主播大秀

• Posted by Damon Rose
• 16 Jul 04, 12:00 AM

Here's a great article, brought to our attention by Ouch columnist Liz Main. It's a fantastic tale of losing perspective in matters of the heart.

How obsessed have you become over a loved one? Read Ananova's report of a who took 100 court cases just so that he could get to see, and speak to, the courtroom judge he had fallen head over heels in love with!

By the way, we looked but there was no mention of continuous handwashing or anything like that - we knew you'd be interested.

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• What's this?

• Posted by Vaughan
• 12 Jul 04, 12:00 AM

Bad news if you're visually impaired and have been a user of Matthew Somerville's excellent site, providing listings of what's on at your local Odeon in a format that's truly accessible - in other words, getting rid of all that troublesome Javascript, those frames and pop-up windows. After some strongly-worded emails from the cinema chain, plus the threat of legal action, Matthew has been forced to remove the site from the web. So that means it's back to using own highly inaccessible site, if you can. Alternatively, of course, film-goers are reminded that other cinema chains are available.

We say: if it's open season for taking legal action against websites then, as Matthew points out, it would be wise for Odeon to remember that their current site contravenes the Disability Discrimination Act, wouldn't it?

Related links: check out the site, because although it's no longer in operation, Matthew has placed online the email correspondence between himself and Odeon Cinemas, which makes for interesting reading. Plus, read an about his full range of accessible sites that Matthew gave to Giles Turnbull in September last year.

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• Posted by Vaughan
• 9 Jul 04, 12:00 AM

We've mentioned Mark Haddon's fabulous book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time on the weblog a couple of times before, since it's central character is 15-year-old Christopher Boone, who has Asperger's Syndrome. Now it's been announced that the novel, which has been a word-of-mouth success since its publication and won many top awards along the way, has . As Mark Haddon says: "When I told people I was writing a book about a disabled boy living in Swindon, you can imagine the reaction." It's good to see that this reaction has been proved wrong by the phenomenal sales the book has racked up (although the point about Swindon might be a fair one).

If you still haven't discovered The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, check out its official - yes, that's right, a novel with its own website - which contains excerpts from the audio version of the book.

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• Posted by Crippled Monkey
• 7 Jul 04, 12:00 AM

Monkey has had his radio on recently, bopping along in his limited way as he works. One of the tunes I've been hearing is Morrissey's new single Last Of The Gang To Die. Let me share some of the lyrics with you:

You have never been in love,
Until you've seen the stars,
Reflect in the reservoirs.

And you have never been in love,

Until you've seen the dawn rise,

Behind the home for the blind.

Huh? What home is he talking about? And does this institution have a particularly awesome and romantic view at dawn, or something?

I suspect though that the ageing rocker (and a god to many) is trying to be poetic and metaphoric, making some kind of creative connection between the light beautifully or ironically appearing from behind a place where visually impaired people live. And get this, the people who dwell in this twilight hostel can't actually see said sunlight. Clever clever!

Really trying hard here Morrissey ... REALLY trying to get this one.

Still, I wouldn't want to criticise the man who, famously, was the first rock star to attempt a touch of 'disability chic' when he wore a huge old-fashioned hearing aid on a Top of the Pops performance in the early '80s.

Any creative types out there, if you have any further thoughts, I'm happy to indulge you a little and may publish some of your interpretations. Or alternative lyrics perhaps? (An Ouch mug up for grabs here.)

Read the full lyrics on , the website promoting Morrissey's latest album.

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• Posted by Vaughan
• 6 Jul 04, 12:00 AM

It's very rare that we're almost completely lost for words around here, but this is one of those occasions.

We've been receiving links to this story from all over the place, with people telling us that we're just not going to believe it, that we will be amazed and stunned and, indeed, gobsmacked. And we are.

There's really nothing else to say apart from telling you to get over to 主播大秀 News right now and, under the headline of , read the remarkable story of Wheely Willy.

Truly, he is a new disabled hero for our times.

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• What's this?