Two of the earliest adopters on the local blogging scene celebrated the anniversary of their start-ups this week.
Wendy was six, and Scaryduck is nine years young.
With so many writers not managing to stand the test of time within the medium their longevity is a testament to their quality.
We'd like to offer our congratulations - with a recommendation to check them out!
Sunday, 6 February 2011
Tributes to Jim Hanley
Whitley councillor Jim Hanley collapsed suddenly on Friday morning after suffering a suspected heart attack. The 51-year-old was taken ill at his Caversham home before being moved to the Royal Berkshire Hospital where he died.
The former chair of RBC's planning committee and member of the influential CCEA scrutiny panel was respected on all sides for his diligence and hard work.
Labour's group leader, Cllr Jo Lovelock called him "a hardworking colleague and a good friend," and Cllr Bet Tickner agreed, "He was such a nice guy, very helpful and very hardworking."
Whitley's Cllr Rachel Eden says he was "a passionate and kind ward colleague" with strong political beliefs who "also consistently stood up for Whitley residents."
Former Labour representative Tony Jones describes him as 'a councillor of distinction' and 'one of the good guys'. He recounts Cllr Hanley's leadership of the official inquiries into criminal street activities along the Oxford Road, ensuring no 'quick or superficial answers' were found to the serious problems that had arisen.
Jane Griffiths concurs (but then adds this).
Labour activist Duncan Bruce remembers him as kind, funny and intelligent - a truly rare mix!
Opponents were also shocked by his passing.
LibDem Cllr Daisy Benson recalls the generous spirit he showed to her when first elected, "he went out of his way to be friendly... in what was an otherwise pretty hostile political environment." She praises his legacy of a series of health and social care scrutiny reviews which have had a lasting impact on borough policy.
And Cllr Gareth Epps voices his personal sadness at the loss of an effective and popular man, which he says will be felt by all who knew him.
Cllr Hanley had recently announced that he was not planning to seek re-election after 12 years in the role of elected representative, having newly qualified as a social worker.
In unrelated but timely news, Reading Borough Council recently announced it had become a signatory to the national charter for the bereaved, which ensures 'the highest standards of care for people who have lost loved ones'.
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Update: An outpouring of sincere grief has been added with various new comments from Cllrs Willis, Warman, Swaine, Chowdhary.
These include "one of life's gentlemen," "charming and friendly," "one councillor who bore no grudges," "a credit to public life," "the nicest guy in the Labour group," "a genuine community champion."
Richard McKenzie adds his recollections.
The former chair of RBC's planning committee and member of the influential CCEA scrutiny panel was respected on all sides for his diligence and hard work.Labour's group leader, Cllr Jo Lovelock called him "a hardworking colleague and a good friend," and Cllr Bet Tickner agreed, "He was such a nice guy, very helpful and very hardworking."
Whitley's Cllr Rachel Eden says he was "a passionate and kind ward colleague" with strong political beliefs who "also consistently stood up for Whitley residents."
Former Labour representative Tony Jones describes him as 'a councillor of distinction' and 'one of the good guys'. He recounts Cllr Hanley's leadership of the official inquiries into criminal street activities along the Oxford Road, ensuring no 'quick or superficial answers' were found to the serious problems that had arisen.
Jane Griffiths concurs (but then adds this).
Labour activist Duncan Bruce remembers him as kind, funny and intelligent - a truly rare mix!
Opponents were also shocked by his passing.
LibDem Cllr Daisy Benson recalls the generous spirit he showed to her when first elected, "he went out of his way to be friendly... in what was an otherwise pretty hostile political environment." She praises his legacy of a series of health and social care scrutiny reviews which have had a lasting impact on borough policy.
And Cllr Gareth Epps voices his personal sadness at the loss of an effective and popular man, which he says will be felt by all who knew him.
Cllr Hanley had recently announced that he was not planning to seek re-election after 12 years in the role of elected representative, having newly qualified as a social worker.
In unrelated but timely news, Reading Borough Council recently announced it had become a signatory to the national charter for the bereaved, which ensures 'the highest standards of care for people who have lost loved ones'.
-
Update: An outpouring of sincere grief has been added with various new comments from Cllrs Willis, Warman, Swaine, Chowdhary.
These include "one of life's gentlemen," "charming and friendly," "one councillor who bore no grudges," "a credit to public life," "the nicest guy in the Labour group," "a genuine community champion."
Richard McKenzie adds his recollections.
Saturday, 5 February 2011
Cleaning Up in Park
RBC's solo Green councillor, Rob White, has smashed previous records for casework totals by logging 467 problems on behalf of residents.
Cllr Willis records the full list for the 8 months from May to December 2010.
He refuses to speculate on the actual content of the reports his fellow councillor undertakes, but notes casework is only a part of a councillors workload - hinting that as a lone councillor with no group mechanics to manage and no prospect of running the council the full policy component of the role has been down-played in favour of building up support with voters.
This is backed up by comparison with previous years, as LibDems have significantly reduced their reporting figures as they entered the ruling administration in partnership with Conservatives.
Cllr White's numbers still stack up impressively against his two Park Ward colleagues. Conservative Cllr Wazir Hussain logged 26 and Labour's Cllr John Hartley 46 pieces of casework - between July 2009 and February 2010 the three community representatives (then two Labour and one Conservative) only logged 32 cases between them - local residents will definitely be pleased at the increase!
Meanwhile Reading Post's Linda Fort contends that hard-pressed council workers "must be relieved" there is only one Green councillor.
She reports Cllr White has complained a number of times about 'bread-and-butter issues like fly tipping, broken street lights and potholes' in addition to more complex matters, and balances this against Cllr Willis' critique that serving the community can sometimes spill over into overuse with reports of 'sometimes trivial' or repeat problems.
However it's also worth questioning whether Cllr White's total reflects the work of a whole team of activists which would be shared out if additional Green Party councillors were elected, and if he is in fact reducing a backlog of problems which have stored up in a neglected area with some of the highest areas of deprivation in the borough.
Future reports will provide the answers!
Sadly, as yet, no Labour commenter has responded with a contribution to the debate to provide their rationale for the changes.
Nevertheless the figures show an intriguing 3-way electoral battle is shaping up in Park Ward, which stretches from the highly-urbanised Newtown area up to more verdant areas between Reading University's Whiteknights campus and Lower Earley.
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More on 'Who is your hardest working counillor?'
Cllr Willis records the full list for the 8 months from May to December 2010.
He refuses to speculate on the actual content of the reports his fellow councillor undertakes, but notes casework is only a part of a councillors workload - hinting that as a lone councillor with no group mechanics to manage and no prospect of running the council the full policy component of the role has been down-played in favour of building up support with voters.
This is backed up by comparison with previous years, as LibDems have significantly reduced their reporting figures as they entered the ruling administration in partnership with Conservatives.
Cllr White's numbers still stack up impressively against his two Park Ward colleagues. Conservative Cllr Wazir Hussain logged 26 and Labour's Cllr John Hartley 46 pieces of casework - between July 2009 and February 2010 the three community representatives (then two Labour and one Conservative) only logged 32 cases between them - local residents will definitely be pleased at the increase!
Meanwhile Reading Post's Linda Fort contends that hard-pressed council workers "must be relieved" there is only one Green councillor.
She reports Cllr White has complained a number of times about 'bread-and-butter issues like fly tipping, broken street lights and potholes' in addition to more complex matters, and balances this against Cllr Willis' critique that serving the community can sometimes spill over into overuse with reports of 'sometimes trivial' or repeat problems.
However it's also worth questioning whether Cllr White's total reflects the work of a whole team of activists which would be shared out if additional Green Party councillors were elected, and if he is in fact reducing a backlog of problems which have stored up in a neglected area with some of the highest areas of deprivation in the borough.
Future reports will provide the answers!
Sadly, as yet, no Labour commenter has responded with a contribution to the debate to provide their rationale for the changes.
Nevertheless the figures show an intriguing 3-way electoral battle is shaping up in Park Ward, which stretches from the highly-urbanised Newtown area up to more verdant areas between Reading University's Whiteknights campus and Lower Earley.
-
More on 'Who is your hardest working counillor?'
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