My video skills test with Chris Mayer giving his opinion on the Rafalution at Liverpool which has never happened.
Thursday 26 November 2009
Wednesday 4 November 2009
Lancashire Evening Post Custom Map
Here is a custom map I made on Google showing four stories from today's Lancashire Evening Post newspaer.
View LEP 4/11/09 in a larger map
View LEP 4/11/09 in a larger map
Thursday 29 October 2009
Football Museum photos
Here are a selection of resized photos for JN2053 Digital Journalism module. The subject of these photos is the National Football Museum, who's Preston future is in doubt at the moment.
This image is 200x500 pixels big and has been cropped to show the entrance to the museum, to keep the photo as recognisable as possible
This version is 400x300 pixels and therefore can show more of the entrance to the museum.
For the 100x100 pixel i focused on the logo, which is located on the outside wall of the shop next to the entrance. I chose this because the logo was the most obvious and recognisable part of the photo compared to the building desgin.
This is the original photo, showing the complete image with all part of the museum and rest of Deepdale football stadium which could fit into view. From the photo it is possible to see where each of the small photos were cropped to.
This image is 200x500 pixels big and has been cropped to show the entrance to the museum, to keep the photo as recognisable as possible
This version is 400x300 pixels and therefore can show more of the entrance to the museum.
For the 100x100 pixel i focused on the logo, which is located on the outside wall of the shop next to the entrance. I chose this because the logo was the most obvious and recognisable part of the photo compared to the building desgin.
This is the original photo, showing the complete image with all part of the museum and rest of Deepdale football stadium which could fit into view. From the photo it is possible to see where each of the small photos were cropped to.
Monday 26 October 2009
Digital Journalism
Mark Payton is the Digital Editorial Director of Haymarket Consumer Media, owned by former Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine.
Some of the titles owned by Haymarket include Autosport, What Car? and FourFourTwo.
In this video, taken from the Meld workshop at Sandbox, Mark discusses how online journalism has affected how the world of online has meant his publications have had to adapt to compete against the new competition.
Monday 19 October 2009
Button - a deserving champion
It's very nearly been 24 hours since the 2009 F1 Championship was settled, and Jenson Button was crowned as Britain's 10th World Champion.
There are some people who say he does not deserve the title but to be honest, who out there did more to deserve it? The answer is nobody.
Winning six out of the first seven races, a record that betters those of Senna, Mansell and Schumacher, formed the foundations of his title challenge. And despite a mid-season blip which saw both Red Bull drivers and his team-mate Rubens Barrichello start winning races and picking up podiums while Button struggled with a string of poor qualifying sessions.
But over the course of the season, he has won the most races and scored the most points. You can't argue against that. Button has scored more wins this year than Hamilton did last year when he won his title.
Barrichello was the better driver over the second half of the season, buoyed by his victories at Valencia and Monza; his first for five years. But his terrible luck at Interlagos continues. His 17th race in his home city, and he has still not managed better than 3rd despite three pole positions.
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in the Red Bull's had fast cars but were hampered by poor reliability with the Renault engine not being as consistant as Brawn's Mercedes. Vettel will surely be a champion one day, he has time on his side as well as supreme talent. But this was Brawn's year.
A team which in December did not even exist. A team who didn't get to test the car until three weeks before the season. A team which had to lay off 200 staff to survive. A team which had to redesign part of the car to fit the Mercedes-Benz engine.
It is a brilliant story. This is only the third time since 1998 that a team apart from Ferrari or McLaren has won the Drivers and Constructors championships.
Even in the height of the Ferrari dominance in 2004, Button was 'best of the rest' finishing 3rd in the championship with 85 points and plenty of podium finishes.
The last two years he has been hampered by having two of the worst cars in recent F1 history but this season he got a competetive car and made the most of it. While Barrichello struggled with the anti-stall system which ruined many a race for him, Button charged off to victory after victory at the start of the season.
And despite the Brawn not having the advantage it did at the start of the season; as Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari close the gap, he got the points he needed to ensure his points lead was never seriously eradicated.
To crown his championship, a charge from 14th on the grid to a 5th placed finish at Felipe Massa's chequered flag with some feisty overtaking manouvers which showed the world he is not a conservative driver. When he needs to, he goes for it.
And he's got his reward.
There are some people who say he does not deserve the title but to be honest, who out there did more to deserve it? The answer is nobody.
Winning six out of the first seven races, a record that betters those of Senna, Mansell and Schumacher, formed the foundations of his title challenge. And despite a mid-season blip which saw both Red Bull drivers and his team-mate Rubens Barrichello start winning races and picking up podiums while Button struggled with a string of poor qualifying sessions.
But over the course of the season, he has won the most races and scored the most points. You can't argue against that. Button has scored more wins this year than Hamilton did last year when he won his title.
Barrichello was the better driver over the second half of the season, buoyed by his victories at Valencia and Monza; his first for five years. But his terrible luck at Interlagos continues. His 17th race in his home city, and he has still not managed better than 3rd despite three pole positions.
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in the Red Bull's had fast cars but were hampered by poor reliability with the Renault engine not being as consistant as Brawn's Mercedes. Vettel will surely be a champion one day, he has time on his side as well as supreme talent. But this was Brawn's year.
A team which in December did not even exist. A team who didn't get to test the car until three weeks before the season. A team which had to lay off 200 staff to survive. A team which had to redesign part of the car to fit the Mercedes-Benz engine.
It is a brilliant story. This is only the third time since 1998 that a team apart from Ferrari or McLaren has won the Drivers and Constructors championships.
Even in the height of the Ferrari dominance in 2004, Button was 'best of the rest' finishing 3rd in the championship with 85 points and plenty of podium finishes.
The last two years he has been hampered by having two of the worst cars in recent F1 history but this season he got a competetive car and made the most of it. While Barrichello struggled with the anti-stall system which ruined many a race for him, Button charged off to victory after victory at the start of the season.
And despite the Brawn not having the advantage it did at the start of the season; as Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari close the gap, he got the points he needed to ensure his points lead was never seriously eradicated.
To crown his championship, a charge from 14th on the grid to a 5th placed finish at Felipe Massa's chequered flag with some feisty overtaking manouvers which showed the world he is not a conservative driver. When he needs to, he goes for it.
And he's got his reward.
Sunday 11 October 2009
Headline writing
According to Jakob Nielsen there are five rules that journalists should obey when it comes to headline writing, and in particular, headline writing for the web.
They are:
1. Keep it short. Don't use too many words because people read quickly on the internet and want headlines that are short and easy to read. Sky Sports' headline here is a good short story that will make people stop and read. Four words that will attract a reader because of who and why.
2. Summarise. Every word must tell part of the story so ensure that every word in the headline does its job and gives the reader as much information as possible. The Sun here have summarised up Alex Ferguson in an interview discussing the form of Rio Ferdinand after his mistake in the Ukraine on Saturday night.
3. Most important words at the beginning. Tell as much of the story as possible with the most important facts at the beginning. The BBC do a good job of this, as the headline shows. It gives away the most important part of the story at the start - Newsagents warn Labour.
4. Make it understandable out of context. The headline should be able to summarise the story so even without reading the article the reader knows the most important facts and has an idea of what it is about. Once again the BBC come up trumps with a headline that tells the reader the one fact in the article that actually matters.
5. Predictability. So the reader knows from the headline whether they will like the article or not.
This is the only category the Daily Mail succeeds in, giving its tendancy to write a headline that is so long, it's surprising they have any information left for the article.
The BBC headlines are the best. They tick all five boxes that Nielsen suggests the headlines need to follow. Reading various headlines, I do agree with Nielson that headlines should conform to the rules he suggests.
They are:
1. Keep it short. Don't use too many words because people read quickly on the internet and want headlines that are short and easy to read. Sky Sports' headline here is a good short story that will make people stop and read. Four words that will attract a reader because of who and why.
2. Summarise. Every word must tell part of the story so ensure that every word in the headline does its job and gives the reader as much information as possible. The Sun here have summarised up Alex Ferguson in an interview discussing the form of Rio Ferdinand after his mistake in the Ukraine on Saturday night.
3. Most important words at the beginning. Tell as much of the story as possible with the most important facts at the beginning. The BBC do a good job of this, as the headline shows. It gives away the most important part of the story at the start - Newsagents warn Labour.
4. Make it understandable out of context. The headline should be able to summarise the story so even without reading the article the reader knows the most important facts and has an idea of what it is about. Once again the BBC come up trumps with a headline that tells the reader the one fact in the article that actually matters.
5. Predictability. So the reader knows from the headline whether they will like the article or not.
This is the only category the Daily Mail succeeds in, giving its tendancy to write a headline that is so long, it's surprising they have any information left for the article.
The BBC headlines are the best. They tick all five boxes that Nielsen suggests the headlines need to follow. Reading various headlines, I do agree with Nielson that headlines should conform to the rules he suggests.
Thursday 1 October 2009
Nuclear Warheads
President Obama has recently abandoned the Pentagon's plans to build a missile defence system in Europe.
A meeting of the UN Security Council, also chaired by Obama, called for nuclear disarmament; with concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
However Iran's nuclear programme still has a long way to go if it is to get anywhere near those of America or Russia.
Despite calling for nuclear disarmament, America has only got rid of 1,000 nucelar warheads in the last decade, compared to Russia which has scrapped 9,000.
According to the BBC, America still has thousands more strategic missiles than the former Soviet Union and nowhere near as many awaiting dismantling.
At this rate Russia will easily be the first out of the two countries to cut their warhead levels down to 1,700 within seven years of a new nuclear treaty.
At least they are cutting down though.
Despite having nowhere near the levels of the Americans or Russians, Britain is the only country in the Western World to have increased its nuclear arsenal since 2000.
So when Gordon Brown says that he's willing to remove one of Britain's trident submarines, it is easy to understand why the reaction is not jubilant.
Monday 7 September 2009
The Winton Train
Up until the beginning of September, not many people had heard of 100 year old Sir Nicholas Winton.
However one epic railtour which coincided with the 70th anniversary of World War Two soon changed all that.
I was lucky enough to be London Liverpool Street station on September 4 as the final leg of an 800 trip from which commemorated his actions just prior to the start of the war.
At the time Sir Nicholas was a 29 year old stockbroker whose action was to organise a series of trains from Czechoslovakia, which was threatened by Nazi occupation, to London to save as many Jewish children as possible.
In all eight trains carried 669 children to safety between April and August 1939, an incredible achievement. Running from Prague the trains ran south to Nuremberg before running North West to Cologne and onto the Hook of Holland. From there the children boarded ferries to the Suffolk port of Harwich from where they were taken onto London.
Not only did Sir Nicholas organise these trains he also found suitable families for each child as well as 250 more families for children of a ninth train which was due to leave on September 1 1939 but never did due to the outbreak of war.
To be in the presence, even in a media scrum, of a man who was personally responsible for the saving of so many lives was an awe inspiring moment and he deserves every bit of credit and attention he gets.
Talking to some of those from the original trains who retraced their steps across Europe this summer, it was clear the debt of gratitude they felt towards him which was lovely to see. One said he felt that Sir Nicholas was like a father to him.
Everyone admitted that without him they would not be here today. Neither would the estimated 5000 descendents of the 669 who made the trip 70 years ago.
Never seemingly one to blow his own trumpet, Sir Nicholas didn’t speak publicly during the ceremony which welcomed the train and its passengers after its arrival in London but he didn’t have to.
The smiling faces of those who had crossed Europe to recreate their life saving journeys said everything that needed to be said.
This year is the 70th anniversary of the start of World War Two and what better way to mark this by celebrating one of the true heroes of that time. War has its villains but it also has its heroes and Sir Nicholas could be seen as a definition of the word hero.
I am very honoured and glad to have been present for the arrival of the 2009 train and the subsequent greetings between the survivors and their life savour.
Despite being one of the media jostling to get photos and interviews with those connected to the train, I was still able to appreciate the work of this great man and what it means to so many people, who now live all around the world.
Having also visited Auschwitz earlier this year and meeting someone who survived six years in the camp I now have a greater understanding or what World War Two meant on a personal level.
It is easy to read about it or watch television programmes but you can’t get a full understanding of what war means to people without meeting people like Sir Nicholas or visiting locations such as Auschwitz.
Auschwitz is an immensely powerful place and it is difficult not to shed a tear when you consider what happened to so many people in that dreadful camp.
But thanks to people like Sir Nicholas Winton, there are also happy stories from World War Two where people were saved and to people like that we should all have the upmost respect.
However one epic railtour which coincided with the 70th anniversary of World War Two soon changed all that.
I was lucky enough to be London Liverpool Street station on September 4 as the final leg of an 800 trip from which commemorated his actions just prior to the start of the war.
At the time Sir Nicholas was a 29 year old stockbroker whose action was to organise a series of trains from Czechoslovakia, which was threatened by Nazi occupation, to London to save as many Jewish children as possible.
In all eight trains carried 669 children to safety between April and August 1939, an incredible achievement. Running from Prague the trains ran south to Nuremberg before running North West to Cologne and onto the Hook of Holland. From there the children boarded ferries to the Suffolk port of Harwich from where they were taken onto London.
Not only did Sir Nicholas organise these trains he also found suitable families for each child as well as 250 more families for children of a ninth train which was due to leave on September 1 1939 but never did due to the outbreak of war.
To be in the presence, even in a media scrum, of a man who was personally responsible for the saving of so many lives was an awe inspiring moment and he deserves every bit of credit and attention he gets.
Talking to some of those from the original trains who retraced their steps across Europe this summer, it was clear the debt of gratitude they felt towards him which was lovely to see. One said he felt that Sir Nicholas was like a father to him.
Everyone admitted that without him they would not be here today. Neither would the estimated 5000 descendents of the 669 who made the trip 70 years ago.
Never seemingly one to blow his own trumpet, Sir Nicholas didn’t speak publicly during the ceremony which welcomed the train and its passengers after its arrival in London but he didn’t have to.
The smiling faces of those who had crossed Europe to recreate their life saving journeys said everything that needed to be said.
This year is the 70th anniversary of the start of World War Two and what better way to mark this by celebrating one of the true heroes of that time. War has its villains but it also has its heroes and Sir Nicholas could be seen as a definition of the word hero.
I am very honoured and glad to have been present for the arrival of the 2009 train and the subsequent greetings between the survivors and their life savour.
Despite being one of the media jostling to get photos and interviews with those connected to the train, I was still able to appreciate the work of this great man and what it means to so many people, who now live all around the world.
Having also visited Auschwitz earlier this year and meeting someone who survived six years in the camp I now have a greater understanding or what World War Two meant on a personal level.
It is easy to read about it or watch television programmes but you can’t get a full understanding of what war means to people without meeting people like Sir Nicholas or visiting locations such as Auschwitz.
Auschwitz is an immensely powerful place and it is difficult not to shed a tear when you consider what happened to so many people in that dreadful camp.
But thanks to people like Sir Nicholas Winton, there are also happy stories from World War Two where people were saved and to people like that we should all have the upmost respect.
Friday 7 August 2009
Start of a new football season?
Yes it's that time of year again where the football season officially 'starts'.
I say officially because in reality, it never really ended. It doesn't seem five minutes since Newcastle went crashing out of the Premiership (oh how we cried!) or Barcelona putting one over Man Utd in Rome.
For the past 3 months or so we have been had the U21 European Championships, the Confederations Cup (just what is the point?), pre season fixtures and endless transfer talk mostly about some bloke called Ronaldo going to Athletico Madrid or somewhere like that?
It has never been away, and although I like football I do find it mildly irritating with it being in the news every day of the year.
There used to be a time where the football season ended in mid-May then wouldn't really reapper until mid to late August.
Not anymore.
There has been plenty of other sports to keep the public entertained over the summer. Formula 1 and the return of Schumacher, The Ashes, Tour de France, Wimbledon are just some of the many competitions that have taken place over the past two months.
And yet football still dominates, even when the game isn't being played.
Who will buy Newcastle? Who will Man City and Real Madrid go for next? New managers, new signings, new kits - on and on it goes.
In a way it lessens the excitement of the new season as so much football is played it is hard to get excited about something that never, ever comes to an end.
Don't get me wrong I like football, but you can have too much of a good thing. When the football season is in full swing it can be really enjoyable but there comes a time when I just want a break from it and I'm sure I'm not alone.
I say officially because in reality, it never really ended. It doesn't seem five minutes since Newcastle went crashing out of the Premiership (oh how we cried!) or Barcelona putting one over Man Utd in Rome.
For the past 3 months or so we have been had the U21 European Championships, the Confederations Cup (just what is the point?), pre season fixtures and endless transfer talk mostly about some bloke called Ronaldo going to Athletico Madrid or somewhere like that?
It has never been away, and although I like football I do find it mildly irritating with it being in the news every day of the year.
There used to be a time where the football season ended in mid-May then wouldn't really reapper until mid to late August.
Not anymore.
There has been plenty of other sports to keep the public entertained over the summer. Formula 1 and the return of Schumacher, The Ashes, Tour de France, Wimbledon are just some of the many competitions that have taken place over the past two months.
And yet football still dominates, even when the game isn't being played.
Who will buy Newcastle? Who will Man City and Real Madrid go for next? New managers, new signings, new kits - on and on it goes.
In a way it lessens the excitement of the new season as so much football is played it is hard to get excited about something that never, ever comes to an end.
Don't get me wrong I like football, but you can have too much of a good thing. When the football season is in full swing it can be really enjoyable but there comes a time when I just want a break from it and I'm sure I'm not alone.
Wednesday 15 July 2009
A Britpop experience
The past 10 days have allowed me to see the two bands that dominated the music scene in the UK, certainly in the mid 1990s - Blur and Oasis.
When I booked the tickets back in the winter I was more excited to see Oasis. However as the dates became closer I saw clips of Blur's other gigs, especially Glastonbury, and I knew they'd put on a fantastic show.
And they didn't let me down.
Blur's second night at Hyde Park was one of the best gigs I have ever been to. I can't recall ever having so much fun at a show. I came away with a feeling that it was one of the best, if not the best gig I had ever been to.
The variety of songs they have is excellent and the performance of Damon Albarn was of a man who most definitely was up for it, loving every second of the band's reunion and the closing song, The Universal, was one of the best moments I have ever experienced at a concert with all 55,000 singing along.
So what of Oasis?
Well I was looking forward to their show, not with the same excitement as I did with Blur but still looking forward to see what sort of show they'd put on.
For me the best parts of the show was Noel Gallagher's acoustic songs, in particular The Masterplan and Don't Look Back In Anger. He really got the audience going and they were singing their hearts out for all of his songs.
He managed to get a connection with the audience during those songs I felt, without jumping around like Albarn did, but with playing good songs that everyone at Wembley enjoyed and could join in with.
I don't think though the same could be said of Liam Gallagher.
When he's on stage I find it hard to connect as he just stands there, whether he's singing or not without trying to entertaing the audience or anything. Although given his comments last week maybe that wasn't so surprising.
It's a very different show to Blur's, with less movement and literally more standing around and just playing which I don't enjoy as much as watching someone go round the stage getting the audience going and giving an entertaining spectacle for the eye as well as the ear.
The other thing that slightly irritated me during their performance was a particular drum beat that just kept on appearing. I must have heard it on half a dozen songs in all which after a while is quite annoying.
Dont get me wrong, Oasis have a very good back catalogue with some awesome tunes, I know that. But this drum beat just kept on cropping up and was quite annoying as I'm sure they could come up with another one if they tried (I still think Zak Starkey is a better drummer too).
This is a very brief and rather poor attempt at reviewing the two gigs but I've tried to do it from the point of a fan rather than a critic like you normally read in the paper.
A year ago I if I had the choice of seeing one of these two again it would have been Oasis. Now however it would most definitely be Blur.
I love their variety of songs, and their live performances are amongst some of the best of recent times.
When I booked the tickets back in the winter I was more excited to see Oasis. However as the dates became closer I saw clips of Blur's other gigs, especially Glastonbury, and I knew they'd put on a fantastic show.
And they didn't let me down.
Blur's second night at Hyde Park was one of the best gigs I have ever been to. I can't recall ever having so much fun at a show. I came away with a feeling that it was one of the best, if not the best gig I had ever been to.
The variety of songs they have is excellent and the performance of Damon Albarn was of a man who most definitely was up for it, loving every second of the band's reunion and the closing song, The Universal, was one of the best moments I have ever experienced at a concert with all 55,000 singing along.
So what of Oasis?
Well I was looking forward to their show, not with the same excitement as I did with Blur but still looking forward to see what sort of show they'd put on.
For me the best parts of the show was Noel Gallagher's acoustic songs, in particular The Masterplan and Don't Look Back In Anger. He really got the audience going and they were singing their hearts out for all of his songs.
He managed to get a connection with the audience during those songs I felt, without jumping around like Albarn did, but with playing good songs that everyone at Wembley enjoyed and could join in with.
I don't think though the same could be said of Liam Gallagher.
When he's on stage I find it hard to connect as he just stands there, whether he's singing or not without trying to entertaing the audience or anything. Although given his comments last week maybe that wasn't so surprising.
It's a very different show to Blur's, with less movement and literally more standing around and just playing which I don't enjoy as much as watching someone go round the stage getting the audience going and giving an entertaining spectacle for the eye as well as the ear.
The other thing that slightly irritated me during their performance was a particular drum beat that just kept on appearing. I must have heard it on half a dozen songs in all which after a while is quite annoying.
Dont get me wrong, Oasis have a very good back catalogue with some awesome tunes, I know that. But this drum beat just kept on cropping up and was quite annoying as I'm sure they could come up with another one if they tried (I still think Zak Starkey is a better drummer too).
This is a very brief and rather poor attempt at reviewing the two gigs but I've tried to do it from the point of a fan rather than a critic like you normally read in the paper.
A year ago I if I had the choice of seeing one of these two again it would have been Oasis. Now however it would most definitely be Blur.
I love their variety of songs, and their live performances are amongst some of the best of recent times.
Saturday 6 June 2009
Labour's red rose decapitated
I was very fortunate to be in Preston on work experience this week where I got to see the end of an era.
An article on the BBC's website before the local elections this week was entitled 'Will Labour's rose be pruned?'.
Well the answer was no. It was beheaded in front of my very eyes as the Tories swept back into power in Lancashire after 28 years.
Standing in County Hall, Preston watching the results come in was really exciting and I was very lucky that my brief period at the Lancashire Evening Post has coincided with this election. Being in was all the proof I needed as to why journalism is such a fantastic career to have.
Not every day will be as exciting as this, I've learnt this already, but events such as elections are so exciting.
A lot of people expected Labour to lose seats in Lancashire and the Conservatives would be the ones to pounce but I think neither party would have expected the turnaround to be quite as dramatic.
Before the election Labour had 44 seats on the county council with the Conservatives holding 31. Afterwards the Tories gained 20 seats taking them to 51 whilst Labour lost 28 seats taking them to a mere 16. Staggering. Especially when you consider some of the councillors booted out included seven cabinet members and the chairman of the party in Lancashire.
As the results came in so did the new councillors and a few MPs revelling in their party's success, topped off with a visit from David Cameron.
Being with the journalist sent down to cover the results was excellent. So many stats needed to be found and double checked to make sure they were correct before publication such as:
Was that seat gained or held by a party?
Which party lost that seat?
Who was the councillor booted out?
Did they have a position?
How large was the majority?
What was the turnout?
How does all this compate to 2005?
That was what I spent more of my afternoon doing. Running around asking various officials at the council where I could find all this information and what it all meant. It was a really enjoyable day and in a way reignited my interest in politics.
OK I didn't get to do the interviews but watching Chris Visser from the LEP talk to Nigel Evans and Mark Hendrick and other political figures I learnt a lot about how to talk to them and what to ask.
Despite all the scandals recently surrounding MPs' expenses it can be a very interesting subject and days like this were there's so much going on, so many people to interview and so much information that needs finding out.
I must ensure that my next work experience coincides with the general election!
An article on the BBC's website before the local elections this week was entitled 'Will Labour's rose be pruned?'.
Well the answer was no. It was beheaded in front of my very eyes as the Tories swept back into power in Lancashire after 28 years.
Standing in County Hall, Preston watching the results come in was really exciting and I was very lucky that my brief period at the Lancashire Evening Post has coincided with this election. Being in was all the proof I needed as to why journalism is such a fantastic career to have.
Not every day will be as exciting as this, I've learnt this already, but events such as elections are so exciting.
A lot of people expected Labour to lose seats in Lancashire and the Conservatives would be the ones to pounce but I think neither party would have expected the turnaround to be quite as dramatic.
Before the election Labour had 44 seats on the county council with the Conservatives holding 31. Afterwards the Tories gained 20 seats taking them to 51 whilst Labour lost 28 seats taking them to a mere 16. Staggering. Especially when you consider some of the councillors booted out included seven cabinet members and the chairman of the party in Lancashire.
As the results came in so did the new councillors and a few MPs revelling in their party's success, topped off with a visit from David Cameron.
Being with the journalist sent down to cover the results was excellent. So many stats needed to be found and double checked to make sure they were correct before publication such as:
Was that seat gained or held by a party?
Which party lost that seat?
Who was the councillor booted out?
Did they have a position?
How large was the majority?
What was the turnout?
How does all this compate to 2005?
That was what I spent more of my afternoon doing. Running around asking various officials at the council where I could find all this information and what it all meant. It was a really enjoyable day and in a way reignited my interest in politics.
OK I didn't get to do the interviews but watching Chris Visser from the LEP talk to Nigel Evans and Mark Hendrick and other political figures I learnt a lot about how to talk to them and what to ask.
Despite all the scandals recently surrounding MPs' expenses it can be a very interesting subject and days like this were there's so much going on, so many people to interview and so much information that needs finding out.
I must ensure that my next work experience coincides with the general election!
Monday 18 May 2009
A blast from the past
It's not often I see a tribute band, but last Friday I saw Whole Lotta Led at 53 Degrees in Preston. And I was very impressed.
Led Zeppelin's music isn't the easiest to cover, especially the high pitched vocals of Robert Plant and the drum beats of John Bonham. But on the whole they were very good playing a good mix of well known hits such as Whole Lotta Love, Rock and Roll and of course, Stairway to Heaven while at the same time playing a few lesser known tracks.
Being a Led Zeppelin fan (along with virtually every other band to have existed in the 70s!) this is probably the only time I'll get to hear their songs live with the chances of a reunion tour slim and having not tried to get a ticket for their London gig in 2007, something I think I will always regret. And it was an excellent evening, with Whole Lotta Led being a vast improvement on the Queen tribute band I saw last year. The only downside was them not playing Kashmir or Black Dog but you can't everything. The set list was good enough.
Listening to these songs being blasted out live though made me think. Can any bands out there today claim to have as larger impact and influence on music as bands such as Led Zep? True they perform some great songs but are they as good as those from even further back in time?
I'm not sure they will. Many bands today point to the same artists again and again for inspiration with groups such as Queen, The Clash and Led Zep often being the source of much inspiration.
Brandon Flowers from the Killers recently hit out at Americans for still listening to Led Zep and Nirvana rather than his band. There's a very good reason for that. They're better. They were bands who write classic tunes that albums that will forever be remembered. The Killers still have a long way to go in my opinion. And if they could ever come with a song as good as this, or a performance as memorable as this, then they could have a slightly bigger claim. Not much bigger but still a bit bigger.
I get teased for my music tastes being old fashioned but I do feel it is significantly better than a lot of what is released today. Of course there are modern bands I listen to as well. Kasabian, Franz Ferdinand and Manic Street Preachers are just three bands I enjoy listening too and all have produced or are producing albums this year.
But if I had a choice of eras to listen to, the 70s would always win it for me.
Led Zeppelin's music isn't the easiest to cover, especially the high pitched vocals of Robert Plant and the drum beats of John Bonham. But on the whole they were very good playing a good mix of well known hits such as Whole Lotta Love, Rock and Roll and of course, Stairway to Heaven while at the same time playing a few lesser known tracks.
Being a Led Zeppelin fan (along with virtually every other band to have existed in the 70s!) this is probably the only time I'll get to hear their songs live with the chances of a reunion tour slim and having not tried to get a ticket for their London gig in 2007, something I think I will always regret. And it was an excellent evening, with Whole Lotta Led being a vast improvement on the Queen tribute band I saw last year. The only downside was them not playing Kashmir or Black Dog but you can't everything. The set list was good enough.
Listening to these songs being blasted out live though made me think. Can any bands out there today claim to have as larger impact and influence on music as bands such as Led Zep? True they perform some great songs but are they as good as those from even further back in time?
I'm not sure they will. Many bands today point to the same artists again and again for inspiration with groups such as Queen, The Clash and Led Zep often being the source of much inspiration.
Brandon Flowers from the Killers recently hit out at Americans for still listening to Led Zep and Nirvana rather than his band. There's a very good reason for that. They're better. They were bands who write classic tunes that albums that will forever be remembered. The Killers still have a long way to go in my opinion. And if they could ever come with a song as good as this, or a performance as memorable as this, then they could have a slightly bigger claim. Not much bigger but still a bit bigger.
I get teased for my music tastes being old fashioned but I do feel it is significantly better than a lot of what is released today. Of course there are modern bands I listen to as well. Kasabian, Franz Ferdinand and Manic Street Preachers are just three bands I enjoy listening too and all have produced or are producing albums this year.
But if I had a choice of eras to listen to, the 70s would always win it for me.
Thursday 26 March 2009
It may be one day cricket rather than test cricket being played now, but England are still struggling in the West Indies.
Defeat in the Twenty20 followed by an extremely fortunate win in the first ODI due to the Windies being unable to add up properly and then another routine defeat. At the moment it doesn't appear to matter who the coach is, or indeed who the captain is. The results aren't changing. But should England have a coach at all?
The most successful time in English cricket recently was the 18 months up to, and including the 2005 Ashes series, something that has been talked to death in this country. When Duncan Fletcher and firstly Nasser Hussein, and then Michael Vaughan led England to victory after victory. But then the wheels slowly started to come off. A stumble in the winter of 2005/6 followed by the disastarous Ashes tour in 2006/7 saw the end of Fletcher and the arrival of Peter Moores, a man who would not just rely on the same players again and again.
Well I think after the 18 months or so he had as coach, its safe to say he didn't do the job well enough. OK he wasn't helped by injures but I don't think he was good enough to be coach of the national side. His leadership didn't seem to be there and his relationship with Kevin Pietersen finally finished him off.
So should England have a coach at all?
I think there is a requirement for a coach of the national side. Other nations have improved with the arrival of coaches, so why can't England? The problem is finding the right one who is good enough to lead an international side. Now I have no idea who is out there that could do the job, however there must be somebody willing to help the team become a force again. The right coach should be able to provide experience and guidance to the players as well as improve their technique and how to deal with the opposition. And a coach and captain working together can work wonders. The Fletcher/Vaughan partnership is a very good example of that.
If it happened before, it can happen again.
Defeat in the Twenty20 followed by an extremely fortunate win in the first ODI due to the Windies being unable to add up properly and then another routine defeat. At the moment it doesn't appear to matter who the coach is, or indeed who the captain is. The results aren't changing. But should England have a coach at all?
The most successful time in English cricket recently was the 18 months up to, and including the 2005 Ashes series, something that has been talked to death in this country. When Duncan Fletcher and firstly Nasser Hussein, and then Michael Vaughan led England to victory after victory. But then the wheels slowly started to come off. A stumble in the winter of 2005/6 followed by the disastarous Ashes tour in 2006/7 saw the end of Fletcher and the arrival of Peter Moores, a man who would not just rely on the same players again and again.
Well I think after the 18 months or so he had as coach, its safe to say he didn't do the job well enough. OK he wasn't helped by injures but I don't think he was good enough to be coach of the national side. His leadership didn't seem to be there and his relationship with Kevin Pietersen finally finished him off.
So should England have a coach at all?
I think there is a requirement for a coach of the national side. Other nations have improved with the arrival of coaches, so why can't England? The problem is finding the right one who is good enough to lead an international side. Now I have no idea who is out there that could do the job, however there must be somebody willing to help the team become a force again. The right coach should be able to provide experience and guidance to the players as well as improve their technique and how to deal with the opposition. And a coach and captain working together can work wonders. The Fletcher/Vaughan partnership is a very good example of that.
If it happened before, it can happen again.
Friday 20 March 2009
The problem with F1
Another new season for Formula 1. Another new set of rules for everyone to try and understand. And just when you think you've got it, it's all change again...with nine days to go.
Since a certain Michael Schumacher turned Formula 1 from an exciting spectacle to a Sunday afternoon procession, the FIA have constantly meddled with the sport to ensure that nobody dominates it in the same way ever again.
I can see their point. Nobody wants to tune into to watching cars follow each other with the chances of overtaking being the same as trying to overtake an OAP in a Volvo on a twisty B-road.
However it seems they're doing too much. The change to current points scoring system for the 2003 season definately made for some much closer title battles, especially that past two seasons going right down to the wire. But why change it again? This idea that the driver who wins the most races over a season should win, I can see the logic, but in my mind consistancy should win the championship.
Formula 1 is about the results of the season. The Premiership isn't decided by the team that wins the most matches even if they have less points than the team that came top. So why should Formula 1?
We'll have to see how the new aero-regulations affect races. As long is it makes overtaking more likely, then I'm all for it. It is a massive shake up and produced a wide variety of cars, from the attractive to the plain ugly.
One thing that has not changed for this season (shock horror) is the qualifying system. So many different formats have been tried over the past six years, rather than old fashioned do 12 laps each, fastest lap gets pole. That was simple. Then someone decided that we should have qualifying on a Friday to decide the order that everyone gets to qualify for the grid on a Saturday. Why? And using different fuel loads. How confusing is that? Then endless changes after that, some mid-season!
Formula 1 fans have a hard job trying to understand all these changes. And for a sport which has increased in popularity since the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, new fans will be put off by the annual rewrite of the rule book.
And this latest farce could detract from what could be a vintage year of racing.
Thursday 12 March 2009
Long way home
I’m sitting here writing this on a train between Manchester and London. It wasn’t my intended journey home, but there you go. A power failure at Preston has meant no trains in and around Preston for most of today.
And ok you won’t be able to read this until I get home, due to me being unable to get Wi-Fi working; it’s giving me something to do.
A lot of people in this country moan about the trains. I admit, after a £6bn upgrade of the West Coast Main Line a power failure of this scale around the Preston area shouldn’t happen, we just have to get on as best we can.
This is what Virgin, and indeed the other train operators into Preston, have do
ne. And done it well.
I decided to travel home earlier than planned, as I had no idea how long it would take to get home, and the idea of getting home at gone midnight didn’t appeal. So I arrived about 3.20 at Preston station. Straight away I was told which coach to get for the first stage of my journey. This left pretty much as I sat down and we were off towards Manchester.
We were originally supposed to head to Manchester by coach, however they clocked that entering Manchester in rush hour wouldn’t be clever. So when we made our stop in Bolton they explained what was going to happen and why. Train it was to Manchester.
This brings me on to the worst part of the journey. Standing on what can only be described as a bus on rails. Not pleasant at the best of times. Appreciated even less when you have a suitcase and backpack...as does everybody else!
Nevertheless we made it to Manchester and I’m now being whizzed towards the capital, although remember when you read this I will have made it home.
So a well done to the train companies for helping us get to our destinations as easily possible. We were always going to be disrupted, however an extra 90 minutes taken to get home is not as bad as it could have been.
One more thing. It was nice that despite all the disruption there seemed to be no angry people anywhere. Everyone accepted what was going on, and OK we would all prefer a straightforward journey home, people seemed to just get on with it. I chatted to a few people who seemed in good spirits despite the discomfort. I can’t see anyone around London being quite as understanding somehow...
And ok you won’t be able to read this until I get home, due to me being unable to get Wi-Fi working; it’s giving me something to do.
A lot of people in this country moan about the trains. I admit, after a £6bn upgrade of the West Coast Main Line a power failure of this scale around the Preston area shouldn’t happen, we just have to get on as best we can.
This is what Virgin, and indeed the other train operators into Preston, have do
ne. And done it well.I decided to travel home earlier than planned, as I had no idea how long it would take to get home, and the idea of getting home at gone midnight didn’t appeal. So I arrived about 3.20 at Preston station. Straight away I was told which coach to get for the first stage of my journey. This left pretty much as I sat down and we were off towards Manchester.
We were originally supposed to head to Manchester by coach, however they clocked that entering Manchester in rush hour wouldn’t be clever. So when we made our stop in Bolton they explained what was going to happen and why. Train it was to Manchester.
This brings me on to the worst part of the journey. Standing on what can only be described as a bus on rails. Not pleasant at the best of times. Appreciated even less when you have a suitcase and backpack...as does everybody else!
Nevertheless we made it to Manchester and I’m now being whizzed towards the capital, although remember when you read this I will have made it home.
So a well done to the train companies for helping us get to our destinations as easily possible. We were always going to be disrupted, however an extra 90 minutes taken to get home is not as bad as it could have been.
One more thing. It was nice that despite all the disruption there seemed to be no angry people anywhere. Everyone accepted what was going on, and OK we would all prefer a straightforward journey home, people seemed to just get on with it. I chatted to a few people who seemed in good spirits despite the discomfort. I can’t see anyone around London being quite as understanding somehow...
Monday 9 March 2009
Which is better? The North or the South? There's only one way to find out.FIIIIIGHT!!!!
I have been fascinated to read the articles in the student newspaper at UCLan this week about the North versus the South. It made me think about these two areas of England and which is better, if either.
Being a southerner living in the North now, I've certianly had to put up with my fair share of 'southern fairy' quips from people. I've never understood where this has come from. I'm pretty sure walking round certain streets of London you would find people who would really object to being called a fairy, and let you know about it!
I do find the people in the North though to be friendlier and more approachable than southerners. Certainly the area I come from, everyone power walks all the time with their head down giving off an impression of, 'get out of my way you bastards. Don't look at me or talk to me, just leave me alone so I can go and make a quick buck somewhere.'
Looking out of my bedroom window as a kid watching middle aged men in suits with briefcases head to the train station in the morning certainly gave off that impression.
The weather up in the North though is just rubbish the majority of the time. It rains a lot more than I'm used to. There's an old saying that summer comes soonest in the South, I reckon it's true! It's just wet here. I don't mind the rain, but it is a little miserable seeing those grey skies day after day.
I saw a comment on the UCLan student paper website where the person writing for the South tried to claim football for the South because of Oldham and Blackpool. Come off it, who are you kidding?! The most successful teams are northern, end of story. Manchester United and Liverpool are the most successful English teams ever. 35 league titles and 8 European Cups between them says it all. And do not say the Chelsea are a successful southern side. They were just good before Abramovich but never in the hunt for trophies season after season.
One of my northern friends said to me earlier, 'Lewis Hamilton' and then laughed. Yes, the south produced the current Formula 1 World Champion and his team, McLaren, which are the most successful British team in F1 second only to Ferrari who have been around twice as long.
How about music though?
If I had to chose I would take the music of the South over the North. As much as I like bands such as Stone Roses; Oasis; The Verve; The Beatles; The Smiths etc it can't, in my opinion, compete with the music of Queen; Led Zeppelin; The Who; Pink Floyd; The Police...I could go on...
So I shall.
So I shall.
The Kinks; Blur; Kasabian - yes they're a southern band according to research; The Clash; The Rolling Stones; Sex Pistols; The Jam and Paul Weller; T-Rex. That's quite a list.
And although Liverpool gave us the Beatles, it also meant that every concert where many artists join together (Live 8, Party At the Palace etc) is now cursed with endless fucking repeats of 'Na na na na na ,na na na, hey Jude...'. Thanks Liverpool!
Speaking of Liverpool. Does any city in the world possess a more annoying accent? I'm sure the people of Liverpool are lovely, in fact going by the ones I have met they are, but they accent does my head in. They all sound the same to me! all really high pitched and as if they got a mouthful of phlegm in their throats. Listening to an interview with Jamie Carragher or 'Stevie Gerrard' is just annoying.
It just about beats the Essex accent into top place as the most annoying accent.
Overall Liverpool is much better than Essex and East London. Yes welcome to the home of the 2012 Olympics. Hackney. Doesn't sound good. Of all areas of the South the could have picked, they chose there. It says a lot for somewhere when the Eurostar train dives under all of it rather than run along the surface. To be fair if I was a foreigner arriving in London the last place I'd want to see first a place where the most famous export is Eastenders.
Ah, television. I'd agree the North has the better soap opera. Coronation Street is streets ahead of Eastenders. I don't remember any popular sitcoms being filmed in Albert Square recently. Apart from that though I think television from the South is better. One of Britain's most popular shows, Top Gear, is filmed in Surrey. The evergreen Only Fools And Horses is a southern product. Excellent TV shows which will forever remain popular with the British people.
Anyway that's enough. I'm heading home soon and I know that summer will come soonest in the South. Yet despite the television and music, the South doesn't have the friendliness or the community that you get up in the North.
And I don't think the South can compete with scenes like this...
Wednesday 4 March 2009
Where now for Pakistani cricket?
The attacks this week on the Sri Lankan cricket in Lahore have left the future of cricket in Pakistan in a delicate situation.
The sub-continent's most loved game faces an uncertain future in one of the best cricket nations in the world. A nation which is supposed to be hosting the 2011 Cricket World Cup along with India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
It is extremely sad to see a sport, cherished by so many people in South Asia, being driven out by acts of terrorism completely unconnected to the sport.
International cricket in the sub-continent was already in the balance following last year's attacks on Mumbai - which very nearly ended England's tour of India - before a rearranged series took place, rejuvenating the country.
But Pakistan has a much deeper problem. The fact that militants from their nation were blamed for the acts of terrorism in India and now against the Sri Lankan cricket team means no team will visit their country for a long time to come.
The security around the Sri Lankan team will have to be examined closely. No attack, no matter how organised, should be able to inflict that much damage on a team. And the results could potentially have been far worse. This is why no side will tour Pakistan. Nobody is confident about the level of security visiting sides will have to ensure an attack like this will never happen again.
For now Abu Dhabi has offered itself as a host for Pakistan's forthcoming fixtures against Australia, New Zealand and England's next tour in 2010. The ground has already been used in limited overs matches but never test cricket. And although I'm sure the Pakistan players will be grateful to be able to play against the best sides in the world, it won't beat playing at packed stadiums in the home country.
Meanwhile the ICC will decide what the future holds for cricket in Pakistan. Any decision they make though will have to be thought out very carefully to ensure that it is the right one, not only for international cricket, but also for Pakistan.
The sub-continent's most loved game faces an uncertain future in one of the best cricket nations in the world. A nation which is supposed to be hosting the 2011 Cricket World Cup along with India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
It is extremely sad to see a sport, cherished by so many people in South Asia, being driven out by acts of terrorism completely unconnected to the sport.
International cricket in the sub-continent was already in the balance following last year's attacks on Mumbai - which very nearly ended England's tour of India - before a rearranged series took place, rejuvenating the country.
But Pakistan has a much deeper problem. The fact that militants from their nation were blamed for the acts of terrorism in India and now against the Sri Lankan cricket team means no team will visit their country for a long time to come.
The security around the Sri Lankan team will have to be examined closely. No attack, no matter how organised, should be able to inflict that much damage on a team. And the results could potentially have been far worse. This is why no side will tour Pakistan. Nobody is confident about the level of security visiting sides will have to ensure an attack like this will never happen again.
For now Abu Dhabi has offered itself as a host for Pakistan's forthcoming fixtures against Australia, New Zealand and England's next tour in 2010. The ground has already been used in limited overs matches but never test cricket. And although I'm sure the Pakistan players will be grateful to be able to play against the best sides in the world, it won't beat playing at packed stadiums in the home country.
Meanwhile the ICC will decide what the future holds for cricket in Pakistan. Any decision they make though will have to be thought out very carefully to ensure that it is the right one, not only for international cricket, but also for Pakistan.
Monday 2 March 2009
What's going on with the England cricket team?
Watching the England team draw the penultimate test match in Barbados I find myself asking, what happened to the team that beat Australia in 2005?
When England won the Ashes in 2005 there were the 2nd best side in the world, having won in South Africa and beaten the West Indies home and away. They should have kicked on from there to try and overtake Australia as the best side in the world, they certainly had the players.
However if anything, the opposite has happened. England have struggled with injuries and what feels like a different captain leading the side in each series.
Since the 2005 Ashes Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Flintoff, Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen have all led the team with varying degrees of success. And this winter's tour of the West Indies has highlighted how the England team have stood still while all the others have progressed. A side that England beat 3-0 when they last visited in 2004 are 1-0 up with one match to play, although the state of the pitches has not helped.
If anyone is a better example of England's downward turn it is Steve Harmison. A bowler who after the 2004 of the Caribbean was ranked number one in the world after taking 23 wickets in the four match series including a sensational 7-12 in Sabina Park. He is now 29 in the world, below Matthew Hoggard who hasn't played international cricket in over a year.
Such erratic form from players such as Harmsion, Ian Bell and whoever the wicket keeper is in any particular match (it changes so often it's impossible to keep up, but they all seem to be the same) and endless injuries means that England constantly have to chop and change meaning the team cannot progress.
How can you know what your best side is when you have to change every match?
Watching England struggle to win in the West Indies, a place they won so comfortably in five years ago, is sad to see. And with Australia coming back this summer they need to sort their act out very quickly.
Let's hope England can use the Ashes as a starting point for future success, as they should have done four years ago.
When England won the Ashes in 2005 there were the 2nd best side in the world, having won in South Africa and beaten the West Indies home and away. They should have kicked on from there to try and overtake Australia as the best side in the world, they certainly had the players.
However if anything, the opposite has happened. England have struggled with injuries and what feels like a different captain leading the side in each series.
Since the 2005 Ashes Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Flintoff, Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen have all led the team with varying degrees of success. And this winter's tour of the West Indies has highlighted how the England team have stood still while all the others have progressed. A side that England beat 3-0 when they last visited in 2004 are 1-0 up with one match to play, although the state of the pitches has not helped.
If anyone is a better example of England's downward turn it is Steve Harmison. A bowler who after the 2004 of the Caribbean was ranked number one in the world after taking 23 wickets in the four match series including a sensational 7-12 in Sabina Park. He is now 29 in the world, below Matthew Hoggard who hasn't played international cricket in over a year.
Such erratic form from players such as Harmsion, Ian Bell and whoever the wicket keeper is in any particular match (it changes so often it's impossible to keep up, but they all seem to be the same) and endless injuries means that England constantly have to chop and change meaning the team cannot progress.
How can you know what your best side is when you have to change every match?
Watching England struggle to win in the West Indies, a place they won so comfortably in five years ago, is sad to see. And with Australia coming back this summer they need to sort their act out very quickly.
Let's hope England can use the Ashes as a starting point for future success, as they should have done four years ago.
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