Spotify Button

Spotify have launched a little widget they're calling Button. It allows users to embed tracks and playlists onto their blog or website. So here's mine;



It's my Just Hits playlist of tracks I like to listen to. Listen now.

JR

Making the Games

So, I was in London last Sunday for my Orientation Training for being a Games Maker at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Over 8,000 volunteers packed into Wembley Arena for the training, the fourth such training event of the weekend at Wembley, which was hosted by Commonwealth, World and Olympic triple jump champion, and world record holder, Jonathan Edwards.

The training was excellently given, and although for someone who is a Queen's Scout and has been a students' union welfare officer it was quite basic, it was just the right level for the first physical contact that most of the volunteers were experiencing. There was a mix of interviews and information sessions, and a number of videos such as one made by Eddie Izzard for the mnemonic device I DO ACT; Inspirational, Distinctive, Open, Alert, Consistent, Team.

We got to see the functionality of the uniforms, complete with umbrella (not that we'll need that in July/August in London ... unless it's very sunny), and detachable patch so that the uniforms were useful for both the Olympics and Paralympics.

I've also got a workbook to look through before the next part of my training that is specific to my role in Event Services. That will take place in Hackney in late March, before I'm back in London again in April/May to complete venue training at the Olympic Park in Stratford. Here's hoping I get the Swimming in the first week, and the Olympic Stadium in the second and third weeks!

Looking forward to it. Now all I need is somewhere to stay in London for up to three weeks!

JR

I'm Back!

After a bit of an unscheduled hiatus, I'm back! Bit of a mega blog coming later this evening.

JR

PS - This blog is now 4 years old as of yesterday. Good time to come back!

Topmisogynist

This tshirt is genuinely on sale at Topman right now! I guess it won't be for much longer!

Is sexism becoming more socially acceptable, or is this just a massive cock up from Topman?

JR

Boundary Changes - Who Cares?

Do you think the average person on the street knows the name of their constituency? Well perhaps they do if they live in the middle of a smallish city, such as Exeter, but that's out of common sense rather than political awareness.

If you asked someone in Manchester what the actual name of their constituency was I'd be surprised if a majority could get it right first time. The same with rural counties; do people realise there's a Devon Central, a Devon North, a Devon West, and a Devon East, and do they know where the boundaries actually are?

So the MPs that have come out today (the majority of whom would see their seat abolished under the new boundaries) saying that these boundary changes would "tear apart communities", don't really understand that the public don't work, and have never worked, on parliamentary constituency boundaries for the basis of how they live their lives!

Any synthetic anger at these proposals is either aimed at the government for the sake of it, or self interest because the MP might not be able to find a suitable seat to stand for at the next election. This is rapidly turning into a Westminster village story and I doubt very much the public will care about where a line is drawn on the map.

JR

Policy Pod is Back

That's right. NUS's weekly round up of everything going on in the Higher and Further Education sectors is back from its summer break.

This week's Policy Pod focuses on tuition fees in Scotland for students from the rest of the UK, and some first year students at Edge Hill University being accommodated at a Pontins holiday park when they arrive in a few weeks.

As usual, Jim Dickinson hosts the podcast and guests this week include the National President, Liam Burns, Adrianne Peltz (NUS-USI President), Karl Hobley (President of Reading SU) and Graeme Wise (Assistant Director Policy at NUS).

You can listen to this and every episode of the Policy Pod at http://www.nusconnect.org.uk/news/policypod/, or subscribe on iTunes.

JR

PS - This is my 300th blog post. Whoop!

The Best and Worst of Britain

My grandma often said that what Britain needs is a good war. Now, I can assure you that she didn't mean that half the country's young adults should be conscripted and sent to fight, and maybe loose their lives, for us. She was talking about how the country pulls together in times of crisis.

The events of the past week have brought into sharp focus the best and worst of our society. We all saw the footage of people rioting in Tottenham that spread to other parts of London and the country, looting local businesses, destroying local jobs, and tearing apart the local community. We then saw the community fighting back with many more people spontaneously volunteering to clean up the streets where they live.

It's important not to pigeon-hole the rioters as all coming from the disenchanted underclass. They came from all walks of life. The examples from the first few court appearances include a primary school assistant, a millionaire's daughter, a recent graduate, and a 13 year old schoolgirl. That isn't to say that there aren't deep underlying social problems that were contributing to the outbreak of violence and lawlessness, but to blame it on the government's programme of cuts is surely naive at best (and cynical if you're a politician saying it).

The examples of teenagers who went on camera saying that the events were 'the best thing ever' are a sign of a lack of good role models for young people, particularly farther figures acting in an authoritative and responsible way. This is a problem, and a problem that the government should be tackling, but this problem hasn't appeared in the last 18 months so Labour should be careful to wash their hands of their own record.

On the flip side of the coin, I have definitely felt a strong sense of community spirit in the last few days. This image of residents in Clapham with their brooms, ready to clear up the mess left from the night before, is as powerful an image as those of the burning buildings and empty shops. It is an example of, dare I say it, the Big Society in action.

It is in times of crisis that the country pulls together, and this has been one of our biggest peace time crises. We have seen the best and worst of Britain over the last few days. We are one community that wants to defeat those who would have us live in fear. Could the riots have actually done the country a favour?

JR

Trinity Mirror now in the Phone Hacking Spotlight

Just to show there's no bias against the right wing media, BBC Newsnight has uncovered evidence of phone hacking at the Sunday Mirror. If the allegations are true then the Sunday Mirror's owners, Trinity Mirror, must be wondering just how big this story is going to get, and if they may be forced to take action similar to News International.

The programme's source said the technique of phone hacking was used on a daily basis. As this story has broken with plenty of time to change the front pages of the Sunday Mirror's rivals, I wouldn't be surprised to find a number of papers leading with this story tomorrow.

After the problems of his press outlets in recent weeks, Murdoch has had a pretty good week. Firstly there was the foam pie incident in the parliamentary committee room; as usual, the hard left going straight to direct action without thinking about the consequences; and now this story. Both of these events have taken the heat away from News International and it won't take much for the public to turn to thinking a plage on all your houses when it comes to the tabloid press.

I'm sure this will be added to the public enquiry, and I also suspect there will be more revelations soon.

JR