Supermarket price wars

Posted by on Jun 27, 2008 in updates | 32 comments Newsnight will ask its panel tonight: ” What kind of life can a chicken have had when it ends up sold at Tesco for £2?” The answer is obviously none. It then continues to ask if anyone can afford to care when food prices are tripling and it costs nearly £75 to fill your car with petrol. My answer to that is yes, we have to care and maintain public health standards. But at the end...
read more

How do we support our ME sufferers?

Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 in updates | 13 comments I know two women whose lives have been shattered by ME, and I can tell you their suffering was very real, and not “all in their minds”, as some might believe. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, or chronic fatigue syndrome, affects an estimated 250,000 people in the UK. I’m highlighting it today following a significant legal victory for two ME sufferers after a leading judge declared it...
read more

Totally new Total Politics

Posted by on Jun 23, 2008 in updates | 15 comments Iain Dale has taken political blogging to a new dimension by launching Total Politics, an essential internet resource for political animals like myself. Total Politics is Iain’s brainchild and is also available as a printed edition which Iain hopes “will do for politics what GQ has done for men’s fashion”. Is that a reference to the snazzy ties Iain favours? The website...
read more

Geoff’s Cambridge to Oxford walk

Posted by on Jun 22, 2008 in updates | 15 comments My dear friend Geoff who started me blogging is on his second day of walking from Cambridge to Oxford, about 80 miles. That’s a mere stroll in the park for Geoff, who is used to much longer and challenging routes across Europe, and often alone. I don’t need to text him every day any more to check he is ok as he is in regular contact via Twitter and keeps his girlfriend Sally fully...
read more

Meet Mick, who blogs about his brain injury

Posted by on Jun 20, 2008 in updates | 10 comments I spent one afternoon this week sitting in an out-patients clinic run by a neurosurgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge for his brain injured patients in my role as a Headway trustee. It was truly harrowing listening to so many personal stories of tragedy, how people’s lives have changed dramatically overnight. The Cambridgeshire branch of Headway runs a unique service by having...
read more

Do you fancy eating chlorinated chicken?

Posted by on Jun 20, 2008 in updates | 10 comments My MEP Robert Sturdy was among Conservative spokesmen who led the vote against allowing US imports of chlorinated chicken in the EU – a practice banned in Europe. Yet the British government was the only country which turned a blind eye to this. Robert is the Conservative international trade spokesman and his concerns were based on how meeting American demands would flout present strict...
read more

How the rosemary plant could provide a "green" solution to oil-based products

Posted by on Jun 18, 2008 in updates | 11 comments I’ve just issued a press release describing how the humble rosemary plant could revolutionise the way that some oil-based products are made, providing a “greenâ€? alternative to the synthetics and fossil fuels which are presently used. Research scientists at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in Cambridge have joined a group of leading industry and research partners to...
read more

My new MacBook

Posted by on Jun 16, 2008 in updates | 16 comments I’ve bought a new glossy MacBook so I can use its renowned applications to produce some great videos for my clients. I found Vista pretty hopeless for publishing YouTube, but noticed how slick and effortless it was to do this from Geoff’s Apple Mac. It’s totally different to what I have been used to, but I now feel totally reassured about making full use of its many...
read more

Who not to invite to weddings

Posted by on Jun 14, 2008 in updates | 20 comments When I married, my husband’s family were not keen to invite children to the wedding because his side included many cousins with young offspring, most of whom he rarely saw. My side of the family is much smaller and nephews and nieces were invited as my attendants. I did regret going along with their decision because I like to see different generations meeting up at weddings. Why are we so...
read more

Off to Cereals 2008

Posted by on Jun 10, 2008 in updates | 15 comments Agriculture faces many challenging demands as it adapts to today’s environmental conditions and climate change. What is the impact of growing crops for biofuels? How sustainable are our crops in the UK? What can we do to help farmers in developing countries suffering severe drought stress and food shortages? Also most important, at the end of the day, are farmers able to make a decent...
read more

When will we have women bishops?

Posted by on Jun 9, 2008 in updates | 21 comments How long will it be before we have women bishops in the Anglican Church? That was the question which sprang to my mind last night after meeting the Rev Rhiannon Jones in her parish of Great Wilbraham, near Cambridge. She looked stunning in her tight white jeans and dog collar at a fund raising Gilbert and Sullivan evening. She is also highly intelligent, charming, competent and much admired by...
read more

Eliot Spitzer’s spending dilemma

Posted by on Jun 6, 2008 in updates | 10 comments "The federal government is sending each of us a $600 rebate. If  we spend that money at  Wal-Mart, the money goes to China. If we spend it on gasoline it goes to the Arabs. If we buy a computer it will go to India. If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. If we purchase a good car it will go to Germany. If we purchase useless crap it will go...
read more

Are we not all victims of crime?

Posted by on Jun 6, 2008 in updates | 0 comments This is the thought provoking question asked by my former Editor, Bob Satchwell, or Capt’n Bob, as we called him in those hallowed days at the Cambridge Evening News, after you know who. He is now the distinguished director of the Society of Editors and I thought you might like to read his views about crime and policing today. He asks why crime mapping is so feared, and if anyone cares for...
read more

Mrs Carr’s story – a cry for help

Posted by on Jun 6, 2008 in updates | 7 comments This is a guest post by Calum Carr describing his wife’s desperate mental health problems and their frustration at being unable to get a diagnosis from the NHS, and for better funding for those in Scotland suffering from eating disorders: I am campaigning – the first campaign post is here – to get NHS Lothian to provide assessments, diagnosis and treatment for Mrs Carr, to tell...
read more

Is it possible to be unGoogleable?

Posted by on Jun 4, 2008 in updates | 16 comments I’m looking forward to learning some new social media tips today from a whole galaxy of blogosphere stars. Or at the very least, some illuminaries. It is the third year running I have attended this great event, which is now being flagged as the Social Media Influence, but kicked off originally as Blogging4Business. Here is a question that caught my eye on the organiser’s blog, is it...
read more

Food – the new political weapon

Posted by on Jun 3, 2008 in updates | 9 comments A “can’t do” attitude to maths is reported to have cost the economy £9 billion. And it will get worse, thanks to the downgraded GCSE syllabus for maths where fewer pupils will be able to achieve good grades. I described it as “an education blackhole” in this post last month. One reason that kids don’t connect with maths is because they don’t think they...
read more