Matt Adcock at the cinema: Sci-fi epic Interstellar
In the near future, things are going to get a bit grim for us humans on planet Earth.We face an apocalypse of starvation thanks to the combined threats of crop blight and massive dust storms, which are...
View ArticleTaxi drivers could be banned under new penalty points system
Taxi and private hire drivers in Aylesbury Vale will be hit with penalty points if they are found to be flouting the law or the terms of their licence under a new scheme that starts tomorrow...
View ArticleGeoff Cox’s DVDs: Guardians Of The Galaxy, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
Kid-friendly space adventure GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (12: Walt Disney), based on the Marvel comic, has a retro feel that grown-ups should lap up, too. Chris Pratt has no particular superpower as Peter...
View ArticleCouncil ‘at cutting edge’ of cost-cutting
Aylesbury Vale District Council is at the ‘cutting edge of innovation’ when it comes to being more efficient, according to the Local Government Association.The organisation, which represents councils,...
View ArticleEducation Eye: Can YouTube generation benefit from online videos?
I had to smile when accompanying a young man from Japan to his sixth form interview at a boarding school this week.He explained that while at school in Japan and learning English through classes he...
View ArticleBusiness Eye: It really is rocket science
I just love looking under the skin of someone else’s business because invariably you learn so much and find that their “overnight success” is down to decades of hard work, dedication and a forensic...
View Article‘Major investment’ required for fully automated council website which could...
Annual savings of more than £450,000 could be achieved if Aylesbury Vale District Council invests heavily in a new website.Council leader Neil Blake says a ‘fully automated’ website would mean up to 13...
View ArticleCouncil sets out plans to cut face-to-face contact and massively increase...
Plans to reduce face-to-face and telephone contact in favour of increased online transactions are set out in a digital strategy launched by Bucks County Council.The authority says the strategy will...
View ArticleWebsite a shopfront for working mums
A mother and daughter team have won an award within the first week of setting up their online business.Hilary Whates, of Buckingham, and her daughter Gemma launched the website All By Mama this month,...
View ArticlePolice to hold gun amnesty
Thames Valley Police is holding an amnesty to encourage people to hand in guns and ammunition without the risk of prosecution.The force wide initiative to reduce the number of illegally held weapons...
View ArticleNew fire officer appointed
Bucks Fire and Rescue have appointed Jason Thelwell as their next chief fire officer.Mr Thelwell, 43, current deputy chief fire officer and chief operating officer will succeed Mark Jones early next...
View ArticleBusiness Eye: Learn from history’s greatest mistakes
History leaves us big clues from which to learn although we do seem to have the knack for ignoring these gifts.There is no richer source of accelerated wisdom than studying the failures of those too...
View ArticleDouble bill of WWI dramas
As the nation commemorates the centenary of the start of the Great War, a school drama department is performing a double bill of two contrasting plays exploring the folly and futility of the killing...
View ArticleFarming Matters: A far cry from the usual bacon roll...
My husband’s idea of taking me out for lunch involves buying me a bacon roll at Thame cattle market, but once a year he ups his game and takes me to the splendid grandeur of Hartwell House.Of course...
View ArticleGeoff Cox’s DVD reviews: Hercules, The Inbetweeners 2, The Purge: Anarchy
An ancient Greek warrior becomes famous as highly exaggerated tales of his exploits spread throughout the land in HERCULES (12: Paramount) . He is forced to live up to his mythological status when he...
View ArticleMatt Adcock at the cinema: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
As the hit Yellow Flicker Beat by Lorde from the soundtrack says, “This is the start, of how it all ends…” And it’s fitting because The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is exactly that, the first part...
View ArticleGeoff Cox’s DVD reviews: The Expendables 3, The Congress, Begin Again, Planes...
There’s the usual winning mix of wisecracking banter and mass destruction in the latest instalment of the macho Expendables franchise.Soldier of fortune Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) retires his...
View ArticleHS2 campaigner ‘greatly encouraged’ by committee’s response
A leading campaigner against HS2 says he is ‘greatly encouraged’ by the way a committee of MPs have adjudicated on the plans so far.Stop HS2 campaign manager Joe Rukin was commenting after the HS2...
View ArticleBusiness Eye: UKIP machine is simple and compelling
This weekend, my young nephew Max reminded me that I was the future once and that I am hoping his generation will prove better at taking the brave economic decisions than we have been.Our conversation...
View ArticleFeed the mind, taste the wine at museum
Feed your mind in the run-up to Christmas, with two weeks of delicious events for adults.On Saturday, December 6, at 3pm, Mike Palmer talks about A Natural History of Christmas at Bucks County Museum,...
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