The summer brings with it a number of fantastic sights, sounds, smells and spectacles. Flowers in bloom, the sound of merryment and birds chirping, barbecues and beer gardens and World Cups and Olympics.
I don't want to talk about them, these things are great but lets face it you can buy a GQ and read a thrilling article about anyone of these topics from a noble writer. Instead i want to draw attention to and praise the summer walkers.
Who? i hear you ask.
Summer walkers , people you usually drive or take the bus to work but because it's sunny they feel like strolling to work rather than busing it. This group intrigues me most because alot of them clearly don't realise on what they embarked upon when they left home. For instance from my where i live to my nearest tube station is a 7 min bus ride, however it is a 20 minute walk,
and thats at a reasonable pace, and the return journey is up a small hill.
Some people who now join me on my morning walk clearly have not noticed this and one of my great pleasures in the early months of summer is watching the newbies drenched in sweat and clearly agitated try and race home or too work.
My nastier side thinks this is immensely funny whilst my nicer side thinks good on them!
In the meantime a word of caution to all prospective summer walkers, walking around everywhere may look pleasant but it does take abit of effort and please take note of the terrain you will cover. The trail of disgarded clothing left in your wake can't be good for the environment.
Saturday, 24 May 2008
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Unwritten
A few years ago Natasha Bedingfield released a song called Unwritten, the song lyrics explained the the process of writing and producing a new song.
Consider yourself lucky this intro is not an elaborate build up, teeing up a blog about writing and making a fifteen minute radio documentary. I can assure you this process merits no song and dance.
Also i have been busy making television and radio documentaries over the past few months, which i will make available for your consumption asap.
Consider yourself lucky this intro is not an elaborate build up, teeing up a blog about writing and making a fifteen minute radio documentary. I can assure you this process merits no song and dance.
Also i have been busy making television and radio documentaries over the past few months, which i will make available for your consumption asap.
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Let Kids Choose Their Sport
I was on the tube making my way into Uni on a cold Monday morning and i saw a typical scene which explains why you can feed the children of Britain the best and most organic food in the world and teach them the value of exercise all day,, but unless children find a sport they like they are unlikely to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
The games and the competition in which students are placed are the most important tools at a teachers disposal. I say this because my daily route tube route takes me past a schools playground and they were clearly having a games lesson.
How did i know this? It sure as hell wasn't because all the kids were running around enjoying themselves in a coordinated and fun game. The only thing, which suggested half the class weren't suggest standing in a field for no good reason was they were all wearing sports kit.
The usual 'sporty' kids huffed and puffed challenged and dived for the ball whilst the rest stood and watched in a perfect defensive line formation across the halfway line. It was a complete waste of time! Those kids who wanted to play- played- and those who didn't- didn't.
Kids who don't want t play football should be allowed to go and play something else. I am a energetic footballer who enjoys toiling for hours on the training ground, but take the football away and i become idle. I have no interest in running for the sake of it.
All kids should have to find a sport they like and can participate in and surely then they will start to trim down.
The games and the competition in which students are placed are the most important tools at a teachers disposal. I say this because my daily route tube route takes me past a schools playground and they were clearly having a games lesson.
How did i know this? It sure as hell wasn't because all the kids were running around enjoying themselves in a coordinated and fun game. The only thing, which suggested half the class weren't suggest standing in a field for no good reason was they were all wearing sports kit.
The usual 'sporty' kids huffed and puffed challenged and dived for the ball whilst the rest stood and watched in a perfect defensive line formation across the halfway line. It was a complete waste of time! Those kids who wanted to play- played- and those who didn't- didn't.
Kids who don't want t play football should be allowed to go and play something else. I am a energetic footballer who enjoys toiling for hours on the training ground, but take the football away and i become idle. I have no interest in running for the sake of it.
All kids should have to find a sport they like and can participate in and surely then they will start to trim down.
Sunday, 17 February 2008
Scared or intrigued? I am about to meet Winston Churchill
Now i have met many famous people throughout my life. But in about twenty minutes i'm set to meet an all time legend.
Winston Churchill is coming to Sky News.
Son of Lord Randolph Churchill, surely not, he died in 1965 but , President of the United Kingdom National Defence Association.
Great my dream is destroyed! Like the time i find out Michael Schumacher is coming in, only for him to get sent to bloody Millbank!!
Oh well, i've got plenty of other things to be getting on with instead of chewing the fat with a deceased Prime Minister.
Winston Churchill is coming to Sky News.
Son of Lord Randolph Churchill, surely not, he died in 1965 but , President of the United Kingdom National Defence Association.
Great my dream is destroyed! Like the time i find out Michael Schumacher is coming in, only for him to get sent to bloody Millbank!!
Oh well, i've got plenty of other things to be getting on with instead of chewing the fat with a deceased Prime Minister.
Sunday, 3 February 2008
Fulham Doomed?
Sitting here watching Fulham vs Aston Villa i realise Fulham are doomed to relegation. Being a Q.P.R. fan it doesn't depress me too greatly but i do have a fondness for the West London outfit.
6 Points adrift and a lack of a a striker is the main reason i think Fulham will struggle. The overall quality of their side is high but i feel without a top striker the industrious worker of Murphy, Bullard and Dempsey will go to waste and they will be unable to grab a crucial wins instead of draws.
As i speak they are drawing 0-0 with Aston Villa at home.Hopefully for my sake they snap out of it.
6 Points adrift and a lack of a a striker is the main reason i think Fulham will struggle. The overall quality of their side is high but i feel without a top striker the industrious worker of Murphy, Bullard and Dempsey will go to waste and they will be unable to grab a crucial wins instead of draws.
As i speak they are drawing 0-0 with Aston Villa at home.Hopefully for my sake they snap out of it.
Sunday, 30 December 2007
Happy Fluffy Fun Blog
This Christmas i was given a copy of John Simpson's latest book, Not Quite World's End: A Traveller's Tales . Although i am only at the begining of the book, it has already made quite an impression on me and as i sit at work at twenty to two in the morning surfing the various news sources i have at my disposal Simpsons words grow in virtue.
In the opening chapter of his book Simpson states he thinks the greatest threat to the world are Super Bugs. Having read todays newspapers, and listened to countless programs about the dangers of fanaticalism I would have previously supposed , like most people, Terrorism or Climate Change is the biggest enemy to our world. We are obsessed with developments in Iraq and Afghanistan and the amount of rain which falls each year, however bugs are widely ignored.Simpson's words however, smacked me in the face this morning.
He argues plagues have always decimated societies throughout history and our society will fall fowl of one sooner or later. He reasons the amount we travel and the size and concentration of the worlds population means there are more people open to infection and we can spread the disease further. All it will take, he reasons, is for a virus like the common flu to pick up a nasty sidekick for us all to be in trouble.
As i was considering this point when this APF wire dropped.
URGENT Bird flu kills four-year-old boy in VietnamHANOI, Dec 27, 2007 (AFP) - A four-year-old boy in Vietnam has died of bird flu, becoming the country's fifth reported victim of the H5N1 strain of the virus this year, a health ministry official said Thursday.
I know it's not an epidemic and this particular strand of bird flu may not bring with it thousands of casualties, but I think the fact we are now educated in the dangers of bird flu and people are dying from it means Simpson may well be onto something.
In the opening chapter of his book Simpson states he thinks the greatest threat to the world are Super Bugs. Having read todays newspapers, and listened to countless programs about the dangers of fanaticalism I would have previously supposed , like most people, Terrorism or Climate Change is the biggest enemy to our world. We are obsessed with developments in Iraq and Afghanistan and the amount of rain which falls each year, however bugs are widely ignored.Simpson's words however, smacked me in the face this morning.
He argues plagues have always decimated societies throughout history and our society will fall fowl of one sooner or later. He reasons the amount we travel and the size and concentration of the worlds population means there are more people open to infection and we can spread the disease further. All it will take, he reasons, is for a virus like the common flu to pick up a nasty sidekick for us all to be in trouble.
As i was considering this point when this APF wire dropped.
URGENT Bird flu kills four-year-old boy in VietnamHANOI, Dec 27, 2007 (AFP) - A four-year-old boy in Vietnam has died of bird flu, becoming the country's fifth reported victim of the H5N1 strain of the virus this year, a health ministry official said Thursday.
I know it's not an epidemic and this particular strand of bird flu may not bring with it thousands of casualties, but I think the fact we are now educated in the dangers of bird flu and people are dying from it means Simpson may well be onto something.
During Fabio Capello's first press conference after being announced as the next England manager he was asked - the Premier League is a fast paced league in which strength and workrate and are most important, how does he aim to convert the way the English approach to football into the more savy International style?
Capello answered this question by saying - good question, i don't know. My question is, does he need to change the pace England play?
Although it pains me to say it- the Premiership is the best league in the world, at the moment. Many top international players currently ply their trade in England and the Premiership was the most represented league at the 2006 World Cup. I suggest the English hustle and bustle approach to football may have seeped into these imports alot quicker than any previous attempts to tame Wayne Rooney.
I argue ENgland should play to there strengths and not worry about what pace they play at and Capello should worry more about having a variation on there 4-4-2 tactic such as a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 rather than worrying about how he could slow down players who clearly operate best at a high tempo. Russia's manager, Guus Hiddink, said it best after the draw of the 2008 qualifying groups "we fear Macedonia more than England because we don't know how they play".
I draw my arguement to a close by pointing out Greece and Italy as two examples of teams who have won recent international competitions without any Premier League players. Except the majestic Nikos Dabizas. Perhaps there lack of English footballing experience meant there players had not been put through the great leveller that is the Premiership.
Just a thought.
Capello answered this question by saying - good question, i don't know. My question is, does he need to change the pace England play?
Although it pains me to say it- the Premiership is the best league in the world, at the moment. Many top international players currently ply their trade in England and the Premiership was the most represented league at the 2006 World Cup. I suggest the English hustle and bustle approach to football may have seeped into these imports alot quicker than any previous attempts to tame Wayne Rooney.
I argue ENgland should play to there strengths and not worry about what pace they play at and Capello should worry more about having a variation on there 4-4-2 tactic such as a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 rather than worrying about how he could slow down players who clearly operate best at a high tempo. Russia's manager, Guus Hiddink, said it best after the draw of the 2008 qualifying groups "we fear Macedonia more than England because we don't know how they play".
I draw my arguement to a close by pointing out Greece and Italy as two examples of teams who have won recent international competitions without any Premier League players. Except the majestic Nikos Dabizas. Perhaps there lack of English footballing experience meant there players had not been put through the great leveller that is the Premiership.
Just a thought.
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