A bridge over troubled water

As a new working week begins, people living in parts of Cumbria are opening their curtains to see something that resembles a disaster zone.

Floods from unprecedented rainfall have destroyed the infrastructure in places such as Cockermouth and life is very different to normal, with schools and workplaces closed and travel severely disrupted. Hundreds of people are homeless, staying either in temporary shelters or with friends and family.

Bridges that have stood for hundreds of years have either already collapsed or are in serious danger of falling, and all 1,800 bridges in Cumbria (that's more bridges than a Westlife song!) are getting vital safety checks. One remarkable thing I read is that, because of bridge problems, people in Northside face a 40-mile detour just to get to the town centre... a journey which usually takes a matter of minutes.

This is the sort of thing we read about happening in other countries, particularly in the developing world. And, whilst we are undoubtedly richer and better resourced to face disasters such as this than in countries such as Bangladesh, the scenes in Cumbria remain truly devastating.

Families will be without basic essentials. Businesses will be forced to shut. Children's education will be disrupted. Sitting here safely in Oxfordshire, I count myself fortunate (though this region has had its fair share of floods in recent years.)

I believe climate change is to blame for record rainfall like that in Cumbria on Friday and Saturday. On a world level, we need leaders committed to tackling climate change - the forthcoming Copenhagen summit is crucial. In the UK, we need to better equipped - the government and county councils across the country need to take flood prevention more seriously, and have solid plans put in place for situations like this.

We also need to monitor levels and trends on all rivers better (some residents in Cumbria say they were not sufficiently warned) and BBC blogger Mark Easton says that "the River Eden, for example, had been behaving entirely normally for the past few months".

My thoughts go out to those most-affected by this situation - but I hope that experts are understanding that words like 'freak', 'unique' and 'unprecedented' can't keep being rolled out - bad weather is now all too common.

(Photo credit: Peter Thody)

Nasty Nick: fair show or not?

There's been one story that has dominated the newspaper columns and TV news bulletins in the last couple of days, culminating last night.

The decision by the BBC to invite British National Party leader Nick Griffin onto Question Time has sparked all sorts of emotions amongst people, including those who protested (some violently)outside Television Centre during the recording of the programme yesterday evening.

I managed to catch most of the show and feel it gave Griffin far too much publicity, a special treatment, and was far too much about him rather than politics and issues. He was verbally attacked, bullied you might say, by members of the audience and others on the panel, including the chair David Dimbleby and, whilst I would wholeheartedly agree with their sentiments and totally stand against what the BNP stand for, it wasn't particularly balanced, fair and democratic.

What needed to happen, more fully than it did, was for each topical issue - such as immigration, the recession, workers' rights - to be explored and addressed to each of the politicians there, particularly Jack Straw as a member of the ruling Labour party. Instead, it turned into solely the Nick Griffin show. And in that he lied through his teeth, contradicted himself and came out with some stunningly outrageous statements, which showed exactly why people are so passionate in being against him and the party he leads.

I tried to glean positives as I watched it, and one was the fact that the audience was multi-racial, including people of different ages and backgrounds, and almost to a man/woman standing together against fascism, racism and ideologies that tear communities apart and are ultimately about hate, and not love.

Whether we like it or not, God loves Nick Griffin as he loves each one of us. As a church housegroup last night we prayed for Griffin, and I pray for him as I type this - that God would reveal his love in some way to him, that he would repent from how he has acted, and see that there are better ways to go about being politics - and life.

(Photo credit: Rex Chen)

We're not watching anymore

I suppose it was inevitable given the fast-moving 'digital revolution' and the way in which the web rules over everything.

Plus, it's already happened in other areas of interest such as music... but, football - really?!

Yes, the news that England's match in Ukraine this Saturday will only be shown live on the internet - and for a fee - has not been warmly-received by fans. Rightly so too in my opinion.

OK, so England have already qualified for next year's World Cup finals, but this is still our national team playing a competitive match and hugely popular with football fans, as viewing figures show. We love to watch Rooney, Gerrard et al put on the white shirt and (hopefully) play with pride! We're on quite a roll at the moment too.

However, the 'powers that be' - whoever they are, and apparently it's not the Football Association - have deemed that supporters must fork out at least a fiver for the privilege. And it won't be shown in pubs - where most England fans (who aren't travelling) watch matches because of the atmosphere. There will be grumpy landlords up and down the country this week. Some cinemas have been selected to show the game - but can you really see football fans wanting to do this?

It's really sad that none of the terrestrial channels wanted to show this match. It came down to money apparently, but I think England supporter is right when he says, "Fifa and Uefa should insist as a condition of entry that all nations sell their games to terrestrial stations, whether it's the home or away market."

And all this in a country where, it was announced last week, there is a relatively poor broadband service (we're behind the likes of Bulgaria and Latvia in terms of quality and speech). You can see it now: you tune in to watch and the little circle spins on a black background or England are about to score on Saturday and the screen freezes. This won't work - not yet anyway.

I hope England get another win on Saturday to keep up their great record - but I won't be watching.

Paper talk

"It's The Sun Wot Won It" was the famous headline from Britain's favourite newspaper (apparently) after the Tories won the general election in 1992, and The Sun claimed a big part in helping them do so.

And now, this morning, 17 years on, we wake to read that The Sun are making their political persuasions and election predictions fully known once again. This time, they are withdrawing their support from the government, claiming that "Labour's lost it".

It's a bold and damning statement, though Gordon Brown and co claim they are not getting too worried by it, saying it's not newspapers that win and lose elections, but that it's "It's the British people's views I'm interested in."

I feel Gordon is being a bit naive there and, although he won't admit it, I'm sure he is hurt by this deliberate move against his party from a newspaper read by three million voters every day, and many more non-readers will be influenced by this statement too.

In many ways, none of this is very surprising. The Sun is really only jumping on the bandwagon (and seeking publicity) of a swell of public opinion. Labour's been on a downward spiral since the heady Cool Britannia days and 'things can only get better' in 1997. Decisions made over matters including terrorism, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and health cuts have turned the British public against Labour, and Gordon Brown, in my eyes, isn't a strong enough leader for this country.

The alternative, however, is David Cameron and a Tory party with lots of unanswered questions and a history of failing the nation. They are sitting in pole position as we edge towards a general election next year. It's a shame, in my opinion, that the refreshing and forward-thinking Liberal Democrats aren't closer in the reckoning.

The Sun won it for Major in the early-90s; it's very likely they will do Dave a favour in 2010.

News week

In a break from the norm, here are five news items that have especially caught my eye this past week.

Ade goes crazy - The football story of the week (Coventry's glorious victory apart), the day that Man City Emmanuel Adebayor went nuts, stamping at a former teammate and then running the length of the pitch to goad fans who used to love him. A silly boy - he deserves being banned. Premier league footballers are paid oodles and should remain professionals at all times in my view. I'm sure other players have had worse aimed at them and managed to keep it together.

Could Elton sacrifice it all for an orphan? - We've had Brad, Angelina and Madonna and now Elton John wanted to get in on the act. Old Reg Dwight wanted to adopt a one year-old Ukranian orphan who had "stolen my heart" - but was turned down flatly because of his age and marital status. Celebrities shouldn't be allowed to do things like this on a whim. Could you really have seen him give up his lifestyle so that that little boy gets the attention he deserves? Much better to give money to Ukranian couples who can't have kids so that they can adopt the lad instead.

A sick fantasy goes unpunished - I read in disbelief this week that two teenagers have got away Scot-free (apart from six months remand) from their 'fantasy' plot to bomb their school in Manchester. A jury cleared Matthew Knight and Ross McKnight from potential murder - despite their obsession to copy the Columbine killings. I've heard a number of cases recently where officials (social workers, police, etc) have failed to spot warning signs in people who've then gone onto do terrible things. I really hope this isn't one of those situations. These are not good fantasies to have.

Sunny day for Vera - The news that wartime favourite Dame Vera Lynn has become the oldest singer to reach the top of the UK albums chart is a heart-warming one. The 92 year-old quietly snuck in to beat all of the The Beatles' (much-hyped) remastered albums to the number one slot. Whilst her music does nothing for me personally, people seem to still enjoy the golden oldies. Gives the likes of Cliff, Status Quo and Robbie Williams hope doesn't it?!

Tall order - (And finally...) Turkish giant Sultan Kosen has strode into the record books this week as the world's tallest person. Standing at a staggering 8 foot 1 inch tall, Kosen came to London - in search of love it seems! He hopes his new-found fame will find him a girlfriend. A lady with her own stepladder would fit the bill best. At a reasonably tall 6ft 3 myself, and lanky with it, I struggle with certain things in life (insufficient legroom and regular backache are just two) so I really feel for Kosen. Still, as the BBC piece says, at least he can change a lightbulb easily, eh!

Is Derren's number up?

Amazed. Intrigued. Baffled. Disappointed. There's been a wide spectrum of reactions to the latest high-profile trick of Derren Brown, the celebrity illusionist.

On Wednesday, Derren (surely either a stage name or a typo on his birth certificate!) predicted all six main balls of the National Lottery and then last night presented an hour-long show that showed how he did it - and how we can too (yeah, right).

I tuned in to see 'the solution', and I found it interesting and watchable although a little tenuous and long-winded in places. I remain unconvinced by the method Brown used, which involved using 24 volunteers (who became very friendly through bonding exercises) coming up with random numbers and then finding the average to get the numbers.

The whole thing was a wind-up and cleverly marketed - a bit of harmless fun (except for the loose handwriting techniques to draw numbers, which was dodgy and weird). It leaves us still trying to work out how he did... or if he really did.

Illusionists are all about trying to tap into the way people naturally perceive events, and play on doing cleverly doing something while our eyes are fixed somewhere else - slight of hand.

Maybe Derren Brown somehow messed around with his balls while the watching public looked elsewhere. I do hope we've not been duped by computer technology.

Whatever the real outcome, it's certainly got people thinking and talking about maths, probability - oh, the greedy cry of 'How can I win the lottery too?!'

(Photo credit: Dominic Campbell)

Pudding-brains (can I say that?) change dessert's name

First it was 'rainbow sheep' instead of that famous nursery rhyme. Then it was swapping the term unemployed to 'unwaged'.

Oh, there have been many more - but today a new example of "political correctness gone mad" (the stock phrase wheeled out for times like these) caught my eye and is currently the sixth most read thing on the BBC website (beating the divorce of Katie Price and Peter Andre, no less!)

The much-loved (not by me, but by many others I'm assured) pudding, Spotted Dick, has been taken off the menu of a council canteen in Wales - and replaced by the less-accurate and more-tricky-say-quickly Spotted Richard. Oh, and the even-less-impressive Sultana Sponge too. Apparently childish comments by 'a small number' of staff members led to the change.

A local councillor is outraged, calling the decision 'ludicrous' and claiming decision-makers would be 'frightened by their own shadow' - a little OTT and harsh, methinks.

It's crazy that we've turned into a country where people are so concerned about frightening others by what is said or written. You're never going to please all the people all of the time, so why - in this case - even contemplating changing the name of a pudding that's been called a certain name for 150 years - just in case some people (whoever they are!) are offended in some way. Dicks refer to 'dough' in this case and have nothing to do with men's genitalia.

Why don't we go through every element of the English language and English culture to come up with new words and new phrases that are meaningless and dull? We don't because all of this is so, so trivial. It's fodder for terrible newspapers like the Daily Mail and dangerous organisations like the BNP.

In fact, why am I spending so much time writing this and thinking about it... (because I find the whole situation hilarious, that's why!) And your comments are welcome please - as long as you don't offend me and that you PC-spellcheck every word!

(Photo credit: Chuck Coker)

The Arctic: a hot topic

Been a bit blowy in the UK this week, hasn't it? Strange for early September. But down under, Australia has been experiencing its hottest-ever winter, with some places getting higher temperatures than in summer! Barmy!

However, if you need a true indication that climate change is happening (and it is... quickly), take a look at the Arctic. It was revealed this week that Arctic temperatures are now higher than any time in the last 2,000 years.

Fancy graphs show that there have been peaks and troughs of warmer and cooler times in the Arctic - but it's never been as bad as now. And what happens there is not merely a local or global problem - there are ramifications for the whole world in terms of rising sea levels and changes to ocean currents.

I've been recently reading about the Arctic in New Internationalist magazine - fascinating articles about the importance of that white splodge at the top of the spinning globe, which is often overlooked. The area contains a quarter of the world's remaining oil and gas reserves, and superpowers and energy giants are squabbling over these precious resources without a thought for local people and wildlife.

I very much hope the plight of the Arctic - and the impact on the rest of the world - is a focus at December's UN climate summit. UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon visited the region last week to see the crisis first-hand - I trust his reports will influence others in taking positive action on carbon emissions. The situation has a real feeling of now or never about it.

(Photo credit: P J Hansen)

Don't you just love official reports? I've just been reading a BBC article about one generated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development called, a little cheesily, 'Doing better for the children'.

It compares the well-being of children in different countries - and the results for the UK are a mixed bag.

According to the report, our kids are generally not bullied too much, enjoy a high quality of school life and don't experience a great deal of poverty. But before we pat ourselves on the back too much, the report has discovered that we have more underage drunks (and especially girls) than any other country, more than double the rate than the US, France and Italy. It also highlights the UK's well-publicised high teenage pregnancy rates.

First-off, I'm a little skeptical about reports like these, querying where OECD get their precise percentages from. In this case, are they actually out on the streets counting the teenagers that gather to drink their cider (and do other things besides)? I doubt it. It's probably done by doing a small survey and multiplying up - dodgy stats!

Not that I am denying the drink and pregnancy problem among youngsters in this country, which is a real issue. I actually feel the schools are doing what they can in educating today's teenagers - and it's actually down to parents being better role models for their children, particularly in alcohol consumption, doing a little better in keeping tabs on where their offspring are on a Friday night - and providing safer alternatives.

Of course, all of this is easy for me to say. My eldest starts school for the first time tomorrow (whilst my youngest reaches the grand old age of two later this month) so I have years before this becomes real issues for me and my parenting skills - I hope! I shudder to think of the state of this country by then.

(Photo credit: Bernard Laguerre)

Don't look back in anger, Noel

After 16 years as one of Britain's (if not the world's) best-ever rock bands, the end is nigh for Oasis. Noel Gallagher - the driving force behind the group - told fans yesterday that his feud with brother Liam had reached a point of no return.

I've followed Oasis since pretty much the beginning, so I feel some sadness at the decision - though not entirely surprised, as there's been signs of this in the past.

The band's first album, Definitely Maybe, is undoubtedly their best, mainly because it's raw and unpretentious. The follow-up What's the Story (Morning Glory)? spawned Oasis' greatest hits - anthems for a generation.

I've continued to buy their albums, which have been a little hit and miss generally but with some real gems along the way. I wish I'd got to see Oasis live as I understand them to be one of the best touring bands around. Their Electric Proms performance last year was amazing.

Noel is a very talented individual, as a singer, musician and songwriter, and has carried Liam to be fair. Noel will be back as a solo artist: no doubt about that. As for Liam - expect him to drift out of the limelight and probably become quite elusive.

That's the future, but for now, let's celebrate great music of one of the finest bands to come out of this country in the last two decades... definitely (not maybe).

(Photo credit: Silvio Tanaka)

Football violence kicking off again

The scenes inside and outside Upton Park on Tuesday night were disgusting and disappointing - but I must admit that I wasn't totally surprised.

Unrest, unsociable behaviour and outright violence has been continuially bubbling along 'under the surface' (and away from the radar of the media) between football fans up and down the country since the bad old days of persistant hooliganism of the 70s and 80s. I've seen it first-hand and even got a rogue punch out of the blue by a Manchester City fan in the mid-90s.

Experts agree, saying that the police constantly try to stop violence away from football grounds - at places like railway stations and pubs - and that there are high-risk games, such as the West Ham-Millwall one, which require careful planning (changes to kick-off times and limiting attendance). Sadly that didn't happen this week, making it a disaster waiting to happen.

How should West Ham be punished? Well, I'm not sure they should be - it's not really the fault of the club that a bunch of mindless idiots decided to act as they did. Bans for supporters identified by the many cameras must happen - and will I'm sure.

I very much hope that this violence will ultimately lead to a positive outcome: that each club will act in reviewing how they deal with trouble and their relations with the police. If only football could follow in the footsteps of sports like rugby union where supporters stand side-by-side at matches - finishing the game with a firm handshake rather than a punch to the head.

(Photo credt: Toastbrot81)

Fred & co revive feelgood factor

At 5.50 this evening, joy and pride returned to English sport once again, as our cricketing Lions regained The Ashes from Australia once again.

Proving the heroics of 2005 weren't a one-off, and banishing the horrors of the 5-0 drubbing by the Aussies down under two years ago, Andrew Strauss' men overcame the odds and responded positively to media pressure to pull off a terrific victory.

And just like four years ago, this series has been full of really exciting twists and turns with some remarkable individual performances and sterling team work. With it being his last Test series, all eyes were on the talisman 'Freddie' Flintoff and he didn't let us down on the final day with a brilliant throw to ensure Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting walked.

And while Fred was great this summer, his was a cameo role in truth as the likes of Broad, Swann, Trott and captain Strauss all excelled. This last test match in particular showed signs of a promising few years ahead for England cricket.

Like many others in this country no doubt, I tend to really only watch England's big cricket matches - and they don't come any bigger than The Ashes. And, if 2005 is a benchmark, this sporting achievement will lift the whole of England in the coming days and weeks ahead. In this tricky time of recession, it will do us all - whether cricket-lovers or not - the power of good.

(Photo credit: Luke Redmond)

Speaking the truth

Aged just 31, Malalai Joya is the youngest MP in one of the world's toughest political arenas in the world right now: Afghanistan.

She's a remarkably bold and tenacious woman who is not afraid to speak out against the corruption under President Karzai's government - so much so that she's survived five assassination attempts. She states: "My enemies are trying to eliminate me. I'm not the first but I believe no power is able to hide the truth."

That truth, according to Joya, is that the nation currently has a "warlord, drug-lord government" which rules over a population where 18 million people are living on less than one dollar a day and where there is "injustice, insecurity, joblessness, poverty and corruption."

Tomorrow, Afghanistan holds massively important elections. The eyes of the world have been on the nation so much of late and will stare even more so in the days ahead. Is there a chance of a brighter future? Joya is skeptical - she thinks the elections are a "showcase of the US government" with the next Afghan president being "selected behind the closed doors of the White House".

Reading about her on the train home and on the internet since, I believe for there to be peace in Afghanistan, the country needs more Malalai Joyas: people willing to stand up against the injustices in that place. Of course, it's a hugely dangerous thing to do, which can cost the lives of you, your familyand your friends.

I hope and pray that a wave of change might come about in this beautiful and misrepresented country - and that truth might be the real winner of these elections.

Read 'The big lie of Afghanistan' by Malalai Joya in The Guardian by clicking here.

Photo credit: AfghanKabul

Much ado about nothing

I thoroughly enjoyed studying Shakespeare for my A-levels. Perhaps it was partly to do with my teacher, who was excellent, but I really got stuck into Old Will's plays and came out with an A grade, of which I remain very proud.

Every year at this time, there's the usual debate over whether exams are getting easier as more and more pupils achieve high grades with both A-levels and GCSEs.

However, today's headline in the Metro - 'Even monkeys' can get A-levels - which quoted a director of A-levels in the north west, went much too far in my opinion. Another teacher stated they were 'Mickey Mouse' and called the situation an "absolute shambles". Shame on these people for these unhelpful comments.

Yes, there are now double the number of A-level students who attain A grades compared to nearly 20 years ago, but the truth is the exam system has changed to be less about how much knowledge you can retain and how good your memory is to being much more about informed decision-making and creativity.

And surely this can only be a positive thing because that reflects much more fairly the way their future life and work will be.

Employees aren't generally asked to recall facts and figures on the spot in a smelly sports hall for three hours - but rather, in my experience, it's about quality research, knowing the best way to achieve results and how to be as creative as you can, working to a set deadline.

Having a modern, relevant exam system is the way forward and if that means teenagers are succeeding, then surely that's worth celebrating. Rather than throwing slings and arrows at them.

(Photo credit: C Carlstead)

Camping it up

I've been away from my laptop, and blogging, for the last few days because I've been 'at one with nature', camping it up in a trailer tent in the New Forest!

Having never camped whilst growing up (static caravanning was the nearest I got!), my girlfriend - now wife - Sally and I went on a tenting holiday around France 11 years ago. Since then, we've always had walls around us on holidays. Until now!

We bought a second-hand trailer tent a few months ago, bought some essential equipment and got planning where we'd go. With two young daughters in tow (well, they were actually in the car), we headed south for a few hours to Hordle in the New Forest for a three-night try-out.

Despite my reservations and apprehensions, the experience went well. It was great to be a family all so close together, to leave pressures and distractions from home behind and the kids loved having lots of green space around them when they stepped out of the awning. They slept brilliantly through the night too - all that fresh air! We learnt what worked and what didn't - getting organised seems to be key.

One thing I'll need to get to grips with is the mindset of the camping community - the oddities and quirks of people staying near us. One guy we met was a particular oddball - we dubbed him Mr Baguette because his instructions of how to get to the best beach included going via Tesco's to pick up a baguette,"if you're like us". (Which we definitely weren't!)

He talked with eyes shut (really annoying!), had stayed in his caravan for THREE weeks (does he not like his home?) and was a Mr Know-it-all when it came to camping and the local area. He came over to us before we even got through the gate. One night he and his wife entertained three other couples outside their caravan. He was overbearing and odd.

I think you've got to be a sort of person to remain happy living with life's simple things in such a small space. Can that really be me? My fear is I'll turn into Mr Baguette. That said: we're off to the Cotswolds in October...

Snakes alive

Knife and gun crime are a serious problem in city culture - it's horrific to hear of young boys (usually) killing people of their own age with this weapons. Gang warfare is a very real issue and local authorities in places like London are doing their best to tackle it.

But police near Bristol might have to set up an 'adder amnesty' and establish a 'black mamba special branch' after news today of a youth gang in Bradley Stoke attacking a boy with a one-metre green python. The boy was bitten and taken to hospital - with specialists from Bristol Zoo brought into to advise.

It's a remarkable and curious story and shows that bullying takes on many forms and that gangs will stop at nothing to hurt others. Where did the lads get this snake from - and how do they manage to hide it from their parents... unless it's a pet? I don't only pity the boy who was obviously shocked by the ordeal but the poor snake is being mistreated and I'm sure the RSPCA will be monitoring the situation.

And since my sister and brother-in-law live quite close to this incident, I'll make sure they're aware to check their garages and sheds when they get back from their hols...

(Photo credit: Wolfgang Wedenig)

"We're gonna win the league!"

Aberdeen getting thrashed in Europe. Fulham entertaining the masses on ITV4. This can only mean one thing: football's back!

Whilst the rich fancy dans of the Premier League start on the 15th, the football league kicks off proceedings this coming weekend, with Middlesborough v Sheff Utd being the curtain-raiser less than 24 hours away from when I'm writing this.

It's great news that the BBC is going to be showing lots of football from every team. Every Saturday there will be Football League highlights following Match of the Day, with some live Championship games thrown in along the way. It's about time free-to-view channels got a bit of this: the likes of Mansfield matter just as much to football just as much as Man United.

United's rivals, Man City, have splashed enormous wads of cash this summer. In this time of economic difficulty it's almost scandalous the amount they've thrown about - and on not on the best players either: Adebayor for £25million... gulp! I just hope league clubs can survive in the current climate - many are having to watch every penny to avoid administration.

All in all I'm very excited! But then I always am at this stage. I always have hope and optimism - this could be (my team's) Coventry's year. "We're gonna win the league!" But this time around the edge has been taken off by selling some of our best players and being left with a small squad, with fans getting disgruntled. Roy Keane's Ipswich at home on Sunday to start with. Maybe I'll hold off on that bet just for now...

(Photo credit: UmbroFootball)

Back for good?

Britain's biggest showman is making a comeback! No, not Norman Wisdom, but Robbie Williams. Having flopped three years ago with his last album, Rudebox, Williams has lived in LA and stayed out of the limelight. But today, he's announced his new "killer" (in his words) album will be released in November, with the first single from it out in October.

Yes, I admit it, I own some of his albums! He's made sing-a-long,perfect pop songs that has appealed to children, men and women of all ages (though he really shouldn't try rapping again). Despite having an ego the size of Saturn, he has a cheekiness and likeability that you can't help warm too, and he's a down-to-earth bloke at heart - you can take the boy out of Stoke-on-Trent, but you can't take Stoke-on-Trent out of the boy. As they say...

But with this imminent return to Popville - will it ever be the same for Robbie? I very much doubt it. He's hit amazing heights in his career both as a solo artist and with Take That, and I can't see him getting anywhere near it. The music world has moved on since he was top dog. Many of his fans will have done too. And will he actually be willing to work hard enough or will he be too complacent and cocky?

My fear is Williams will believe his own hype, release the album and sit back - but if he gets on tour, does some live shows, tries to be original and himself... then maybe Britain will welcome Robbie back into its bosom again.

(Photo credit: Stefan G)

Heaven is a halfpipe

Scouring the BBC News front page today, the word 'Jesus' surprisingly jumped at me. Don't usually see that, I thought! A few clicks later and I was watching a great video about a 'ramp camp' in the USA, which is spreading the gospel through skate-boarding. It opens with a sticker which said, "Jesus walked on water. What's your best trick?" Genius!

I must admit I usually watch Christian stuff from the other side of the Atlantic with a little scepticism and embarrassment but this initiative is really inspiring - this group is meeting the children where they are at (on the ramps!) and making the Christian faith interesting and relevant for kids who wouldn't usually step inside a church. There are some great testimonies from the kids in the video.

I reckon UK churches might learn something from this sort of scheme - and some probably try and do things . Take a look around your community - especially during this school holiday time - and you'll either see bored kids just hanging around or groups doing things like skateboarding, bike-riding or listening to their ipods together.

Christians shouldn’t be looking to get teenagers into a church building; they should go to where the youth are, and set up sports or music clubs aimed at forming relationships, having fun - with a Christian message woven through it. Going to the people, being relevant, honest and loving: Jesus was pretty good at that!

(Photo credit: SkyB)

Flash, bang, wallop

"Oh, look out, I can see another one!" That little luminous yellow box on the horizon looms larger... time to slam on the brakes. Speed cameras are the bain of a motorist's life and getting caught out by one (flash, smile please!) is frustrating.

However, according to research, over a four-year period, 100 lives were saved annually because of them, with a 40% reduction in the number of injuries and deaths on roads with them.

Given this, the news on Friday that Swindon has switched off its five fixed speed cameras because they are costing too much has been met with horror by road safety groups - they're calling it "reckless". In defending the decision, Wiltshire police has said the money will be reinvested into more effective road safety measures and that they will continue to use mobile speed cameras.

I think that Swindon reviewing their road safety measures is actually a good thing and other local authorities would do well to take stock of their situation. I do question whether speed cameras are actually in the best position and on the correct roads.

And, instead of catching someone out who is doing 34mph in a 30 zone (though I realise fatal accidents can occur at this speed), I'd rather police did more to try and catch the countless speed-loving drivers who hare down the fast lane of motorways in excess of 100mph, tailgating, flashing and using other bully tactics to get to their destination five minutes quicker. In my opinion, they are accidents waiting to happen - take a photo of them!

(Photo credit: Topsy Grewlike)

We've lost a legend

I'm really sad to hear this morning that Sir Bobby Robson has died. He was undoubtedly England's most successful manager since Sir Alf Ramsey, leading us to the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and the semi-finals of Italia 90. Will any England manager in the future be able to match that?

I especially remember Robson's team that came within a whisker of reaching the final 19 years ago because it was at a time that I was really getting into watching football. I was 13 at the time. It was such a memorable tournament,which England performed below average for in the early stages, and might've even got knocked out by Cameroon in the quarters, but showedfighting spirit and, in the days before inflated ego, star players (and before WAGs!) it was a very good team performance - inspired by Bobby. Those semi-final penalties were indeed heart-breaking.

Back to Bobby and, from what I've read about him - and there will be plenty of tributes in the coming days - he was a true gentleman and manager who was fair and sporting to players, managers and the media. We've lost a true legend of the national game today.

Photo credit: ChelmsfordBlue

What summer?

I’ve just returned from a lunchtime break with my shirt soaked by heavy rainfall. Yes, it’s July and, rather than the warm, sunny days we hope for at this time of year, normal service has resumed and it’s wet, wet, wet.

The Met office has today revised its prediction of a barbecue summer and says that August will be unsettled. It seems the week-long heatwave at the back end of June was the closest to summer we’re getting this year.

We Brits love to make small talk about the weather – mostly how bad it is… too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry. We’re never happy! But for the majority of us, it never really inconveniences us or stops us doing what we want.

Spare a thought though for those living in desperately poor conditions who must deal with really extreme weather which doesn’t just mean they’ve got to stick on a pair of wellies or put up a brolly – floods, drought, freezing conditions affect their health, homes and livelihoods.

Then we’d have reason to grumble.

Photo credit: Hamed Parham

Churches scrub up for swine flu

You can't move anywhere in the UK at the moment for talk of swine flu. There is simply nowhere to hide. Not even church.

Attending my local Anglican church on Sunday morning I received, in the weekly bulletin, a double-sided leaflet outlining the precautions that churches are being advised to take during the current 'pandemic' (is it officially one yet?)

The guidelines include not sharing the peace, ensuring the bread and wine givers 'scrub up' before communion and not passing one big cup of wine around everyone for fear of spreading all those nasty germs. And if it all gets worse, we might have to cancel church altogether and other such mass gatherings.

Whilst I'm very sorry for those families who've lost loved ones due to swine flu and while I wouldn't wish anyone to end up in bed feeling awful for a few days (unless they wanted to avoid going to work), I do feel the whole situation has been hyped up beyond belief these days. Any big news story is the same these days.

Let's keep it in perspective folks - if we get it, the vast majority of us will get better fairly quickly just like we do when we get 'normal flu'. We are so fortunate in the developed world - spare a thought for those living in seriously poor communities facing seriously dangerous illnesses like malaria, TB, Aids, and those suffering from malnutrition and dehydration.

Maybe the Church of England need to think and pray a little more about that and less about which sort of vessel to use for communion.

(Photo credit: Paul Johns)

F1 going off track

Motor-racing (Formula 1 to be precise) is one of those sports I dip in and out of. It depends on whether a Brit is doing well or if it's a particularly exciting season – or if I'm spending time with my father-in-law!

This season has been particularly crazy for F1 and unfortunately it's been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. After Lewis' brilliant win last October, snatching the title in the final seconds of the season, it's all gone a bit wrong for F1.

Before the season started, proposed rule changes got laughed out of becoming a reality. When things got underway Lewis Hamilton and MacLaren got into a lying scandal after misleading race stewards in the opening race in Belgium. Then last month, eight of the major F1 teams announced they are planning to set up a breakaway championship next year.

Sadly, F1 is all about the money and the greed – just like every sport. Where's the sportsmanship gone? My father-in-law is lamenting the decline of F1 – "it's not like the good old days" is often wheeled out at occasions like this but it's oh so true with this sport.

The injury to Felipe Massa on Saturday puts all of this nonsense into perspective – and raises questions about the safety of this high-speed, high-risk sport. As I write, Massa's in 48 hours' sedation following emergency surgery on the fractured scull he sustained during the freak accident in qualifying. I really hope his recovery goes well and that he's back on the track soon. And when he returns, presumably in 2010 now, F1 might look a very different sport.

(Photo credit: B Givens)

In training

Seven years ago I took part in the Great North Run - a truly amazing event on Tyneside. I found doing a half-marathon pretty tough, mentally and physically,but the support of local people really spurred me on. It was a pleasure to raise lots of money for the Cleft Lip And Palate Association, an organisation that has really helped my cousin since he was born.

(Photo credit: Patries71)

I put my trainers down and didn't contemplate doing any more running until last year, when I did the 10k Two Castles Run between Warwick and Kenilworth Castles, raising money for BMS World Mission. Encouraged by my run-loving brother-in-law, I was really glad to have done it - again local support was brilliant, the sun shone and it was a manageable distance. I did in 54 minutes, which I was chuffed with.

Well, 10K running has now turned into an annual event - as I'm back for another run this September and have started my preparations on the streets of Abingdon. I'm doing the Run10k event at Blenheim Palace in September to raise money for Cancer Research UK, along with my bro-in-law... though I'll be in his dust at the start line no doubt.

So, today I was out for the third of my two-mile runs (just under a third of the total distance on the day), just to get back in the swing of it really. And blimey, it was hot. My knees also felt it and it took me a while to recover from what it not really very far. Need to get that fitness up - and I have two months to do it!

(If you feel you would like to sponsor me for this run, that would be great - you can do so online at: www.run10ksponsorme.org/andrewdubock)

The first post

Today, I'm bravely entering the blogging world. Why, I'm not so sure. I think I'm trying to embrace all this new technology and fast communication. So, welcome to 'Doobs' musings' (suggestions welcome for a better title!) – and here we go...