x factor

argh! i am loathed to write on this topic - but i can't be the only one a little cheesed off by it all - x factor.

i do watch it. i am impressed by some of the contestants. it does make a bit of a mockery of the whole reality tv siuation. honestly - i do realise it is just a front for simon cowell making money.

i do feel sorry for some of the contestants who clearly have little to no talent. some are are really good. some are diabolical. take for instance jedward. how on earth did they get through to the finals. louis needs a strong talking too.

and simon needs a stiff word too. he said the week before last that if jedward get to a singoff he would eject them then in the face of a strong song from lucy he keeps them in. an example of a hollow promise from a guy obsessed with power and wanting to keep his own acts safe.

i suppose there is a little democracy in there (somewhere) - in so much as if the deadlock position comes up then the judges can put it back to the public vote (aka cop out). but at least the public would have a democratic final word rather than some random 4 judges off in media-la-la-land

Sustainability

Under the house has been a bit congested with DIY recently so the bike has been shoved behind all sorts of detrius like chicken wire and insulation materials. So with trepidation I unearthed my bike, proverbiallygot up off my behind and cycled to town. It seemed a bit easier than a few months ago since I last did it. Perhaps I am fitter? Ho ho. Or maybe the daylight and midday traffic levels just made it a little more pleasant. Best bits of the journey were going through queen square and out to the waterfront. It's great with the tree lined avenue and cobbled pavements.

Is there something deeper to all this. Well I have been reading: about sustainability, affluence and waste. Part of this is about living resourcefully despite the increasing monetary affluence that is brought out during the last 30 yrs. Yes there is a recession on and if the Tories get in then my pay will be frozen (blah!). But the reality is that we need to work that little bit harder to fight the 'easy' options of the car, convenience meals, labour saving devices and general indulgence that comes with conspicuous consumerism. I am not saying we need to go back to a near Amish existence (although nothing wrong with that if it is your thing). But the reality is that we consume 1.4 planet's worth of resources each year. And the clock is not being turned back. We can point the finger to the US and say that we need to live a little more modestly like in Africa. Reality is that we need to think a bit, live a bit - and just green it up a little.

Common sense comes into play. Perhaps I need to get my bike out a little more often.

The L shaped basketball court

Has anyone noticed that the basketball off of Eastwood Farm (up from the park) is L shaped? Not quite sure what our Councillors are lobbying for locally but perhaps this one has slipped under their radar. Is this the best way to engage with young people? Better facilities would boost the sense of worth.

Brislington Hill

Hmmh! Shops and retail are having a bit of a hard time at the moment. Brislington Hill seems a little worse for wear unless of course you are after a wedding dress, kebab, motorcross bike or knitting needles (albeit not all at once!!). I have been thinking about Bris Hill and it seems to me that it is a symptom of a lot of neighbourhood shops. The recession probably has been a factor in boarding up a few of the shop fronts. But then is it helped by the bus lane, steep incline of the hill, wierd parking layout and general poor urban design? Or is it because the layout isn't particularly good at fostering community spirit and providing that community hub that you get say in Henleaze or even Southmead! The footfall is probably less given the streaming commuters, the buslane and poor layout. But would you want to use the space once you got there. The lowly bike rack and bench is hardly a match to the fountains and open space on St Augustine's parade. Even Lockleaze has green grass on it's shopping square. Perhaps we can all cut a little square from our back gardens and donate a bit to Bris Hill. I digress. The bad news is that in the long run it's going to set up inequalities as those less mobile have less access to services. The area becomes more run down and people have less respect. I have started asking questions. Apparently the shopping area is on a long lease to a landlord. This is frustrating but not surprising. We could do with a little public art in the windows as a means to be getting us by the recession - or something equally creative. Apparently there is going to be some further studies done. Perhaps they need to inject a little 'placemapping' as per the balanced and mixed communities project back in Lockleaze where they sat down and had a really good think, involving stakeholders in how the square is laid out. We need this sort of joined up thinking in Bris at some point.

Credit crunch

On wednesday night I went to a meeting about reducing homophobic bullying in schools held by the LGB Forum. This is obviously an important topic, as with all aspects of every child matters. No child should have to be a victim of violence, emotional or neglect - whether it is due to sexuality, race, faith or anything else for that matter.

At the meeting various officers and cllrs spoke. But what was most striking was the description of one young man of his fight against harrasment at a local school. He looked as though he was holding back the tears. And to be frank it was quite emotional listening to it.

The bottom line is this, officers held their hands up saying that more should and will be done. The reality is that it is not just down to officers in the council house. It is up to school governors who foster the ethos of the school, the teachers who lead the education, parents who nurture and other young people to be respectful (as most I'm sure are but it only take the odd apple in the barrel as the saying goes).

Oh and the LGB Forum always seem to do nice cake. Much appreciated as blood sugar needed propping up during the length of the meeting! Walnut cake especially - yum!

From a different view

Sometimes life can be very straightforward if we look at it from the same view all of the time. Tonight, I saw the world from a different view. I started some canoe training over the summer. Tonight I went to Bath Poultney weir and saw for the first time the wonderful architecture from the river. As I am a big fan of decent urban design this quite enthused me. It gave me the realisation that river users have a different appreciation of space. We so often view the world from the horizontal plane of the pavement or as a car user from the road. But this was life from a different view. Although my view was a little more wet....drip drip.

(Follow the link for a nice view of the weir and of other canoe stuff from my canoe club).

Footie

It seems we are through to the world cup! First I knew was this evening when capello was being interviewed. They kept that one quite quiet. But then I'm not one for much football. I take the occassional peak if it is the England matches. I see that Bristol is biding to be one of the venues for our bid for 2010. Nice one! Let's not let it all go to the Liverpool and Manchester's of this life. It may enthuse me to take more of an interest in the game.