UK elections, 2007

Your vote counts blah blah blah... Todays the day when most people fail to exercise their democratic right to choose who runs their local councils. Tomorrow will be the day when those same people will complain about 'people in suits' who have no connection with everyday folk like themselves....

Well I voted today, I always do and I always will. I think that its really important for anyone who has the vote to use it, even if like me, your vote won't really alter much in your area.

For me, its not the power behind my vote that makes it so important. We all know that its only when public vote 'en masse' that people get elected. Rather I think, in some bizarre way its the same principle behind voting as singing in church.

I have an awful voice but imagine if everyone decided, just like I do, not to sing but to mime instead, after all their voice won't count or be heard so why not leave it to someone else? The fact is that church singing is a corporate activity. It only really works when lots of the attendees take part (take it froom me!). And it only gets better and better when more people join in. Isn't it the same with the vote?

No my vote won't change anything in and of itself but as part of a much larger number of people who can be bothered to take part, it contributes in some minuscule way to keep democracy alive and well.

Did the earth move for you?

There's a 1 in 10 chance of an earthquake hitting the UK, and thats only once in 50 years but today was the day.

Residents in Folkstone, Kent reported the shake at around about 8.20am this morning and the Earthquake 'people' have just confirmed that a quake measuring about 5.0 on the Richter Scale has been recorded 6 miles underground off the south eastern tip off the UK.



The tremor lasted around ten seconds and although damage has been reported and the BBC and Sky are reporting this as a 'major event', there seems to be little more to say on the issue as earthquakes go.

Earthquakes in the UK aren't rare but ones of this magnitude are. If you'd like more information about quakes in the UK then check here.

***Did you experience the 'quake'? feel free to post your experiences here***

Will the real Paul Hurst please, stand up!

Imagine my shock, no horror! When I realised that in this world of 6,000,000,000 people, I am not the only, Paul Hurst.

We treat our names as our unique identifier and in most cases, they are sufficient for this purpose, although there was also another 'Paul Hurst' in my year at school. So how does the internet change our awareness of who we are?

The current buzzword may be social networking through sites like myspace and even blogs like mine. Each offer individuals a small slice of the web which we can call home, but have you ever done an image search in Google for your own name?

Here's what happens with 'Paul Hurst'



Aside from not being dead (which is always a relief!), It would appear as though I may be some kind of 'yokel' on the run...



And wait for it... How about Paul Hurst the world famous harp player...



And not just nimble with the fingers, but feet too! Lets not forget 'Paul Hurst' the full-back for Rotherham United Football club.



Go on, have a go yourself and please let me know if you can find other pictures of your namesakes from around the world, a bit like my mate George Bush.



Oh and if you'd like the official word on other people who share your name then pay a visit to 'how many of me.com'

High res pics from Rome

I have started to post a few high res pics from my trip to Rome over here.

Forgive me for posting about my trip twice however I had a great time and got chance to grab some pictures that I wanted to take after my first visit last year.

More pictures from Rome

Had a great time this week in sunny Rome. I also 'just happened' to have a camera with me so feel free to take a look at the slideshow below.