Cup of Tea and a Biscuit

It's not looking good for Duane Buck

2011-09-26T14:14:00.002+01:00

In the wake of Troy Davis' execution, it's business as usual in Texas. And things are not looking good for Duane Buck. On the surface, the press coverage of the suspension of his execution in Texas for the 1995 murder of his ex-girlfriend and her lover sounds promising – the US Supreme Court in Washington has agreed to hear his case for a new sentencing hearing.

During the original hearing, psychiatrist Walter Quijano said black people are more likely to re-offend than whites. In Texas, after a person has been convicted, the jury is asked two questions: are there mitigating circumstances as to why this person may have committed this crime, and secondly, and most importantly in this case, is this person a future danger. Saying he’s a future danger because he is black is unconstitutional – the law says race should in no way influence the judicial system.

But what’s really not good is that of the five other cases where this particular psych used the racial argument, all five were granted a new sentencing hearing – and all five were sentenced to death again. It seems no one doubts Buck’s guilt, and so the only alternative outcome is life without parole. Better to do life in Huntsville than fester until the needle at Polunsky? Certainly, most would say. Certainly good to get a sentencing hearing that is itself fair under the constitution.

It’s also worth pointing out that the current senator of Texas, Rick Perry, refused to grant Buck a new hearing – it took the granting of a certiorari petition to the Supreme Court to get this one looked at, and they could quite easily refuse a re-sentencing and clear the way for another execution date. But if Rick Perry can sit back and allow what appears to be blatant racism prejudice a trial, what is he going to gloss over in the White House? We’ve lived through one cowboy's time on Pennsylvania Avenue. Maybe the publicity surrounding this case might throw some light on what we can expect from another.

Don't worry there's still one prince left

2011-04-26T19:07:00.004+01:00

Ok. I've managed to hold this off so far, but I think it's about time to reveal the sheer quality of my Royal Wedding mug.

I managed to persuade myself that as I don't knit, there's no point in having the 'knit your own Royal Family', but as you can see, the mug was beyond my powers of resistance.

Finally, I'm not the only older sibling to be outdone by a ginger younger brother.

Celyn Vincent's case makes no sense, morally or economically.

2011-01-20T20:18:00.000Z

Whether the family of Celyn Vincent are suffering because of Tory cuts, or whether the possibility of her being put into care is due to the already-established system in the UK, surely the case of the Vincent family should make the current government think twice about cutting care for the disabled.

Celyn's mother Riven, who was visited by David Cameron before the election, says she can no longer cope with the round-the-clock care that her daughter needs. Gloucestershire Council are alleged to have refused any more help - the family currently gets six hours a week - and with the lack of ringfencing around funds supposedly meant for improving respite provision for kids with disabilities and their families, councils may well dip into the pot for other things.

David Cameron had a disabled child. He knows what it's like, or at least that's what you'd think. News reports say he's going to write to Riven Vincent personally. That's great. But as Riven Vincent says herself, what about the other thousands of families who are in exactly the same position?

I'm no economist, and I can only hope that the government knows something I don't. Could someone explain to me how families being forced to put their kids into respite care, full time, costs less than the authorities providing support for a child to live at home, with people who love them and friends and family who can help with looking after them? Surely creating a situation where institutionalisation is the only option is the exact opposite of the 'Big Society' idea that the Tories seem to be so proud of?

2010-12-12T01:13:00.000Z

We seem to have finished filming. I'm not going to count my chickens, but it looks like I've done my last night shift for the time being, and am more or less back in Bristol, at least until the middle of January.

I'm quite impressed that the students have got out on the streets. Obviously no one wants to be hit on the head by a fire extinguisher, but nevertheless it's good to see them marching past the BBC. Apparently one had a sign saying 'First Dobby's dead, now this?!'. Ten points for good old English self-deprecation.

But how can the government realistically say they can't find the money for education any more, when they're letting companies like Vodafone and the ultra-rich like Philip Green slip through the legal loopholes? I was a student, I paid fees, and now I pay taxes. He was a student, he didn't pay fees, and now he doesn't pay taxes. Talk about a bunch of rich kids pulling the ladder up once they've got what they need. Yes universities need more funding. But surely there are other possibilities. That's the last time I vote Liberal Democrat.

Night shift

2010-09-05T17:34:00.001+01:00

I’m struggling to sleep. We did the night shift last night – 12am to 12 (ish) pm today. We were all like the living dead by the end, but annoyingly this has not translated into coming home and falling into a deep, blissful, 9-hour sleep. Thought about going for a swim, but I’m shattered and also have a cold, so knocked that one on the head. Instead I doused my pillow in lavender oil, closed my sort-of black out curtain and spent a fitful three hours dreaming about the custody suite. So now I’ve given up for a bit, and am sat in bed with a mug of Lemsip and a gooseberry yoghurt.

Night shifts definitely mess with your head. One of the custody sergeants told us the other day that long-term shift workers have a shorter lifespan. Whether that’s true or not, I believe him. I’ve done one this week and I’m shaky and wired. And I’m going to be back there again in six hours. ONE. That’s pathetic.

Maybe I should go out for a stroll, see the sights of Hull. So far, I like it, although we’re seeing at some odd times of the day. Apparently it was the most bombed city outside of London in the war. Considering how Coventry looks thanks to the Luftwaffe, I think parts of Hull are pretty beautiful. I just wish I could see more of it in daylight…

2010-03-17T21:33:00.001Z

I've been out of work for the best part of a month. Luckily, Khara hasn't been working either, which has meant we can have a joint appreciation of David Tennant, which mainly consists of a competition in which we try to spot him in some form of media at least once a day, (I even got a point while in America, when he appeared on an Alabama TV screen showing repeats of Dr. Who), and baking.

However now I just want to go. I'm back in Shrewsbury for a few days with the parentals, which is lovely, especially as now Dad's his own boss, he can grant himself a day off.

Saw Grandma yesterday, and played a lot of dominos. Unfortunately it turns out that a body was found in the grounds of her old people's home recently. The poor cook found the skeleton. Luckily I don't think Grandma knew about this development, or if she did, she doesn't remember. Today we walked around Haughmond Hill. Good day for it.

Will be back in Bristol on Friday, hopefully in time for an evening of IgNobel, which is taking place at Hewlett Packard in Bristol. We filmed with Dan Meyer when we were in the US, who's a sword-swallower extraordinaire. He and some of the other IgNobel alumni are coming to give talks/demonstrations of some of the kind of inventions and discoveries which have made IgNobel headlines recently, including the lady who invented the bra that converts into a gas mask. I'm looking forward to it. Here's the link if you're interested:

http://improbable.com/improbable-research-shows/ig-uk-tour/

We met Magnus Wahlberg in LA, who ALSO has an IgNobel award, gained for his research showing how herring communicate by farting. Amazing man.

Looking forward to the great American schlep. Am hoping to make it out before this country goes truly election crazy, although the Guardian published a website today which may be a good way of diffusing all the pomposity...

www.mydavidcameron.com

2010-02-25T21:17:00.000Z

So we've been back since Saturday. I'm still sleeping off the jetlag. I seem to manage until around 2pm, and then crash until 6. Then I can't sleep again until 4am. Hopefully it'll wear off first.

Vegetables are still a novelty. I should have kept a tally of the burgers I think. We saw some amazing church bill-boards. From 'we support Israel' to 'you are not alone', they ranged from teh political to the conservative to the wacky. I was disappointed not to get to a service in the States, I think I just need to try harder.

Being in Las Vegas was a bit nuts. I had to pick up a Western Union transfer from work, and the counter was actually in the casino. You turn round with your wad of cash, and all you can see is bank on bank of fruitmachines with the odd roulette wheel thrown in. It was around 9am, and the woman next to me, still in her pyjamas, took out 10,000 dollars in cash.

We got slam-dunked by the weather twice; once when a shoot was cancelled in LA because of the rain, and then the second time we weren't able to leave New York because of the snow, and we had to cancel two days of filming. But it was secretly great to have spare time in New York. I went to have a look at the UN one morning. It' s amazing to see it, as well as frightening how impotent such an organization is when what needs to be done goes against the national interests of one of the permanent five members of the security council's interests.

By the time I got home this was in the news because of the question of oil drilling off the Falkland islands. Argentina's approach to the UN seems a bit of a waste of time when the UK can simply veto any attempt to stop oil rights back to Argentina. so much for United Nations...

2010-01-21T07:41:00.000Z

At the end of the second day of LA, it has done nothing but poor down. However, I've seen the Pacific ocean, driven across the city on the right, eaten enough burgers to sink a small dingy, and today had a shoot saved by a lovely gentleman called Miguel. We were let down by a bike rental company who were supposed to be hiring us a tandem for filming tomorrow. When we arrived at the shop, there was a big sign saying 'closed on rainy days', so we drove back down Lincoln boulevard to a shop we'd seen selling bikes.

The manager, Miguel, was in the back, and even though they don't do rentals, he not only let us use a men's bike until Saturday, but he also took us back to his house and is letting us have his tandem for the weekend. He completely saved my bacon. I couldn't believe how trusting he was, it was wonderful.

I'm zonked, and am going to hit the hay. Don't know what we're going to do tomorrow if the rain carries on like this.

2009-12-26T13:37:00.000Z

I don't know whether anyone else saw the Christmas Shrek episode last night, but it was great - the best quote of the episode was that 'it's not Christmas until someone cries'. Actually typing it makes me realize it sounds terrible, but it was all about Shrek kicking out all his mates when they destroyed his house on Christmas Eve. Then he missed them, and invited them all back. Makes a lot of sense, and it made us laugh after a crazy but great day yesterday.

2009-11-19T21:39:00.000Z

After six years of living in Bristol, I've finally given in and got on a bike. Moving house has prompted it, being in Brislington means it would be too far to walk to work, and I'm too tight to pay for the bus. Now Lucy is in Cambodia, I'm borrowing her bike. This morning, I made it up to St. Paul's Road in about 15 minutes, despite having to get off to get up Park Street. One of these days I might make it right to the top before having to give in. So far I can make it to being level with Mastershoe.And it's so lovely cycling in, it's really refreshing, and it's so great to have that extra twenty minutes in the morning.

I have already witnessed my first incident of bike rage though, although not against me. I saw a walker on Pero's Bridge kick the back wheel of a cyclist who cut him up. A bit of posturing ensued, but nothing too serious. And now I'm feeling like a real mechanic, as I managed to fix the bike when the chain came off. Twice.

2009-11-03T20:54:00.000Z

You've got to love Gok Wan. There's something really great that actually, there's nothing major going on here - some new clothes, a couple of stunts, but a really whopping confidence boost, and absolutely NO surgery. One in the eye for Harley Street.

2009-10-23T21:33:00.000+01:00

There have been so many column inches - blog, print etc - on Nick Griffin's appearance on the BBC's question time last night, that I don't really feel like there's much I can add. However, having been trapped in Broadcasting House in Bristol last night while a bunch of protesters yelled slogans at the front of the building, I think the BBC were totally right to have him on. He's an elected representative of the British people, x amount of Brits have voted for him, and he raises an ugly mirror to the current government; if their policies are so good, why is the number of BNP members expanding?

It was a shame that Jack Straw obviously didn't want to answer that one. The issue of Labour's immigration policies was pretty much the only decent question of the whole night. While I can't deny that seeing someone like Mr. Griffin taking a pasting on national television does give some level of satisfaction, it was also slightly uncomfortable watching the mainstream parties get such an easy ride. I'd have liked to have seen a few more questions and a few less comments.

2009-10-15T21:46:00.000+01:00

Now this I really struggle with.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/15/texas-bible-jury-death-sentence

Well actually, that's not true. I cannot agree with any Biblical basis for the taking of another human life, whether that's through murder by an individual, or the killing of someone sanctioned by the state. Justice, yes, but surely also grace?

But equally, just because someone uses the Bible to influence their opinion, is that inherently wrong? Can anyone claim that strongly held beliefs of theirs would not affect their judgement in a case like this? Today I heard someone I'm worked with say that all paedophiles should be chemically castrated, or that government should re-introduce the death penalty. I don't think this guy's a big Bible-reader, but his views on it are certainly stronger than mine.

2009-09-24T21:44:00.000+01:00

We've just been watching 'The Leader, his Driver and the Driver's Wife', Nick Broomfield's film made in 1991 about the final push of the white supremacist movement in South Africa and Eugene Terre'blanche in particular. Braodcast just before Mandela was released, it feels almost a relief to watch a doc which is big on the characters, not worried too much about traffic noise, about people being in shot, and fundamentally that Nick Broomfield wasn't exactly getting the interview he wanted. I really like programme-making that acknowledges the existence of the crew in the making of the film and the impact that has on how people are behaving.

2009-09-23T09:51:00.000+01:00

I was quite excited when the US (and now apparently the UK) started to show signs of nuclear de-commissioning; what with Obama cancelling the missile defence shield and now Mr. Brown saying he's probably going to ditch one of the Trident subs, I felt like perhaps there really has been a sea change along with the administration change in the States.

Until my housemate pointed out that it's still only really going to take one missile to trigger a crisis. What's the point of getting rid of only a single submarine? While it's good on the one hand (I guess a few thousand/million less people will be killed/injured should the 'necessity' for a strike arise), it proves the point that nuclear weapons are still seen as a useful deterrent. It seems the British government are only dropping the fourth Trident to try and fill in part of the hole blasted in the budget by the bailout of the banks.

But it's obviously not a deterrent; Israel having the bomb hasn't stopped suicide bombers. America and the UK are still terrified of home-grown terrorists. Surely nuclear weapons are redundant now that old-style cold war battle scenarios are past? No single man with home made explosives strapped to his chest is going to be put off by the threat of a nuclear missile.

Can't the government do something a bit more constructive with the cash - think how many nurses' pay could be hiked, how many youth schemes could be funded, how the train network could be finally sorted and all those high speed train links commissioned. If we're going to make it about the money rather than the moral high ground, then surely as a deterrent, it's just not economically efficient; it doesn't do the job.

2009-08-12T12:31:00.000+01:00

I'm currently out of work, which means I have the time and the will to get extremely annoyed about the NHS-bashing which seems to be going on across the pond. Chuck Grassley in particular seems to have it in for our health system, suggesting Edward Kennedy would not be treated for a brain tumour over here. There's also a rumour flying around that anyone over 59 is not eligable for treatment. Apparently our system is socialist and Orwellian. Up the workers if it leads to free health care irrespective of insurance or income...

2009-05-25T19:29:00.000+01:00

It looks like Germany is about to hold its last war crimes trial. John Demjanjuk, who has lived in the US since the 50s, has finally been taken back to Germany to face charges of being an accessory to the deaths of 29,000 Jews at Sobibor. This is the second time he's stood trial - he was sentenced to death by the state of Israel, who thought he was 'Ivan the Terrible' from the camp at Treblinka.

It feels disconcerting that history is so close.

2008-09-22T22:40:00.000+01:00

Actually the same book makes a really valid point about power in western democracy - that it's being eroded in the traditional sense. As political parties all seem to merge into one another, as more and more people choose not to vote because all the politicians seem to stand for the same thing these days, and more importantly as big business has increasingly clout over government, the individual voter has less direct power over the actions of the government.

Giles Bolton's argument though is that the power hasn't disappeared, its just shifted - and in fact we probably now have more power as consumers than we did as voters. Businesses by nature want us to like them and to buy their products/services. So if we've got the balls and the motivation to let them know with our pounds what we do and don't like, we can have a bigger effect on everything from trade laws to trade unions to air miles.

The thing is I write this now, but will I always be able to walk past the new Tesco's that's about to open on North Street in Southville when I want something they sell but the other little businesses on the road don't? Or if it's throwing it down with rain? With me I think it's very much a case of out of sight out of mind. If I can't see it or it doesn't impact on me directly, I struggle to keep the momentum going. Is there a way we can have a more direct contact with the impact of what we buy? Or is that also just pandering to our own sense of needing a product or result from our custom?

2008-09-22T22:18:00.001+01:00

Apparently there are more doctors from Sierra Leone working in Chicago than there are doctors from Sierra Leone working in Sierra Leone.

"Aid and other Dirty Business" - Giles Bolton: frightening stuff!

2008-09-21T19:01:00.000+01:00

Hmm. I've just re-read the post from last night and it sounds really pretentious. I think I know what I meant to say, but didn't! Anyway, here's the link to the article...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/sep/20/fiction1
although annoyingly, I can't seem to find the speech itself.

2008-09-20T21:37:00.000+01:00

I wish I'd read more of David Foster Wallace. The speech he gave to a graduating class in Ohio was almost a relief. I met a friend in London last week, and we were talking about the sense that so many people these days (especially those in their 20s), seem to be floundering. Foster Wallace's point (it seems to me) is that part of the problem is what we believe in - or don't - these days. If we choose to believe in power, or money (or the power of money), then that will consume us. The reality and the route to survival and contentment is much more mundane...

2008-05-02T23:15:00.001+01:00

Why is it that everyone I speak to seems to come out in hives at the idea of Boris Johnson being mayor of London, yet it's now looking increasingly likely that he's going to win? I know I don't live in the big smoke and am therefore probably out of touch with the mayoral contest, but surely there are better ways of punishing the Labour government without voting in Boris?

And worse, how can a 42% turn out be classed as high? It seems that choosing to vote has become less and less popular over the last twenty years, but that can't be healthy - when did we become so apathetic?