Bonfire in Belvoir

This image was taken this evening (11th July 2007) near Belvoir estate in South Belfast. In my last post I touched on the environmental impact of these events and while my feelings on that still stand I did get a feeling of community spirit while I toured the various fires throughout the city this evening.

Educating communities on their environmental responsibilities is what we need to do, it would be terrible to ban these sorts events but people can have just as much fun burning a couple of pallets.

Bonfire worries

The above photograph was taken from BBC News Online, it shows the alarming Bonfire in Ballycraigy estate in Antrim which will be set on fire tonight to mark the start of the twelfth of July celebrations in Loyalist areas of Northern Ireland.

While i respect peoples right to celebrate their community this type of thing just shouldn't be tolerated. The Bonefire in question is 25ft in height and is built from wood waste along with rubber tyres. The effects of these fires throughout Northern Ireland will have a devestating effect on the local environment and on the health of local residents.

A small bonfire is being built today behind my home by local children, though quite small i'm sure that this will have an impact to our local ecology, cause death to animals and cause unnecessary risk to property and lives.

Housing Stock Shock!

Prime Minister Brown is breaking with tradition by telling MPs his plans months ahead of the Queens speech. And guess what, education, health and housing are at the top of his "to do" list, have we heard this before, maybe around about the time the Spice Girls were first damaging our ear drums ?

One of Brown's top policies will be to make homes "more affordable", however this has brought stern critics from the Conservatives running for the hills with the fear that the green belt will again be eroded with new homes being built further and further away from town centres.

Brown stated that we should go back to building levels seen in the 1950s, houses that are now being knocked down.

I love exploring old buildings when I travel, there is a huge number of homes, shops and attractions built 400 or more years ago which have stood the test of time right into the 2000s. Why are buildings less than 50 years old being knocked down and replaced.

Sustainability is to encourage building builders and developers to build homes which will still be used far into the future. Homes where in 200 years the original features will be marvelled at on BBC Two.

We must at all costs protect the little bit of green space left in the UK, I flew over England at night not so long ago and found that London now starts on Merseyside!

7/7 Lucky for some?

I was a little bit shocked at the weekend when an American in-law told me Saturday was the luckiest day in the year. I honestly hadn't thought that the second anniversary of the London terrorist attacks could be deamed in anyway lucky.

It seems maybe i'm wrong, not only did Londonderry man Denis Doherty scoop £1.6m from the National Lottery ('Crying child scooped me £1.6m' - BBC NEWS ONLINE but I won £10 on my thunderball ticket !!!!

It just got me thinking about how relaxed we are in the UK about things like this. If i'd gone to the average American and opened a champagne bottle on September 11 this year i'd probably get a punch in the face, but us Brits have a little bit of a stiff upper lip and maybe just a bit of the old "don't let the Bastards grind us down" mentality.

1st Podcast party

The Northern Ireland podcast is 1/2 a year old (well sort of), and has attracted thousands of listeners from all around the world including USA, Canada, Australia and the middle east.

To celebrate our half year we thought the country had planned huge street parties, parades and even bonfires but sadly thats for something else.

The Hit the North crew will be recording a special one off podcast party this coming weekend. This special gift to all our loyal fans will be recorded under the influence of just a little alcohol so hopefully it should be rather funny.

Download all our podcasts by visiting or archive section at http://www.nipodcast.com/archive.html

Alan finally freed

I woke to the amazing news yesterday morning that Alan Johnston has been released by his captors in the Gaza Strip.

Alan has always been a top rate journalist, demonstrating the plight of some of the most down trodden people in the world.

It has been suggested that Tony Blair may now become some sort of Middle Eastern envoy, working exclusively for peace in the region. Will anyone in the Middle East trust Blair following Iraq?

Alan is a much better candidate for the Job. A man who has a huge knowledge about all states in the middle east and a man who is quite willing to stick his neck out.

Great to see you released Alan!

BBC Alan Johnston page

Alan Johnston's latest video released

The latest video of captured BBC reporter Alan Johnston has been released. Mr Johnston is shown wearing what appears to be an explosive vest and talks openly about how his captors say they will not waste any time in detonating the vest should a rescue attempt be made.

Alan said "Captors tell me that very promising negotiations were ruined when the Hamas movement and the British government decided to press for a military solution to this kidnapping."

Last week leader of Hamas in Gaza Ismail Haniya, said Mr Johnston's captivity could not carry on, and have threatened to use any force necessary to secure Mr Johnston's release.

Please lets just take a step back and consider all actions before rushing into this situation with force. While image of Alan held captive are extremely distressing for his family it is better that he remains alive rather than the possibility of a bungled attempt to release him.

The British government in talks with Hamas must ensure that force that could endanger Alan's life is not taken.

You can watch this distressing video on the BBC website or sign the online petition here.