Gambling in the UK

Is this how Manchester will look in a couple of years time? Will it become the Las Vegas of the United Kingdom?
Can I just ask why this government has such an obsession with gambling and drinking? I personally find it appalling that a massive casino is to be built anywhere in the UK. The dangers of addiction are so well known - why are the government going blindly down this route of encouraging more and more people to take up gambling? Nothing seems to be being done about Internet gambling, unregulated private gambling clubs, television programmes making vast amounts of money from gullible punters for spurious quizes, or lotteries. This government seems to be increasingly in the pockets of gamblers, brewers and distillers. I for one am very uncomfortable.

Sharing Power in Northern Ireland?

Am I alone in thinking it strange that someone like Gerry Adams seems about to persuade the likes of Ian Paisley that he has reformed enough to join in sharing power in Northern Ireland. He is such a consummate politician that he has superficially given up all the objections he had to British rule to accept policing and justice in the province.
How much is he prepared to relinquish of his principles to gain office within the Northern Irish Assembly? Sinn Fein is still the political wing of the IRA and have responsibility for the deaths of scores of innocent people throughout the British Isles. The campaign of terror failed to achieve their ambitions, but now but claiming to compromise all their aims are being heaped into their laps unbidden. Will Ian Paisley take the bait? Is he going to walk into the spider's web? Is the achievement of self government so big a prize?

Big Garden Bird Watch - 2007 (Results)

My results for this year were:
Blackbird (1); Blue Tit (2); Coal Tit (2); Great Tit (3); Long-tailed tit (2); Robin (1); Woodpigeon (3)

Napoli Disaster

There are times when I despair of being British.
The recent Napoli disaster is one example of how low some people can sink. After the ship wan run aground (to avoid the terrible environmental consequences of sinking in deep water) vast numbers of containers were washed overboard.
The contents of the containers then spilled onto the beach revealing the bounty of the seas to television cameras. Swarms of people arrived from across the country to gather these 'free gifts'. Newspapers published (bizarrely) maps and directions to tell people how to get there. Locust like the containers are stripped bare, others are broken into. The contents then appear on ebay.
Suddenly the newspapers realise that these people are in fact looters, thieves and criminals. They teurn from the beaches to the surrounding villages, ransacking houses and out buildings. How do they justify their actions? 'Finders Keepers', 'Things are just waiting to be picked up' 'The insurance will pay'. Suddenly the newspapers are all righteous indignation - despite the fact that they contributed to the mayhem. Pity the poor people who had sent their worldly goods on the Napoli seeing these idiots parading their private possessions to the cameras or offering them for sale on the Internet. What with this & Jade Goodey lets all wonder what we're coming to!

TV Quiz Shows

I'm an insomniac - so unfortunately I regularly come across these late night quizes that most TV companies now seem to run - often featuring former Big Brother winner Brian Dowling. These shows are clearly making vast sums of money out of very vulnerable people. The 'game' is to complete a phrase (eg Play............) or suggest items (eg found in a handbag, on a beach). Then for five hours people phone in suggesting an answer. 95% appear to be wrong, and most of the 'shows' consist of the presenter dragging out time and urging people to phone in again and again and again.
I have a double gripe - firstly alot of people are spending vast amounts of money hanging on the phone, or constantly re-dialling (they pay for the call even if they don't get through) and there is absolutely no skill required, no knowledge, no intellect, and in fact many of the 'answers' are so obscure as to be unimaginable.
Licence to print money - I reckon! Gambling without a licence - definitely.

Big Garden Bird Watch - 2007

Take part this weekend - go to http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch and complete the form.

Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks

Starring Claire Bloom and Billy Zane. Excellent play. I saw this at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. It is the story of an elderly woman who hires a dance teacher - mainly for company, and gradually a quirky relationship developes between the two of them. Played by just two actors, this bitter sweet comedy/drama examines all sorts of feelings and emotions. It examines prejudices and bigotry, the needs of young and old, family and friendship. The dance teacher is gay and escaping a past, the woman is suffering from cancer and trying to deal with a life that she fears is wasted. Entertaining and thought provoking.
My rating? 8/10

Bargain Housing Opportunity

There's a flat currently on the market for a bargain price of £170,000. It is in Kensington, London so this is a cheap price.
There are two explanations for this exceptional offer. It is estimated that at least £30,000 must be spent to get the flat into a habitable state. Secondly this 'flat' is in fact a janitor's storeroom. It is the size of a snooker table. Just an illustration of the sad state of the property market in London.
Another example comes from a conversation recently overheard at a bus stop in Hackney. A young woman was on her mobile to her father.
'How wide is an average double bed?'
'OK - I thought so. I've just been to see a loft conversion. The bedroom is 14 feet long by 5 feet five inches wide.'
'No - it won't work'
'No I'm not having a single bed.'
'Well, because I'm not sleeping in a single bed, Dad.'
'No really I'm not going to, whatever you say.'
The joys of eavesdropping - pure serendipity!

Close Guantanamo

Yet another report (this time from a committe of British MPs) has condemned the American prison for alleged terrorists held without trial for so many years on the Cuban base. If these are truly dangerous people the entire international community needs to come up with a better solution to this problem. Holding people in conditions amounting to torture cannot be establishing a gold standard for the world.

Clinton for President

OK so the senator for New York state has plenty of inadequacies. She is very fuzzy about Iraq (but then so are most Democrats).
But then I reckon being married to Bill must have given her training enough to become President of the last (and only) superpower. A Clinton dynasty MUST be better than a BUSH dynasty for the whole world. I say get behind the First Lady of the US and make her President.

Boycott Channel 4

Lets all stop watching Channel 4 - until they stop screening these appalling 'reality' shows in an attempt to raise money whilst pandering to the worst excesses of humanity. Public Service Broadcasting? I don't think so!

Celebrity Big Brother

Just take this programme off the TV - and the front pages of the newspapers - and lets start talking about things that matter. Celebrity cultism has gone too far.
Channel 4 should be ashamed - very ashamed.

Sitting Pretty - Amy Rosenthal

Written by Maureen Lipman's daughter. I saw a production by the Loughton Amateur Dramatic Society.
I was impressed by the play - and the production. A tale of an older woman who finds the solution to unemployment related depression by becoming a life model. It describes a journey of self-discovery. She thought she had nothing to offer, but manages to solve the problems of the dysfunctional art class (and their teacher) and in so doing grows in all sorts of new ways herself.
Great to see such a well-written vehicle for several older actresses.
My rating: 8/10

Chicken Doctors

There were two strange medically related items today. On the radio I heard that very soon it will be possible for people to live for a thousand years, but to stop over population no one will be able to have children. How will this work?
Secondly scientists have developed a technique whereby chicken's eggs will contain parts of human embryos to allow the 'manufacture' of cancer curing treatments. Don't worry about science fiction it is here now!

Swan Lake

I saw this production by Matthew Bourne at Sadler's Wells. It was packed for an afternoon matinee. 95% were women of a certain age. The novelty of this production is that the corps de ballet are entirely men. The swans and cygnets are incredibly svelte youths who dance with great verve and excitement. There is humour and passion abounding. The storyline is considerably changed from the traditional. The prince is spurned by the haughty princess (perhaps due to his short stature) and spends much time flirting with the guards, the servants, and any other available boy. Facing humiliation the prince becomes obsessed with a swan who appears in his dreams, and then appears in human form as a gigolo who adds to his distress by flaunting his pulling power at a party where he seduces the princess. Murder ensues and the flock of swans turn on the leading swan, who is killed. The prince also dies but the prince and the swan are re-united in death.
Beautifully staged and danced but disturbing. On balance I think I prefer a traditional production, especially if performed by a Russian Company. Rating? A spectacular 8/10

Blancmange

I've just re-discovered the delights of blancmange - the dessert of my childhood. I recommend it highly - so easy to make, so adorable to consume. Ask for it at your local supermarket today!

Flags of Our Fathers

Full review to be found on my 'films' blog (see link in entry below).

Books and Films

In future my blogs about films and books will be other blogs I'm going to create using the 'new' blog technology. I'll still be doing this blog though for other things.
Go to http://steviemiddleton.blogspot.com or http://steviemiddleton2.blogspot.com

Identity Fraud

We've all become totally obsessed with identity fraud. So much so that I've even got to the point of buying my own shredder so that my re-cycling bags will now be full of confetti instead of bank statements and credit card bills that criminals can use to clone me and all my financial arrangements. Technology brings both benefits and dangers!

Morrissey and the Eurovision Song Contest

I love the Eurovision Song Contest - not for the music I have to say, just for the voting and the bizarre spectacular performances. Britain has done very badly in recent years (Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson would be ashamed of the recent offering by Baz Sampson). I was soooo pleased to hear that the beloved Morrissey wishes to get involved and the BBC has asked him to write this year's entry. Good on yer Morrissey!

A nice cup of tea

I was elated to discover that a cup of tea was good for the heart - and a very healthy option. I was then depressed to discover that all this goodness was destroyed by the addition of a splash of milk (whether semi skimmed or full fat). You just can't win! My preference is for the caffein free option of redbush tea - all the result of reading the wonderful 'Number One Ladies Detective Agency'

Christian discriminators

There are proposed regulations going through Parliament at the moment preventing discrimination in the provision of goods and services on the grounds of sexual orientation. Various religious groups are campaigning to stop the introduction of these regulations. They are claiming that these regulations stop them from expressing their religious opposition to gay sex. So a Christian hotel owner should be allowed to refuse a couple of the same gender from renting a double bedroom. I would ask if these same hotel owners request the production of a marriage certificate before they hire a double room to a couple of different genders? Does the fact that two male (or female) friends request a double room mean they will be indulging in gay sex? After all a double room is cheaper than two singles.
These regulations are aimed at stopping homophobic people from discriminating against individuals or couples and humiliating those who happen to be gay (or look gay, or might be gay, or these people want to take against).

Special Education

I was a teacher a long time ago. In those days special education was kept apart from 'normal' schools. Then there was a big campaign to get all pupils into 'mainstream' education. Our school (just outside Newbury) had a unit introduced into the school. Pupils spent part of the week being taught, and receiving medical attention, in this unit. The remainder was spent with classes of about 30 students. There were variable results. More recently parents, and educationalists have argued both for and against integration - some talking of educational apartheid and neglect, others talking about those with special needs being overlooked with the mainstream system. How can teachers possibly cope with these students in classes of thirty?
Ruth Kelly has a difficult choice, and how can a state system truly afford to be flexible enough to provide for the needs of every pupil of a full range of educational abilities.

The Portrait - Iain Pears

This is probably the most pointless book I've read in ages. It is written as a monolgue between a portrait painter and an arts critic.
This seems like an interesting device but not in this particular author's hands. I was bored, and was not engaged by the two characters. Because it was a monologue I couldn't picture the second person - I couldn't engage with either of them. I didn't care about why the critic was about to be murdered, and taking 210 pages over a simple matter of pregnancy and suicide appears excessive. This is not a well written or constructed book. My rating 2/10

Executions

I am totally against capital punishment. The judicial system isn't good enough to always convict the right person. It isn't a deterrent. There are too many people prepared to confess to a crime they didn't commit. However horrible a crime is taking life is not justifiable. If a crime is horrible the more likely it is that newspapers and public opinion will encourage the police to 'get their man'. Life should in some cases mean life though.
Now to Saddam Hussain. He should not have been executed - it solves nothing. The manner of his departure was appalling. The films just play to the worst kind of public prurient behaviour. Iraq is now worse than it was before. The government there is now outdoing the worst aspects of Saddam's regime - and Iran will be the beneficiary.

The Queen

I was so pleased to discover that this film was still showing. I saw it with friends at the Gate Picturehouse, Notting Hill Gate. I was very impressed by this film. It brought the whole hysteria of Diana's death back to me. I admit that I was a part of it - I laid flowers in Sale, Manchester. I cried on the day of her funeral. My friends still can't understand how the UK was overcome by this outpouring of grief. The public demonstration of this sadness was atypical of the UK.
The film was really superbly produced. Even though the content is so fantastical, the film convinces you that the conversations could so possibly be true. Helen Mirren is superb. She isn't like the Queen in any way. However, her mannerisms are so good belief is suspended. The other characters are well depicted too. Tony Blair's character is so credible. Lets face it this is a man who was loved - the person who so clearly worked out the mood of the nation and tapped into it. You realise how quickly he betrayed his initial hope for the nation. Cherie Blair's character was his conscience, but failed in her aim to prevent him from being seduced by the establishment. Paradoxically my affection and regard for the Queen was enhanced. She truly is the unifying force of this country and I cannot imagine what the nation would have been like without her. My rating 9 out of 10.

Brick Lane

I've just finished reading this book for one of the reading groups I belong to. It is an impressive first novel. It is an accurate portrayal of life in a specific part of the East End in the past thirty years - although I have a feeling things have moved on in recent months and years. Like many contemporary novels it is flawed. The style is experimental. One section is written as supposed letters from the central character's sister from Bangladesh. The English is poor, and extremely irritating because I found it almost impenetrable. However, towards the end I was totally drawn in by the characters, and their decisions about returning to Bangladesh. Were they and their actions believable? Totally. Did it outline the dilemmas faced by Muslim families in an increasingly secular Britain? Completely. Rating: 7/10

Bad Dogs or Bad Owners?

Personally I think the recent problems with savage dogs are mainly the fault of the owners. Many see these 'aggressive' dogs as a status symbol or a security measure. Some are being trained to enter dog fights. How appalling is this? Either way it is time these 'dangerous' breeds were neutralised. Stop breeding and trading in these 'fighting breeds', NOW!

London in January

It is cold today. But bright. Blue sky, but the clouds are scudding by. I went out on the bus and could feel such a cold wind.
I'm reading Michael Cunningham's 'Specimen Days'. Rather like 'The Hours' it is three stories interleaved into one. Walt Whitman features throughout. I have a problem with understanding poetry, but this book is worth a read. It needs reading several times probably, but I'm reading fast for a reading group tomorrow. If anyone else has read this please compare notes!

Welcome to 2007

A new resolution - do a daily blog.
Wonderful blue skies in London today. I'm feeling tired and breathless and there were so many fireworks to keep me awake last night.
Bizarre vision today - a string of horses being ridden up the slip road to the A13.
Current book I'm reading is 'Specimen Days' by Michael Cunningham. I need to finish it in time for a reading group on Wednesday. Very easy book to read.