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The Other News From England.

10 May 1999.

This week.

Index of earlier issues.

A SELECTION OF SHOOTINGS AND BOMBINGS.

LAST WEEK I launched into this subject with very little knowledge, and by midweek had read a little more. I felt ashamed that I hadn`t noticed some of the 'evidence' that the newspapers had printed, which, if believed, tended to lead to a very much different conclusion to my own about the two schoolboy gunmen.

However, whatever way you look at it, this was the action of persons who feel alienated from the rest of the world. The newspaper evidence suggested some sort of 'chip on the shoulder', a resentment against certain persons and groups, an unhealthy interest in Adolf Hitler, and so on.

What nobody seemed to have done was to consult an American teenager to see what they thought about it - and neither did I. That is, everybody was behaving as though the group concerned (teenagers) were just a chattel - something to be talked about or to, but not with. Rather like the dog, in fact: My dog was a great listener, but it might have been worthwhile for both of us if I had been able to know what she thought and felt about life.

By midweek I had - unsolicited - a lengthy essay on the subject from an American teenager, which I am sure you will agree is worth reading. This is the girl`s own thoughts on the subject, not my interpretation of them.

However, she did ask me not to publish it until she has edited it properly, and the properly edited version has not arrived in time for this edition, so I am sending this edition out with almost nothing new because I have been too busy gigging to put in anything of my own and nobody other than this lady has offered anything.

The three British nailbombs have not yet been resolved, but it seems to me that what we have is something much the same - but we also have the puzzling dimension that a group calling themselves Combat 18 claimed to be responsible, and our papers tell us that the reason for the eighteen is that Hitler was born on the first day of the 8th month, whilst the American boys are reported to have been celebrating Hitler`s birthday when they went berserk in the 4th month of the year. Even my sense of logic perceives a discrepancy here.

Southwark.

(held over from last week - although there are allegedly many of these articles available)

From an email that came last week:

~~~~~~~~~~~ appendix ~~~~~~~~

Majestic Failures in Community Regeneration - Case Studies

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ +~ + ~ + ~ + ~ +~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + CASE STUDY 1 (of 8) - circa Mar'96

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ +~ + ~ + ~ + ~ +~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + We come back from the national LETSLink UK conference inspired by the idea of some community organisations in the Bristol Area: they set up a mini-industrial estate centered on recycling: collecting, sorting, selling and using recycled materials as raw materials.

We have been wanting to do this for years, we have the perfect site, and the perfect combination of community groups for this in Southwark: the Chair of an allotments association tells us that they have for years wanted to see some land opposite their allotments in One Tree Hill used by the community: owned by the council, they've already witnessed the bulldozing of victorian greenhouses there, but a large area of land + storage buildings still exist. The allotments association wants some of the land for a fruit-tree nursery, which would use the composting from our 'recycling community industrial estate' , the buildings are perfect for workshops and storage space, the area is well-placed for a recycling project, a cafe' / shop that would sell the artisan & artists products (made from recycled materials) and such a venue would be the perfect for encouraging more visitors to the neighbouring park/cemetery. A green funerals business which recycles wood & cardboard would be ideally placed in such a venue, and many of the artists that Camberwell college of arts produces would be happy for 1 - 3 yrs of cheap/rent-free space to produce recycled art on this site and establish their businesses. The site is large enough for selling/giving away things like wood, doors, windows, sinks and baths salvaged from building sites for the DIY market - good american examples for this type of eco-business exist.

We know the thing would work, we have plenty of people interested. All we need is the council to help with the land - and possibly to develop the project (the bristol example got European start-up funding). We think we're very lucky because we've just had an LA21 officer appointed. We put the proposal to him and ask for his help and advice.

WHAT HAPPENED

The LA21 officer stalls us for months saying that he's finding out about the land - problems as they may be wanting to sell for housing.

It later turns out that he's been in talks with the Tree Officers for London and six months later proposed a 3-borough large-scale green-waste recycling facility, as a council-run initiative, no consultation about this idea with locals, certainly no plan to have us in the picuture either. This still hasn't happened, three years on the land is still unused, and a lot of very excited people's enthusiasm and faith in LA21 got thoroughly squashed.

Cycnicism and apathy claim another few terminal casualties as a few community leaders never return to the Environment Forum, or speak to the LA21 officer again. Others get less enthusiastic and the weathered cynics have a field day telling the younger & new-comers 'I told you so'.

early Othernews - 1992, 93, 94.

Early Other News essays.

There were a few essays that went out with the early Other News as a freestanding item. You can read these by clicking below.

Essays.

The Soup Designer`s Handbook.

The Soup Designer`s Handbook.

London Journey - a trip from Docklands through Beckenham and back to Docklands.

Friday Woodworkers.

(Friday Woodworkers are suffering a temporary break due to some of the episodes not having been fully edited at the time of writing. It may take some timne to fix this problem.

Episode 17.

(These articles were written in 1988, and were my first attempt at writing. Some people when shown these fell about laughing, some smiled faintly - and some yawned. I thought I was going to write a technical book, but it soon became apparent that I was much more interested in the people than the technology - and that is the main reason there are no drawings - although it might be rather good to do a couple of caricatures sometime.)

Index of Friday Woodorker articles (and a means of access).

Progress is slow but we`re still moving on.

We are still redesigning The Other News From England. Noticed the change so far?

There is at least one new article this week, and articles on many subjects in earlier issues (which can be seen by clicking below).

Index of earlier issues.

Gabriele Gad on alternative therapy.

A READER COMPLAINED that it was not possible to go back more than 6 articles in Gabriele`s area. Regrettably this is because there is no index, and I have not the time to organise one yet. However, for those determined enough to find the early ones, they should be accessible by going to an early Other News and clicking through from it. This will not be fast, but I think will do the job. They started about November 1997 I think.

editor@othernews.co.uk

Cartoons and graphics.

drawings click here.

sheet music click here.

NEW AREA.

(I wish someone would make a contribution before I am forced to put in some of my own stuff here).

So new, in fact, that there is nothing there. I want to open a section of this site to be used as a kind of green reference. Ordinary folks usually know what to do in order to be green, but there are times when (a) they don`t know the technology, or (b)they are short of ideas, or (c) they would like to see what some other people think.

So the purpose of this area will be for people to describe to others how they made their own electricity, or saved a great deal of domestic water being wasted, or captured the methane gas from their cesspit, designed their solar bicycle with regenerative braking and portable overnight windcharger, caused plants to grow in a desert, made a solar water pump, etc.

A site for forward-looking people, in fact.

It may be very difficult to edit, but I would like a few articles and tips that are concise, easily understood and ecologically useful. These will be left on the site, and gradually as the number of articles builds up hopefully somebody will construct an index. I won`t volunteer myself, as I have yet to make a subject index for the whole Other News site.

Consumers.

ABBEY NATIONAL PLC.

One week carried an article that might be of interest to anybody thinking of taking out an Abbey National mortgage - or those who already have one.

Interestingly, one of the London papers described them as being "among the greediest".

There will soon be a new twist to this story, but I am not sure what it will be until it happens. They are trying to make it as difficult as possible instead of as easy as possible to resolve the present dispute.

LEXMARK 3200 PRINTER.

(see last week but one).

This Lexmark business gets worse. I refilled the black cartridge with an ordinary cartridge refilling outfit and it won`t print despite telling me that the cartridge is full and that it is printing.

In an earlier issue I told you about my feelings regarding Tempo retailers and the Lexmark 3200 printer I bought from them. I have now found out another thing about it.

The Lexmark 3200 printer I got from Tempo must surely be the most uneconomical printer I could possibly have bought. The black cartridge only does about 250 pages of ordinary type - for £28! That makes each sheet cost 11.2 pence plus the cost of the paper and probably another 11.2 pence more if any colour is used! - ABOUT 22.4 PENCE A SHEET! Nearly a pound for every four sheets!

I wouldn`t recommend you to buy it - but also look at my earlier article for an idea of Tempo`s service.

PIPS Alternative disco.

(held over again.)

These people keep springing up and then disappearing again. They have used a selection of names, but the people always seem to be the same. They are a disco without smoke, alcohol or drugs, and serve refreshments (probably very healthy, macrobiotic, veggy, etc) and dance to a wide range of types of music - including "classical", I am told. Sometimes they go to the Bonnington Cafe afterwards. Also, they occasionally turn up at a LETSSwing gig as a dancing group, and make the dancing a great deal more fun.

Saturdays 7-10pm , 6 March, 3 April, 8th May, at The Contact Centre, 60 Hambolt Rd., London SW4. (10 mins from Clapham Common tube stn. or buses 137, 35, 37. For info ring Kathy Hughes 0181 671 7300. They would like more participants.

Wanted

A person to help make up a subject index for the growing numbers of articles on The Other News From England. Email editor@othernews.co.uk

8- or more-track tape recorder. email pcj@gn.apc.org

Also want good working VW or Volvo 7 series 2.4litre turbodiesel engine. This is the type that goes in an LT van or a Volvo 740TD. email pcj@gn.apc.org

£2,000,000 at 0% interest would quite good too, although I would probably waste quite a lot of it employing musicians to do the great work.

All material on this site is copyright. Contact me if you want to use it. I am quite flexible. editor@othernews.co.uk

Educational non-profit use is free - but ask for permission and print an acknowledgement. If you can`t think what to print, put:

From The Other News From England. http://www.othernews.co.uk

That`s all this week folks