back to Shi Tao and Yahoo!

At the end of a July a very interesting development arose in connection with the Shi Tao case, a Chinese journalist currently serving 10 years in a Chinese jail for sending an e mail via his Yahoo account http://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions_details.asp?ActionID=202. Yahoo has always claimed they didn't know the context of the request for Shi Tao's e mail account details from the Chinese authorities.
The irrepressible blog, which o occasionally write under the name of Go Lego reveals that Yahoo may have been in the words of a once famous Cabinet Secretary 'economical with the truth'. Read more about the story in 2 blogs on 31 july and 2 august here http://www.amnesty.org.uk/blogs.asp?bid=50 . The new evidence has led to Rep Tom Lantos, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to open an inquiry into What Yahoo! actually knew when the Chinese ordered it to hand over information and whether Yahoo! Counsel misrepresented what Yahoo! knew to a House subcommittee last year. Interesting times. This is the San Francisco Chronicle story http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/04/BUBCRCLTH1.DTL&hw=Tom+Lantos&sn=002&sc=705.
Follow Rebecca MacKinnon's blog Rconversation, who always writes a stimulating blog especially about China and human rights http://rconversation.blogs.com/rconversation/2007/07/shi-taos-case-y.html.
September sees the case being brought by Shi Tao's mother and Wang Xiaoning's wife Yu Ling against Yahoo! under the Alien Tort Claims Act come to court. It will be interesting to see how the case evolves! Until another day.

joy of the quick crossword

It's only come to me very recently, the joy of doing a quick crossword in the morning on the commute to work, often resulting a few being leftover to tackle either at lunchtime with colleagues or in the evening with whoever happens to be in! I tackle the guardian quick crossword for my sins http://www.guardian.co.uk/.
Most of the time relatively straightforward but every so often there is a solution and i don't recognise the word e.g. of recent days - acrostic and gnomon!
I have never consistently attempted the cryptic puzzles to begin to understand the setter's thinking.
I shall stick to my quick crosswords until i have more time to sit and contemplate the cryptics. Although they are not considered difficult, i do get a little kick out of finishing one, particularly if i haven't had to resort to the dictionary or internet!

BAE, corruption and uk government complicity

The story runs and runs and almost each day brings a new aspect of the issue. It involves the UK Government, BAE, corruption, Saudi Princes, massive payments apparently sanctioned by the UK Government for such things as an airbus for a prince, weddings, call girls, a honeymoon etc, anger by the US Government and likely action by the US Justice Dept and US Congress against BAE (this is partly because US companies may have lost out on lucrative contracts in competition with BAE because they have tougher laws against corruption), involvement of OECD who are also angered that the UK Government has yet to prosecute anyone successfully under the OECD Anti-Corruption Convention, halting by SFO of its investigation into the Saudi / BAE corruption supposedly for 'national interests' a catch all for governments trying to hide something, although the SFO continues, with a few other fraud offices abroad, to investigate other BAE corruption allegations involving other countries.
The Guardian and BBC have done a lot of digging into the mire - http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2007/06/ethics_man_at_bae.html and http://www.guardian.co.uk/baefiles .
This story will run and run well beyond Bliar leaving office. It would be apt if one day Bliar, Goldsmith, Hoon and Browne answered for their deeds in a court of law.

long time no speak

It's been a while since i wrote a blog. Thought it would be good to update on our internet event on 6 june. By the skin of our teeth it was webcast globally, which was great. For those who missed it you can register and watch it here http://www.gginternet1.co.uk/amnesty/irrepressible01/. In addition it would be great if people would visit the campaign website and use the recently launched news hub at http://irrepressible.info/news .
There were a number of great contributions to the evening from the likes of Richard Stallman, Shava Nerad, Ron Deibert, Sami Ben Gharbia, Sina Motelabi, Kevin Anderson, Morton Sklar, Yam Shan-Shackleton, Josh Wolf and others together with podcasts from Jimmy Wales, Cory Doctorow Ethan Zuckerman etc etc. A great evening chaired superbly by Clark Boyd of the BBC!
Many thanks to all those who gave up their time to participate in the event. Also big thanks to the Observer and Guardian for their support for the campaign, which goes on with the Internet Governance Forum in the Autumn. There are a number of media stories about the event and internet repression / censorship on the Guardian/Observer websites http://www.guardian.co.uk/ and http://observer.guardian.co.uk/

a good meal

Went out with friends last night for a second visit to The Harrow Inn at Ightham. Very good meal in a relaxing atmosphere. I started with a 'Kent smokie' followed by a prawn curry. The restaurant is not difficult to find but it is tucked off the A25 and at the moment the turning off the A25 to it is blocked by work on the replacement of water pipes but there is a sign, the turning before, directing you to the pub.
I would recommend it for a meal although not cheap, about £30 per head.
Today, will see The Observer publish the first of its lead up articles to our internet event, about Murdoch's MySpace going into China, http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2083984,00.html and mentioning our event!

dependency on technology!

Today was an example of how dependent we are on technology. At around lunchtime we had a loss of power closely followed by an inability to pump water and therefore flush toilets! Rumour has it that a building had collapsed somewhere close by which had cut the power, but at the time of writing i still don't know that as fact.
We soon had our dependency reiterated, all contact information and telephone numbers on the pc, the inability to send and receive e mails or type! I hope it wasn't a foretaste of what will happen on 6 June for our internet event!
Starting to get acceptances for 6 June which is exciting and i hope that we will fill the auditorium with a good mix of politicians, ngos working on freedom of expression and internet repression in particular, student and other activists, bloggers, a few company representatives and civil servants.

'some people think the internet is a bad thing'

Nick and i were really pleased by the end of last week with the great mix of speakers we have for our 'some people think the internet is a bad thing' event on the evening of 6 june see the following link for more details, including a trailer for the event by clark boyd bbc technology correspondent who has kindly agreed to chair the event http://www.amnesty.org.uk/events_details.asp?ID=405
It's certainly proving good fun in pulling together the event and we are getting good help from Amnesty Offices in the US and Europe who are hosting several 'live' contributers to the event in addition to those who've pre-recorded their contribution and are appearing 'live' in London.
If you have the opportunity to listen in it will be webcast live on the evening of 6 June at http://www.amnesty.org.uk/webcast
Most interesting has been picking up the spread of media coverage on the issue of 'internet repression and censorship' from around the world. We hope in the near future to add a 'news hub' to the campaign's website http://irrepressible.info/
If you haven't signed up to the campaign already, please do so, and join over 66,000 people.

goodbye Bliar

At last having waited for what seems years, the day has finally come and Bliar has formally announced when he's going. That gives me two significant calendar dates in the coming months - 27 June for Bliar's departure and 1 July no more smoking whenever i eat out - hooray!
I think the aspect that i found harder and harder to bear with Bliar was the religious zealotry. His view that if he sincerely believed something to be right then that was all that mattered, the rest of us were supposed to fall in line and accept his decision, became harder and harder to take.
He also has an unfortunate smirk which makes it seem as though he's saying i've 'screwed you lot again and you are too dumb to notice'! That smirk mixed with the unfortunate smile of Cherie make them appear to be two of the most insincere people in public life that i can think of.
As for Brown, according to people i have known in the Treasury over recent years, he is archetypal 'dour management man' intolerant of those who don't agree with him and very dismissive of those who are not in his very tight and closed team of associates. Will he be able to appear to have any humanity and be able to communicate effectively remains to be seen.
He will find himself faced by Bliar 2, otherwise known as Eton Boy/Cameron.

the lincolnshire countryside

Sunday saw us go up with friends to a 'scandinavian type house' on a golf course in lincolnshire at belton woods. We went via a delightful 'gastropub' at clipsham in rutland called 'the olive branch' http://www.beechhouseclipsham.co.uk/editorials.asp?d=2&c=17 it also has a b&b opposite 'the beech house'.
The food was excellent, once we had got over the small problem of having booked 'the olive branch' in huddersfield, west yorkshire! Fortunately they managed to fit us in!
Today saw some rain for the first time for several weeks but my friends managed a round of golf, which unfortunately i was unable to join them in playing as i damaged my left elbow whilst practicising for the first time for 15+years! Serves me right!
Anyway it was pleasant to walk the course with Keith and Roger, who both enjoyed themselves. Roger played particularly well, with Keith also hitting some good shots and a poor tree on one occasion, when he found his ball very close to the tree's trunk!
Ali and the others are staying up until thursday.

it's some while

since i last posted primarily because the day after my last post on the 6th, my dad died in the afternoon, over the easter weekend. Lots of details to sort out. Mum is sort of up and down but i'm hopeful that she will be ok in the long run. It would be good if she could find the confidence and motivation to get out a bit and see a few people and invite some people back to her house for coffee or tea. Who knows what will happen but i'm hopeful.
Dad's cremation is on st george's day, which in his case is appropriate as he often wore a red rose on 23rd april in the past.
I've agreed to draft and read a sort passage about his life, which i will do at the weekend.
To be honest work at the moment, is a little bit of a sanctuary, although everyone has been very supportive, i would rather not linger in death's presence.
I think even mum is looking forward to the day after the cremation. It's been interesting to observe how we all cope differently with death. That's all for now.
The next post who knows!

contrasts

This easter brings a time for me of great contrasts. As my dad takes to his bed at home with hospice care, as his life comes to a close, the sun shines and new life is being created e.g. the bird box we put up in january now appears to be occupied by blue tits who apparently lay their eggs in the coming weeks.
Mum seems to have reached some acceptance of dad's death but who knows how you will react when the moment comes but it was good to talk to her yesterday evening. The hospice care he is receiving is exceptional. They came out to mum the night before last in the early hours and have been hugely supportive. It is my first contact with the hospice service and i'm very impressed with the quiet, sensitive and compassionate way they support families at a time of great sadness. On wonders how they deal with all the emotional baggage they must inevitably pick up doing their jobs.
So as we wait for new lives to be created and born so one life draws to a close.

a sport dying of excessive money

I know it's not going to happen tomorrow but football is surely at the beginning of a slow and painful death. At international level the sport now no longer holds the draw that it once did. Over paid premiership players, particularly those playing for top sides who regularly play in the champions league, no longer regard playing for their country as the height of their careers.
Champions league games and to a lesser extent, but nevertheless growing extent, premiership games are plagued with players feigning injury, diving, holding and any other cheating that gets them a win. Referees turn a blind eye to a number of fouls, as the level of tolerance of foul play has grown and grown.
Supporters are bled dry by their clubs and now we are on the brink of the creation of a 'european super league' with supporters being asked to cross europe to watch their side away from home. This will almost certainly lead to a further diminution of the status of playing for england or any other country. The euro super league will be the pinnacle of a player's achievement.
The irony is that even in the US, NFL and NBA there is not the dominance of the same sides year after year as there is in the premiership. This dominance will eventually kill the interest in the game by the supporter who attends games. Attendances are likely to fall and the top games will potentially be played in front of slowly emptying stadia and possibly emptying sofas and couchs? How long this will take, who knows, but i believe that this is the future of football in the uk.

a mystical chant

I'm not sure why but as i sat down this evening to write my blog entry the term 'a mystical chant' floated in from somewhere. What immediately comes to mind in the buddhist society http://www.thebuddhistsociety.org/ very close to victoria station in London.
I have visited there many times and of recent unfortunately got out of the habit of going there on a thursday evening to meditate. Something i miss and must return to.
It is here i learnt the little i know about buddhism and its history and philosophies. The society teaches Theravadan, Zen and Tibetan Buddhism.
If you are curious about buddhism, then i would encourage you to visit the society at 58 ecclestion square behind victoria station.
I have spent many happy hours at the society, which is a quiet oasis in a very busy city. I haven't forgotten you Irene and hope to see you again soon.

speaking up for radio

As i get older i'm more and more pleased that i grew up in the era of the radio. I'm sure it helped with concentration and provided loads of opportunities to use your imagination and create wonderful pictures in your mind as stories unfolded.
I'm really pleased that spoken radio seems to be making a bit of a comeback, although music radio is insufficiently broad in its offerings. Far too much of it is the same old music. There are far too few opportunities to listen to different music, giving people the chance to find 'new music'. Radio 3's late junction http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/is a rare example of such an opportunity and radio 6 is not too bad.
But on balance it is still 'spoken radio' that i enjoy most. If only there was more choice. I;m not clear whether channel 4's venture into radio will include spoken radio or not.

irrepressible

http://irrepressible.info/ is the website for one of our team's major campaigns on internet repression (with the observer http://observer.guardian.co.uk/) and the complicity of hardware, software and internet search engines companies like google, yahoo and microsoft in state censorship and repression on the internet.
Have a look at the website , join the campaign and take action!
Further stuff is coming, including further work on internet repression in china as part of the beijing olympics campaign.
I have learnet so much from being involved in the campaign, websites worth visiting include http://www.amnesty.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=10112 , http://www.boingboing.net/ (which sometimes has some comment on internet freedom), http://www.opennetinitiative.org/ , http://tor.eff.org/ plus loads of others. Open Net Initiative has created a useful interactive map showing Internet censorship by country. Definitely worth a look. It's been really interesting working with a company called soda http://soda.co.uk/ in developing the website, take a look at their website.

Sarah briefly coming back to the uk

Partly because of my dad's illness and also because she is still waiting for her work permit in the US, Sarah is flying back to the uk tonight to see friends and family for three weeks. Fortunately Matt can pick her up at heathrow tomorrow, he hasn't seen her for over two years!
She and Mike are yet to tell their friends that they married in brisbane, so i'm not sure when she comes over whether she will tell them or not.
My mum and dad will be pleased to see them as i suspect dad thought he wouldn't see her again.
This sunday will see a large family gathering at our house, where Sarah will catch up with family and whilst she's here she will at least catch up with friends in the south, even if she doesn't travel north.
I'm sure it will feel a little strange for her, because for the last two plus years she and Mike have really only had each other, whether it was travelling in south america for six months or new zealand for three months, semi-following the british lions or then in australia and now california. They had the most fabulous time but they also dealt with quite dangerous and difficult circumstances.
I'm looking ofrward to welcming her home, if only for three weeks!

my dad

Dad has been in hospital for some eight weeks now, ill enough from all accounts to be unlikely to recover and he may have weeks rather than month left to live.
Both his wish and mum's is that he spend whatever time he has left at home, newly bought bed awaits him, but the biggest obstacle is geeting the hospital to agree that he's stable enough to leave!
The daily trip to the hospital is definitely telling on mum's health and it seems to me on humanitarian grounds alone that he should come out as soon as possible, but that is proving more difficult than anticipated.
The latest is that he might come home on thursday but that seems to be subject to various caveats. I hope that when thursday comes he will go home for his final weeks/months.

spring is on its way

Beautiful bright blue skies today, around 60F. Matt arrived back from snowboarding in les arcs early this morning, without injury! Spent most of the rest of the daylight hours in the garden, amongst other things planting the potatoes i'd been chitting for the past few weeks, jersey, maris bard and charlotte. Apart from watering occasionally and earthing up over the top of them there is not much more to do.
Ali says she has seen the blue tits coming out of the bird box we put up in the winter so fingers crossed, they will nest there this spring/summer. Something has been burrowing into the compost again, i don't know what. The compost has produced some excellent stuff this year, much of which has been put on the garden over the winter. Partly cos of the warmth the lawn also had its first cut!
I hope we are luckier this year with the other vegetable seeds we plant, the plot in the garden is not in the best of places and i'm negotiating with Ali, not very successfully at the moment, for part of one of her prized beds!
Roll on the clocks going forward, apparently they did in california last night, Sarah phoned and for a couple of weeks they are only seven hours behind us.

the seagull

Went to see the seagull this evening at the royal court theatre http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/. It was excellent, i especially enjoyed the second half of the play. Kristin Scott Thomas and MacKenzie Crook were particularly good but the whole cast were fine. As far as i'm aware this is the first time i've seen the play, although being aware of it for years.
The way it was played gave it a melodramatic quality, with Kristin Scott Thomas simply haming it up to get whatever she wants from her lover, son and others. She could have almost winked at the audience whilst doing so.
MacKenzie Crook, previously probably best known for the office, had that thin, bleak pale look more often portrayed by young women. Although he was supposed to have been in love, finally killing himself when the object of his affection returns and then leaves again, telling him she is still passionately in love with the man who has misused her love and returned to Kristin Scott Thomas, i wasn't convinced of that love. He gave the impression of a tortured man who was in love with his writing but not with her.
Nevertheless i enjoyed it and will look out for other Chekhov plays.

what do you know?

Back at work today to a small mountain of e mails which by the time i left were down to a negligble number.
I was pondering today on a discussion i've had with several people over the years as to whether it's possible to have a discussion, not necessarily the best informed, on almost any topic i.e. if anyone comes up with a topic i suggest that it's possible for many of us to have a discussion with someone who's well-informed on the issue.
I think you can take their leads and go off in different directions and inevitably if you both have very varied backgrounds and experience, each may well add a new angle of thinking which will make the other review and possibly revise their thinking.
Try it with friends, taking it in turn to suggest topics, ideally ones that the person suggesting them knows something about. It makes for an interesting evening.
Too often we say we know nothing about a topic when you may well find that you know more than you think!

immediate post california impressions

Home after a reasonable flight. My first post-trip impressions are - freeways, car dependency, unbelieveable bright light, blue skies and mountains, a land of extremes, superficial, home of advertising and marketing, very fat and slim people, quality in entertainment only comes in small nuggets, very cheap fattening food, quantity rather than quality.
It is easy to see that the UK is at an earlier stage of a similar line of development and i'm not sure that we are going to be able to divert from what appears to be an inevitable mimicing of the US in so many aspects of UK society.
I'm sure Sarah and Mike will enjoy their time in california but based on first impressions it wouldn't be a medium/long term home for me.
Work tomorrow - be interested to see what's been happening!

san diego and home

Had a great weekend in san diego with sarah and mike, although san diego was abit of a disappointment, i think primarily because it had been built up as being better than it turned out to be.
Enjoyable time on saturday in balboa park, in particular the photographic museum. Hotel in little italy proved a hit, as did the restaurants in that area of the city. Got about ok on trolley bus (tram) and other buses. Spent much of saturday walking around the city and on sunday drove out to coronado on the way back to LA to see the old hotel where part of 'some like it hot' was filmed. Then drove up the coast to laguna beach where we had late lunch/early evening supper as the sun was setting!
Back to the uk today with a late pm flight which will get me into London by lunchtime tomorrow.
It's been a really enjoyable trip to california and i look to my next trip! Hopefully sarah and mike will come back to the uk for 2/3 weeks in the summer.

car dependent in california

Since being here the dependency of california on the car has been drummed home. Sarah has hired a car whilst we are here, Mike takes the 'truck' to work with him.
Yesterday we tried going for a walk in chino hills state park but it was closed, not sure why!! So instead we took the car back to their apartment and went for a walk from there. It was very strange to walk on pavements up into the hills around their home. Almost no one else walking on the streets despite it being a beautiful day. However there are some bonuses from walking these included seeing a humming bird, varoius other birds including one or two birds of prey and loads of rabbits and gopher type of creature.
Today we are off to beaches to the south of LA and then tonight to San Diego for the weekend. Weather is set fine 75+ which should be good!
Having been stuck in a few traffic jams but almost no public transport alternative i can understand the probelm they have here re greenhouse gases!

joshua tree national park

Had a fabulous timeyesterday at joshua national park besides the mojave desert. The weather was bright blue skies but once you got out of the car to go walking in the park you realised there was a sharp cold wind! Hard to discern in the car with the sun warming you up.
The park is truly desert like with pale coffee coloured rocks which are smooth with cracks from the extreme heat, 110 plus in the height of summer. Very little vegetation - joshua trees, yuccas and other scrub. Apparently they have had exceptionally low rainfall this year so far, like many parts of the world as climate change bites.
We managed to see some wildlife a few birds - a scrub jay and a bunting like bird plus a white antelope squirrel and a slightly larger chipmunk like creature. We had several circular walks around the park and took some photos. The park's website is here http://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm
On the way back to Sarah and Mike's apartment there was the most beautiful red sunset and the weather is set to be good fornext four days or so,including our tripdown to san diego over the weekend before returning to the uk.

here in LA

Arrived ok on monday after a stress free flight, great to see Sarah and Mike again! Very quickly you realise that without a car you can do virtually nothing. Hence for Sarah once her work visa comes through she will need a car to get a job but won't be able to afford a car until she gets a job!
Their apartment is fine with views when it clear like today all the way to the San Gabriel Mountains. Today we are venturing to Joshua Tree National Park by the Mojave Desert, i think my first desert!
Weather beautiful, looking forward to taking some photos of the infamous Joshua Tree.

selling your soul for the corporate shilling

So as bae's shares continue to rise, bliar can be satisfied with yet another example of he and his government genuflecting for the corporate shilling. When he's not being shafted by bush, bliar is demonstrating to ukplc that he can do whatever the corporate world would like him to do as well as the next uk politician.
To protect saudi royals and friends and their fat swiss bank accounts, bliar has called off the sfo, which his acolyte goldsmith is now going to make disappear forever into some kind of merger with soca. In the meantime 'smalltime corruption investigations' involving bae with 'unimportant security states' such as tanzania, chile, romania, czech republic etc continue until either the cases are also dropped for 'insufficient evidence' or the odd case is brought which will either fail or some nobody will be found guilty, unlike those in cahoots with the current govt and last tory govt.
fundamentalist bliar and his uk govt are completely bankrupt and devoid of any moral authority. in the meantime ukplc is now being investigated for corruption re oil for food and medicines in iraq - gsk, astra zeneca, - corruption in kenya - vodafone - the list grows as ukplcs greed pushes it to lower and lower depths in order to extract the last pound of sales and profits, and we wonder why there are no decent 'role models' in our society!

a time to manage

What is it about management that means that so many people find it difficult and/or avoid doing what they are being paid to do, especially in terms of people management? Can management be taught or is it instinctive, intuitive plus observation and experience of life?
Some techniques can be taught but i'm not convinced that attendance on courses makes a manager and the more courses attended doesn't make a better manager. I know of people in some wlaks of life who have been sent on 5/6 + courses regarding the same issue but they are no better at that issue at the end of that process. Sometimes we have to recognise that someone is in the wrong the job, may have been incorrectly promoted and do something about it, not keep postponing the decision and action.
Heyho! Sometimes i feel as though i have a sense, quite quickly as to whether someone has the ingredients to become a good manager, likewise the opposite.
The more we try to distil it into a rational / objective process the less convinced i am by the results. I think you can make limited improvements by training but not make a poor manager into a good one, excpet on rare occasions.

trumped up in angola

Sitting on the bus from ludgate hill into work this morning i was reading through the guardian, when i came across a small item about the arrest of a british human rights campaigner in angola, whilst out there working on the oil and diamond industries.
The campaigner was well known to me as i had worked with her in the business and human rights team in my current job several years ago and we kept in touch since she'd moved to Global Witness. Once i got to work i contacted colleagues to see if we could add our support to getting her released as soon as possible. Gradually as the day went by it emerged that she had been arrested last sunday and hadn't been given access to a lawyer of her choice. It appears she may have been arrested for taking photos of an airport. By the end of the day it seemed like she had been given bail but it wasn't clear whether she had yet been released and when her 'trial' might be.
I shall be thinking of Sarah tonight and hope that she is soon back in the uk unharmed! For more info http://www.globalwitness.org/

the hamlet

As far as i can understand my dad and grandad were followers of dulwich hamlet football club in south london. I sort of inherited it and go on occasions. This year they are performing well and for much of the year they have been in the top three. Yesterday they had a great away win at kingstonian, winning 2 - 5.
When i first went as a child they had a good sized wooden stadium, which i think could of held 25,000, for an amateur club quite extraordinary. I beleive they held england amateur international matches at dulwich. Since those days they have struggled and now play on a ground v close to the original site but on a site owned by sainsburys. They share now with fisher athletic.
It would be great if at the end of the season they could be promoted into the ryman premier.
They are palying attractive football this year and deserve promotion but they still drop too many points in games they should win on paper, like losing away to the bottom club!
Fingers crossed! Unfortunately they don't have a website i can point you to, to show you their distinct shirts which are pink and navy blue, i'm sure not many pro or semi-pro sides have pink as one of their colours!

urban photography

I really enjoy both taking photos, preferably with my old slr, and visiting photgraphy galleries. Some of the ones i try to visit regualrly are as follows, the national portrait gallery http://www.npg.org.uk/live/index.asp, the photographers gallery, close to leicester square, http://www.photonet.org.uk/index.php?latest (i understand they've acquired new premises in soho, which in due course will mean a bigger galllery on the one site, the small getty gallery close to oxford circus (frequently changed and dipping into a great range of black and white photos - my personal favourites), michael hoppen gallery http://www.michaelhoppengallery.com/, the atlas gallery http://www.atlasgallery.com/
hackelbury gallery http://www.hackelbury.co.uk/about.html, and the v&as small photo gallery http://www.vam.ac.uk/.
As regards the taking i've been doing less of that recently so i'm resolved to do more in the future, particularly urban photography, starting by taking my camera and lenses to LA at the end of the month.

oh woe is me!

I'm typing this sitting rather stiffly on a chair having woken up this morning with a back that felt as though it was going to go into spasm at any moment. I went to work and had a very uncomfortable day, trying to get into a comfortable position! Unfortunately my osteopath was unwell and not able to see me today, i get this back pain about every 2/3 years but when it arrives it makes you realise how dependent you are on your back.
All of a sudden even the simplist of things become feats of endurance, like getting dressed and undressed and even sitting down and standing up!
Anyway, i've managed to book in to see one of Matt's school friends who is now a qualified osteopath tomorrow afternoon so i hope he can begin to ease the pain. I'm not a great pill taker and try if at all possible to avoid taking drugs, but i may have to resort to ibuprofen or something similar if this continues.
I'm fortunate in having a higher than average pain threshold, hence the no injections at the dentists, with a couple of exceptions, but that's another story!
Roll on tomorrow afternoon. The buddhist philosophy of 'be in the moment' is wearing thin at the present!

more bloody diamonds!

Still doing more campaigning at work on the issue of blood diamonds and tomorrow is of course valentine's day! The Independent today carried a story on what to buy for your lover if you want it to be 'ethical/sustainable' and my colleague was quoted about conflict diamonds and what consumers should ask in retailers when buying diamonds.
It was interesting to read in the US of a recent case in i think Tucson, where two people were arrested for allegedly smuggling about 11,000 carats worth of diamonds into the US. The issue doesn't go away no matter how much the industry wishes it would!
It should be on the home page of the website tomorrow so if you have any moment have a look
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/

is it too soon?

Barak Obama has formally announced his intention to run for the democratic nomination today, perhaps, even if not this time round, a serious candidate to become the first black president of the US. From what i know of him he's clearly very bright and ticks a lot of the right boxes, or should that be the 'centre i'm not really left of centre' boxes!
Although interestingly its reported that he's not trusted by a lot of afro-americans cos he's not deemed to share their heritage. He is not descended from slaves taken to the US. So what might be a natural constituency for him in terms of votes, might not turn out in numbers for him.
What chance a 'Clinton/Obama' ticket? Certainly Clinton has a massive war chest for the forthcoming battle but she is someone who very much produces a 'love her' or 'hate/her' response from people and the republicans would throw all the dirt they could find at her. One advantage she has over Bill is that she is very unlikely to have a truckload of affairs in the closet!
I hope the democrats get it together, almost anything has to be better than what i have little doubt history will record as the most stupid and inept president ever i.e. bush junior.
But who knows. Is America ready for a black president or a woman president, i fear not. However, there are many months to go before next years election!

the future looks brighter

Went to a comprehensive in Redbridge this pm to give an introductory talk on Amnesty International. On apparently what was an optional period it was great to see about 100 year 12s turn up to listen. The teacher who organised it is very keen to get a youth group going at the school and i was impressed at how knowledgeable they were about Amnesty and they even applauded after the 4 minute dvd, which is a first and very touching.
I came away feeling quite optimistic, the schools and unis often make me feel like that and i hope the young teacher gets the support from the students to get the group started, i have a feeling she definitely will.
Thank goodness the w/e starts here as they say! Watched a programme on keeping a vegetable plot, which has further encouraged me to work harder on our plot and try and recreate the allotment which i had for a number of years. I really enjoy both working the plot and reaping its benefits, but i need to order a lot more compost/manure as the plot isn't in the optimum position as regards the sun and the soil still needs a lot of enriching. I think that job begins this w/e!

blue sky musings

It is cold and crisp this morning with blue skies, in other words a brilliant day and one that i would miss a great deal if the worst predictions of global warming come to pass and southern england becomes another mediterranean.
In addition i would miss the seasons if i moved abroad to a warmer climate. I am one of those, i think relatively rare people, who prefer cold, bright blue sunny days to hot, sweaty days.
Walking on frosted grass, first thing, wherever in the world, is magical and i've been fortunate enough to walk in the mountains and valleys of a number of different countries around the world from peru to nepal to iceland to australia. Those walking trips far outweigh any beach holiday.
The quietness and time to yourself is just brilliant.
I look forward to exploring the national parks of california - a short visit to joshua national park is coming up early next month, yippee!

letter from not quite america

I listened for many years to Letter from America and always admired the apparent ease with which Alistair Cooke, started in one place and finished elsewhere but it all linked together and flowed effortlessly. Although what i did notice over those years is that he had moved from being an ex Manchester Guardian journalist if i remember rightly and ended up in his elegant New York apartment somewhat to the right of where he started!
If i recall i think his apartment was one of those in the US where the current residents effectively interview and have a veto over possible new neighbours in the building. I'm not quite sure where that right stands alongside equality and discrimination legislation! His death several years ago was however not the last of the story as it transpired that Cooke's body along with many others had been robbed of organs for subsequent sale.
A trade in China and many other countries which afflicts the living as well as the dead. With organs often being traded for passports and visas.

orienteering to the west!

What a change, a winter w/e of cold nights and sunny days with blue skies. How nice! Spent part of yesterday and today with friends down near weston super mare, like many similar seaside resorts in the uk, one that looks like its been sealed in a bubble for fifty years and the world has passed it by! Looking, even in the sun, sad and run down with,a pier which is rotting and is closed off.
Aside from that the weather was exceptionally bright and the walking in weston woods was good fun, along with tens of orienteers apparently involved in a competition. They appeared to log in at each flag they reached with a natty little electronic key. Glad we went this week as next week some 1,000 runners will descend on weston woods.
Looking forward to a busy coming week.

brisbane to LA

A month ago yesterday my daughter and partner married in brisbane, prior to moving to LA for 2/3 years with his job. The marriage enabled Sarah to get a work visa in the US. They decided to have a 'bare bones' marriage primarily cos of speed, they needed to leave for LA later in Jan and cos of the practicality of v few friends and family being able to make the journey to australia, especially over the xmas/new year period. They intend a future 'blessing' in the uk at some stage.
They have now arrived in LA, actually a couple of hours outside it, and are now looking for somewhere to rent. Later this month we are going out to see them, which i'm really looking forward to. For future trips i'm particularly looking forward to walking in one or more of the californian national parks. I'm not that wild about them being in the US but if it has to be there then it might as well be california. At least it cuts in half the journey time to see them, my only real complaint about going to Oz, leaving aside, i know the environmental damage. Hard when your children decide to live the other side of the world and you don't have 3 months to take train and boat to travel 12,000 miles!!!!

jazz talking

Went to see Gwyneth Herbert before xmas at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho. She's an excellent young jazz singer who has just released her new album, this time primarily of her own and jointly written material. See her website http://www.gwynethherbert.com/ where i think the album can be bought 'Between Me and the Wardrobe'. She was at Durham at the same time as Sarah, who remembers seeing her sing there.
Also just got a new jazz cd by someone not known to me, 'Good rain' by Solveig Slettahjell. She has a really interesting voice.Another artist worth listening to is Zoe Rahman http://www.zoerahman.com/ and her latest album 'Melting Pot'. Again almost entirely her own material on the album, although my favourite track is the one she didn't write, Muchhe Jaoa Dinguli. Having said that the whole album is different and i found grows on me the more i play it, particularly late evening.

bondosan

Went to see the latest Bond film, Casino Royale, recently. Very much in keeping with what i recall of the books, a much harder, tougher edge to the character. Of all the Bonds even Connery, Daniel Craig seems closest to that almost psychopathic character in the books but also mixed with vulnerability. I wonder if Ian Fleming would recognise this portrayal as being closest to the written character if he were still alive. However, the theme song was quite possibly the worst and most anonymous Bond song ever. I wonder where the franchise goes from here. Non-book scripts again or remakes of earlier books. There is a real problem in a non-cold war environment of coming up with plots/stories. Similar problem to that faced by John Le Carre who has endeavoured to site his more recent novels in current scenarios like 'multi-nationals and environmental/human rights abuses'. Similar problems are faced by tv versions of the spy genre like 'Spooks' which is in danger of going ott on 'muslim/middle east related stories'. It was interesting to see the most recent series finished with an 'environmental story' and one in the current world perfectly believeable of a uk government.

spoofing capitalism!

If you haven't visited before, a site well worth looking at is adbusters http://adbusters.org/home/ . As the ad says, if you excuse the pun, it does what it says on the packet. Starting i think with spoofing ads for major brand names. See some very good examples on the website. They developed the concept of the 'buy nothing day'. The site rightly questions our obsession with brand and shopping.I'm not sure when the site dates from, but it may have developed in the late 90s on the back of several books of the time, like 'no logo' highlighting for the 'brand generation' the domination of leading brands and their increasing invasion of public space and their power vis-a-vis many governments. In addition those same companies increasingly dictate the terms of the lives of most people on the planet.

musical interlude

What is it about certain fragments of music that make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. In my case such as the opening chords of Badge by Cream, or the opening of Kid A by Radiohead and that part of Karma Police - 'for a minute there i lost myself' as it builds to a crescendo. Others defy being repeated countless times such as 'love will tear us apart' by Joy Division. You never seem to tire of listening to them time and time again, often trying to detect the lyrics.

ancestral thoughts

As i walk each morning from Blackfriars through to Ludgate Hill past St Andrews by the Wardrobe (a wonderful name) and i cross Carter Lane, i'm frequently reminded that direct ancestors on my father's side lived here in the 19th century and elsewhere in the City, east end, north and south London. In fact since the mid 18th century my direct ancestors have lived in various parts of London.On occasions i've looked for the specific house numbers they lived in but the overwhelming majority no longer exist not unsurprisingly.I often think this very long association explains my deep passion for London, warts and all. It's as though it has seeped into my bones. I would love to come full circle and live back in the City. One day perhaps.I try to imagine my ancestors lives of scrimping and saving, with a few exceptions they were unskilled labourers, although one brother, in the mid 19th century, of my direct ancestor somehow managed to marry into a family owning wool warehouses in the Minories and left over £50, 000 in the 1850s but none of it came my family's way!My own birth by Waterloo Bridge, i think technically qualifies me as being born within the sounds of Bow Bells!

hollywood and conflict diamonds

Last friday saw the launch in the UK of Blood Diamond, the Hollywood film about conflict diamonds in Sierra Leone in the 1990s and also the film the diamond industry has tried hard to nullify by the launch of a multi-million dollar pr campaign. Most prominent in this campaign has been the launch by the industry of the so-called 'diamond facts' website.If you want to know the real facts then you are better going to Amnesty International UK website http://www.amnesty.org.uk/diamonds/
I hope many of those seeing the film, open their eyes to the issue and start asking retailers to prove their diamonds are conflict free. On that front there are a number of donwloads on the Amnesty site which will help those buying diamonds. I was lucky enought to see a review of the filmlast monday evening and although not my sort of film i would recommend it and i think it will do a goood job in bringing thousands more people to ask questions about where their diamonds come from.