This is Omar’s blog

That it makes the things you need to do yourself difficult. Such that sometimes you don’t do it because of it. This leads me to believe there is a god and that he has a smirk on his/her face.

‘I’d been cutting myself since the age of 15,” says Angela Harper, 21. “My friends told the school and the teacher made me an appointment with my GP.” Harper’s GP referred her for counselling, but there was a six-month waiting list. During those months, Harper was left to fend for herself. “I was only 17. I didn’t want tell my parents. There were no check-ups or follow-ups from the GP. It was down to me to keep calling the counselling service to check on the waiting list. My self-harming got worse and worse - I was cutting myself every day.”

Eventually, Harper “just stopped”, by herself. Others in her situation may not be so fortunate

Source - Guardian article regarding availability of therapy.

The thing with self-harm is that it is a thing that a person won’t talk about. A sad state of affairs that help isn’t more available.

The Golden Compass - Trailers for the new Philip Pullman adaptation due out in December.

Edit:
Philip Pullman himself describes a different set of circumstances when questioned about this on on his own website:
Northern Lights was re-titled The Golden Compass for the American market. Why did this change come about? Do you have a title in mind when you start a story?
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. The editor who made that change was also responsible for changing “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, which made sense, into “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which didn’t. At the time, I didn’t have enough clout to resist.

source

It seems it’ll be called Northern Lights (as the author intended, over here).

• Gillian Anderson (Playing alongside Danny Dyer - sometimes the world just doesn’t make sense)
• Martha Lane-Fox
• Jayne Middlemass

That said, the Gillian and Danny movie is called Straightheads and reminds me of Severance (and not because Danny Dyer is in both doofus).

Kermode’s rant was good, it was just expected which diminished it somewhat. Still he hated that film :)

Pirates of the Caribbean 3 is out on Friday (possibly tomorrow) and frankly i’m more excited about Mark Kermode’s rant about it. Based on the Rotten Tomatoes reviews he’s not going to like it.

And it’ll be a video podcast!!!

Edit > I went to see it today and it’s not great. It’s a big turgid mess really. I think there was a plot in there somewhere but i gave up caring at some point. The funny bits (based on the raucous laughter from some sections of the cinema) did nothing for me and I was glad for the ending. The ‘romance’ bit was awful too. Anyway, they’ve got new seats in the Gloucester cinema and there’s a bit more legroom too which was nice.

Photos are great.

The House of Commons yesterday voted to exempt itself from its own Freedom of Information Act, ending the compulsory legal requirement for MPs to disclose their expenses and introducing further curbs on the release of already protected MPs’ correspondence.

Who gives a fuck any more anyway?

Mr Brown, who takes over as Labour leader and prime minister next month, has pledged more “open” politics. A spokesman for the chancellor said he had also promised not to dictate to MPs.

Nob. More open, as in, we will work harder to control what you proles know.

See also.