Eavesdropping

Wednesday 26/11/2008 6.10pm, the number 10 bus to the West End of Newcastle

Just as we are driving past the Powerhouse..

“See that place like”

“aye”

“well yer kna it’s a gay club en that?”

“haha aye”

“wull they play canny tunes up stairs and that, ye kna dance stuff like thee dee at the Ikon”

“arr reet aye”

“wull me and a few of the lads Knoxy n Kev n that went doon there the other week leek to check it out like un thu woodunt let wus in like”

“huh huh whys that like?”

“wull a reckon its wuz cos there woz aboot 10 of wuh an that and al wearing ya kna like stripey tops und the like, ye kna like Lacoste and Paul n Shark”

“ya gannin oot stuff then?”

“well aye man smart as a dart ya kna to you or me. So anyways im guessing the doorman wuz thinking ‘nah no way like this lot are bother’, I suppose a few of wuh had Rockports and that on but I divvent even wear mine al that often, a mean mine aren’t even worn at the back so ye kna I’ve anly worn em a few times leek”

“arrr reet”

“a mean av got nay boffaz wif ‘the gays’ and them ‘puffs’ or nowt, I just heard Cascada pumping oot and fancied a dance ya kna?”

“aye totally like aye”

“so I was like ‘hew man gaffa, I’m not gay but me boyfriend is!! Hahaha”

“HAW HAW WHAT A RAW NEE WAY HAW HAW GERRIN!!”

Tourist

A good friend of mine Geoff Leopard and his loveable sidekick Moogar have started a blog to support Geoff’s new night ‘Tourist’ and apart from information on upcoming nights the blog also promises to feature regular musings on ‘tits & gack’.
The first event is this Friday at the Cosmic Ballroom and features the talents of the excellent Justin Robertson, Midfield General and In flagranti with support from Tony Daly and Geoff himself. The night promises to encompass a range of styles and genres from disco to techno and everything in between.

TOURIST:: COSMIC BALLROOM:: 21/11/2008:: 1030.pm -4am

White Dog Poo

Its one of those childhood memories that has seemed to have stuck with me just like eating spaghetti bolognaise at my Grandparents house every Saturday night or following episodes of Dungeons and Dragons and the Racoon's like a religion. You too may have come to realise that white dog poo is a sight rarely seen on the streets these days and I for one had always wondered why.
Back in those long hazy days in the summer making weapons out of sticks I often stumbled across the chalky shit left by all kinds of dogs around where I lived both large and small. So what changed? I short bit of research on Google revealed I was not the only one pondering this mystery and it seems the legend of white chod has quite a following.

A few members of the public offer their explanation:

“We don't feed our dogs bones as often as we used too, so as it was the consumption of the bones that made the poo white we no longer have white poo. I suppose the good side is you won't accidentally pick one up thinking it's a stone.”

-Gordon Williams, Middlesbrough, England

“White dog poo is usually due to a blockage of the bile duct, which prevents the brown pigment (stercobilin) travelling through it and colouring the faeces so one explanation is possibly a reduction in the incidence of this particular disease or due to better veterinary care, or due to the fact that nowadays owners recognise this is a problem and see vets quicker about it. Or due to the fact that nowadays owners are threatened with a fine if they don't clean up their dog's poo so there is a possiblity that there still is the same amount of white dog poo, but now it is all in bins around the country! “

-Paul Salmon, Edinburgh, Scotland

“We bought our beloved hound a large bone from the local butcher's the other week. She's never had one before so needless to say it went down very well. Imagine our surprise when her business later showed itself to be pale and chalky (in colour if not consistency). I can only imagine that treating the family dog to a juicy bone has declined in recent years.”

-Geoff Bryant, Sheffield, UK

“I've seen this answered somewhere before (possibly Focus magazine or New Scientist). Apparently, it is because the white colouring is due to be invaded by spores as the excrement has been there for some time. The explanation being that nowadays, it is cleaned away from the pavements quicker, so does not generally lie around long enough for the spores to invade.”

-P Gilson, Doncaster S Yorkshire

“Dog poo should be white: the whiteness comes from the calcium in bones that dogs eat. If we see white dog poo less rarely perhaps it is because dog owners feed their dogs on dry or canned food and hardly ever give them bones to gnaw on. My dogs eat bones regularly; my local butcher gives me the bones for free! “

-David Wheeler, Spalding, Lincolnshire

“I am actually a collector of white dog poo - I have over 300 samples but have indeed found it harder to add to my collection over the past year or so. “

-Daniel Himsworth, Sevenoaks UK

“I still vividly remember getting told off by my mother as a young child (I'm now 46) for writing on the wall by our house with the white 'chalk' I had found. I couldn't understand why she rushed me indoors to wash my hands. "I was only playing!".

-Clive Thornton, Bristol, UK

And so the the disappearance of white dog poo is down to what dogs eat these days. I had always thought some disgruntled employee at Pedigree had sabotaged one of the vats of tripe with chalk or white colouring to leave his mark on the streets. The reason being he knew that dogs up and down the country would unwittingly paste his pearly white tag on street corners and lampposts across the land, sort of like graffiti but better.

Look on the bright side?

It’s that time of year again, that’s right a good 6 month stretch until we even get a sniff of the sorry excuse we call for a summer. The mornings are cold and the nights have drawn in, where did the summer go? What was dry is now damp and covered in rotting leaves, its dark as soon as you get in from work and riding doesn’t seem as appealing as it did in June. Our council (North Tyneside) in their infinite wisdom did not budget for spot lights at Whitley Bay Skatepark so you can forget riding that after 5pm. That means heading down on the weekend and if it aint pissing down its probably wet anyway.
Everything seems to slow down around autumn with the weather forcing people to stay indoors and as Christmas approaches people tend to save and shy away from going on the lash every weekend. Of course with the good old ‘Credit Crunch’ taking a bite out of everyone’s expendable income this is even more evident this year.
Aside from the years when it snows enough and sledging is on the cards I am no friend of winter. I can’t ride as much, the odd street session is often a non starter as people struggle to get motivated and of course falling off on cold, cold concrete brings a tear to the eye. Well lit and undercover spots are a rarity around the coast so lets hope this Skatepark that has been rumoured to be near Metro Centre opens its doors sooner rather than later. Until then I’ll be stocking up on thermal duds and trying to ride when I can in between X-Box sessions and cups of tea.

Benson 98

Dig BMX have a good feature on Benson on their website. Check it out.

"Scutters= Lasses who dress up like some indie bird but who are, in fact utter townie tramps. For example: ‘A gotter home an she started harpin’ on barrt Pete Tong n sum dance shit. Tell yer, she wer a reeet scutter’ "

Class.

Minilogue

I love Minilogue and both of these videos for 'Animals' and 'Hitch Hikers Choice' are amazing. The videos are by Swedish artists Ljudbilden & Piloten. You should watch them.

Halloween Party!

Aitken Update- Good News

taken from http://www.mikeaitken.com/

It has been an amazing morning full of high emotions. We arrived just in time for Mike's morning rehab session. When we got to the rehab gym, Mike was asked how many people were in the room with him and he was able to answer. He was then asked to tell the therapist everyone's names and he was able to give his sister's and his mom's name.
It was as if Mike suddenly woke up this morning in that gym. He is still struggling to speak with his tracheostomy tube, but he was able to ask what happened to him and broke down in tears as he apologized.
Mike was able to recognize his wife, son, and each of his family members as we each hugged him and reassured him that we love him and that he is going to be ok.
Mike was able to push through his emotions and still make great progress in physical therapy. He not only pulled himself to a standing position with little help (in the walking bars). He was also able to take steps, even helping to move his right leg along as he walked with the help of his physical therapist.
Mike continues to amaze us all. This is a great step forward on the long road ahead of him and we are all very excited.
We would also like to add that we greatly appreciate all of the benefits that have been put together for Mike. The benefit jam at Tanner Park could not have gone better yesterday. We were amazed at the outpouring of support and how much was raised. We also would like to thank the crew who were able to raise a large amount for Mike at the races the past couple weekends.
With everyone's love and support we are confident that Mike will find the strength to make a full recovery.
-The Aitken Family