I was shocked to read in today's news that a man somewhere in the South of England had been taken by paramedics to the local undertakers while he was, apparently, still alive.The paramedics found no sign of a pulse or of respiration, but later that day the undertakers found him breathing. The report on the incident said that staff at the local Ambulance Service were encouraged to report incidents so that lessons may be learned.
We can only hope that they have now learned that if someone is alive it's never a good idea to deliver them to the undertakers. Indeed, speaking as someone who lives in the North of England I do hope they transfer this important wisdom to their counterparts in my local Ambulance Service. Since my preference is for cremation, I wouldn't like proceedings to continue until everyone concerned was absolutely sure that I was in fact definitely deceased!
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Saturday 25 September 2010
Back in the USSR
The great Russian composer Dmitry Shostakovich was born on this day 104 years ago. I'll never forget the moment when I heard his Tenth Symphony as a student in 1975, the year he died. The sheer power and depth of emotion in his music grabbed my attention like nothing I'd ever heard before. He was presented to the world as a great communist composer, a loyal and contented spokesman for Soviet society. But, despite his patriotism, he has been widely regarded as a dissident in disguise, struggling to express himself as an artist living under a repressive regime. The story of this complex genius raises questions of conscience and creativity, of integrity and identity.
Fifty years ago, in September 1960, Shostakovich was formally inducted as a member of the Communist Party and became a full member a year later. This was a development which mystified friends, colleagues and family alike. What then are we to make of his decision to join the Communist Party? Was it the result of cowardice or commitment? Cowardice was certainly a trait which he admitted to during long periods of introspection, but it is perhaps too harsh a word to use under the circumstances. It is probably more appropriate to say that he recognised the need for self-preservation, since without compromise he may well have ended his life in one of the many labour camps. Then we would have been deprived of the genius of his prodigious musical output and his voice of conscience in a wilderness of repression.
On a personal note, I must say that I am very much looking forward to this evening's celebration of ‘Russian Masters’ at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Vasily Petrenko's recordings of the Shostakovich symphonies, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, have won unanimous critical acclaim. To mark Shostakovich's birthday they have chosen to perform his Fifteenth Symphony, which was his last and probably his most personal. To read my fuller discussion of Shostakovich's troubled relationship with the Soviet state, go to the following link to access an article in the Music & Vision Magazine - http://www.mvdaily.com
Tuesday 21 September 2010
Five Minutes Peace
In a busy day, just five minutes peace can make a massive difference! Fortunately for me, the nearest local park is only a few minutes walk away. It is not the biggest park around. But it is very well kept by locals, who devote a lot of their spare time to continually improving it. They do a great job and have been doing so for many years, long before a certain politician started speaking about 'The Big Society'. And, best of all, it has a fantastic Japanese garden.
This has been designed by the Japanese Garden Society, managed and run by volunteers incidentally, to enable people to connect with the natural world and experience a feeling of calmness and relaxation. It certainly has that effect on me every time I go there, which is becoming an increasingly frequent occurence. A Japanese garden is said to be crafted by people as a form of architecture, so in this sense it is nature as art. So thanks to all those volunteers who have made this artistic experience so enjoyable.
The only negative aspect of the garden is the yellow and black CCTV warning stuck onto one of the trees. It's just a shame that we need to install a system which monitors visitors to a place of peace, to ensure that it is not damaged by vandals. I'm sure that if they took five minutes peace they would never dream of damaging a place like this.
This has been designed by the Japanese Garden Society, managed and run by volunteers incidentally, to enable people to connect with the natural world and experience a feeling of calmness and relaxation. It certainly has that effect on me every time I go there, which is becoming an increasingly frequent occurence. A Japanese garden is said to be crafted by people as a form of architecture, so in this sense it is nature as art. So thanks to all those volunteers who have made this artistic experience so enjoyable.
The only negative aspect of the garden is the yellow and black CCTV warning stuck onto one of the trees. It's just a shame that we need to install a system which monitors visitors to a place of peace, to ensure that it is not damaged by vandals. I'm sure that if they took five minutes peace they would never dream of damaging a place like this.
Sunday 19 September 2010
Waterless Places...
As I look out of my window, it's raining. In fact, the last few days have brought a lot of rain in Manchester. Yesterday I struggled to catch up with jobs in the garden because I needed to go inside to shelter from the rain. But, whilst I was having my power shower this morning, I couldn't help thinking about those places in the world where people struggle to get enough water to drink or to use for sanitation purposes.
Let’s consider some of the facts: one in eight of the world's population does not have access to clean water; in developing countries about 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions; over one-third of the world's population has no access to sanitation facilities; half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-borne diseases; for too many people worldwide, dirty or diseased water leads to a cycle of sickness, lack of education, poverty and lost hope.
On September 20th 2010 world leaders will meet at the UN headquarters in New York to review the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were set out in 2000 to halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty. It’s reassuring that organisations like WaterAid will be campaigning to show governments that without clean water and sanitation the MDGs will not be reached across large parts of the developing world.
Water and sanitation are human rights, vital to reducing poverty around the world. Together with good hygiene these essential services are the building blocks for all other development - improving health, education and livelihoods. It’s so easy to take water for granted. Sadly, many others in the world cannot.
Let’s consider some of the facts: one in eight of the world's population does not have access to clean water; in developing countries about 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions; over one-third of the world's population has no access to sanitation facilities; half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-borne diseases; for too many people worldwide, dirty or diseased water leads to a cycle of sickness, lack of education, poverty and lost hope.
On September 20th 2010 world leaders will meet at the UN headquarters in New York to review the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were set out in 2000 to halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty. It’s reassuring that organisations like WaterAid will be campaigning to show governments that without clean water and sanitation the MDGs will not be reached across large parts of the developing world.
Water and sanitation are human rights, vital to reducing poverty around the world. Together with good hygiene these essential services are the building blocks for all other development - improving health, education and livelihoods. It’s so easy to take water for granted. Sadly, many others in the world cannot.
Wednesday 15 September 2010
Library Blues
I am currently in the process of writing an article about the great Russian composer, Dmitry Shostakovich. Last night I searched the local libraries online catalogue for a book I needed for research. Great, I thought! It's in my local library! So I reserved the book online. What a clever electronic system, I thought.
Today, I took a very wet walk down to the local library only to be greeted by three confused librarians. A reserved book like mine should, surprisingly enough, have been on the 'Reserved Books' bookshelf. But it wasn't! After several discussions between various members of staff, the conclusion was that it had been inadvertently placed in the wrong pile. And sent to another library!
Sadly for me, it would have been better not to have reserved the book. Then in all probability it would have still been on the shelf. By the way, would any publisher out there be interested in an article on Dmitry Shostakovich?
Today, I took a very wet walk down to the local library only to be greeted by three confused librarians. A reserved book like mine should, surprisingly enough, have been on the 'Reserved Books' bookshelf. But it wasn't! After several discussions between various members of staff, the conclusion was that it had been inadvertently placed in the wrong pile. And sent to another library!
Sadly for me, it would have been better not to have reserved the book. Then in all probability it would have still been on the shelf. By the way, would any publisher out there be interested in an article on Dmitry Shostakovich?
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