Tale Of The Tape

Scottish Premier League
Saturday, March 20, 2010

Celtic 3
(Thompson 15, Keane pen 67, Samaras 87)

St Johnstone 0

CELTIC (4-2-3-1) Zaluska; Wilson, Thompson, O’Dea, Braafheid; McGeady, Crosas (Ki 57), NGuemo, McGowan (Zhi 86); Fortune (Samaras 71), Keane
Subs not used: Boruc, Hinkel, Caddis, Rasmussen

ST JOHNSTONE (4-4-2) Smith; Irvine, Grainger, Duberry, Mackay; Millar, Davidson, Sheerin (Craig 57), Deuchar (Reynolds 15); Milne (Morais 70), Swankie
Subs not used: Main, Connolly, Gartland, Falkingham

Booked: Grainger, Swankie and Davidson (all for fouls on McGowan I think)

Style Council

Like a dinner party with Asda Red Wine, a homemade Curry and ice cream and flake for dessert. All done to a sound track of Coldplay. Civilised but strangely odd, match rating of 3.458

Those Who Stare At Goats

Callum Murray: 2.56 

Booked 3 Saintees for assaults on McGowan, which probably could have been dealt with sooner. Some may moan that he never booked the goalie at the penalty but, what would be the point of that? Oh, it's a rule. The Last Of The Summer Wine pace of the game made him unnoticeable.

Sleeping With Enemy

They looked like a team that know that they have winnable fights coming up. Came not to get a drubbing and were quite happy that the pace of the game was sloth like. Tidy side. Like to play the game the correct way and without Jody Morris don't have that bastard factor.

If they make the top 6 they may struggle to win a game.

The Bhoys A Bit Special.

Dining with Keane over the last few weeks, like parties at the commissioners, we have been spoiled. It was refreshing to see his contracted mantle of Man Of The Match be passed to a product of Lennoxtown. Paul McGowan wins this by looking beyond going through the motions. It may benefit us. It's more likely to benefit Motherwell, St Mirren or Ross County.

The Bhoys A Bit Special Needs

Dear O Dear, Aiden is looking like a burnt out Corsa in a public park. His reading of the game is gone, he has forgotten how to pass and his shooting, woeful at the best of times is now only troubling ballbhoys and stewards. A rest is required before a trip to vets may be in order.

The Bhoys Will Sing

3 games, 3 clean sheets. 8 goals scored and an injury list that is clearing up.

   

The music industry is finally reassessing the custom of servicing songs to radio months before the record is legally available to download in a bid to combat piracy

A year and a half ago, Behind the Music brought up the problem of staggered releases, and how the custom of servicing songs to radio months before the record is legally available to download drives music fans to use illegal downloading sites. Last summer, I pointed out that acts like David Guetta lost sales to cover artists who released their own versions earlier than the original versions. Last week MusicTank organised a discussion involving Radio 1, NME, indie labels, the Official Chart Company and artist managers to discuss this issue. The event was called No.1 With a Bullet: Is Pre-Release Killing Our Business? Who says the music industry is slow to react to the internet?

To most people it seems obvious that fans will use any means available to them to get a track they like. So why do record labels still wait months to release a record that is gaining momentum? The labels say they're just doing what they have always done but blame the media for jumping the gun. Emily MacKay, reviews editor at NME, says they won't consider reviewing a single weeks after its been all over the internet. They're not the only ones. Newspapers, magazines, music bloggers and specialist radio shows: they all want to be the first to feature a new single. If they're the only place where fans can hear the record, even better.
 
The Guardian has had success with exclusive streams of Gorillaz's Plastic Beach and Peter Gabriel's Scratch My Back, and there has been talk about how, in the future, every review would give you the chance to stream the record as you read it, providing the labels allow it. This would be a step in the right direction, though the fact that people often still have the option of downloading these records illegally to listen to them when they're offline remains.
 
Another reason the labels wait to release records is the power of the charts. Though George Ergatoudis, head of music for Radio 1, maintains that his station doesn't rely on the sales charts when they work out their playlists he says the majority of commercial radio stations do. "They look at Radio 1 and, secondly, to the charts." He says commercial radio stations decide when to add songs depending on what would gain the biggest audience. They want to minimise the risk element.
 
Getting an artist into the top 10 in the charts is the holy grail for labels, not just because of revenue (albums are still where labels make a decent return on their investments), but as it guarantees inclusion on the radio playlists. If a single enters the charts in the nether regions it's deemed a flop by radio and won't get playlisted. Without radio exposure there's much less chance of the record selling well, and so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
 
Martin Talbot, managing director of the Official Charts Company (OCC), says that today you have to sell 65% more units to become number one than in 2004 (17% more units than a year ago). Compare that to the US, a country with five times the UK population, where you can get to number one by selling just twice that amount.
 
This is a bigger problem for new artists than established ones. "It's important for new artists to build up familiarity," says Ergatoudis. "Established artists should probably release early." The hunger for a new Jay-Z or Coldplay record could easily push it to the top of the charts without any marketing build-up.
 
Sometimes it seems this marketing build-up gets longer and longer. At the end of last year, Radio 1 touted Ellie Goulding as being the newcomer most hotly tipped for stardom in 2010. She's had a high media profile ever since, yet her first single wasn't released until the last week of February. Pendulum's new single, Watercolour, was Zane Low's single of the week, last week – it's not due for release until 3 May. But if you Google the track you'll find that you can download it today from at least six different torrent sites.
 
The problem of pushing fans towards piracy also only applies to the first single of an album. Once the album is out, people can use à la carte music services like iTunes to download single tracks, sometimes dictating to the labels what the next single should be (Lady Gaga's Poker Face being an example, as the label had, allegedly, planned on releasing another track as a single at the time).
 
These are all valid reasons to close the pre-release gap, but just as the internet has opened up fantastic opportunities, piracy has changed the rules of the game. "What's going to happen when the first kid is up in court next year accused of falling foul of the Digital Economy Bill?" says Jon Webster, chief executive of the Music Managers' Forum. "If the pre-release window isn't closed they will be able to plead 'not guilty as I couldn't buy the music anywhere'. How's that going to make the music business look?"
 
So what can be done? If record labels work collectively to close the pre-release window it would go against the rules of free competition. Webster proposes a change to the chart rules. If there were a rule saying that as soon as a track goes to radio it's considered to be on sale, then everyone would have to adapt.
 
This, however, is a solution that the OCC is not too keen on. Will the record industry adjust itself without any intervention – or will we be having the same discussion again in another year and a half?
 

(View entire post here)

Another Spectacular Week for Penguin Group (USA) on the New York Times Bestseller Lists

Penguin Group (USA) continues its great run on the New York Times bestseller lists for the week of March 21st. PGI achieved seven debuts and two #1 bestsellers. Across the house, PGI lands an impressive 30 titles total on the lists, with successes in all formats.

On the hardcover fiction list, PGI has five bestsellers, including Shalador’s Lady by Anne Bishop (Roc).

On the hardcover nonfiction list, Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson (Viking) is still holding strong after fourteen weeks and The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose (NAL Caliber) enters the list this week.

In trade paperback, seven titles appear on the various lists, with Sentinel’s A Patriot’s History of the United States by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen jumping to the #1 spot on the paperback nonfiction list, the first #1 bestseller for Sentinel. This paperback is up to 280,000 in print and still going strong. Einstein’s God by Krista Tippett (Penguin) debuts this week, featuring interviews from Krista’s show, “Speaking of Faith”. From the launch of the book through the end of March, “Speaking of Faith” is re-airing several of the programs highlighted in the book.

On the mass market list, six titles appear this week, including three debuts: Turn Coat by Jim Butcher (Roc), the 11th book in the bestselling Dresden Files series; In Bed with the Duke by Christina Dodd (Signet), and Angela Knight’s Master of Fire (Berkley) which debuts at #18.

Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door by Harvey Mackay (Portfolio) debuts on the hardcover advice, how-to and miscellaneous list. The author is 77 and still going strong, after more than two decades as a top business guru. Mackay had a great interview on "Larry King Live," during which King said on the air, "I really believe this is the most important book right now."

The young readers division has nine titles this week, including The Easter Egg, written and illustrated by Jan Brett (Putnam Books for Young Readers) which remains at #1 on the children’s picture books list; and Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth (Dial) and The Omnivore’s Dilemma For Kids by Michael Pollan (Dial) both return to the children’s paperback books list.
 

The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of March 21st 

Seven new debuts for Penguin Group (USA) on the New York Times bestseller list for the week of March 21st: Shalador’s Lady by Anne Bishop (Roc) debuts at #16 on the hardcover fiction list; The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose (NAL Caliber) debuts at #7 on the hardcover nonfiction list; Turn Coat by Jim Butcher (Roc), In Bed with the Duke by Christina Dodd (Signet), and Master of Fire by Angela Knight (Berkley) debut at #12, #14, and #18 respectively on the mass market fiction list; Einstein’s God by Krista Tippett (Penguin) debuts at #19 on the paperback nonfiction list; and Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door by Harvey Mackay (Portfolio) debuts at #4 on the hardcover advise, how-to and miscellaneous list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is # 2 in its 49th week; Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb (Putnam) is # 3 in its second week; Split Image by Robert. B. Parker (Putnam) is #8 in its second week; and The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (Amy Einhorn/Putnam) is #10 in its fourth week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson (Viking) is #15 in its fourteenth week.

On the mass market paperback list, Long Lost by Harlan Coben (Signet) is #5 in its second week; Corsair by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul (Berkley) is # 6 in its second week; and Big Jack by J.D. Robb (Berkley) is # 10 in its second week.

On the paperback nonfiction list, A Patriot’s History of the United States by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen (Sentinel) jumps to #1 in its fourth week; Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) is #4 in its 162nd week; Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) is #10 in its 161st week; In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (Penguin) is #14 in its 39th week; and The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin) is #16 in its 127th week.

On the paperback advice, how-to and miscellaneous list, Food Rules by Michael Pollan (Penguin) is #2 in its tenth week.

In the young readers sector, on the children's picture books list, The Easter Egg written and illustrated by Jan Brett (Putnam) remains at #1 in its fourth week; Disney’s Alice in Wonderland: The Visual Guide by Jo Casey and Laura Gilbert (DK) is #3 in its second week; Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth is #5 in its 49th week; and Otis written and illustrated by Loren Long (Philomel) is #10 in its fifteenth week. On the children’s chapter books list, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (Dial) is #9 in its fifth week. On the children’s paperback books list, Three Cups of Tea: Young Readers Edition by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Puffin) is #3 in its 58th week; and The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids by Michael Pollan (Dial) is #7 in its seventh week. On the children’s series list, Chronicles of Vladimir Toc by Heather Brewer (Putnam) is #8 in its fourth week and Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan (Philomel) is #9 in its 40th week.

Former England cricket captain scores double at Sports Journalists' Association awards, also winning best columnist

Former England cricket captain Michael Atherton was named sports writer of the year at the Sports Journalists' Association awards last night for his Times column, while the Daily Telegraph's coverage of the "bloodgate" scandal at Harlequins rugby club was selected as the story of last year.

Atherton, who accepted his award with a pre-recorded video filmed in Bangladesh where the England cricket team are on tour, also won the award for best columnist.

Sports news story of the year went to the Daily Telegraph's Paul Kelso for breaking the story of the cover-up surrounding the use of a blood capsule by a Harlequins rugby player to feign injury during a Heineken Cup tie.

The Daily Telegraph's sports desk also picked up the award for best team for its coverage of last year's Ashes cricket series between England and Australia.

David Conn of the Guardian won news reporter of the year, with the same paper's Donald McCrae winning best interviewer. The Observer's David Hills won best sports diarist for the second year running. Both papers are part of the group that publishes MediaGuardian.co.uk.

Best live sports blog went to Tom Fordyce of the BBC, while best regular blog or column was picked up by the Daily Mail's Lawrence Booth. Best internet sports writer went jointly to Kevin Eason of the Times and Duncan Mackay of insidethegames.biz.

Owen Slot of the Times won best feature writer for the second year running.

Sky Sports' TV coverage of the Ashes won best TV programme, while the BBC's Test Match Special won the radio award.

BBC presenter Jonathan Agew won best radio broadcaster, while Sky Sports' Jeff Stelling was named best TV broadcaster for the fifth year running.

• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.

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Kellogg Co. Chief Executive David Mackay received $7.8 million in 2009 compensation, down 22 percent from the previous year.

Kellogg CEO Mackay’s pay falls to $7.8M in 2009 NEW YORK ? Kellogg Co. Chief Executive David Mackay received $7.8 million in 2009 compensation, down 22 percent from the previous year. According to a document filed with regulators on Monday, the head of the food company received a bump in base salary and performance-based bonus. But the ... Original source on Gaea Times at : Kellogg CEO David Mackay gets $7.8 million in 2009 pay, down 22 percent from 2008.

Kellogg CEO Mackay’s pay falls 22 percent in 2009 PORTLAND, Ore. ? Kellogg Co. Chief Executive David Mackay received compensation valued at roughly $7.8 million in fiscal 2009, down 22 percent from his 2008 pay, according to an Associated Press calculation of figures disclosed in a regulatory filing Monday. The head of the food and cereal company [..] Read the original article: here.

www.unitriders.com The Unit BMX Team recently headed to the King Of Dirt. A good line up of riders were on hand to throw down some good riding. Lots of laughs to, so good times all round. Riders include Ryan Guettler, Dave Dilleward, Colin Mackay, Dane Searls, Richo, Cam Pianta, Nick Cooper, David Girsch and many more... Music courtesy Funkoars www.myspace.com/themotherfuckingfunkoars Produced by Allan Hardy of Unit Clothing

Guest post by Zainab Khan

In most western countries, germs have become synonymous with the idea of something bad that needs to be killed as quickly as possible. However, people have long been questioning the validity of these ideas; a few decades ago it was hypothesized that not enough exposure to germ can and does cause insufficient development of an individuals immune system. New studies have recently shown that this idea of getting rid of all germs, and keeping children exposure to them at an absolute minimum, may possibly cause more harm then good; over cleanliness is suspected to be one of the main reasons that there is such an increased number in asthma and allergy ridden people in western countries. Also, compared to just a generation or two ago, people today have an increased chance of having/developing allergies. Is this all due to society's craze over germs?

It is important when talking about allergies to have some working knowledge on what happens when an individual has allergies or an allergic attack. Allergies are an extreme and inappropriate reaction by an individual's immune system to what typically is a common harmless stimuli found in a normal environment; the body takes something such as hay, food, pollen, etc. and has a hypersensitivity reaction to it. The body ends up activating its white blood cells (these are the cells that defend the body against any foreign bad stimuli), which typically are what help humans ward of virus and bacteria, for example the flu or an infection, which results in an inflammatory response. This inflammatory response manifests itself in different ways: asthma, eczema, hives, runny nose or eyes, coughing etc.

The Hygiene Hypothesis

Over two decades ago, the idea that there is such a thing as too much cleanliness was first proposed by David P. Strachan in his Hygiene Hypothesis. The idea behind this theory is that a lack of early exposure to the types of germs and stimuli that people used to have is the cause of allergies. In developing nations and in earlier time periods families tended to be larger then today. It was uncommon to have just one or two children; the idea behind having more children is that the elder child exposes the younger children to more germs and in turn the children end up having to develop a stronger immune system because the immune system has been fully developed by all the early stimuli [1,2]. This idea of exposure to other children has also held true for children who attend daycare at an early age. Daycare children tend to develop fewer allergies then those who are never in such environments. Research has gone even farther to say that children who are exposed to hepatitis A or the measles are less likely to have certain types of allergies [3].

Arguments against the hygiene hypothesis emerged when statistics were followed about inter city African American children in the United States, who have very high numbers of asthma. A study was done that showed that many of these children had been sensitized to the common allergens found around them; however, they still developed asthma at the same rate as those kids who were not sensitized to the same allergens [4]. Also, it is a scientific fact that some allergies have a genetic component. A child who has two parents with allergies has a 75% chance of also developing allergies. There are genetic links that have been found between certain types of allergic responses which complicates the idea of how much immunity is inherited and how much can be developed [5].

Although the idea of germ exposure has been building momentum within the last few years, the debate and research behind it is certainly not complete. If the hygiene hypothesis is true, this opens up another type of debate on how much and what kinds of bacteria, exposure, and caution should be taken around children. What exactly are the "right" germs, and how many are too many? In a society obsessed with antibacterial hand soaps, disinfectants, and bottled water it is going to be quite a challenge trying to convince people that germs are not all that bad.

Works Cited

1. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 164, Number 7, October 2001. The Increase in Asthma Ca Be Ascribed to Cleanliness 1106-1107 Link.

2.Strachan David, Thorax. Family Size, Infection and Atopy: The first Decade of the 'hygiene hypothesis' Link.

3. Matricardi Paolo, Rosmini Franceso, Riondino Silvia, Fortini Michele, Ferrigno Luigina, Rapicetta Maria, Sergio Bonini, BMJ 2000;320 Exposure to foodborne and orofecal microbes versus airborne viruses in relation to atopy and allergic asthma: epidemiological study 412-417. Link

4. R. Call, T. Smith, E. Morris, M. Chapman, T. Platts-Mills, The Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 121, Issue 6 Risk factors for asthma in inner city children, 862-866. Link

5. Mackay, Rosen, Volume 344, January 2001. Allergy and Allergic Diseases 30-37
Link.

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From a 13-year-old New Yorker to the chic-est couple in Shoreditch, Observer style editor Alice Fisher picks the best

Tavi Gevinson tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com

The place to start. It follows the typical format: straight-up photos of the blogger, scans of fashion shoots and vintage magazines, all captioned with chirpy commentary. Fashion has fallen for 13-year-old Gevinson in a big way; the little Chicagoan can also fill you in on what it's like to model for the Rodarte label or grace the cover of Pop magazine. Some "proper" style journalists have expressed disbelief that a child has produced such informed fashion reports. As if you need a doctorate to be enthusiastic about clothes.

Gary Card garycardiology.blogspot.com

Gary Card may be a set designer by trade but his photo-heavy blog is a brilliant insider's look at the fashion industry. Currently this 28-year-old Brit is everyone's favourite creative; he's made guitars for Lady Gaga, window displays for Stella McCartney, and set designs for shoots in Vogue and V Magazine. He's assiduous at posting, and a scroll through his blog is a great catch-up on new restaurants, cutting-edge fashion and great pop videos. His fairytale creations wrought in bright colour palettes are mesmerising.

Scott Schuman thesartorialist.blogspot.com

The Sartorialist's street style shots are probably viewed by more people than any others on the web. Since launching the blog in 2005, the 41-year-old New Yorker has been named one of Time magazine's biggest design influences, worked for Burberry, modelled for Gap and published a book. The praise is deserved: he is an excellent photographer and his captions insightful. He excels at projecting his own world view – the key to all successful blogs – and it's impossible to follow his work for long without finding your idea of style has subtly shifted.

Susanna Lau stylebubble.typepad.com

Style Bubble is all about the young and the trendy, and as that's what London fashion does best, Susie Lau's blog is the perfect showcase for her home town's talent. Since she started blogging in 2006, the 26-year-old has shown a real knack for highlighting young designers hovering on the verge of success, and her pleasure in discovering talent makes her breezy blog an accessible read. Her judgment is trusted by the 10,000 people who check her posts each day, and Dazed & Confused has made her commissioning editor of its website.

David Fischer highsnobiety.com

Streetwear is a blogger's paradise with trainer styles, limited-edition T-shirt designs and niche brands popping up quicker than your morning round of toast. One of the oldest and the best blogs in the sector is Highsnobiety, which was established in 2005 by Swiss-based Fischer. The original site proved so popular it now has five offshoots and Fischer has had to bring in a couple of editors to help him on HighSnobiety, though he still creates many of the daily posts about products and "lifestyle culture news" himself.

Joe Sinclair and Katie Mackay whatkatiewore.com

The original challenge was for Mackay, 27, to wear a different outfit every day for a year, with Sinclair, 28, documenting the look, the labels and what they got up to. Simple enough, but the Shoreditch couple, who both work in marketing, are as adorable as teacup pigs. Mackay's eclectic style namechecks TK Maxx as often as trendy young designers, and Sinclair's smitten prose is a love letter to their life together. The blog became so popular (7,000 hits a day) that they couldn't ignore all the messages begging them not to stop once they hit their year deadline last month.

Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks gofugyourself.celebuzz.com

Sure, it's mean to mock celebrities' sartorial efforts on the red carpet, but it's also good fun, as Go Fug Yourself proves on a daily basis. Morgan and Cocks have been doing it since 2004, and now millions of readers check their blog to chortle at their latest barbed posts, which poke fun at outfits and their wearers in equal measure. They've also published a book of the best, by which they mean worst, outfits that have graced the website. Check the site out now – the awards season is in full flow so there are plenty of ugly frocks around.

Gabi Gregg youngfatandfabulous.com

Blogs for larger women is the new chic niche following fashion's sudden fascination with girls larger than an autumnal twig.The best is Young Fat and Fabulous by a woman who's 23, from Detroit and a size 20. There's news on plus-size ranges and practical style advice, but it's Gregg's photos and profiles of flabby fashionistas that make it the blog to bookmark. There's been a lot of fuss about larger models – here you see real women showing how curves should be dressed. And they do it with a panache and honesty you don't get from an overpaid stylist.

Mikael Colville-Andersen copenhagencyclechic.com

Cycling has become a fashion obsession. Designers are producing their own (violently expensive) bicycles, and couture cycling clothes hit the Paris catwalk last season. Danish filmmaker Mikael Colville-Andersen , 42, was way ahead of the curve. Since 2007 his blog has documented beautiful bikes and riders who deal with the two-pedalled conundrum of looking good yet wearing practical outfits in fine style. If you feel a little uncomfortable scrolling through image after image of leggy girls snapped as they cycle past, it isn't pervy, he's Danish. It's all part of the aesthetic.

Will Boehlke asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com

A brilliant antidote to the froth of most online fashion, this San Franciscan gentleman's solemn missives cover the minutiae of traditional menswear, from the right tie to wear to the wedding to the best cloth for a bespoke overcoat. A typical entry starts: "It seems as though Kirby Alison and I have been corresponding about garment bags for a couple of years." That's a year, 364 days, 23 hours and 50 minutes more than the rest of us, and it's reassuring to learn that someone cares. His anachronistic writing style is compelling: you can almost see Jeeves warming his iBook for him.

From green living tips to eco tools, calculators and shopping guides, here is a pick of the best mobile applications for the environmentally conscious

With the climate science wars spilling onto the battleground of the Apple app store this month, the time is ripe to round up the best iPhone and iPod Touch apps with a green theme. Here are my top 10. Wildlife clearly has the most mature app "ecossystem", though there are also carbon calculator tools, green living tip compendiums and more. Surprisingly, there's a dearth of decent climate change apps beyond basic news aggregators and the environmental activism apps – TckTckTck's, for example – have ground to a halt since a meaningful deal failed to materialise at the Copenhagen climate summit.

Let me know in the comments which apps I've missed – and also what other green apps you recommend on different mobile platforms, such as Symbian, Windows Mobile and Android.

1 Collins British Wildlife Photoguide, £5.99

This pocket wildlife field guide is essentially an electronic app version of a hefty hardback book. Arranged by taxonomy – mammals, invertebrates, butterflies and moths, birds and so on – it features photos and brief descriptions of over 1,500 species. The navigation is a bit fiddly and there's no identification feature, so you need to know what you're looking at or be willing to scroll through several pages to get a match. But it's still a versatile and worthwhile guide, and worth having so you can tell friends that the Painted Lady butterfly in your garden has a wingspan of 60mm and visits the UK in summer (2009 was a bumper year with millions migrating up from Africa), or explain that the flat-backed milipede, despite looking a bit like a centipede, actually has two pairs of legs per segment, making it a milipede.

2 Skeptical Science, free

Based on information from an Australian blog that puts climate sceptics under the microscope, this app is the ideal tool to counter pub bores when they tell you solar radiation, a spot of snow or the hacked climate science emails are proof that climate change isn't happening. It lays out the most common arguments by sceptics and then offers you both a succinct and in-depth counterargument, the latter often complete with graphs and links to science papers. Well-designed, it offers dozens of responses to statements you'll have heard many times, from the "ice age was predicted in the 70s" and "the models are unreliable", to "Greenland was green". The genius touch is a reporting feature that enables you to feed back arguments when confronted with them, helping the team behind the app to build up a picture of the most common arguments.

3 GoodGuide, free

This green and ethical shopping guide acts as the angel on your shoulder when you're out and about. With a database of 50,000 products and their environmental and social credentials, it can scan product barcodes and tell you whether to buy or leave on the shelf. While I didn't get any matches for its barcode scanner, and the database is decidedly US-centric, searching via text informed me that Colgate toothpaste scores 10 out of 10 for "health" (something you'd hope for from toothpaste, surely) but just 6.5 on its environmental record. By contrast, Tom's of Maine, a Body Shop-like brand now owned by Colgate-Palmolive, scored a healthier 8.8 overall thanks to its reportedly high eco and social record. The app has some enthusiastic fans in the US.

4 Commute Greener, £2.39

This carbon footprint-tracking tool by Volvo makes up for what it lacks in slickness with oodles of tweaking options. Based on journeys you undertake throughout the week, be it by bicycle, foot, car or public transport, it tracks your greenhouse gas emissions and encourages you set reduction targets. It's a bit fiddly and should be cheaper, but the syncing between Commute Greener's website and the app is neat, and the social aspect – comparing your "performance" with other people on the app – is clever.

5 TreeId - The British Tree Identification Guide, £2.39

If you can look beyond the ugly interface, this is a rather lovely app that'll help you tell your ash from your elm. Along with useful pub trivia – did you know the walnut tree was introduced to the UK by Roman legionnaires and was sacred to Jupiter, king of the gods? – it has detailed information such as typical locations and suitability as firewood for 25 common British trees. The best bit is the identification feature, which helps you identify a species of tree by specifying whether its leaves are serrrated or not, how tall it is, whether it fruits with nuts or cones, whether its bark is rough or smooth, and more.

6 The Green Book, £3.49

Although this is a fairly unimaginative port of a New York Times bestseller to the iPhone, it's still a useful roundup of green living tips, from saving energy at home to influencing your workplace. While it's mostly filled with US anecdotes and stats, much of the sometimes fairly obvious advice – buy secondhand clothes rather than new – is applicable to the UK too. Co-author Elizabeth Rogers' clout has also enabled her to pull in celeb contributions from the likes of Will "green team video" Ferrell and Jennifer "I take three minute showers to conserve water" Anniston. Desperately needs a search feature though, and repeatedly breaks scientist David Mackay's rule that energy-saving actions are not worth of attention if they don't lead to savings of more than 1% (switching off your mobile phone charger when unused, for example).

7 Chirp! Bird Songs of Britain and Europe, £1.79

Equal parts wildlife guide and feel-good pick-me-up, this app will teach you to distinguish a blackbird's rich, flutey call from a Chaffinch's "chip chip chip chooee chooee cheeoo". It features audio of 80 birds commonly seen in the UK and Europe (there's a US version of the app too), and comes equipped with the absorbing birdsong quiz equivalent of Name That Tune, replete with high score board. For a taster, try the "Cheap chirp" cut-down app by the same developer; if you don't have an iPhone or iPod Touch, try our very own "Know your garden bird song" guide.

8 Seasons, £1.19

Simple, elegantly designed and practical, this app is a handy tool for looking up what food's in season when you're out shopping. As of today, for example, it tells me there are 47 fruit and veg in season, provided I don't mind importing produce that's currently in season elsewhere in the world. Narrow that to a solely UK and Ireland list, however, and you get a reminder that we're fast approaching the "hungry gap" where winter stalwarts are over and spring's bounty has yet to kick in: right now a locally sourced meal looks like a plate of black salsify, kale, mushrooms and wild garlic. The app also comes equipped with a relatively comprehensive map of farmers' markets, which you can locate using the iPhone's built-in GPS.

9 greenMeter, £3.49

Arguably the most innovative environment app for the iPhone, greenMeter uses the phone's accelerometer to rate the efficiency of your driving technique. Theoretically it should inspire you to become a "hypermiler", like Honda's latest hybrid, where the speedometer glows green if you are light on the throttle and turns an angry purply-blue if you're not. The app tells you if you're accelerating aggressively and braking last-minute like a boy racer, though it won't suggest you remove your unused roof rack, empty the boot of unnecessary weight and keep your tyre pressure up. The rating system does work, but there's been no effort to regionalise it – it's all sedans and gallons of gas here – and you need an iPhone car mount to use it properly, rather than the BluTack option I plumped for. The price is also a tad high, considering the longevity of the app – once you've mended your ways, you're unlikely to need the app anymore.

10 Pollution, free

Ever wondered how clean the air you're breathing is, right now? According to this free app, which pulls in real-time air pollution data for 1,380 cities worldwide, my London air is ranked as "harmful" by air-quality sensors on Marylebone Road. Usefully, you can toggle different forms of pollution – air, radiation from mobile phone masts, water and earth – and see the results overlaid on a Google map, based on your location if you let the app locate you by GPS. It's a great resource for a free app – the only irritant is that it serves mobile ads at the bottom of the screen.

Wed., Feb. 17

George Borge Smorgasboard
A DJ, an English professor and two or three other academic types walk into the Kelly Writers House. In a good joke, one of them would also need to be a rabbi. In real life, they’d get together to discuss, celebrate and explore the work of the late, great Jorge Luis Borges, the Argentine writer, essayist, and poet (who you probably confuse with the living Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez), through a variety of lenses—including “the labyrinthine, the Babelian and the intertextual”— in an attempt to figure out where ol’ Gorgeous Jorge stands in the global literary canon. In a Jorge Luis Borges story, the Writers House would be filled with every 410-page text in the world and the speakers would, instead of talking about Borges, solve murders with the assistance of Funes the Memorious and An Animal Imagined by Kafka. Matt Soniak
Wed., Feb. 18, 6pm. Free. Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk. 215.746.7636. writing.upenn.edu/wh

Black Sexuality and Gender in the Era of Blaxploitation
Picture it: Hot mamas in skintight pants sauntering across the screen in pursuit of The Man, jive-talking studs with blowouts and big guns kicking ass, taking names and screwing broads along the way. Most people are familiar with these images made popular by the Blaxploitation films of the 1960s, but what did these movies convey about black sexuality? Did they leave behind powerful messages of independence and strength or did they work to support deep-rooted stereotypes? A panel of scholars will discuss these and other questions during the second week of the Oscar Micheaux Film Festival. Hosted by Malika Kambe Umfazi Sorority Inc., the four-month film festival is held in honor of Oscar Micheaux. Regarded as the first African American filmmaker Micheaux began making films about black life in 1919, decades before the onset of Blaxpoitation. Jazmyn Burton
7pm. Free. Temple University Student Activities Center, 13th St. and Montgomery Ave. For more information on the festival, visit omfilmfestival.com.

Fucked Up + Kurt Vile
There hasn’t been a bill we’ve been this excited about since, well, the last time Toronto’s Fucked Up came to town and played with Pissed Jeans (who also perform this week—see Friday). Their new album Couple Tracks features 25 (!) of them, actually, and each is a fuzzy, blistering, break-neck burst of punk-injected Fuck Yeah. “I Hate Summer” will find you singing along, even if you love the season, and “Fixed Race” is the fiercest two minutes of badass guitar bliss and bleeding vocals you’ll likely hear all year. Opener Kurt Vile is a local favorite here at PW, of course, and his epic ‘09 effort Childish Prodigy has stayed in constant rotation since its October release. Prodigy’s reverb-kissed phychedelia sounds better as the weather gets colder, we’ve noticed. Cutting Vile’s mellow vibes with Fucked Up’s aural cocaine is going to make for quite a trip. Brian McManus
7pm. $12. Barbary, 951 Frankford Ave. 215.634.7400. r5productions.com

53 Stations + The Scriptors
Jazz has its titanic Ellingtons and Coltranes, but delving into material by such under-the-surface geniuses as Steve Lacy and Herbie Nichols can be just as all-consuming. The Wilmington quartet 53 Stations—saxophonist Jason Shapiro, trumpeter Bob Meashey, bassist Dylan Taylor and drummer Skip Rohrich—came together in 2004 to explore these late masters’ seldom-heard compositions and write new music in a likeminded spirit (hear Live In Wilmington and The Hilltop Sessions). This Avant Ascension installment will also feature the Scriptors, drummer Mike Szekely’s trio project with Shot x Shot members Bryan Rogers (tenor saxophone) and Matt Engle (bass), who share a galvanizing approach to free yet in-the-pocket improv. David R. Adler
9pm-2am. $5. Tritone, 1508 South St. 215.545.0475 tritonebar.com

Pink Skull
Philly’s long standing psych-altered techno-ravers Julian Grefe and Justin Geller are nothing if not well connected. They recorded last year’s Endless Bummer at Alex Ounsworth’s studio with Mazarin’s Quentin Stoltzfus at the boards. They’ve remixed everyone from Man Man to Plastic Little and hosted both Mirah and Ghostface Killah as guest vocalists. They’ve filled out the home team, too, with a full band supporting their krautrock into ambient into freaky-deaky sound, anchored by Mike Hammel’s disco bass and Jeremy Gerwetz’s drums. There’s even a move towards new wave-y pop, as Julian Grefe ventures into New Order-style vocals on songs like “Peter Cushing” and “Oh, Monorail.” Jennifer Kelly
9pm. $10. With Grandchildren + Dinowalrus. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

Thurs., Feb. 18

Mission of Burma
Any band considering doing the reunion thing and doing it right should absolutely look no further than Mission of Burma for proper guidance. In 2002, nearly two decades after their initial four-year run—cut short mainly by guitarist Roger Miller’s severe tinnitus—the inventive and influential Boston post-punks surprisingly re-emerged for a tour. And somehow, they returned not as a mere shadow of their former selves, but as a better band (no small feat). Since 2004 they’ve released three vital, completely satisfying albums—the most recent being October’s dynamic The Sound the Speed the Light—that have far exceeded expectations. And MOB 2.0’s live shows remain as scorching and inspiring as you could hope for. Michael Alan Goldberg
8pm. $16. With Sleeper Agent. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 866.468.7619. r5productions.com

Fri., Feb. 19

The Andalusians
So tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1989 (but in a good way), with a line-up that harkens back to the days when “indie” actually meant something, as opposed to being a facile, anemic all-encompassing lifestyle brand. Here’s a triumvirate of bands designed to get your inner D.I.Y. post-punk agitator all fired up. You all know about the headliners, local heroes Pony Pants, by now (and if not, why not?), God bless their collective cotton socks. But it’s D.C.-by-way-of-Baltimore outfit the Andalusians who just might steal the show. We’re talking a trio who excel in cerebral-yet-slinky, lithe, loose-limbed post-punk with hooks a plenty, drawing upon the likes of Throwing Muses, Belly, the Slits and a dash of Talking Heads to boot. Oh, and they come with the blessing of the sainted Ian MacKay. Neil Ferguson
Fri., Feb. 19, 9pm. $5. With Pony Pants + Amateur Party. Danger Danger Gallery, 5013 Baltimore Ave. myspace.com/dangerdangergallery

Grapes on a Vine
Philly-based production company Reelblack has a simple mission: creating and promoting “good movies ’bout black folks.” Part of their Soul Food Cinema series, Reelblack will host a Friday screening of Grapes on a Vine to celebrate its DVD release. A museum director hires men to kill his infertile wife and make it look like a racist crime so that he can start a new life with insurance cash and his best friend’s girl. It doesn’t quite go as planned. The film stars seasoned character actor GregAlan Williams (The Sopranos, Be Cool, Remember the Titans), and a talented ensemble of supporting cast members. It’s a happy return to Philly for director Al Robbins, who, in his student days, helped St. Joe’s to the Elite Eight in 1981. So bring your Hawks sweatshirt and an appetite. Admission to the screening comes free with your plate of soul food. Tom Cowell
7-9:30pm. Free with the price of a Soul Food Friday Meal. Point Of Destination Cafe, 6460 Greene St. 215.849.7771. reelblack.com

Pissed Jeans
You’d be pretty hard pressed to find a song better written than Pissed Jeans’ “Dream Smotherer” in the last decade. It’s a sweat-drenched, grizzly, mangled, manic mess; the crowning jewel off last year’s excellent King of Jeans. It’s as clear and perfect a portrait of the daily doldrums that bind us as anything Cheever ever penned or, for that matter, any of the dozens of other songs this Philly-by-way-of-Allentown foursome have written in homage to ennui. And while we’re quick to admit a fondness for the pig fucker movement of the 90s—forged by PJ mentors like Jesus Lizard, Killdozer, Big Black, etc.—and a Pissed Jeans bias by extension, we’re not just employing hyperole here. Or here: The group’s distorted, hard-edged testostertunes are the best thing happening in the city right now. B.Mc.
8pm. $8. With Battle for Los Angeles + M Ax Noi Mach. Khyber, 56 S. Second St. 215.238.5888. thekhyber.com

Victorian Salon
We live in a divided society, but we can agree on this: There aren’t enough Victorian salons happening. The kind of salon where opium-addled intellectuals lounge on red velvet banquettes and compose lyric poems, manifestos to Poland and theories of erotic spanking. Thank goodness the B. Someday Theatre Company are reviving this most civilized means of discourse. Friday’s salon will be a fundraiser for their planned production of plays by Mark Borkowski, a Philly native. Performers will read scenes from his work, live harp music will be played and tarot cards will be read by a seasoned mystic. The ticket price includes hors d’oeuvres from local Chestnut Hill eateries, beer from Palm Imports and wine. Even better, your comp ère for the evening will be Monsieur Thujone of Philadelphia’s superb “lit-pop” band the Absinthe Drinkers so there’s no excuse for lingering on your fainting couch. T.C.
6-9pm. $20. 35 Rex Ave. 215.427.WALK. walkingfishtheatre.com

Chinese New Year
Regardless of the recent exploits of a certain golfer, 2010 is, in fact, the Year of the Tiger, and Philly’s Chinatown is roaring as usual for the Chinese New Year, which began on February 14th and is celebrated for 15 days. Wander past the China Gate at 10th and Arch during this two-week period and within minutes you’ll likely be face-to-face with noise and vibrant color and joyful screams as teams of dragon and lion dancers prowl the streets—with banners flying and drummers pounding away and firecrackers exploding all around them—to bless the local businesses and people. Many of Chinatown’s restaurants will be serving special holiday feasts, and Philly celebrity chef Joseph Poon will lead his famous “Wok ’n’ Walk” Chinatown walking tour, which includes a full meal, a Tai Chi demonstration, stops at an herbal medicine shop and fortune cookie factory and plenty more. It all wraps up with the lovely nighttime Lantern Festival on February 28, to which you’ll definitely want to bring your camera. M.A.G.
For more information, visit phillychinatown.com and josephpoon.com.

Sat., Feb. 20

Mr. Gay Woody's
Hey dudes, think you’ve got what it takes to be crowned “Mr. Gay Philadelphia”? Well, first you have to win one of the preliminary contests being held at several local LGBT-friendly establishments. One is happening Saturday at Woody’s, where you’re urged to dress your sexiest to have any chance at coming out on top. If you claim victory and are named “Mr. Gay Woody’s,” you’ll compete against “Mr Gay Q Lounge,” “Mr. Gay Stir,” “Mr. Gay Shampoo” and others at the Mr. Gay Philadelphia competition on April 17 at Voyeur. The champion of that will get to represent Philly in the Mr. Gay U.S. competition in the fall. Make sure you bring a winning attitude, because as they say, if you ain’t first, you’re last. But even if you are last, well, there’ll still be drink specials to help you drown your sorrows.M.A.G.
11pm. Woody’s, 202 S. 13th St. 215.545.1893. woodysbar.com

Celebration of African Cultures
The Penn Museum hosts its annual Celebration of African Cultures on Saturday, promising the most fun per minute of any family event in the city this weekend. Teenagers will struggle to maintain bored exteriors through a Vai Capoeira demonstration and a performance by hip-hop dancers the Chosen Dance Company (with members recently featured on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew). Younger children can enjoy African animals visiting from the Philadelphia Zoo, a mask-making workshop and drumming and story-telling circles. There’s also an extensive Egyptian mummy exhibit and the chance to be wrapped in traditional African pageant headwear and skirts. Flagging spirits can be revived with the Museum Café’s annual homerun: its African peanut chicken soup. At five hours of music, dance and performance for less than the price of a movie ticket, this is a celebration everyone can share. T.C.
6-9pm. $6-$10. Penn Museum, 3260 South St. 215.898.4000. penn.museum

Sun., Feb. 21

Haroon Bacha
The Taliban would have us believe they’re waging war to defend Pashtun culture. In fact, they’re destroying it by targeting musicians like Haroon Bacha, one of Pakistan’s great Pashto-language vocalists, who had to flee his native Northwest Frontier province in 2008 for safe harbor in New York. Bacha’s American welcome involved a bittersweet New York Times profile, which, among other things, told of a Pashtun-organized benefit at the Forest Hills Jewish Center in Queens. (That, Alanis, is ironic.) Now Crossroads Music and Penn have joined forces to bring Bacha to West Philly, where he’ll offer his mesmerizing take on classical sung poetry, rural folk tradition and modern variations. D.R.A.
7:30pm. $10-$30. Calvary United Methodist Church, 48th St. and Baltimore Ave. 215.729.1028. crossroadsconcerts.org

Mon., Feb. 22

Comic Book Discussion
This month Brave New World’s comic discussion group turns its attention to pulp, porn and potatoes with Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, Daniel Clowe’s unsettling and provocative underground classic. Like Ghost World, Glove was originally serialized in Clowes’ long-running, sparsely updated indie anthology Eightball. Our story begins as mild-mannered nobody Clay Loudermilk recognizes his estranged wife at an X-rated movie house. On screen. Clay embarks on a serialist After Hours journey to find the woman he once loved, only to become embroiled in national conspiracy, religious fanaticism and the domestic woes of sexually addled potato-heads. Clowes dips his pen to the brackish depths of society, drawing upon the sleaziest of pop culture ephemera. The title itself recalls a line from that monolith of grindhouse cinema, Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Make sense of all the spuds and smut or have fun trying. Paul F. Montgomery
7pm. Free. Brave New Worlds, 45 N. Second St. 215.925.6525. bravenewworldscomic.com

Philly Rocks Your Playlist
Fresh off their superb production of Little Shop of Horrors, Philly’s acclaimed 11th Hour Theatre Company—the not-for-profit musical theatre group that’s already garnered several prestigious Barrymore Awards in just a little more than six years of existence—dives into its fifth annual Philly Rocks! concert to raise funds to keep things truckin’ for another season. In past years, more than a dozen 11th Hour performers, along with a backing band, have belted out tunes in keeping with such themes as “the ’80s” and “British Invasion.” This year’s theme is “Your Playlist.” The company solicited online votes to determine what they’ll be performing. They’ve already revealed a few of the winning songs on the set list—“Proud Mary,” “Come Sail Away,” “Somebody To Love,” “American Idiot,” “Harder To Breath” and “I’m Just A Girl”— but you’ll have to drop by to find out the rest, and support one of the city’s finest arts groups. Be sure to get there early (around 6 p.m.) for Rock & Roll Quizzo. M.A.G.
7pm. $29. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

Tues., Feb. 23

Kim Barnouin
It’s not surprising that celebrity author Kim Barnouin has earned many critics throughout her five-year career as an anti-meat evangelist for the stiletto set. Her best-selling series of Skinny Bitch books, which includes Skinny Bastard (for men, natch) and Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven (for hot mommies-to-be) have been criticized backward and forward for being little more than ill-informed screeds against any diet that isn’t vegan. But whether or not Barnouin’s pop-science is accurate, she should at least be congratulated for exposing the evils of America’s processed food industry to an uninterested demographic. And considering that Barnouin holds a master’s degree in holistic nutrition, it’s a safe bet that she’ll be sharing at least some worthwhile dietary advice during her public lecture tonight. If you’ve been considering a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle yourself, it probably couldn’t hurt to pay this skinny bitch a visit. Dan Eldridge
Tues., Feb. 23, 7:30pm. Free. Central Library, 1901 Vine St. 215.567.4341. freelibrary.org

The Rowdies
True to their name, Philadelphia trio the Rowdies make a rowdy racket that combines punk, mod-rock and power-pop in a way that is reminiscent of early Replacements. It’s loose and loud and kinda sloppy in the best way possible, the way that spells spirit and fun and life in the reckless abandon of fingers stumbling for the right chords and notes but finding them just in the nick of time; rhythms that flail but never fail; and raw-throated yowls and croons that aren’t pretty or necessarily in tune but that always spit soul and joy. These guys have scads of unbelievably good back-room/basement anthems, and damn if they won’t become one of your favorite local bands after seeing them just once. M.A.G.
8pm. $8. With Generic Concession Stand. Khyber, 56 S. Second St. 215.238.5888. thekhyber.com

The English Beat + Fishbone
Two politically minded ’80s bands, two divergent takes on neo-ska, both bursting beyond the confines of the genre. The English Beat, a multicultural troupe from Birmingham, gained fame in the U.S. with the impeccable “Save It for Later,” an early MTV staple. They split up to become General Public and Fine Young Cannibals, but frontman Dave Wakeling has revived the group with new personnel. Same goes for Angelo Moore and Norwood Fisher, the two remaining original members of LA-based Fishbone, whose hard funk-rock edge inspired some of the more insane mosh pits of the day, along with allies like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Advantage: English Beat (more timeless, somehow). D.R.A.
7:30pm. $28-$40. With Outlaw Nation. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400 worldcafelive.com

 

Andrew MacKay, the Conservative MP and former aide to David Cameron, is to take a lucrative job in lobbying after quitting Parliament over his misuse of expenses.

Andrew Mackay, former Parliamentary aide to David Cameron, is to work for lobbying company Burson-Marsteller - as a consultant and strategic adviser - after the election. The story was broken by PR Week this afternoon. Mackay and his wife Julie Kirkbride are both standing down at the election after being asked to pay back £60,000 between [...]

Andrew MacKay's decision to jump ship to the corporate sector has made Cameron's anti-cronyism stance look ridiculous

In Washington, they speak about the "revolving door" in politics, the dodgy practice whereby public servants walk out of government and straight into the corporate sector – so that they can start lobbying the very people who just a few moments earlier were their colleagues.

Well, the disgraced Conservative MP Andrew MacKay has come up with a new twist on the practice – skipping out the government service stage and jumping straight to the corporate payoff. He has announced that he is to join the lobbying arm of the global PR agency, Burson-Marsteller after the general election. He will go from his role for the opposition – first as shadow Northern Ireland secretary, then in David Cameron's inner circle – to that of lobbyist without serving so much as a day in between as a minister.

This reflects badly, first, on MacKay himself. Not only was he forced to pay back £31,193 in expenses, after he and his wife, also a Tory MP, claimed second home allowances for two different properties, thereby paying for neither out of their own pocket, but he is not even prepared to leave a decent interval before selling his Rolodex, offering corporate clients an inside track to what he (and they) presume is the next government.

But it is Cameron who has the greatest grounds for embarrassment. News of MacKay's new job came in the very week when the Conservative leader launched an attack on – you guessed it – lobbying and lobbyists.

Cameron said the trade in access and influence had "tainted our politics for too long", and that it "exposes the far-too-cosy relationship between politics, government, business and money ... we all know how it works. The lunches, the hospitality, the quiet word in your ear, the ex-ministers and ex-advisers for hire, helping big business find the right way to get its way."

In words he must now regret, Cameron laid it on thick: "In this party, we believe in competition, not cronyism. We believe in market economics, not crony capitalism. So we must be the party that sorts all this out."

Clearly, MacKay's move leaves that – and Cameron's proposed two-year waiting period before ex-ministers can start lobbying – sounding pretty hollow. Put simply, it makes the Tories look like hypocrites.

But the damage goes deeper. It reminds voters that, for all the air-brushing, Cameron remains a creature of the very corporate elites that, in the era of the financial crisis, are now so distrusted.

Recently the Conservative leader boasted that he had the City in his blood, that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all stockbrokers. A survey found that at least 50 Tory MPs due to serve in the next parliament have either worked in the City or the financial services industry. It's not easy to square that with the message the Tories claimed so loudly at their last conference: "We're all in this together."

Andrew MacKay – who by trading his politician's hat for that of a lobbyist has moved from one reviled group to another – has just given his second big headache to Cameron. The party leader must be thinking that with friends like Mackay, he hardly needs enemies.

Andrew MacKay jointly claimed £170,000 over four years on properties with his wife, fellow Conservative MP Julie Kirkbride

A former adviser to David Cameron is to join a global PR firm, days after the Tory leader warned that lobbying would be the "next big scandal" in British politics.

Andrew MacKay, who served as ­Cameron's senior parliamentary adviser until he resigned last year, is to advise ­Burson-Marsteller on international ­matters, and will stand down as MP for Bracknell in Berkshire at the election.

Cameron's office queried his expenses last May after an examination by the leader's office of all senior Tories found that he had jointly claimed £170,000 over four years on properties with his wife, fellow Conservative MP Julie Kirkbride.

In an arrangement approved by the ­Commons fees office, MacKay designated ­Kirkbride's constituency flat in Bromsgrove, ­Worcestershire, as his main residence, allowing him to claim the annual £24,006 additional costs allowance on their joint London home.

Kirkbride designated this property as her main residence, allowing her to make claims on her constituency flat. MacKay is to pay back £31,193. His wife, who is standing down as MP for Bromsgrove at the election, is to pay back £29,243.

In a statement last night MacKay hailed his appointment.

"After leaving parliament I want to be a part of a winning team that is assisting global businesses face their strategic communications challenges and Burson-Marsteller provides a fantastic opportunity to do this. I considered a number of consultancies and decided on Burson-Marsteller because of its range of international clients, its campaigning approach and the quality of the team," he said.The timing of the appointment was awkward for Cameron who used a speech on new politics on Monday to warn of the dangers posed by the £2bn lobbying industry. In a speech at the University of East London, the Tory leader said lobbying had tainted politicis for too long, warning that it was "the next big scandal waiting to happen".

Cameron, who used to lobby Tory and Labour ministers on behalf of Carlton Television in the mid 1990s, said: "We all know how it works. The lunches, the hospitality, the quiet word in your ear, the ex-ministers and ex-advisers for hire, helping big business find the right way to get its way. In this party, we believe in competition, not cronyism. We believe in market economics, not crony capitalism. So we must be the party that sorts all this out."

Cameron called for the rules to be changed to ban ministers from lobbying the government for two years after they leave office. Former ministers would lose part of their pension if they failed to abide by the new rules.

The Tories said tonight they were not bothered by MacKay's appointment because he was neither a minister nor a shadow minister. A spokeswoman said: "Andrew MacKay has not just resigned from a ministerial or a shadow ministerial post. David Cameron took very firm action with Andrew MacKay over his expenses."

MacKay, a former deputy chief whip in John Major's government, will focus on international clients. He made his announcement today because he signed a contract with Burson-Marsteller last week. Matt Carter, the former Labour party general secretary who is chief executive of Burson-Marsteller in the UK, welcomed MacKay's appointment. "He will add further senior expertise to a team with already strong representation across all the main parties which means that we are uniquely placed to advise clients whatever the make-up of the new government after the election."

The ongoing saga of the British parliamentary expenses crisis crossed a major watershed with the charging of three Labour MPs, Elliot Morley, David Chaytor and Jim Devine, and one Tory peer, Lord Hanningfield, and the possibility of more to come.

There are so many layers to this. For a start the ‘gang of four’ are attempting to hide behind parliamentary immunity to prevent themselves being found guilty, literally explicitly making the case of ‘one rule for them, one rule for us’. Then there is the unprecedented nature of what is taking place, MPs being charged and held to account, which does in some sense remove another layer of the pretence of ‘parliamentary sovereignty’.

The last two MPs to be charged were Mohammed Sarwar, Labour MP for Glasgow Govan and Fiona Jones, Labour MP for Newark, both first elected in 1997. Sarwar was found innocent, whereas Jones was convicted of election expense fraud which was overturned on appeal only for her to lose her seat in the 2001 election.

None of the Tory MPs in ‘cash for honours’, Neil Hamilton and Tim Smith, were ever charged, although their political careers were ruined. Neither Jonathan Aitken or Jeffrey Archer were MPs when they were charged, found guilty and served time in prison, although Archer was the Tory Mayoral candidate for London.

I don’t for one minute want to rush to the defence of the charged foursome, but isn’t there a sense that they are being hung out to dry to preserve others and deflect from the endemic corruption of the Westminster system? A mere three MPs are facing charges, while more than 350 faced having to repay expenses, over half the House of Commons.

Jim Devine to my mind seems just too easy a target, an out of condition, traditional Labour MP with a widely known drink problem which nearly became a public issue in the by-election which elected him in 2005. He is being charged because there is a cut and dried case that he has been caught committing fraud, but it begs why others aren’t being charged? 

What about the ghastly Julie Kirkbride and Andrew MacKay who conspired to make sure that the taxpayer was funding every one of their homes? Or Nadine Dorries, who has called the people’s revolt against this, a ‘witch hunt’ and whom it transpires has paid £35,000 over the course of one year to a close friend to do her PR? 

Even more serious than these cases was the widespread ‘flipping’, undertaken to fill up each house with ill-gotten booty at taxpayer’s expense and then avoid Capital Gains Tax when selling. Step forward James Purnell, who until he resigned was piloting yet another New Labour welfare ‘reform’ measure clamping down on ‘scroungers’, and George Osborne of ‘we are all in it together’ fame. And there was the case of the then Home Secretary, once one of the great offices of state, Jacqui Smith, who memorably could not even answer the simple question of where her ‘home’ was.

Jim Devine seems a bit of a soft target compared to this, although his Channel Four News interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy has to go down as a spectacular road crash. Devine could not recall consistently the amount he paid his cleaners each month as it varied from one minute to another.

His defence that his actions were not ‘fraud’ because he had not ‘personally gained’, and that his switching of funds about had been approved by a whip was close to music hall comedy. Devine conjectured that he used to do this sort of thing with his ‘underspend’ all the time in Unison and the health service, before lamenting that he had been thrown it at the deep end as an MP with no ‘in-service training’.

This interview is a classic of someone lost in a storm part of their own making and yet also something much bigger. As an example of the cultureshock and clash going on as MPs react to the popular rage of a citizenry, the Devine example has only been equalled in Scottish responses to this crisis by the great ‘Major’ Eric Joyce, MP for Falkirk, and consistently winner of the prize most expensive MP in the House (and the first ever million pound MP in cumulative expenses!).

Joyce’s interview in the summer of last year on Newsnight Scotland (June 19th 2009) is a gem, as he stumbled from disaster to disaster (sadly this great piece of broadcasting is not available on any website having been mysteriously removed - the background and details of it can be found at spinprofiles.org). Like Devine, Joyce had been caught paying for one thing out of another account, in this case for ‘political research’ out of the ‘stationery budget’, and paying it to his best friend. Why is Joyce not being charged? Indeed, why is Eric Joyce still a Labour MP?

Jim Devine, Eric Joyce, Julie Kirkbride, Nadine Dorries are part of the problem, but they are only a personification of something much more systematic. Something much more deep and profound is at work in this crisis which, as with Iraq, will prevent us moving on in the way our leaders constantly invite us to.

This crisis shows us the hollowing out of the old Westminster political system, with its quaint checks and balances and gentleman’s club rules. What has come in its place is a culture, set of institutions and procedures which is a grotesque parody of what a political system should be about, that is serving the people and delivering good, sound, honest governance to the populace.

We still hear the glib phrases trotted out about our political system not being corrupt, although fortunately this is happening more and more seldomly. What has happened in the last few years and has yet to fully sink in is the transformation of our political institutions and state from that old system into a new one which operates on entirely different principles. In short, this is the age of the Thatcherised/Blairised neo-liberal state, which has become about the maintenance of ‘Fantasy Island Britain’.

One of the underlying currents of popular anger going on is that people have been lectured, hectored and forced for thirty years by their politicians and conventional wisdom to more and more look after themselves in terms of pensions, finances, benefits and a host of economic and social rights. Most people resented this, but accepted it believing ‘there is no alternative’ to this new age of autonomous individual sovereignty.

Yet, at the same time as our political classes lectured us they built a parallel welfare state for their own benefit, developing an elaborate system of supports and deception to prevent us finding out. That is in part what the popular anger is about: anger at hypocrisy and a two tier system of rights, and anger at the sense of loss people feel about what has been taken away from them by a political class driven by its own sense of entitlement.

This whole sordid saga marks the beginning of the last days of parliamentary sovereignty and the start of a new political era. A new ethos and culture will emerge, define and remake our political system, but it could be quite unpleasant and difficult for quite a long time for a large swathe of our political classes. 

Gerry’s blog was recently voted no. three best Scottish journalist and media blog as well as no. three best newcomer and can be found at gerryhassan.com

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