Seriously, though, it’s a bit of a pain and I’ve had to do a lot of updates to file permissions which have been very painful. I’m trying to get it delisted but it might still take some time. So advice to you all, make sure your site is looked after.

But while I was doing the cleaning up, I thought I’d look for a new theme and found this one. I kinda like, so I’ll stick with this for a while. I’ll fine tune this over the next few days.

In the meantime, I hope you like it and I’ll try to post some new content on here soon.

Now the benefits of anti-bacteral gels have been touted for quite some time, given the spread of the H1N1 virus. But what we didn’t know is that they apparently are a good ingredient in cocktails.

The BBC reports of a prison who have banned the alcoholic gels following the discovery of an intoxicated inmate. Supposedly a hospital has had the same problem of people drinking the gels.

Clearly some people really will do anything for a drink, but this isn’t recommended.

Full article here.

Pixar has had some of that to contend with, as its head man, a certain Steve Jobs, who is also CEO of Apple, has recently revealed that he had a liver transplant after suffering from pancreatic cancer.

And so, it’s nice to see that Pixar is also able to touch other peoples’ lives in their own special way, as OCregister.com reports.

Colby Curtin, a 10-year-old with a rare form of cancer, was staying alive for one thing – a movie.

From the minute Colby saw the previews to the Disney-Pixar movie Up, she was desperate to see it. Colby had been diagnosed with vascular cancer about three years ago, said her mother, Lisa Curtin, and at the beginning of this month it became apparent that she would die soon and was too ill to be moved to a theater to see the film.

After a family friend made frantic calls to Pixar to help grant Colby her dying wish, Pixar came to the rescue.

Full report: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/pixar-up-movie-2468059-home-show

The event that didn’t happen (according to China)

Today, China tries its best not to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests. Over here, we’re all familiar with the video footage of a the lone protestor in front of the tank (reproduced by Balakov below).

Tiananmen Square protestor in Lego

(Photo by Balakov on Flickr,  reproduced under Creative Commons licence)

China’s attempt to place a blanket ban on coverage of this event (it’s even blocked Twitter) is somewhat understandable. It simply wants to avoid what it sees as an unfortunate incident in history. And to an extent it has succeeded. I was surprised this morning during breakfast with Li, when the video footage of the man in front of the tank came up on the news, she said that she had never seen it before. She was even quite shocked by it. But, she also mentioned that Chinese TV had presented some much more gruesome pictures of students injuring soldiers in the event, which I don’t recollect ever seeing. Just goes to show what different media like to show.

Anyway, today, China is doing its best not to mark the event. And some of the CCP supporters are putting in their own efforts to prevent western media from covering it in an umbrella censorship. No, literally! They’re sticking umbrellas in the way of TV cameras as Shanghaiist reports.

But in all seriousness, it’s true to say that everyone has their own point of view on the incident. Personally, I’m of the opinion that this needs to be let go by most people. What happened twenty years ago was a defining point of history, which did change the face of Chinese politics, even if no one will ever publicly admit it.

European Elections

But China isn’t the only political system that has something to contend with today. In the UK, we are holding elections for the European Parliament.

The European Parliament is made up elected members from across Europe. The UK has about 10% of the seats, and MEPs are selected by way of an election using proportional representation. This means that unlike the UK parliament, MEPs are selected on the basis of the proportion of votes their party gets. In domestic elections, MPs are selected by whoever wins in their own constituency in a “first-past-the-post” style election. The net effect is that the European elections mean that smaller parties have a higher chance of representation.

But the real issue here is voter apathy. Few people, especially those supporting larger parties, are less likely to vote. This means smaller parties are likely to get a larger representation in Europe, and the fear is that the likes of the far right British National Party have a higher chance of getting seats.

There is a campaign going on to get voters on their feet, but if this fails, a big question will re-arise: will we ever get the majority people to vote ever again.

And taking into account both the Chinese and European systems, is there really a political system that really represents the views of the people?

But there are good reasons why I haven’t written so much in the last few months, and that’s because I’ve been way to busy.

And recently, that culminated in getting married!

Yes, I married my beautiful bride, Li, at the end of April in a quiet ceremony in London. And I’m thrilled to bits.

So, that’s why I’ve been a little quiet recently. But I’ll try to write a little more soon, in the meantime, my twitter feed should provide you with a little idea of what I’m up to!

Catch you soon!

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, do the list and tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.) If you don’t see the Tag people in the upper right hand corner you are in the wrong place.)

I’m tagging a few but please tag me back if you do this so I can see your lists

Things you have done during your lifetime:
(X) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
(X) Watched someone die
() Been to Canada
() Been to Mexico
() Been to Florida
() Been to Hawaii
(X) Been on a plane
() Been on a helicopter
(X) Been lost
() Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
() Played cops and robbers
() Recently colored with crayons
(X) Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only
() Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t.
(X) Made prank phone calls
(X) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
() Danced in the rain-naked
() Written a letter to Santa Claus
() Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone to the movies
() Been deep sea fishing
() Driven across the United States
() Been in a hot air balloon
() Been sky diving
() Gone snowmobiling
() Lived in more than one country
(X) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(X) Seen a falling star and made a wish
() Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(X) Seen the Statue of Liberty
() Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
() Been on a cruise
(X) Traveled by train
(X) Traveled by motorcycle
(X) Been horse back riding
() Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
() Been to Disneyland OR Disney World
() Truly believe in the power of prayer
() Been in a rain forest
() Seen whales in the ocean
(X) Been to Niagara Falls
() Ridden on an elephant
() Swam with dolphins
() Been to the Olympics
(X) Walked on the Great Wall of China
() Saw and heard a glacier calf
() Been spinnaker flying
() Been water-skiing
(X) Been snow-skiing
(X) Been to Westminster Abbey
(X) Been to the Louvre
(X) Swam in the Mediterranean
() Been to a Major League Baseball game
() Been to a National Football League game

BTW, given that half of my iTunes playlist is full of Cantopop and Mandopop songs that would take me ages to translate, I limited it to my huge collection of swing tracks. Which incidentally, makes it all the more funny anyway!

1. Put your iTunes on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got the note from.

===

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
Fool Am I

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Drop Me Off At Harlem

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
All The Cats Join In

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Swingtime In The Rockies

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Cadillac Baby

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Night & Day

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Lover Come Back To Me

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Swingin”The Blues

WHAT IS 2+2?
Salty Papa Blues

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Old Devil Moon

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Max Is Making Wax

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Hey, Boy! Hey, Girl!

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Black Bottom

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Blue Light Blues

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Christopher Columbus

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Easy To Love

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Mop! Mop!

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Ten Cents A Dance

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Somebody Loves Me

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Bei Mir Bist Du Schön

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Ribs And Hot Sauce

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Cotton Tail (Shuckin’ and Stiffin’)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Grand Terrace Shuffle

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Potato Head Blues

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Oh Lady Be Good

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Candyman

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Manhattan

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Once Too Often

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Goody Goody

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Banana Split For My Baby

The collapse of big historic names such as Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch has been staggering, but it only goes to show that you can outrisk yourself when someone calls your hand. Every poker player knows that could can risk playing a bad hand – in fact, it’s the way to earn the big bucks – but, you know if someone calls you, then it could be disastrous, as the aforementioned bankers know too well.

But what is effectively a banking crisis has created a problem everywhere else. My guess is that consumer spending was probably all right and many of the populus were happy to carry on the way they were spending earlier in the year. But as credit crises go, the fact that banks wouldn’t lend to the individual (mortgage approvals drying up, etc.), that’s led to a fear amongst consumers that things are going to turn out bad.

And the bankers in those firms that are still standing know that too. Canary Wharf in London is one of the big financial centres of the world, housing big names such Citigroup, Barclays, HSBC, Bank of America, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley, as well as some of the big law firms such as Clifford Chance. The area was a retail gold-mine, with the opportunity for business to make a mint from the nice corporate lunches and client dinners, who often used to schmooze with the big guns in one of the posh local restaurants.

But as the purse strings in the banks have been tied up, so has the corporate hospitality. Canary Wharf is seeing big name restaurants close. One of the biggest, Ubon by Nobu, a branch of Nobu’s international empire, has closed down, whilst Smollensky’s, a fashionable bar chain, is looking for someone to take over its prime location in the Wharf. In nearby West India Quay, a popular hangout for post-work drinks, two bars, dion and Beluga Café, have packed their bags. And in one of the new developments in Canada Tower (that’s the big famous one in the Wharf), Tom’s Kitchen has not only pulled out of moving in, it’s actually gone bust.

Like a scene from the TV series Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares or The Restaurant, eateries are needing to think very carefully about their businesses and who they target to. Most of all, they need to have the right proposition to survive.

It was noticeable recently, when my girlfriend, Li, and I went out on a Sunday night out to Bayswater, in London. A popular area of town, it’s full of oriental restaurants, Chinese, Thai, Malaysian, Japanese, as well as a few of your fast food fayres (McD’s, Pizza Hut, Subway). Clientelle varies in the area. Nearby are some fairly affluent areas, as well as student residences.

But, it was clear that business was still pretty brisk in the area. 7pm on a Sunday night, most restaurants were full and some had long queues outside, particularly the canteen style oriental ones. A couple were nowhere near full.

One of those was a Shanghainese style restaurant. I won’t mention its name, but if it survives past Christmas, I’ll be surprised. I’ve been to their Tottenham Court Road branch before, and it wasn’t bad, so I went there this time. Sadly, half of their menu had been covered by white stickers with “N/A” on them. We were told a few other dishes had run out, and after ordering six dishes from their skinny remains, we were told another two weren’t available. Sensing that we weren’t going to be full from dinner, we asked to cancel one dish, so that we might go somewhere else after sampling the Shanghai specials. The cancelled dish arrived nonetheless and when we tried to send it back, the waitress did a “hmph” and walked off into the kitchen. Unfortunately, we had no choice at that point other than to leave.

We left for another restaurant instead, called Saki, a Japanese eaterie serving sushi and a range of traditional Japanese dishes. This was a complete contrast. Some very good food (excellent sushi, tempura and terayaki), but on the slightly pricey side. But well worth it in our opinion and it’s challenging my favourite Japanese restaurant, Ten Ten Tei. But you couldn’t help but notice the place was less than half-full. If it were in another part of town, I’d be certain that this would be a buzzing kitchen. But on a Sunday night where everywhere else was full, it just wasn’t attracting people through the door.

Everyone who knows how to run a good business knows that in times of a downturn, people don’t necessarily stop spending, they generally make choices as to how they spend more efficiently. For business owners, this means more than ever that you have to look after your customers and make sure you give them what they want. In both these eateries, they haven’t got it right. “Fake Shanghai restaurant” suffers from both problems, “Saki” is just a bit expensive. It’s not too hard to tweak the business models to work in their environment. Let’s hope that they do it soon and not end up as one of many of London’s restaurant casualties.

Don LaFontaine was the “famous” voice actor who provided the voiceover soundtrack to over 5,000 movie trailers. His deep, husky voice was perfect for all sorts of movies, and his catchphrase, “in a world where…” was synonymous with the summary of any film, whether for a thrilling drama or humourous comedy.

He is credited by his fellow voice actors for creating the modern style of voiceovers for movies, which started when he was brought in as cover for the film Gunfighters of Casa Grande. His unique voice led to further work and not long afterwards, he would take up voice acting full time. Over the last 33 years, his voice has graced everything from Terminator 2 to The Simpsons.

Sadly, Don LaFontaine passed away on Monday 1 September in Los Angeles following complications relating to a lung condition. He’ll be sorely missed. Farewell, Don, and thanks for the voiceovers.

Don LaFontaine talks about his career:

Links:
BBC News: Film trailer voice-over king dies
Wikipedia: Don LaFontaine