Tim Dobson's Blog

After the Glossop team's Southport 12 Hour Race's prerace publicity last week, Janice West, Press Officer at Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College, has put out this press release:

A depleted youth squad from Glossop Sailing Club achieved 10th place out of a field of 28, their best ever result in the annual National Junior Twelve Hour Race, held at Southport, despite their sailing club withdrawing their support and leaving them high and dry without a boat on the day of the competition.

Ben Griffiths wrote to the Open Rights Group discussion mailing list a few weeks ago:

I want to share a DRM story.

I was in Curry's in Plymouth a couple of weeks ago. A man was arguing loudly with one of the staff, his ten-year old daughter in tears at his side. From what I could gather, she had saved up her pocket money to buy an iTunes gift card - the songs she'd spent her money on, of course, didn't work on her mp3 player.
The man wanted a refund for what seemed to him a defective product; the staff member said that if the card had been used they couldn't give a refund.
The young girl cried and cried and cried.

Despite the not so flattering photo of me, the late arrival of the article, considering the Race was several weeks ago and the difficult circumstances surrounding our team entry, I am really pleased that this made the paper.

:(
It seems that my laptop's power supply fault has reached another level. The Charging Pin has fallen out and now I have no way to charge it.

For the last two years or so, the pin in the centre of the hole where you put the charging plug in has been sort of loose. It would not stay in the middle. This caused some problems whilst it was not the end of the world - I could simply just hold the laptop upside down so that the pin was in the right place, insert the charger, turn the laptop the right way up and then fiddle around so it got a good connection.

However, a few days ago I got a nasty suprise; it stopped charging. I picked the laptop up to investigate and heard a rattling.

Not good.

I have just seen why drinking ten shots on an empty stomach is a bad idea. I'm glad it wasn't my mistake. If you are having a drinking contest with russians, and they stop, don't think you have won until you have held them down for four hours at least. My game plan is and has been to drink apple juice. It's going great so far, though i wish more people would adopt my approach. Drinking in moderation is fine. Drinking to show off your ego will end badly!

I'm off to Russia for two weeks with MGS. I'm staying in St. Petersburg with a russian family and should be speaking russian. I'm "apprehensive" and I hope it all comes back to me as i haven't really spoken it since my GCSE, about 18 months ago. I return to the UK on something like the 16th of July. Dosvedanya Angliya (transliterated Russian: "Goodbye England").

I was walking my dog along Hope Street in Old Glossop, when nature took its course Bess relieved herself on the pavement.

Being a responsible dog owner I whipped out a plastic bag and picked it up. A few yards down the street was a wheely bin in someone's yard facing the road and as I walked past, I lifted the lid dropped the bag inside.

Almost instantly the door of the house burst open, and a man, wine glass in hand, exclaimed at me "Could you not do that please!"
I responded that I was "sorry 'sir'" and that I hadn't meant to upset him.
After passing me the plastic bag he complained that he "had children you know," again reiterating I should not do this again..

Is justifiable for me to be confused and hurt by this incident?

Wow! What a disappointment! Glossop Sailing Club will not be taking part in the famous Southport Sailing Club, Junior 12 Hour Race. It seems that the powers at be, at glossop sailing club, do not wish the team of young people i organised, to race in this fantastic challenge! Unsuprisingly, I am somewhat unhappy with this decision and am currently considering all possible options. i will be posting further details in due course. This has really thrown me.

I got a text today from 07890826450 saying (verbatim):

"If this is emma snellson I suggest you sort you are fuckin head owt calin me a slag.uve fuked 7 ladz so I sugest you shut you are big mouf and hide them teeth. Stop thinkin you are bad coz im nt ther.I dnt work with you now so I got no reason to kik you are head in.shut you are mouth if you no what's gud for you you litle sket."

They then tried calling be several times throughout the day, but said nothing when I picked up - they even tried from a different number: 07917116689.

Councillor Ivan Bell has been given a suspension of 3 months from his duties as a councillor, the maximum possible for the charges brought forward. The suspension will start on the first of September. The hearing has now concluded, i will post a full summary and comment by tomorrow (saturday) evening.