Posts by Ben Austin
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Speaking of John Waters, I am going to see him live next month in Hammersmith. I'm not really sure what the hell I'm going to see once I get there but I am sure it will be an eye opener
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The Pope's been riding the apology pony pretty hard since he took office...
Love this turn of phrase.
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Meh, the BBC coverage was full of trite, often borderline irrelevant political commentary whenever the commentators were stuck for something sporty to say. If I wanted to listen to POLS101 level political analysis I'd have converted my old note books into talking books.
That being said, the whole interactive thing they use here is pretty dammed sweet - you can pull up 5 screens at once (4 smalls, one large) and get all sorts of teletext like statistics as well.
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This isn't really a great piece of music, but it is kind of awesome anyway - a movie trailer about one man's struggle against the Drug Companies, using only the powers of Naturopathy - he even narrates the trailer via song! I really have to give the Guardian's Ben Goldacre mad props for finding this
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Karen, I visited Scooterworks last night (on the way to watch a rescreening of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly at the BFI) and it did seem pretty cool. The interior is a weird mixture of workshop/cafe/garage/garden but it all works well enough and the coffee was pretty good, what I didn't spill on myself as I was power-walking to the cinema. Kind of cool to see the barrista covered in paint speckled work clothes too
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I'd hate to lose MMP go, with the ability to vote party and candidate, having now lived in the UK for a bit. The idea that governments can rise or fall based on a few dozen electorates and that the rest can go to hang seems a silly basis for electoral selection. However I guess with the current polls and Glasgow East / Crewe several hundred electorates may be at risk that usually wouldn't be.
But the very idea that because my seat is a rather safe Tory seat (and the local rep seems well enough) that I effectively sit this one out is a little repugnant after voting in NZ. I might well want the Tories in power, or the Lib Dems to gain a couple more seats, or the UKIP to bring us out of Europe (lol) but if I vote for anyone but the former my vote is going to be just a symbol and nothing more.
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Gareth this link will warm your heart(re Sacred)
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I could think of nothing worse than reverting back to a pre ACC regime in NZ, even given that we have a reasonably good socialised health system. Relying on the courts to supply timely / useful restitution and punishment for health and safety/healthcare really places far too much reliance on both the skill, speed and effectiveness of the court system.
Having now been exposed to English tribunals, courts and their PI system from the employer or corporate side the sheer uncertainty that exists is more than enough reason to dislike PI litigation. It massively complicates everything. From a victim side I can't see how it is any better either - the courts are slow (hard not be really) and it always comes down to a battle of determination - are you determined enough to stick through a complicated, expensive process or will you just let it go?
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Has anybody in London tried the cafe at Scooterworks in SE 1? http://www.scooterworks-uk.com/#
This is managed by a friend of mine Craig, and while I have never been there (I left the UK before it opened), I used to flat with the guy in Peckham and he made a mean coffee. He also imports coffee machines from Italy, the original type with handles, not buttons, as operated at DKD all those years back.I'll check it out this week sometime, it would be nice to have good coffee around the Waterloo area
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Flat White is pretty awesome when looking for good coffee/familiar accents/slightly superior Barrista attitude. They have a semi competitor now, about 2 minutes walk away called "Milk Bar", which is very similar in layout, if slightly bigger, and staffed with Kiwis. I understand there may be some crossover but god knows what it is.
TL;DR - Soho/Carnaby St area now has at least 3x Kiwi coffee spots