Happy New Year!

Well that's another year over, amazing as it seems. I could try and write a review of all that's come and gone but there'll be a wealth of such articles out there and I doubt I would be able to add anything that hadn't been said or will be said already. That and the fact that it would take far too long!

On a personal level it's been a mixed year and for that reason I'm looking forward to 2011. New year resolutions? Not really, but trying to achieve any ambition is always a plus.

So let me wish you all a very happy new year, and here's to another happy, successful and productive 365 days!

Is a postgraduate qualification the best route into journalism?

A couple of years ago I completed a postgraduate qualification in broadcast journalism with the hope that it would help me secure a paid role in the industry. It sadly hasn't worked out that way, but I was curious to know how my peers had done since we all went our separate ways. Seeing the potential for a freelance article I knocked up the following piece; although - like my job applications - it's proved to be of little interest to publishers I thought others might find it useful so I've reproduced it below...

Keith Ruffles takes a look at whether another year at university really will land you that media job of your dreams…

Hannah Marshall is clear about how she landed a job at one of the world’s most prestigious broadcasters. "I'm now working at BBC Radio Nottingham; first I was freelancing, but then I secured a full-time contract by January. Since then it’s been renewed several times."

Hannah, like me, completed a postgraduate course in broadcast journalism at the University of Sheffield just over a year ago. It’s one of the few such courses nationally to be accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council, a fact which Hannah says has been crucial in gaining a proverbial foot in the BBC door.

"I firmly believe, if I hadn't completed my Masters that I wouldn't have been given the 'newsroom' opportunities,” she says. "Before I started the Masters in 2008, I had worked within the BBC for two years but I was never given the opportunity to do hard news despite achieving a Broadcast Journalist title. As soon as I had the Masters, I got a job in the Radio Newsroom."

It’s a similar story with some of the course's other graduates. Nick Smith left Sheffield with a first in journalism and he's now working as Joint Head of News for two global radio stations based in Devon, whilst Adam Gabbatt and Sarah Corker landed jobs at the Guardian and the BBC respectively at a time when redundancies across the industry have made it harder than ever to gain a toehold.

Will Sargeant is another former student who illustrates this point well. He's been working as a Multimedia Journalist at The Times for just over a year but he acknowledges the fact that simply having a postgraduate qualification isn’t always enough, even at entry level.

"Before I started my current job I worked in local radio for a few months, for Hallam FM and Real Radio. Prior to that I did seven different unpaid work placements and this is something I would recommend to anyone; without the experience I wouldn’t have much to put on my CV. My placement at Sky News, for example, was really important in getting my foot in the door at The Times. In my experience, it really is all about who you know when you are starting out."

And the benefits? "It’s a job that I really enjoy and every day is different. I've met all sorts of interesting people from Jenson Button and Michael Johnson to Jack Straw."

But for those considering splashing out upwards of £5,000 on a postgraduate journalism qualification this might be something of a shock; simply having some more initials after your name doesn't necessarily mean that the days of working for free and making endless cups of tea will be consigned to the bin. The competition for jobs is fierce and those who cannot or will not undertake work experience placements may find themselves at a distinct disadvantage.

It’s this aspect of postgraduate courses which explains why many so students struggle to find work once they graduate. Sheffield boasts an 80% success rate when it comes to getting its postgraduates into the media industry but even that inevitably creates a large number of disappointed and out-of-pocket aspiring journalists entering the job market every year.

But not all is doom and gloom. Postgraduate courses are versatile things, and several of the class of '09 have used the skills and experiences gained at university to find jobs in related fields. Chief among these is public relations, with both public bodies and private businesses alike keen to recruit skilled graduates with an in-depth knowledge of journalism.

One of those now working in the busy world of PR is Sally Catmull. She's now a Media Support Officer with the Environment Agency and has a very full-on role. "I work in the national press office in London doing anything from writing press releases and features to making short films for social media. I started a fortnight before the Cumbrian floods so it's been pretty full-on, but really interesting.

"I don't regret going down this road whatsoever, and envisage staying in PR for the foreseeable future."

So is spending another year at university the best way to secure a job in journalism? Many will baulk at the costs involved, and for those not lucky enough to have secured funding they may well have to consider deferring their entry for a year or two. The fact that such courses do not dispense the need for internships and the like will also act as something of a deterrent for those intent on watching the pennies.

But for anyone weighing up the pros and cons of postgraduate study there is one variable that they are definitely in control of. As Will Sargeant puts it, "It's amazing how many people do not listen to advice in this industry and think that they know it all. I’ve seen many people come and go at The Times because they wanted to prove they knew everything. Maybe I stuck around because I was willing to learn and honest about what I did not know.

"My own enthusiasm was definitely the most important aspect in helping me get a job."

Book review - God's Philosophers

A few years ago when I was a student with far more free time on my hands than was really healthy I loved playing a computer game which simulated medieval battles. It was unrelentingly brutal, the narrator solemnly declaring its setting to be "an age of darkness, a world of fear, power and death."

Such is the popular view of the Medieval period, an era barely distinguishable from the Dark Ages that preceded it and one mercifully ended only by the brilliant minds of the Enlightenment. Aside from small sparks of isolated genius like the Italian Renaissance the entire age is written off as one in which Europe and the rest of the world contributed virtually nothing to the advancement of scientific knowledge, revelling instead in violence and religious fundamentalism.

Except that some scholars are now starting to disagree with this bleak interpretation of almost a thousand years of human history. Step forward James Hannam, whose God’s Philosophers is an attempt to demonstrate how the Medieval world really did lay the foundations of modern science.

Hannam’s thesis is a simple if ambitious one; to demonstrate that the period gave rise to huge advancements in science and technology, the work of long-forgotten pioneers who would provide inspiration for the likes of Galileo and Copernicus.

But the actual task of debunking the many myths that surround the Middle Ages is far from straightforward. Chief among these are the sheer timescales involved; condensing 600 years of world history into just over 400 pages is never going to be an easy task, whatever the subject. But this is also a field fraught with particular difficulties, full of intrigue, cover-ups and denials.

Take the Condemnation of 1277, for example; this culmination of a series of edicts by the University of Paris was designed to restrict thought considered heretical, in particular that first promulgated by Aristotle some 1,500 years before. Yet in this atmosphere of stultifying academic repression Roger Bacon’s work on optics led to the creation of the first pair of spectacles, technology which is still in widespread use to this very day. Bacon’s work, however, did little to convince the Pope that scientific research was not against the will of God, a situation which would go on to repeat itself time and again and would infamously culminate with Galileo’s denunciation by the Roman Inquisition.

It’s a theme that God’s Philosophers comes to again and again; that of endeavour in the face of repression by the establishment and the powers that be. With the meddling influence of the church at all levels of life it’s easy to see why the period has earned itself such an unenviable reputation as a ‘dark’ age, and yet Hannam goes some way to redress the balance.

The author undertakes his exploration in an appropriately logical format, exploring different areas of research – medicine, astronomy, mathematics, magic – and documents the often uneasy relationships those peering into the unknown had with their political and religious masters. Homage is also paid to outside influences, particularly that made by an Islamic world whose academies and universities were often leagues ahead of their European counterparts.

This is an excellent read for anyone interested in the history of science and technology. It’s easily accessible language makes for a highly entertaining account of what has until now been a poorly understood aspect of Medieval history. It would seem that the Dark Ages are finally being lit up.

Getting a job...

At the moment I'm a temp, essentially an all-round dogsbody employed via a recruitment agency to work in an office on a short-term basis. This works out for me in the sense that it's some short-term paid employment that I was able to take up straight away, and it works for the company in question because they have their vacancy filled whilst they look to hire an individual on a permanent basis. It's hardly inspiring stuff but needs must and all that.

What has been interesting, however, is the company's approach to the recruitment process. I've already been ruled out of the picture because I let slip early on that I have several tertiary qualifications, and this discrimination is arbitrarily applied to the surprisingly numerous CVs dropping through the letterbox every day. If the applicant is a university graduate their application is filed straight into the bin; ditto if their home address is deemed too far from the place of work, a distance I’ve worked out to be around the 10-mile mark. When this process is discussed amongst ourselves the same reason is always given; "Why on earth would a university leaver want a minimum wage job?", as if the current economic recession is simply a figment of our collective imaginations.

I've always had a suspicion that the opaque world of employment is prone to unfair practices such as these, borne not only of my own frustrating lack of success at securing interviews but also from the (admittedly anecdotal) experience of friends, family and colleagues alike. That it’s extremely difficult to gain any semblance of feedback from so many companies gives the impression that it is nepotism and sheer luck that dictates the chance of success.

Recruiters, for their part, will argue that they get huge numbers of applicants for every position they advertise and that giving feedback to all and sundry would simply take too long and be a prohibitively costly exercise to boot. In some cases this will, of course, be a perfectly reasonable excuse.

But what is grossly unfair is for employers to apply entirely arbitrary and thoroughly discriminatory practices to the recruitment process. If they wish to reduce the number of applicants they receive they should simply – and openly - restrict the qualifying criteria. Anything else is just a complete waste of everyone’s time.

Political joke of the year

This has to be my favourite political joke of 2010...

A member of the public rings the Liberal Democrats head office and asks for a copy of their manifesto. "I'm sorry, we've sold out", comes the reply. "I know", says the caller. "I just want a copy of your manifesto."

Boom Boom!

Boxing day hunts

Today is Boxing Day, traditionally the day when the poor and needy received "Christmas boxes" filled with money and gifts. It’s also associated in this country with the annual Boxing Day Hunts, which remains the biggest event in the sport’s calendar despite the 2004 Hunting Act banning the use of live foxes.

But this year things are slightly different, and not just because hunts will be taking place tomorrow as this year's Boxing Day falls on a Sunday. We now have a Conservative Prime Minister and a Conservative government; the Tories, as I'm sure you will remember, were the only party to back a repeal of the Act before the general election earlier this year.

So far more pressing matters have occupied our coalition masters, but that does not mean that the threat of repeal has disappeared entirely. There are, after all, legitimate concerns that media coverage of the Boxing Day Hunts allows the likes of the Countryside Alliance to present a polished and sanitised version of their sport for the cameras and at the same time demand the repeal of the Hunting Act whilst the illegal hunting and killing of foxes and other wild animals continues the rest of the year.

It's vital that this important piece of legislation is not scrapped whilst public attention is diverted elsewhere. Boxing day should be about the celebration of life, not an orgy of bloodletting.

Happy Christmas!

In my more cynical moments I sometimes can't shake off the feeling that Christmas as we know it today is little more than a secularised celebration of gluttony and greed, that the original Christian ethos of the day has been lost in an orgy of rampant consumerism that also serves to highlight the massive economic inequalities that exist between nations and between the haves and have nots. But then that would make me an awful Scrooge wouldn't it? Wouldn't it..?

Instead it's perhaps best to focus on the positives - family; sharing; a festival that at least here in the northern hemisphere is something to look forward to in the dark winter months - and remember that it only comes round once a year. Pass a mince pie whilst you're over there, will you..?

Obama repeals "Don't ask, don't tell"

Yet more evidence that US President Barack Obama is trying to usher in a new liberal spirit even as the reactionary might of the Tea Party is doing its damned hardest to turn America into the Western world's most right-wing regime.

Obama - hilariously nicknamed "Obugger" by some critics - has repealed legislation which previously prevented homosexual men and women from serving in the country's armed forces. Bill Clinton's 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" policy had already resulted in the the dismissal of over 13,500 service members and had been the target of a longrunning campaign by gay rights activists such as Dan Choi, an Iraq veteran discharged after announcing his homosexuality.

Opponents, unsurprisingly, have claimed that this will damage morale and result in an exodus of troops quitting service life, crippling the States' military capability. That there is no accounting for the potential numbers of new recruits that might subsequently sign up, nor the fact that this has not been the case in other countries where gays are now freely able to serve - or that its troops might not be as intolerant as they would like to think - has clearly not been taken into account.

This is practically and morally the right decision for Obama to take. That so many skilled members of the armed forces were dismissed on grounds of their sexuality made little economic sense; Choi, for example, was an Arabic linguist with years of training behind him - time and money now wasted.

But it was the suggestion that homosexual men and women were less worthy to serve that is DADT's lasting legacy. That it is now being repealed means that it is one less weapon for those who seek to promote inequalities.

Christmas' biggest myth

Even the most unfestive of people will know that it's Christmas day this weekend - indeed it seems harder to miss every year - so it's perhaps worth noting that the all-too-frequent resurrection of the Winterval myth has once again reared its ugly head. This time it's in the guise of newly ennobled novelist Michael Dobbs, who suggests that we should do "away with all the ­levellers and their ludicrous festivals like Winterval, let’s embrace Christmas in the way we’ve done for more than a thousand years, celebrating family and showing friendship to strangers. If the flat-earthers find themselves insulted by the fact that we take pride in being British, that’s their problem." Hmm.

Even his holiness the Pope appears to have been taken in by what is perhaps the best example to date of tabloid myth made 'fact' by virtue of sheer repetition. If it weren't for the fact that this myth is used by so many to justify their own pre-existing prejudices it'd almost be funny that so many are taken in by what is so obviously a load of old cobblers.

But never fear, help is at hand! The author of Daily Rant favourite Angry Mob has put a not inconsiderable amount of effort in conducting a detailed examination of the Winterval myth, from genesis to continued perpetuation. It's an excellent exploration into the murky and at times distinctly unsavoury politics that compel those who seek to keep the myth alive. It's well worth taking a look at, as is the rest of the site.

Pro-democracy protesters arrested in Belarus

It's far too easy to forget that democracy is not enjoyed across the entirety of the European continent. In Belarus - a constituent member of the infamous Outposts of Tyranny - 'hundreds' of demonstrators have apparently been arrested after the recent presidential election which saw Alexander Lukashenko returned to power for a fourth consecutive term with an impressive 80% of the vote. Almost all the opposition candidates were among those rounded up by police.

Lukashenko is being characteristically defiant; "We passed (the election) in a worthy fashion and we did everything so the campaign was honest, open and in strict correspondence with the law." Needless to say the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe considers the entire affair as "flawed".

Belarus may seem far away and remote but in reality it matters, not least because - uniquely in Europe - it appears to be in the grip of dictatorship. There will no doubt be many people within the country who do support Lukashenko, but the fact that the man relies on rigged elections to guarantee a return to power is ample evidence that his regime is without the moral consent the democratic process automatically bestows.

The London Underground

I've been spending the day in London, which I like to do as often as money and time will allow. The place has always had an attraction that goes beyond merely ticking off the major tourist sights; it's the city of my birth and the place from which my immediate family all trace their roots. If you like big cities you'll find it hard to explore a more diverse and trendy place than the good ol' Big Smoke herself. It may not be to everyone's taste but there's no denying that it's still one of the world's most influential urban conglomerations.

Another good thing about travelling to London is that the two main coach services operating between the capital and Leeds are in direct competition and as a result frequently offer heavily discounted tickets; this latest return journey, for example, is costing only £7. For a 380-odd mile round trip that's not a bad deal, even if it does take about twice as long as going by car or - if you dig extra deep in those pockets - the train.

But one of the things I do find strange about London is the distorted sense of geography travelling on the famous Underground can give you. A quick look at the Harry Beck-inspired map above quickly tells you why; it's based not on the actual geographic locations of its stations but rather the topological relationship between them. In plain English it means that it doesn't depict real distances.

The upshot of this is that it's easy to travel from place to place and not appreciate the actual distance or gain a sense of the places between them. I've always considered myself to have a reasonably good knowledge of London's complex geography and yet it can still be surprising to walk its streets and find place are a lot closer - or further apart - than you might have thought simply by traveling on the Tube. There's even an old trick you can play on unsuspecting tourists by sending them to, say, Mansion House from Bank station, a journey requiring several changes of train - or a short walk down the road.

So it's been a pleasure to journey round the city today by foot and remind myself that London is a huge collection of buildings and monuments and not a city of isolated attractions. And if that fails to attract and it starts to rain, or if I get really footsore there is at least always a tube station close to hand...

World Cup 2022 - a gay free zone?

When the announcement was first made that Qatar had won the race to host the 2022 World Cup many expressed their surprise at the choice, mainly because the small Arab nation has virtually no real footballing heritage to speak of and because it frequently endures summer temperatures of well over 40°C.

Now FIFA president Sepp Blatter has inadvertently raised more question marks over the choice of venue after jokingly suggesting that gay fans "should refrain from any sexual activities". Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, punishable by up to five years in prison.

Unsurprisingly gay rights groups have condemned the comments and some have even demanded Blatter's resignation; former basketball star John Amaechi even accused FIFA as being "very, very clearly uncomfortable with this issue and certainly not interested in taking it seriously".

Amaechi makes a very good point; the reaction of Blatter to the question of homosexual rights in Qatar - to laugh - serves to trivialise what is a very real issue. Qatar was one of the countries which only recently helped to remove homosexuality from a UN resolution which lists proscribed reasons for executions; that the nation continues to discriminate on grounds of sexuality is something which should have figured in FIFA's decision to base the tournament there.

Some, such as Chekov over at Three Thousand Versts, suggest that mere restraint on the part of homosexual fans should be enough to guarantee their enjoyment of the World Cup. He also points out that other activities taken for granted in the western world - such as drinking alcohol and overt petting between heterosexual couples - will also face restrictions in this innately conservative society and that adjustments to personal behaviour will effect many who come to Qatar. Despite this being a global event respect for local customs will, it is argued, have to be adhered to even if they are clearly discriminatory.

But where this proscription against homosexuals would really be tested would be if a gay player were to be barred from entering Qatar or from taking part in the competition, a perfectly reasonable scenario would there not be a complete derth of openly gay footballers worldwide. That the lack of homosexual sportsmen and women is almost certainly due to homophobia in various forms is exactly why this is an issue Blatter and the rest at the top of FIFA should be taking seriously and not merely giggling about in a press conference.

As for respecting local customs, the World Cup should not be taking place in a country which denies certain basic freedoms to sections of society whilst at the same time allowing others to enjoy those same freedoms. We're not merely talking restraint here; we're talking about the complete denial of a certain sexual orientation whilst suggesting that another is morally superior and enshrining that position in law.

Making homophobia more acceptable is not a legacy FIFA should be aspiring to create.

Kosovo elects its first leader

Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia two years ago has still not received universal recognition but the nation's de facto autonomy has been underlined with the successful passage of the country's first presidential elections. The responsibility of leading the fledgling state will fall to Hashim Thaci of the Democratic Party, whose main concerns will include convincing Kosovo's Serb minority that their constitutional rights will be respected as well as bolstering one of Europe's weakest economies.

Kosovo is still in a state of limbo, governed as it is in part by the UN and an EU deployment made up of civilian and police resources known as EULEX. Less than 40% of countries worldwide recognise Kosovo as an independent state, with many expressing concerns at its UDI-style declaration; even the five permanent members of the UN security council are entirely divided on the issue.

Thaci has a lot of work to do if he is to prove Kosovo is in possession of an inclusive and tolerant society. But the creation of a country explicitly based on an adherence to a purely Albanian identity is always going to find it hard to convince those who are not of such a cultural persuasion that their lot will be better then it was before. It seems unlikely that the Kosovan question will be answered anytime soon, new president or not...

Climate change talks - a load of hot air?

This time last year the much-trumpeted Copenhagen climate summit roundly failed to deliver any meaningful resolution by the 193-odd countries in attendance to limit carbon emissions or take other steps to halt climate change. It was almost as if the nations of the world had collectively shrugged their shoulders and said, "Not our problem". It was a bitter disappointment to politicians and environmentalists alike.

But there is now some cause for optimism, albeit tinged with a healthy doe of caution. Delegates at this year's UN climate change talks in the Mexican resort of Cancún have reached a new deal pledging to explore curbs on carbon emissions and the creation of a fund allowing poorer nations to develop in an environmentally responsible manner. It is at least a step in the right direction and a sign that the heady idealism of Copenhagen has not been abandoned completely.

Much work remains to be done, however. There has been no firm promise to implement deeper carbon cuts nor the creation of legally-binding codes of conduct; this will have to wait until next year's conference in South Africa. Meanwhile the danger remains that the longer we wait to take action the harder it will be to reverse the damage already done.

What's needed in this post-Kyoto world is a firm commitment by all states to exploit resources in a manner that does not permanently upset the globe's delicate balance. This requires action, not words - and the realisation that the current impasse cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely.

Red Dead Redemption and animal cruelty

It was my birthday a couple of days ago, and despite reaching the grand old age of 28 relatively intact I still quite like to play the odd computer game every now and then. To that end I received a game for the console I won last year and needless to say I've already spent quite a bit of time playing it. Yes, I am a big geek at heart.

The game in question is Red Dead Redemption, a wild-west inspired title which has been one of the year's big success stories. By the makers of the infamous Grand Theft Auto series, Redemption is also a 'sandbox' in that you can pick and choose which parts to play or if you prefer you can just spend the time exploring the vast and beautifully rendered Tex-Mex turn-of-the-century setting. So far it's been immense fun to play and is clearly going to result in a lot of wasted time.

But what's been a surprising part of the game is that the killing of animals forms one of its integral features. It's not really an issue that I've come across before; taking out strange alien creatures is often par for the course but this is the first time I've had to kill various recognisable animal species including dogs, chickens, cows and more wild wolves and bears.

For someone who has played some of the more controversially violent games to have come out over the years it might seem strange that I find it much more uncomfortable killing a virtual horse or coyote then killing virtual people, even when - as in the aforementioned Grand Theft Auto series - those that are occasionally murdered are clearly 'innocent' of any wrongdoing. It's honestly taken a little while to adjust.

And yet in the world of Redemption animals are killed not primarily for sport - although a player could do so if they were so inclined - but are treated instead as a resource, with in-game money the reward for pelts and hides. And as someone who has rejected a supposed link between video games and real world violence it could well be hypocritical of me to suggest that animal cruelty would be encouraged with its existence in the virtual world.

I realise that most people, like myself, are able to distinguish between the real and virtual worlds. Playing violent games has not turned me into an axe-wielding maniac, nor will playing Redemption make me want to go out and shoot an eagle. But the very fact that committing such acts in a game can make a person uncomfortable does show that that awareness needs to be kept keen at all times.

Cameron v Miliband: who is right over tuition fees?

To the surprise of absolutely no-one the tuition fee debate has dominated today's PMQs at Westminster; David Cameron accused Labour of "rank hypocrisy" and suggesed the Opposition lacked a credible alternative, whilst Ed Miliband urged argued that the Coalition were "pulling the ladder" from the poor.

The whole debate is a muddled one, and for those not directly effected by the proposed changes it can all seem a little perplexing. Even the anger directed towards the Liberal Democrats - surely the worst effected by the whole debacle - has been the result of breaking a pre-election pledge rather than their actual support for an increase in fees per se.

The BBC has produced quite a good Q&A which helps to explain some of the debate's more elusive subtleties, and I have to say I find some merit in both arguments. I like the idea that the repayment threshold will be increased from the current earnings level of £15,000 to £21,000, but then tripling the amount students will be charged in fees hardly seems egalitarian. It's also a cause for concern that the fees students will pay will very wildly between the four constituent nations of the UK.

Ultimately it's an issue that I'm still undecided about - I agree with the principle that tertiary education should be available to all regardless of economic background but I realise that such a system will need to find a way to pay for itself. Whoever solves this near impossible conundrum will deserve any student's vote.

Nobel peace prize facing boycott

This year's prize for services to irony must go to the team behind the Nobel peace prize, whose chosen recipient has so angered China that they are calling for a boycott of the event. Russia, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Serbia, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Venezuela, the Philippines, Egypt, Sudan, Ukraine, Cuba and Morocco have also said that they will now not be attending.

The reason for Beijing's ire is that the award is going to Liu Xiaobo, a leading figure in the struggle for human rights in China. Mr Liu  was a key leader in the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests and last year he received an 11-year sentence for "inciting subversion". His crime was to draft Charter 08, which called for multi-party democracy and respect for human rights in China. The Nobel Foundation, for its part, has praised Mr Liu for his "long and non-violent struggle" and highlighted its belief in a "close connection between human rights and peace".

The cynic may note that many of the countries declining to attend the ceremony are also struggling with their own questionable humans rights records, although some have denied being influenced by China's actions. But it is sad indeed that so little solidarity is being shown among so many of the world's national government for a man demanding what so many of us take for granted out of a fear of offending Chinese sensibilities.

Ghana's beautiful coffins

Ask most people what they think is shown in the above picture and they might say that it's some sort of aquatic art installation or a prop in a fish restaurant, but if they did they would be wrong. Dead wrong, if you will.

It's actually a coffin, one of the typically colourful examples made by the Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop in the Ghanaian town of Teshie. You can see lots more on their website, which depicts a huge number of designs ranging from airplanes to mobile telephones to animals and lots more besides.

The tradition of colourful wooden coffins in Ghana began in the 1950s and has since then become a solid tradition in this corner of West Africa; each one is specifically commissioned by its future occupant and is meant to reflect an important aspect of his or her life. They've also been displayed in exhibitions around the world and have even been the subject of a documentary film.

It's also a vivid example of how death is approached in different ways in different cultures; here the emphasis is very much on celebrating the life of the departed rather than on mourning, as we tend to do here in the UK. With Ghana's colourful coffins it's easy to think that perhaps there is something to be said about the former approach.

A spineless act...

Around this time last year Borders UK went into administration, with all of its bookshoops closing down before we all had a chance to join hands and sing Auld Lang Syne to welcome in 2010. As an occasional browser and even more infrequent purchaser of books it was something of a mixed blessing; its rapid progress from announcement to formal closure meant that its store in Leeds - as elsewhere in the country - flogged off its stock at a fraction of the original retail prices, just in time for Christmas. That its closure was perhaps due in part to the sort of retail habits I displayed multiplied across the general population was perhaps by-the-by; it was still one of the high street Usual Suspects that I genuinely didn't mind spending some time in if I had to.

Since then the baton of city centre-based new books has fallen to Borders' erstwhile competitor Waterstone's, who no doubt jumped for joy at their procurement of a virtual monopoly on this lucrative market almost by chance. Which makes this announcement slightly worrying.

The company are to trial a 'face out'-only display of its non-fiction books in selected stores but may subsequently decide to roll it out across the country. The idea is to display all books by their front cover rather than by their spine, the net result being that one hefty tome 'face out' will take up the space of three or four such titles displayed 'spine out'. This, of course, means less choice for the punter.

Obviously this will cause a lot of concern for those involved in writing and publishing non-fiction, but the customer also has much to fear. Fewer titles means a restriction in the diffusion of knowledge, and the current vogue for ghost-written celebrity memoirs by every conceivable Z-lister under the sun means that genuinely scholarly works may feel the squeeze more than most. Given that Waterstone's now has few real rivals the knock-on effect could have serious consequences...

Driving test

Pictured above is the sight that greeted me when I turned up for my driving test this morning at the Pontefract Driving Test Centre. This small car park forms part of the test; the Centre itself was deserted, with doors and windows shut tight.

This is an excellent example of shoddy customer service extraordinaire; no attempt was made to contact me to say that my test would be cancelled even though - as evident in the picture - they must have known that it would be for the several days that they had not bothered to move the snow. There was no answer when I tried to contact them by telephone beforehand, nor was any answerphone message left to tell people not to bother turning up. There wasn't even a note pinned to the door explaining the situation. In short there was nothing, not even an apology, despite the test costing a not-inconsiderable £75 a go.

I'm pretty angry; I had to give up a Friday night shift at work to be test-ready - leaving me some £30 out of pocket - and my partner lost a morning and petrol money as she ferried me to and from Pontefract in her car. I don't even know how or when my test will be rescheduled, or how long I might have to wait.

In short - abysmal. If they were in a business which didn't have what is essentially a monopoly and a guaranteed income it simply wouldn't be able to get away with it. I'd be curious to know if this is a typical experience with driving test centres or whether Pontefract is alone in just not caring...

Former MP found guilty over expenses

The expenses scandal has finally claimed its first victim. Former Labour MP David Chaytor has pleaded guilty to falsely claiming over £20,000 and now faces up to seven years in prison.

The charge list against Chaytor is not an enviable one; he claimed almost £13,000 for renting a flat which he actually owned, and another £5,000 in rent for his elderly mother’s home. His guilty plea means he will now avoid trial; had the case proceeded to court he would have become the first parliamentarian to stand trial over the expenses saga, having failed in his bid to have his case heard in the Commons.

Chaytor’s fall from grace will be watched closely by the two former and one current MPs and two members of the House of Lords who are also due to face trials over their expenses. Us proles, on the other hand, will be pleased that at some of our public officials who sought to enrich themselves by the public purse.

Perhaps the only question remains, then, as to why so few of our MPs originally suspected of corruption are set to face formal legal action. Chaytor and his peers may feel they are being scapegoated, and whilst this cannot excuse their actions it does make one wonder if not more prosecutions could be brought forward. It'll be interesting what the rest of the defendants have to say should they elect to go to trial.

And the winner is...

Football is a game rich in irony and cliché, so perhaps it's appropriate that in the same week that leaked confidential US diplomatic cables describing Russia as a virtual 'mafia state' were released by Wikileaks FIFA - itself mired in a possible corruption scandal - has awarded that country the right to host the 2018 World Cup.

In many ways Russia's victory makes sense; it will be the first time the world's largest nation will have hosted the event and coupled with a rich footballing heritage - as the USSR they reached the semis of the 1966 World Cup and won the 1960 European Championships - there will be plenty of potential to develop the lasting sporting legacy so beloved of FIFA.

It's also true that there will be legitimate concerns over Russia's ability to stage the Cup, just as there already have been with the handling thus far of the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The media, likewise, will not appreciate the nation's dismal defence of its investigative journalists, many of whom have been threatened, beaten and murdered. And Russia's unenviable reputation for racism in football will also need tackling if it is to put on a tournament to be remembered for all the right reasons. Defenders of the selection, however, will not unreasonably point out that there is no such thing as a perfectly 'safe' bid and that the nation has almost a decade to get things right.

Which perhaps makes FIFA's choice for the 2022 World Cup much more controversial. No-one can argue that it is not right for football to be taken to new parts of the globe - indeed, it would be unfair to argue otherwise - but Qatar's standing in the game is next-to-nothing. The country has never qualified for the Finals before and the more hardened cynic might wonder if commercial interests have trumped any genuine affections for the sport.

As for FIFA, the allegations of corruptions leveled at some of its top officials will no doubt linger long after the teary hordes of England supporters forget their disappointment. There has long been a suspicion that those at the top of the organisation have sought to enrich themselves at the expense of those competing nations desperate for their bids to be successful. Witness the many that rounded on the British media for attempting to expose FIFA's largesse for fear of jeopardising England's bid; FIFA's ability to silence its critics is indicative of the power with which it holds sway over world football.

The demand for more transparency at the top of FIFA has got nothing to do with a failed England bid - as some would allege - and everything to do with the need for reform of a thoroughly corrupt institution. That it can offer such riches in return for silence should not deter those that would seek to unmask its odious machinations.

New Daily Rant poll: are the Lib Dems at risk of political suicide?

Given the current freezing weather doing its best to grind the UK to a halt it seems appropriate to release the results of the latest Daily Rant poll; 70% of respondents agreed with the contention that climate change is the result of human activity, with only 30% against. I've long believed that resource exploitation and unsustainable economic practices has an adverse effect on the global environment and its pleasing to see that many visitors also appear to share the same view.

This month's poll will leave the wind and the rain behind and instead look at the current political fortunes of the Liberal Democrats, who appear to be bearing the brunt of the government's proposals to increase university tuition fees. So the question is this; have the Lib Dems caused themselves irreparable damage over the issue, or will they stay the course of the coalition? Answers to be revealed in the new year...