The prime minister’s media adviser, Andy Coulson, freely discussed the use of unlawful news-gathering techniques while editor of the News of the World and “actively encouraged” a named reporter to engage in the illegal interception of voicemail messages, according to allegations published by the New York Times.

Coulson [...] has always insisted that he had no knowledge of illegal activity when he edited the paper or at any time as a journalist. He told a Commons select committee last year: “I have never had any involvement in it at all.”

The New York Times website published a trail to a story due to appear in its Sunday magazine. It made detailed allegations likely to bring intense new pressure on Coulson and the Metropolitan police force, which stands accused of favouring Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper group by cutting short its investigation, withholding crucial evidence from prosecutors and failing to inform victims of the newspaper’s crimes against them.

The slow, whiny death of British Christianity

And now congregation, put your hands together and give thanks, for I come bearing Good News. Britain is now the most irreligious country on earth. This island has shed superstition faster and more completely than anywhere else. Some 63 percent of us are non-believers, according to an ICM study, while 82 percent say religion is a cause of harmful division. Now, let us stand and sing our new national hymn: Jerusalem was dismantled here/ in England’s green and pleasant land.

How did it happen?

Dead end, originally uploaded by rutty.

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cwd1882 ~ Street Signs (Redux). From week 8: Street signs are boring. So the challenge here is to create a photo of a street sign that is interesting. Make use of composition, cropping/framing, processing, etc. to create an interesting image where the primary subject is a street sign.

Our opinions are derived from evidence-based medical science, of course, rather than the whims of celebrity. However, our GP isn’t as funny (or on Youtube)

The eyes have it, originally uploaded by rutty.

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We took Ruby down to the hospital today to have her eyes looked at. Jo and I are a little concerned that she might grow up with eyesight as bad as her parents so we managed to get a referral to the eye doctors at the QMC.

Everything is fine as far as they can tell. You can see in this shot the effect that the drops had in her eyes

Clap clap, originally uploaded by rutty.

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We had an amazing time in Leeds yesterday. There was alcohol involved, of course, and sushi. Also shopping, although we only bought a cake stand (rock and roll!) and some chocolate ladybirds.

We ate at Jamie Oliver’s new restaurant. It’s called Jamie’s Italian, although it’s not exactly very Italian. It certainly uses a Mediterranean feel and serves pasta, so I guess that’s as Italian as most. The food was great, though. I had scallops with angel hair in squid ink, which isn’t anything like as pretentious as it sounds. Gorgeous, though could have have done with less hair and more scallops.

Today will be spent wondering around the town centre a bit, visiting museums and enjoying the unexpected nice weather.

This is a sculpture in the Nelson Mandela Garden near the city square

Victoria Quarter, originally uploaded by rutty.

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I love Leeds. I was born and brought up there so I have a natural affinity for the city, but it’s a fantastic place for a night on the town.

Jo and I have dropped of Ruby at her Nanny’s and we’re now enjoying the pleasures of my home town, including the Victoria Quarter.

We’re staying in a boutique hotel near the station called Quebec’s, which is absolutely lovely.

I anticipate a sore head tomorrow

Optimism, originally uploaded by rutty.

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Many moons ago – when I joined Marconi in 2000 – many of my colleagues were cock-a-hoop about the prospects of the company. Things were looking good. If the share price reached £16.03 everyone would get a shit-load of shares and it would be champagne all ’round.

Once 2001 came along it wasn’t looking so hot. A few years later and there were a few tears being spilled into beers as the share price dipped into single digits. That’s single digits pence.

A couple of more years further on and Ericsson bought us and saved the day. Optimism abounds! The year after: Beeston site closure, but at least they’re building a brand new state-of-the-art R&D centre down near Coventry.

November 2009: hearts broken all over again. R&D engineers in China were breaking out the bubbly while us Brits took a swift kick to the googlies.

I found this today and I salute whoever has kept this all through the bad times. We’ve had a LOT of those over the last nine years.

It’s onwards and upwards for me. I’m not taking this lying down, I’m going to get back up and do something positive. I’m going to do something better

May I join you?, originally uploaded by rutty.

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Ruby is quite the climber these days. She’s migrated from crawling to clambering in no time.

Nothing in the house is safe

Dave, originally uploaded by rutty.

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Horrible photo but it’s the best I can do for today.

I’m on a career transition workshop. There can be only one reason for this – my career is on a mandatory transition towards the Job centre. Which is nice.

The course is interesting though

Star Inn, originally uploaded by rutty.

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This is one of the pubs I trek past on the way to pick up Ruby from Nursery. It’s been on a famous TV program, though it was a couple of decades ago.

Bonus points for saying which one