tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-153369952012-01-23T18:45:36.931ZChris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comBlogger4961100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-56066243969794568302012-01-23T18:37:00.001Z2012-01-23T18:45:36.939Z

Today I found three musical bits on Youtube that I liked. They've really made my day... The first is a brief snatch of President Obama singing a few bars of Al Green: Then on Radio 2 this morning I heard this song by Gotye, featuring Kimbra. I must admit they are two names I hadn't heard before and although the song isn't very cheerful, I'm still cheered to hear some talent like this in the

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-27521414165789029112011-12-24T19:13:00.003Z2011-12-24T19:14:43.366Z

Chris Black writes: Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" begins and ends on Christmas Eve - and should have a special resonance for anyone who fancies themselves as a community campaigner. The hero of the film , George Bailey , is a superb worker for his community - but neglects his family and his home. The only thing that saves him and those he loves from tragedy , bitterness and failure

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-70751737465799899632011-12-23T19:35:00.001Z2011-12-23T19:36:10.813Z

My wife Elena heard a news report this week on Russian TV about the most expensive apartment in the USA. I then read about it in the Wall Street Journal: The latest trophy example came this week, when a Russian billionaire, Dmitry Rybolovlev, issued a statement saying his 22-year-old daughter, Ekaterina, a student, was in contract to buy one of the best-known apartments in New York: the

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-27569877238719305022011-12-11T09:59:00.000Z2011-12-11T09:59:24.355Z

I happened to hear this song by Johnny Cash on Radio 2's "Sounds of The Sixties" yesterday, and I'm afraid I couldn't help thinking what a gift it could be for some satirists... There once was a musical troupe A pickin' singin' folk group They sang the mountain ballads And the folk songs of our land They were long on musical ability Folks thought they would go far But political incompatibility

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-85535139368665039172011-12-10T15:23:00.001Z2011-12-10T15:23:46.649Z

Unlike some other Lib Dem Bloggers, I have only a few qualms about what's happened with Europe this week. But what does disturb me is the recent proposal regarding making all cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy to have to undergo medical assessments in order to receive benefits. I think George Potter has explained the situation very well here:. Macmillan aren't happy about this and, aside

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-60242482215046279502011-12-08T20:03:00.001Z2011-12-08T20:03:47.459Z

I recently found this, from Bertrand Russell in 1951: Perhaps the essence of the Liberal outlook could be summed up in a new decalogue, not intended to replace the old one but only to supplement it. The Ten Commandments that, as a teacher, I should wish to promulgate, might be set forth as follows: 1. Do not feel absolutely certain of anything. 2. Do not think it worth while to proceed by

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-4562240639616875742011-12-06T19:26:00.000Z2011-12-06T19:26:13.498Z

Zach Walls testifies before the Iowa House of Representatives. Hat-Tip: Andrew Sullivan

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-66958958043263334782011-12-05T19:54:00.001Z2011-12-05T19:55:18.708Z

The recent comments of Lib Dem Euro MEP Sharon Bowles are pretty startling: Bowles had travelled to the event directly from Brussels to inform the industry about the current state of the European Mortgage Directive. But after her main speech was concluded she was asked a number of questions from the audience about the future of Europe. The event’s host, Kevin Duffy, managing director of UK

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-88857041201964385282011-12-04T21:13:00.001Z2011-12-04T21:13:13.930Z

I'm watching the Russian elections live ... on Russian TV. From what I can see on the screen, Putin's party is down to 49%. Medvedev and Putin are talking to the media. Putin has the tired, unhappy expression that people normally have when they have lost an election. Another thought. Why on earth does Russia, of all places, have elections in December?

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-67442054996918086252011-12-04T12:01:00.001Z2011-12-04T12:01:52.412Z

I'm delighted to see that the Damn Interesting website has come back to life , after a two year gap. I'm delighted because it has some stuff that is, well, damn interesting. Do either of these snippets intrigue you? A tale of intelligence, cunning and love of money: The scoreboard on Larson’s podium read “$90,351,” an amount unheard of in the history of Press Your Luck. In fact, this total was

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-17339974582035504362011-12-03T20:55:00.000Z2011-12-03T20:55:15.638Z

Well gosh , it's months since I posted something. Not exactly writers block, but ... life has been kinda busy. So to get back into posting , here's a video clip of something I just about remember watching back in the 80s. The BBC had a short season of plays then entitled "Play for Tomorrow", all set in the near future. This is how one of them opens. The actress, Sylvestra Le Touzel, was given

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-28424855308743424872011-08-12T19:56:00.002+01:002011-08-21T21:14:20.007+01:00

Another snippet from Whats My Line...What kind of work does Bobby Moore from London , England do?

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-72713430252399418072011-08-12T18:12:00.001+01:002011-08-12T18:14:13.680+01:00

After seeing a fascinating little TV clip of "I've Got A Secret" on Liberal England, I stumbled across this segment of the US series of "What's My Line", circa 1956..... Colonel Sanders lives in Kentucky. He has a neat white beard, a string tie and a white suit. What on earth does he do for a living?

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-75574033129309079252011-07-31T18:12:00.000+01:002011-07-31T18:12:46.855+01:00

The following document from Buckingham Palace, signed by Her Majesty herself, has recently come into my possession. I understand that Wikileaks are absolutely livid that I got to it first. I can't guarantee that it is genuine, but I believe it will come into effect if the USA defaults. Anyway, here it is: Whereas Our Royal Ancestor King George III was pleased to sign the Treaty of Paris of

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-24845638282747609892011-07-27T21:31:00.000+01:002011-07-27T21:31:37.842+01:00

From Memebase:

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-80362721552164816362011-07-24T20:21:00.001+01:002011-07-24T20:21:00.161+01:00

According to the Guardian: Vince Cable has launched an extraordinary attack on "rightwing nutters" in America who are trying to block the raising of the US government's debt ceiling and who are, he said, a bigger threat to the world economy than problems in the eurozone. Maybe he read something like this blog post with the snappy title "Default -The Two Swwetest Words In the English Language"

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-44237281556742441612011-07-24T17:30:00.000+01:002011-07-24T17:30:41.447+01:00

A candle in Oslo cathedral today..... Too many faces of heartbroken parents.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-17306010946710871302011-05-11T17:50:00.001+01:002011-05-11T17:51:14.789+01:00

Jennie says everything I wanted to say about the tuition fees issue, except ten times better. You really should read her full post here but here's the key paragraph: Let me spell this out in very small words: the problem is, as I said before it even happened, that, with twenty-one honourable exceptions*, our MPs broke their word. We ran our whole damn general election campaign on no more broken

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-73740426946567208842011-05-09T08:09:00.000+01:002011-05-09T08:09:05.998+01:00

Winning elections is easy. At least if you are Ruth Ellen Brosseau. Never been to the constituency? Doesn't matter! Have problems with the local lanaguage? No problem! Ruthe Ellen was a candidate for the New Democratic Party in last week's elections in Canada. As Wikipedia explains: She is also an animal welfare activist who has worked to find homes for stray animals and help injured animals

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-44488557645592729312011-05-09T07:52:00.001+01:002011-05-09T07:54:19.968+01:00

The party is in a mess and it's going to take a lot of effort to get us out of it. We don't have one big problem, we have four. The first problem is that it's very hard to sum up our party's basic aims in a sentence or two. Ask most people and they might say that the Tories are in favour of free enterprise, low taxes and reducing the role of government. They'll say Labour are also more or less

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-40090741775773121522011-05-08T09:00:00.002+01:002011-05-08T09:06:22.170+01:00

Rochford District has been one of the bluest councils in England in recent years - before election day the Tories had 31 seats, we had 5 , the Greens had 1 and the Rochford District Residents Party had 1, with 1 vacancy in Hullbridge. It was very much an election for us to focus on defense, as we had elections in all 3 wards where we had councillors.... The end result was that we lost one seat

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-24073818297264071092011-04-23T20:34:00.000+01:002011-04-23T20:34:21.773+01:00

I'm getting a bit tired of all these "If sporting events were decided under AV then..." arguments from the NO campaign. Because election races aren't really athletics races. If they were, they wouldn't let men and women compete in the same elections. And they aren't really horse races either, because if they were, the Lib Dems have won Orkney and Shetland so many times they would have to be

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-19971090865865123472011-04-22T15:53:00.000+01:002011-04-22T15:53:30.457+01:00

From the Arab News: RIYADH: Saudi Arabia announced Monday that it was not yet ready for women participating in next month’s municipal elections as voters or candidates. “We are not ready for the participation of women in these municipal elections,” Election Commissioner Abdul Rahman Al-Dahmash said. On the Saudijeans blog, there's a call for an elections boycott: The municipal elections deserve

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-66174684284005172302011-04-20T09:11:00.001+01:002011-04-20T09:11:51.311+01:00

Shocked to hear of her death.... For so many , she was "Our" Doctor Who Girl. This Mitch Benn song has a little extra poignancy now: And I don't think pain and loss do define us as much as happiness and love:

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-4642554301322917542011-04-13T20:25:00.003+01:002011-04-13T20:35:37.508+01:00

It's at http://lab.andre-michelle.com/tonematrix The webapage describes it as: Simple sinewave synthesizer triggered by an ordinary 16step sequencer. Each triggered step causes a force on the underlaying wave-map, which makes it more cute. As Kim Ayres explains here Some of you will already know about this, indeed will probably have it as an iPhone app or something. So far as I can make out,

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-20661763870418370252011-04-09T15:28:00.002+01:002011-04-09T15:35:57.540+01:00

From The Ticket: Jefferson Smith loves a good political joke. Early last year, the then-freshman Oregon House member from Portland was getting ready for bed when he and his wife, Katy, began bantering back and forth about what might be the ultimate political prank, something that could lighten the increasingly divisive political mood among his colleagues. As Smith recalls, the idea came almost

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-91008306079812421682011-04-07T21:29:00.000+01:002011-04-07T21:29:20.666+01:00

Rochford District Council is very blue. We have 32 Tories, 5 Lib Dems, 1 Green and 1 Rochford Residents Party councillor. So we don't win many votes.... But it was a slightly bizarre evening tonight. Our Standards Committee consists of 4 Tory District Councillors, 1 Lib Dem District Councillor (myself), plus a number of parish councillors and independent members. Tonight none of the Tories

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-5709833964293499422011-03-29T21:16:00.000+01:002011-03-29T21:16:26.676+01:00

I had an email today from the Governor of the Bank of England, which explains why the government is facing such a big deficit: Although you may be concerned about my e-mail because we have not met before, My name is Mervyn King, as i am the Governor Bank of England, is the sum of EUR20,600,000.00 in my bank, there were no beneficiaries stated concerning these funds are not an agent would ever

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-9864851675315691192011-03-26T19:47:00.000Z2011-03-26T19:47:23.828Z

I'm grateful to Prue Bray, who has pointed out a rather worrying statement on March 23rd by Conservative MP Greg Clark, the Coalition minister for Decentralisation. You can find it here. It's about 'planning for growth', which sounds good in terms of improving the economy, but there are some alarming bits for people concerned about over-development: .....there is a pressing need to ensure that

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-25986433107956723612011-02-19T20:27:00.000Z2011-02-19T20:27:53.035Z

Something went very very wrong in the Disney Hall of Presidents....

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-30508606553789561252011-02-13T21:32:00.000Z2011-02-13T21:32:58.026Z

Let's hope we don't run out of raw materials. I've been reading a little of the 1965 book by Graeme Clark and Stuart Piggott, "Prehistoric Societies". In this book they mention the Ubaid culture of early Iraq - we are talking about 6000 years ago: "The newcomers in the delta of the Two Rivers had to contend with many difficulties, not least with a shortage or non-existence of the material

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-63164512923477091202011-02-10T22:25:00.000Z2011-02-10T22:25:12.968Z

So it's about time I got back to blogging again. So why not begin with possibly the shortest YouTube clip ever. One filled with astonishment - and hope.....

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-67919637504525966802010-12-25T19:19:00.002Z2010-12-25T19:19:47.695Z

If you've just enjoyed watching the (excellent) Dr Who episode entitled A Christmas Carol here's the 1910 film version of A Christmas Carol

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-72601157364884155552010-10-26T22:35:00.003+01:002010-10-26T22:47:29.914+01:00

I was rather excited when I found the website for Future States - which explains itself as follows: What will become of America in five, 25, or even 50 years from today? This series of 11 short films explores possible future scenarios through the prism of today’s global realities. Immerse yourself in the visions of these independent prognosticators as they inhabit a future of their own

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-81226739883090146822010-09-23T20:51:00.000+01:002010-09-23T20:51:18.161+01:00

Are we seeing the first real use of malware as a weapon in the physical world? And is it being used against Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant? From the Christian Science Monitor: So far, Stuxnet has infected at least 45,000 industrial control systems around the world, without blowing them up – although some victims in North America have experienced some serious computer problems, Eric Byres,

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-24355298537013729752010-09-08T21:12:00.000+01:002010-09-08T21:13:18.861+01:00

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-64554932988420055232010-08-29T10:03:00.006+01:002011-02-11T08:00:02.197Z

You'd think that readers leaving comments at the bottom of newspaper articles only started in the early 2000s. But it dates back to at least '96. That's 1696. According to Slate, In 1696, British publisher Ichabod Dawks left blank space in his pages for readers to supplement the words he printed. The first edition of Dawks's News Letter, dated Aug. 4, 1696, told readers, "This letter will be

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-40756325118523370172010-08-28T20:27:00.006+01:002010-08-28T21:50:46.829+01:00

I've never seen the TV Tropes website mentioned on another blog. Which is strange, because it's a pretty massive, informal wiki-type site that looks at writing techniques, plot devices , characterisation and a whole lot more in TV, film, literature, anime etc.I've tried to explain the site to people, when I speak about their eyes tend to glaze over.....But anyway, for example, the "Badass

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-76306166523414306322010-08-26T22:36:00.003+01:002010-08-26T22:38:26.025+01:00

Otchen horosho.Hat-to: Hit and Run

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-67886377345313156902010-08-26T21:48:00.008+01:002010-08-26T22:08:21.886+01:00

I'm pleased to see Lib Dems like Roger Williams raising huge question marks over the government using Philip Green as an advisor:Roger Williams, Lib Dem MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, said that while Green was "very capable", the reports of his tax arrangements should be "looked at" by HMRC and the Treasury."We are very keen that artificial arrangements are minimised," he told the Guardian today.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-42365387968156755512010-08-17T21:33:00.002+01:002010-08-17T21:38:25.360+01:00

I'm quite chuffed to see the announcement that wheel clamping on private land is going to be banned in England and Wales. In the past year or so I've heard of cases in Rayleigh where someone has been charged about 200 pounds extra, just for paying by card. And I've seen instances where the vehicle was apparently parked on the public highway, and still got clamped.So well done - especially to

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-38681019891705235092010-08-16T19:22:00.012+01:002010-08-16T19:54:10.645+01:00

Here's an artistic puzzle for you.One of my favourite videos on the net is this cute one of a Mum showing her very young daughter how to dance - the music is Nouvelle Vague's version of "Ever Fallen In Love With Someone You Shouldn't Have Fallen In Love With". Apart from being fun to watch, it's a scene of a parent enjoying life with their child (two children, actually) in the security of their

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-13895963341721893162010-08-15T12:46:00.008+01:002010-08-15T13:23:42.752+01:00

I'm sure I'm not the only Lib Dem blogger still trying to work out whether the coalition is going to be good, bad or ugly.For now, I have my doubts, but I'm prepared to give it a chance to work. I shudder when I read about the possibility of nature reserves being sold off, but nod in agreement when I see that the Audit Commission is being abolished.The Guardian has now come up with a little

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-88140732168068735982010-08-10T21:11:00.005+01:002010-08-10T21:27:53.214+01:00

It's alarming how being a "Conservative" in America is starting to mean "Anti-Science". Hence "Conservapedia" which is a kind of right-wing creationist alternative to Wikipedia.Now it's criticising relativity. Key quote:The theory of relativity is a mathematical system that allows no exceptions. It is heavily promoted by liberals who like its encouragement of relativism and its tendency to

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-1977162307507300212010-08-10T04:24:00.005+01:002010-08-10T07:22:50.548+01:00

I just thought I'd mention that one of the very bits of British SF ever is now uploaded onto YouTube.It's the play "The Flip Side of Dominic Hyde" and part one has had only 2,523 hits - which is absurdly low.Whether you are a fan of SF and watched ever minute of this season's Dr Who and "Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel", or think you loathe science fiction and prefer Jane Austen, do

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-89877895317620212692010-08-08T22:09:00.003+01:002010-08-08T22:19:09.577+01:00

This thought-provoking and rather eerie animation shows every nuclear explosion from 1945 up to 1998.It begins slowly, but there's a sort of flash flood of detonations in the 1950s.....Before you watch it, see if you can answer this question - where did the first nuclear explosion take place in Africa? (that's not including the natural nuclear reactions that took place in what is now Gabon, 2

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-59807920045000939982010-08-07T22:37:00.004+01:002010-08-07T22:42:40.727+01:00

A slightly sardonic video from the Economist changes Europe's borders.... not to mention coastlines! Hat-Tip: Hit and Run

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-29027935042008510522010-08-03T07:49:00.003+01:002010-08-03T07:57:41.188+01:00

On the foreignpolicy.com website, there's an interesting article about the return of politically charged Chinese SF. As an SF fan who had never even heard of any Chinese SF before reading this, I've been intrigued. The article centres on a new novel that was published last year in Hong Kong but is now circulating widely :Chen Guanzhong's China 2013 presents a fairly Orwellian view of China's

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-39058425840667206662010-08-02T21:57:00.004+01:002010-08-02T22:05:42.866+01:00

If you are looking for a website about animals that's a bit out of the ordinary, try Ugly Overload. Their strapline is:"Giving ugly animals their day in the sun. We avoid the simply tragic, diseased, or maimed." That's where I found the above picture of a Kitefin Shark.As the authors so ably put it:Its creepy skin and having its eyes where its nostrils should be might be impressively ugly enough

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-50809184715905111082010-07-31T09:49:00.001+01:002010-07-31T09:51:14.337+01:00

By the way, if you haven't heard it... this is "The Tide is Turning".A sublime song about Live Aid.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-29884848900909439092010-07-31T09:34:00.007+01:002010-07-31T09:48:24.832+01:00

Pink Floyd were one of my favourite groups when I was younger. I thought "Dark Side Of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here" were wonderful. And the Tide is Turning" is sublime. But I never liked "Another Brick In the Wall", especially the title track. Not even for one second. "We don't need no education!"? Of course you do, you pillocks. If that track discouraged even one person from getting a

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-33115893218943596692010-07-30T22:46:00.003+01:002010-07-30T22:51:14.916+01:00

Sometimes the best thing to do in a poltical arena is to show your anger and contempt.... this is Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner.The Guardian tries to explain here.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-68039436004152984352010-07-27T22:58:00.003+01:002010-07-27T23:02:49.163+01:00

On Rochford District Council we have a pretty oppressive form of the cabinet system - if you aren't one of the eight Tory cabinet members, you can never ever speak at a cabinet meeting , even if it affects your ward.So the Lib Dems were pleased to see that the coalition are going to give councils the chance to go back to a committee system, and two of us put forward the following motion:‘That

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-43078978481886895492010-07-25T22:38:00.002+01:002010-07-25T22:41:22.849+01:00

I don't know if Cameron and Obama got on as well as this - but here's an entertaining game between High Lawrie and Ellen Degeneres as they try to guess the meaning of English and American slang.....

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-23662706283243420972010-07-15T23:13:00.004+01:002010-07-15T23:20:30.723+01:00

Wheatley Ward on Rochford District Council is a real Conservative stronghold - when the seat was contested in May, only the Tories and English Democrats actually stood.Following the sad death of Conservative ward councillor John Pullen, we've just had a by-election, in which the Lib Dems and Labour dipped their toe into the electoral waters here. However the result was, as expected , a

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-81357832689189823062010-07-11T22:06:00.002+01:002010-07-11T22:09:16.452+01:00

Not a bad world cup for me personally , as I had Holland in the office sweepstake...But the gane that riveted me most was New Zealand 1 Italy 1 - a defiant performace by the All Whites.And am I the first person to point out that New Zealand were the only team to leave the World Cup Finals unbeaten?

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-34364668337126571132010-06-04T20:50:00.003+01:002010-06-04T21:41:11.418+01:00

I've just found an interesting piece from an Indian blogger, Ullas Sharma: that's worth reading: It made me wonder how it would have been if the Mahatma were a Palestinian. He would have reveled in the opportunity; a just cause, and a just means to the end – a Palestinian state carved out of the philosophy of non-violence. How would he have gone about it? Well, for starters, he would have read

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-70042791668251680872010-05-17T18:17:00.002+01:002010-05-17T18:19:08.986+01:00

Not a phrase you hear very often. But here's a job advert.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-45542241032967049062010-05-08T12:26:00.001+01:002010-05-08T12:26:42.921+01:00

Lib Dem Brentwood Councillor Karen Chilvers has just written about what happened in her area on Thursday:We knocked on a lot of doors yesterday telling you it would be close - but I had no idea how close it would be..At 6am, after four recounts and with over 3,000 votes cast it finally came down to 1578 votes for Nigel and 1578 for the Tory candidate - dead heat..The election was then decided by

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-79401434019443695762010-05-08T10:34:00.007+01:002010-05-08T11:26:52.479+01:00

Down in deepest, bluest Rayleigh and Wickford , our Tory MP Mark Francois was swept back to Westminster with 57 percent of the vote and a majority of over 22000. And I wish him well - by the way, he doesn't seem to have the same right-wing reputation in Rayleigh that he seems to have outside the constituency.It was really good to see Susan Gaszczak win 2nd place for us by a few hundred votes,

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-70465567077721696302010-04-25T20:24:00.002+01:002010-04-25T20:26:38.312+01:00

From the Telegraph:Mr Clegg will be boosted, however, by higher-than-expected levels of support for some of his party's more controversial policies. Some 46 per cent of voters backed replacing the Trident nuclear deterrent with a cheaper weapons system, 55 per cent were in favour of amnesties for illegal immigrants who have been in the UK 10 years and 49 per cent backed replacing prison sentences

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-26271072531080844022010-04-22T22:03:00.000+01:002010-04-22T22:04:19.758+01:00

See here

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-64198223168801313142010-04-14T17:46:00.005+01:002010-04-14T17:49:37.182+01:00

One of my favourite US bloggers finds he supports Lib Dem policies fractionally more than Tory ones:Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have unveiled their manifesto. Check it out here. When I filled out this questionnaire on policy positions, it turned out that I was regarded as 45 percent Lib Dem and 44 percent Tory, with 37 percent Labour. I suspect that's my civil liberties bent and fiscal

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-18376773119044999702010-04-01T07:24:00.004+01:002010-04-01T07:29:01.121+01:00

The Guardian has an exclusive look at Labour's election posters ... here.There are also rumours this morning that Lord Ashcroft is moving his holdings from Belize to the Indian Ocean republic of San Serriffe.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-25480264049309432732010-03-20T21:35:00.002Z2010-03-20T21:39:09.498Z

I've done a fair bit of canvassing in the past week. And I always like to talk and stroke cats when I'm canvassing.But maybe I'm overdoing it. I mean, last night I dreamed that our cat Felix actually was Gordon Brown. And he jumped into a pond and I had to rescue the poor animal.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-28311037118597085312010-02-27T19:35:00.006Z2010-02-27T19:44:37.778Z

Beware of Ug99 - it's a fungus that has the potential of creating a massive famine:This distinct new race of P. graminis, dubbed Ug99 after its country of origin (Uganda) and year of christening (1999), is storming east, working its way through Africa and the Middle East and threatening India and China. More than a billion lives are at stake. “It’s an absolute game-changer,” says Brian Steffenson

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-41120179427032452922010-02-17T19:17:00.002Z2010-02-17T19:22:37.145Z

From Saudi Jeans:While the Religious Police today launched their annual nationwide crackdown on stores selling items that are red or in any other way allude to the banned celebrations of Valentine’s Day, Reem Asaad and her fellow woman continue their lingerie jihad. Starting on the 13th of February and for two weeks, women are called to boycott all lingerie shops that employ men.This is the

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-70056514558353279262010-02-17T18:59:00.002Z2010-02-17T19:05:16.496Z

The blogger Andrew Sullivan has a very soberly written , but extremely angry post today about torture - particularly as seen from a Catholic viewpoint.It's well worth reading in full. But here's a paragraph:As Christians and as Catholics, we are required to follow Our Lord's impossible example and not just love our friends, but to love our enemies. This does not mean pacifism; and I have a long,

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-83212162267086883262010-02-07T16:56:00.003Z2010-02-07T17:13:23.308Z

I found a , um , provoking little article on the internet from May 2009. The title was Will the Antichrist be a homosexual?.The author, the pastor for an independent Baptist Church in a small US town, reckons it's likely:...In effect, there is no greater sin against God than to reject how he made you, and no greater sin against women than to reject how God made them.Having seen what the Bible

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-10070662478750264522010-02-05T23:12:00.002Z2010-02-05T23:15:22.538Z

It's never been easy ruling from Chelmsford, as this video demonstrates:

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-26255482409298560222010-02-04T22:29:00.003Z2010-02-04T22:32:26.922Z

I'm really impressed by this....

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-37113089702046124312010-02-04T18:48:00.004Z2010-02-04T19:05:57.650Z

Fancy buying a helicopter? Or even two?As the website of the Colorado Springs Police Department explains, the US city of Colorado Springs is selling off both of its police helicopters. This is due to 'financial constraints'The city is short of money, doesn't want to increase taxes, and hence is heading into a crisis. The helicopter sale is just one of many cuts being made to the city budget, and

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-1160443498024379762010-02-02T18:43:00.007Z2010-02-02T19:31:38.895Z

Well. That'll teach me to leave comments on other people's blogs. I criticise someone for describing a Lib Dem as a "Measurement Fascist" and in return get described as being "frankly pathetic".Ah well, it's a free country. And on reflection maybe I was being harsh. But I wish people wouldn't diminish just how evil Nazism, Stalinism and Fascism were by using such phrases as "Health Nazi".Having

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-16460158549058105802010-01-31T21:20:00.002Z2010-01-31T21:25:30.431Z

3 minutes 33 seconds of animation good enough so that you can almost sniff the salt air...Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.And there's more here, including my favourite short film of all time:World Builder from BranitVFX on Vimeo.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-33370303596040005112010-01-31T11:54:00.003Z2010-01-31T13:16:00.257Z

This looks promising ...Hat-tip : Volokh Conspiracy

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-59852733881953021842010-01-29T09:45:00.007Z2010-01-29T09:55:20.822Z

A 16 year-old rape victim is punished with 100 lashes.This 'gruesome brutality' and 'parallel system of justice that misuse the name of religion' is roundly condemned by the Bangladesh Daily Star here. JUSTICE has been made a farce of once again. In a shocking repetition of misuse of fatwa, a rape victim was at the receiving end of a hundred and one lashes; the punishment was fixed through local

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-12609443026897798132010-01-27T09:50:00.004Z2010-01-27T09:54:59.942Z

Never underestimate a cat.....Hat-tip : Andrew Sullivan

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-18691775993148498742010-01-26T21:31:00.003Z2010-01-26T21:42:10.914Z

I love the suggestion of West Ham United moving to the Olympic Stadium and renaming themselves West Ham OlympicJust think :* The club doctor would be Doctor WHO* Opposing fans could never chant "Who are ya?" again. Instead Irons fans could sing "We are WHO" * The Doctor Who theme tune would be a great piece of music for the players to run out to...Anyway, how did Marseille get the name "Olympique

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-68106925422330125142010-01-26T00:32:00.002Z2010-01-26T00:37:35.847Z

I'm really puzzled by this article on the Southend Echo website: A CONSERVATIVE councillor says he is running as an independent in another ward this year as a “practice run”.Jason Luty, who is currently a Conservative councillor for Eastwood Park ward, will be standing in the May elections as an independent candidate in Westborough.He says this is a “dry run” in preparation to challenging

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-67545749038494058202010-01-20T14:48:00.002Z2010-01-20T14:51:13.812Z

It's a bitter day for Rayleigh, with the announcement that all 600 or so jobs at Eon will be lost.Cadbury's employees - be warned.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-33025047648451767822010-01-07T23:27:00.003Z2010-01-07T23:30:50.593Z

Does your local council's website have a link to the council leader's blog on it's home page?Which council websites do you know of that do have a link to their leader's blog on the council home page?

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-21936848812659632672010-01-02T14:46:00.002Z2010-01-02T14:49:02.796Z

This is a true story about a former Essex MP - Major Sir Frederick Carne Rasch. Rasch seemed to have had a pretty good life. He went to Eton and then Trinity College Cambridge, and did a lot of rowing there (that’s rowing boats , not rowing in arguments). He spent ten years in the Dragoon Guards, became a director of a couple of breweries, and then went into parliament as a Conservative,

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-2039701778291876542010-01-01T19:55:00.002Z2010-01-01T19:57:15.468Z

Thank you Doctor, a great final episode.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-21017070313067789812009-12-24T06:23:00.003Z2009-12-24T21:09:25.739Z

This video is dedicated to all local government officers trying to satisfy councillors' and residents' demands with inadequate resources!In this film, James Garner plays a new sheriff who is provided with a brand new jail - the only things is, the bars haven't arrived yet. So he has to manage by using a little bit of red paint and his strong powers of suggestion....

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-7764621552349175072009-12-22T18:36:00.003Z2009-12-22T18:39:40.930Z

I don't normally link to Conservativehome. But there's an important article on there tonight about Lord Hanningfield's plans for Essex County Council. The writer clearly thinks it's a great idea:IBM have won the huge £5.4 billion, eight year, contract from Essex County Council for a mass privatisation of their services. This follows a report in March that IBM were competing for the contract

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-63285613852082184992009-12-07T16:02:00.007Z2009-12-07T16:37:45.415Z

I'm grateful to Jonathan Calder for pointing us in direction of a website created by an outfit called Millbanksystems. It is basically an online register of what anyone has said in parliament in the last 200 years.This may seem dull, but if you search for certain words- for example the name of your village or town- you can obtain some pretty illuminating information about what things were like

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-13784990567648381612009-12-06T19:55:00.000Z2009-12-06T19:56:17.544Z

Catherine Bennett in the Guardian:For much of its history the length of the average union, before it was ended by the death of a partner, was the same as it is now, before being terminated by divorce: 11 years.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-21386959059043222552009-12-06T09:48:00.005Z2009-12-06T10:07:21.899Z

I was shocked to see in the Guardian that Robert Holdstock, the author of Mythago Wood and quite a few other fantasy novels, has died at the age of 61, from an E Coli infection.....This blogger puts Mythago Wood in his top ten list of fantasy books.........A marvellously atmospheric work, it captures somehow the feel of the English countryside and its woodlands and fields, which can be ordinary

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-59420815770525238242009-11-25T20:15:00.001Z2009-11-25T20:16:25.587Z

On homeopathy:9.38am: Robert Wilson says it's an old business and popular in France.Phil Willis: "So is prostitution."

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-90953945192304679242009-11-24T22:16:00.003Z2009-11-24T22:21:39.264Z

Down in Rochford District we form the opposition but there's only five of us, sometimes it can be a little lonely, particularly when you're the only Lib Dem on a committee!However one of the advantages of being in the Lib Dems, as opposed to being,say, independents , is that we can get advice and help from other experienced Liberal Democrats elsewhere (and although we are in a party we don’t have

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-48793891684914334372009-11-02T22:50:00.005Z2009-11-03T19:19:58.050Z

My favourite You-Tube treasure-trove at the moment is a collection of recordings of the American TV programme "What's My Line " from the 1950s. Some feature people who are simply celebrities, others feature 'ordinary' people in unusual occupations. This edition of "What;s My Line" was made 50 years ago last week and is reviewed here. (yes, nowadays 50-year-old TV gets in-depth reviews on the net!

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-40793833631880603632009-10-13T21:13:00.002+01:002009-10-13T21:15:16.352+01:00

Planning Alerts has been a really useful website, I'm really disappointed to have received the following email tonight:As some of you may already have spotted in the news, Planning Alerts hasbeen effected by legal action by the Royal Mail:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7700621.stmWe are left with the choice of paying the Royal Mail up to £4,000 ayear for access to the postcode database and

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-18867930456856491082009-09-10T23:09:00.003+01:002009-09-11T00:12:03.888+01:00

I've just come back from the count for the Whitehouse Ward Town Council by-election in Rayleigh. The result was:Conservatives : 488 - 69 percentLib Dems (Corey Vost) 166 - 23 percentBNP 57 - 8 percentThere was a 22 percent turnout.So, a clear win for the Conservatives - and we offered our congratulations to Mr Ward (now Councillor Ward!).Not a

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-27539616749121242212009-07-04T19:59:00.001+01:002009-07-04T20:01:39.633+01:00

I see the Weather Channel gives mosquito forecasts in the US....

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-58749795943171629132009-06-27T10:18:00.003+01:002009-06-27T10:39:18.670+01:00

Another thread at alternatehistory.com explores a timeline in which George Orwell's 1984 actually happens - or at least , Big Brother and Ingsoc rule England , but as a North Korean type hermit state. Everyone is brainwashed into believing that the rest of the world comprises Oceania, Eastasia and Eurasia.The creator of this thread suggests that the point of departure for this timeline would be

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-18198558132963595212009-06-26T20:53:00.003+01:002009-06-26T20:57:06.497+01:00

It's here at www.alternatehistory.comIn response to the overbearing social conservatism of Thatcher, Queen becomes far more political. Freddie never enters the underground scene (bathhouses, frequent unprotected sex, etc.), so he never gets HIV. In 1982, the album "Hot Space" is shelved in place of a very political album about the Falklands War. Freddie Mercury is seen as a "spokesman of a

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-60270212388256993892009-06-21T08:18:00.003+01:002009-06-21T09:23:19.487+01:00

In case anyone has been wondering, I haven't disappeared from the face of the earth, I merely stopped blogging because I was immersed in the County Council Elections in Rayleigh North. To cut a long story short, I finished a cheerful second out of six candidates, closing the gap on the Conservative incumbent to about 6 percent:Stephen Charles Castle The Conservative Party Candidate 2095Chris

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-15764667101178458202009-06-15T08:15:00.002+01:002009-06-15T08:17:51.483+01:00

It's not the voting that creates a democracy, it's the counting....

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-26237225454196060602009-06-03T18:20:00.003+01:002009-06-03T18:21:05.016+01:00

Some things don't change.....

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-53626801283896919352009-03-15T19:47:00.005Z2009-03-15T19:59:57.976Z

The String Quartet play 'How To Save A Life"

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com2