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Saved on 04/07/2008

I note from Toby Young's column in the Spectator this week that his best mate Sean Langan has been freed from kidnappers in Taleban controlled Pakistan. His thoughtful and measured column about it is here. It's clearly been difficult for him to keep quiet about, but he has.

Friends like these

Cow economics

Saved on 04/07/2008

I first came across the cow economics about 8 years ago. There's a thing on Wikipedia about it here. Here are some with a few more we've invented. Ten in fact, it is Friday...

CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.

CITY OF LONDON CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell three of them to a new shell company listed on the Alternative Investment Market, using letters of credit opened by your broth

Cow economics

Lost in music

Saved on 04/07/2008

I've become spooked by the random shuffle function on my iPod. This week it has played two Prefab Sprout album tracks consecutively from the timeless classic Swoon. It has also managed to play The Message by Grandmaster Flash, just after Overpowered by Funk by The Clash, which both have references to Futura 2000 a New York grafitti artist. I'm getting quite giddy about what it might throw up for the journey home. It is a glorious way to rediscover music.

Lost in music

Book review in a lift - Jim White

Saved on 02/07/2008

Yes, there is still a football embargo on this blog, this month, but this book is not about football, it's about

Book review in a lift - Jim White

Straight Outta Compstall

Saved on 02/07/2008

The wonders of my new iPod and in-car device and the nice weather meant I had some fine tunes playing on the way in to work today and had the top down on the MLCC. I like the nice surprises that random shuffle throws up when I've stuck so much music on there. Like this, this and even a camp classic like Straight Outta Compstall

Ryan Giggs and me

Saved on 02/07/2008

I went to a business lunch at the Lowry Hotel today. I had to nip out half way through, and took a wrong turn into the other half of the banqueting room. I interrupted Ryan Giggs having his photo taken. There's no particular moral to this story, it was just a strange thing to happen. I'm sure he looked at me and thought, wasn't that the bloke I saw at Faro Airport last year? Or maybe not?

Ryan Giggs and me

Having your sausage and eating it

Saved on 30/06/2008

I'm a big fan of Cumberland sausages. I like the big chunky ones I get from Whites on Market Street in Marple. I'm pretty sure they don't ship them in from Penrith every week.

Now there's a campaign - well, a PR stunt - to protect it. It's got everything, celebrity chefs, a Facebook page, regional indignation, a website, even a day (July 5) devoted to it:

Traditional Cumberland Saus

Having your sausage and eating it

Eco Superheroes

Saved on 28/06/2008

To the Bridgewater Hall for the North West Business Environment Awards. It's a slightly odd event as they get a square like me to introduce an award for the ecological wing of the business community and it starts with a discussion with a selected panel.

The event had a super hero theme running through it, which seemed to work well. Winner of the top award was Joe Dwek, a real class act who I Eco Superheroes

No more football

Saved on 28/06/2008

Right, no more football for a month. It just depresses me to even think about it. This blog may mention the beautiful game around the middle of July in the context of the Marple Summer Sevens tournament, but it really is time for a rest.

Hat tip: Bitter End

No more football

Spinningfields summer music: Is it just me…

Saved on 26/06/2008

… or does the ad on the back of this week’s UrbanLife state the obvious about string quartets? Anyway, hair-splitting aside, this weekend’s free Spinningfields summer music concerts sound great, especially Litmus who ‘recreate music by famous Manchester bands including Oasis, Joy Divison, James and The Smiths’. More information here.

Spinningfields summer music: Is it just me…

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