

Flight Plan

2008-10-20T06:04:00.000-07:00

Moments before take-off a pilot is taken from his cockpit and marched away by police to be breathalysed.

Passengers watch on clutching their duty-free goods a little closer.

From Heathrow to San Francisco is long way.

the leaf blower
finally falls silent
a starling sky

Footfall

2008-10-20T00:51:00.000-07:00

As Christian Louboutin prepares to launch his first pair of eight inch stiletto heels fashionistas are using Botox injections in their feet so that they can wear higher and higher heels more comfortably.

autumn sale
the memory of hot sand
and cool water

Beautiful Flowers

2008-10-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

"Convert or we will kill you" is the stark message to fleeing Christians in the Indian state of Orissa.

Hindu lynch mobs threaten to burn Christians' houses and babies unless they become Hindu.

Violence has been growing since the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on 23 August.

The VHP appear to be supporting the lynchings.

rainy season
beautiful flowers ride
the town drain

Bear Claw Pastries

2008-10-14T22:56:00.000-07:00

Another execution. Lethal injection. Ohio.

Richard Cooey a murderer and rapist who claimed he was too fat to be killed humanely by injection.

He was wrong.

still undigested
bear claw pastries
a lawn of red leaves

Tightening Times

2008-10-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

The financial meltdown hits home hard on Ordinary Joe as unemployment rises with two million expected on the dole by Christmas.

The first and hardest hit are the building industry, car manufacturing and transport companies.

Small businesses face laying off their workforce and possible closure as the 'not yet recession' bites down.

autumn deepens
dad scours the newspaper
for situations vacant

Brits In Space

2008-10-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

"Let's put a Brit in space" says the new Science Minister and the first question leapping to mind for some will be OK which one?

There are many candidates for who we personally might like putting into space with perhaps a one-way ticket but this is a serious matter not least it seems for 'national pride'. Beyond any intrinsic scientific worth the new Minister, Lord Drayson, feels it would inspire a new generation with an interest in science and promote businesses.

In the middle of a national and global financial crisis with jobs being lost or in danger of being lost this seems like bad timing. Britain has for a long time supported the European Space Agency, in fact being the biggest funder of the ESA's Aurora Mars project but withdrawing from any planned manned missions.

Drayson continues with his non-science reasons for sending a Brit into space by implying it can't be a bad thing because multi-millionaire business man Richard Branson feels it will be a commercial success - charging fat-cats to be sent out on near space joy rides.

october chill
a man raking moonbeams
from the mill pond

The Two Way Street

2008-10-05T22:51:00.000-07:00

Lured by high tax free salaries westerners move to work in Dubai and
similar locations.

Such moves are not a one-way deal. The attractive pay and luxury home require that you agree to live by the cultural mores and legal system of the host country. These are not always what some expect and it can be easy to fall foul of the law.

The same applies to visitors to our lands. Economic migrant, asylum seeker, tourist.

Headlines scream 'an immigration crisis' whilst governments bailout financial institutions.

Can we expect to have our cake and eat it?

Freedom's a two way street. Room for accommodation on both sides.

citizenship test
the difference between Devon
and Cornish cream teas

Oh Apple!

2008-10-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

A good old ding-dong is going on between two eminent academics at a level of celebrity bitching that just has to be aired somehow as a TV debate - a debate that would surely be more interesting and engaging than many of the political TV debates that our nations' and the world's future seem to hang on.

Prof. AC Grayling holds exactly the opposite views on Intelligent Design to Prof. Steve Fuller who feels ID should be taught in schools.

The subject may be Intellegent Design but the debate at times could hardly be called intellectual or intellegent turning to personal insult at times. Grayling describes Fuller's new book Dissent over Descent as "300 pages of wasted trees".

If someone could get these two together in a TV studio or even better still a boxing ring I'd be the first with my money out for the 'pay to view' coverage. I'm thinking the odds are in Grayling's favour for an intellectual knockout but hopefully not too early on in the bout - lets see some action!

oh apple!
how did you come to be
so tasty?

Night Fixture

2008-10-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Manchester United's midfield terrier Paul Scholes was injured in last night's emphatic Champions League win in Denmark and will now be out of action for ten weeks.

Wayne Rooney too limped off with an injured ankle and the club are now awaiting news on the extent of his injury.

United have not had the best start to this season and players like Scholes and Rooney despite the depth of talent in Ferguson's squad will be sorely missed.

Scholes is now 33 but many feel he is playing at the top of his game and the prospect of not being able to play him for up to 16 matches is not one that any fan will be looking forward to.

night fixture
a bat catching moths
in the floodlight

Half-Time Orange

2008-09-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

FIFA have worked along with all national football associations to promote the 'Give Racism the Red Card" message but still we get racist chants at some International matches and Croatian fans appear to be amongst the worse offenders.

The not quite £15k fine given to the Croatian FA for its fans racial taunting of England player Emile Heskey is nothing in the grand scheme of football finances and many are now asking for stronger action including perhaps disqualification from international competitions including the World Cup.

Football or soccer as the Americans prefer to call it is a truly multi-racial sport and FIFA's assertion that racism should play no part in it needs to perhaps be backed up by sanctions with teeth.

half-time orange
the coach gives a team-talk
in six languages

Show Us The Messiah

2008-09-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

Monty Python's The Life of Brian is a classic British film and it comes as a bit of a shock to find that it's still banned by a number of local authorities across Britain - it doesn't feel 'British' this banning of a satirical film.

Torquay is one of these authorities. It calls itself the centre of the English Riviera and ironically is the home of John Cleese's small minded comedy creation Basil Fawlty in the TV sit-com Fawlty Towers who perhaps typifies the mentality that has seen Torquay taking all these years to lift their ban.

Perhaps other authorities will now follow suit and welcome Brian into their towns.

palm sunday
a scattering of hailstones
in the wheelbarrow