Archive for October, 2007

 

Pay as you throw

Tuesday, October 30th, 2007

There’s talk at the moment of a ‘pay as you throw’ system for charging for rubbish collections to reduce the amount we produce. Can anyone tell me how this would work in a block of flats (such as mine) where there is a communal rubbish chute?
xD.

 

The Battle of Algiers and ninety-day detention

Monday, October 29th, 2007

I’ve just heard a discussion on The Westminster Hour about talk that there will be a proposal in the Queen’s Speech to raise the limit for which terror suspects can be detained without charge from twenty-eight to ninety days. Any discussion of this sort is one of balance. Ultimately, the question it comes down to […]

 

The ‘ultimate tabloid headline’ meme

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Despite everything else that could be talked about, lots of bits of the media are talking about the Royal blackmail - apparently, a minor Royal was being blackmailed with a sex and drugs video - so I’m starting a meme: what is the best tabloid headline you can invent for this story?
I’m going for ‘Royal […]

 

The AXA six week option

Saturday, October 27th, 2007

AXA PPP Healthcare have recently been advertising on the television and on the Tube, amongst other places, its six week option; for a lesser price than insurance which will treat you privately immediately, you are seen by a private physician if the NHS can’t see you within six weeks. I’m not precisely sure on what […]

 

Welcome to davecole.org

Saturday, October 27th, 2007

I have just migrated my blog from unoriginalname38.blogspot.com to davecole.org and put it on the WordPress platform. I am endebted to Tomorrow’s Laundry for the blank theme onto which I added the formatting from Blogger. Do please take a look at the main part of the website, davecole.org, where I’ll be adding bits and bobs […]

 

Guardian America

Thursday, October 25th, 2007

I didn’t notice this, but the Guardian has launched an American service called (wait for it) Guardian America. After the Guardian’s foray into Americana in 2004 with letters to Clark County, there was criticism of its attempt to influence the American political agenda (’Dear Limey assholes‘) and so it is perhaps a surprise to see […]

 

disRESPECT - the disunity coalition

Wednesday, October 24th, 2007

I have read in various places that RESPECT is having problems. It seems that George Galloway and the SWP have fallen out and now there are letters flying around. I suspect that some poor sods are having frequent ‘emergency meetings’, or whatever the correct term is, at unsociable hours.
I had the misfortune to come across […]

 

The Independent on ‘our health crisis’

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007

The Independent runs with a story on its front page on Julian le Grand’s proposals to deal with the unhealthy state of the country. One of the suggestions is
The exercise hour
Companies with more than 500 employees would be required to designate an hour in the working day as the “exercise hour” and to provide facilities […]

 

Shibboleth

Monday, October 22nd, 2007

My love-hate relationship with Tate Modern continues with the new large-scale work in the Turbine Hall, Shibboleth by Doris Salcedo.

The Turbine Hall is a fantastic space that allows for some large-scale works that couldn’t happen anywhere else. The excellent second work in the Unilever series, Double Bind by Juan Muñoz, was sadly underrated, but […]

 

Songs in the key of B

Tuesday, October 16th, 2007

I have stumbled and mumbled my way onto a meme on Chris Dillow’s website - top ten songs beginning with a letter of the alphabet. I’m choosing the letter ‘B’.
1. Brown Eyed Handsome Man - Buddy Holly and the Crickets2. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel3. Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Presley4. Bleed […]