Beach Ices at Praa Sands
Ice meeting the sand at the base of the low cliff behind Praa Sands Beach, West Cornwall. 6th January 2009....
Icicles at Trewellard Bottoms
Water seeping through a wall is turned to icicles, ate Trewellard Bottoms, where Geevor Mine meets the sea....
Winter Sunset at Levant
A late afternoon scene, at Levant Mine, West Cornwall. 7th January 2009....
Winter at Levant
The old electricity generator building, at Levant Mine, West Cornwall, during the recent cold snap. 7th Jnauary 2009....
We bought a small bus in August and have recently been converting it into a fully equipped mobile office/publicity vehicle. It has everything you would find in a conventional office: PCs, laptop, printer, digital camera, large desk, fitted carpets, a futon and it's own self-contained 240V power supply. Internet access is via the laptop wireless system and we're soon to contract a web n' walk mobile internet card from T-Mobile to give Kernow-wide mobile internet access. The mobile office also comes equipped with professional staff (us two).
The Bus has six large flat windows, each one has it's own cut to size display board. We have the facilities to print window size posters onto these boards. A flat screen monitor attaches to one of the windows to display web content and other media directly to the street via a laptop.
We are looking into the options and feasability of using the bus as a local media distribution service for Kernow. Based on our understanding that the real issues of Kernow are usually ignored by the existing Cornish media.
The idea so far is to base it around our thisisnotcornwall.co.uk website, as the existing local media all seems based around the thisiscornwall group. An additional content management program would be added to the TINC site to provide continued online coverage, feedback and daily live updates. We have the facility to print documents, burn and print CDs and DVDs and create a two-way communication medium between the streets of Cornwall and the various internet sites that support Kernow causes and issues. All from on board the vehicle.
We are prepared to keep the vehicle on the streets of Cornwall, and manage the media distribution on a daily basis throughout the winter months and have had a lot of previous experience of the working conditions involved.
In a nutshell it would be a means of direct contact with, and media distribution to, the people of Cornwall. It would not represent any single specific group or individual. It would simply serve a purpose - "To provide an unbiased media distribution service that informs Cornish residents about the place where they live, and informs them of Kernow's issues in general".
The bus is pretty much ready to roll, apart from one thing - the finance to maintain it, hence this post...
So:
1. What do you think of the idea?
2. Any ideas on how best to fund it?
Funding is a problem for any venture like this. My first thought was that you should wait until HM government releases its UK Framework Convention Compliance Report to the Council of Europe.
This Report is now 2 1/2 years overdue on account of the Cornish dilemma facing the government.
Should the government, at long last decide that the Cornish should be included within the provisions of the Convention, then finances should be made available to facilitate the establishment of Cornish press and media organisations.
My gut feeling is that your project could be included within such a framework.
On the other hand, if the government refuses to recognise the Cornish, then that sort of funding would not be available. However, I am certain that, should the government be so inclined, the CSP and others will immediately persue another case of discrimination against sections of the government. It would clearly, then, be in your interests to support activities of this nature.
As far as I am aware, the government has indicated that it will publish its Compliance Report at the end of October, so you shouldn't have too long to wait.
Good question Mike. Definately very early January! Probably in the Truro area..
We don't do christmas one bit so will be out and about in the bus over the next few weeks. Newquay gets really busy for the Christmas week so will most likely be using it to take photos, selling our newquay DVD, calendars and prints etc. to get some cash in.
Still need to get a certain type of mobile phone to carry the data sim card through to the T-mobile internet system, this way we can have slow internet access (10kbs) anywhere in Cornwall using GPRS and faster conections (384kbs) in the 3G areas, which is mainly around the Camborne/Redruth area. However, we've been out and about in the bus this week, mostly Newquay area, and I'm quite amazed how many 'open' wireless broadband systems there are: Not the hotspot zones that BT and T-Mobile provide, but local businesses and homes. So pretty much any built up area has what is essentially free broadband available direct to my laptop. We drive around slowly until we pick one up. I don't know the legalities of doing this but it seems pretty harmless providing there's no 'bandwidth hogging' going on. I would like to find out more about the sucurity side of things too.
Got a new MOT the other week; need two new tyres soonish, and I need to find someone who knows a bit about servicing Eber splacher diesel heaters: we have a gas heater but it makes the windows condense up when the engine's off - not good for reading posters in the window.
Where? Cornwall and england. Got lots of ideas, but need to keep things practicle too as it drinks the diesel quite well. Still deciding which website to connect it too. I've got a couple of spare domain names I could use, or could run it under the TINC banner. I registered www.thisisnotengland.co.uk the other day so may well create something around that domain.
In the meantime we'll be producing some printed stuff, flyers, posters, those little Folders we do, and there's also a new CD I'm working on at the moment which I hope to be able to give out free..
A blogg which exposes the English supremacist and British nationalist political partys such as New labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems (plus their quangos) would be good.
Perhaps modelled on British Nationalists in Wales Watch: http://british-nats-watch.blogspot.com/
I have used neighbours wirless bandwith to play X-Box on-line! Go for it.
And as for the law - if you have a cause, breaking the law sometimes has to be done! If everyone had stuck to the law in Wales, they would not have got anywhere.
Sounds like a great idea. It is in a similar veign to the work Cymuned to in Wales. They have recently been concentrating on educating holiday makes, and people who have moved to north west wales, about the impact they are making to the area. They have recently been concentrating on educating holiday makes, and people who have moved in to north west wales, about the effect they are having on the welsh language - and do this not confrontationally, but just by educating.
Did you ask their permission, Gerens? If not, you are (1) breaking the law, and (2) a duff neighbour for not warning them that their WiFi router wasn't secured. For shaaame!
Rise in county's road death toll
The number of people who have died on Cornwall's roads rises in the last year to 35, police say.
Film con man ordered to pay £100K
The man who swindled almost £2m in a film studio scam is ordered to forfeit £100,000 by a judge.
Triplets survive against the odds
A woman from Cornwall who gave birth to triplets 14 weeks early describes their survival as a "miracle".
Call for inquiry into fire centre
Fire chiefs demand a public inquiry into the delayed opening of the regional fire control centre.
Prison sentence for benefit cheat
A man who admitted swindling more than £51,000 in benefits over a six-year period is jailed for 18 months.
Divers face trial over shipwreck
Three Cornish divers accused of plundering a shipwreck off the coast of Spain are to be tried in a Spanish court.
‘NO’ TO NUCLEAR WASTE IN CORNWALL - MPs
Proposals to bring nuclear waste to Cornwall have been described as ‘absurd and irresponsible’ by Cornish MPs.
Route Partnership Plan for Penzance unnecessary
Their plan having been rejected by the public in the final exhibition in Septmber with 90% against the Route Partnership have decided to try again in mid January after a mailout and poster campaign.The Chamber of Commerce has been at the forefront of this campaign.
