ITN Reporter detained in China

ITN reporter John Ray was detained by Chinese Authorities today (August 13th) as he covered a Free Tibet protest at the Beijing Ethnic Minorities Park close to the Olympic Village.

Mr. Ray joined ITN in July 2000 from Sky News, where he was political correspondent.He has been based in Beijing since 2006. Prior to working in China he held posts of UK editor and senior political correspondent for ITV News.

Mr Ray claimed that he was approached by 4 or 5 officers who pinned him down, dragged him along the ground and the detained him for about 20 minutes. He also claimed that the authorities confiscated his equipment, removed his shoes and accused him of trying to unfurl the Tibetian flag. During this time, Mr Ray claimed he tried to show the Chinese Authorities his Press Accreditation, however they denied him access to it.

This is another embarrasing, yet poignantly truthful moment for the Olympic Committee, the World and the totalitarian Chinese Communist Party. Despite China's promise of free Media access during the games this is not the first time that foreign journalists have been targeted.

The Chinese government recently apologised for two incidents of harassment of foreign reporters, including the beating of two Japanese journalists trying to cover the deadly upsurge of unrest in Xinjiang last week.

If this is the Chinese Authorities view and contempt toward Foriegn reporters, just imagine what it does to its own people on a daily basis.

And this a country that has been chose to carry the torch this year for the Olympic ideal.

What a sick joke.

A joke

A boy is doing badly in Mathematics, so his parents decide to send him to a strict Catholic boarding school on the outskirts of town. To his parents delight his grades rocket. On their next visit, they ask their son what the new school does that the old one didn't.

"Oh they are much tougher here," replies the boy. " As soon as I saw that guy nailed to the giant plus sign, I knew they meant bvsiness."

Hunting for Riches....well a job actually

The hunting continues. Ever since I made the bold (and correct) decision to leave Barclays I have been looking for a permenant job. Well permenant until I can hopefully return to teaching overseas.

My last job was temporary. A month's TEFL teaching in my hometown and a good hourly rate was too good to turn down and I really enjoyed getting back to teaching English.

However it was only temporary, so something more immediate and permenant is now needed. To be honest I don't mind what kind of job it is as long as the hours are kind, my fellow co-workers tolerable and the working enviroment satisfactory. I have reapplied to both the Hospital and to Threshers (places I both worked at before) and have filled in so many online and paper applications it is making me dizzy.

I need a break. Not the prolonged rest type break. Or the broken bone type. In this climate of economic uncertainty I am hoping that something will come along to help me pay my way.

The joys of sound

I love music. Almost as much as I love film. Yet music is that thing that you can place in the background and let it evolve around you. Colouring in mundane routine. It is heard in a different context as a soundtrack to everyday life. It evokes joy, sadness, love and nostalgia.

I also love to share music. New discoveries are a joy to me. Its like I've found something that connects with me and I want everyone else to hear it. To make their own connections.

So here are a list of singers and bands that I've found over the last few months. I hope you make them a part of the soundtrack of your life.

MuteMath

"Giddily swiping ideas from several decades' worth of alternative rock, New Orleans' electro-rock quartet Mute Math at times recalls New Order's synth-dance epics, the shambling shuffle of the Stone Roses and the rest of the Madchester scene, the spiky chilliness of prime Radiohead, Air's serene ambient pop, and somewhat incongruously, the booming vocals of mainstream alt-rockers of the post-Eddie Vedder era."

Myspace site - http://www.myspace.com/mutemath

MuteMath are an insanely talented band. They produce such a confident, orginal sound that sometimes is reminiscent of Peter Gabriel, The Police, Pink Floyd, and Radiohead. The sound is a times rocky and at others insanely club influenced.


Justin Nozuka

"The maturity of Justin Nozuka's music, a soulful blend of R&B and pensive singer/songwriter folk that recalls both Nick Drake and Lauryn Hill, belies his tender years: Nozuka was only 18 when his debut album was released.Playing gigs on Toronto's active folk and singer/songwriter circuit while still in high school, Nozuka attracted the attention of the British indie label Outcaste Records (Joss Stone, KT Tunstall), which signed the youngster for his 2006 debut album, Holly."

MySpace link! - http://www.myspace.com/justinnozuka

This young guy has such a wonderful voice. Tender and powerful at the same time, its the most striking male voice I've heard since Jeff Buckley's vocal acrobatics on the brilliant Grace. His songs are striped back acoustic numbers that ooze soul and honesty.

MONO

"Japanese experimental group Mono came together in 2000, choosing to forgo vocals and concentrate instead on atmospheric classical-inspired rock music.The foursome, bassist Tamaki (the lone female in the group), drummer Yasunori Takada, and guitarists Takaakira "Taka" Goto and Yoda, released their first full-length record, Under the Pipal Tree, in 2001 on John Zorn's Tzadik label."


Official Band website - http://www.mono-jpn.com/

Most Japanese music is fun, throwaway pop, that made me laugh during my time in Japan, mainly because the singer will occasionally throw in an English word. However Mono are different, with no singers their music is haunting and reminiscent of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Check out "You Are There"

All entries in italics are taken from www.allmusic.com

Psychadelic Medicine...man!

According to a report by James Randerson in The Guardian, scientists in Switzerland are using psychadellic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin and mescaline in clinical trials to aid a variety of medical disorders including cluster headaches and OCD.

"It aims to use "psychedelic psychotherapy" to help patients with terminal illnesses come to terms with their imminent mortality and so improve their quality of life.

Another psychedelic substance, psilocybin - the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, has shown promising results in trials for treating symptoms of terminal cancer patients. And researchers are using MDMA (ecstasy) as an experimental treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

In the Swiss trial eight subjects will receive a dose of 200 microgrammes of LSD. This is enough to induce a powerful psychedelic experience and is comparable to what would be found in an "acid tab" bought from a street drug dealer. A further four subjects will receive a dose of 20 microgrammes."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/aug/12/medicalresearch.drugs

To me, personally this is rather worrying. I am all for the helping of sick or infirm, and as a Migraine sufferer for many years I welcome anything to ease the pain. However the use of psychadelic drugs as medicine has eerie echos of "Soma" from Aldous Huley's "Brave New World".

Will patients on the "Psychadelic" medicine or psychotherapy be in control of their faculities ? What are the side effects of such medicine ? What ailments will be included and excluded from this form of therapy ?

Prof Roland Griffiths at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore Maryland said "The working hypothesis is that if psilocybin or LSD can occasion these experiences of great personal meaning and spiritual significance ... then it would allow [patients with terminal illnesses] hopefully to face their own demise completely differently - to restructure some of the psychological angst that so often occurs concurrently with severe disease"

Fire on Weston Pier

"I feel very sorry for the people of Weston, for them the pier was Weston. In these difficult economic times I sincerely hope that this event doesn't bring further hardship to those businesses and people who rely on our tourist trade.

"I would like to assure all these people that we will work tirelessly to restore this magnificent structure to its former glory."

Despite not being the biggest fan of my hometown, Weston's Grand Pier was one of the recognisable faces of the place. It has a long history, surviving fire before and has a place in the memories of many, if not all of the local people. I, myself, spent time on the pier and enjoyed the Dodgems and games when I was younger.

I personally hope that it is rebuilt and that its loss doesn't drag the town down into a financial pit that will have knock on effects for everyone that lives here.

The Gr8t Escape, Lightening Strikes and other musings.

So welcome to another attempt by me to re-enter the blogging sphere. I've had around 8 months off and I'm looking forward to re-entering this world in order to do several things. So here is a kind of Gr8t Escape manifesto -

1. I plan to use this blog to record my attempts to return to teaching overseas. The highs and lows, thoughts and feelings and emotional venting.

2. I also aim to cast an eye on and at the current society I find myself part of. This may take the form of political and social stories to my own observations about my own culture.

3. Finally I plan to use The Gr8t Escape as a blog for randomness. Randomness is a massive part of who I am so expect to find photos of a cat next to a story about Iraq. As long as it interests me then I will attempt to blog about it.

Lightening Strike!

My fathers house (where I am currently living ) was struck by a bolt of lightening a few weeks ago. I was upstairs reading the morning news on the interent before work, when there was a massive noise.

My sister, Kelly, who lives nearby claimed she has seen lightening sparking off the roof. Even the neighbours came round to check that my Dad was okay. The local paper picked up the story and ran a piece in the weekly edition that included a rather fetching picture of my Father, holding the destroyed electrical appliances.

It also knackered my computer which has been sent back to Sony and damaged the central heating in the house...

Lets hope it doesn't strike twice.