It makes me laugh to see articles on photo websites and in magazines that say a particular camera is for professionals and some other camera is just for enthusiasts or amateurs.

Photo mags are all about selling you expensive equipment. The sad thing is that people are led to believe they can’t be creative unless they have some costly piece of kit. The fact is, you can make wonderful photographs with any camera.

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‘In 2005, a Nobel prize-winning economist began the painstaking process of calculating the true cost of the Iraq war. In his new book, he reveals how short-sighted budget decisions, cover-ups and a war fought in bad faith will affect us all for decades to come.’

Read more at The Guardian.

I have a new camera (yes another one).

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I was in the kitchen when the earthquake struck at 1am.

I could hear a sound like rubble falling inside the wall and then the room shook violently from side to side. The building was literally rocking. I’m about 70ft up on the top floor, so it was unnerving to say the least.

This was the biggest earthquake in the UK for nearly 25 years and was felt by people in Newcastle, Yorkshire, London, Manchester, the Midlands and Norfolk.

A bus full of students on their way into Manchester city centre, passes through Rusholme.

Someone has photographed various fast food and put the photos alongside the glossy promotional images.

Walking around Ancoats recently I noticed how many of the buildings (many old cotton mills) are still empty. Some are semi-derelict, in other cases the shell has been tarted up a little, but not much done inside. It’s hard to know how many apartments in the converted and newly-built blocks are occupied. If it hasn’t been possible to ‘regenerate’ this area completely during the property boom of the last few years the question is: will it ever happen now?

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Well done to Manchester Libraries for the program of events they’re running for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) History Month. My guess is they haven’t had much money to spend on this and I hope next year they will be given more. But they’ve put on some interesting events.

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Two days ago it was the fourth anniversary of the death of my mum.

Tonight, four emails within thirty minutes:

Tesco: ’spoil your Mum this Mother’s Day’

Kodak: ‘remember Mother’s Day’

Asda: ‘treat your Mum this Mother’s day’

Ancestry.co.uk: ‘don’t keep mum about our great family history gifts’

One or two is fine but by the fourth one I began feeling a bit annoyed. Is there some central place sending these out? Mother’s Day isn’t until 2nd March, so it seems a bit of a coincidence these all arriving at the same time. Not a pleasant effect.

A small piece of Manchester’s television history disappeared in November when the transmission tower was removed from the roof of the Granada TV office building.

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