New to Manchester

Arts Cuts in ma

2010-07-29T21:17:00.001+01:00

Online journalism in Salford

2009-12-17T01:24:00.004Z

This is my day job - News Editor at SalfordOnline.com, a community news website based in Salford, Greater Manchester.There are many, many interesting things that go on as part of this position - especially since it's a field in which there a NO experts. A lot of the things we do are made up on the hoof, as there's really no precedent.For example - workflow. If you're a camera professional, you're

A modest aim: to be the most famous Tom Rodgers in the UK

2009-04-29T11:18:00.002+01:00

It's a modest proposal - not to be famous, just to become the most well-recognised Tom Rodgers in the country. Unfortunately there are some already well-known TR's who are blocking the light, including a tree surgeon from Newcastle, a lawyer from Sheffield and a poor lad, a downhill biker who died recently.Maybe I just need to work on my SEO.On Google, A SalfordOnline.com video interview with

Idea for a Suicide prevention campaign

2009-02-15T21:00:00.003Z

Advertising idea of the week: suicide prevention.What do these three people have in common?a) Sigmund Freud (psychoanalyst)b) Justin Fashanu (footballer)c) Chris Benoit (wrestler)Give up?So did they.Suicide. It's not the answer.

Tom Becker at the Salford Book Awards -Jan 2009

2009-02-02T22:04:00.002Z

1.If you could dedicate this nomination to anyone, who would it be?Well, Darkside is dedicated to my family, so it seems only fair that they also get the dedication for this nomination.2. How old were you when you wrote your first story, and what was it about?Hazarding a guess, probably about 5 or 6. I haven’t the foggiest idea what it would have been about – possibly something to do with the

As Salford heads for redundancies, Manchester increases wages

2008-11-20T14:05:00.000Z

Reporter: Tom RodgersNews has emerged today that Manchester City Council is increasing its baseline rate of pay to £1 per hour ABOVE the minimum wage, putting more than 900 of the lowest-paid workers at a higher salary. The minimum wage at present is £5.73, and Manchester council have voted to make the minimum hourly pay £6.74. This means that in an average month of 40 hours per week, workers can

Over 11,000 Jobs on the line for Salford Council

2008-11-18T17:49:00.001Z

All 11,300 of Salford city council's workers have been offered the chance to take voluntary redundancy in response to today's news that the council is running at a £15 million deficit.The news broke as Salford was forced to undertake a review of how much it pays its staff. Conservative opposition to the Labour council leaders have spoken out in the past about the number of staff employed being

Best Blogs in Manchester

2008-08-26T15:40:00.002+01:00

Praise can be few and far between as a blog writer. So it's with a big smile on my face I announce that it's official.New To Manchester is in the Top 5 Blogs in Manchester, according to Blogged.com.

How to solve problems like a real person

2008-08-25T16:15:00.002+01:00

If you're a normal person, you will fuck up in your job occasionally.Management texts and office politics should take human fallibility into account, but they don't, so here's a great, simple guide to probelm-solving.

Earn money from freelance journalism!

2008-08-14T05:30:00.004+01:00

You may be suprised to read (if you don't come here very often) that journalism is among the worst-paid of all professions in the UK.So here's a few ways to get the rent cheque sorted if you're a struggling journo/writer. All it takes is your talent, a few envelopes and a couple of stamps.*Paul Foot AwardDeadline: 1 September 2008Categories: Investigative journalism, published in print or online

Missed call 08454122750

2008-08-08T15:49:00.006+01:00

This is really starting to get on my tits.I've had 8 missed calls in three days from 0845 4122750.T-Mobile are responsible for these calls, and every time I pick up, the phone goes dead.One solution, from whocallsme.com suggests that the T-mobile broadband team are trying to get their individual sales call figures up, and this is a cheap and time-effective way to do it.Well they may be persuading

Water Water Everywhere - Too Expensive To Drink

2008-08-08T04:26:00.005+01:00

Do you ever wonder "Have I got too much money?" Well, now here's a definitive check.If you find yourself breaking out your credit card to buy Voss Artesian bottled water at £25 for 12, consider yourself institutionalised by capitalism. It does come in a natty glass bottle. But it's still just water, even if it's sourced from under a million-year old glacier in deepest Norway, filtered through

Cuba: Not the Land of Freedom

2008-08-08T03:24:00.003+01:00

Saw this whilst researching for a piece about internet censorship. While the Cuban government considers the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay a violation of international treaty, there are laws concurrently running which allow authorities to jail members of the public even if they have committed no crime. The irony would be sweet if it wasn't so terrifying.Oscar Sánchez Madanbecame the 27th

I'm Not Lazy, I've Got A Sleep Disorder

2008-08-04T18:42:00.003+01:00

I often sleep for 12 - 14 hours, and it takes me a long time to fully "wake up" - I'm drowsy for hours after getting out of bed, I will mostly just fall back to sleep and nap for two or three more hours. This means that some days in the week I am awake for very few hours in the day.This fact astonishes and sometimes disgusts my friends: when I say I still sleep until mid-afternoon, I am accused

Murray Wins Masters Series Title

2008-08-04T15:36:00.002+01:00

Not long to go till Andy hits the Top 3, in my opinion. He beat World No.3 Djokovic for the second time this year to win the Cincinnati Master title yesterday, 7-6 7-6.He's finally starting to get recognition for all his hard physical work, despite his unpopularity with some tennis fans for his perceived anti-English comments.I know he's Scottish, but that's close enough for me. We do live in

Bored? Try SalfordOnline.com

2008-07-29T16:19:00.003+01:00

Here's a decent alternative for anyone who's bored. Try this link for SalfordOnline.com's A Bit of Fun, there's thousands of hours worth of fun shit to do, including crosswords, optical illusions, slashdot pics, jokes, cartoons, animations, videos and more.

Murray goes down to Nadal

2008-07-28T18:29:00.002+01:00

So Andy lost to Nadal again. This was always on the cards - Nadal is looking to topple Federer (who lost in Toronto in the 2nd round) from the No.1 spot and was in blistering form, taking the eventual title.Next stop on the American Hard Court tour is the Cincinatti Masters where Andy is seeded 9th.

Murray vs Djokovic Toronto Masters 2008

2008-07-27T00:39:00.003+01:00

Photo copyright Getty ImagesAndy Murray, seeded 8th here in the Toronto Masters, thrashed the 3rd seed Novak Djokovic today to set up a semi-final with Rafael Nadal.This is Andy's first win against the Serbian ace, having slumped to heavy defeats in their previous three encounters.In this, his first successful post-Wimbledon tournament, Murray has the chance to go all the way to the final if he

GIMP - Best Free Software

2008-07-25T02:52:00.004+01:00

The best free software of the moment is the GIMP: Gnu Image manipulation programme - it's basically a free alternative to Photoshop and the options are endless. I mean I'm an utter beginner at this, and I could knock up the above in about 3 minutesIt is a truly amazing program, and even better for the fact that it's so powerful, and people are writing new plug-ins/additions for it all the time.

My Recent Portfolio

2008-07-24T16:36:00.003+01:00

You can see my recent work at the following links. These include: a story about disabled access in Salford, a business feature on Salford City Radio, my coverage of an academic conference on The Fall and an interview with Turkish rock artist.Accidents Waiting to HappenRadio Fall conferencePaula Darwish interview

Salford Bloggers Do It For Free!

2008-07-19T18:00:00.002+01:00

If you live in Salford and belong to a community group, and you want to join the online revolution, go here, to Charlestown & Lower Kersal Social Media Centre. They'll teach you how to get a free blog, where you can post your thoughts, get involved in online debating and even market yourself for jobs.Safe, mate, d'ye knaa wha meen?

Manchester Media: Salford Online

2008-07-18T17:00:00.000+01:00

Salford Online is a news and community website serving, well, Salford.Long perceived as Manchester's "scruffy neighbour" (see here for the offending article), Salford has for years been playing catchup in terms of coverage and media outlets. Salfordonline attempts to redress this balance, and is looking for new amateur journalists and writers to cover the vast variety of stories on offer.It's led

Manchester Media: Freelance Writing

2008-07-17T18:30:00.002+01:00

How-do.co.uk, the website for North-west media professionals, is offering up and coming freelance writers the chance to write for their website. This could be a networking dream if you take it up. I'm going to have a go.See the ad here

iLog: Electronica Extraordinaire

2008-07-07T09:00:00.000+01:00

What could be more interesting than a shapely wooden box which creates and records samples of glitch electronica, noise, and the "sound" of light?Devised and created by three Manchester artists, Simon Blackmore, Antony Hall and Steve Symons, the iLogs allow you not only to listen to music, but to create experimental electronic compositions.They come fashioned out of mulberry, yew tree or laburnam

Warning: Salacious* Content Below!

2008-07-05T13:13:00.006+01:00

I'll be honest. As a 25-year old male with the mind of a 15-year old and the attention span of a 5-year old, I only use the internet for three main purposes:To help with Work. To find Porn. To assuage Boredom.I prefer the third option, believe it or not. How else would you stumble upon a little bit of genius like The Problems of Being an Egg, from Gumtree's genuinely funny Gumtastic Ads.

Reclaiming Bank Charges: UPDATE

2008-07-03T23:10:00.002+01:00

You may remember a little case concerning the billion-pound rip off of customers by banks charging over the odds for:Going over your overdraft limit,Late payments etc.Standard charges from Natwest for the above amount to over £30 each, which is total profiteering, as administration costs are only a couple of quid.The latest news on this is that the Office of Fair Trading is deciding whether

How To Get Rid Of YooNo Toolbar

2008-07-03T21:12:00.004+01:00

Mozilla's latest download, Firefox version 2.0.0.14, includes a Yoono Toolbar (beta) that takes up screen space on the left-hand side, and you can't close it.Clicking the X repeatedly, shouting at the computer and mashing the keyboard, nothing works.To rectify this problem, go to your Mozilla browser's Tools > Add-ons > Extensions then scroll down to the Yoono icon, click on it, then click on

My latest

2008-06-10T22:47:00.002+01:00

I am temping to support my journalism habit. From unemployment to Network Rail in 2 days, that's a personal record.

Plato was an excercise freak

2008-06-06T18:16:00.003+01:00

All over the net, exercise fans are quoting Plato:"Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it."Where exactly is this from? I've been trying to decipher in which text Plato supports exercise, but with no joy so far. Is it apocryphal? Is it bullshit? Where's it from, tell me so I can check it! Any ideas?

The Four Quadrants of Manchester

2008-06-05T06:42:00.001+01:00

Great and provoking post from this guy sleth. check it owt it's well funny like.

No Sleep Till Brooklyn

2008-06-05T05:36:00.002+01:00

I've been up so long my face and skull are starting to hurt. I have a cricked neck and a crocked jaw.I've got to be up in about 2 hours cos I'm going to cover Salford University's International Comedy Conference in delightful Salford, at the Old Fire Station , tomorrow (today?) 5th June and Friday 6th June. More details to follow on that one.More interesting stuff coming up this week - the

Imagine - Alan Yentob - Music Psychology

2008-06-05T03:51:00.003+01:00

Saw a very interesting documentary recently presented by "Noddies" Yentob in which he wasn't an annoying twat, so that was good. The programme was all about the effect that music has on the brain, the way that music "lights up" certain sections of the cerebral cortex.One amazing thing was a blind, heavily autistic and profoundly intellectually retarded man - he had the brain function responses of

Salford University MA Journalism

2008-06-03T17:04:00.008+01:00

So, that was it then, i went for my Masters in Journalism interview at Salford Journalism department at Adelphi House, Salford. There's a little picture of it on the right here, in fact.Adelphi House is a pretty imposing red square block of a building. It's right next to the River Irwell and can look quite pretty on a nice day, as you can see from the pic below.Don't get confused like I did and

Watch TV Online

2008-05-29T02:38:00.003+01:00

Want to see why thousands of people are refusing to pay their TV licences (not including me, of course) to see Strictly Come Shite and BBC "News"?Visit www.all2c.tv, a new aggregator for TV-streaming sites, packed full of wonderful TV shows like the award-winning The Wire, which Brit TV execs in their infinite wisdom decided to turn down; Battlestar Galactica, a new, intelligent, gripping,

Free Party Manchester

2008-05-24T18:47:00.002+01:00

ONE NIGHT ONLY: Phone numbers for you if you want to go to a multi-rig free party in Manchester, Sheffield or Bristol tonight. Call the numbers listed below for party details and directions:078241929780788413786007005800885Enjoy your raving!

Journalists Pissed off with PR - Official!

2008-05-01T17:04:00.002+01:00

The PR vs Journalism war continues. Saw this and had to give you the link. It's a genius article about how not to handle journalists.

Scam Warning: UBI UK LTD

2008-04-14T20:01:00.002+01:00

I've just been contacted by the above company, with regard to regaining bank charges. After much discussion, I managed to eke out of them that they charge £49.99 for contacting your bank on your behalf. As you probably know, you can do this for yourself, for free, at Martin Lewis' brilliant site Money Saving Expert. But currently, many cases are tied up in the county court, awaiting the result

Linking

2008-04-13T13:30:00.002+01:00

I think part of the problem is I'm not cultivating links. If I link to someone, they aren't obliged to link back to me. So what are the ways to drum up some readers?1. Tag more consistently2. Write to a specific audience. At this blog I tend to write to anyone, and on every subject, and this scattershot approach probably doesn't help with building a consistent audience.3. Get more involved in the

Love on the Bus

2008-04-12T19:00:00.003+01:00

Here's a little story by a mate of mine, Jaleefa Al-Khatib, who's too embarrassed to show her work to anyone, so I've stolen it and I'm posting it here:Love on the Bus It’s the least sexy place in the world. It’s six o clock, coal-black dark and the rain shows orange in the streetlights. It’s loud outside on the street. You’ve finished work, you’re tired, you’re hot and a bit sweaty

The Great Social Media Experiment: Part 1

2008-03-28T17:11:00.002Z

After many fruitless hours faffing around with this blog I'v decided to jump in feet first (can you do that with the internet?) and try to start telling people around the world about this blog. The problem being, I don't get any comments, so I never know if all this wonderful information about cars, TV, the media, pubs and the Daily "Heartless Arsehole" Mail is reaching anyone.So, step one on the

The Apprentice Series 4

2008-03-26T21:57:00.004Z

Candidate for Fool of the Series: upper-crust Raef. "The spoken word is my tool" he says. Here's the spoken word Raef, you're a tool.

In Real Life - For Real G33ks

2008-03-26T04:22:00.004Z

This is popping up more and more now - the use of IRL to describe happenings "In Real Life" as opposed to things that occur online, in the blogosphere etc. Let me tell you this: if you need your own acronym to understand the divide between real and computer worlds, you really need to switch it off, go outside and look at the sky. That's real.

Social Media: Friends

2008-03-26T04:17:00.002Z

The habit of "friends" tagging in social media is getting a bit redundant. People I meet on the internet are not my friends. They may be contacts, acquaintances even. But I don't complain to them about my girlfriend, or try to explain to them down the pub why Crewe Alexandra are the greatest football team in the world. You're not my friend unless you know my cats' names. End of.

Is Twitter useful?

2008-03-26T03:49:00.005Z

Once heralded the Next Big Thing in social media; are people taking Twitter too seriously? Ah, well, you see, many things that started off as a bit of fun between friends (Facebook, YouTube) are now seriously popular.I still, despite long conversations with collegues, can't see the business application of a device which is used by so many people as yet another stream of consciousness updater.

Journalism for students

2008-03-10T15:58:00.003Z

Manchester University Careers Service are offering a journalism taster this month. The two-day course, “Insight into Broadcasting and Journalism” takes place on Monday 17th - Tuesday 18th March (9am-5pm) at Manchester University.

Retracing Salford

2008-03-10T10:11:00.002Z

This exhibition at Salford Museum and Art Gallery documents over 50 years of Salford’s recent history. The exhibition includes Photographer Maria Murphy’s view of regeneration in SalfordMixed-media artist Tim Garner’s collages of photography & paintingLawrence Cassidy’s family photographs, films and memories from residents of demolished Salford streets. I spoke to Maria Murphy as

Librarians: A Dissection

2008-02-27T15:29:00.004Z

As a library professional, one often feels that it would be better for us if no-one ever used libraries, if all the books should just stay on the shelf, perfectly primed for learning. Shelving, which all librarians have to do at some point, is like making your bed. You know it’s going to be messed up

Reading List

2008-02-27T02:03:00.002Z

And the reading list for this week includes:For Pleasure:Terry Pratchett - Guards! Guards! (school library again)Dave Haslam - Manchester, EnglandFor WorkDave Haslam - as aboveMalcolm Gladwell - BlinkThe Google Story

Books Read This Week

2008-02-27T01:57:00.002Z

Look, I have to keep track of them somehow. This the easiest way. Reviews/marks to followReadLouis Sachar - Holes 10/10Louis Sachar - Small Steps 6/10Ally Kennan - Beast (Winner of Manchester Book Award 2006) 6/10UsedBarry Worthington - Discovering Manchester

EARTHQUAKE HITS MANCHESTER! PART 2

2008-02-27T01:11:00.003Z

So I've got over the initial shock of actually being in an earthquake situation. My heart has come out of overdrive, I've retreated from under the door frame and the kettle is on. All is well. But my first thought was "Who do I tell? What do I say? Where can I find out if anyone else felt that?" And I didn't know. Is there an online newsdesk that's open at this hour? I'm not going to call the

EARTHQUAKE HITS MANCHESTER!

2008-02-27T00:58:00.002Z

Tell me you felt that! It's 00.58 on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, and the couch just started shaking, the room wobbled like I was pissed, then settled. It lasted about 10 seconds. As I climbed to open the window there was also a slight aftershock ripple. Car alarms are now going off. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST!

Manchester Freebies II

2008-02-26T19:27:00.002Z

Krispy Kreme's Trafford Centre launch has resulted in the one thing obese Britons really don't need: free doughnuts. However, taste one of these little beauties and you'll see why Chris Rock said:"Krispy Kreme Donuts are so good, if I told you it had crack in it, you would be like, "I knew it was something in there. These donuts are too good. Got me going there at 4 o'clock in the morning going,

A Time of Waste

2008-02-05T09:10:00.000Z

One of the first things you learn whilst living in shared accomodation is that there's no legislating for the stupidity of other people. People have variously mature and immature moments, but the problem outside our flat on Clyde Road in West Didsbury, smacks of plain idiocy. Do people not know that rubbish bins won’t be collected if they are overflowing?The problem with doing things for people

Free Stuff in Manchester

2008-01-24T01:09:00.000Z

There's a simple pleasure in getting something for nothing. Whether it's finding hundreds of 80s new wave albums at a car boot sale, a pound on the floor or an extra few chips with your kebab, free stuff is a great find and produces a great feeling.So my advice is to sign up for free cinema tickets with See Film First. You get alerts to your email inbox on new releases that are coming out in your

Manchester Magazines

2008-01-21T19:44:00.000Z

I've been trying to get in touch with Bob Magazine recently, but mail to info@ and alan@bobmagazine.co.uk has been returned undelivered. Maybe they're just ignoring me, but who running a free magazine would turn down free writers?Bob has a nice indie-looking ethos: the website is written in fairly witty/ironic style, so I immediately wanted to get involved. If I'm going to write for free, I may

MA/PGDip Journalism: Salford

2008-01-19T01:53:00.000Z

I've been getting very excited this week by the prospect of Journalism. Out with writing for fun. In with writing for money. I'm putting together the final thoughts on an MA/PGDip in Journalism at Salford, starting September 2008.With mediacity:uk open for business in 2011 (check progess of building works here), I hope that this degree will open up some major networking opportunities in

Graduate Jobs with Adfero Manchester

2008-01-16T00:31:00.000Z

A while back I went for interview at the Manchester branch of Adfero - based in the Portland Tower in the centre of town. Their service is to write tailored news feeds for a variety of company websites, to boost SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) rankings and increase web traffic to their sites.I thought I'd share with you what I learnt about them, just in case any of you were going for interview

The Mighty versus The Mini

2008-01-10T16:34:00.000Z

Today's watchword is affordable.A David and Goliath situation has arisen.Whilst among an artsy, square-bespectacled lot watching Blood Simple at the Cornerhouse last night, an ad for the much demonised 4x4 Hummer came on (oooh, tough crowd). The smallest of the Hummer range - the still sizeable H2 - was winging its way to Manchester, via upmarket city centre dealership Bauer-Millett.Prices start

The Quiz Ninjas of Nazareth

2008-01-06T00:36:00.000Z

Juliet:"What's in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet." Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2) As a matter of course, I regularly participate in pub quizzes. What other institution rewards the obscure, anorak-y knowledge of celebrities, flags, TV shows and military history? Our local (and a fine beast she is) is The Railway, a proper down-at-heel, kind-at-heart

Woodstock: Given the Didsbury Treatment

2008-01-05T16:38:00.000Z

Usually, the refurbishment of your local pub is a traumatic time for any self-respecting regular.They change the comically peeling wallpaper, get rid of the shove-ha'penny board and replace it with a student-friendly quiz machine, and bin that pre-PC female contraceptive machine from the loos.The Woodstock on Barlow Moor road was already a "done-up" pub, having had a refurb back in 2003. It had

Sam Holden Is A Twat

2008-01-02T15:33:00.000Z

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=492405&in_page_id=1879

2008, we love you

2008-01-02T10:26:00.000Z

So, yes, it's 2008. It's the day after New Year's Day, which if you've got anything going for you, you'll have either spent in a hungover alcoholic mess, groaning on the sofa, or panicing about going back to work. I did the latter. "I'll be the only one in!", "there'll be nothing to do!". I remember moaning this way about school when it was Christmas, all the Muslim kids were off for (big) Eid

Pleasure vs Pain

2007-12-30T13:17:00.000Z

There are precious few pleasures in life, when you take into account the shitty state the world is in.So when I can kick back on a Sunday and do fuck all except drink tea with my girlfriend, smoke spliffs and listen to Kruder & Dorfmeister's entire back catalogue, I feel glad. My life's not in danger, I feel happy, healthy and secure. And for that I'm thankful. So many people my age all across

Bad Punctuation Really Does Make You Look Stupid

2007-12-30T11:27:00.000Z

Fantastic Opportunities for Banking Sales Advisor’sJob id: 35268267 Location:Manchester, Lancashire Salary:£16,100 + uncapped bonus Company:Adecco UK Job type:Permanent Date posted:28/12/2007 09:33

2007-12-30T10:56:00.000Z

I suppose it's confession time. Maybe no-one will read this. Maybe someone will. I'm a 25-year old immature boy with a good degree from a good university, only I'm completely lacking in ambition. Things I hope I can change this year:1) Cultivating an outsider's perspective -- The Cynic, The Loner, The Atheist -- and sticking to it no matter what the evidence.2) Smoking lots of weed in place of

Reuters comes to Manchester (sort of)

2007-10-29T11:42:00.000Z

Want the important news but can't be bothered to look for it? Click the new links on the right for an instant news feed to Reuters.

Brain-dead? Try this!

2007-10-28T18:30:00.000Z

Clients and colleagues getting on your nerves?Clearing your inbox no longer creatively fulfilling?Join skivers across the country, and regain concentration: take a ride in the lift! Oh, shiny beacon of hope in the bored worker's day! This humble contraption can be four by four feet of peace and silence in a world of office chaos.The first recorded evidence of a lift was recorded by bath-lingerer

Teddy bears

2007-10-15T16:56:00.000+01:00

Under Yew Tree Road bridge just outside Withington. If you go down to the woods today, be wary of the seasonal mushrooms you find........

Pun-tastic

2007-10-11T00:26:00.000+01:00

I did a double-take when I saw this guy's van on Moss Lane East, Moss Side. Good work fella.Reminds me of a little laundrette in Stoke called Iron Maiden. Class.

Give peace (and graffing) a chance

2007-10-10T20:15:00.001+01:00

I wanted to try to carry on the great work that McR Marks has done, and catalogue the graffing and tagging around the city's streets. I'm starting with Rusholme, as it's the way I walk home from work. I have to say, the effect of negative publicity about these areas from London and the non-regional media is shocking. At first, when I was posted to Moss Side by my temping agency, I was genuinely

2007-10-02T08:54:00.000+01:00

He has a face only a mother could love. Ray Quinn begins his conquest of the North at the Manchester Apollo tonight .The squeaky clean Liverpudlian scamp gained an ample following amongst grandmothers and the partially deaf after coming runner up in X-Factor 2006.Tickets are a mere, a piffling £23. Considering that you could have seen Ian Brown, Tool and the reformed Wu-Tang Clan for a similar

Global Warning

2007-09-30T11:56:00.001+01:00

M20's poshest takeaway is Globe on Lapwing Lane, Didsbury.It USP is that purports to offer a fine dining experience in the normal takeaway format; serving up not ony Italian but Mexican, Indian, Thai, Japanese and Chinese dishes. They call it "fusion food".There are over 80 exotic choices, from the Sui Mai - Chinese pork dumplings with bamboo - to Thai Geang Keow Curry, to the Yasi Yakitori (

Angels and Demons

2007-09-27T13:26:00.001+01:00

Halo 3 was released this Wednesday, 25th September, to a collective trouser-tightening among the world's Xbox 360 fanatics. Sales have already passed the $200 million mark, and bungie.net reports that over 4 million games have been logged in the past 24 hours. So what makes this game so special?The franchise began in late 2001 with “Halo: Combat Evolved”, the first game released with the original

Last Night's TV

2007-09-14T15:35:00.000+01:00

Advert:The Sun - We Love ItThe Sun's new ad campaign is a just indication of the collective inanity that drags the paper down. The Sun can be clever, incisive, witty even. It has fewer typos than the Guardian. Its headline-writers are the best in the business. But this ad campaign: dear oh dear. It depicts glamorous ladies in skin-tight black catsuits (cleavage abound), flying helicopters across

Funny peculiar

2007-09-13T09:21:00.000+01:00

Last night, the small-but-beautifully-formed town of Beverley played host to Comedy Buzz, a most unlikely of comedy nights. In this sleepy-looking pub on the outskirts of Hull, a roster of up-and-coming acts created an incredible show.They included Scarlet Lights, and unlikely prospect for an open-mic night; being as they were 5 ladies doing a sketch show, celebrating "A woman's power. And by

We Are The Music Makers

2007-09-12T11:23:00.000+01:00

The Arts Council UK has announced a loan of up to £2,000 for talented but hard up young 'uns and families to buy musical instruments. The project, entitled "Take It Away" is designed to give talented or interested kids the chance to own their very own instrument.The opportunity for young people to express themselves creatively is often cited as a route away from the boredom and peer pressure

Jessie James

2007-09-07T10:19:00.001+01:00

A minute’s silence was observed at 9.15 this morning in remembrance of Jessie James, the teenager shot and killed in Moss Side last year. The 15-year-old Manchester Academy schoolboy was riding his bike on his way to party near Broadfield Park on 7th Sept 2006, when two unidentified men approached Jessie and shot him three times at close range. He died before reaching hospital that morning.Many

I Got Them 12-bar Blues

2007-08-28T08:55:00.000+01:00

The earworm is a dangerous beast. That irritating tune off the radio that infiltrates your brain's defences, lodging itself in there? That's an earworm. It's usually 12 bars of middle-of-the-road pop; something which bypasses your taste sensors completely, but is so insanely catchy, can cause what music scientists are calling H.I.M: Hook-Induced Mania.The one driving me slowly mental at the

Brain-dead? Try this!

2007-07-26T11:44:00.003+01:00

Are you whiling away your hours in a job you hate?Can't wait for the weekend?Can't be motivated to change careers, or make a move elsewhere?Cheer yourself up with these tips on surviving office life.Tip 1: Font Of All KnowledgeInstead of worrying about your future, why not make the days go faster? Explore the fonts on Microsoft Word! Now when you're bored off your arse, writing a 100-page

Internet "the future" claims journalist

2007-07-10T00:43:00.000+01:00

Yes, this was an obvious conclusion from the Future of Journalism debate, held in John Rylands Library as part of the Manchester International Festival. The two hour session was chaired by Media Guardian columnist and local legend Steve Hewlett, all joviality and bulldog nous, allowing this four way tete-a-tete to flow. The subject focused on Journalism in the "new media age", dramatised with

2007-06-26T11:48:00.000+01:00

Spotted on ITV last night: Apostrophe Catastrophe! Whilst fighting my girlfriend for the remote (she wants Sex and the City, I want Die Hard), ITV's credits denote the film part of their "Action Hero's" season.Now I don't want to sound like a militant lunatic, but i hope someone got sacked for that mistake. It's bad enough when people text me, and the language sounds like it's written by a 7-year

What a Nice time

2007-06-14T01:59:00.001+01:00

Howard Marks aka Mr Nice aka Senor Nice made an entrance in The Roadhouse in Manchester on Monday night, shuffling onto stage, a suspisciouly sweet-smelling rollie in his mouth, looking like Ronnie Wood, only older and more craggy.There's no doubt Marks' colourful life is a great read, his life from small town Wales to princely Oxford undergrad, via acid and connections with the secret service,

2007-06-12T23:36:00.000+01:00

Award for least effective advert of the week: the Hyundai Tuscon. It "features" an amorphous black blob of a 4x4, wafting through countryside to the strains of American soft-rock wank. Various Lands-End catalogue models grin and look into the distance. A flower falls apart and floats onto the ground. By the time the advert had finished I'd forgotten the name of the car. Lizzie leaned across and

2007-06-08T01:22:00.000+01:00

Watching The Million Pound Footballers Giveaway last night felt like a missed opportunity. Dr Noreena Hertz, an intelligent, articulate and extraordinarily capable thinker attempted to persuade the nation to focus on nurses, by arranging for every Premiership player to donate the equivalent of a day's wages, £1.5m in all, to help stop nurses from considering strike action. The nation's

First post

2007-05-02T04:05:00.000+01:00

It's very late (or very early if you're a morning person, though I hope in my heart of hearts that these people don't actually exist, and everyone loves the warm embrace of a bed fug, and ruffling your head against soft, cold pillows). And yes, parentheses (or brackets for people who couldn't give a toss about The Rules Of English) are a major feature in (my) writing. Joseph Heller had the same