My Everything Blog

Young motoring journalists

2010-06-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

On Monday 21 June I attended the inaugral headlineauto.co.uk Young Motoring Journalists' Masterclass at Dunsfold Park, Surrey.

The event took place at the industrial park and circuit complex near Godalming - better known as the location of the Top Gear test track.

The day was hosted by Kia, Mazda and headlineauto.com and saw a morning of informal lectures from industry chiefs followed by an afternoon driving Kias and Mazdas on the road and circuit respectively.

First up was Jeremy Thomson, Managing Director of Mazda Motors UK, who gave an excellent presentation on economic trends that impact upon the car industry, in particular analysing the impact of the recent scrappage incentive.

Steve Cropley, Haymarket Group's Editor-in-Chief, was next offering some invaluable advice on how to get ahead as motoring journalists - put simply: "Fight like buggery" and "always remember your reader".

Finally Steve Kitson, Communications Director of Kia Motors (UK) Ltd., discussed the importance of having a two-way relationship between PR officers and journalists and how best to ensure this works.

This was of particular interest to me and was particularly well informed given Steve's background both in journalism and PR.

The afternoon saw the start of the driving section of the day including what all of us had been waiting for: driving around the Top Gear test track.

I was in group 1, so started out driving the road section. James Winstanley and I drove the Kia Soul and Kia Cee'd (the new reasonably priced car on Top Gear).

Both of us were agreed that the Soul was surprisingly agile for such a boxy car whereas the Cee'd was quite difficult to drive at first due to a slightly soft clutch - possibly due to wear.

Both cars had good strong engines and rode incredibly well which was ideal for the back roads around the circuit and the town of Godalming.

In the afternoon, I drove laps in a Mazda MX5 and MPS under the tutelage of Ollie Hancock who was an absolutely top class instructor. He allowed me to slowly develop my confidence in the car and took me through each stage of circuit driving one at a time.

The circuit used was not quite the same as the one used on the Top Gear programme (which crosses over itself) so as to allow a number of cars on track at the same time. Still, we drove through Gambon and Bacharach Bend (the "second-to-last corner") as well as the Hammerhead.

What you don't appreciate when watching on the television is just how bumpy the circuit is - particularly in the middle of some of the slower corners such as the Hammerhead. Also, in my humble, non-racing driver and completely uninformed opinion... I think the "Stig line" through the first corner is the correct one.

The highlight of the afternoon on track for me was the hot laps. Ten of the 14 young journalists were given one timed lap in an MX5 to see who was quickest. I went first with Ollie in the passenger seat.

I was not particularly confident having made a bit of a mess of the earlier driving, and stalling as I started didn't help matters.

After a leisurely warm-up lap I accelerated out of one of the chicanes towards the "second-to-last corner" and made a bit of a hash of it to be honest. Despite being told throughout practice that smooth was the way to go, the adrenaline had clearly got to me and, trying too hard, I got a bit out of shape on the way in.

Then on the exit of the hairpin that followed Gambon, I changed-up from second to third gear far too early (at least I didn't select first as I had in the MPS). At that moment, I guessed I would be lucky not to be slowest.

However, as I pulled in slowly to the small paddock area where the fire truck and refreshments were stationed, Ollie said he would be surprised if anyone was quicker.

And so it proved, my lap of 1m 27.89 just edged Richard Webber's time of 1m 28.35.

Any delusions about my own ability had already been quenched however because all 14 young motoring journalists had been given hot laps in an MX5 race car driven by a professional racer.

A fantastic day and well worth attending for anyone who loves cars, let alone young motoring journalists.

Capture Cardiff: 50 years of the Chameleons (first posted 9 Dec 2009)

2010-06-20T13:31:00.001-07:00

In 1959, the late Joyce Robinson (pictured below) founded the Cardiff Chameleons – the country’s first swimming club for people with learning disabilities.

(Source: www.cardiffchameleons.co.uk)

The club went on to become the first group in Great Britain to register with the Special Olympics in 1979.

A fitting way to celebrate the club's 50th year therefore was to attend the 2009 Special Olympics in Leicester. The club was enormously successful and took home around 100 medals.

But this wasn’t a one-off for the team as Chameleons’ swimming coach Pam Bailey explains: “We go to quite a few competitions all year round, and this year we also went to the Special Olympics European Swimming in Majorca.”

At that competition, the swimmers won nine Gold medals, five Silver medals and four Bronze medals. Despite this however, the club does not cater solely for swimmers wanting to take part in competition, they also teach new members to swim and the focus is very much on ensuring that the members enjoy themselves.

Another of the swimming coaches, Robin O’Donovan, said: “I’m here for them to enjoy themselves. If I say: ‘Have you enjoyed yourself?’ and they say ‘Yeah!’ Great! That’s what I like.”

Gymnastics, Athletics and Cycling

Due to the club’s success in swimming, they expanded into gymnastics, athletics and cycling. As some of the swimmers and athletes started to get older, they began looking for a sport that required less physical exertion and so the Cardiff Chameleons Bowls Club was born.

The team travelled with the swimmers to the 2009 Special Olympics and were as successful as the swimmers. Their mixed doubles teams took Gold with Ceri-Anne Davies and Angus Pirrie, and Silver with Louise Daw and Alan Beech.

The Chameleons celebrate their success at the Leicester Special Olympics

From Left to Right: Angus Pirrie, Ann-Marie Coles, Ceri-Anne Davies, Janet Broomfield, Louise Daw and Alan Beech

Disability Sport Wales

All the sports run by the Chameleons are brought under the umbrella of Disability Sport Wales.

Joanna Coates-McGrath, Cardiff's regional development officer, said of the organisation: “It’s basically increasing participation opportunities for disabled people. All ages, all abilities, all sports, [just creating] more opportunities out there for them to take part in whatever environment that might be.”

Part of that involves setting up new clubs for which there is often a demand. However, which clubs are ratified depends very much on the virtues of each proposal as Joanna Coates-McGrath explains:

The organisation does have a performance strand, but all of the teams facilitated by Disability Sport Wales cater for both competitively-minded people and for those who are there to make friends.

The Future

The Chameleons are reliant on youngsters coming through and helping the club. David Parsons (pictured below), who went to his first swimming club aged just seven and has competed in numerous competitions, would like to be a full-time coach.

David Parsons: Pictured at the Special Olympics in Glasgow (2005)
(Source: www.cardiffchameleons.co.uk)

He says: “What I like most is seeing people coming on. I like to see them get to the same level as me. I want to be a full time coach by the time I’m 30.”

With young members coming through and taking over the responsibility for the club, the Chameleons should have no trouble surviving for another 50 years.

For the full edit of this article, please see my blog at www.andrewpapworth.wordpress.com

Handel House

2010-06-17T11:04:00.001-07:00

On Saturday I visited the Handel House museum near Oxford Circus in central London.

The museum is laid out across two houses on Brook Street next to Hannover Square, one of which was Handel's residence for over 35 years and the other was used by Jimi Hendrix.

The museum is small but well appointed and there were a variety of different exhibitions, most of which justifiably focused on Handel's operas.

It was also incredibly atmospheric with creaking floorboards, sloping floors and four musicians practising in the room where Handel once penned his most memorable works perhaps including Giulio Cesare and Tamerlano.

Inside Handel House by andrewpapworth

I found out a great deal more about the man who, despite being of German parentage, went someway towardsss changing England's reputation as the country of no music. It's just a shame that it was so expensive for such a small museum.

On Sunday, I went to the Imperial War Museum which was not only fascinating and huge... but also free.

Plans submitted for new Birmingham square

2010-06-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Plans have been submitted for Birmingham's new public square to be sited in the Jewellery Quarter.

The £1.5 million square, to be called "Golden Square", is one of the first projects in Birmingham council's Big City Plan.

Capita Lovejoy, a branch of the Capita Group, is developing the project.

The plans show a series of “exposed seams” running like needles on a compass out towards the district’s traditional material sources and global trading partners.

For me, it is disappointing that the plans do not show a great deal of green space - one of things that Birmingham is calling out for.

New red bus for London

2010-05-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

Construction begins on Cardiff hotel

2010-05-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Construction has started on a new hotel in the centre of Cardiff.

Piling has started on the building that will replace the Central Hotel which burned down in 2003.

The site is situated next to the Cardiff Central railway station in close proximation to the Sleeperz Hotel and Travelodge.

The hotel will be Maldron Hotels operated 214 bedroom building with shops and retail units on the ground and first floors.

This is how the site looked on Sunday 6 June:

The Pinnacle

2010-05-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

There have been a couple of new renders of the Pinnacle posted on the Skyscraper Forum website.

The renders show the upper floors in more detail including the restaurants and the viewing deck set to become the highest in the UK.

The Pinnacle, also known as the Bishopgate Tower, is currently under construction in the City of London.

It is set to be 288m and 63 floors high when completed in 2012, and is one of three major skyscraper projects in central London alongside Heron Tower and the Shard.

The site on which the Pinnacle will stand was cleared in mid-2007 and construction started in March 2009.

Time for Change?

2010-04-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

As the likelihood of a hung parliament increases, I wonder whether it is actually the best result for the UK.

After the dust settled on the final leaders debate this evening, the polls indicated that the Liberal Democrats had gained the most from the debates as a whole.

The unprecedented gains seen by the Lib Dems were groundbreaking, but in truth it has not changed what we knew before the first debate on the 15th of April: we are more than likely heading for a hung parliament.

The fear is that the economy will suffer as the government flounds around arguing with itself rather than taking action. I believe, however, that it will mean that on important issues the opinion of more voters will be represented in the commons.

Take for example the row over National Insurance. If, for example, Labour had a majority they would be able to vote through their proposals without taking into account the beliefs of everyone in constituencies who didn't vote for Labour.

In a majority led parliament, your views may not be represented in the commons if your constituency did not vote for the largest party.

In a hung parliament, everyone can pressurise their own MP on important issues and their views will have a much better chance of being represented in the commons.

Therefore, I believe, a hung parliament would be a better overall reflection of the opinions of the British public.

What is a hung parliament?

Generally speaking, the largest party in the commons has a working majority. This means that when that party wants to make new laws, it can vote them through with relative ease because it has more seats than the rest of the parties put together.

When the smaller parties have enough seats that they are collectively able to outvote the main party, that is a hung parliament - see this handy BBC guide.

First ever leaders debate on British TV

2010-04-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg was the winner of the first ever leaders debate on British TV, say the media.

Clegg was the most visibly at ease early on and gave a confident pitch in which he represented the Liberal Democrats as a change from the 'old' parties of Labour and Conservative.

Both David Cameron and Gordon Brown appeared to be trying to curry favour with the 42-year-old Lib-Dem leader as the likelihood of a hung parliament come May 6th increases.

In terms of election coverage during the debate by the media outlets, there were no real surprises as to who the broadsheet newspapers, and their readers, were backing.

What was interesting was that the Daily Mail appeared to declare David Cameron the winner before the debate had even finished.

Disappointingly, the web page has since been changed to reflect the reality of what happened in Manchester this evening, and stupidly I failed to get a screen shot of the offending page which has now changed.

However, it is interesting to note how the media have reacted to tonight's events and I will make sure I pay closer attention to the how the next debate, televised on Sky on April 22, is covered.

Turkish singer sets blind speed record

2010-04-08T02:13:00.000-07:00

Turkish pop-singer Metin Senturk became the world's fastest unaccompanied blind driver last week after piloting a Ferrari 430 to 182mph.

Senturk, who has been blind since the age of three, was followed down a runway in eastern Turkey by his driving coach Volkan Isik.

Isik, a former rally driver, relayed instructions to Senturk via radio as he smashed the previous record of 176mph held by a British bank manager.

Senturk, who wept as he stepped from the car, said: "I don't think there are any words to describe this feeling. I am really happy. It was really hard, like a dance with death."

The accompanied record for a blind driver, set by South African Hein Wagner in a Mercedes-Benz SL65 Black Series last October, is a fraction over 200 mph.

Ugly new King Edward Tower, Liverpool

2010-02-13T11:16:00.002-08:00

New Plans for the King Edward Tower in Liverpool have been released, and they are ugly...

The previous renders for the 540ft office, apartment and hotel tower, released by joint developers Richmont Property Ltd and Y1 Developments, looked similar to the 658ft proposed Regal Tower on Birmingham's Broad Street in terms of cladding and shape.

The redesign is as a result of a protestations by developer Peel who believe it did not fit in with their vision for Liverpool Waters.

I am a supporter of the Peel project in principle because Liverpool's waterfront will look fantastic with a series of high-rise buildings.

However, with the exception of the Shanghai tower, I am not of the architecture currently on display in their renders and the new render for the King Edward Tower is no better.

Buildings made out up of out-of-line boxes, as though built with ill-fitting lego bricks, only look good when surrounded by other modern projects.

I don't believe that this new design is fitting of being a flagship building for Liverpool.

Elsewhere, the recession has taken another victim in the form of the Lumiere Towers in Leeds.

The council has, it seems, refused planning permission for the newly revised designs because the developer has not met its infrastructure requirements due being in administration.

Website accessibility

2010-02-13T11:16:00.001-08:00

A few months ago I wrote about the steps that the ChinaDaily website has taken to improve accessibility for disabled people.

I have just found this article by WebCredible on things that web masters should look for when creating a site.

As I commented previously, I believe that websites in the UK are still not doing enough to open up their sites so everyone can use them.

Individuals should take responsibility for the content of their website, but there needs to be more regulation in place to ensure that everyone can enjoy online content in the same way.

Comedy Genius

2010-01-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

By Mitchell and Webb

Alt.Cardiff

2009-12-17T11:36:00.000-08:00

As part of the postgraduate journalism course I am studying at Cardiff University, I have been contributing to the online magazine Alt.Cardiff

The magazine hunts out Cardiff's best off-beat news and reviews under five different categories: Food, Music, Culture, Active and 'No Logo' - a political slant on the Welsh capital.

Over the past 11 weeks I have contibuted two articles to all of the above categories apart from Food where I contributed three.

Clicking on an article's header below will take to you the original story.

Culture:

10. Phil Rogers Pottery Exhibition

The Makers Guild in Wales will be hosting an exhibition of Phil Rogers’s work from 1 December to 31 January next year.

9. Martin Tinney Gallery Christmas Exhibition

The gallery launched its 2009 Christmas exhibition on 27 November and this year’s show will include work by Charles Burton to celebrate his 80th birthday as well as a number of industrial paintings by Glyn Griffiths who died 10 years ago.

Active:

8. Cardiff Lions

The Cardiff Lions, Wales’s only recognised gay friendly rugby union club, are looking for new players before the start of next season.

7. Disability Sport Wales

The Celts wheelchair basketball team may steal the limelight when it comes to disability sport in Cardiff, but the local Disability Sport Wales team offer more than just competitive activities.

No Logo:

6. Controversial Parking Charges at St David's

The new £675m St David’s shopping centre in Cardiff opened at the end of last month becoming the largest of its kind in Wales.

5. Peaceful Progress Graffitti

The community-based Peaceful Progress organisation is hoping to bring its artwork to the streets of Splott.

Music:

4. Cardiff's next best thing

The Sŵn Festival was an excellent opportunity to see Cardiff's music talent. This article discusses the five local bands battling to be the next best thing.

3. Thumping Cardiff

The latest craze to hit New York is called ‘Thumping’; residents banging on railings and bollards to see how they sound.

Watch this space for the full interview with Ninjah Jones

Food:

11. Women's Institute's Christmas Cake

You can do worse than consult the Women’s Institute (WI) if you want to make the perfect Christmas cake.

2. The best named beer in Cardiff

A sign of a truly good pub is a draught with a ridiculous name.

1. All your stomach needs sold here

Not everyone can afford to travel, but Cardiff is a viable destination if all you want to do is sample foreign food.

NB: Articles are numbered according to the order that they appeared on the website. Week 11 was the week starting 7 December 2009.

Interview with Lou Summers

2009-12-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

Zero Waste in Wales

2009-11-23T15:19:00.000-08:00

I went to St. Arvans in Monmouthshire today which was apparently the first zero waste settlement in Wales.

I am currently writing a feature about waste for my course at Cardiff University, and it will explore the alternatives to landfill.

It seems that St. Arvans' experiment is due to fail as the local council has found that zero waste also equals zero binmen and consequently a loss of jobs.

I will have a video up on here very soon, but before that here are some photographs:

The local pub housed the communal recycling bins in their car park...

All residents were encourged to use the various recycling boxes...

Just as we left, the clouds parted for the first time...

YouTube videos harm music industry

2009-11-08T07:20:00.001-08:00

I haven't been able to play music on my computer for about a month now because the poor thing is getting old.

Far from tearing my hair out however, I have just resorted to using YouTube to supplement my listening to radio stations such as Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Classic FM and Radio 3.

It occured to me therefore, that the decision to allow official music videos back onto YouTube could be really damaging to the music industry.

I have never even thought of illegally downloading tracks that I like, but I similarly hadn't even thought about not using YouTube.

I don't think music videos should be banned from YouTube however. If one type of video is banned due to commercial interests, a precedent may be set that might hinder the free flow of content on the social media site.

Top Ten Halloween Movies

2009-10-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

Halloween is soon upon us and there are few things better than staying in and watching scary movies all night on the 31st. But with so many to choose from, where should you start?

10: Alien (1979)

Director Ridley Scott’s dramatical dark lighting and the claustrophobic set create a grungy realism that sucks you in to the detail in this re-imagination of the Sci-Fi genre. You know its coming, but you don’t know when.

9. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The best of the Hannibal Lecter movies still chills the spine 18 years on from its release. Anthony Hopkin’s epic Oscar winning performance is the perfect tone for the movie, but the comedy of the bumbling ‘Buffalo Bill’ and the psychotic Lecter sometimes detracts from the scare factor.

8. The Invisible Man (1933)

H.G. Wells’ classic tale of scientific mystery and madness was beautifully shot in this introspective story. The special effects were groundbreaking at the time and still look great.

7. The Sixth Sense (1999)

Often cited as one of the best of this genre, it still ticks all the boxes for a Halloween flick. The creepy and tense atmosphere primes you to jump out of your skin

6. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Blair Witch Project’s use of the clever home movie concept challenged everything we thought we knew about scary movies. For the first time the audience felt threatened. That and the great ending make this a must for Halloween.

5. The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick’s film should make any scary movie list. More thoughtful and human than most other scary movies and essential viewing for nothing more than Jack Nicholson’s legendary line: “Here’s Johnny!”

4. Poltergeist (1982)

The Poltergeist franchise is said to be cursed as several of the people associated with it, including stars Dominique Dunne and Heather O’Rourke, have died prematurely. This slightly spooky aside makes this movie all the more frightening.

3. Psycho (1960)

This psychological thriller is clever and evenly paced, making it a perfect slow-burning start to an evening of horror. The plotline keeps you guessing and Hitchcock works his visual magic. Brilliant.

2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Some might argue that any of the films in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise would not look out of place on this list, but the original is always the best. The character of Leatherface, one of the most frightening characters in cinematic history, and the almost unwatchable gore, guarantees a night full of bad dreams.

1. The Exorcist (1973)

The argument over whether this film is actually any good will no doubt rage on forever, but it is definitely scary. The religious elements and its unfair association with the so-called ‘video nasties’ earned it a ban in the UK. Scary and forbidden… What more do you want?

This article was published on thefilmreview.com

Review of Pimp Your Vocab by Lucy Tobin

2009-10-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

Tobin, L., Pimp Your Vocab: A Terrifying Dictionary for Adults, Portico

Zonino cuz! JSYK I have this really book book that I jacked when you were bi-podding with that dullard arm candy who is obv. skett. It’s quality irritainment IMHO. Hush your gums though. Feel me?

If, unlike me, you understood any of that then you are one of the enlightened few who are clearly street and the world is yours my son, and everything in it.

Fortunately for the rest of us, Lucy Tobin’s brilliantly funny (and also quite informative) dictionary should go some way towards clearing the fog that clouds our brains as soon as we see text speak.

Pimp Your Vocab is exhaustively researched; clearly a great deal of work was required for Tobin to source the root of all the words, acronyms and phrases that appear in it.

My personal favourite is ‘irritainment’, which refers to any kind of entertainment that is addictive but trashy. Tobin suggests The Jeremy Kyle Show as the perfect example of this.

What you have here is a fun introduction to ‘kidult’ speak that would be the perfect stocking filler or silly gift for a Grandparent who wants to embarrass their Grandchildren.

Jog on…

Brain Fade

2009-10-11T06:27:00.000-07:00

I thought something was wrong with my radio at first when I was listening to "Raw Talent" on BBC Radio Humberside tonight.

A band called Cosmo Jarvis kicked off the show - which runs from 8pm until 10pm - with a song called 'She's Got You' which was a simple and enjoyable, percussion heavy song. Then a band called Eureka Machines played their tune, 'Living in Squalor'.

I was quite enjoying 'Living in Squalor' and it kept me interested enough to put down the book I was reading for a moment. Then it started to fade out and I walked over to the desk to write down the band's name so I could keep an eye on them for the future.

But as I did, the song faded up again... I stared at the offending DAB radio. Had I affected the signal when I stood up?

Then the song faded down again. Then up again. Then down again.

Why do bands do that?

The first time I noticed it was on the Kooks first album - "Inside In/Inside Out" - with the song 'Time Awaits'. Initially I thought it was really clever and innovative - flouting our normal understanding of how song endings work.

But then it realised that it was actually just a bit naff. I started wondering whether they had made mistakes on the recording and they were just trying to mask it.

Then a more horrible realisation hit me - even more horrible than the Kooks second album - they were trying to be clever. They were trying to be different.

Don't get me wrong here, I think the Kooks are a great band. That first album was the soundtrack to one of the best summers I have ever had.

But their music can be quite samey at times, and I saw the random fading in and out on that track as being a fairly perfunctory attempt to inject some much needed difference.

But Eureka Machines did not need to be different - they had my attention.

Fortunately, the night was not lost to unjustified grumpiness. The next band played, the reasonably well known Saving Aimee, revitalised my good mood with their offering of "We're the Good Guys".

This was foot-tapping brilliance in the tradition of a summertime tune, complete with the obligatory 'wo-oh-ohs', and is also the name of their first studio album to be released on the 26th of October.

Based on that evidence, I would recommend checking them out. They are in Bristol at the O2 Academy on the 22nd of October.

Cut the Clique rather than Services

2009-10-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

Obviously this article is one-sided:
http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2009/10/oxford-universitywealth-school

However, it does have me asking the question: How in-touch are politicians?

I don't believe we can expect our politicians to make the correct decisions for all sections of the population when they tend to be sourced from just one demographic: Rich, middle to upper class, university educated etc.

What makes me feel even more disappointed is the fact that it looks likely we will vote in a government that thinks that the best course of action in a recession is to cut spending: "Cameron goes into his pre-election conference as the only leader of a mainstream party in the western world who has called for spending cuts during the recession".

Labour does not have all the answers; but then neither do the Conservatives.

New Blog

2009-10-05T03:26:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that this is my new blog :)

The last one was getting a bit messy with all the different categories, so this one will cover mainly politics and arts, but also anything else I feel particularly strong about.

I'm going to start transferring over some of the previous articles that I wrote into this one as well.

Death Penalty

2009-10-05T03:06:00.000-07:00

A poll run by Harris Interactive for Metro Newspaper today found that 50% of those polled would back the reintroduction of the death penalty.

This follows on from a poll run by the Sun newspaper, back in February 2008, that found a staggering 99% of their readers backed the death penalty.

I can't possibly see how this can be representative of the UK population at large. I would not be against a debate in parliament should it be deemed necessary - one of the cornerstones of democracy is that all views are represented and considered on an equal footing - but I hope that we never return to a society that advocates an 'eye for an eye' style of justice.

I have been to a number of very good lectures and talks on this issue and both sides were persuasive (though I never changed my mind - I do not believe in the death penalty for anyone regardless of the crime). However, the most interesting and thought provoking was a 2006 lecture given by a former American death rower, Nick Yarris, who was pardoned after 23 years on death row.

I would hope that Nick's story, and the many other instances of individuals being wrongly incarcerated, would be enough to sway many of those who were polled by Harris Interactive to change their minds.

3D Films

2009-10-04T14:31:00.001-07:00

Within the first few seconds of the production, the entire audience and I shrieked, yelled or cooed as a huge rubber ball sprang right out of the screen and right at us.

"Monsters Vs. Aliens 3D" was the first film I had been to see of the new 3D films that are all the rage at the moment and it was clear that Dreamworks were using the film to showcase the new format.

At every opportunity there was to involve the audience, a prop or character or vehicle hovered over us and drew us into the action.

I thought it was absolutely brilliant. But then, as I said, I think the film was specifically designed to show off the new experience.

When I went to see Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs not that long afterwards, the 3D element did not add anything to the experience. The film was good enough without a gimmick such as 3D and the format wasn't used to the same extent either.

Its too early to say whether 3D films will continue to prosper, but there are some people who will definitely be gaining something from this new experiment: the owners of the cinemas...

I took a complete double take when the vendor said it would be £18 for two tickets to Ice Age 3. That's an obscene price to go and see and film and for that reason, and that reason only, I will probably avoid 3D cinema if at all possible.

Well actually, I might go and see James Cameron's Avatar. It sounds quite exciting...

Review of Beijing Coma by Ma Jian

2009-10-04T14:29:00.001-07:00

Jian, M., Beijing Coma, Vintage

When reading a novel about historic events, especially one concerning the events in and around Tiananmen Square in May and June of 1989, it is often difficult to know when history stops and fiction starts.

When you consider this, as well as the gravity of what happened over 20 years ago in Beijing, it is clear that Ma Jian took on a huge project when he decided to write this book.

But has he succeeded?

On the whole, yes. Dai Wei, the key character, finds himself just on the periphery of the entire student movement in the square - never making the key decisions, nor respected enough to be truly influential, but equally never far away from the key events.

This sets a perfect tone for the novel as we see the major shifts in power within the movement in the square and its often chaotic organisation, as well as the more intimate moments that no doubt existed during the demonstrations.

I found that quite often I couldn't put the book down, but when I did, it was sometimes in frustration - especially in the first 40 pages or so. The early part of the novel was very slow and in some ways quite poorly written.

It felt as though Ma Jian was trying to hastily shoe-horn in as much history and background as possible in those first few pages, and most of it was told by just a few characters who arguably could never have known about all the horrific stories that they tell.

I felt that this brought into question the reality of the beginning of the novel to an extent. Had the author stuck to the later principle of an intimate setting - the characters slightly cut-off from everything that was going on around them - those first few pages would have been more effective.

I continued reading only because of my interest in the topic and because I had read some cracking reviews. But I am glad I did because the rest of the novel is worthy of the praise it has garnered.

It's dramatic, it's beautiful and it's harrowing. As you become more and more involved in the novel you find yourself swept away by the excitement and the fear that the many characters feel. You are sometimes outraged, and the tension is unbearable knowing with hindsight what ultimately transpires.

But the true strength of the novel is not in the passages based around the square in the late 1980s - that comes instead from the gentle blending of the past and present. Each episode that occurs after the demostrations, is not always done over in detail, or even comes to a conclusion. Ma Jian delicately melds together Dai Wei's thoughts and memories with the action that is happening around him.

In this way, Dai Wei came to life through his comatose state and became a truly believeable character. His boredom, anxiety and excitement give the novel its human feel and kept me glued to the page until the dramatic climax.

Be patient, it is worth it.

Review of Stairway to Hell by Charlie Williams

2009-10-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

Williams, C. Stairway to Hell, Serpent’s Tail

Given his previous novels’ penchant for invoking comparison to Tarantino blockbusters and Irvine Welsh bestsellers, and a plot line revolving around Jimmy Page’s soul-shifting experiments in the 1970s, it would not be too surprising if Charlie Williams’ new book ‘Stairway to Hell’ turned out to be a bit mind-boggling.

In fact, Williams races his readers through a fast-paced plot line and only reverts to the bizarre as a dramtic aside. As a result, the intrigue of this book lies mainly with its convincing observations of life around the sleazy Blue Cairo club and the characters that frequent it rather its esoteric concept – although its originality certainly makes it stand out.

It’s funny too. The wit is often subtle, and those with an interest in music will no doubt appreciate certain puns more than those who don’t, but the events that unfold are often laugh-out-loud funny.

In just one night, Rik Suntan is attacked by a beer bottle while on stage, sees his best chance at the big time kicked into touch, is locked out of his flat by his girlfriend and shot in the chest by a midget in a pork pie hat.

This is just the beginning however, as Rik soon finds out that he is the reincarnation of David Bowie as well…

The depiction of the protagonist’s occasionally wavering pursuit of super-stardom is incredibly entertaining. If you deplore political correctness, love music, or just have a sense of humour, you will enjoy this book.

Gordon Brown's Workhouses

2009-10-04T14:25:00.002-07:00

Today, Gordon Brown announced that he would create a "network of supervised homes" for teenage mothers.

The sentiment is correct, the idea is not.

When talking to people from all walks of life in the UK, the most common complaint I hear about modern Britain by people from all walks of life is the proliferation of 'Spongers'. These are people who live purely on hand outs while "the rest of us" work hard for a living.

I have been very careful to put "the rest of us" in speech marks because I am aware that I am a lazy student again and I don't pay taxes anymore.

In that way, Gordon Brown has judged the opinion of the nation correctly. In fact, he made that point as much in his speech:

"The decent hard working majority feel the odds are stacked in favour of a minority, who will talk about their rights, but never accept their responsibilities".

(Nevermind that he seemed to contradict that view elsewhere: "It’s the Britain where we don’t just care for ourselves, we also care for each other".)

My belief is that all people should be given the best start possible. Those most likely to break the law, those most likely to become pregnant in their teens, and even celebrities who have 'gone off the rails' at one stage all tend to have one thing in common: they had a tough upbringing.

When you look at the countries that have the lowest GDP, or the lowest quality of life or the lowest life expectancy, they tend to be those countries that have the lowest percentage of children not completing schooling.

My suggestion is this. Don't try and solve the problem after it has manifested itself by creating an expensive network of social housing for at risk teenage mums. Just invest that money in improving schooling and education. Give children the ability to increase their knowledge and improve their improve the confidence and understanding - especially those children which have come from the most horrendous backgrounds.

Policy should try to reduce the root causes of a problem rather than firefighting the consequences when it goes wrong.

Quotes were taken from: http://page.politicshome.com/uk/prime_ministers_speech_to_labour_party_conference_2009.html?page_num=2

Dorian Gray

2009-10-04T14:25:00.001-07:00

The recent release of the new film Dorian Gray started me thinking about book-to-film crossovers.

Some of the best films both in recent times and in the past have come from 'reimaginations' of successful books: Atonement, Jurassic Park, The Kite Runner... the list is fairly endless.

But, what makes a good book into a good film?

I always thought that if the storyline of the book was good enough, it didn't matter what you did with the transformation, it would still be make a great film. But then along came Dan Brown and that idea was thrown completely out of window.

Then I thought that perhaps its down to the actors and actresses that are cast into the roles. Perhaps if they fit into how you imagined the character yourself, then maybe they make the film successful - at least for you.

Certainly that was true of The Kite Runner and the casting of Zekeria Ebrahimi and Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada as the two young boys, Amir and Hassan respectively. But that film was not only good because of the actors.

Then finally I realised what it was (probably). If I see the film first and then read the book, I think they are both great. But if I read the book first and then find the film makes some significant deviations on the storyline, for example in The Last King of Scotland, then I find I don't like it.

In that vein, let's hope that the new motion picture of The Picture of Dorian Gray does not make any major deviations in plot line. Hopefully that will convince more people to revisit Wilde's brilliant and extensive works.