Journalism posts

A sporting chance

“Everyone’s kicked a football at some point in their lives,” Nicky Malson says. “It’s something everyone can relate to.” It’s also something a lot of people take for granted, just like a trip to the swimming pool in summer or a jog in the park or a kickabout with friends.

The Dacoits: Dumbstruck

The first two tracks of EP Dumbstruck are mixed by Chris Sheldon, whose CV reads like the track listing for an indie rock compilation album. That’s an excellent clue to what the Dacoits are all about: indie rock in the Nineties/early Noughties style.

How to get around for less

The rising price of crude oil is affecting the price of all sorts of things, from the food on your table to the clothes  you’re wearing. But the most direct effect has been on transport costs. The mainstream media bemoans the plight of two-car families, but people on lower incomes have been hit much harder. Here’s how to save money  on your transport costs.

48 hours to save a life

Kate Griffin reviews Measure for Measure, performed by Creation Theatre Company this spring at the North Wall Arts Centre.

Hypocrisy, lies, secrets and blackmail. No, I'm not talking about Eastenders; I'm talking about one of Shakespeare's most difficult plays. Measure for Measure, performed by Creation Theatre Company this spring, is a story where family loyalties are torn apart by impossible choices.

Five ways to change the world

Climate change is the biggest threat the world has ever faced, but that doesn't mean the individual is powerless. Kate Griffin lists five things you can do today to help slow down climate change.

Drug Squad at Truck 2008

A friend of mine has a theory that ska bands are by definition fun. Drug Squad do nothing to prove him wrong, which is good news for everybody who's here to dance.

The law of averages

Sometimes it seems as if we are a nation obsessed with house prices. Barely a day goes by without there being an item in the newspapers about house prices – are they going up or down? Is the market too volatile, or perhaps too stagnant? What is happening to interest rates?

But we are in danger of knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing. There is a bigger picture to be considered; the sustainability of house price growth, of course, but also the dangers inherent in a constantly rising market.

Mill wheel keeps on turning

Old Father Thames has spawned more novels and poems than brown trout; more tributes than tributaries. But it is still easy to forget what an influence this river has had on our culture until you come to research a certain stretch of it.

Mapledurham Mill is near Mapledurham House (see our Heritage section on pages 20-23 of this issue). It is part of the Mapledurham Estate, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The mill was built in 1423, but the present Mapledurham House was not created until 1588.

The Railway Children at Oxford Playhouse

E Nesbit's The Railway Children is one of the most enduring pieces of children's literature. This tale of three uprooted children joins Gulliver’s Travels and The Tale of Peter Rabbit on the shelf of children’s classics., and has been in print for nearly a hundred years.

Ringing the changes

Rings have been part of the wedding ceremony for thousands of years, and no other piece of jewellery is so steeped in tradition and folklore, writes Kate Griffin

It is widely believed that the circular shape of the ring represents eternity and the hope that the marriage will last for ever. For this reason, some people will only buy a ring that has been cast rather than wrought, so that there has never been any break in it.