High turnout at Lancaster university

I just thought I ought to record the fact that the queue of students at the campus polling station (in the chaplaincy) was longer than I've ever seen it! Student apathy was taking a holiday today!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Lanky, Lanky, Lanky, Lanky, Lancashire!

t's been a very busy week, and I'm very glad it's nearing an end. This week at work has been budgets week; we've been working out our aspirations for 2010/11 in fine detail, and for a £20m expenditure budget, that's a lot of detail! Needless to say, I'm frazzled!

Amongst the chaos of spreadsheets and calculators, I have had a little time to keep track of Lancashire's progress against Essex. James Anderson seems to have proved that the rest has done him good. I'm glad he wasn't involved in the IPL - I think fast bowlers work too hard to play cricket all the time. His return of 6 for 44 in the first innings and 2 for 14 so far in the second bodes well for the English summer, and vindicates his decision to forego the glitz and glamour of the IPL.

The domestic season for Lancashire has got off to a flying start: 

When I heard the new about Gary Keedy's injury, I was a bit anxious about the Lancashire spin attack. Keedy's one of those unsung veterans of English cricket, and I thought Lancashire might miss him badly. Then I hear about Kerrigan, the new talent from Preston! On debut against Warwickshire he took a total of 7 wickets including 5 for 43 in the second innings. I can guarantee, we will hear more about the latest Prestonian cricketing talent!

The other thing that excites me about Lancashire's prospects is the naming of this season's overseas players. Simon Katich and Shiv Chanderpaul are set to wing their respective ways to Old Trafford for part of the season, and given last year's failaings with the bat, it's good to see this kind of name appearing in the Lancashire squad list.

All quiet on the environmental front

Has anyone else noticed that the 3 main parties have all gone very quiet on environmental issues? I suppose they don't play too well when the country is recovering from a massive recession, but it's something I'd like to hear much more about. I want to hear about their attitude to alternative energy production, nuclear power, waste/recycling and carbon emissions.I'm hoping that they'll speak up soon.

I'm still excited

I watched the second half of the debate last night, and I have to say that I am still excited. I'll definitely be watching the next one.

I'm less convinced that Clegg was the clear winner than some commentators seem to be, but I do think he edged it. I think a large part of this is down to simple human nature; let me explain with a few descriptive words about each candidate from my perspective:

Gordon Brown - uncomfortable on live TV, apologetic, uncertain, false smile

David Cameron - young, posh, ruthless, posh, conveniently silent, posh

Nick Clegg - young, honest, normal, middle-class, honest, open, honest

People want to identify with the person they choose, and this often means finding the person most similar to them. On the descriptions above, and my own misconceptions about myself, I identify most closely with Nick Clegg.

Of course, this is only a small part of the motivation for voting, and the rational part of the brain will kick in for many people, but a lot of people will vote on the basis of this kind of instinctive judgement.

This makes my think (rather cynically, but probably accurately) that the LibDems had better debate coaching, and that perhaps Nick Clegg is more gifted in this particular art and therefore more receptive to the coaching. It doesn't necessarily mean that he would be any better than the other 2 as a Prime Minister.
Bring on the next one - I like seeing them squirm!

A heated debate

Having recently watched the famed 'debate episode' of the West Wing, I am actually quite excited about the prospect of a TV debate between the main political party leaders. The West Wing episode I refer to was a live episode where Jimmy Smits' chartacter Matt Santos takes on the wiley Senator Vinick, played by Alan 'Hawkeye' Alda. The two candidates agree, at the beginning of the debate, to abandon the formal rules. Instead they have a good old fashioned 'heated debate' (who remembers Mrs Merton?)!

I heard on Radio 4 this morning that the real-life UK debate will follow quite strict rules, and I'll be very interested to see how they all do. Part of this is down to novelty; if it becomes a regular feature of British politics, I'm sure it will get boring. For now, though, I'm excited.

More on Brian Cox

I was just having a look at my previous post about Brian Cox's run in with the astrological types, and I realised that I didn't actually offer any kind of opinion on the affair! Not that I'm suggesting that I should always express an opinion on this blog, but it occurred to me that the original post is rather vacuous.

Therefore I thought I'd seek to remedy this by siding with the scientist. I think Cox was right to express his opinion that astrology was a load of rubbish in the context of a BBC science programme, because that seems to be the consensus view of modern science! I would find it most disturbing if a professor of Physics said anything else on a programme about the science of the solar system.

If it had been billed as a programme about astrology, I don't think Cox would have been invited to contribute unless they wanted to portray a devil's advocate view from the unbelieving scientists. As it was, it was a show about science, so the astrologers just have to deal with it. Perhaps they shouldn't have watched in the first place.

The other issue is whether I agree with Cox's opinion (rather than his right to express it), and I'm happy to say that I do. Though I'm aware of the view held by some that Christianity (and all other religions) are guilty of irrational stargazing. My own view is that astrology amounts to little more than a set of systems for guessing the future based on the movements of objects in space. I haven't seen evidence that it works, and in actual fact, I have no need for a prediction tool anyway. I'd much rather work on the basis that I can't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Simple is best!

John Bell in Barton

For those who are intersted in such things, John Bell of the Iona Community is going to be in Barton (near Preston) on the 23rd April, using the title 'Stumbling Blocks and Stepping Stones' to explore the ways we worship and encourage more lay involvement. Find out more here and here.

Easter is 50 days

I came across a blog yesterday (suggested by Google) which I decided to follow in my daily digest of blogs. Today's post has vindicated my decision to add it to my list. The blog is by a New Zealand based Anglican priest, Rev Bosco Peters, and it concentrates on the liturgy of the church.

Today's post expresses a view I've held for a long time; that Easter is a season as well as a festival day! In other words, the Alleluias and boisterous singing of the Vigil and Easter Sunday morning should continue to ring in our churches throughout the season - the 50 day season!
I'm sure that, in most churches, last Sunday's service still had some residual Easter hymns, but how long will this last? How long until we get back to business as usual?
This brings me onto another grumble I have. Society has taken Christmas to its heart (for better or worse), yet to me Easter is the spectacular and unique story we have to tell. I remember a youth leader from my younger years in East Lancashire who liked to make a massive fuss of Easter with us all. The way she explained her ethos has stuck with me ever since. She said that all of us have been born! The thing Jesus did that turned the world upside down was to rise again from the grave. Surely that's worth more than a day's worth of Alleluias and a chocolate egg. So I echo Rev Bosco's bid to maintain the celebration!

Finding the time!

I was sent a reading list by the lovely folks at Westcott House last week. Along with it was the invitation to make a start on some of the reading, if possible, before arriving in September. I'd love to, but I'm afraid it will have to go on the list with the thousand other things I'd like to do before September.

I've already blogged about the growing list of practical things we need to get sorted, but there's the spiritual side too! Since being selected for training, I must confess that my 'discipline' for daily prayer has slipped somewhat. I always have good intentions on a Sunday, but by the time Monday comes around, I struggle to find the time and space through the week! Especially with LittleLanky on the scene.

Lovely day

It's amazing what a difference the sun can make. Today is gloriously sunny in LankyLand, and there's a noticable spring in my step. Am I the only one who is much more productive and cheery when the sun has got its hat on? 

One thing I'm looking forward to about our move southward is the higher average temperatures and the more frequent appearance of the sun. LankyLand is one of those places where the word 'summer' has an elusive and mythical status in the lexicon!

(The picture shows the UV part of the spectrum - hence the green)

Brian Cox gets bashed by the astrologers

I came across this courtesy of a suggestion on my Google Reader homepage. It appears Prof Brian Cox got into hot water over stating that astrology is "a load of rubbish". I watched the BBC episode in question, and I remember thinking at the time that he might get into trouble with astrology fans.

iPhone adverts

Am I the only one who isn't sure about the latest Apple innovation to open up the iPhone OS to new forms of advertising? I want to reap the benefits of the new OS, especially the enhanced multitasking, but I'm not so keen on the introduction of advertising. 

Stephen Fry's interview with Steve Jobs (about the iPad) in Time Magazine has the Apple guru claiming that commercialism isn't their starting point:

I remind Jobs that at the product launch of the iPad in January, he had stood in front of two street signs, one reading "Liberal Arts," the other "Technology." "This is where I have always seen Apple," he told the audience, "at the intersection of the Liberal Arts and Technology."

I suggest there's a bit more to it than that; surely Apple stands at the intersection of liberal arts, technology and commerce? "Sure, what we do has to make commercial sense," Jobs concedes, "but it's never the starting point.

Can I not just have a beautifully desinged and engineered gadget? I don't even mind paying Apple's prices, but having done so, I don't expect my phone to start advertising to me as well!

BBC confuse their clergy!

There is a sad local news story in Lancaster about the theft of some items from the Priory vicarage. The BBC have picked up the story but they have mixed their clergy:

 This screenshot shows the Bishop of Blackburn, but as you can see from the following screenshot from Virtual Lancaster, they've zoomed in on the wrong cleric:

The new vicar at the Priory is the chap on the left. I wonder how long it will take them to correct the mistake; I've just sent them a comment - let's see how long it takes them to correct it.

More thoughts of September

As I said in a previous post, I've been thinking about our move in September. We haven't moved house in a few years, and since University we've lived in the same area. It suddenly dawned on me that there's a lot to do in preparation for the move; especially as we'll be taking a massive income drop. We can't afford to pay a month of extra council tax or student loan payments, so for once in my life I'll need to get organised.

In a bid to do this, I thought I'd have a bit of a brainstorm here:

• Council tax - need to find out what we'll need to pay and whether we get any benefits or rebates. I know I'll get a discount as a student, but that's all I know so far. We also need to make sure Lancaster City Council know when we're moving.
• Tenancy - need to notify landlord of intended move date and end of tenancy.
• New house - need to sign a contract and find a deposit.
• Removals - need to book some assistance with this - hoping my uncle can help here!
• NI and tax - this has always been a mystery to me. I should probably check if there are any implications of my change in status half way through the year.
• Student loans - I only have a bit left to pay on my loan, but when I become a student again, I won't be paying! Probably need to let the lovely folks in Glasgow know what's going on.

Then there's all the things I keep forgetting about:

• Need to find a vet and register the felines
• Need to find a dentist with vacancies (and fill in HC1 forms!)
• Need to work out where the nearest doctors' surgery will be in Cambridge

I think I need to write these down and keep adding to them as I think of more! Once I start at Westcott, I don't think I'll have masses of time to faff around with this sort of thing.

A calmer approach to Holy Week

For the last few years Holy Week has been a somewhat manic time for us. We've routinely spent Wednesday to Saturday at Loyola Hall in Merseyside, where I have helped by organising and leading the music. Whilst that sounds like a calm and peaceful way to approach this reflective time in the Church's year, it most certainly is not! Planning meetings coming out of your ears, trying to move people on from their favourite seasonal music (mostly from the 70s and 80s), and trying to get people singing in parts are all demanding tasks which take a lot of energy. With the arrival of LittleLanky, we decided that we would give our apologies this year in favour of a bit of down-time at home. 

One of the downsides of worshipping in the context of a University Chaplaincy is that there really isn't anyone around in the holidays. The Sunday services are reasonably attended, but trying to get people out during the week is very difficult! Combine this with the timing of Easter in relation to the vacation, and it is proving to be a very quiet Holy Week so far!

Having said that, we had a very successful 'workshop' approach to Christopher Walker's Passion on Palm Sunday, and I'm hoping for a smattering of people at my contemporary approach to Tenebrae on Maundy Thursday. Thankfully it's a service I used at Loyola last year, and I only need to make a few small amendments.

Cricket Conundrum

I posted earlier in the year about the proposal to bring the Ashes into the 'Crown Jewels' of British sporting events. This would mean the tournament would be covered on terrestrial television once more. In my earlier post I sounded a note of caution based on the level of income currently enjoyed by the ECB from television revenue. I saw this article today on the BBC website which details the ECB's reservations on the matter. I'm sure everyone connected with this matter shares my dilemma: I'd love to see the Ashes on terrestrial TV again, but the Sky money has made a massive difference to the game. How do you choose between a massive amount of income and a massive increase in the armchair following of the game?


Here's one answer: when the government decides to make a sporting event one of the 'crown jewels', it should fund the shortfall between what Sky and the BBC can pay for the rights. Murdoch would hate it, but the viewing public and the ECB would love it.

The A14 and the Sabbath

We've just returned from a very enjoyable weekend in Cambridgeshire; staying with family and going to Cambourne for a baptism on Sunday. The baptism was held in the new Cambourne Church building as part of the regular morning service. The sermon was one in a series on the subject of 'Sabbath', and focussed particularly on liberation as an aspect of sabbath.

I found myself musing on other aspects of sabbath observance as we sat in traffic for 2 hours following a diversion around a closed portion of the A14. It reminded me of something I had previously observed on a meandering train home from London; a lot of people travel on a Sunday. So why is it that Network Rail and the Highways Agency seem to assume that the Sabbath is a day of rest across the land?

I'm sure that the cost to the nation's economy is less if closures happen on a weekend, but for those of us who only do long journeys on a weekend it feels a bit like victimisation! Is there not some other type of value attached to an efficient leisure journey on a Sunday afternoon? There is in my book, though I'm not sure that will persuade anyone to think about a change of policy.

I suppose we're going to have to get used to the eccentricities of the A14 at some point soon. It will be a road we use frequently once we move to Cambridge, and its reputation precedes it.

Thinking about September

As some of you will know, the Lanky tribe will be moving south (and East) in the autumn for a major change in our lives. I've accepted a place at Westcott House (Cambridge) to train for the priesthood, and we'll be moving down there in September.

I've spent some time this week lining up a meeting with our potential landlord, and it occurred to me the other day that we will have to give notice on our current house this month! That means we have to start deciding moving dates and end dates for my current work. It really is starting to become very real! 

At the same time, though, both MrsLanky and I are excited by the opportunity to start something new when many of our peers are settling down. We're daunted by the move away from our home of 10 years (we're going to miss Lancaster), but also energised by the leap of faith we have chosen to make. We have no real idea where we'll be in 5 or 10 years time, and it feels great!

My key reservations about Cambridge are as follows:

• No hills in Cambridge - mountain biking a bit dull
• Lake District very far away
• I will be a proper offcomer (northern terminology) for the first time in my life (MrsLanky knows all about this, being a Southerner in the north)
• Less rain than the Northwest of England; possible withdrawal symptoms from the damp
• Distance from my family (again, MrsLanky knows all about this one)
• Probable unavailability of 'Lancaster Blonde' in Cambridge pubs

If you can think of any more, please add them to the comments...

The silent majority

Over the last 15 years there has been a massive expansion in electricity generation from onshore wind turbines. There have been several projects in Lancashire, and I have noticed a trend. When the public consultations open, the loudest voice comes from a relatively small group of objectors; some of whom have legitimate complaints about shadow flicker or reduced house value etc...

Given the presentation of 'public opinion' in the local media, I would expect that a large proportion of the people I speak to about the subject would bite my head off when I voice my support, but I don't! I hardly ever hear any objections. Is it because the 'type' of people I know are more likely to support windfarms? I'm sure that's part of it, but I'm convinced that there's a silent majority out there, who, by remaining silent, are helping to perpetuate a skewed rendering of public opinion in the press. I genuinely think that were we to hold a referendum for each project (with compulsory participation), wind energy projects would find a vast amount of support they never knew existed!

So why all the fuss from a LankyAnglican? Well my employer has submitted a planning application for the construction of 2 wind turbines which would provide 1/3 of the University's electricity requirements. The impact on local residents is relatively limited, given the site is adjacent to the M6 motorway and the massive university campus, and all the appropriate impact studies have suggested that the proposed site is a good one. Public opinion, however, seems to be going against the application. So here's my plea: if you're a member of the silent majority, please break your silence, and do so quickly! Local residents' voices will count for more, but please also add your comments from afar!

Lancaster City Council Planning Portal
More project information

A cricket post

There's been a lot of comment about the England team's decision to rest key players (including the captain) during their tour of Bangladesh, and I'd like to add my insignificant vote of confidence to their decision. We've only just got through the ODIs, but I think it's possible to identify some benefits of this strategy already:

1. Cook has been able to get valuable experience of captaincy. He is clearly the nation's captain in waiting, and as such he should benefit from more than the odd fill-in game. England players don't get the opportunity to captain their county sides, so the vast majority of the contracted players have never captained a team since their school days. Why do we expect them to pick it up immediately following their appointment to the job?
2. Other players have been given the chance to prove themselves on the international scene. This has to be good for them and for the selectors.

One final thing I noticed on the scorecard from Chittagong is that KP has finally been allowed to turn his arm over a bit. This is something I would have liked to have seen over the summer when he was really scratching around for a contribution with the bat, and even in the field. I thought it might have helped if he'd felt a bit more involved in the game by bowling a few overs; he may even have taken the odd wicket like he did today.

All in all, I think England's approach to Bangladesh has been sensible. Let's hope the benefits roll forward to the coming summer.