Adrian Baldwin
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Rugby Bikefest 2017

5/30/2017

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PictureRugby Bikefest 2017
On Sunday 21st May, I attended Rugby Bikefest and it was well worth a trip out and a blog post. I have been to this event each year since it started in 2014 and it just gets better and better.

​As a regular visitor to Rugby town centre, it has not escaped my attention that it is slowly dying. All the empty shops at the A428 end of the High Street (and dotted around the rest of the town centre too) really does not bode well for attracting shoppers and their money. The deterioration is bad because even the charity shops are disappearing.

​Of late, the out of town retail parks have had all the investment and they have lured the footfall and spending power away. Something is needed to rejuvenate the centre and events like Bikefest might be an important part of the solution. On Sunday the place was absolutely rammed with people, bikes and concessions and there was a palpable sense of excitement.

This year’s event saw a large scale “ride in” organised that included a rather dramatic “ride through” as well. The cavalcade of bikes roared into Church Street and then down North Street and the movement, the noise, the vibration and the smell was demanding and engaging.

Once the roads were closed and the bikes parked, the visitors were free to wander around and enjoy themselves. I certainly did and some of the photos I took are shared for your pleasure.

The Bikefest was good natured, good fun, family friendly and thoroughly supported by the local community (businesses, the police, the church, Rugby First etc. all getting involved) Even the weather was lovely and the John Barford Car Park was free.

As far as I was concerned, the organisers nailed it and are worthy of my praise and thanks.

If you are in the vicinity, Daventry’s Motorcycle Festival takes place on the 10th June, maybe I’ll see you there.

Click on any image to enlarge

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Read previous reviews
Bikefest 2016
Bikefest 2015
Bikefest 2014
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Election, reflection, defecation

5/26/2017

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With parliament dissolved and electioneering in full swing, the news is full of stuff about the parties and their politics. Most of it, frankly, a bit whiffy.

My view is that May pulled a blinder in calling a snap election. With the Labour Party in disarray, the Lib Dems in the wilderness and UKIP consigned to history, the likelihood of her being elected (as opposed to just being appointed), and with a hefty majority too, looked certain. The local election results rather reinforced that expectation.

But May was perhaps a bit too blasé when she decided she could therefore do what she liked in terms of addressing social care provision. The public backlash against her policy did much to bolster Labour’s poll standings and gave May a reality check.

​Then the Labour party suddenly announced its plan to scrap university tuition fees and all of a sudden, I found myself hoping that the Labour Party could get its shit together after all. Labour has a spend, spend, spend approach…and why not because it doesn’t really expect to win. But I looked at Corbyn’s policies and for a variety of other things, I find myself thinking he might be have a point too. A low key epiphany-of-sorts for me.

With regards to tuition fees, Nick Clegg waded in to state that the country couldn’t morally justify reversing the crappy coalition policy and I thought “what a wanker”. Once upon a time I voted for Clegg because his party was firmly opposed to tuition fees, only for him to do a U-turn once in the coalition government. He destroyed his credibility and that of his party in that move (though there were others too). Clegg could have redeemed himself by supporting Corbyn in his stance on higher education…but no.

​And whilst on the Lib Dems, we have had to put up with excruciating media probing into what Tim Farron thinks about the religious acceptability of gay sex. Seriously, does anybody care? And why is the subject even relevant at all?

And there’s more crap. The Institute of Fiscal Studies has suggested that Labour and the Conservatives parties are in cloud cuckoo land, if not downright lying, when it comes to budgeting.

So in reference to the title of this post, having read around some subjects and given them some thought, I come to the conclusion that the whole shebang is a load of excrement.

A little bit of me is still looking forward to the election though because I have miscalled every political decision this country has made recently and so there might be a surprise after all.

In the meantime though, I won’t risk dipping into the education fund I have been scrimping and saving for my kids.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40003544
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39933116
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39994886
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40057115
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Death and Photos

5/6/2017

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I read this post on the BBC News website about Hilda Clayton’s explosive exit from this world. Featured (and shared below) was a poignant, dramatic photograph, taken by the 22 year old US Army photojournalist in the split second before she died in the blast she captured. Harrowing stuff and I couldn’t read the article without reflecting more generally upon conflict and death; that in turn got me to contemplating this piece.  

The story about Hilda came shortly after the BBC published a video news piece about an exhibition entitled “American Faces at War”.

Seeing all these images reminded me of another conflict related photo that I saw years ago that shocked me. Whilst not remembering which civil war it was from, I knew it was published and so took to Google to track it down. It didn’t take long either. Alvaro Ybarra Zavala‘s photo from a series entitled “RDC Any Given Day”  taken in the Congo in 2008 is shared here.

Being fairly sure that I originally saw this image in the Guardian magazine, I visited the Guardian’s website and found this article from 2011 – The Shot that Nearly Killed Me.

It was a real shame that Hilda Clayton couldn’t have a “nearly” claim associated with her photo.

Alvaro was quoted as saying “Years after I took this picture, every time I see it I feel scared again.” Seeing how close he was to the butcher he photographed, I am not surprised. The soldier/mercenary featured was an evil bastard fully deserving of the same fate he imposed on his victim. Hopefully he got his comeuppance later in the conflict.

Photos like Clayton’s and Ybarra Zavala’s are stark reminders that (to borrow a phrase from my dad) “war is shit” and we should do all we can to avoid it. Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, please take note!
Hilda Clayton
Alvaro Ybarra Zavala‘s photo from a series entitled “RDC Any Given Day”
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39798988
http://www.alvaroybarra.com/portfolio/projects/rdc-any-given-day/
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/jun/18/war-photographers-special-report

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Nukes and divine intervention…please

5/5/2017

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On Wednesday night I was glued to BBC4 and watched a series of programmes about the UK’s investment in nuclear power and nuclear weapons. In order of viewing were "Britain’s Nuclear Bomb – The Inside Story", "Britain’s Nuclear Secrets – Inside Sellafield" and then "Storyville – Atomic Living in Dread and Promise".

All three were fascinating and I’d recommend viewing them if you get a chance – all are available on the iPlayer. Storyville was over an hour long and a montage of images, captions, speech and sound that was surprisingly engaging and thought provoking.

The programmes were an interesting reminder of the threats posed by nuclear technology and come at a time when we all ought to be thinking about the implications of escalating tensions in the wider world.

North Korea has been agitating with missile testing and military parades, the Americans have installed Thaad in South Korea and moved a battle ready fleet to the region. The war related rhetoric between the nations has been getting more alarming and today the North Koreans have suggested that there has been a CIA sponsored plot to assassinate Kim Jong-un and that they will retaliate.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39815561

I am not old enough to remember the Cuban missile crisis but the direction of travel feels like it might be rather similar. God help us all.

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    Adrian Baldwin

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