newsjiffy

I will be creating another blog in Wordpress, so I can learn about this application.

At the moment I have little time to tinker with Wordpress, so don't expect too much until early Jan.

I am calling it anextendedfeature for now, but I'm not sure I like the name, so I may change it.

Any ideas for a new name?

I will be posting to this blog, and then uploading posts to Wordpress. Even when the Wordpress blog is up and running, I don't want this one to die, as it's promoted.

My Wordpress blog.

After a Internet petition organised by MoveOn.Org, Facebook has made some changes to the way its Beacon application works.

Now Beacon will not transmit any data to Facebook unless users click "OK"

If users do not click "OK", the information will not be published, although it will be saved for later.

Yesterday's London Lite reported on how troubled tycoon Conrad Black was able to sign books at Waterstones Piccadilly despite being unable to leave America.

Using the LongPen device, invented by author and poet Margaret Atwood, Black was able to send an electronic signature using a magnetic pen.

He then sent the signature to a robot arm in Waterstones, which traced the signature exactly as he had written it.

Will it catch on?:

Many authors value travelling and the chance to meet people face to face.

However, many are extremly busy or perhaps to frail to fly long distances.

While the LongPen includes the ability to communicate with the author via video conferencing, this seems somehow less personal.

And what if the power fails in either location?

For those located in Toronto, you can watch British author Kate Mosse sign her novel Sepulchre using Long Pen at the Toronto Reference Library on the 6th December.

More events will be posted on the LongPen website.

The cost of the LongPen has not yet been revealed for booksellers, but publishers must pay $800 per event, according to Wessel and Liberman.

This evening I attended a productive meeting of Media Workers Against The War.

It took place at the HQ of the National Union of Journalists, in Gray's Inn Road.

Chaired by David Crouch, the meeting discussed ways Media Workers Against The War could get its message across, including multiple bloggers and a pamphlet.

The huge amount of interest generated by the November 17th conference was also mentioned.

Media Workers Against The War was founded by Paul Foot and John Pilger in 1990.

If you wish to get involved with Media Workers Against The War, the contact details are on the site.

Here are two more stories I wrote for the Smoke:

1.Second degree funding dries up:

Funding will be withdrawn for students who study for a second degree at the same level as their first, in a move announced last week by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

University leaders stated that this will cut millions of pounds from the budgets of institutions offering part-time courses such as the Open University, which will lose more than £30 million of funding, as well as preventing universities from offering vocational degrees to workers desiring to retrain.

The Vice-Chancellor of Bedfordshire University accused the government of not sharing their commitment to lifelong learning.

However, the Government has denied any possibility of cuts and states that the money will be redirected to undergraduates who have never before studied at degree level.

The higher education minister Bill Rammell defended the decision, saying “First time students have to come first”.

Rammell also stated that some subjects, such as medicine, would be exempt. At present the taxpayer contributes on average about £100,000 to support students who get a second degree.

David Willetts, the shadow universities skills and innovation secretary, said: "This has all the hallmarks of a rushed and potentially damaging proposal which is being bundled out before the spending review. As a minimum, the government needs to protect the training of key subjects like medicine.”

Professor Brenda Gourley, the Open University’s Vice Chancellor, called for a differentiation to be made between full-time and part-time students. Gourley described the latter as “mostly working members of the public, paying their taxes and contributing to the economy”.

Universities secretary John Denham’s letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England, which details the Government’s reasoning behind the move, is at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/hefce/2007/HEFCE_letterELQ.pdf.

The minister recently spoke at a Universities UK conference where he said that funding per student would be maintained in real terms, although he warned universities they had to do more to widen their intake.

2.Stand Up For Journalism

The National Union of Journalists are organising a day of action against cuts on November 5th, including a rally in defence of journalism in Manchester where the Society of Editors conference will be meeting and a meeting in London of freelancers who work for the BBC.

The rally will meet at the Manchester Evening News, which is located in Hardman Street at 12.30 p.m.

A lobby will take place outside the Radisson Edwardian Hotel in Peter Street followed by a further rally at the Friends Meeting House at 6 Mount Street at 1.30 p.m.

There will be other events across Europe to highlight the money-saving drive among media owners that has resulted in small budgets and lower wages, which affects the quality of the media produced as well as those who work in the media.

Therefore, everyone who watches television, listens to the radio or reads a newspaper will lose out, not just journalists.

The Society of Editors claim that they value “the importance of the vitality of the news media in a democratic society”, and the NUJ are hoping that editors will stand up to what NUJ president Michelle Stanistreet describes as the “culture of cuts”.

Many students at the University of Westminster are studying degrees related to the media, and will no doubt want to take part in an event organised by grassroots union members. Suggested ways to take part include petitions, protests and union meetings.

You can also write to your MP to ask him to sign Early Day Motion 1994, which expresses concern about media conglomerates and a decline in media standards.

Recently ITV has made cuts to regional news programmes (which may result in NUJ strike action), leading to the loss of hundreds of jobs, and if drastic action is not taken across the whole of the country further cutbacks could spring up over the next few months.

Further information is online at http://www.standupforjournalism.org.uk.

This is a piece I have submitted as part of my News and Features module.

I have spaced out the piece to keep one thought per paragraph.

Andrex shows the need to protect animals.

By Richard Brennan

The recent case of a pig being locked in lorry full of toilet paper could not have been brought to a happy end without the actions of the RSPCA.

The charity managed to advise the staff of a Derbyshire Tesco how best to care for a piglet called Andrex, who was suffering from cuts and bruises to his snout.

A BBC News videoclip of Andrex shows him looking like he has been in a street fight, as if Babe had been remade by a desperate Michael Winner.

It’s no joke, though, for the animals abused across Britain every year.

With no licence or home inspection needed to own most domestic pets, anyone can walk into a pet shop and purchase an animal.

It is my belief that this should change.

We need to protect the rights of animals, from the pet shop to the litter tray.

Anyone owning a domestic pet should have their address registered with the RSPCA, and have their home inspected every year to make sure they are treating the animal properly.

Of course, that’s going to keep the current staff of the RSPCA busy.

So why not have the agency funded by the government?

£82 million pounds is the annual amount raised by fundraising.

Fundraising.

How would you feel if the Social Security budget was met by facepainting and bouncy castle rides?

If Alistair Darling slinked into the chamber and announced that MP’s salaries would be paid by a daily whip-round, our elected members would explode like a pin-striped bomb.

So why has not a single member of parliament raised a question in the house about the way this nation treats its animal welfare service?

Even those who backed a ban on hunting and jeered at landowning Tories who stood in its way have remained silent.

Why has the animal liberation movement, which was able to delay work on the Oxford University animal laboratory for three years, and at one point considered targeting every student at Oxford University, remained silent?

Could it be that SPEAK activists only go after high-profile cases?

Dare I suggest that the ALF won’t touch anything which won’t get them in the paper?

I’m not calling for any sort of violence- yet there is a fundamental hypocrisy.

Is the kitten kicked around a garden less important than a kitten mutilated for medical use?

Why not write to your MP and ask him to demand that the RSPCA is fully funded?

Those who use Facebook can also join the group “I think the RSPCA should receive government funding”, which currently has 142 members.

Let’s hope that a Labour Government needing every vote it can get will improve the safety net for pets.

Some interesting letters (both pro and anti, of course) about the BNP speaking at the Oxford Union.

My personal favourite:

Why in this country is everybody running scared of giving voice to Nick Griffin et al. Is there any need to protect those oh-so-well-educated students from the virus of BNP propaganda? Turn to France and see how they handle the far right there. I watched Ripostes on France 5 on Sunday when Jean-Marie Le Pen was cross-questioned for over an hour. At the end of the discussion there was a sense that it was all over for him. It is only by full exposure that extremism and racism lose any force they may have.
Phil Jones
Eastington, Gloucestershire

So you've signed up to Blogger, chosen your blog style, chosen a name, and are ready to get started.

The most important feature of your blog is of course your content.

That doesn't mean that there aren't other features you should add to your blog.

Top five features to add:

1. A Stat Counter:

This enables you to find out how many people visit your blog each day. I use GoStats, which also tells me what country people are from.

This can be useful when writing country-specfic content. For example, if you get a lot of tricolours popping up in your GoStats, then blog on issues related to France.

You are also informed of what search phrases are used. Click on "Last Guests" above the table to see them.

GoStats also enables you to review your stats over time.

Today, I have recieved 17 hits so far, although 3 of them are from me using a Newsroom Imac.

I haven't blogged so far untiil this post, so that may explain it.

My GoStats is located at the bottom of my blog-so scroll down.

A simple click and a window will open giving you a table and 3 graphs.

The graphs are for the last 7 and 30 days, and for the last 24 hours.

The table gives you page views, IP Hosts, Unique vistors and Unique sessions for the day, the day before, the week and the month.

GoStats is free, although some features are only avaliable when you upgrade to a paid version.

2. A ClustrMap.

A ClustrMap provides a visual display of where your hits come from.

It is not as detailed as GoStats, but it does keep data for longer.

You can upgrade to ClustrMap Pro and zoom in to continents and Britain.

3. Previous Posts.

You can create this by adding a Link List and adding the link to each indivdual post.

Takes time, but worth it as it is easier for visitors to find.

They don't have to click on months each time.

4. Feedburner

Use Feedburner to burn your feed and make it compatible with any reader.

Place a link to your FeedBurner feed on your blog. Mine is on the bottom right.

5. Technorati.

Join Technorati to enable people to search for your blog. The more people who link to your blog, the higher up the Technorati rankings you will be.

Currently, I am at 15, meaning 15 people who use Technorati have linked to my blog.

You can set your blog to ping Technorati when you post.

Pinging basically sends a message to the site.

Tagging your blog on Technorati is also recommended, as it makes it more likely to appear in searches.

Adding a Techorati widget to your blog enables any vistor to favourite the blog on the site

(My widget, at the risk of blowing my own trumpet, is at the very bottom of my blog, below my GoStats).

Other blogging tips:

One thought per paragraph.

Don't write big chunks of text.

Add YouTube where relevant, but don't go overboard.

Don't add pictures if they aren't relevant. Don't add fake glitter.

Don't use text speak. U migt b abl 2 unrstn ths bt othrs cnt!

Blog every day. Most of my blog posts are written in 5-10 minutes.

Don't put your address or phone number on your blog.

If you put your e-mail address on your blog, be ready for phishing e-mails, some using BBC News stories of people killed in plane crashes to add an authentic touch.

Submission sites:

Good sites to submit a blog to are linked at the bottom of my blog. Click on the icons.

Just so you don't think I spend all my time doing shorthand, I'll let you know what fieldwork we've done so far.

On Monday 12th November our class visited City Hall, and reported on a meeting of the Economic Development, Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee.

London Development agency chief executive Manny Lewis and his deputy Sarah Etanja were questioned by the committee.

On Thursday 22nd November I visited Harrow Magistrates Court to report on two cases, which I obviously can't discuss here.

Today, my class attended a meeting of the House of Commons Defence Committee in Portcullis House.

I seem to have difficulty matching my map to the world around me, and ran once round the Houses Of Parliament before finding where I needed to go.

Our class had a brief chat with the chairman of the committee James Arbuthnot, who was very informative.

Next term:
Next term the MA Journalism class will be reporting for Westminster News Online.

I will link to the site when it is ready.

"I know it's time for truth, and the truth is you lost, Uncle Jimmy"

Those were the words of The Jam to a former Labour prime minister, during the late 1970's.

I feel Gordon Brown must look at the portrait of James Callaghan that is resplendent on the stairs of 10 Downing Street and feel some sympathy.

With the missing child benefit discs and Northern Rock buzzing round, another crisis is causing Gordon Brown to toss and turn.

Deputy leader Harriet Harman accepted a £5,000 donation from a Janet Kidd.

This turned out to be from David Abrahams.

Why David Abrahams did not give the donation in his own name I do not know.

Paul Watt, Labour's general secretary, has resigned.

David Abrahams has called this "sad", although I'd call giving £5,000 to Harriet Harman's campaign rather sad.

Cost:

Why does it cost over £5,000 to campaign to be deputy leader?

This is the problem-one politician spends £x amount on his campaign, and the other must therefore spend £x plus another £200 or so, in order to get even BIGGER balloons.

In a General Election, a party cannot spend more than £30,000.

One way to get round this would be for a candidate to spend £45,000, but obtain receipts totalling £30,000.

I don't know how to avoid this-other than having someone from the Electoral Commission with a hidden camera.

Which you couldn't do for every candidate.

Maybe pressure should be put on candidates from within political parties.

Can Labour recover:

The Tories have their biggest lead over Labour since 1988.

That year was before Black Wednesday, the closure of 30 pits by Michael Heseltine and VAT on fuel.

That means people have forgotten this:

With thanks to Councillor James Alexander for the Youtube.

It should be noted that the Tories have only added 1 point to their lead in the last month.

The Liberal Democrats, engaged in the Huhne and Clegg clash, picked up 2 points, while other parties picked up four points.

Steve Richards in the Independent today called for Brown to ignore the voice of Rupert Murdoch and to use more authoritative politicians for interviews.

I agree. Be bold, be radical and dump the tabloid agenda.

Every Monday Independent readers can e-mail questions to the paper for a public figure.

Today, Brian Paddick, Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London (and good egg) was in the spotlight.

What is the first thing you would do as London Mayor? Stuart Fisher, Hoxton

I would look to start tackling waste and making people feel safer. But over the coming months I am going to be listening to Londoners to make sure I understand their priorities and can get to work addressing those issues, not my issues.

Would you keep the congestion charge? Richard Thompson, Dover

We need to reinforce the central zone congestion charge where traffic grinds to a halt on an almost daily basis. I want to look at scrapping the western extension, which most people did not want.

Should cannabis be legalised or returned to a class B drug? David Raynes, by email

We need to stop playing with the legality of cannabis or whether it is in the right class or not and concentrate on educating people, particularly young people, as to the harmful effects.

Today David Irving and Nick Griffin have been invited to a debate at the Oxford Union on free speech.

Now however abhorrant someone is, debate is the best way to dispower them.

To have your argument destroyed in front of an audience, using statistics and press clippings, must be far worse than being banned from speaking.

Banning someone makes their ideas seem more dangerous. People ask "Why don't they want us to hear Nick Griffin".

Nick Griffin can then paint himself in the guise of the victim.

David Irving can churn out another book, this time on places he was not allowed to speak at.

Trevor Phillips bands the invitation a disgrace-yet does not appear to say why. He also tells the students "You're supposed to be brillant" leading one to wonder whether Phillips is actually using the event to attack Oxford University.

Trevor Phillips' terror of multiculturalism and his frequent comments on the issue have done far more harm to relations than the Oxford Union ever will.

Des Browne, Chris Bryant and June Sarpong have also withdrawn from Union events.

They never complain when the Saudi King came to the UK.

Nick Griffin and the BNP are well documented as dangerous, but are they worse than King Abdullah?

We've already given the far right our flag. The Guardian this morning had a revolting picture of Nick Griffin's Cyclopian figure in front of a Union Jack.

A national flag is meant to represent all the people in a country.

It's not meant to just decorate the smoky pubs that shaven-headed BNP supporters meet in.

No other country seems to have let a national symbol be stolen by its most unpleasent element.

Let's fly the flag and show facists that we won't let them co-opt our heritage.

BNP hate free speech:

Some say that because the BNP don't believe in free speech, they don't deserve any.

Tit for tat isn't the way forward.

We won't lower ourselves to their level.

Next time the BNP post a press release trying to close down a meeting or somesuch, we can remind them that the Oxford Union let them speak.

Threatned student:

It should be noted that a Oxford student has complained of threats from far right groups.

If he is worried that this group is the BNP, that is a good reason for cancelling or perhaps moving this debate.

But we can't just stop them from speaking and let them become martrys.

As Max Hastings notes, we also need to let Oxford students know how dangerous the BNP are.

We should take them on and win, then we'll shatter their support and stop their evil antics.

There is a demonstration outside the Oxford Union, for those who disagree with the event, at 7pm.

I'd like to think that Nick Griffin and David Irving will be soundly beaten in front of 450 ticket-holders, and made to look like fools.

No one votes for someone they think is a fool.

Let's use argument to destroy the far right once and for all.

Brass Eye creator Chris Morris has criticised Martin Amis

Normally reluctant to converse with the media or write comment pieces, Chris Morris was on fine form today.

I claim no great knowledge on this subject - level-three SATs perhaps - but Amis couldn't pass the test for morning playgroup. If my Shetland pony looks like a high-horse it's only because Amis is trotting round the paddock on a chihuahua.

.

Chris Morris's comment is much better than the drivel that Ronan Bennett came out with at the beginning of the week, saying we should be shamed for tolerating Martin Amis and his opinions.

As if Amis' opinions couldn't be bested in debate.

Chelsea singer Gene October also works as a binman in Brighton's London Road area, due to the lack of money in being in a punk.

Before being a punk rocker, he was a porn star, although you'll have to find the links yourself. He has also starred in non-porn films after starting Chelsea.

His original bandmates later formed Generation X.

Gene October has reformedChelsea
many times.

The original line-up was formed in August 1976, and consisted of John Towe, Billy Idol and Tony James.

After a split in November 1976, Generation X was formed by Gene's bandmates, while Gene joined Carey Fortune, Henry Daze and James Stevenson to release Right To Work.

Chelsea performing Right To Work: The recording is poor, but it's the only video recording I could find.

Further splits occur during the Eighies, leading to Gene forming Hot Club and then joining Gene Loves Jezebel.

Currently the December 1976 lineup of Chelsea is undertaking occasional gigs, and toured Germany and the Czech Republic this decade.

An anthology called Urban Kids was released in early 2005.

When he spoke to a friend of mine who lives near the London Road, Gene had some style tips.

"Don't dye your hair too often, or it'll fall out like mine" he warned as he called to him from across the road.

Less than once a month is recommended, or your hair will thin, according to Gene.

This year Chelsea toured the USA and released a studio album.

Rocking Horse live, featuring Gene October and Chelsea in the eighties.

Yannis Philippakis has been graced with a feature in music magazine "This Is Fake DIY"'s "Beard of The Year"

Other lauded beards cling to the chins of Cold War Kids, Manchester Orchestra and iLikeTrains.

Another frequently bearded ex-Magdalen College School boy in a band is Hugo Manuel, singer in the band Jonquil.

Congratulations Yannis Philippakis!

HM Revenue and Customers have confirmed that six more discs have gone missing.

They were reported as missing on the 30th October.

Meanwhile, the child benefit discs are currently being sought by police at TNT depots.

TNT are still denying that HM Revenue and Customers proved they handled the mail.

As if HM Revenue and Customs are stupid enough to lie about that.

The longer the discs are missing, the worse the government look.

So they are not going to blame the wrong courier if there is a chance that the right one could have mislaid them.

Row over compensation:

There is also a row between the banks and the chancellor over who should repay money to those affected by fraud.

My own view is the banks should.

House of Commons statement from Alistair Darling, beleaguered Chancellor.

Foals are the latest in post-punk, but with a math rock twist.

Formed in Oxford by Oxbridge dropouts, they currently live in Brighton.

My ex-schoolmate Yannis Philippakis, 45 on the NME's Cool list, is the singer.

Jack Bevan is the drummer, Edwin Congreave is the keyboard player which Jimmy Smith and Walter Gervers are guitarists.

Their single "Hummer" is a perfect example of their talent in recreating the swarm of insects whispering sweet nothings to each other. Yannis Philippakis' vocals create an intense layer over this.

Tonight Foals are appearing at The Venue in New Cross, East London.

They return to London on the 14th and 15th at Alexandra Palace.

Other tour dates are on their Myspace, linked at the top.

Philippakis means "little lover of horses" in Greek, which inspired the band's name.

Before Foals, Yannis Philippakis was in The Edmund Fitzgerald, and before that Elizabeth, started when we were both doing our GCSE's. The Edmund Fitzgerald used to play with Youthmovies, another post-punk band.

I remember Yannis as a rebel, keeping teachers on their toes. He could always liven up a dull maths lesson with Gambas.

I'll try and see Foals sometime in the future, but for now I wish Yannis Philippakis and his band well.

Here is some Youtube of Foals performing Hummer:

Today at 6pm the Information Commissioner was interviewed for BBC News on privacy dangers within Facebook.

He provided the alarming statistic that only 7% of 14-21 year olds use privacy settings.

These are ways of restricting who can view your information.

If you join a regional network such as London (1,780,097) and you make your profile available to all, everyone on that network can see your details.

So use the options under "Privacy" to make sure only your friends can see your details.

Do you want everyone to see your Facebook wall?

Did you bad mouth someone on your network, for example?

Keeping your Facebook profile safe:

In order to avoid fraud, don't reveal your full date of birth.
Just add the day and month.

Be careful about putting your full address in your profile.

Instead of:

Mr Osama Bin Laden
"Primrose Cave"
Death to The West Avenue
Tora Bora Caves
Pachir Wa Agam District
Afghanistan

put

Mr Osama Bin Laden
Primrose Cave

Most people on your Facebook will know roughly where you live anyway.

Mobile phone:

Your friends will usually have your phone number.

Do you really want everybody in your network able to see it?

Either delete it or restrict your profile.

Click "Profile", then scroll down to "Contact Information"

That's how to restrict your phone number.

Avoid adding people you don't know. This is another reason to remove your mobile from your profile.

Suppose someone created a fake Facebook (or fakebook?) account in order to obtain your details?

Each time someone you'd can't remember adds you, give them a gentle message.

Use privacy settings, review your profile for sensitive details and be careful who you add, in order to stay safe.

The courier firm TNT, who lost the child benefit discs in the first place, are getting off lightly.

They should share responsibility for the fiasco.

Just because a package was unrecorded and unregistered, does not mean TNT can get away with losing it.

Who was the TNT van driver? Wasn't his name taken as part of security before he collected the mail?

TNT should compensate anyone affected by fraud as a result of their incompetence.

Their comments

A TNT spokesman confirmed the firm had a contract to deliver mail for HMRC and the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as other government bodies.

He insisted the company would not be liable for loss of the discs or any resulting fraud.

Because the item was not sent by recorded delivery it could not be established for certain that it was posted, he said.

“We do not even know for sure if the item entered our system,” the spokesman said.

“We are all working on that theory, but it cannot be proved one way or the other.”

So a whole government department is lying?

Come on TNT, admit your part!

Halls students just took part in a fire drill.

The trek to the temporary building near "The Street" becomes rather longer when all you have on is a t-shirt and jeans.

Pointless:
The Harrow Halls fire drill was pointless because:
-names were not taken by Unilet.

Therefore, I could have stayed in my tiny room all through the alarm.

-the fire alarm was set off last night around 1am and nobody responded.

So there was less of a sense of urgency.

-we already know where the assembly point is.
We can work out how to get there in a fire!

Other drills:

I would like to suggest some alternative drills for Unilet:

Flood Drill:
Residents climb on top of their Halls roof and pretend, as in the Pat Hutchens book, that their halls are sailing away.

Cries of "Row row row your boat" are not helpful and will be discouraged by Halls Management.

Terrorism Drill:

Residents stand in a circle in the field shouting "Don't panic!" while a student dressed as Osama Bin Laden is chased round the Harrow campus by security.

Alien Invasion Drill:

Dressed as aliens, staff land helicopters on the fields while residents shoot at them with spud guns-the only weapon that will stop an alien.

Earthquake Drill:

A crack is painted onto the path while students assemble at the other end of the campus. Pointless.

Conga Drill:
After a few pints, Unilet staff force students to conga around the halls until they get the funk.

Facebook users who also have a blog should consider importing blog posts.

You can find out how to here.

Upsides:

Those Facebook friends who do not read your blog will be able to click on indivdual blog posts in your "Notes" Column, possibly inducing them to read your blog.

If you allow people in your networks to view your profile, anyone who comes across your profile will see your blog posts.

Downsides:
You have no way of knowing how many people view your notes.

If you are reading this through my Facebook, please leave a comment below.

E-mails between the National Audit Office and HM Revenue and Customs officals have been released by ministers

On Nick Robinson's newsblog, you can view a PDF of the e-mail exchanges, as well as letters from the National Audit Office.

You will need Adobe Acrobat to open a PDF.

You can download Adobe from the offical site.

The final document is a briefting for Chancellor Alistair Darling.

Yesterday ballot papers were sent out to every Liberal Democrat party member.

In the story above the BBC claims the Liberal Democrats have 70,000 members, yet in this story the broadcaster claims they have 64,000.

So which is the true figure? (I doubt 6,000 members quit in a single day).

The Liberal Democrat site does not give membership figures, so I am not sure of the exact figure.

Does anyone know of the true figure (to the nearest 1,000).

Nick Clegg has launched an offical complaint with the party's chief whip, meanwhile, over a document with "Calamity Clegg" on top.

Produced by Jon Sopel on the Politics Show, this briefing document was alleged to have come from those supporting Chris Huhe.

Chris Huhne denies that he had seen the paper, and apologised if it had been written by an aide.

A spoksperson for Chris Huhne, meanwhile, blamed a researcher for the existance of the document.

My ballot paper:

It appears my membership is still valid.

I recieved a messge from home informing me I have a ballot paper.

Who to vote for...Clegg or Huhne, Clegg or Huhne, Clegg or Huhne...

This film was shown at the beginning of the conference.

Examined in it are the drive to war, the 15th February 2003 anti-war demonstration,censorship, the danger journalists and photographers face, and the threat of war with Iran.

A rather nice placard around 4mins: BBC logo with "bully boy campbell".

It features John Pilger, Jeremy Dear, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Martin Bell, Jonathan Steele,Abdul Rahman Malik, Tony Benn, Ken Loach, and John Kampfur .

Headlines such as "Saddam's Quest For A-Bomb parts", "Why the left is wrong on Saddam"and "Saddam's lies put millions in danger, said Powell" are presented as evidence.

It's from the Daily Mail, but it's good advice.

Your details are only on the discs if you receive Child Benefit.

Change your PIN number.

Monitor your bank statements and keep them in a folder.

If any security passwords are linked to personal data on the discs, change them.

More Information:
Call the government hotline on 0845 302 1444.

What is on the discs:
Names, dates of birth, and account details.

Bloggers can help fight cenorship with Amnesty's Irrepressible campaign.

Sites such as Iranian Lesbian and Gay Doctors are in danger of being censored or blocked every day by repressive regimes.

Pasting code containing fragments from censored web sites into your HTML (whether within the main template or at the side in a page element) will ensure that people click on the link and see the site. The HTML links to the site currently displayed.

Follow this link to get code to paste into your blog.

It's a new type of campaigning-you just let the application display a fragment.

Adam Curtis' films are showing on the 8th and 9th December in London at the Whitechapel Gallery

While Googling for information on that, I came across this Register interview with Adam Curtis.

First of all, the people who do blogging, for example, are self-selecting.

Quite frankly it's quite clear that what bloggers are is bullies.

The internet has removed a lot of constraints on them.

You know what they're like: they're deeply emotional, they're bullies, and they often don't get out enough.

And they are parasitic upon already existing sources of information - they do little research of their own.

What then happens is this idea of the 'hive mind', instead of leading to a new plurality or a new richness, leads to a growing simplicity.

The bloggers from one side act to try to force mainstream media one way, the others try to force it the other way.
So what the mainstream media ends up doing is it nervously tries to steer a course between these polarised extremes.

Interesting...
Does blogging really set the agenda of the media each day?

As Hugh Hewitt documented in his execrable book, sometimes a story can be ignored by the mainstream media and picked up by bloggers.

Sometimes, bloggers can report on the media themselves. Hugh Hewitt lists the case of Dan Rather as an example.

Yet I don't see why that makes bloggers bullies.

Everyone on my MA Journalism course blogs, and we manage to get out regularly and treat each other nicely.

Perhaps Adam Curtis should come to our Wednesday Club.

And what's wrong with citizens being able to critique journalists?

Is Adam Curtis afraid of being criticized?

Further down the interview, conducted by Andrew Orlowski, Curtis replies

I've talked to news editors in America.

What they are most frightened of is an assault by the bloggers.

They come from the left and the right.

They're terrified if they stray one way they'll get monstered by bloggers on the right, if they stray the other way they'll get monstered by bloggers from the left.

So they nervously try and creep along, like a big animal in Toy Story - hoping not to disturb the demons that are out there.

So American news editors are terrified about what is written about them on the Internet?

Maybe they should consider why they are so afraid of being blogged.

And which editors has Curtis talked to?

Which blogs has Curtis read? Can he give examples?

I think Adam Curtis is paranoid about blogging, and seems to blame bloggers for a perceived obsession with the internet by the media.

Yet from what I've seen of newspapers' online content, and the treatment of the Internet by commentators such as Kate Russell of the BBC's Click, the mainstream media needs to know more, not less, about the Internet.

Adam Curtis' work can be seen here

Details of 25 million child benefit recipients have been lost by HM Revenue and Customs.

The disc contains the name, account, date of birth and (most worringly) bank details of those who recieved child benefit.

And it's not the first time HM Revenue and Customs have lost records.

Chairman Paul Gray has resigned, although it is not as yet known which other heads will roll.

He was defended by Jonathan Baume of the FDA..

Good and faithful servant?:

Jonathan Baume praised Paul Grey for resigning, saying ""His decision to take on this accountability is an example of British public service at its best."

However, opposition MP's are still very concerned.

Parliamentary All Party Group on Identity Fraud head Nigel Evans said he wanted to know exactly what information was on the disc and whether it was encrypted or password protected.

The Metropolitan Police are also investigating.

Child benefit is universal, which means any parent can claim it.

So anyone who has a child could be affected.

Orignally it was thought that only 15 million records were lost.

A statement on the crisis from Chancellor Alistair Darling.

Helpline:

HM Revenue and Customs has set up a Child Benefit Helpline on 0845 302 1444 if you need more details.

Cruelty may have been behind a pig called Andrex being discovered in a load of toilet paper.

A Tesco delivery was enlivened by the discovery of the packaged porker.

I presume the toilet paper was the Andrex brand.

Either that, or the staff decided that being called "Tesco Finest" would lead to a pig changing his name by deed poll.

Andrex is currently residing at the Radcliffe-On-Trent animal shelter.

Justice:

If this was deliberate, then the full penalty of the law should be brought to bear on these sick people.

The BBC story calls them pranksters.

Yet the very word trivialises the possible death of an animal.

Andrex recieved cuts and brusing to his snout.

Yet it could have been far worse. He might have panicked at being shut in a dark moving container.

Suppose he had a heart attack.

The Animal Liberation Front is very selective. It does not seem to care about those who abuse pets outside of the scientific community.

I live in Oxfordshire and often walk past the Oxford University animal laboratry.

It's taken three years and it still isn't finished.

A campaign by Speak lead to a construction firm pulling out of the project. and builders working on the site had to wear masks so they weren't recognised.

But no-one seems to be outraged on behalf of animals abused elsewhere.

Does Speak only go for high-profile targets? A recent posting shows how dedicated they are to closing the lab.

Yet what about the hamster, lonely in his wheel because he is neglected by his owner?

What about the dogs thrown into oncoming traffic?

Or the kitten spun inside a tumble dryer?

I'm no fan of the Sun, yet they remain the only national newspaper I know of who ran a campaign against domestic animal cruelty recently.

We need to toughen up the RSPCA. Drop the R-it's not as if royals have the best record when it comes to the welfare of animals.

Let's have them funded by the government.

Animals can't rely on goodwill.

A recruitment drive is needed with posters in bus and Tube stations.

And let's back up these inspectors with the force of the law.

No more fines or suspended sentences.

Anyone who is convicted of abusing an animal should be banned from keeping an animal for life.

A prison sentence of some months, with some harsher community service on release, is needed.

Donations:

The Radcliffe-On-Trent shelter is currently seeking donations for Christmas.

If you would like to donate, their address is:
RSPCA Animal Shelter
32 Nottingham Road
Radcliffe-on-Trent
Nottinghamshire

The shelter is open every day except Wednesday.

A telephone number for the shelter is on their web site.

Brian Paddick has accused Ian Blair of being too close to the Labour government.

I must admit this does seem to be a bit of a reverse ferret on Brian's part.

Not a Brian-friendly link, but it's the best one I could find.

It doesn't make much difference to Ian Blair anyway.

He's lost a vote of no confidence by the London Assembly.

The daft comment of Ken Livingstone that Al Qaeda are laughing at us is another reason not to re-elect him.

I'm sure Al Qaeda would be rubbing their blood-stained hands if we had no confidence in the Metropolitan Police.
Still, Ken Livingstone is ahead in the polls.

Let's hope that Brian Paddick is the front runner by Easter.

Here are Brian Paddick's thoughts on anarchism. It would be nice to have a philosopher as mayor.

Isn't the weather horrible?

It gets dark so early that there is no time to admire the red and yellow spatttered leaves splayed on the cracked tarmac.

It's not nice to have to finish the last hour of class in the enveloping blackness.

And even when it is light the walk to "The Street" is under a grey sky in the freezing cold.

And, despite handing in a form to Unilet, my heating does not work.

I should go and rant at them again to ensure I don't wake up inside a coating of ice, but I don't have the energy.

Usually autumn is portrayed as a time when mitten-clad children bounce along the pavement, marvelling at the sign of their breath forming in the air.

I can see the tabloid headlines now:

"IS THIS THE WORST AUTUMN EVER?"

"CRAP AUTUMN CAUSES HOUSE PRICES TO FALL"

"DOES DISMAL AUTUMN POSE A TERRORIST THREAT?"

A rather interesting idea by third year Sussex Universty student Ben Nolan

The mudguard is made from a milk bottle and a piece of paper.

Ben asks that you e-mail him or post pictures if you use his idea.

His address is on the link.

Today's The New Review supplement (to the Independent) features a woman who helped get an ASBO served on her local hunt.

Denise Ward was one of a group of villagers who were sick of their farm animals being torn apart by dogs and the arrogance of well-connected huntsmen and huntswomen.

According to the law, while hunting a wild mammal is illegal under the law, it is permissible to follow a scent and flush out a fox.

Pro-hunters say that hunting is an essential part of rural communities.

Yet this article clearly shows otherwise.

I have a friend who lives in Normandy and last Easter she told me how hunts regularly trespassed on her land.

Those who hunt have no respect for those who do not.

How to publicize the anti-hunting cause:

If you live near a hunt, Indymedia is a good place to post pictures and video.

But make sure you are careful as you monitor the hunt. Try and go in a big group.

Although I have linked to the UK site, most countries have an Indymedia site.

Most counties also have anti-hunt groups.

So the Liberal Democrat leadership election is turning into an episode of Hollyoaks.

Three days ahead of ballot papers being sent to Lib Dem members, Politics Show presenter Jon Sopel produced a briefing document with the words "Calamity Clegg" at the top, which he said had come from the Huhne camp.

It seems personalities are beginning to win over policies. What difference does it make to the Lib Dem on the Clapham omnibus if Huhne and Clegg don't like each other?

The only problems will be caused when they work together.

I have no doubt that both will be front bench spokesmen, whoever wins.

To be honest, neither of them inspire me.

The Liberal Democrats seem to be floating towards the centre ground just as Labour did in 1994.

Yet who defines the centre ground?

Is it the public?

Or the media and PR?

Which party will propose bringing the railways into public ownership?

Which party will examine why modern life is so hectic?

Which party will tackle the arms trade?

I wish that more radical Lib Dem MP's were standing.

According to the UNISON union, community nurse Karen Reissmann has been unjustly sacked by Manchester Mental Health and Social Care trust.

I agree with UNISON.

Having given an interview where she criticized the transfer of NHS care to the voluntary sector, she was suspended.

Despite being a UNISON activist, who would be expected to give her views to the media.

Once suspended, Karen informed people why she had been suspended, and told these people she was innocent.

Some of the press printed misleading statements about her case.

Each of these was used as a gross misconduct charge and contributed to her sacking.

Resist the sacking:

Karen Reissmann opposed cuts in Manchester's mental health services.

Having had a close relative need the NHS's mental health services throughout the previous two years, I know how essential it is that they are the best they can be.

Manchester mental services have 120% occupancy rates, with 24 patients in 20 beds (not sure how that works).

45 beds were lost by the closure of Withington Hospital.

Why should Karen Reissmann not be able to speak out to the media on behalf of mental health patients?

Support Karen through these actions.

If you are in Manchester, a solidarity meeting will be taking place on the 14th November at the Mechanics Institute, from 7pm.

On the 24th November, a demonstration will take place at the Peace Gardens from 1pm.

Mark Steel on the sacking.

Karen's blog

You can send donations to:

Manchester Community and Mental Health UNISON
c/o union office Chorlton House
Manchester Road
Manchester
M21 9UN.

(For balance, here is the response of the trust to the strike)

Earlier this afternoon I was at the Media Workers Against The War one-day conference.

It took place near the Embankment at the London School of Economics.

The day was divided into three sections; two plenaries (i.e. talks) and a series of workshops.

All three events that I went to were electric.

"The First Casualty: War, Truth and the Media Today":

This talk was given by Peter Wilby, Tony Benn and Sami Ramadani.

Use of language:

Benn remarked upon loaded phrases such as "hard-line" and "friendly fire".

How often have you heard the phrase "International Community" used to describe those who support us?

The Guardian years ago published a column comparing the use of language to describe those who the British Government were allied with and who the British Government was trying to fight.

The columns began "They have..." and "We have..."

I remember being given a copy during my A-Levels.

Here is a site reproducing some of the content

The Ministry of Defence used to be called the War Office.

Anyone who has read 1984 will remember the oxymoronic ministries, such as the Ministry of Love, which dealt only with torture and reeducation.

Those who have read Frank Miller's excellent "Martha Washington" series will recall that the Peace Corps become a military force.

How long before a Middle Eastern war is planned at the Ministry of Peace?

And as Tony Benn said, isn't it funny how God is always on our side?

George Bush and Tony Blair both trust in their faith, as does Osama Bin Laden.

No-one's ever said "Sorry, I prayed to God last night and he's supporting the other side. Still, Jim Davidson has promised to do a bit of stand up when the lads get to Basra".

Peter Wilby:
Peter Wilby spoke on the systematic failure of journalism, and much of the time appeared to be reading from a New Statesman photocopy.

He cited Scott Ritter as someone demonised by the media for claiming Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction.

Sami Ramadani:

I found it interesting that Sami Ramadani was exiled by Saddam Hussain's regime in
1979, yet still opposed the war.

Nick Cohen and those on the pro-war side often claim that Iraqi exiles all wanted the United States, Britain and its "allies" to invade Iraq.

Sami discussed how anyone who questioned the establishment line was at the fringe of coverage, and therefore would recieve far less airtime.

He mentioned the 2006 and 2007 attacks in Samarra, where the Al-Askari mosque was destroyed by alleged Al-Qaeda conspirators.

As a questioner pointed out, Al Qaeda denied they attacked the Al-Askari mosque.

Usually they do not deny any attacks, as Al Qaeda wish to raise their profile.

Sami Ramadani accused the US sowing civil war in Iraq.

After a pause for questions, the group divided into six workshops:

Workshops on Offer:

The six workshops were:

1. Afghanistan, Britian's other war.

2. Journalists in the war zone.

3. War bias in the media: the evidence.

4. The media and the anti-war movement

5. Islamophobia; is there a media problem?

6. War plan Iraq.

I went to workshop 2, Journalists in the war zone.

Journalists in the war zone:

The talk was chaired by Tim Lezard from the National Union of Journalists.

The speakers were Xavier Couso and Phillip Knightley.

Phillip Knightley has written the excellent "The First Casualty" (a must, for those reading within Watford Road, it's in the Learning Resources Centre).

He claimed that ninety per cent of casualties during recent conflicts are civilians.

The process of embedding, in which journalists must travel with military units and are forbidden from leaving their units, was mentioned as a reason why coverage of both Gulf Wars involving the UK and the Falklands was relatively uncritical.

Allegedly, embedded journalists receive the honorary rank of "Major".

Those unembedded journalists are referred to as "unilateralist."

General Tommy Franks was asked about the number of journalists murdered in Iraq.

He responded "At least no embedded journalists have been killed".

Vietnam:
The US military failed to control the media in Vietnam.

Since that war, they have learnt how to control the media.

Governments control access to battlefields.

Don McCullen was once refused transport to a battlefield, although they managed to transport around a million Mars Bars there.

Xavier Couso:

Xavier Couso is the brother of Jose Couso, a cameraman murdered by the US military in 2003.

Jose Couso worked for Spanish television channel Telecino, and was killed when the Palestine Hotel was shelled.

Reuters cameraman Taras Protsyuk also died.

A BBC report on the killing, containing the disgusting words of Victoria Clark, spokesperson for the Pentagon.

She says news organisations should not be in a war zone.

The public has a right to know.

Politicians, democratically elected and funded by the taxpayer, ordered troops in Iraq.

Why should people be allowed to sit in the cotton wool of game shows and not know what their taxes fund in far-off lands?

Of course, Victoria Clark would like to keep Iraq free from the media.

Jose Couso mentioned that the attack on the Palestine Hotel and the bombing of the buildings housing Abu Dhabi and Al Jazeera allowed the US army to attack Fallujah.

His family are trying to use the Spanish courts to bring soliders of the 60th Battalion 3rd Division to justice.

Those who understand Spanish can read the campaign website..

Making A Difference- Towards A Critical Media:

This talk was given by Stop The War Coalition head Andrew Murray, Nick Davies (who wrote the excellent book Dark Heart, again, it's in the Learning Resources Centre), and Andrew Gilligan.

Beforehand, BBC activist and BBC Online worker Becky Branford spoke about the cuts that the BBC faces, and Karen Reissmann, a union rep sacked by Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, also spoke. I will discuss the latter in a separate blog post.

Andrew Murray spoke about the attacks on Iran by the media, and referred to headlines in the Observer, for example "Saddam link to anthrax letters".

He also mentioned that while anti-war media outlets such as the New Statesman and the Mirror (under Piers Morgan) gave space to many pro-war voices, pro-war papers had very little anti-war voices.

Matthew Parris in the Times was one of the few anti-war voices in a pro-war publication I can think of.

Nick Davies pinpointed the move to Wapping by Murdoch as the moment when newspapers became a commerical entity.

The resistance of the print unions to new technology meant before then all newspapers were money-losers.

Therefore, a newspaper would be owned for influence or prestige.

Now, news is making way for comment pieces.

According to a Cardiff University study funded by Davies, news occupies a third of the space in an average paper that it did in 1986.

Davies attacks public relations, blaming them for creating a barrier between the journalist and the public service worker.

Even some universities, such as the University of Sussex (where I recently graduated) forbid journalists from speaking to members of staff unless they okay it with a public relations officer first.

He also mentioned front groups (astroturfs) for PR, for example the Iraqi National Congress.

I enjoyed the day, though I would have liked to have had some on-site refreshment, and it was a shame I couldn't go to the other workshops.

One of the books we’ve been advised to read on our course is Hugh Hewitt’s Blog.

Despite my interest in all things Web 2.0 I was disappointed by the book.

Although it has useful information on blogging, it is spoiled by its preachy political tone.

By the end of the first chapter, I wanted to shout “Are you a Republican, Hugh? Really?”

I’ve never met a Republican American, but I’m not going to dismiss information given by one.

I don’t really see the point of ladles of politics in a book about blogging.

The last time I read one of Delia Smith’s cookery books, I didn’t see football plugged in as many recipes as possible.

So I am going to cherry-pick the best points from the book and reproduce them here:

It’s a combination of a review and a digested read.

After a tedious rant about how Hewitt was right regarding the October 2004 debate and most pundits were wrong, the introduction gives the examples of Raines, Lott and Kerry as the powerful laid low by the blogosphere.

“Humbled by the blogosphere” is the exact quote.

Another tedious rant on how CNN has lost trust and Fox News is trusted by millions “much to the dismay of lefties”, makes the point how trust is central to blogging.

Hewitt then tells anyone who feels people trusts old media to “go watch your DVD of Fahrenheight 9/11 again”, suggesting he had a splinter in his finger that day.

Laughably, Hugh Hewitt hints that Fox News is fair and balanced as it is not “a wholly owned subsidiary of the DNC” (DNC stands for Democratic National Convention).

Here's another view.

So, that was the introduction. Are you a Republican, Hugh? Really?

The rest of the book sails on in much the same fashion.

Valid comments about blogging, such as the number of abandoned blogs, are hidden amongst long diatribes on blogs and how they expose the Democrats.

Interestingly enough, Hewitt seems to have no idea how to write for the web.

His paragraphs are often more than five lines each. I recommend one sentence per paragraph, two if you cannot avoid it. Try to avoid long sentences.

Hugh Hewitt’s blog, which allows you to create your own blog, is much better than his book.

In fact I strongly recommend you take Blog out from a library and read it once. I also recommend you use Google Reader to subscribe to his blog.

Confusing, isn’t it? Blog the book and blog (as it says on the tin).

Hello! I’ve reserved a blog for you!:

Some excellent comments midway through the book on blogging for CEO’s are then followed by a rather overlong and at times amusing list of People Who Should Blog.

This includes:
A publisher
A musician
An Ebay entrepreneur
General Motors
A fisherman

The three pages could have been condensed into a single word.

Everyone.

I feel everyone should blog.

We all have something to say.

We all have something to record.

Policemen blog. Paramedics blog. Traffic wardens blog.

I do not doubt that within the next five years prisoners will be encouraged to blog in the UK.

In America, some have already started.

Maybe Hugh Hewitt’s book blog is more important for people who want to know “Why Blog?” rather than “Where can I find more information on blogging?”

Rory Bremner's satire is a firm favourite with me.

Here is one of the (too few) YouTube clips of his show.

It's from a 2000 show before the last election but one (early June 2001)

NOTES:
The second figure is Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo.
The woman with a high voice is Ann Widdicome.
The man with sparse ginger hair is William Hague.
The man with a ginger beard is Robin Cook.
The man in glasses is John Major.

Brian Paddick has been selected as the Liberal Democrat Candidate for London Mayor!

Lay yellow banners across the River Thames, shine a black bird of liberty onto the clouds, and put Charlie Kennedy on Newsnight sometime!

So the Liberal Democrats chose someone with charisma, liked by those who know him and with radical ideas...

Be nice if they did that when they picked their leaders.

"Firing on all cylinders"

After winning 73% of first preference votes, Brian Paddick commented that he was "firing on all cylinders".

He said that he was "ken-plus".

Earlier comments made by Paddick.

May 2008:

London mayoral elections take place on 1st May 2008.

If you want a mayor who scorns tabloid policies and understands effective drugs laws, vote for Brian Paddick.

If you want safer streets and a mayor who understands the strenghts and weaknesses of the Metropolitan Police Force, vote for Brian Paddick.

Another blogger's thoughts on Paddick.

However, some have complained that Paddick only won because of name recognition.

Well, celebrity has never been a proviso for a post in the Liberal Democrats before.

I'm sure the other candidates could have increased their profile.

It would be nice if Brian Paddick placed his manifesto in every library in London.

You can follow the campaign on the web, Facebook or twitter (text 'follow brianpaddick' (without the quotes) to 07624 801 423)

There is an excellent article by George Monbiot in today's Guardian on speed cameras.

George Monbiot critquites the preaching of Top Gear. He quotes a governmenmt report where it was found accident rates fell by 35% where camera were installed.

Of course, the pressure group Safe Speed also loves to rage against speed cameras.

Yet if you can't control your speed, you shouldn't be driving at all.

I don't think the location of speed cameras should be published.

The AA shouldn't produce mapbooks with them all marked.

It's not a game.

I want every speeding driver to be caught and punished.

And I want more driving bans.

If you do 31mph in a 30mph zone, it's stupid but you should only use a few points.

Yet if you do 40mph in that zone, you should be banned.

We're talking about people's lives here. If you're unable to control your speed and you have to get up earlier and take the bus into work, then tough.

Tony Parsons has managed to avoid any xenophobia this week.

Let's hope he's turning over a new leaf.

Aside from a rather pointless swipe at Fiona Bruce dancing on Friday's Children In Need, his column has some value.

Elsewhere in the Mirror:

The front page is taken up by a picture of the hotel room which Madeleine vanished from.

The picture is a monument to the obvious, with a label saying "Her Bed" pointing to the bed. The label also points out the pillow and rumpled covers.

Interestingly, the story itself is on page 11, not earlier as with previous coverage.

I went to Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park for the first time in my life today.

I would recommend a visit to anyone, and not just once. Go as often as you can.

I saw speakers who ranged from the ridiculous to the moving.

I met a speaker who told us always to question authority, and who discussed the drug culture. His blog is at Danny Shine.

I have excellent video of Danny, but the file size is too big for Blogger.

I walked among at least four different preachers.

I spent five minutes talking with a tabard-clad preacher, watched the animated movements of a well-suited preacher, and heard the sad tale of a dignified man called Michael.

Michael has been a Christian since last year, having lapsed as a young man.

Before that, he was in prison and a mental institution.

Now he works in rehab and told me that "He restores my soul" when he spoke about God.

Let us hope God continues to inspire Michael.

Tyburn Road Forum:

The most outlandish speaker was Ken Robson, of the Tyburn Open Forum.

I must confess, I felt he had a mystical quality about him.

I also do not believe the words on his many papers were his views.

Instead, they were to draw people in.

I cannot upload photos or videos via Blogger at the moment, perhaps because the site is too busy. I will try again soon.

I've never read the Guardian's "The Comic" supplement before.

I feel rather ignorant having been unaware of its existence.

It's a single sheet of newspaper, folded three times.

On the front and in the middle pages there is a cartoon called "Robot Girl".

The current episode of Robot Girl is number 3, but here is the (small) archive

I am not a big comic fan, but I love the Preacher series and many of the works of Frank Miller and Alan Moore.

I don't find the story of Robot Girl interesting, but the artwork is good.

It's by John Aggs.

The other side of the paper, when it is unfolded, shows some rather odd puzzles.

You can work out what animals were cut up to create the equivalent of a cut-and-shunt from Blackbird Leys.

As the late and much missed David Brunton would have said.

Other puzzles:
Make your own very short movie, put some fun into the news, spot the difference, the doodler.

Is "The Comic" the children's page (literally)?

I remember being younger and enjoying the Young Telegraph and Funday Times.

While The Comic is not in the same league, it's not bad.

The Home Office say ID cards will cost £5.612 billion over the next ten years.

From 2008, all foreign nationals will have to carry ID cards.

I wonder what else we could do with that money over the next ten years.

Given that government computer projects have a habit of going wrong

Given that computer hackers are becoming far more sophisticated, and, if they hacked in, would have access to all this data.

Why not scrap the scheme and use the money to increase the pay and number of frontline police officers?

It could be used to improve some of the communications problems during the July 7th murders

I remember sitting in my front room in a disconnected part of Oxfordshire, watching BBC News 24.

Police vans and ambulances lined up, with white-shirted officers stopping traffic while sirens bathed the scene in discord.

In order to stop another attack, we need vigilance and a well-funded, content and intelligent police service.

We need M15 and M16 to become democratically accountable.

Tony Blair claims that ID cards will become harder to forge

They said that "chip and pin" would be safer.

I've been told by a financial source that criminals often rent a room across the street from a cashpoint, and record people's arm movements.

They'll adapt for ID cards too.

The leading anti-ID card group is NO2ID

Penalties for those who speed could increase.

I should think so too.

RoadPeace claim over 3500 people are killed on Britain's roads each year.

If you aren't able to observe speed limits, you have no place on our roads.

Driving isn't like free speech. It's not a human right.

To hear the complaints of groups like Safe Speed you'd think driving a car in Britain was like running naked through a lake of piranhas.

I agree with the proposals and would like to suggest some of my own.

It would save lives and reduce congestion.

When someone drives under the influence of drink or drugs, let's not just give him a slap on the risk.

Let's give them a lifetime ban.

When some boy racer drives at 80mph through a village to impress his mates, let's not wait for him to kill someone.

Let's give him a lifetime ban.

We'd save lives, add to public transport revenue, and cut congestion.

We could also improve our public transport network by deregulating bus networks outside of London and bringing the railways back into public ownership.

And let's increase the pay of public transport workers, and put some Police Community Support Officers on buses serving urban areas.

Some ways to stay safe.

The main page of Titanic links to my blog.

So far today over 1800 people have visited!

Scroll down to the page bottom and check out my GoStats!

Today I went story hunting.

We've been set our first assignment, to come up with a news story by next Monday.

I've got the weekend and early Monday morning to get a scoop.

My beat is the environment, and while I only found one possible lead on this topic, I found some good material for more general reportage.

As no one else is doing Central Harrow, I might try and change my beat to a geographical one, as I feel it will help me build better contacts.

I found:

A guide to events at the Barbican.

"Meditation Mondays" which promises "bickies" and herbal tea.

Information on the Harrow Arts Centre.

Information on the West London YMCA

What's On at the Natural History Museum.

A winter concert at Holy Trinity Church.

Events at St George's Church

And finally, a rather interesting leaflet emblazoned "Meet The Harrows", from the police.

On the reverse is a list of Safer Neighbourhood Teams with phone numbers and e-mail addresses, as well as the main website.

Ladbrokes is sponsoring the leaflet.

Ironic, that gambling addictions lead to crime, yet Ladbrokes sponsors a police leaflet.

No doubt Heelys will sponsor a London Ambulance leaflet.

The leaflet deals with various minor crimes such as handbag theft, and has a greenish "Harrow" to explain each one.

It's fairly effective and asks "What are you ding to help keep Harrow one of the SAFEST boroughs in London?"

Well, I could feature a website that helps you register goods for recovery after a burglary.

If you know of a good story in Harrow, e-mail me at richard-brennan@hotmail(.co.uk).

I am happy to interview you by phone,e-mail or in person.

The latter is also possible over a nice cup of tea.

Remove the brackets to e-mail me.

UK Gold have polled almost 4,000 on the laws they found most ludicrous, according to the BBC.

I assume UK Gold carried out this poll to promote the channel.

I have not heard of any programs on UK Gold that deal with archaic laws, unless they have some Rumpole repeats.

The BBC claim they are unable to verify some of these laws.

The ones they cannot verifiy will be italicised.

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament

But not, it seems, to die on your feet while making a speech.

I thought MP's who died in the House of Commons were elevated to the House of Lords.

2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen's image upside-down

The death penalty for treason was abolished in 1998. Thankfully, no one was charged under this law before then, otherwise we'd have to shoot people outside post offices.

3. It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store

The use of "Liverpool" gives this away. How can you make a public indecency law that only covers one city?

And why should tropical fish need to see bare breasts?

4. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned

5. If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter

6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet

7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen

I'm sure the Queen would love a dress made of the tails of whales.

If I was the Queen, and to quote Kitty from Victoria Wood, thank goodness I'm not, I'd rather hear the tales of whales.

8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing

Rather dependent on knowing what other people mind and don't mind.
Possibly the most difficult law to enforce .

9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour

Might make PMQ's more fun if Gordon Brown clanked into the chamber.

It could lead to Newsnight graphics featuring jousting, though.

10. It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow

That list reminds me of the 2006 Liberal Democrat Conference.

What laws would YOU like to see repealed?

The Daily Mail recently reported on the satirical magazine Titanic.

It has been criticized by Clarence Mitchell.

Mitchell is the McCann's spokesperson.

The magazine published a double-page spoof advert.

You can see it reproduced in the Mail's link.

Now the main page of the website has "The ultimate Maddie Magazine
Must read for the McCann family" at the top of the page.

Which is slightly more offensive than the orginial piece.

Clarence Mitchell does not seem to understand the nature of satire.

Was no one offended by the etchings of Hogarth?

Didn't Brass Eye offend some people?

And Private Eye recieves letters almost every fortnight about bad taste.

No one expected Kate and Gerry McCann not to be offended.

Yet the Mail do not criticize Private Eye for their spoofs.

Examples from my archive include:

"Do you think Diana is dead? Or have you seen her in Morocco? Call now"

"Are The McCanns Guilty? We Have No Idea".

"Maddy was abducted by aliens: New Police Theory"

"What are the Portguese police doing? We don't know."

Maybe it's xenophobia on the part of the Mail.

Although the reaction from Germany's more mainstream press is similar.

De Spiegal says the magazine may "have sunk to new depths".

The piece also quotes the defence of Titanic and their warnings not sue.

As they say, suing will only give the magazine more publicity.

Deutsche Welle also reports on the story.

It takes a more neutral line, though.

The magazine also left a (rather naughty) comment on LiveLeak

Comment from TITANIC:

Today: The Daily Mail and their readers don't understand the German humour. No wonder, they're British!
Dear british readers: You can subscribe to TITANIC here! We assure you, not one cent will go into the McCann's house mortgages!
URL: http://www.titanic-magazin.de/abo.html

I'm sorry the McCann's were offended.

I do think the satire isn't as offensive as some of the tabloids are making out though.

For anyone wanting to contact me, my e-mail is richard-brennan@hotmail.co.uk.

Why not check out the Main Page of my site?

Thanks to Titanic magazine for the link.

I subscribe to the Guardian's Backbencher e-mail newsletter.

I strongly recommend it.

This week's "insider guide" links to the blog of Nigel Hastilow.

He was the Tory prospective parlimentary candidate for for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, in the West Midlands.

His blog describes itself as "a view from north of Watford", attacking a pericieved Londoncentricity among Westminster.

Last Friday he claimed that "most people would say Enoch Powell was right".

In 1968, during the last few years of Harold Wilson's first government, Enoch Powell made this speech at the Annual General Meeting of the West Midlands Area Conservative Political Centre.

A few posts down, Hastilow discusses sorting through his record collection.

It's nice to have a balance between political dogma and general comment, and it's an interesting blog.

Would most people say Enoch Powell was right?:

I doubt it.

Powell specifically linked immigration to skin colour.

Most of the riots in this country have been caused by unemployment, for example during the eighties.

Only the 1958 and 2001 riots, to my knowledge, were linked to race.

The state needs to increase public service funding, and we need more affordable homes.

And let's not pretend that owning a house, rather than renting from a council, is manna,

If the Government rises to the challenge, immigration will not be a problem.

Britain's ridiculous rail system has a new operating company.

Grand Central Rail will be running trains between London Kings Cross and Sunderland.

Tom Clift is Grand Central Rail's managing director.

They hope to run trains between Bradford and London in the near future.

A BBC feature describes the alleged underdog status of Grand Central.

It glosses over the downsides a bit to much for my tastes, but it's a puff piece for the program OneLife.

Therefore it'll try to make Grand Central seem as unique as possible.

So that more people watch it.

The Times Online comments on the company's promise to refund half their fare (in cash) if they cannot find a seat.

Guards will police this offer.

It would be nice to have a train company which didn't treat its passengers like dodgy cattle.

I remember travelling from London Road Station to Falmer Station in Brighton.

Despite the erratic ticket machines, the inspectors were waiting every day to pounce on any student unable to buy a ticket.

It seems that the Government will never renationalise the railways.

Though they did once float the idea before the 2005 election.

Maybe a more passenger-friendly company is the next best thing.

OneLife will feature Grand Central Rail tonight at 10:45pm, BBC1.

Does anyone else using ClustrMap Pro get the image of a large plain when they click on Czechoslovakia?

It's rather bizarre.

The only other European country I can zoom into is the United Kingdom.

I have no idea why the ClustrMap Pro displays the map as a satellite rather than its usual display.

It's clearly not a picture of the whole of Czechoslovakia.

Last night, as part of my course, I had to watch a half-hour of self-serving celebrites gorge themselves on the McCann case.

I felt like Charlie Brooker as I sat through this mostly newsless primetime pap.

The gorging managed to cover the whole of Tonight, and was introduced by a laid-back Sir Trev.

Vanessa Feltz was one of the interviewees, and as she chattted away I felt like I was watching Brass Eye.

Those who have had the nous to watch Chris Morris' excellent series of spoofs will remember her interview on Crime.

She pretends to be speaking as the voice of all those murdered.

Hello, you think you don't know me, don't you?

Yes, but you do because I'm the shopkeeper you shot in a mindless hold-up; you blew out my guts, remember?

I'm the old lady whose head you stove in with a loose wardrobe in the middle of the night, remember?

I'm the little boy whose face you stabbed off in panic when I found you robbing my house, remember?

I'm Marvin Gaye, shot by my own father – oh, yes, you know me all right.

This time Feltz didn't mention Marvin Gaye or wardrobes, but did describe the coverage of her in the tabloids as covering "every possible dimension of nastiness".

She also commented on the McCann's in the Express.

The Daily Express is one of the tabloids that could be accused of "McCann baiting"

While the programme rattled on about the plight of the McCann's, it failed to mention the smearing of Robert Murat in the press.

It failed to mention the comments of Tony Parsons.

Last Monday he referred to the Portuguese ambassador as a "sardine muncher".

Yesterday, he accused the Portuguese press of being tame to the ways of the Policia Judiciaria.

One interesting angle was the use of blogs and messageboards to comment on the case.

However, this only formed forty seconds or so of the program.

We had Max Clifford in his "Honest Max' role defending the McCanns.

Jon Gaunt was also grilled and made the point he was a columnist, and he was only doing his job.

It would be hard for this blogger to criticize a program for featuring a tired angle on the McCann's, considering how many posts on this blog feature them.

However, the lack of any new content was dispiriting.

where we lay our scene...

As a Liberal Democrat party member, I am on their mailing list.

I have recieved e-mails just now from both Chris Huhne and Nick Clegg.

Both want my vote in the leadership election.

Huhne starts by calling me his "friend".

I have shaken his hand during the 2006 Conference, so I suppose we have "pressed the flesh".

He links to his website (though without proper tagging) and promises:

We need a democratic revolution, introducing a people's veto that has successfully restored faith for voters in other countries. I give you my word that I would not enter into any coalition without the promise of proportional representation.

We need a society that returns power to individuals and gives them control over their own lives. I make plain my commitment to equality and a liberal state; I have clearly dismissed the use of competition in public services. We do not need American-style health insurance and school vouchers. Real improvements in health and education will come from local control and local accountability; not market solutions.

And we need a revolution in global change. We need to restore our name in the world, and we don't need another Trident-scale nuclear missile system. We must get binding international agreements on climate change and biodiversity.

Most of that I'd agree with. Although how do you get "a revolution in global change"?

Nick Clegg provides his e-mail and telephone number in the e-mail.

He's prepared to go to court in order to avoid an ID card.

Like Huhne, he links to his web site, which is more interactive than Clegg's.

Both use Facebook, but Clegg also has YouTube and Flickr.

Clegg also condems further nuclear missiles in his e-mail, and on policy says

On our core liberal issues, I believe we must be bold. We must take our ideas, and turn them into action. This week I took the first step: we have always opposed identity cards but I became the first national politician to pledge to refuse to register, and risk going to court for my principles.

We have always called for scrutiny of the government’s plans to house Bush’s “son of star wars” missile system on British soil. Instead we should say a categorical “no” to this weapons system that will not make the world safer but more dangerous.

We have always argued for social justice and education for all. Let us take that further, and say the poorest children should be allocated far more money in the school system - so they can break out of the cycle of deprivation. It is time to put education back at the heart of Liberal Democrat policy.

And on the environment, we must go beyond our policy leadership and win the political debate too. We must inspire people, not lecture them, by striking a New Deal between government, business and citizens where each accepts their responsibility to tackle the urgent problem of climate change.

I can reproduce the full text of both if anyone desires.

To be honest, it's really hard to decide which one I'd vote for.

It's not Healey and Benn in 1981.

No real policy differences, except one believes in direct action (Clegg) and one keeps quiet about it (Huhne).

I think perhaps Clegg wins on the direct action pledge.

He's at it again.

Tony Parsons' column today alleges the Polica Judiciaria "fed all manner of trash and lies to their tame press".

He also describes the Polica Judiciaria as blundering.

So not content with making racist remarks towards an ambassador and making snide remarks about those who live in Praia De Luz, he's now making allegations about the police and media.

Elsewhere in this column he takes Johnathan Ross to task for the jokes he tells about Heather Mills.

He says "You can do better than that"

I dare say you could show him, Tony...

How do national newspapers compare in their Web 2.0 compatbility.

The Sun Online is my favourite online newspaper site for interactivity.

It is one of the three sites I am comparing as part of the website I am helping build.

It has:

1. A visible RSS feed.

2. A link to a discussion board.

3. A toolbar you can install, which enables you to search various parts of the site wherever else you are on the Web.

4. An easy-to-navigate left menu with headings.

5. "Viral Videos"

6. E-mail alerts and the chance to get "Sun stories" on a mobile phone.

7. Subsites which enable you to shop, travel, gamble, find jobs and find a date.

You can also promote yourself by writing a blog on the site.

My least favourite site for interactivity is the Independent Online

The links for having an e-mail newsletter and RSS Feeds are hidden at the bottom of the site.

I'm just glad the search engine wasn't put there as well.

The articles on the site are just copy from the print edition.

They haven't been re-written for the web.

There is some attempt at an archive, but it is not very clear.

In small text under the Editor's choice of articles, a handful of blogs are advertised.

They are bunched together and no description of each is offered.

Below is another tiny link to travel podcasts.

It's right above "Travel Offer" and easy for the eye to skip.

Shout:

Why not shout loudly about your paper's online content?

Place a big banner showcasing your RSS Feeds and podcasts at the top of the page.

Provide more graphics than a medium sized picture of today's print front page.

There doesn't even seem to be a big "Independent" logo at the top of the page.

To quote the Witches from Macbeth, be bold, be bloody, be resolute.

This morning, I picked up a copy of the excellent The New Zimbabwe from outside Kenton tube station.

It seems that the Movement for Democratic Change is suffering another split.

Lucia Matiben, the former head of the women's wing of the party, is holding parallel elections to those called by Morgan Tsvangiral.

This follows a split in 2005 when MP's attacked Tsvangiral for not fielding candidates in senate elections.

Many in the party blame Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF for engineering problems in the party.

They allege intelligence service members loyal to Zanu PF are involved.

A letter from "Grand Ayatollah el-Dismantler" in the New Zimbabwe berates criticsm of Tsvangiral and calls him "the Lion of Zimbabwe".

And while the MDC battles itself, Zanu PF destroys Zimbabwe.

According to the BBC, only twenty per cent of adults have a job.

People are queuing for hours just to obtain bread.

And other African leaders such as Thabeo Mbeki are failing to speak out.

I wonder how Mr Mbeki would fare if he had to live in a country with hyper-inflation

Maybe people should write to Thabeo Mbeki at:
South Africa House
Trafalgar,
London WC2N 5DP.

Ask him why he does not condem Zanu PF.

You can donate to the MDC via the PayPal link on their website.

A searchable digital archive of the Guardian and the Observer is now online.

The archive goes back to the first issue of each paper.

That's 1821 for the Guardian, and 1791 for the Observer.

For some reason, the website adress given in today's thearchive supplement is wrong.

The digital archive

You can purchase timed acess, for 24 hours (£7.95), 3 days (£14.95) or 4 months(£49.95)

It is also possible to take part in a one day free trial.

The process:

Guardian newspapers are stored on microfilm, maintained by US company ProQuest.

They are then scanned into computers by Olive Software, who are based in Hod Hasaron, in Israel.

The pages are divided up and inspected.

They are then shipped back on hard drives to the Guardian's HQ in Farringdon Road, London.

Firefox's latest publicity drive is making full use of interactivity.

It allows anyone who lives in a country containing a Firefox office to pretend to be a secret agent.

The idea is to submit to Mozilla a plan of where they'd stick a 3.5 foot fathead sticker.

The sticker should communicate an aspect of Firefox that Mozilla wants to promote.

The four catagories are: Performance, Customization, Security and Community.

As mentioned on the front page, you can win a Macbook Pro or one of three Nintendo Wiis.

This is PR at its finest.

The site is laid out like a secret briefing, as if the viewer is Harry Palmer with Web 2.0.

However, the downside is that you can only enter the competition if you live in North America, Canada (except Quebec), China, New Zealand and Japan.

These are the only countries with a Mozilla office.

Why countries such as the UK or Germany do not have a Mozilla office I do not know.

Firefox is marketed as the underdog, an alternative to Microsoft.

Mozilla even has a forum where Firefox users can blog on Firefox, e-mail client Mozilla Thunderbird and express their dislike of Microsoft.

Mozilla also has an online storewhere you can by clothes, art and software for Firefox.

The non-profit organisation has succeeded in making Firefox a social network rather than just an application.

Microsoft need to compete.

However, given the giant head start Mozilla have,I doubt they will make it.

Last night on Question Time David Lammy claimed that human rights were raised by Gordon Brown during the Saudi King's visit.

Today, however, an article in the Independent says otherwise.

"We haven't talked of human rights," Prince Saud al-Faisal told Sky News. "Human rights is the responsibility for the government of its own people, not of other governments. We are doing what our people expect us to do."

So either Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal or David Lammy is wrong.

On the 29th October I blogged on the xenophobic and biased comments made by Tony Parsons.

I found them offensive, and am concerned that they may add to the negative picture of British people that many in other parts of Europe have.

It seems many share my view.

A twenty-one page thread on the Mirror forums expressing dismay

And a rather unusual attack on the UK

Many people are complaining to the Press Complaints Commission.

Do they have a case?

The Code of Practice

i) The press must avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to an individual's race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or to any physical or mental illness or disability.

I think describing a Portuguese diplomant as "sardine-munching" is a breach of that section of the Code.

Unless Tony Parsons can prove that Antonio Santana Carlos has a reputation for regularly eating sardines.

Which is unlikely.

For those who want to display photos from a digital camera for Free, Flickr is an essential website.

You need a Yahoo ID to access the site, and this is relativly easy to obtain.

There is a 100MB hosting restriction per month. 100MB is roughly 50 photos or so.

Uploading is relativly rapid and it is easy to add comments.

My Flickr account

If you want to use a photo you find on Flickr, it is best to contact the person.

If you have a Flickr account, you can send a message from within the site, otherwise e-mail contacts are usually displayed.

Friday, 30 November 2007

Thursday, 29 November 2007

Wednesday, 28 November 2007

Tuesday, 27 November 2007

Monday, 26 November 2007

Sunday, 25 November 2007

Saturday, 24 November 2007

Friday, 23 November 2007

Thursday, 22 November 2007

Wednesday, 21 November 2007

Tuesday, 20 November 2007

Monday, 19 November 2007

Sunday, 18 November 2007

Saturday, 17 November 2007

Wednesday, 14 November 2007

Tuesday, 13 November 2007

Monday, 12 November 2007

Sunday, 11 November 2007

Saturday, 10 November 2007

Friday, 9 November 2007

Thursday, 8 November 2007

Wednesday, 7 November 2007

Tuesday, 6 November 2007

Monday, 5 November 2007

Sunday, 4 November 2007

Saturday, 3 November 2007

Friday, 2 November 2007

Thursday, 1 November 2007

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