Actress: Carey Mulligan

Another British actress whose career is going from strength to strength. Not seen An Education yet but is on my list of films to see.

Guardian profile
Wikipedia entry

Q&A: Diane Abbott, MP, Labour

A big fan of Diane’s, always speaks her mind and loved her appearances on This Week with Michael Portillo. They have a great TV relationship.

Q&A Guardian piece

Great last Q&A:
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
To forgive people.

Lunch at East Bierley Cricket Club

A great lunch today at East Bierley Cricket Club with Sue, Anthony, Ronnie C, Ronnie E, Dorothy, Ann, David, Joseph and Rachael and Isaac joined later after Isaac’s JuJitsu training. First time I’ve had egg mayo for no idea how long, years! Very tasty.

Andy Murray loses in Australian Open Tennis Final

Watched the first part of this match  before heading off to church. Andy was totally outplayed by the end and the challenge of winning his first Grand Slam Final continues.

Novak Djokovic outplayed Andy Murray to win the Australian Open for the second time and end the Briton's hopes of a first Grand Slam title.
(BBC article)

Leading Elder’s Prayers using Hugh MacLeod’s (gapingvoid) Intel cartoons

Yesterday while surfing the web, I stumbled across Hugh MacLeod (gapingvoid.com) for the first time for ages. Loved the stuff he is doing for Intel and that evolved into me using them in the elders prayers slot at Holme Christian Community in this morning’s meeting. The slot was about being made in God’ image and being plugged into a local church (motherboard) . . .

An open letter to Intel

Jenny (Lucy Brown) back in Primeval

My fave character (Jenny Lewis) from the series and a fave actress (Lucy Brown) but only as it turned out for a single episode in an interrupted wedding by you know what . . .

Day with Isaac

Rachael took the girls on a girlie shopping trip to spend vouchers etc and were out all day.

Isaac and I did some shopping to spend his ebay income from the sales of old trading cards including a new xbox 360 game. Good to see Isaac thinking of his sisters when he bought them some Moshi Monsters cards.

Very chilled day with the boys enjoying some quieter times . . .

TV: Single Father

Finally after some months started watching BBC’s Single Father that I had recorded. Good drama series with great performances. Also one to discuss re step families, relationships and extended families.

Dave finds himself a single father to four children after his wife dies unexpectedly. Will he find love after heartbreak? Four-part relationship drama starring David Tennant and Suranne Jones.

Wikipedia entry

The making of Single Father

Rachael’s and Isobel’s Birthdays

Rachael’s birthday yesterday and Isobel’s today. I cooked the family’s fave Nigella aromatic spiced ham, butternut squash with pecans and blue cheese and spicy peaches for lunch on Sunday. We added two more beads to Rachael’s bracelet (a suitcase to remind her of holidays and a tortoise, one of Rachael’s fave animals). I have already blogged about Isobel’s party on Saturday. For Isobel’s tea, we had a TV meal while watching the latest Glee episode which turned out to be the best so far.

Glee: best ever episode so far? Grilled Cheesus on spirituality, Jesus, Christianity

The family are huge fans of Glee. Last week’s episode - Grilled Cheesus – is one of the best ever hours of TV we have seen. Thought-provoking, tear-jerking, emotional rollercoaster and great tunes including Losing My Religion – one of my top 5 fave tunes ever.

Some of the clips may come to an All Age Worship near you :-)  It was that good.

Only The Good Die Young
I Look To You
Papa, Can You Hear Me

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Sermon Notes: Last in the Sermon on the Mount series (Mark Woodhouse)

Matthew 7:21-28

the sermon is Jesus’ manifesto

speaks to Christians, is not evangelistic

scary sermon re challenge, hard to do

last 2 sections

1st sentence makes us nervous re saying Lord, Lord but Jesus saying He does not know us

BUT tells us who will be accepted re putting words into practice re doing the will of the Father

to do the will of the Father, need to hear what He says via spiritual disciplines

plus learning to hear

cf husband and wife, after years of marriage re spending time together

need to tell others, testimony, planting seeds

service: we talk a lot about serving our community

love God, all this follows naturally

wise man does what God says, rock, a promise that the house stands firm

(at that point in the sermon, we all walked out of church and prayed together in front of the parade of shops as a symbolic act re living out what God has told us)

iPod nano can now be a watch

A big iPod fan (60GB Classic and way beyond full). These 2 watch strap adapter kits could make me also an iPod Nano user!

TikTok+LunaTik from Visere on Vimeo.

Lunatik site

Isobel’s 10th Birthday Party

Rachael did another great job with a creative party idea. Isobel wanted a makeover/pampering-type party for her friends. Rachael made lip balm and body glitter. Gave all the party-goers a bowl, cloth. towel etc as they arrived and the fun started from the off. Activities included hand massage, nail painting. Helpers included Rachael’s Mum and younger sister and Lyns from church. Party was held in the church cafe. The food was amazing. Rachael does need to do cakes as an earner. Party bags as they left were actually the bowls all cleaned and filled with goodies and wrapped in cellophane. Isobel loved the party! Can’t believe she is now 10!!

From Isobel's 10th Birthday makeover party - 22 January 2011 - Madison's Cafe, Holme Christian Community

Competition winner

Can’t believe I won this jacket and bobble hat in a Twitter Scott of the Antarctic competition via the Daily Express (entered courtesy of Susie Jones). Would never have paid anywhere near the list prices for the 2 items. Really, really glad they fit!

TV: Not Going Out (Series 4)

Caught the odd episode in past series but watching this series more closely. Love the 1-liners. Several laugh out loud bits. Isaac loves it too.

BBC site
Wikipedia entry

Rev Samuel Rodriguez at MLK Day Service last Monday in the States giving it loads . . .

Via

Book Notes: “Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? How to drive your career and create a remarkable future”

This was one of the two books I read while on jury service recently.

First came across the book when Seth Godin was interviewed on a Catalyst podcast.

Where does average come from?

1. you have been brainwashed by school and by the system into believing that your job is to do your job and follow instructions. It’s not, not anymore
2. everyone has a little vice inside of their head that’s angry and afraid. That voice is the resistance – your lizard brain – and it wants you to be average (and safe)

venn diagram: intersection of job spec and automation = doom

hierarchy of value: lift, hunt,. grow, produce, sell, connect, create/invent

the linchpins among us are not the ones born with a magical talent. No, they are people who have decided that a new kind of work is important, and trained themselves to do it.

old work: keep your head down, follow instructions, show up on time, work hard, suck it up … and you will be rewarded (that dream is over!)

new work: be remarkable, be generous, create art, make judgement calls, connect people with ideas … and we have no choice but to reward you

venn diagram

• charm/perseverance: princess
• charm/talent: prodigy
• talent/perseverance: frustration
• charm/perseverance/talent: linchpin

graph:

• high hours of effort/day, low pay = following instructions
• low hours of effort/day, high pay = insights

depth of knowledge combined with good judgement is worth a lot

real artists ship, the only purpose of starting is to finish; concept of thrashing and co-ordination

venn diagram: could have, would have, should have = didn’t

musicians who simply follow the score versus those who adapt the score

the powerful culture of gifts; the curse of reciprocity, gifts make the tribe

there is no map

the culture of connection

linchpins do two things for the organisation:-

1. they exert emotional labour
2. they make a map

what makes you indispensable:-

1. providing a unique interface between members of the organisation
2. delivering a unique creativity
3. managing a situation or organisation of great complexity
4. leading customers
5. inspiring staff
6. providing deep domain knowledge
7. possessing a unique talent

venn diagrams:

• dignity/humanity/generosity = indispensable
• conformity/compliance/obedience = surrender

Bibliography

Life Group: Meeting Notes (Listen Up #2: Admit God Knows Best)

2nd in the series looking at “LIsten Up: A practical guide to listening to sermons”. This session led by Lyns. Great discussion with Lyn, Ben, Dave, Jon, Tracy, Joly and Sam.

2 responses to sermon on spectrum ranging from avoiding the message to life change as a result.

God speaking, are you interpreting?

Remembered a sermon years ago from Clive Calver re God calling abroad that Christians should only stay in the suburns if God specifically says that.

Are we more expectant at major events? Why is that? Fave speakers or time away from routine.

2 Kings 4: prep-ing rooms

2 Tim 4:3

Faithful Bible teaching will cause offence.

Heb 4:12-13

James 1:21

Great chats after the meeting which even though we were late finishing people stayed for half an hour. Very chilled.

Elders Meeting: Notes (Social Action)

One of the social action stream of leadership team meetings. Good to hear from Dave W on personal and Care Centre updates including a view on funding in the light of the government spending cuts. Discussion on vision day topics and roles in the centre moving forward.

Film (TV): School of Rock

I remember seeing this one night on a family holiday with the Egans, Labads and Biggins. Saw it again properly at home this evening. Great rock anthems throughout and enjoyable story line. Jack Black is one of the kids’ favourite actors and they all love music too.

Wikipedia entry
Official site

All Age Worship: Meeting Notes: Marks of a Disciple #28: Strength

The 28th in a series using as an ideas-prompt Mike Yaconnelli's book "Devotion".

Strange not to have Rachael involved in the meeting (she was with Isobel who was doing a charity tap-athon for the Roy Castle charity).

Running order:-

Theme from Superman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9vrfEoc8_g

Songs:  Be Bold, Be Strong; He that is in us

Slides: (with soundtrack of The Mission’s “Tower Of Strength” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLXCFDAoOD8)

• Today’s mark of a disciple is “Strength”
• What does the word “strength” bring to mind?
• pic of Popeye
• pic of a weightlifter
• pic of Ironman from the recent film
• pic of espresso coffee
• pic of ultra strong kitchen tissue
• pic of vindaloo curry paste
• pic of 9X extra strong laager
• pic of Oxford Blue (strong) cheese
• pic of Solvite wallpaper adhesive
• pic of elephant
• pic of gorilla
• pic of Hitler
• pic of Ian Paisley
• pic of Winston Churchill
• pic of Margaret Thatcher
• pic of Terry Waite
• pic of William Wilberforce
• pic of Hillary and Tensing
• pic of Ellen MacArthur
• pic of Nelson Mandela
• pic of Aung San Suu Kyi
• pic of man in front of tanks in Tiananmen Square
• definition of strength: the quality or state of being strong; bodily or muscular power; vigour; mental power, force, or vigour; moral power, firmness, or courage; power by reason of influence, authority, resources, numbers
• What does it mean for disciples to be strong?
• Strength means stable (pic of young child on bike with stabilisers)
• durable (pic of Dr Marten’s boots)
• impregnable (pic of Stirling Castle)
• rugged (pic of highland crofters)
• passionate (crowd with hands in air at gig)
• intense (pic of sun)
• There are times when we feel strong, passionate and zealous - like nothing can defeat us or get us down (pic from the air looking down on Everest and other peaks in Himalayas)
• Feeling strong can trick us into believing we will never be weak (pic of Canute on chair in the sea)
• Always remember that our strength is not in our feelings … (pic of cover of Feeling Strong book)
• … but in Jesus who is our strength even when we feel weak (pic of names of Jesus)

Video Clip of World’s strongest man:-

World’s view of strength: practical exercises of holding weights while arms horizontal to ground, pulling strands of wool to breaking point

Song: You Are The King Of Glory

Bible Readings: John 6:60-69;  1 Cor 1:25; Jeremiah 20:11

God’s view of strength (talk)

I had to say that the worlds view of strength is nothing compared to the strength of God’s character and are we strong when we face situations where we know we have to make a stand in our faith...also the only thing that matters is how strong we are in God not in ourselves. Also that he has plans to make us stronger in Him but we have to surrender to His will.  With regards to the readings, I mentioned about Jesus saying do you want to go but Peter answers "where to if God’s eternal" and i said where else is there if God is forever there is nowhere left to go. I also said that people who saw him in their own flesh doing miracles didn't believe Him in their spirit and that's why they left.  I also talked about how we perceive about God being LOVE LOVE LOVE and not the warrior as in the verse in Jeremiah and that God would say follow me but those opposing Him would fail. I said that when we do fail we must repent and be strong again in the Lord.

Songs: More Love, More Power; Strength of My Life (http://t.co/YAp8uGn)

Closing prayer and craft activity (bookmarks/posters with strength characteristics as per slides earlier plus Extra Strong Mint stuck to them)

Film (on TV): National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Quite a lot of hokum but I do enjoy films set in “famous” places.

Watched this with the family this evening. A good, if light, watch.

Wikipedia entry
Official site

Recipe: Cauliflower, lentil and coconut milk

A big fan of cauliflower cheese as a main meal so it was great to see a special feature on cauliflower in a copy of Delicious Magazine I saw when on jury service earlier this year.

Made this recipe this afternoon. Very, very tasty and will definitely make it again.

Delicious Magazine recipe

Book: “Operation Mincemeat: The True Spy Story that Changed the Course of World War II” (Ben MacIntyre)

This was one of the book selections in the Cover to Cover book club that met this afternoon at Vicars Cafe in Saltaire. A mixed reception with some saying there was too much detail but I loved that detail. Never heard the story before. If you had made the film a fictional film no one would believe the storyline. Amazing true story and thoroughly enjoyable book. Highly recommended.

Wikipedia entry for the war operation
Publisher’s author page
Publisher’s book page

My 2011 working year finally starts

After the Christmas holiday, I did jury service for a number of days. My first time to get called. Interesting experience. Glad I did it, Loads of waiting around. Like turning up at an airport departures lounge with no boards telling you where the planes are going when and waiting for your name to be called to find out what trial and for how long. Would recommend doing this and agree that this is an important civic duty.

TV: Lie To Me (Series 3)

Another of my must-watch TV drama series – Lie To Me – back for a third series. A different angle from all other crime-related dramas as it looks at body language in solving the crimes. Great cast.

 
 

TV: Glee (Series 2)

A huge family favourite in this household. Something for everyone.

Wikipedia entry
Fox site
E4 site

Culture Club: The Road (film)

Led the latest Culture Club meeting, the first one of the year, when we watched the film “The Road”. I really enjoyed the film and as always I was glad it was a happy ending.

Attended by Hilary, Tracey, Dave, Mark and Christine. Some quite deep discussion on survival and what we would do when fighting for survival. Other themes included living out our values and when and why we would compromise them in extreme circumstances. Thought provoking, in summary.

Meeting details here.

All Age Worship Planning

As there were so many of us to plan this time (Sue/Anthony, Ann/David, Ben, Lyns plus the kids), we decided to plan and have lunch in the church cafe rather than at ours. Rachael made chicken and asparagus pasta followed by home made cookie ice cream sandwiches which both received high praise.

Planning went well. We are now on the penultimate mark of a disciple in our series using Mike Yaconelli’s book Devotion. This mark was “strength”.

As an aside, the church car park was like an ice rink and I found it difficult walking round the car even!

Sermon Notes: The Year of Walls (Sam Kirkby)

Delivered in the morning meeting by Sam Kirkby at Holme Christian Community on Sunday 9 January 2011

Ecclesiastes speaks of the seasons of life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

written in a pit of depression re meaningless

born/die: we see them as opposites but death/life together

train tracks, 2 running in parallel working together

they are not opposite/separate but run in parallel e.g. tear down and build that run together

this is a year to tear down and build as a church

things to complement each other

1st wall to tear down: Jericho (Judges 6, Nehemiah 4:12-23)

both stories, many similarities re customs of the time and everyday activity

points of similarity: worship, being in the right place at right time

trumpet carried an anointing, call to fight (war cry response to God)

John 4: worship in Spirit and truth

this year need to be church that steps into worship for us and what God is doing elsewhere (cf Ben’s passion for Birmingham)

take these encounters into everyday life so others meet you and God and connect with you and God

Romans 12:!

lots of laws and regulations in Old Testament, New Testament removes courts and temples, set free but still calling to be right place, right time

Nehemiah: everybody built the wall, all not there for the ride/comfort, 2011 a year of dirty work of building for all of us

all taking another step up

be prepared for challenging people who we will be tempted to judge if they are not part of the church

some times words are not enough

need to react to stuff, not let things happen, status quo goes on for too long

work will bring fruit long term

attack and opposition:

roof of building is missing, funding harder to get at re recession and cuts

so cannot just carry on with work

need to be expectant of opposition

truth not comfortable to people re not in sync with God’s Word

be ready/equipped for opposition

we have the victory and have all we need

Ephesians: battle not just against flesh and blood

we are here to bring light

Eph 6:12 ff battle, spiritual armour

Neh: people told to sleep in armour

so why do we put it on? why have you taken it off?

do not accept things that are wrong (e.g. brain tumour) and pray against it and be offensive

stand up and do not be laid back

Philippians 4:13

lots of opportunities to be equipped this year

more than any pther year, lean on God’s understanding and provision for resouce

community:

people worked together in Nehemiah and Jericho; need to work as families and support families

step up in our level of community

people laying down lives to prep for meetings

what are we doing to support these people

how are we covering each other’s backs?

be more transparent about our needs and ask for or offer help

Obituary: James Pickles (outspoken, colourful judge who savaged the establishment and leftwing liberals alike)

James Pickles, who has died aged 85, was in a grand tradition of outspoken and colourful British judges, both real and fictional, prepared to expose the law to ridicule while helping to reform it. His antics on the north-east circuit for 30 years led some almost to suspect that he might himself be make-believe, or at least acting out a role drawn from Fielding and Dickens, with a bit of help from Gilbert and Sullivan.
Guardian obituary

BBC obituary

Obituary: Michael Samuels (philologist and co-writer of the historical thesaurus of the OED)

If imagination and perseverance are the hallmarks of a great scholar, Michael Samuels, who has died at the age of 90, richly deserved that title. He lived long enough to see his major project, the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary – which took more than 40 years to complete – published last year by Oxford University Press and received with acclamation by academics and laymen alike. Prior to that, he made significant contributions to historical dialectology and linguistic theory as well as teaching at Glasgow University.
Guardian obituary

Obituary: Eric Fullilove (TV director who had a global hit with Skippy the Bush Kangaroo)

Eric Fullilove, who has died of heart failure aged 85, was a British director of cinema documentaries who emigrated to Australia and worked on the globally popular children's series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo before becoming a pioneer of the country's new television service, SBS.
Guardian obituary

Obituary: Richard Holbrooke (formidable US diplomat who negotiated an end to the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina)

Richard Holbrooke, who has died aged 69 after suffering a ruptured aorta, was not the most universally beloved, but was certainly one of the ablest, the most admired and the most effective of American diplomats. He is one of the few of that profession in the past 40 years who can be compared with the giants of the "founding generation" of American hegemony, such as Dean Acheson and George Kennan.
Guardian obituary 

Film: In Our Name

Despite a fine performance from Joanne Froggatt, this drama about a soldier suffering post-traumatic stress loses its way
Guardian review

Guardian film page
Official site

Song: “Respect Yourself” (The Staples Singers and Kane Gang)

Kane Gang version of this song has always been a fave of mine (probably in my top 20!). Only found out recently (via this Guardian article that included a contribution from Peter Hook) that it was a cover version with the original sung by The Staples Singers.

Obituary: Sam Cohen (American inventor of the neutron bomb who defended it as practical and humane)

In his memoir, Shame: Confessions of the Father of the Neutron Bomb (1998), Sam Cohen, who has died aged 89 of complications from stomach cancer, recalled visiting Seoul in 1951, during the Korean war, and witnessing scenes of intolerable devastation. "I'd seen countless pictures of Hiroshima by then," Cohen said, "and what I saw in Seoul was precious little different." Cohen asked himself: "If we are going to go on fighting these damned fool wars in the future, shelling and bombing cities to smithereens and wrecking the lives of their inhabitants, might there be some kind of nuclear weapon that could avoid all this?"

The nuclear device that he devised was the neutron bomb, or "enhanced radiation weapon", that killed people without damaging buildings.
Guardian obituary

Wikipedia entry

In praise of … Lady Justice Hallett

The coroner at the 7/7 inquest has defended the right of the bereaved and the survivors to hear the fullest possible explanation of their tragedy
Guardian lead article in this ongoing In praise of … series

Guardian profile
Wikipedia entry

Guardian interview: Peace at last: Gordon Brown on life after Downing Street

 

Lady Thatcher opened a US thinktank, Sir John Major became chairman of a multinational investment firm, Tony Blair brokered peace talks in the Middle East. So what then of the famously driven Gordon Brown, whose "relentless" ambition Blair detailed so tirelessly in his memoirs? Today the former prime minister is switching on the Christmas lights in Kelty, a pit village in Fife.
Guardian interview

Guardian Q&A: Lenny Henry

One of my fave comedians.

Guardian Q&A article

Obituary: Hugo Dixon (photographer whose portraits of rock and TV stars bypassed celebrity pomposity)

Hugo Dixon, who has died of cancer aged 46, was the sort of photographer editors knew they could rely on. His professional career spanned two decades, best illustrated by the seemingly endless parade of rock stars he shot for Q magazine in the 1990s, and the more formal gallery of show-business personalities he built up at Radio Times
Guardian obituary

Hugo Dixon official site (take a look, great photos!)

Film: Of Gods And Men

Looks to be a stunning and challenging film. Probably one for The Culture Club.

A profound and immaculately acted movie explores the eternal questions of faith and human strengths and weaknesses
Guardian Cannes review

Severe, austere and deeply moving, Xavier Beauvois's film about monks threatened by fundamentalists is one of the year's highlights
Guardian review

Wikipedia entry
Official site

Obituary: Sir Maurice Wilkes (scientist who built the first practical digital computer)

Wilkes with the Witch computer at the National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park, in 2009

Sir Maurice Wilkes, who has died aged 97, was the most important figure in the development of practical computing in the UK. Not only did he lead the development of EDSAC, the first stored-program digital computer to go into service in the 1940s, he and his colleagues at Cambridge University also made significant contributions to software development, and built one of the first high-speed distributed computing networks, the Cambridge Ring. His vision was less about producing bleeding-edge designs than about developing machines that could reliably do calculations for the university's scientists and engineers – people like himself. In the early 1950s, EDSAC, the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator, was the basis for the world's first business computer, LEO (the Lyons Electronic Office), which was used to run the operations of the eponymous tea-shop company.
Guardian obituary

Wikipedia entry

Obituary: Mike Craig (prolific producer and writer of BBC comedy)

Mike Craig, who has died aged 75 from Pick's disease, a rare illness leading to dementia, was responsible for writing and producing more than 1,200 comedy shows for radio and television. They included series for Ken Dodd, Roy Castle, Harry Worth, Al Reid, Mike Yarwood, Des O'Connor, Tom O'Connor, Jimmy Tarbuck, Bernie Clifton, Gorden Kaye and Morecambe and Wise. Indeed, it was Craig who wrote the famous sketch on Morecambe and Wise's 1976 Christmas show in which Angela Rippon began reading the news in a serious manner before launching into a high-kicking dance routine.
Guardian obituary

Obituary: Irvin Kershner (film director, including The Empire Strikes Back)

Chosen to direct The Empire Strikes Back, he turned in one of the best sequels – and highest box-office earners – of all time
Guardian obituary

Wikipedia entry
Video interviews

Obituary: Maurice Murphy (Top British orchestral trumpeter with the LSO, he played on the Star Wars films)

Maurice Murphy, who has died aged 75, was the leading British orchestral trumpet player of his generation. During the 30 years in which he was principal trumpet with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), he defined the sound of the brass section with the clarity, precision and diamond-sharp brilliance of his playing. In the concert hall he was an inspiration and could lift the orchestra with his exhilarating, visceral sound.
Guardian obituary

Guardian piece “Maurice Murphy: the unsung classical hero of Star Wars and beyond”
LSO page
Wikipedia entry

Obituary: Caroline McNairn (Scottish artist whose striking work received international acclaim)

The Scottish artist Caroline McNairn, who has died from cervical cancer aged 55, created a bold figurative style that drew on a variety of sources, from French modernism to Russian icon painting. Her work remained, nonetheless, pre-eminently Scottish. Many of her canvases reflect the atmosphere and setting of Edinburgh, while their bright hues and elements of abstraction recall the early-20th-century Scottish colourists John Duncan Fergusson, Samuel Peploe, Leslie Hunter and Francis Cadell.
Guardian obituary

Southern Reporter (Selkirk) obituary

Obituary: Stanley Williamson (radio producer known for his Trial By Inquiry programme on the 1958 Munich air crash)

Stanley Williamson, who has died aged 89, was a Londoner who fell in love with the north. Although his first home was within earshot of the roar from the Den, home of Millwall football club, he devoted almost his entire life to the north of England, whose people, industries and landscapes he probed and celebrated in three decades of outstanding radio programmes (and some television) made for the BBC in Manchester.
Guardian obituary

In praise of … St Andrew's Day (2010)

The publication of the Scotland bill makes this a day that could, as political tradition promises, genuinely make a difference
Guardian lead article in the ongoing In praise of … series

Wikipedia entry

Obituary: Muriel Nissel (Senior civil servant and statistician who fought for impartiality in information)

Muriel Nissel, who has died aged 89, was a senior civil servant who, working at the government's Central Statistical Office at the end of the 1960s, co-founded the respected "statistician's bible" Social Trends. In 1995 she found herself at the centre of controversy about its role and function when an essay she had written was excluded from the 25th anniversary edition of Social Trends, leading to accusations of government censorship.
Guardian obituary

Obituary: Norman Dennis (Sociologist known for his research into community, the family and housing)

Norman Dennis railed against what he saw as the decay of the moral fabric of society.
….
Unlike most members of this sociological establishment, Dennis, who has died aged 81, chose not to seek academic preferment (though chairs were certainly offered) but rather to focus his energies on community life, most notably in his home town of Sunderland. This preference became apparent in 1956 with his first major publication, Coal Is Our Life, the classic community study of "Ashton" (in fact Featherstone in West Yorkshire). Although this study tends to be overshadowed in popular opinion by the well-known Bethnal Green studies of the 1950s, it contains a much harder and less anecdotal edge, especially in analysing the ways in which economic forces structure social relations.
Guardian obituary

In praise of … Chalmers Johnson (CIA analyst)

CIA analyst who died last week was also a scholar of Asia's political economy and a spear-carrier for US global power
Guardian lead article in the ongoing In praise of … series

Guardian interview: Anton Corbijn (rock photographer and film director)

'I know just enough not to look stupid'
How did the painfully shy son of a Dutch minister become one of the world's hottest rock photographers – and now a celebrated director? Anton Corbijn talks to Stuart Jeffries
Guardian interview

Wikipedia entry

Roy Hodgson leaves Liverpool FC

Not unexpected, sorry for Roy Hodgson but the players have a lot to answer for too. Hope this is the start of a vastly improved season! Kenny Dalglish has his work cut out to sort it.

Liverpool FC article

Saturday morning

First hair cut of the year and for a while with Isaac and then McD’s breakfast with the paper. Chilled day and the snow not staying as long as before.

Obituary: Larry Evans (US chess champion)

. . . who helped Bobby Fischer win the 1971-72 world title
Guardian article

Bobby Fischer, left, training for the world championship with the help of Larry Evans in a hotel pool in the Catskills in 1971.

Wikipedia entry

In praise of … the Ashes

This Guardian lead article from the ongoing In praise of … series was published at the start of the Ashes series which overnight last night we won!!

BBC article about winning The Ashes

Obituary: Eileen Healey (mountaineer)

Mountaineer who filmed the tragic 1959 all-female expedition in the Himalayas
Guardian obituary

Saga article

In praise of … the pint

The UK has a distinctive tapestry of quality session ales, which can be slowly supped in decent quantities
Guardian lead article in the ongoing In praise of … series

In praise of … arctic weather

This Guardian lead article in the ongoing In praise of … series was published back in November. Appropriate again for Bradford tonight as snow has fallen all day but thankfully thawing way more quickly than before Christmas.

BBC's Alison Kirkham plans a menu of restoration, live TV and cookery

Mention "three Fs" to anyone in television and they will immediately think of Dawn Airey's infamous quote about what Channel 5 had to offer in her first stint there as launch director of programmes. Yet Alison Kirkham has three rather more salubrious Fs in her title – she is the BBC's new commissioning editor for factual features and formats for BBC1 andBBC2. Quite a mouthful but then it is quite a job. She oversees some of the BBC's biggest shows, including Antiques Roadshow, Crimewatch, Watchdog and Gardeners' World. According to corporation figures, 25% of the population will have watched one of those programmes during the week.
Guardian article

BBC bio