Teaching began again today. The group are almost the same as last term and I thought today's session went well.
I still feel that I am 'winding down' after the excitement (and relief) of handing in the thesis.
David came back from our church PCC on Monday. Sometimes its enough to make you spit. Would you believe that there are some people complaining about the Fair Traded coffee because 'they don't like the taste'.Now, this isn't finest Jamaican Blue Mountain, but instant granules. You know, the sort of crap you add water to and...bingo. Coffee! Well, thats one word for it. Frankly, it all tastes much the same, and to whinge about what it tastes like without any thought to the principles behind a Church baing a 'fair trade' church shows just how much education is still needed. I sometimes think, what exactly is the point of the Church? Correction. I daily ask myself 'what is the point of the Church'? When I conclude my answer, I'll let you know. Cynicism rules, OK?
Went to a new South Indian reataurant in Liverpool this evening. We loved it.Its called the Maharaja, in London Road, near the Odeon and the Empire Theatre, central Liverpool. Well worth trying.
What a surprise to see the Tories playing the race card again - and equally , what a surprise that the four Guantanemo Bay prisoners have been freed. Given that they didn't do anything other than be Muslim and in pakistan at the wrong time, no surprise there. Now, how about this so-called Labour government abandoning its shameful alliance with Bush?
Our equally so-called Labour MP. the highest expenses claimer in the whole House of Commons, is still milking as much political mileage as she can get for her public support of Sierra Leone : of course, it is nothing to do with her wanting to gain votes. Nothing at all. Oh, and for those of you who don't know, her (very high) office expense claim is for the office situated in her home in the constituency, and her personal secretary is her husband, a deselected ex-councillor who was turfed out by his ward last year.
Andorra have selected their Eurovision entry, and its really rather good!
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Today I submitted my PhD thesis...
...so now I have to await the viva and hopefully, a doctorate this summer.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Thursday, January 13, 2005
The latest....
The bibliography is now complete - so as long as my supervisor doesn't want any more amendments, its done! Had a break from cooking last night and visited the very good Puschka restaurant in Rodney Street. Very good food, and atmosphere, but the service can be a bit haphazard.
Went into college today, to collect some exam papers to mark, which I shall do over the next couple of days.
Have also been doing a bit of 'catching up', organised a meeting of the Gay and Lesbian Police Liaison Group for a couple of weeks time. Also, on Sunday, spent a very pleasant afternoon over at Neil's (hi Neil; hope you get to read this! ) Fellow Eurovision enthusiast, we watched 1965, and 2002. I'm pleased to see that the singer of one of my alltime favourite Eurovision entries, Chiara, who sang The One That I Love, in 1998 for Malta, is singing in their National Final again. I do hope she wins - its one of her own songs too.
Looks as if there is definitely going to be a general election this year. I don'tknow who I'll be voting for. Not Tory, obviously. I have no intention of going through the reasons why, it should be obvious. But I don't really want to vote Labour. I see no reason why I should support a slavish Blairite toady whose only rebellion has been in the service of her religion in opposing the Mental Capacity Bill. She thinks it quite OK to vote to kill a few thousand innocent Iraqis in the cause of re-electing Bush and oil supplies, but won't allow people to make their own decisions about their own death. If we had a halfway decent MP who thought that her job was about natiuonal politics, rather than behaving like some sort of unqualified busybody welfare worker, I may be persuadable. But Ms. Claire Curtis-Thomas MP doesn't fulfil what I want to see from an MP. She is the sort of person who could easily fit into any political party ; the fact that she has no qualms in appointing a known Tory (who has NEVER voted Labour in his life!) to compose most of her public statements and speeches says it all.
So, it looks like the LibDems for me this time. There are many things I approve of in their policies in any case - much stronger commitment to civil liberties - more enthusiastic towards Europe, and so on.
But it was encouraging to see Charles Clarke make it clear that he is not going to bring forth legislation to make it OK to shoot anyone who comes near your house . I can imagine Blunkett issuing us with all the guns. No doubt if Labour get back in, the repulsive Blunkett will be back in some guise or another - another Daily Mail styl;e social conservative. And what about Ruth Kelly? Known homophobe ( she has avoided every single vote on anything gay-related), against abortion, contraception, a member of Opus dei, that far-right neo-fascist organisation well known for its support of Franco in Spain. How can someone with views like these even be accepted as a member of the Labour Party, let alone one of its senior ministers?
I hope the electors of Bolton West see sense and turf her out next time. The omens are good, the majority is only 5000 and there'snot a single Labour councillor left in the seat. Its one of the few places where I'd say it doesn't matter if a Tory does get elected, and it may even be worth voting Tory just to ensure Kelly's demise. people like that are a menace within any sort of left-wing, progressive movement.
Went into college today, to collect some exam papers to mark, which I shall do over the next couple of days.
Have also been doing a bit of 'catching up', organised a meeting of the Gay and Lesbian Police Liaison Group for a couple of weeks time. Also, on Sunday, spent a very pleasant afternoon over at Neil's (hi Neil; hope you get to read this! ) Fellow Eurovision enthusiast, we watched 1965, and 2002. I'm pleased to see that the singer of one of my alltime favourite Eurovision entries, Chiara, who sang The One That I Love, in 1998 for Malta, is singing in their National Final again. I do hope she wins - its one of her own songs too.
Looks as if there is definitely going to be a general election this year. I don'tknow who I'll be voting for. Not Tory, obviously. I have no intention of going through the reasons why, it should be obvious. But I don't really want to vote Labour. I see no reason why I should support a slavish Blairite toady whose only rebellion has been in the service of her religion in opposing the Mental Capacity Bill. She thinks it quite OK to vote to kill a few thousand innocent Iraqis in the cause of re-electing Bush and oil supplies, but won't allow people to make their own decisions about their own death. If we had a halfway decent MP who thought that her job was about natiuonal politics, rather than behaving like some sort of unqualified busybody welfare worker, I may be persuadable. But Ms. Claire Curtis-Thomas MP doesn't fulfil what I want to see from an MP. She is the sort of person who could easily fit into any political party ; the fact that she has no qualms in appointing a known Tory (who has NEVER voted Labour in his life!) to compose most of her public statements and speeches says it all.
So, it looks like the LibDems for me this time. There are many things I approve of in their policies in any case - much stronger commitment to civil liberties - more enthusiastic towards Europe, and so on.
But it was encouraging to see Charles Clarke make it clear that he is not going to bring forth legislation to make it OK to shoot anyone who comes near your house . I can imagine Blunkett issuing us with all the guns. No doubt if Labour get back in, the repulsive Blunkett will be back in some guise or another - another Daily Mail styl;e social conservative. And what about Ruth Kelly? Known homophobe ( she has avoided every single vote on anything gay-related), against abortion, contraception, a member of Opus dei, that far-right neo-fascist organisation well known for its support of Franco in Spain. How can someone with views like these even be accepted as a member of the Labour Party, let alone one of its senior ministers?
I hope the electors of Bolton West see sense and turf her out next time. The omens are good, the majority is only 5000 and there'snot a single Labour councillor left in the seat. Its one of the few places where I'd say it doesn't matter if a Tory does get elected, and it may even be worth voting Tory just to ensure Kelly's demise. people like that are a menace within any sort of left-wing, progressive movement.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Jerry Springer - The Opera BBC2 10pm Saturday
Don't forget to watch it - its excellent, great fun and outrageous satire at its best.
And did you hear the evangelical despots screeching outside the BBC today? Just shows how dangerous they are and what society would be like if they had there way. Humourless, censorious, restrictive, censored.
The fact that they oppose it is good reasaon alone to tune in - and enjoy!
And did you hear the evangelical despots screeching outside the BBC today? Just shows how dangerous they are and what society would be like if they had there way. Humourless, censorious, restrictive, censored.
The fact that they oppose it is good reasaon alone to tune in - and enjoy!
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
2-1 to EFC, amendments going well....
Well, not only have we signed a decent striker - James Bettie ( talented and hunky!) but also we beat Portsmouth in the dying seconds of tonights game. Fantastic.
And the amendments are going well. I asked an academic former colleague from the college where I teach part time to have a look at the thesis for some feedback and she was very complimentary - and made the same main suggestion as my supervisor!
So, that gives me some encouragement and hopefully i will complete the amendments process tomorrow.
Then its on to the bibliography....
And the amendments are going well. I asked an academic former colleague from the college where I teach part time to have a look at the thesis for some feedback and she was very complimentary - and made the same main suggestion as my supervisor!
So, that gives me some encouragement and hopefully i will complete the amendments process tomorrow.
Then its on to the bibliography....
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Welcome 2005
And hello to the few readers who have discovered this blog. If you are one of them who hasn't yet contributed,please do sign in and say hello.
So, what for 2005?
Everton lost 5-2 today. Not good. We really do need to make a couple of signings - I hope James Beattie (because he's a good player and very good looking!) and maybe Leighton Baines from Wigan who shows potential. Robbie Savage would be worth thinking about too.
The cold returned and is now a chesty cough/mild bronchitis - again. Will I ever be free of it?
Went to church this lunchtime - I've decided that this negativity has got to go and it will only be contacted by some constructive thinking, so I have contacted our vicar to discuss the possibility of lay reader training. Nothing will change whilst i sit on the outside whingeing. Weare also to do a parish survey ( which I have designed) and I have arranged the first three of the six interviews I will be doing.
Have finished all my marking. Three cases of blatant plagiarism. Honestly, do students think we are entirely stupid? I pride myself on being a bit of a sleuth as far as internet plagiarism is concerned....
Have received some feedback re: my final chapter. Supervisor would like me to cut out a lot of the new theory introduced and I think he's right - shouldn't take me too long to re-structure. I have set two days by to do that this week.
Have heard the three finalists for the Belarussian Eurovision entry. They are quite unbelievably horrible. Last years entry was quirky but magnificent - a bit like the Corrs on acid - but all of these three are equally dire....the singing on one of them, by Nathalia, is particularly bizarre.
I shall try and contribute to this blog more regularly.....
So, what for 2005?
Everton lost 5-2 today. Not good. We really do need to make a couple of signings - I hope James Beattie (because he's a good player and very good looking!) and maybe Leighton Baines from Wigan who shows potential. Robbie Savage would be worth thinking about too.
The cold returned and is now a chesty cough/mild bronchitis - again. Will I ever be free of it?
Went to church this lunchtime - I've decided that this negativity has got to go and it will only be contacted by some constructive thinking, so I have contacted our vicar to discuss the possibility of lay reader training. Nothing will change whilst i sit on the outside whingeing. Weare also to do a parish survey ( which I have designed) and I have arranged the first three of the six interviews I will be doing.
Have finished all my marking. Three cases of blatant plagiarism. Honestly, do students think we are entirely stupid? I pride myself on being a bit of a sleuth as far as internet plagiarism is concerned....
Have received some feedback re: my final chapter. Supervisor would like me to cut out a lot of the new theory introduced and I think he's right - shouldn't take me too long to re-structure. I have set two days by to do that this week.
Have heard the three finalists for the Belarussian Eurovision entry. They are quite unbelievably horrible. Last years entry was quirky but magnificent - a bit like the Corrs on acid - but all of these three are equally dire....the singing on one of them, by Nathalia, is particularly bizarre.
I shall try and contribute to this blog more regularly.....
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