Archive for January, 2007
Ill behaviour
The number of meningitis cases traditionally peaks in February, which is why a beezer new website has been launched to offer advice about the illness.
MeningitisUK.org is designed to encourage citizens to become familiar with the symptoms of this devastating disease and to support the charity’s search for a vaccine.
Although successful vaccines exist to protect against some forms of the disease, there is still no vaccine available to protect against the most common form in the UK - meningococcal group B, which accounts for almost 90 per cent of all cases.
Meningitis can kill in hours, so learning more about the disease can save valuable time and give citizens the confidence to seek medical help quickly.
Posted by Thin White Duke
January 31st, 2007
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Melting Pot podcast #5
Getting to grips with the underbelly of the Devon music scene.
Featuring tracks from , Smith and the
Or check out the .
January 31st, 2007
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‘Would You Drink This?’ may sound like a game you’d play with your girlfriend after too many bottles of wine (erm, possibly), but it’s actually a new campaign from the lovely folk at WaterAid.
They’re asking citizens of the People’s Republic to send photos of water they definitely wouldn’t drink to WaterAid’s website.
There are already some famous(ish) faces in the gallery. See if you can spot Suggs, Charlie ‘Chutney’ Dimmock, Sean Hughes and Michael Eavis. Or don’t bother. See if we care.
But what the heck is it all about? Thassa good question. The campaign highlights the fact that over one billion people have to live without clean, safe water to drink.
In the UK, we simply turn on the tap, but for people living in some of the poorest countries in the world, the nearest water source is often unsafe and contains waste, excrement and water-related diseases.
So asking “Would You Drink This?” is sposed to make you think about what it’s like living without clean water. Dya see?
Anyway, the snaps will be displayed on the WaterAid website and will then form part of an exhibition which will tour the UK, raising awareness and urging the international community to prioritise water in the developing world.
To find out more and to send in your photos visit the Water Aid site.
Posted by Thin White Duke
January 30th, 2007
Media innovations? Why, us li’l ole things? Well, yes, and stop talking like Penelope Pitstop.
The has been shortlisted by Plymouth Media Partnership for its innovations award - huzzah! But what’s innovative about getting young bands together for an interview and live session with an audience, streaming it all and then pulling certain tracks for a podcast? Nuff said.
Hosted by Niki from AEON, these events in the back half of last year were legendary, so fair dos for the Plymouth Media Partnership for catching on to the zeitgeist (look it up).
But if you want innovation, tune in on February 9 for the first of the - an interview and session all filmed live at the Music Mill studios in Newton Abbot, and brought to you over internet telly by spectralworkshoptv.
But hey why stop there, let the podcasts, the telly and the other blurb just whet your appetite for real live music: March 18 is the AEON Sunday Chill at the Exeter Hub and April 11 is the Melting Pot live again at the Exeter Hub, followed by the Hot Bitches Party at the Lemon Grove on May 25. And all this just leads up the the AEON festival on August Bank Holiday weekend.
These people just can’t stop innovating.
Posted by Cptn
January 29th, 2007
Morsels on which to suck
Art/protest; protest/art. Hey, who knows, but whether it’s partying on down down on the underground or taking apart the shopping psychology A-Z in the Bullring, you’ll get a healthy dollop of both from the Vacuum Cleaner in their 13 Morsels to Suck On at the Exeter Phoenix on Tuesday, January 30.
The evening will consist of films of the group’s favourite activities as well as stories, anecdotes and, if you plead long enough, the occasional song-and-dance number, I’m sure.
But who is the Vacuum Cleaner? ‘It is an artist and activist collective, fashioning radical social and ecological change.
‘By employing various creative legal and illegal tactics and forms, the Vacuum Cleaner attempts to disrupt concentrations of power and reverse the impending collapse of planet earth.’ Like duhh.
Go along and see what can be done. And to all you Torbay residents, get a glimpse of home - they show the Bullring, people.
The fun kicks off at 8pm at the Exeter Phoenix, Tuesday, January 30. And it’s £8/£6 in, depending on your status.
Posted by Cptn
January 29th, 2007
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Eaze does it
Who needs a farmers’ market when you’ve got foodeaze?
Posted by Cptn
January 29th, 2007
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All for inconvenience
The truth was inconvenient for about 100 residents of Bovey Tracey a couple of Sundays ago, who turned out in their Sunday Best/100s/indignation* to view the Inconvenient Truth at Bovey’s Town Hall. Most stayed for the climate change discusion afterwards and then quite a few signed up to Bovey Climate Action, the grassroots and practical environmental campaign group which organised the show.
Ok, so that’s nice an all, and far more than most do, which would be good in itself, but what’s really inspiring is that the group is looking to approach neighbouring villages next month to sound them out about joining in and thus have a stronger political voice - elections in May anyone?
We at the People’s Republic of South Devon are all about people organising themselves against political inertia so three kings/cheers/pigs* to Bovey Climate Action.
Posted by Cptn
* delete where applicable
January 28th, 2007
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A lotto support
Does buying your weekly lottery ticket leave you with a deep sense of self-loathing and disgust? Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, citizen.
Thanks to your money-grubbing chancery (and a heap of dosh from the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards For All programme) teenagers leaving care can have a go at a scheme leading to some rather wonderful qualifications. Hooray for you.
Plymouth and Local Areas Youth Support is getting £9,969 to give teens leaving care the chance to go on a 20-week creative writing and digital photography course.
The course, which will lead to a Youth Achievement Award, will cover topics that reflect the youngsters’ interests, allowing them to write about their lives as a way of dealing with their problems.
Rachael Clarke, trustee for Plymouth and Local Areas Youth Support, told PRSD: “This money makes a real difference to the young people. Many of them have had a disrupted education and so they end up with no qualifications. They will also be able to keep a portfolio of this work, which will help them with employment.”
Ah, makes ya feel all warm and fuzzy, don’t it?
Other groups to benefit in this bunch of awards include Action for Blind People, Exeter (£4,380 to help set up a sports club for kids with little or no sight), Playgoers Society of Dartington Hall, South Hams (£5,000 to develop an open-air theatre), and bizarrely Teignmouth Folk Festival, which gets £8,250 to, erm, run a weekend celebrating a traditional Devonshire year.
Oh dear, the self-loathing and disgust is returning… Check out the full list of award recipients.
Posted by Thin White Duke
January 27th, 2007
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Branching out
We at the People’s Republic have finally twigged (geddit?) to sculptor Andy Goldsworthy’s exhibition at Plymouth College of Art and Design - thanks Jo. The man of nature, who uses stones, twigs (see that was funny), ice and even snow in his work, will have his work on display at the college in Tavistock Place, Plymouth, until February 10. Call for more details on this free exhibition.
And if you’re knocking around Plymouth tomorrow you could do worse than hang around outside the Civic Centre in the cold, noonish to catch Mouthy, who will be playing to big up the Plymouth Youth Parliament elections. Towards Reason, that almost famous four-piece, will be on stage at about 2.15pm, followed at 5pm by Scientist and the Orange Pip.
Posted by Cptn
January 26th, 2007
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Film round-up
I want Candy! Sang Bow Wow Wow. But if you want Candy, or even Heath Ledger, check out the arthouse film roundup on D+CFilm.
Posted by Cptn
January 26th, 2007
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