Rising Dawn

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2010-04-29T12:47:00.001+01:00

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Revival

2008-03-01T16:16:00.003Z

It's time to revive this blog after a long time of inactivity. I have also set up a daily feed from my delicious bookmarks each of which should have a few notes about their significance.
Click here for the new Rising Dawn blog

The iPod suit

2007-07-05T12:24:00.000+01:00

This is not just any iPod suit it's Your M&S iPod suit. Gimmick; marketing hype; useful gadget?

I've no idea, but the idea of buying a new suit because it will control my iPod seems to be missing some sartorial point. How long before it's out of date? As soon as the iPhone hits the UK market - cue the iPhone suit?

FYI M&S describes this elegant piece of tailoring like this:

In classic black pinstripes, our new iPod suit is perfect for music lovers who don’t want to compromise their professional look.
The wool rich suit contains a strategically placed iPod pocket which houses the connector without bulges, while the ‘smart fabric’ control pad on the inner lapel lets you operate the iPod without touching the main controls. Carefully placed loops along the lapel help conceal the earphone wires.

The price: £149.00 but if you're feeling a bit skint you can buy the jacket for a mere £90.00

Alan Johnston is free

2007-07-04T05:05:00.000+01:00

The BBC correspondent, Alan Johnston, has been freed by the captors who kidnapped him in Gaza sixteen weeks ago. His release was negotiated by Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza that recently took power in a military operation in that part of the Palestinian territories.
Alan has just spoken at a news conference and he sounds extremely well and lucid considering his ordeal. He spoke of listening to BBC World service and being encouraged by the messages of encouragement broadcast for him by the former prisoners in the Middle East, Terry Waite and John McCarthy. He described his imprisonment as being like being "buried alive", "occasionally terrified," and wondering just how long he would be held. He said, "It was a huge battle to keep your mind in the right place," and spoke about his lucky break when he managed to get hold of a radio. He was comforted by the massive support there was for him around the world. He also clearly regretted being unable to report on the momentous events that were unfolding all around him while he was in captivity.
Waking at 4.30 this morning and listening to the radio I could no longer sleep, but had to get up and watch events on TV and then write this short blog. Alan has been in my mind ever since he was captured. My son, who used to speak to him from the BBC newsroom in London, has told that Alan was a really nice guy, always obliging and helpful. Alan's family must be so relieved to hear this news. What a good start to the day. Many prayers have been answered this morning.

Wi-Fi hysteria

2007-05-21T09:39:00.000+01:00

"radio frequency radiation levels in some schools are up to three times the level found in the main beam of intensity from mobile phone masts."

This meaningless comparison proves nothing, but it does generate fear in the minds of thousands of parents. Most people do not understand electromagnetic radiation so they are dependent on people like the BBC to explain it to them properly. Not in sensational headlines worthy only of the Daily Express or Mail.
The radiation from mobile phone masts and a Wi-Fi network are so different that they cannot be compared. They use different radio frequencies, different digital standards, different antennae, serve vastly different purposes and transmit at widely differing power levels.
Why not compare the Wi-Fi radiation to the TV transmitter at Crystal Palace or the Microwave link on top of the BT Tower, both in the centre of densely populated areas in London. I suggest that the mobile phone mast was chosen because it is already surrounded by hysteria and is more likely to connect parents with their fears in a massive short circuit of common sense.
The headlines may scream, so might some misguided protesters but if our children were going to be in pain from radiation it would have happened in a provable way by now. Radio waves have been with us for more than a 100 years and the BBC and other broadcasters have been pumping millions of watts of electromagnetic energy towards our homes since the 1940s.
This Panorama is bad science and helps to serve nothing except the audience figures.

Free Energy?

2007-05-14T10:28:00.000+01:00

There's a Guardian Reader offer for a device called a Freeloader.
It allegedly offers free energy for a one off payment of £29.95. It supplies enough energy to charge a mobile phone or iPOD from Solar Power.

I have just received an electricity bill from my energy supplier which charges £0.072 for each kilowatt hour. That's enough energy to power a 100W lightbulb for ten hours.

This Freeloader device supplies just 5 watt hours per charge. Assuming it could be recharged a thousand times your £30.00 delivers 5 kilowatt hours of energy. This works out at £6.00 for each kilowatt hour a mere 8,334 times more than the cost of plugging in my mobile phone charger.

There is also an option of using the device from the USB socket of a computer .... the will does not exist to calculate the cost of this source of power ..... but it goes without saying that it will be even more expensive than using the rays of the sun.

And before you stray down the "green" road. Just how environmentally friendly is it to create a device that uses a rechargeable battery to charge a rechargeable battery. Isn't that one battery too many?

Keep looking

2007-05-13T07:19:00.000+01:00

Four burning candles stood in the centre of the meal table. Fragile flames flickering in the gentle breeze of our conversation reminding us of the tiny life that is the focus of so many of our thoughts this weekend. Madeleine McCann is missing, abducted by people of evil intent, keeping her from her family who are anxiously searching The Algarve for their lost girl.

The family here in the UK has set up a website with pictures, messages of support and the latest news about the investigation into her disappearance ten days ago.

Keep looking.

Light Four Candles for Maddie's Birthday

2007-05-12T07:16:00.000+01:00

Today is Madeleine McCann's fourth birthday. She is still missing, nine days after being abducted from her holiday home in Portugal. I write this as part of the campaign to keep her profile high and to engage as many hearts and eyes as possible in the search for her.
If you pray, pray for her safe return. Send her picture to your friends by email.
In the remote chance that she has been brought by her abductors to your area, keep looking for her. Remember her face.
Today - whenever you read this message - light four candles for her. It's Maddie's birthday.

Alan Johnston

2007-04-26T08:23:00.000+01:00

As a journalist and former BBC employee myself, I want to do my bit keep up Alan Johnston's profile until he's released by his captors. He was abducted in Gaza on 12th of March 2007 and it's believed he is still alive - despite one unsubstantiated claim that he has been executed.
My son tells me that of all the BBC Correspondents he has to deal with (he too works for the BBC) Alan is one of the most helpful and co-operative. A really nice guy.
So, who ever you are, please don't forget him. He should be at home in the UK by now. His job in Palestine was about to come to an end and he is being held against his will.

Doing a Hammond

2007-03-06T17:30:00.000Z

I'm not really a petrol head - that's too environmentally unPC these days - but I do notice car stories, especially when an £800k motor has a tiff with a common old Astra. It doesn't really matter which one came off the best, this Bugatti Veyron definitely lost. Loadsa money in damage, face, street cred and probably points off someones licence.
I heard Top Gear's James May on 5Live this lunchtime saying that he'd driven one of these at something like 230 mph. The name of the driver of this one isn't given but it sort of fits Dicky Hammond's reputation ......

Murdoch in trouble

2007-02-23T14:25:00.000Z

Is the spat between Rupert Murdoch and Virgin Media a sign that the Sky Empire is in trouble?
In this age when everyone wants to be on as many platforms as possible, Sky is pulling itself off cable and planning to take it's News and Sports News off Freeview - reducing the potential audience on two fronts.
It means that advertisers will be looking for lower rates and possibly indicates concern within the Murdoch empire. Clearly there is so much concern about the potential damage that cable and Freeview are presenting to satellite that a brave (and misguided?) attempt is being made to pull everyone onto one exclusive platform. Looks like desperate measures to me; too many people have already made their digital choice and they're unlikely to change now.

Call me grandad

2007-02-10T14:47:00.000Z

I am now officially a grandad. My son, Wesley, and his wife, Deborah, have a new baby son. They've called him Alexander John. I don't know if this means that they hope he'll be great and conquer the world or if he'll have a ragtime band.
Today he's tiny and weighs just 6lbs 15oz, utterly dependent on the care of his parents. What he will be, will be forged by the events of the next few short years.

Psychic eh?

2007-02-09T10:19:00.000Z

A lack of visitors has forced the closure of a Psychic Museum in York. Shouldn't they have known that before it opened?

Pointing the finger

2007-02-01T17:01:00.000Z

You have to be careful when pointing an accusing finger - because you point three at yourself at the same time.
Jeremy Paxman had a moan about the BBC over its poor green credentials. His colleague, Gavin Esler, made this comment in his Newsnight daily email this afternoon:

Imagine my surprise this morning opening my copy of The Times to read that my esteemed colleague Jeremy Paxman has offered a devastating critique of the BBC's failures to be Green enough, failures on recycling, failures to cut power consumption, failures to help save the planet.

Great stuff, I thought. Then imagine my surprise because in the BBC office Jeremy and I share with Kirsty and Emily, the computer and monitor (which we also share) were left switched on all night. The culprit? Hmmm. Who could it possibly be wasting all that electricity? Well, the last log-in that I could discover was "Paxmanj." Any ideas?

Never mind Jeremy - at least you can save on one Christmas Card next year - an environmentally friendly gesture of course.

Counter sue the idiots

2007-01-27T18:56:00.000Z

If you're a regular recycler you'll know the frustration of finding the bins in the council depot full. After all the effort of separating and collecting the waste you're frustrated because the council's contractor hasn't kept up with taking the rubbish away.
So when I heard about a child in Kent who was threatened with jail and then fined £50 for leaving her box of waste next to a full bin I went ballistic. The council should be fining the contractor and apologising to the public for failing to provide an efficient service.
I would file a counter claim in the small claims court. Even if I lost they would have to answer the summons to provide a proper answer.
I regularly call the so called recycling helpline when I'm faced with an overflowing can bank in York. I never receive a reply to the message I leave on the ever present voicemail. It's time us recyclers were treated properly instead of being fined by petty minded officers.

How fast?

2007-01-22T09:17:00.000Z

"I'm so fast, that when I walk into my hotel room and switch off the light, I'm in bed before the room gets dark." Muhammad Ali

That fast!!!

This gem is buried in a story in today's Media Guardian (scroll down to "Who is the world's greatest copywriter?")

BB: Referendum on racism

2007-01-19T08:13:00.000Z

So Big Brother has now become part of the democratic process. The nations' attitude to ethnic minorities is to be judged by the votes of the viewers of a reality TV programme. That's the implication of Andy Duncan's limp response to the complaints about the behaviour of some of the celebrities on the show.
The outcry over the antics of the inhabitants of this manufactured community in Hertfordshire, locked away for a TV show, has reached fever pitch. 30,000 complaints to the broadcasting regulator, OFCOM, questions in the House of Commons, outrage by cabinet ministers and news headlines have propelled this show into the stratosphere. But to make judgements about the attitude of the nation based on either the response of the viewers or more widely the outrage of millions who've never seen it is utter folly.
You will gather that I'm not a fan of BB, celebrity or otherwise, but that's my choice. But when choices are made about my attitude, based on the posturing of a few showbiz people and the manipulation of their TV audience, I object. I thought the debates in the House of Commons could be mindless, but this row plunges mindlessness to a new low.

Pay not to use your car

2007-01-16T09:52:00.000Z

Residents in the London Borough of Richmond are to be charged up to three times the normal rate for residents parking if they own a 4x4 vehicle.
This is idiocy. If they don't drive their gas guzzler they'll be charged a surcharge for parking it. If you want them off the road increase the cost of driving it. What will happen as a result of this policy is that 4x4 owners will be driving around looking for a parking place that doesn't cost the earth - and in the process they'll be burning fuel and costing everyone the earth.
And how do you police this process? My vehicle can drive all four wheels but only if the wheels lose their grip - so most of the time it's a two wheel drive vehicle. Whilst it's parked none of the wheels are driving. There are lots of two wheel drive cars that cause more damage to the planet than my car. So if I lived in Richmond would I be penalised?

Theatre of Dreams

2007-01-02T22:42:00.000Z

I have been a supporter of Man U for long time but I've never been to Old Trafford. That probably makes me an armchair supporter and opens me up to a torrent of ridicule.
This Sunday that all changes. I will be at the cup match between Man U and Villa in Manchester. The ticket actually says Theatre of Dreams"
My first recollection of the existence of Manchester United was of my dad listening to the FA Cup final in 1957 whilst painting the hall, stairs and landing. The mains lead of our old Cossor radio was stretched to the limit to reach the top of stairs so that he wouldn't miss any of the action. Their opponent on that occasion was also Aston Villa who won 2-1.
I'm not sure why he supported Man U, but he came from the Lake District so I suppose he was on the right side of the country.
My interest was revived when my sons started to support Man U as schoolboys - long after their grandad had died.
This Sunday one of those sons, Wesley, will meet me in Manchester, to see the game. Wes bought me the ticket as a Christmas present. He bought himself one at the same time.

Dawn Riser blog creates a headline

2006-09-13T14:39:00.000+01:00

The call came out of the blue. A young voice said he was calling from the Evening Standard, he had been reading my blog and was interested in what I'd said about Al Gore's film, An Inconvenient Truth.
He was compiling the Readers Views page for today's paper and wondered if I could send him a shorter version of my blog post.
So I did. Later, he called me again. Liked my piece but would like to develop a couple of things. How did the film compare with other recent documentaries eg the one by Mike Moore and The Day After Tomorrow? As I hadn't seen these films I was unable to help with that one. Secondly - is there anyone in the UK able to put across these messages more strongly to a UK audience? By this time I was travelling home by train, so we discussed a few ideas and he said he would write them up and call me for my approval.
He called back and after some discussion we agreed to add the bit about Test the Nation and Planet Idol to fill out the story. We didn't discuss what would be left out.

Here's the text of the letter published above my name in the Evening Standard tonight.
So that you can compare, here is the text I initially sent to him:

I was surprised that the City Screen in York was full for the preview of Al Gore's film, An Inconvenient Truth. I had to stand in line and wait for a seat in the hope that someone wouldn't show up.
At its most basic the film is nothing special. Just a series of graphs charting the arrival of global warming and predicting it's potential damage if we don't do something soon. The presentation is interspersed with short recollections from Al Gore's past and stills of shrinking ice caps, glaciers and polar regions. The upbeat ending makes believe that it's not too late to rescue the planet from pending doom.
Will it show to capacity crowds when it's on general release in Britain? Will it change anyone's mind here about the threat of global warming?
At the preview I'm sure I was sitting with the already converted, who left inspired to turn down the thermostat, use the car less and to recycle more waste. Your average cinema goer may prefer more entertainment. An action adventure or romantic comedy.
The film's biggest weakness is Al Gore. Not Al Gore the campaigner, but Al Gore as the presenter of his own film. An impartial film maker harnessing a range of views would be more convincing for a UK audience. Those who do choose to watch it will think, despite it's hard hitting and factual content, that it's all together too smultzy and self congratulatory to be convincing.
All the same I am telling my friends to go and see it. It's the best argument so far to counter the belief that we are in just another climate cycle that can be ignored. And just as my initial prediction was proved wrong, it may be that An Inconvenient Truth plays to packed houses in Britain as well as Manhattan.

It's interesting how things change in the publishing process. Were my views fairly represented? I'll leave you to judge.

The end of infinity

2006-09-09T06:41:00.000+01:00

Who said the internet was infinite? Somewhere between this blog and the last page lies something less than infinity. Doesn't it?
And somewhere else in that space lies Rocketboom

There's a country to run

2006-09-07T10:14:00.000+01:00

I think it's time to change the way we run the country. The last two significant governments in Britian have ended in acrimony and I think it's because we have no way to bring the whole thing to an end. In the US there are fixed terms for government. Leaders know how long they have to run things and that's it. Here, the process is in the hands of the ruling party. There's a notional date for a general election, but it can be called at any time at the discretion of the Prime Minister. And there seems to be no way for a Prime Minister to step down without being knifed in the back.

So we should have a General Election after four years, and if a Prime Minister wants to step down from office, that too should either trigger a general election or some other kind of election for the office.

The recriminations of the last few days must never be repeated. They're a disgrace. I am ashamed to be British at the moment. There are much bigger issues than "Whose turn is it now?", and they are being neglected because a small number of nobody Labour MPs think they can manipulate events.

I have issues with Tony Blair, but he's the best Labour Prime Minister ever, and if we're not careful we'll end up throwing it all away and getting a Cameron premiership in his place - and then where will we be?

An inconvenient truth

2006-09-03T14:14:00.000+01:00

I've just been to see Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth" at a special preview screening for members of York's City Screen. As I walked to the cinema I was thinking about how many people would turn up at 11am on a Sunday morning to see a documentary by a failed presidential candidite talking about Global Warming. I may, I thought, be the only one there!
The queue was visible as soon as I turned the corner. It was sold out and the only people going into Screen 3 had booked in advanced. I stood in line and hoped to fill the seat of someone who didn't show up. I was ushered in a couple of minutes before the film began.
I'll talk about the style of the film in a minute. The content was compelling. Al Gore presented graph after graph and statistic after statistic to demonstrate how the climate change we are experiencing cannot be part of a cycle of events, simply repeating what had happened many times in past centuries and eons.
We were treated to misty recollections of his youth and images from across the planet to backup the dry charts of scientific findings. Melting glaciers, dried up lakes, intensifying tropical storms, floods, droughts and tree damage were all projected on the screen to convince us that our lifestyles must change if we are to avert disaster, not just in this generation but in others that lie ahead - if the human race survives that long.
Was I convinced? I felt as though I was sitting with the converted. Intelligent, educated, comfortable middle class people. People who were already thinking about reducing their impact on the planet. Not much convincing needed - more like reinforcing.
So what about the film? It was essentially a film about the presentation that Al Gore in his own words has given over a thousand times in cities across the USA and the world. Hence the graphs and stats. It was all held on his Apple Powerbook and delivered on Keynote software. There was a manageable dose of mockerty directed at George Bush and a muted gripe about the rigged election that Al Gore won and lost.
The ending was upbeat. After the gloom of his predictions, Al Gore turned campaigner and preacher and roused the audience to an optimistic climax. We can do something, more than is needed, by making changes now. It's not too late. I suppose it's the only way that a film like this could end if the American audience is to be kept on board.
It's great weakness is that Al Gore is making a film about Al Gore's campaign. It may work in the US but here it needs someone more impartial to present the film and to interrogate the facts and projections.
Will it make people think? Yes; if they go to see it, stay the course and want to be convinced. Will is change the masses? No; but it's a start - and perhaps other film makers, producers and writers will get on board to drive the message into hard to reach lifestyles. Go and see it. Judge for yourself - and comment here.
And when you go - don't expect to be the only one there - be on the safe side and book in advance!

Stars and stripes

2006-08-22T16:18:00.000+01:00

Grand Canyon
Originally uploaded by Dawnriser.

We're home from the United States and you can look at my pictures on Flickr. You will find views posted from Sedona, Grand Canyon and San Francisco plus a few from Saratoga Springs near Ukiah in Northern California.

We had a great time - now we need to get over the jet lag.

Snoopy Rock

2006-08-01T07:20:00.000+01:00

snoopy rock
Originally uploaded by Dawnriser.

Today we set off on a journey to the United States. Starting in Sedona, Arizona we're also travelling to San Francisco and Saragosa Springs in California.
The last few days are for a gathering of digital storytelling facilitators, but for the first two weeks it's a holiday.
The Snoopy Rock is just one of the intriguing red rocks around Sedona. From there we'll go to view the Grand Canyon too. 'View' is too small a word for the awesome grandeur of this wonder of the world.
I've travelled this route before, for work, but I promised Joan that one day I would take her to see the places I'd been so enthusiasatic about.
So today we go. I hope to blog some pictures here - if the wireless networks in the US are working.

You can read the blog of my last trip to Sedona here

Constantine 1700

2006-07-26T06:58:00.000+01:00

Constantine 1700
Originally uploaded by Dawnriser.

York is celebrating. 1700 years ago a young Constantine was made Emperor of the Roman Empire in the city, when his father Constantius died. This procession followed a short service in York Minster. It led the way to the Museum Gardens where schoolchildren performed and re enacted scenes from Roman Life in the city in the fourth century AD.
Constantine is renowned for creating Christendom. You can read more about him here.
It was an exciting event with lots of colour. Constantine was made up to be the same shade of turquoise as the bronze sculpture of him outside the south door of the minster. The Archbishop of York was in his purple and schoolchildren paraded with multicoloured costumes and cardboard instruments. Huge gun metal grey leopards joined the procession with other religious leaders in white.
How much Constantine embraced the Christian faith is open to question. He certainly saw political advantage in recognising the growing number of Christians who until his time had been outlawed. He also upheld the cross as a ensign to lead his troops into battle. He also forced the Christian leaders of the time to holds the Council of Nicea to thrash pout what they really believed - hence the Nicean Creed. So the world can look back 1700 years and acknowledge that this young emperor would bring about significant change to the religious and political landscape of the world. But under his rule the Roman Empire suffered decline and began to lose it's grip as the dominant power in the world. Perhaps it was inevitable that a system based on tyranny and brutality would change substantially when it's leader imposed Christianity on his people.

Heatsteria - the meltdown

2006-07-20T16:35:00.000+01:00

Feeling the heat
Originally uploaded by Dawnriser.

This was a tall rectanglar candle lamp until it took the full blaze of the sun this week. It was in our front room - we were rather fond of it.
Joan suggested waiting for another hot day so that she could re-form it. Don't hold your breath for the before and after shots.

Despite the melt down no hot weather records were broken in York except a record performance by Yorkhsire Water who managed to burst seven water mains in the city. It was caused by an electrical fault that pumped water at high pressure when it's control panel indicated that a full water tower was empty. The pumps worked overtime to fill it up and POP. Hundreds of people without water for a few hours, houses flooded and holes in the road.

Dawnriser Picture Show

2006-07-20T13:16:00.000+01:00

I've just started two new blogs.

The Dawnriser Picture Show is a place to explore your own memories through pictures of mine from Flickr.
It works like this. I post one of pictures and if it sparks a memory for you share it with me as a comment. The first picture was taken last Sunday at the York Mystery plays. It's a scene about Palm Sunday. If this one doesn't work for you, there'll be another along soon.

The other new blog is called Useractive and it's on a site for people with connections to The Alpha Course. An exploration of Christianity. You'll be seeing a new promotional campaign soon under the broad heading Is there more to life than this? You may like it - have a look (both the blog and the course)

Tuna Chunks

2006-07-19T17:19:00.000+01:00

This is a music video - of sorts. It was inspired by the sound prompts my brother in law recorded for his mum who was blind. The yellow caps on the cans are magnetic and contain a voice recording chip. When he stocked up the cupboard he identified each can with a short clip. Press the button and you know what's in the tin.

One day I noticed the musical tone of his voice and that a tune could composed by pressing the buttons in the right sequence. So I recorded this film on my phone. I discovered later that other people in the family had noticed the same thing.

Sadly, Mum passed away recently so there will be no more recordings like this one.

Mass heatsteria

2006-07-19T08:52:00.000+01:00

It could be the hottest July day in the UK since 1911. Apparently this is significant. Broadcasts this morning are warning me of the consequences of extreem heat should I be daft enough to go out in the mid day sun. Was Rudyard Kipling right? "Mad dogs and Englishmen go out ....... "

I wonder what happened in July 1911. Were there special editions of The Times and the Daily Chronicle on the streets? Column inches filled with health experts and meteorologists spouting on about high factor sun cream, temperatures and humidity. I doubt it. I'm sure people in Britain had their own way of coping with the heat without the siren calls of the media. As Joan, my resident historian wife, pointed out - pale was the fashion for women and to stay like that they sheltered under their parasols. Presumably only ladies of a certain status.

I'm a media person but this morning's broadcasts are beginning to annoy me. If asked, they will point to the warnings issued by the Met Office and the NHS. I suppose it's just so long since the last heat wave - at least a year. Certainly not 97 years. Whatever happened to common sense.

Now they're talking about installing Air Conditioning. Whilst I know how pleasant it is to work in an aircon building - can we really justify the damage to the environment based on a few days when the termperature soars.

Writing this has lowered my temperature by a few degrees already. More light - less heat. Please.

Neema's story on BBC1 and BBC2

2006-07-07T17:52:00.000+01:00

The digital story told by Neema from Walsall has been featured on BBC2s Newsround and on the BBC1 Midlands Today regional news summary. I'm so proud that her self made story has been recognised by the networks. Well done Neema - and thank you for your message of peace.

Seven seven

2006-07-07T08:31:00.000+01:00

I listen to stories - that's my job. Sometimes a story and storyteller fix themselves deep in my mind. Neema is one of those storytellers. She was in Tavistock Square on July 7th last year when a suicide bomber blew up the number 30 bus.
I was running a storytelling event for young people in Walsall. Neema was the last in the storycircle. I realised this story was special. It features today on BBC Black Country Local TV. (This links to the BBC Broadband Portal)

I was at home last July 7th, sitting at the table at which I'm writing now. I wrote into this blog as the terror unfolded. First on Radio 5 live and later on BBC News the full horror of what had happened was revealed. The first call I remember that indicated that it was a terrorist attack was when a caller to Matthew Banister talked about the bus in Tavistock Square. He described how the roof had been peeled back and people were screaming and running from the scene. We had been attacked. I say we, because it was an angry outburst against the whole nation.

Last week's New Statesman carried an article about one of the bombers, Shezad Tanweer and the writer Shiv Malik speculated about what may have motivated him

Perhaps this is the rub. Perhaps mainstream society didn’t
simply lose Tanweer to a bunch of brainwashing Islamofascist
gangsters. Perhaps in the village-like, insulated atmosphere
of Beeston, he came to regard the Mullah Crew not just as part
of a brave new Islamic world, but also as the most attractive
and dynamic path towards helping his community, both locally
and internationally.
After all, if they could get heroin addicts off heroin and turn
them back into productive members of society, maybe they
could do other things, bigger things, that most people would
think impossible. Maybe, against the background of war in
Aghanistan and Iraq, they could do something to change
British government policy.

This week a video of Shezad Tanweer was broadcast by Al-Jazeerer, in which he warns that the attacks on Britain will get worse. We may not have "simply lost Tanweer to a bunch of brainwashing Islamofascist gangsters" but there's no doubt that he was lost. His actions are unforgiveable.

Today many many others will feel the loss of people they loved - innocent victims. I trust they will find some meaning as they reflect and mourn today.

Who do you blame?

2006-07-04T06:15:00.000+01:00

We're out of the World Cup. England was defeated by Portugal in a match that ended in ignominy for the nation that invented Association Football.
Wayne Rooney was dismissed from the pitch in an incident that appeared to come from his frustration with the poor progress of the match. He had spent the first hour as the only player in attack and his opportunities to score a goal had been almost nil. The lad is young and can be hot headed. He decided to go and make it happen on his own. He valiantly took on several opposition players who tugged his shirt, held his waist and generally tried to block him from his quest. As he stumbled, his boot landed in the groin of one of his assailants. The Portuguese players seized on this chance to get rid of England's only remaining striker with a protest that could have been directed by a top film maker. Rooney's frustration boiled over, he shoved his Manchester United team mate, Christiano Ronaldo and out came the referee's red card. He was off.
The remaining ten men fought on for the rest of the match, through extra time. No one scored. Stalemate brought the inevitable penalty shoot out. The Portuguese goalie was brilliant. He saved three of our penalties. Portugal failed to find the goalmouth with two of their shots. We lost it, they didn't win. All the same our lads are back in the UK. The captain, David Beckham has resigned, Ronaldo and Rooney say their professional relationship remains intact and life goes on.
Who do I blame? Sven Goran Ericsson. As coach he should not have put Rooney in such an exposed position. Due to his poor management the hopes of the entire nation rested on the shoulders of a twenty year old striker.

More bad mobile phone science?

2006-06-23T08:22:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Health | Mobile phone risk during storms: "UK doctors have warned of the danger of lightning strikes when using mobile phones outdoors during stormy weather.

In the British Medical Journal, they highlight the case of a teenager with very severe injuries after being struck by lightning when talking on her phone.

The metal in the phone directs the current into the body, they say."

Another mobile phone scare - it seems to me that these doctors are trying to make a case based on just four incidents across the world. Could it simply be that the number of people using their mobile phone outside has gone up and the danger is being outside.
Just think about this logically. If the metal in a mobile phone poses a danger in a storm then other things should also carry a warning. Bicycles, prams, wheelchairs, zips, cash, steel toe caps, and underwired bras.

This story ranks alongside the stories about the dangers of mobile phone masts near schools and living under power lines. I don't read of fewer people using mobile phones or electricity as a result of these scares. Bad science - good headlines. I wonder - did those doctors who've written to the British Medical Journal simply want a headline. I trust not. The sad thing is that the BBC appears to have reported it without reference to a scientist.

Who are you?

2006-06-20T17:54:00.000+01:00

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend opened their gig in Leeds with the lyric "Who are you ..."

For a report on Newsnight on BBC2 the camera panned into the audience and settled on a face. Who are you?

To me it looks like Mark Byford, Deputy Director General of the BBC with special responsibility for news. Did the reporter, Robin Dunselow, recognise his boss? If he did, why did he pick him out? If he didn't ....?

Walking

2006-05-25T08:57:00.000+01:00

This was in my regular email from Go 4 a Walk

"Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.
Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Just walk beside me and be my friend."

Unknown, (but often attributed to Albert Camus)

Reviving interest

2006-05-22T08:34:00.000+01:00

Terrorism and fiction are reviving an interest in religion in Britain. An article in the media section of the Observer describes how religious programming is forcing its way into peaktime schedules. The BBC is planning a major series called The Passion about the life of Christ. The first since Lew Grade's Jesus of Nazareth (in which Holby City's Robert Powell played Christ).
The DaVinci Code has also aroused religious passions amongst both the faithful and the sceptics. The book is fiction and according to the critics, the film is a tedious dramatisation of it. But it is already a box office hit.
The people who bring us the Alpha Course are grasping the opportunity to promote their own response to the book. It's worth watching, especially if you want to know why the code is merely fiction and not afraid of the facts about the integrity of the New Testament gospels.

The Vox Pod?

2006-05-22T08:16:00.000+01:00

I was listening to the Guardian's Mediatalk PODCAST in the car when a voice I recognised emerged from the speaker.

If you know my circle of friends and acquaintances then you might like to listen to this extract for yourself. Can you identify the voice before the back anno?

voxpod.mp3

Is there a new career emerging - creating and voicing definitions for New Media?

Mum on Skype?

2006-05-05T08:55:00.000+01:00

I was quite excited. An email arrived from an accountant at Skype. He suggested I call my mum to keep to my Skype account active. I know Skype is at the leading edge of VOIP (voice over internet protocol) but I hadn't realised just how advanced their software had become.
It's years since I talked to my mum. I don't have a phone number for her, and she doesn't appear to be a Skype user herself. Perhaps Skype has devised a system to link earth to the saints, a sort of "for faster prayers contact your patron saint by Skype" service. But I wasn't aware that mum had been canonised - she wasn't even a Roman Catholic.
I am now at a loss - perhaps Skype could direct me to where the inhabitants of heaven list their contact details and then I can keep my Skype Account active by giving her a call. Their home page has a hopeful message We've included new destinations in our SkypeOut global rate so you can call more friends abroad from £0.012. perhaps the next one will tell me I can also call more friends in heaven.

Arc Light On

2006-05-02T17:53:00.000+01:00

The City of York Council has selected the Union Terrace Car Park as its preferred site for the new Arc Light Centre.
York Arc Light will now have to apply for planning permission to build its new centre for homeless people in York on the car park
There has been a well organised campaign by local residents opposing the site and I have no doubt it will continue. It is a campaign I have chosen not to support.
I trust that if the centre is built there will be open and effective communication between the centre and the residents. I am under no illusion that it will at times be challenging to provide for homeless people so close to our homes. But in some ways nothing changes because they are already here. Many of them come to the Salvation Army at the end of the street for their meals, and until recently they congregated in Exhibition Square. Now they will have a purpose built centre designed to help them find their place in society. It will staffed by people qualified to assist them. I wish them all the best.

Protest singing is back

2006-04-28T09:31:00.000+01:00

I've just listened to the new raw album from Neil Young "Living with War". It is streaming on the web NOW. Written and recorded in a very short time it goes on sale on Tuesday. He is an angry old man and it shows.

I don't know what conservative America will think of it, but this Fox News review may give a few clues. The album has strong religious tones - some of the songs could have been inspired by the songs I am used to singing in my church worship every week. There is an inspiring tone to the album. Someone in America is singing out, and because it is Neil Young, the message may be heard. Perhaps the gung ho religious right will listen too.

I have to thank Anita Roddick for alerting me to the album through her blog.

More Heat than Arc Light

2006-03-29T12:35:00.000+01:00

I don't give loose change to people who beg in the streets. My conscience used to bother me when I passed these allegedly homeless people, ignoring their appeals for help. So we decided to make a regular contribution to a charity that helps homeless people and to have a collecting box on the sideboard. In this way we know that the money goes to those who really need it.
Now, an organisation called Arc Light, that provides a hostel for homeless people, is looking for a new site in York. One of the preferred places is right behind our house. My neighbours have mounted a petition to protest about the plans. They fear it will bring a concentration of unsuitable people into the area, posing a threat to residents.
I cannot in all conscience sign it. In fact when they gathered for a local press photographer, I called the paper to put my view. A caring society should provide for homeless people. If we don't they will be sleeping in shop doorways, breaking into garden sheds and derelict buildings just to find shelter for the night. The result of not providing for them is worse than allowing the hostel to be built. Wherever it is built it will be near someone's home. I cannot be a NIMBY in this case.
I am still on good terms with my neighbours. In fact we have initiated considerable local debate on the issue, and whatever the outcome, it will be the result of due consideration. Unlike many local plans which go through without consultation largely because of public indifference.

Where have you been?

2006-03-29T12:13:00.000+01:00

You're right, it is some time since I posted anything to this blog. Let me assure you that it's not dead, nor abandoned. It's just the victim of an increased level of activity in other, and for a time, higher priority areas.

For most of February and early March I was involved in an inter-generational storytelling project for the BBC in Coventry. Five families linked to Lyng Hall School learned the skills to tell their stories for BBC Local TV using Digital Storytelling. Their efforts should soon be visible on the BBC website for the city.

I have also become more involved in a number activities at my local church, St Michael le Belfrey in York. And - the excuses end here - I have just become a director of the Riding Lights Theatre Company which is based in York.

Now, I'm setting up some training events for digital storytelling and rewriting parts of my business website. Whilst in front of the keyboard, I'll be adding to this blog too.

Who is offending the Muslim religion?

2006-02-05T18:29:00.000Z

The outrage amongst Muslims against the cartoons depicting their prophet is a smokescreen. It's hiding the real offence, which has been carried out not by the European press but by the terrorists who blow up the innocent in the name of their faith.

Britain and America are engaged in a war in Iraq that displeases many people in the west. Some sections of the media are expressing the outrage that their readers and viewers feel in cartoons and editorial. Others have investigated the intelligence on which the attacks on Saddam Hussein were based and found it to be seriously flawed. The British government attacked the BBC for broadcasting their early findings which led to the suicide of a of a civil servant, the resignation of the corporation's chairman and the sacking of its director general, Greg Dyke. None of those sacrifices went one inch towards justifying the war in Iraq. It was a smokescreen. The air cleared and a further investigation by Lord Butler showed among other things how close the BBC had been to the truth.

Cartoons lampooning our political leaders have abounded, and there is no doubt that had the war been launched in the name of Christ, he too would have appeared in those cartoons. And rightly so. Many in the west are telling their leaders in no uncertain terms that they are offended by the war and embarrassed to be identified with a government that supports it.

So what will the protests of the Muslim communities achieve? One thing is certain. They will make not one iota of difference to the bombers who destroy lives in the name of their religion, except to add fuel to the fire and to ennoble other extremists to join them. The moderate and genuine Muslims often remind us that Islam is a religion of peace. If that is so, why is their outrage not directed at those who kill and maim in the name of Islam. Let their anger be turned inwards on those of their own faith to cease from war.

The cartoons are offensive. Every faith has the right to defend it's holy prophets from ridicule, but the cartoons are telling the Muslims just how terrible are the actions of the terrorists and how much their prophet has been defamed by them. Don't shoot the messenger, listen to them, be offended and act against the bombers who bring your religion into disrepute. If you fail to heed them, other messages will follow. They will also offend and be justified.

Nothing I can do

2006-02-04T05:22:00.000Z

"There is nothing you can do today to make God love you more"
This thought leapt out from the radio speaker and lodged in my mind early this week. Later I was in an Alpha group watching Nicky Gumbell on DVD talking about Jesus dying on the cross. I realised that God has already given us everything - all of his love - how could I have ever imagined that I might be able to coax a little more out him by some pathetic effort of my own.
One way of testing the truth of little sayings like this one is to see if the converse is also true. There is nothing you can do today can make God love you less. I think that's pretty profound too.
So having sorted out that God loves me I can put my pathetic effort into doing something where I can make a difference.

Sex offenders hysteria

2006-01-16T12:05:00.000Z

Unless I've missed it no children have been abused or assaulted as a result of teachers on an offenders list being allowed to work in schools. The hysteria has been created over a perceived risk which no one seems to be able to quantify.
Could there be another agenda here? The government's education policies are already under fire. Enemies both inside and outside of the ranks of labour MPs have a vested interest in dislodging Ruth Kelly the Education Secretary. The new Tory front bench is also in search of it's first government scalp, and Ms Kelly is an obvious target.
While some changes to the way school teachers with a criminal record are vetted and deemed fit to resume their profession may be needed, the current system must be working because up to now there have been no incidents of abuse. To remove Ruth Kelly in the process would be an over reaction and unjust.

Expectations 2 High School

2006-01-12T09:09:00.000Z

Almost a million children in the UK are being failed by their schools according to the National Audit Office.

I have just watched the first episode of the BBC2 series Who Do You Think You Are? in which Jeremy Paxman traced his family back to Glasgow and Suffolk. His great grandparents lived in poverty and their education finished as soon they could go out to work to boost the family income. When I was at school 50 years ago far fewer children passed their GCE O Level exams and went on the further and higher education than do today. I can only observe that children today enjoy fabulous opportunities and unparalleled education. So why the hysteria?

My wife teaches and her view is that the biggest hindrances to achievement are not resources or process but the attitude and social problems that the children bring to school with them.
The fact is that more children than ever before are attaining grades a-c at 16. Schools now have policies for dealing with under achievement. There are bullying policies to deal with poor behaviour towards others and everything that can be recorded is recorded.

The result is that we are more aware of the performance of schools than we have ever been. Expectations have been boosted above what is reasonably possible. In fact I would suggest that parents and politicians are blaming schools for a broad range of social ills that expose their own failings and are nothing to do with formal education. Politicians have increased the demands they make on schools and as a consequence the expectations of parents have been raised to the point where there's a feeding frenzy by the media if performance falls below an unrealistic level.

Education is not failing our children. If there are failures they are being let down by the rest of society, including parents, politicians and moral leaders. Can we stop blaming schools and look closer to home for a solution?

Why blame the cyclists?

2006-01-10T07:51:00.000Z

When the BBC reported the tragic death of four cyclists in North Wales there was a sadly predictable flurry of calls and texts to Five Live from motorists effectively blaming the cyclists for being on the road.
They seemed to be ignoring the evidence that the group involved in the accident were from a respected cycling club and very experienced. Is this the time to heap scorn on the cycling community?
All I will say in response to the motorists who feel so superior in their cars - when was the last time a cyclist killed a motorist in a collision? Cyclists deserve respect and space on the road. We don't pollute the atmosphere, are healthier and often get there sooner than people who only drive cars.

Squirrel debate

2006-01-06T08:39:00.000Z

To feed or not to feed. The squirrel debate continues in the family. My son, Matthew, sent me this story from Russia. Black squirrels so hungry they killed a dog for food.
is this a reason to let them eat the bird food, or is
it a justification for discriminating against the
little blighters?
So should I allow the squirrels to eat the birds' food, or continue to discourage their presence in my garden? There is of course nothing to suggest that the grey squirrels in York are as desperate or aggressive as the black ones in Lazo.
I have recently stopped putting peanuts in the feeding hopper, filling it up with food scraps from the kitchen instead. Chopped apple, bran, cheese, breadcrumbs. I haven't seen a squirrel for at least a week. If they return I may have to try the method park keepers in Devon are using. Plastic snakes!

The end of the year

2005-12-31T15:15:00.000Z

Holidays in The English Lakes, Barcelona and The Loire region of France. Working in Hull, Blackburn, Bolton, Skelmersdale, Cheltenham, Leeds, San Francisco, New Jersey, Leicester and York. Leaving the BBC after 18 years and starting my own business called digistories. Cycling, walking and enjoying the hills of the North of England. Visiting friends and family and enjoying the challenge of my church friends in York. Working with Daniel Meadows, Joe Lambert and Leslie Rule and broadening my experience of digital storytelling. Adding to my music collection and loading up my first iPod. Some of the things that made up the year for me.
I also observed the national and international events that made their impact on our recent history. The natural disasters - Tsunami, earthquake, hurricane and flood. Man’s violence in Iraq, London, Bali, and many other hotspots around the world.
In my own small way I participated in the Make Poverty History campaign. Measuring the impact is not easy, but whatever the outcome it’s better than doing nothing. If we learn from the experience we may be more effective next time.
Regrets? Could I have done more with some of the time that I’d been given this year? There are certainly thing I wished I had done - more digital stories, more of my research documented, more articles written, more stories told. But I won’t sit and mope around in regret. There’s a new year beginning and 365 days to achieve what remains to be done. So look out for a storytelling podcast, performance based storytelling, training trainers events to pass on my digital storytelling skills to other tutors, features both about storytelling and simply telling good stories. A radio experiment to refresh journalism with authentic voices and a cross generational storytelling project on local TV. I’ve also been asked to assist in an Alpha Course at my church. Joan says I’m going to learn to dance properly this year, and as soon as the weather improves the road bike will be out again. We’re planning to travel to the US for our annual holiday and no doubt storytelling will take me to some interesting places too.
Have a happy and busy new year.

History making

2005-12-24T06:10:00.000Z

Whose year has this been? The generators of things good and evil in our time are people. Living people. People like us.

Bono and Geldoff raised our sights and challenged us to join them in the campaign to Make Poverty History. Twenty years after Band Aid, Live8 was staged this summer and we were confronted with how unequal a world we live in. I admit that I have incremented my thinking making small changes in the way I act as a result. I use the car less, take more care about the source of the food I eat, recycle my waste more diligently and ask for Fair Trade drinks when I'm out. It may be a small shift but I hope each step is set on a new direction. So eventually .....

At Christmas and New Year I usually feel that I am tying up one era and stepping into another. Christmas is about hope. Something happened in history. A child's birth both fulfilled and brought a promise of change. As a Christian it marks the arrival of the redeemer of the world. To quote the old testament prophet Isaiah, Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given and the government will be upon his shoulders. His name shall be called, Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. I look forward in faith and hope because of him. Strangely, as the year draws to a close, New Year's Eve is more about looking back than looking forwards; back over the events of the last twelve months.

Leaving the BBC has not marked a big change in direction for me. It has allowed me to stick to my course. I am still promoting and delivering digital storytelling, and in some ways I have more freedom to pursue that direction since setting up digistories early in the year.

Each year end I write a short summary of the key events for the many friends who are scattered around the country. It's a family newsletter. You can read it here.

Evil people have also contributed to the direction of both our lives and world. Their activities have been documented elsewhere, I don't need to repeat them again now. Natural disasters have left their mark too. In the chaos, sadness and destruction of these events, people display great courage and find the strength to carry out selfless acts of kindness.

Looking back I am thankful. Looking ahead, hopeful. I pray for the courage to live 2006 in faith. I may not make headlines, but I can inspire positive change and love more.

They're back

2005-12-20T06:34:00.000Z

I was feeling smug. The squirrels had deserted my bird feeders. I hadn't seen a single one since, following the advice of the RSPB, I had added hot chili powder to the seed.
Until yesterday.
There were two of them who seemed to be undeterred by the taste and they promptly emptied the hopper of its peanuts.
What next? I think I'll let them enjoy Christmas and once the benevolent spirit of the season is over I shall draw up the battle lines again.
Thankfully the birds don't seem to mind sharing their supplies with their agile mammal friends. The garden is full of tits, sparrows, finches, blackbirds and a pair of robins. If you don't have a bird feeder out at this time of year - get one. You never know what might call round for a few vital calories in the cold weather. It'll be a better show than watching the telly during the short winter days of the Christmas holiday.

Truths withering on the vine?

2005-12-14T11:03:00.000Z

I am alarmed that the BBC is ending Home Truths simply because it is unable to find a suitable presenter to replace John Peel.
I immediately sent an email to the Controller of Radio 4 Mark Damazer

Dear Mark,

I have just read an article in The Times that reports the demise of Home
Truths because you are unable to find a suitable presenter. The stars of
Home Truths are the listeners who submit and tell their own stories.
John Peel made the format work because he gave the most prominent voice
to his audience. If subsequent presenters have failed it's because they
want it to be their show when in fact in belongs to the storytellers.

It will be a sad day if you allow the show to fail - there are many more
stories to be told and very few genuine opportunities for people to tell
them on national radio or TV. I won't say anymore at this stage - but
would happy to continue the discussion if it sheds any light.

Yours home truly

He replied immediately:

Dear Mr. Stevenson

The programme that will take its place will feature the audience too. It
won't be done in exactly the same way but it will feature the audience !

Best wishes

Giving people their true voice is an important part of broadcasting if it to be saved from the distortions of the media elite. Home Truths went part of the way to addressing the issue - I trust the new show will give listeners a louder voice.

A restaurant without a kitchen

2005-12-14T08:54:00.000Z

It's in Amsterdam.
Does anyone know if there's anything like this in the UK or USA. It's such a good idea, especially when everyone wants to eat different kinds of food.

Thanks Danny

2005-12-14T04:58:00.000Z

I don't always sleep well so I often listen to the radio in the early hours. Danny from Embrace was choosing his favourite tracks on a show called One Click on Radio 1 this morning.
I really enjoyed his selection. It included songs I have never heard before and anecdotes about why they were important to Danny. Nice bloke - fond memories genuinely told. None of the arrogance or foolishness I sometimes hear when band leaders present their collections.
Thanks mate.
This is his playlist

Always winter and never Christmas

2005-12-10T13:25:00.000Z

The curse of the White Witch turns her enemies to stone and subdues the land of Narnia to the permanent chill of a winter which never reaches Christmas.
I went to see CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia at the City Screen in York last night. I loved the book and knew that the cinema version could never match it. The Disney treatment was pretty true to the original text and the characters were close to the ones that lived in my imagination.
As an aside , this is the first time I've been to City Screen since they installed a digital projector system. The picture quality was stunning. If I was disappointed with the film I could at least console myself with the technological miracle of the projected image.
I was not disappointed. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe lived in vivid Hollywood colour before my eyes. Aslan overcame the White Witch in a classic story of double dealing. The deeper magic brought justice to a corrupt power and summer warmed the land from the lamppost to Cair Paravel.
At times the Disney treatment was too sugary and by the end I was left with the feeling that the whole story belonged to another age. One into which I was born but no longer felt close to.
In some of the scenes where the children were in serious danger, they didn't look at all frightened. A little more horror on their faces would have helped the story along. But Tilda Swinton as the evil White Witch was convincing and the animation was superb.
Altogether a good night leaving a hope for the final triumph of good over evil.

Art, truth and politics

2005-12-09T10:10:00.000Z

Guardian Unlimited Books | Special Reports | Art, truth and politics

I've never been a big fan of Harold Pinter's work. I think I was put off by the long silences and the way my youthful mind failed to connect with the spirit of the 60s - at least while it was still the 60s.

But this acceptance speech, given by Harold Pinter on receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature, is compelling. It's powerful in that it eloquently exposes how the United States has abused its power. It is also an inspiring insight into the development of Pinter's writing.

On screen the article looks long. It's worth reading it to the end. Print it out if it helps. Whatever you do; read it. Let this extract tease you to read it all.

"The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It's a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis."

New champion

2005-11-30T16:57:00.000Z

I stood outside York Minster today as the new Archbishop of York left his service of inauguration. Dr John Sentamu is a small man with a big reputation. He recalled a comment by a former holder of his post, Dr Michael Ramsey, who had said that he looked forward to when there would be an African Archbishop of York. Today that prophecy was fulfilled by a former judge from Uganda who had fallen victim to the regime of Idi Armin in the '70s. He fled to Britain and began his training for the Anglican ministry. Today John Sentamu was greeted with a colourful service in which he even played a set of African drums alongside a young friend of mine Matt Seymour. In Dr Sentamu the church has a new champion in it's fight against prejudice and fear. He is very welcome here in York and I look forward to the impact of his leadership in the often dull middle class Church of England.

On my desk is a piece of paper from another campaigner who wants to uphold the Christian traditions of Britain and in particular, York. Unlike Dr Sentamu, he feels that these traditions were best served by the homogeneous society that supposedly made Britain great 50 years ago. Homogeneous in his terms means white. He is a candidate for the British National Party. I found the leaflet, pushed through my door, offensive. It implied that the people who had migrated to the UK were the cause of many of the country's problems, by highlighting the terrorist bombings in London this summer. I called the number on the leaflet to register my objection. It belonged to Ian Dawson who told me in the course of conversation that he belonged to the Church of England, but refused to reveal which church he attended. He also gave me some statistics about the number of white girls raped by Asian gangs in Bradford, as though white men had never in history abused black or Asian girls. I requested that no more of his literature be delivered to my door.

Dr Sentamu has received racist hate mail since his appointment as Archbishop of York. The display of the multicultural face of the church at his inauguration in York today shows that he has not been deterred by it.

Rather than vainly hoping to turn the clock back by 50 years, others are facing the future as brothers and sisters from many ethnic origins. Together we are discovering everyone's contribution as we build our future. Dr Sentamu will be prominent with his contribution. Thank you for accepting the call to be the first African Archbishop of York.

Where's the water!!

2005-11-24T10:53:00.000Z

Squirrels are still damaging the feeders and stealing the seed I put out for the birds. After a time they overcome the obstacles I put in their way - and recently they've been queuing up for their turn to binge at the birds expense.

So I asked the RSPB if I should just live and let live or if they could suggest another deterrent. There's a lot of advice on their website, but this reply from Ian Peters of the RSPB isn't on there. It's a classic solution.

Birds have a very different physiology to mammals and they are unable to taste the chemicals in chilli. This makes it an ideal substance to deter squirrels, as it has no harmful effects but they cannot tolerate the physiological effects. If you treat food and feeders with a mix of hot chilli powder and a small amount of vegetable oil or Tabasco sauce this should condition the squirrels to avoid the food.

So if you see grey squirrels in York gasping for water you know where they've been. Serves them right!

Thank you Tony

2005-11-22T17:55:00.000Z

A text message left on my phone. "Sad news about Tony Fish. I'm stunned" It could only mean one thing - the guy that had helped me into broadcasting had died. I rang the friend who'd left the message, Sue Owen. .... a heart attack at home.

Tony was two years younger than me and although we first met up in our thirties in York our paths had crossed before. We think we were both at the BBC Engineering Training Department at Wood Norton Hall near Evesham at the same time in 1967. He trained as a Tech Op and I was there on a Technical Assistant's course.

Tony was loud, brash, outrageous and made great radio. He made us all laugh. No one who worked with him will forget his prospects meetings when he was the Programme Organiser of BBC Radio York. "Quakes" was the time to talk about whatever was moving you at the time - passion, anger, frustration, ideas, suggestions were all welcome. It's root was the term that applied to the Quakers who spoke as they were moved by the spirit.

Not that Tony was religious - but he was willing to talk about religion given the right mood. I shall never forget the note he sent to a presenter who played an inappropriate disc in the Sunday Breakfast Show. The song was Summer The First Time by Bobby Goldsboro. The note wasn't written with religious restraint - but graphically described why a song about a young man's first encounter with a woman was inappropriate for a religious programme. The note was often read out at BBC Radio York anniversaries and reunions.

Tony went on to be the Editor of BBC Radio Newcastle and BBC Radio Shropshire before taking early retirement in 2002. He was a real encouragement and mentor to younger editors. He will be missed.

The Lie Clocks

2005-11-21T08:44:00.000Z

Jon Snow told this joke at the RTS Dinner held in his honour last week.

A man died and went to heaven. Standing at the pearly gates he saw a huge wall of clocks behind St Peter and asked him what they were.
"These are lie clocks," said St Peter. "Everyone has one. Every time you lie the hands on the clock move a little."
"Oh," said the man, "whose clock is that?"
"That's Mother Teresa's clock," said St Peter. "The hands have never moved because she never told a lie."
"Incredible," said the man. "So where's Tony Blair's clock?"
"Jesus has that one in his office," said St Peter, "He's using it as a ceiling fan."

Source: Broadcast

First Person

2005-11-17T22:07:00.000Z

first person > speakers
This year I have worked in San Francisco and New Jersey. Next year I am in Melbourne for First Person - a digital storytelling conference at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. I will be drawing on my experience in the BBC to address the conference theme - "first person".

Digital stories differ in many ways from conventional TV storytelling - and one of the most important is the personal narrative - people finding their own voice. They craft the digital story to transform the germ of a story into a two minute piece of television, remaining in control of the editorial decisions throughout the process. In the BBC Telling Lives project about 350 people learned the skills of digital storytelling and made a film. They are all on the BBC site - Telling Lives.

Remember Remember

2005-11-06T17:56:00.000Z

Who rules Britain? Was that the dilemma facing the king in 1605 when Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament. James I seemed to be more sympathetic towards the Roman Catholics but only a short time into his reign they were being fined and executed for holding onto the old religion.
Would an uprising against the King see a catholic monarch on the throne? What if he could be killed along with his parliament in what has become known as the gunpowder plot. Would this force a change of mind and usher in a more tolerant era?
In the event the plot was foiled, the gunpowder was discovered and Guy Fawkes and his conspirators were captured and found guilty of treason.
Can this struggle find parallels in our modern world. In their production of Remember Remember The Riding Lights Theatre Company told the 400 year old story alongside personal accounts from the 20th century. The Northern Irish troubles and the more recent terrorist attacks on the US and London.
The production unfolded the tensions in England at the time of Guy Fawkes very effectively. Bridget Forman's clever, if complicated script, had me sitting on the edge of my seat towards the end of the play. I left the Friargate Theatre in York feeling stimulated and informed, but not everyone felt the same. Some said that Remember Remember suffered from attempting to be too comprehensive and consequently over intense. Personally I like this aspect of their productions - but I concede that it may not be to everyone's liking.
Remember Remember is on tour until November 27th including six dates in Northern Ireland.

Exploring a Parallel Universe

2005-11-03T17:22:00.000Z

Following my post yesterday here's a timely article in Christianity Today Magazine that has just dropped into my inbox. It starts to explain the question Why does the word evangelical threaten so many people in our culture? In Britain there's one campaigning group that is daily throwing fuel on the fires of fear and hate. Christian Voice regularly exaggerates the views of Christians and those of other faith and none. As a result it often receives publicity out of all proportion to it's support base. I have written to the leader of this group, Stephen Green, to object to him appearing to represent evangelical Christians. He replied to me and conceded some of the points I had made, but there seems to have been little change to the Christian Voice campaign as a result.
This week I have been training a group of aspiring broadcasters. Just three people, one an evangelical Christian, another a Muslim young woman observing Ramadan. I learned so much about Islam as she discussed her faith with intelligence and real devotion. The conversations provoked me to look at the practice of my faith, and to discuss it with other people on the course. The tolerance shown would stand as an example to anyone who thinks that religion is divisive. In this case it brought us together.

A choice in the wilderness

2005-11-02T22:30:00.000Z

It was refreshing to read this unsentimental and straightforward account of Christian people who have moved into an inner city area of Manchester. Especially in a newspaper like the Guardian which seems to prefer to demonise or at least be suspicious of evangelicals.

Alastair Campbell plays at News Editor

2005-10-19T13:00:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Broadcast | Campbell sets news agenda - for real

I wonder if anyone will pick up the phone and bawl him out just as he used to when he was Tony's spin doctor? Do unto others as you would have them do to you. So I suppose he should at least expect it and more likely actually want it to happen.
I notice that he is completely outclassed by the three other people who have been invited onto Five News as guest editors. Ms Dynamite, Dame Kelly Holmes and Howard Marks - none of whom as far as I know undermined the the BBC, causing the resignation of the DG, Greg Dyke and chairman, Gavin Davies. The corporations's two best ever leaders.
It could be a question on Have I Got News For You. "Which is the odd one out of these four guest editors? Answer: Alastair Campbell, the other three waited to be invited as guests while Mr Campbell was notorious for barging his way into TV News studios to make his point clear."
O dear, is there a touch of bitterness in here?

House music

2005-10-18T14:30:00.000+01:00

Every so often you discover something that is so dreadful it defies description. I don't mean dreadful on the scale of a natural disaster - just truly embarrassing.
This piece of audio was recently broadcast by the BBC as part of a local news show. It was 'created' by the programme producer to illustrate a housing issue. She clearly believes it is good - I don't think the presenter is convinced though.

House Music - Listen and judge for yourself.

I wonder if Billy Bragg is impressed.

Home from the festival

2005-10-17T08:06:00.000+01:00

I arrived home on Friday but I am still adding to my blog of the Digital Storytelling Festival. The workshops gave me less time to write up my notes. I hope you find them useful as they apppear on the site.

Let's go to San Francisco

2005-10-08T06:15:00.000+01:00

I am on the west coast of America, helping to run two digital storytelling workshops at the Digital Storytelling Festival. I am keeping a separate blog for the Festival if you are intereted in my daily comments on events there.

The times they are a changin'

2005-09-23T08:51:00.000+01:00

I am a teenager again. Bob Dylan's music is discussed on the radio. The chords of a Dylan song are summoned up by a busker in the streets of Manchester. A vox pop reveals that few people really know who Bob Dylan is. I know. He was one of the voices of my youth. The school folk club. The inspiration to pick up a guitar and to learn a few chords.
But my interest in Dylan was choked. The singer poet was a subversive force that militated against my family and religion. Today. with the wisdom of hindsight, I am hearing those tunes again. A documentary about him, directed by Martin Scorcese, is due to be broadcast next week. Dylan is the topic of conversation again.
I reflect on my teenage years from the dual standpoints of youthful longing and middle age regret. The feelings struggle inside me. What ifs rise about what was. What if I had joined the revolution - if I'd been a real child of the sixties rather than just a critical observer from the moral highground? What if I'd followed my ability and had gone to university instead of the safe option of technical training as a broadcast engineer?
I started work in 1967 while most of my peers went to study at university - they gained the tools to make sense of life while I made sense of printed circuits. In my mind I remained within my narrow way of religious tradition. Now I often long for the opportunity to catch up on my academic development. Bravado says that if I haven't learned it by now it's not going to make a much difference to a man my age.
It's only a brave face. Inside the desire is still there. It's not the qualification that attracts me but the process of getting there. The context to challenge ideas, explore thinking, examine motives and to experience the dawning of deeper understanding.
I took my son Wesley to university during the sixties revival of the mid 1990s. I left him in his room in Hull with tunes from Sgt Pepper drifting through the walls - the album had just been released when I left home for my training course in 1967. Wes was starting on the path I never took. Somewhere inside me emotion struggles with sense - the tension is still alive - that's what makes me who I am. Time to walk to the newsagents for the paper before I become morose .....
"How many roads must a man walk down ..... ? The answer is .... ?

The gagging of common sense

2005-07-27T22:15:00.000+01:00

Law enforcement officers on the streets every day. On the look out from 8am to 10pm across the city. Infringements are spotted and offenders fined within a few minutes of the transgression. People run down the streets and rush out of their homes to avoid conviction. The number of officers on patrol has been increased in recent years to save the community from a dreadful crime.

It sounds like the sort of action a civilised society should take to clean up the streets and make the city safer in these days of violent crime and terrorist attacks. But these patrols don't make the place safer. They are dealing with a crime no worse than someone leaving their car parked for too long in the streets and parking zones.

Meanwhile in other parts of the country police have their leave cancelled to deal with terrorist threats while victims of lesser crimes of violence wait for hours for a response. In those places too the armies of vigilant traffic wardens are in place to pounce on parking offenders.

So let's move the parking patrols to watch out for the real criminals. No one would die or even be injured if the cars were parked for minutes or even hours longer than the allotted time. An ounce of common sense would abandon parking patrols in favour of more police or community patrols to search out the thugs, gangsters and terrorists who really threaten our way of life.

I hold out little hope. Somewhere common sense has been gagged.

Tried and found difficult

2005-07-20T08:24:00.000+01:00

Confused by religion? Recent events have made us all too aware of how little we know about the practice of faith in this country. I now feel an obligation to better understand what a Muslim believes, how they practice their religion and the divisions within it.
I have been a lifelong Christian. I was taught the basics of my faith as a child - but it was a penetecostal version of the Christian faith. In the late 70s and early 80s I helped to form a "house church" - a "Christian Fellowship". We were free from the previous rigours of our denominations, met in homes and community halls and many said we had simply created another denomination with its own practices. They may have been right. I now belong to an Anglican Church in York but my theology is the result of my journey so far and it changes frequently.
The journey through my own faith is often compex, subjective and I confess indifferent. But I reckon most people who know me would say I was serious about my beliefs. All the same, living by a faith isn't always easy. In fact I think it was GK Chesterton who said in response to someone who said that Christian faith had been tried and found wanting that in his experience the Christian faith had been tried and found difficult.
So it would be fair to assume that those who practice other faiths find it equally difficult and confusing. I'm thinking here about an intellectual understanding of it. Thankfully many of the practices have been reduced to straightforward religion. Doing my duty, attending worship and maintaining a devotional life of prayer and bible study. But when I do sit down with a Muslim what will I tell him about my faith and what could he tell me of his that would improve our mutual understanding? And will we still believe the same things next year. Will I be able to tell if his views are extreme? I know there were times when my Christian views could have been descibed as bit "way out".
I'm not saying we shouldn't do it. Recent events tell me that we should do it more often and more urgently. But a few trite smiles and nods towards each other's agreement to differ are not going to suffice. The route of engagement will be demanding. Perhaps we would all understand our own faith a little more too as a result.

Is a camera an offensive weapon?

2005-07-15T13:28:00.000+01:00

A young photographer was stopped in Leeds City Bus Station by a Community Support Officer and asked to explain why he had a camera. "You could zoom into anywhere with that!" was the accusation. He was asked questions about his identity, what he was doing and where he was going. Not wanting to cause trouble, he complied and went on his way.

If this is the level of common sense that these officers deploy during a time of heightened security is it any wonder we miss the obvious. It's a case of "straining out gnats and swallowing camels".

Was he stopped because he was young, because he had a camera, because he looked like an easy target, to justify the officers existence? Who knows, but in a free society a young artist shouldn't have to face that kind of harrassment. I hope he took their picture and sells his story to one of the papers!

Now we know who - why?

2005-07-13T21:39:00.000+01:00

The London bombings were carried out by British men from West Yorkshire. But why did they do it?
No one has convincingly claimed responsibility - no group, cause or organisation. We keep on assuming that it was Islamic extremists or Al Qaeda or even Hamas or a combination of these factions. The attacks may bear their hallmarks but why do we assume we know? And what is their demand? Do they want us to pull out of Iraq, become Islaamic, stop supporting the United States or Israel or another power in the world? There is no message with this attack, no ultimatum, no conditions, no apparent deal or terms. Until we know what's demanded the bombing has become the rallying point for any campaign that can hang a cause on it. Ditch the US, get rid of Tony Blair and New Labour, pull out of Iraq, stop supporting Israel, give Afghanistan back to the Taliban, end immigration, and so the list goes on.
True terror is when people are killed without a cause. Killing for its own sake. The threat of more to be indisciminately visited on the innocent is made even more terrifying for want of a remedy. Not that for a moment any society should give in to the demands of terrorists, not knowing what those demands are somehow adds to the mindlessness of it all.
There can be only one judgment made at this stage. Deliberately killing people like this is totally unjustified and wrong. And whoever poisoned the minds of the young men who died with their bombs must be tracked down and brought to justice.

Thanks Yanks

2005-07-12T08:57:00.000+01:00

In stark contrast the "We're not afraid" spirit, US Military personnel have been ordered not to travel to London. Not just to the centre of London, the whole of the area inside the M25 is out of bounds to them since the terrorist attack last Thursday.

Brits have been stoically returning to work, many even travelled to work straight from the attack scene, in defiance of the threat to our freedoms and our British way of life. Even a logical assessment of the risk would show that the likelihood of being the victim of another attack is very small. So what lies behind the decision except fear.

An American friend of mine flew home from an Italian holiday via London as planned last Friday. He even used the tube to cross London between Stanstead to Heathrow. So not everyone from the US is afraid.

I am concerned about the message the US Military decision sends out. It seems like "You go back to work as normal, but we're staying here in our secure base until the dust settles." Even worse, does it mean that there is a further danger we Brits are not being told about?

On the basis of this avoidance of danger. Isn't Iraq a tad risky. Perhaps it's time to pull, out of Baghdad.

We will remember them

2005-07-10T07:57:00.000+01:00

She came into the room clutching an old black handbag. The pain of a soldier's death in Normandy was locked up inside. The handbag had belonged to her mother. Julia had never opened it since her death a few years ago. Today, in a digital storytelling workshop, she would find out what was inside. Things she never knew about the soldier, her father, who died in the D Day landings 60 years ago in 1944.

I spent several months last year helping people like Julia tell their personal stories about the second world war. My teams had been commissioned by BBC Peoples War to run a series of storytelling workshops throughout England. They opened my eyes to what they endured and suffered. Not just in the five and a half years of war but in those that followed too. In some cases the pain had been handed on to the next generation, as in Julia's case.

The memories were made into short films, digital stories, and published by the BBC. Try these for a start.
My mother's handbag
Fond and trying times of war years
They shall not grow old

There are many more stories like these in the BBC Telling Lives archive and thousands of text verisons on The Peoples War site. Both are worth a visit on this day of celebration in the UK to mark the end of the war.

I'm still in touch with Julia. She was so thankful for her few days in the digital storytelling workshop that I was invited to her ruby wedding anniversary. Even though it was her party she had baked a cake for me; it had been my birthday a couple of days earlier. It's a privilege to help people like her to tell their stories. Every one is special.

For freedom

2005-07-08T07:50:00.000+01:00

The events of yesterday meant that I didn't open Thursday's newspaper until this morning. The contrast is striking. Today's images of terror are dark and alarming. They sit uncomfortably next to the smiles and scenes of celebration in the press yesterday. It's like a Hollywood disaster movie in reverse. The heros are lauded. Tony Blair smiles victoriously, crowds wave flags and dance in the streets - we've won against the odds and everyone is happy. Then a truly evil enemy steals the limelight. The prime minister's face turns steely grey, the crowds flee the tubes stations and streets. Many covered in blood or at least drenched in fear. The city that promised a glorious prospect for hosting the Olympic games is at a standstill and gripped by terror. The credits roll and those who who responded so maginificently are praised.
This morning we rise again. Determined not to allow the incident to hold us in its grip. The underground is running again, people return to the streets from which they fled less that 24 hours ago. I know that many people have been affected forever and sadly those who lost their lives will never again make their last journey. But the City of London, indeed, the whole United Kingdom is back on it's feet today demonstating it's right to be free, refusing to hide behind closed doors and barricades out of fear for a few fanatics bent on destruction.
There are many questions to be asked and perpetrators to be persued. Thankfully we live in a society that's free to ask them and persue them.
I knew a woman in Harrogate who always left her doors unlocked so that anyone in need of shelter and friendship could come and go freely. She left a note on her kitchen table. 'Feel free to help yourself but if you are a thief just remember "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"'

Death toll rises

2005-07-07T18:11:00.000+01:00

The number of dead in the London bombings has risen to 37 with 700 wounded casualties being treated in hospital. These figures are from Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick of the Metropolitan Police.

Thirty three dead

2005-07-07T15:38:00.000+01:00

Sadly my earlier hope that the number of casualties was relatively small has been dashed. The latest report says at least 33 people have died in today's explosions.

Statement claiming London attacks

2005-07-07T14:35:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | UK | Statement claiming London attacks
Just listening to Frank Gardner on BBC1 - Apparently we in Britain are burning with fear, terror and panic. It makes me doubt the validity of this whole claim.
"The heroic mujahideen have carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters."

News Now Special Section on London Explosions

2005-07-07T13:56:00.000+01:00

News Now is one of the best places to keep across the latest reports from news sites and some blogs too.

Archbishop adds voice to condemnation

2005-07-07T13:42:00.000+01:00

Rowan Williams is in York today and he has just made a statement condemning the attacks. The Bishop of London earlier issued his own statement and The Times reports that churches are opening for prayer.

Unknown group claims London attack in Qaeda's name

2005-07-07T13:41:00.000+01:00

PM statement from Gleneagles

2005-07-07T13:07:00.000+01:00

Tony Blair is reading a statement from the G8 group - condemning the attack on London and stating their determination to defeat terrorism "..... Here at the summit we are striving to combat world poverty and to save lives. The perpetartors of these attacks are determined to destroy lives..... We shall prevail and they shall not."
He'smaking the statement flanked by the other leaders at the summit. It is an extrordinary sight - the world's main leaders including Kofi Annan of the UN standing shoulder to shoulder behind Tony Blair.

Four explosions - Home Secretary

2005-07-07T13:02:00.000+01:00

The Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, has just made a statement in the House of Commons that there were four explosions in London this morning. Three on the tube and one on a bus.

Blasts fit Al Qaeda pattern

2005-07-07T12:42:00.000+01:00

This report from Reuters is being carried by several news organisations.

Reuters raw video of eyewitnesses

Eye witness describes tube explosion

2005-07-07T12:35:00.000+01:00

A PA report just in from Aldgate: "A 42-year-old man wept as he described what happened on the train. Terry O'Shea, a construction worker from Worcester, said: "I was in the third carriage, the one behind the one where the explosion was. There was a loud bang and we felt the train shudder. Then smoke started coming in to the compartment. It was terrible. People were panicking, but they calmed down after one or two minutes. As they led us down the track past the carriage where the explosion was, we could see the roof was torn off it, and there were bodies on the track."
Guardian News Blog

MI5 suggests attacks are a "pre meditated act of terrorism"

2005-07-07T12:29:00.000+01:00

MI5 > What's New
The latest update on the MI5 website talks about "terrible casualties" and says "It's too early to confirm the cause of the attacks but the nature of the incident points to a pre mediated act of terrorism."

Outside London stations are closed at Swindon, Brighton and Poole.

Scale significant?

2005-07-07T12:13:00.000+01:00

The scale of the London bombs is significant. The attack seems to be aimed at disruption rather that a high casualty rate. Unlike Bali and Madrid. The BBC's Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner, has just said similar on BBC1.
So is it for effect - to strike fear - to make a statement to the G8 members meeting in Scotland? Or - and I hope it is not this - is it the prelude to a bigger event later - when people are trapped and the police distracted by the earlier, smaller event?
BBC monitoring has found a website of a group claiming responsibility - it's being checked. Earlier "The BBC's Frank Gardner said Arab sources said the blasts were probably the work of al-Qaeda."
There's a useful reporter log on the BBC News site too.

London Bombs

2005-07-07T11:54:00.000+01:00

It's becoming clear that the attack on London is a significant event. Large numbers of casualties are being taken to London hospitals, Operation Cobra is in action and one eyewitness says that the Army is erecting steel barriers somewhere in the Buck House/Green Park area. People are being advised not to travel and to stay put - the transport system is paralysed anyway so there's not much hope of making a journey in or out of Central London. One BBC reproter sais that he had to use a bike to reach Tavistock Square. The cell phone system is overloaded too.
I've just been to the coffee shop at the end of the street here in York. There's a somber attitude among people in there as they begin to realise that something bad is going on.
BBC 1 and BBC News 24 networks have joined up to provide coverage. Usual programme schedules have been suspended. BBC News
Police now believe there have been 7 explosions and two people have died as a result. The Prime Misnetr is on TV now saying that it is a terrorist attack. He's leaving the G8 conference in the next copuple of hours to travel to London. He expects to be back at Gleneagles this evening.

Attack on London

2005-07-07T10:52:00.000+01:00

There is severe disruption in London this morning caused by a series of explosions in the city centre. It began with reports that a power surge had caused an incident at Aldgate Underground Station. As the morning wore on it became clear that a number of explosions had occured on the underground and the whole network been closed down by Transport for London. Then a call to the BBC described a bus that had been blown apart in Tavistock Square. A later report from an eye witness talked about the top deck of the bus being blown off.
The police have declared a major incident and the Ambulance Service is only treating people with life threatening injuries.
There is concern now that this is an attack on London. (11.00am) It's possibly timed to coincide with the G8 Conference in Gleneagles.
I sent a text to my son who works in London - thankfully he is still at home 30 miles away. I have that sinking feeling that this is a sinister event. After the euphoria of winning the Olympic bid yesterday the city is today in chaos. My immediate reaction is that it will only serve to stiffen our resolve to defeat terrorism and to root out the evil that is being events like this.

The shadow of war still hovers ...

2005-07-07T09:20:00.000+01:00

We stood and watched as the paratroopers filled the skies over Ginkel Heath. 60 years earlier they had dropped into what became one of the miltary disasters of the second world war. Ginkel Heath is a few miles from Arnhem in Holland. Allied troops planned to take the bridge there in a triumphant surge towards Berlin to end the war. In the event the heavy armour that should have arrived from the south was held up 7 miles down the road and the paratroopers were ambushed by a German Panzer division. The bridge was never taken, many British soldiers died, the town of Arnhem was devastated and my father was among those taken prisoner of war when the British surrendered after a few days of valiant but hopeless resistence.
Why am I writing this now? I have just read the account of events by WF Deedes in the Daily Telegraph. He also watched the paratroopers drop sixty years after his company failed to reach the town in time to make the plan work and to save the skins of the paratroopers. It was his first visit since he witnessed that miserable defeat.
We must have stood there watching the skies together. My brother and I travelled to Arnhem last September for that 60th anniversary of the start of Operation Market Garden as it was called. Dad had often spoken about being shot in the leg there. How he was taken to a makeshift hospital and ultimately imprisoned for the rest of the war. He died in 1983 having never returned to the battlefield after the war - despite an annual commemoration by the Paratroop Regiment of which we were now a part. In September 2004 Arnhem was a busy place. I was proud of what my father had endured for his part in that operation as we assembled in the centre of the town for an act of remembrance. We stood silent and shoulder to shoulder with veterans of the battle. As WF Deedes wrote in the Telegraph this week -
'Arnhem was one of the few places on our travels over which the shadow of war still hovers'

London - 2012 Olympic hosts

2005-07-06T12:52:00.000+01:00

The drama of the IOC voting has unfolded throughout the morning on the radio playing in the background as I worked on a rather dull database.
As the losing cities were revealed the truth dawned. It was between London and Paris. BBC 5 Live had reporters in each of the hopeful cities and as they fell away their disappointment was reflected. Moscow, New York, Madrid and finally Paris. It seemed such a long wait for the result. I don't really know why, but my heart was in my throat as the envelope was opened. It was as though Manchester United had scored in the last minute of the Champions League final.
This is good news for the UK - and I suppose there is a sense of satisfaction because of the recent difficult relationship with France and the unflattering comments from Jacques Chirac, the French President, about Britain.

Cynicism is only the most common form of naivety.

2005-07-05T08:10:00.000+01:00

"No one should be naive about aid. It cannot make poverty history, and it can do harm. But to say that nothing works is wrong. Cynicism is only the most common form of naivety." Helping Africa Help Itself The Economist - July 2nd 2005

There have been more positive things said about Live8 than negative ones. I resisted writing about the concert on Saturday before the euphoria of the event had died away. A steady line of rock and pop stars worked the crowd and the media, largely, very skillfully to put across the message that it's time to Make Poverty History.

As a boy rock and roll was a tool of the devil. My fervently pentecostal family could only see evil in the activities of popular musicians. When the Beatles, The Stones, The Who and their ilk entered the scene with their "sexual revolution" and "drugs culture" their fears were substantiated. The devil was at work and nothing good could come from their music.

Similar condemnation was never dispensed to politicians who were busy creating the nuclear deterrant and doing little to address global injustice. It was enough to pray for those in authority.

As I watched the Live8 concert I reflected on the reversal of roles. The rock stars had become the saints urging the nation to raise its voice in protest - to be on the side of the angels - against the powers of darkness about to assemble in Gleneagles for the G8 conference.

My take on this is that creative people are always a bit scary. They challenge our comfortable lives and make us think about what we're doing. As a boy the challenge to our sanctimonious religion was unsophiticated. It could almost be summed up in the catch phrase "If it feels good - do it." Anathama to the strict code of our faith. This weekend some of those same people and their successors used their creativity to challenge the most powerful world leaders. It remained unsophisticated. The catch phrase this time; "Make Poverty History". But it challenges our comfortable life style and threatens our economic security.

The message my parents condemned in the sixties has in many ways led to a more liberal and tolerant society. Equally the message of Live8 can lead to as more equal world - but it will take time and pain to get there. I just hope that naivety on the part of the concert goers doesn't lead to cynycism in the short term while those with power embark on the long road to justice.

White Band

2005-07-01T17:45:00.000+01:00

I have added a Make Poverty History White Band to my websites. The code is available on the campaign website.
I didn't win any tickets for tomorrow's Live8 concert but I feel the campaign is working. There are inevitable reports of attempts to profiteer from the concerts and protests, but I guess many more people are thinking seriously about what they can do to bring about change.
Fair trade is an obvious one for me. There's a small shop at the end of my street called Fairer World. It sells all the usual fair trade stuff - but it only made sense to me when I started to BUY it! So I've stopped buying my coffee and tea from the supermarket. I now look for the Fair Trade symbol in the shops and ask about fair trading at the ones where I don't see it.
The G8 members will hopefully follow my example. In proportion am I already doing more than they are? I don't think I can do the sums - perhaps someone else already has.

Rodent retreat

2005-07-01T17:41:00.000+01:00

No sign of the squirrel today. I filled the feeders this morning and the wire basket has remained in place with no sign of any new teeth marks. Has it given up?

Under attack

2005-06-30T19:57:00.000+01:00

I saw it out of the corner of my eye. Familiar creatures in the centre of York, though rare in our back lane. A grey squirrel has discovered the birdfeeder and when I interrupted it, it was gnawing its way through the plastic to get at the seed inside.
The bird feeders attract an interesting range of songbirds to the garden. Goldfinches bring exotic colours and beautiful song. Robins nested in the clematis next door but the cats killed the fledglings as they attempted to fly. The blue and great tits stay through the winter and last weekend there was either a Willow or Marsh tit on the feeder (they're had to tell apart).
But now I'm feeding a squirrel - I've seen the footage of their determintaion to find food. Defying gravity and just about every other obstacle put in their way. Initially I hooked a wire basket between the feeder and the fence - but that was removed within a few minutes. The same basket is now firmly wedged into place. It's survived the day. Tomorrow will show how determined this little rodent is. In the meantime the songbirds are welcome.
I like birds but I'm not a birdwatcher. Simon Barnes released me from the condemnation I inflicted on myself for not not knowing everything about these little creatures. How to be a bad birdwatcher is worth the read - and then you can put out a birdfeeder, relax and enjoy the company. You never know what might call in for a snack and to test your ingenuity.

Faith through Dunblane

2005-06-30T10:27:00.000+01:00

There's not usually much inspiration within the pages of the UK Press Gazette. It's a trade newspaper for journalists that's just been bought by Piers Morgan. The front page graphic about the future of professional journalism in the face of the blog caught my eye and I kept it back when I was recycling the old papers this week. (Usually The Telegraph if you're interested - I also subscribe to the Digital Guardian and read it online)
What inspired me wasn't the feature about blogging but a report about the ordination of George Pitcher. He's a former business editor at The Observer and now an author and director of a PR company. According to the article his path to ordination started at a service in St Brides Fleet Street, the morning after the Dunblane massacre. He's quoted as saying "I was wandering around feeling rather numb that morning, feeling ashamed to be human. I went to communion and then started coming every week". He was ordained in St Paul's last week and will serve as a non stipendary curate at St Brides.
So twice in a week I hear about Dunblane - the other? Young Andy Murray who delighted the crowds at Wimbledon. While George was feeling ashamed to be human, Andy was making sense of what had happened at his school. He'd hidden in the headmaster's office while a gunman opened fire in the gymnasium. We can't escape the evil in the world - but thankfully some manage to light a light in the darkness.

Living in a van

2005-06-30T10:09:00.000+01:00

He didn't look very happy as he trudged, round shouldered, past the west front of York Minster last night. But as soon as I spoke to him, John brightened up, just as though I'd touched a switch inside him.
He was on his way to a phone box to call his wife, and I was inviting people to come into church for our worship cafe. For the next hour I listened to a fascinating story. John lives in the Orkneys but works as a civil servant in Leeds. He plays the organ for two churches in Filey and lives in his van when he's a way from home. He made no secret of his hopes for early retirement. Anticipation of it is what prompted him and his wife to sell up their North Yorkshire home and move to the far north. So every few weeks, John points his van north and catches the ferry from the mainland home for a 12 day break. During his working time here he plays the organ at weekends and calls his wife every night.
He seemed really pleased to have somewhere to sit, chat and drink coffee as the contemporary worship music played in the background. I enjoyed listening to him too. It makes it worth standing outside St Michael le Belfrey church on Wednesday evenings handing out invitations for coffee and worship. If you're passing York Minster this summer pop into St Mikes for a chat.