Take a Picture – Fear For Liberty?

How true is this these days?

Paul Vollans, from Alvechurch, W Midlands writes to The Times:

… spontaneous photographs of children today will not be available in future — who would dare take them with child protection and privacy laws breathing so heavily down our necks?

Full Comment – click here.

Not just Children. Adults. A Child can’t force a fist through your lens, realistically. But an adult can, if they take a dislike to you being photographed in the street.

This picture was taken on a Tripod. If one person had taken a dislike, i dread to think what would have happened to the camera.

I’m interested in what you think of this – get in contact with me by leaving a comment below. Its for a documentary i’m working on, about photographers and public places. More information can be found by clicking the link above, or clicking here.

Could Charities Prosper This Christmas?

Poppies and Wreaths laid down for Charity

Now, Its coming up to Christmas during the longest recession in living memory – A time that mixes cutting costs and being encourage to spend. We are encouraged to spend by adverts, and the news focuses on how much shops make over the christmas period. The 6 weeks leading up to Christmas can also decide a shops fortunes for the next year – how much they have to spend and how much they earn.

But at the same time, we are needing to cut back. Being thrifty with the pennies seems the best way to go about things, as we cannot afford those little luxuries with the threat of job cuts and unaffordable costs every day.

So what do you do? One option seems to be charity shops.

Myself, and Faye Patrick, went out to Hanley in Stoke-On-Trent to find out what people think of buying from a charity shop, and if they would buy from one:

Remembrance Sunday

Today was and always will be Armistice Day, where we remember the war dead from the many wars we have been involved in over the years, right up until the last few days.

I attended the service in Llandudno. Starting from the Trinity Church on Trinity Square, and going to the Cenotaph on the Promenade, it attracts a lot of the residents of Llandudno.

On the day that one national newspaper becomes the first to voice a clear statement on Britain in Afghanistan, It was good to see so many people out and about to remember the people who have died fighting to protect not just our own civil liberties and freedoms, but those of others around the world as well.

So, on a day like today, it is right and proper, I believe, to put differences aside, and even if its just for two minutes at 11am, to remember our war dead. You may not agree with war, you may not even have an opinion, but the fact is soldiers lost their lives fighting for this country.

The pictures speak for themselves really.

Staffordshire Civil Contingency Plan

BY: James Bell, Joe Cuffaro, Jon Gilmore, Gary Hammersly, Andrew Stuart.

We all remember the disastrous floods of 2007. Tewkesbury in Gloucester was underwater, and those iconic images have stayed in many peoples minds.

And this week, Staffordshire has been preparing itself for a natural disaster that can strike at any time.

Andy Marhsall and Mark Banham talk to reporters James Bell, Joe Cuffaro, and Jon Gilmore

Members of the Fire Service, Police, Ambulance, Primary Care Trust, Environment Agency, Met Office, Council, Health Protection Agency and the Armed Forces were all taking part in a major exercise designed to simulate real flood conditions. It threw problems at the personnel involved and demanded they solved them. Situations such as a coach stuck on a road or two workers missing as they try to save essential infrastructure could all happen.

As we at Staffs Live spoke to them over the three days, it was apparent that they were making difficult decisions based on scarce reliable information, and unknown outcomes. The point of all this is to make sure that if it does happen for real, Staffordshire knows what to do. Even though you cannot accurately predict any situation, they now have a strong understanding of what it could be like.

One of the newer pieces of equipment is provided under the Staffordshire Contingency Plan. A series of vans and tents provide adequate cover and resources to ensure a team of commanders can work out in the field, closer to the scene of the incident in an emergency. This will ensure faster communication to the scene, and a better understanding of the situation. It can be put up in around an hour and a half, and works alongside the main control room.

Brigadier Mark Banham MBE and the Director of Civil Contingencies for Staffordshire Andy Marshall spoke to Staffs Live.

For more information go to www.staffordshireprepared.gov.uk

A youtube video of the 2007 floods in Tewkesbury

Martial Miming

Martial Miming, originally uploaded by andrew.stuart1.

This doesn’t really need much description. It’s a martial arts / joker off batman inspired halloween costume/facial paint design.

The paint is actually luminous – and it looks fantastic with the lights off.

Just hope they had a good night.

Christmas Starts When…?

Christmas. The time of fun, of food, of gifts, of TV. Of religion, of church, of celebration. Of adverts, of commercialism… of December?

Christmas, now, doesn’t necessarily start in December. The above advert used to signal the start of christmas, which came around the start of december. However, Christmas now starts around August. Last bank holiday of the year, and the shops start stocking and preparing for the fesitive period – on Dragons Den, one of the dragons told a toy manufacturer that he should get his toys in to the retailers by the summer to ensure sales!

People book Christmas dinners, have parties, and start talking about it beforehand. And its all advertisers faults! I’ve seen DFS and Argos christmas adverts over this weekend!

So, when should crimbo start? Thats been part of the discussion on Twitter this afternoon!

I said: Christmas is not allowed to start till my birthday is done with. That is in November. Sort it out, advertisers.

@SianySianySiany replied to me with @AndrewStuart Yep totally agree. And also, no one else is allowed to discuss their November birthdays until after mine has finished.

My birthday is the 22nd, SianySianySiany has hers on the 12th.

Then, @nicktheguitar said @SianySianySiany @andrewstuart Xmas doesn’t start til after @jemma1 has a birthday on 12 dec! Thems the rules.

And finally, @Tommy_Hill puts forward in this tweet his opinion: @AndrewStuart So I have to endure Christmas celebrations through my birthday? Nothing should be done before December 22nd!

So, here we go. Through standard Vox Pops (3 people, good range, good comments) edited for broadcast, We have decided that Christmas starts on December 23rd, right after Tommy’s birthday.

Another mystery solved.