All entries for Sunday 05 February 2006

Smash Hits – it was rubbish really though

Writing about web page http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/critic/feature/0,,1701291,00.html

Ridiculous amounts of nostalgia weeping going on among otherwise sensible journo/muso types about Smash Hits and how great and really, really clever and witty and satirical it was.

But it was crap really, wasn't it? Go on, admit it, it was rubbish!

: 05 Feb 2006 20:19 |  Tags: Music |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Best opening line ever?

Title:

Earthly Powers (Vintage Classics)

Author:

Anthony Burgess

ISBN:

0099468646

Rating:

It was the morning of my eighty-first birthday, and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the archbishop had come to see me

But rest of it is absolutely first rate too. Undoubtedly in my all time top 10 list.

: 05 Feb 2006 08:34 |  Tags: Book Review |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Degrees by Kwik Save?

Writing about web page http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/hefce/2006/grant/letter.pdf

The Secretary of State's grant letter is remarkable for several reasons:

First, she appears to have manually amended the date – how can such an error make it all the way to her desk?!

Second, there is the specific proposal, almost completely out of the blue, for growth in 'employer-led provision'. This is articulated here as courses which are:

wholly designed, funded or provided by employers

So, what ideas might progressive employers such as, say, Kwik Save have for innovative degree programmes that are not currently offered?

Whilst there has been far too much easy sniping at overtly vocational or narrow degree courses, there seems to me to be a world of difference between universities responding to the demands of the market by offering Not only would they not know where to start, why would they want to bother when HE produces plenty of graduates for them for free as it is?

For too long successive governments have had a touching faith in the unproven link between graduate level skills and economic advancement – it just isn't that simple and handing over degree course design to Ikea really isn't going to make things any better.

: 05 Feb 2006 07:51 |  Tags: Higher Education |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Songs about Snooker?: Approximation of a playlist #4

Snooker related fun

Snooker Loopy – Chas n' Dave
Pot Black – Theme Tune
Len Ganley Stance – Half Man Half Biscuit
Brass in pocket – The Pretenders
Spiders And Flies – Mercury Rev
White Punks on dope – Tubes
White riot- The Clash
Red eyes and tears – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Red shoes – Elvis Costello

Mellow yellow- Donovan
Yellow – Coldplay
Green eyed loco-man – The Fall
Brown Sugar – Rolling Stones
Golden brown -The Stranglers
Blue Monday – New Order
Pink glove- Pulp
Pink orange red – Cocteau Twins
Pretty in pink- The Psychedelic Furs
Black Monk Theme – The Fall
Black coffee in bed – Squeeze
Res-cue – Echo & The Bunnymen

: 05 Feb 2006 06:57 |  Tags: Music Playlist |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem