inthenews.co.uk: Music review - Heart of Fire (Innerpartysystem)

This band have been lined up online as one of the best acts of 2009, with this EP signalling Innerpartysystem's attempt to break the UK market as it's practically a re-release of a US-only 2007 CD.

Click here to see the toughest review I've done for a long time!

The Latest (Column): Battle stations! Swine flu is coming!

I haven't written a snap response piece in a while, so enjoy the vitriol of this piece for The Latest regarding the swine flu pandemic-which-probably-won't-be-and-we'll-be-fine-either-way.

Read the uncut and unedited version below, or the adapted version here on The Latest.


You might as well get everything in life that you've wanted to do for a long time out of the way right now. Swine flu is coming. We're all going to die.

People are dropping like flies and the pandemic is seemingly going global. By the end of May, to celebrate my birthday, I may be one of the lucky ones alive and well enough to spoon the carcasses of once-prosperous and healthy human beings into mass graves around the world with my disease-ridden hands.

The Beeb has just reported today (April 27th) that two people have swine flu in the UK.

It states: "Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said both patients were recovering well.

"She said seven other people who had been in contact with them were now displaying mild symptoms."

Oh… hang on. We're going to be fine. A bad cough here, a sneeze there. Gone are the days of exploding eyes and vomiting up your own intestines. At least, that's the gravity that seems to be conveyed by the media regarding swine flu. I was at least hoping for some severe necrosis akin to the effects of the T-Virus from Resident Evil.

As per usual, mainstream media is happily displacing real tragedy and issues across the world with an innocuous run of sad yet generally unimportant pseudo-news. Mortgage lending has dropped again, probably setting the housing market back another month or two. The police are now asking all communications firms to monitor every internet user and their contacts as an "upgrade" to surveillance. Graham Norton also broke his ribs, which is the funniest thing he's done since Father Ted.

I mean, hasn't influenza always been deadly in one form or another? According to several news reports floating around for the last few days, it's as if this form of one of the world's most common killers could suddenly wipe out the human race, including your mum, dad, kids, siblings, friends and anyone else who had the nerve to be in good health.

One hundred people have succumbed to it in Mexico: a country that, to be fair, is not on the list of the world's best health services, with the AIDS epidemic becoming the third-biggest killer across the nation. Our own NHS is hardly top of the table but, well, we've been geared up for this kind of thing for a long time now.

Despite having excellent healthcare in many cities, Mexico suffers from the Russian effect: too much land, too many villages and not enough communication. This, in any situation, is a recipe for trouble.

It all stems down to our seemingly unnatural fear of conditions which have creatures tacked onto the front. Before swine flu, we had bird flu. Chicken pox has always been a big threat to adults too.

Should that fail, an acronym or random grouping of letters and numbers can always strike fear into the most hardy of individuals, usually because they can't be arsed to figure out what it stands for. Fear of the unknown has been one of humanity's greatest flaws for aeons. Oh no, SARS! Uh-oh, MRSA! Watch out, here comes H5N1!

The fact remains: the flu jab is encouraged in older folk while general healthy eating, a solid daily dose of vitamin C and plenty of vegetables have all been linked to avoiding the worst parts, or the prolonged pain, of the virus.

I know this news detracts from the altogether very real problem of the recession - something else entirely exacerbated by the media - yet I think we're now all used to bad news being the only trump card against more bad news.

inthenews.co.uk: Music review - Set Your Head On Fire (The Black Box Revelation)

The Belgian music scene is, as we all know, absolutely amazing so to get a slice of the action through this release by The Black Box Revelation was just superb - I hope you enjoy the review.

Click here to read it at inthenews.co.uk.

inthenews.co.uk: Music review - I Never Thought This Day Would Come (Duke Special)

This artist was a bit of a surprise package. He's a leading Northern Irish singer trying to break mainland UK with his third album, and I'm the one lucky enough to give it a listen.

Click here to read the review on inthenews.co.uk.

The Latest (Column): Children's TV is short-changing a new generation

As a one-time devotee to children's TV in full-blown nostalgic mode, I found it a good time to have a look at the current state of kids shows. It's not pretty. Click here to read it directly at The Latest or continue underneath for the uncut, unedited and preferred slice of hate.


It seems that everyone has the power to learn anything these days.

When I was growing up, I didn't have access to the internet. It wasn't until 2000 that I even went on the magical new system. It wasn't that amazing, truth be told; it was still remarkably limited, though a person could learn a lot from it even then.

Now, it seems that the internet has taken over. Children have all the knowledge they want at their fingertips. Wikipedia is the ultimate website which understands the power which people can bestow upon each other and YouTube can be both educational and, largely, pretty stupid (although I'm told that people can learn through such videoed mistakes, such as failing to walk up a slide repeatedly or realising that those heels are impossible to walk in).

Despite this, and in an ironic twist, kids are largely using Mr World W. Webbingtons for keeping in touch with friends through social networking tools such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. Although the social aspect of their lives is now enhanced to a degree unseen by previous generations, they're still missing out. Why is this?

Because, quite sadly, other forms of media which were once the mainstay of information, such as television, have become lazy now they know they have an insurmountable competitor. As one of the last bastions of data, the humble television screen is more concerned with poor daytime programming than it is committed to providing top quality shows for those still growing up.

The BBC has scaled back its operations to allow children the privilege of watching reruns of The Weakest Link following the bag-packing antics of Neighbours. Its average children's broadcasting hours been cut, though not as much as CITV's roster, which has literally disappeared from terrestrial existence since the expansion to the little-watched channels both companies have created on Freeview (which are simply awful, aside for the occasional Pocoyo marathon).

It didn't quite hit me until I considered my own childhood in front of the box. I was even fortunate enough to be able to watch Short Change, a clever programme which extolled the virtues of shopping around and teaching consumer rights at the same time. Although I'm sure it bred a lot of jumped-up little swines who would argue the toss over a bag of Mojos from their local corner shop, it also emphasised the ways in which teenagers could get more bang for their buck.

Starting in the early 90s with Zoe Ball, Short Change saw its action end four years ago when, for some unknown reason, the Beeb figured that nobody young cared about money. Ho hum. It's not as if anything bad's going to happen in the economy.

Given the current financial quagmire the nation now faces whether they're affected by it or not, surely it stands to reason that television executives should be prioritising this kind of programming?

The only stab at speaking to Them Kids on Their Level is through Condescension Today, or Newsround, as many people know it. Although it's a news round-up for kids (surprisingly), the emphasis is on the latter part of their brief and it is still able to tell kids the news in a baffling fashion.

"The Indian bombings in Mumbai are a very bad thing," some faceless presenter will state while surrounded by pretty colours and plush couches. "India is a country in Asia. A lot of people live there. A lot of people are sad," they will usually add.

Then a lucky Press Packer will be able to talk to the Minister for Patronisation about why kiddies may not like the sound of this. Hooray for news!

So, if that's the only real link between reality and children, what are we creating?

For goodness sake, anybody over the age of 14 can be considered an adult now. Whether we like it or not, children are more headstrong and street-smart. They know about sex at a much younger age. If they know about the oldest bonding experience known to mankind, why can't they learn about economics or politics? Are they not entitled to their own views?

Many will see this argument as a lose-lose situation. Sex, for example, is seen as both fun and cool. Economics and politics are not sexy, even if Caroline Flint is still in the Cabinet and the likes of Andrew Neil, Michael Portillo and Diane Abbott are regularly on the box to talk about it. Phwoar.

But would we rather have misinformed children with some tiny degree of interest in modern goings-on, or kids who simply don't care at all because they were never approached in the first place? I would take the first one every time; after all, children ARE children and will continue to build on the foundations of learning. If those flagstones are solid, then they can evolve their viewpoint over time through experience. If they have no interest in the first place, why would they want to build on it?

I simply propose that the BBC and ITV at least put some money into television for the young ones. Sensible programming which is immediately watchable and not filled with little sods who are blatantly child prodigies wanting to massage their egos, or presenters like former Blue Peter host Zoe Salmon, who seems less about teaching and more about sex appeal.

Hell, get national forums up and listen to every single viewpoint, however ridiculous it may be. Allow school participation. Make it multi-platform to cut down on costs by consulting Mr Webbingtons on matters.

I'm not saying all social ills will be cured by this audio-visual shot to the arm, but I think that children should be treated as intelligent. Programming ethics from years gone by do not appeal to them any more. The world can be seen as a much scarier and intimidating place on a social, cultural and economic level. Simply explaining their options will not only make them more prepared for the future, but more rounded as individuals.

Peer pressure, nurture and other important factors will always exist when it comes to a child's development, but whether you're Christian or not, the power of freewill allows people to do whatever they want. At least give the new generation that choice with the remote control.

gamezine.co.uk: Game review - The Godfather II

Everyone's been going crazy for the long-awaited sequel to the original Godfather game, which was shrugged off by most gamers. Luckily, EA gave it another shot and I was privileged enough to be able to give it a go.

Click here to read the review.

inthenews.co.uk: Music review - We Fell to Earth EP (We Fell to Earth)

A new band is poised to take the UK by storm in We Fell to Earth, with their album released later in the year. This three-track EP provides a taster of things to come, but is it worth a listen?

To find out, click here for my review.

inthenews.co.uk: Music review - No Time For Later (The Trews)

Although this record came out quite a while back, I was assigned to cover the release. This Canadian rock band were quite the surprising package, so I hope you enjoy the review - it may result in a few people remembering their name, after all.

Click here to read the review.

politics.co.uk: Book review - The Storm: The World Economic Crisis & What it Means (Vince Cable)

I had a shot at my first ever book review. I've become much more of a reader over the last few months and with my work on a newsdesk of sorts, I thought I'd give this book a shot as I understand the ramifications of the topic.

It's for the Adfero consumer-facing website Politics.co.uk, which is a well-designed and very informative site.

Check out my review of Vince Cable's book here.

gamezine.co.uk: Game review - Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time

I carry out my first review for the Wii in the form of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. It was a good experience although it wasn't a de facto Wii experience.

Find out why by clicking here.

inthenews.co.uk: Music review - Asbo 4 Life (Goldie Lookin Chain)

Another music review in the form of Welsh rap is below, with Goldie Lookin Chain releasing their fourth album in five years. It's an interesting piece but obviously not everyone's cup of tea, though I'm proud of the review nonetheless.

You can read it by clicking here.