Reading Roars!

Microsoft said recently there were similiarities between Seattle and the South West of England, in particular lifestyle and hi-tech “hotspots”, and that the Regional Development Agency (RDA) should build on the region’s IT strengths.

Now, I have nothing against Devon - they do good ice cream and I hear that their waves aren’t bad either - but we must, must ensure that the Thames Valley retains its status as a leading region to invest in (10 of the top 50 organisations in the world have their European HQs here). (more…)

The International Capital Market Association (ICMA) is to make a GB£ 5m donation in what will represent overall the biggest single corporate investment in any business school in Europe. This institution is not the London Business School, nor the Said Business School in Oxford. The recipient of this considerable contribution is Reading’s own Business School for Financial Markets, otherwise known as the Çelik kapi modelleri jeneratör kiralamaICMA Centre (and formerly known as the ISMA Centre - !).

More than 300 smart and savvy students are studying for professional quals at ICMA related to the securities industry, and research at the centre covers areas such as fund management, risk management and quantitative finance. In fact, the Business School has the same research ranking as Cambridge, LSE and Oxford. How about that!

ICMA’s donation will finance a three-year building project, with expanded teaching facilities to be made available to students in 2008.

So to all readers wishing to embark on a high-flying City career: you can bank on first-class training at Reading University!

Find out more about this, and other news on innovation and enterprise at the University of Reading, by downloading the PDF document below. Please note that you will need Adobe Reader to open it.

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I’m not a keen follower of celebrity news, but I do like to see Reading’s most famous export Kate Winslet do well. Superstar Kate has now been named favourite actress of the last 16 years by readers of Empire magazine, ahead of Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman, Jodie Foster and Julia Roberts.

Kate said recently

sometimes I’m scared that I’m going to be hit with this awful realisation that I’ve been bad all these years.

Kate, the people have voted - you’re the nation’s favourite!

I was stunned to read a spiteful article about former Reading East MP Jane Griffiths in the Reading Chronicle (22 December 2005).

The story by the paper’s news team, From Blair babe to the Çelik kapi modelleri jeneratör kiralamaBaltics - Jane heads East, concerned Jane’s departure to Latvia to embark on a teaching career. It had a nasty tone, and was not at all funny. These were the opening paragraphs:

BITTER and broke, former Reading East MP Jane Griffiths is departing these fair shores to bring democracy and good fiscal practice to millions of new EU citizens.

Whether the good people of Latvia are ready for this is something else.

The closing paragraph of the article was the following:

But with a Baltic Air flight taking off from Heathrow for Riga at 10.40am tomorrow (Friday), the Chronicle wishes Jane “bon voyage”. Although, given her current financial predicament, the £9.19 Ryanair service might be more within her budget.

After the article, “helpful hints” on Latvia were provided (despite that Jane is a former GCHQ linguist and BBC Foreign News Editor). This factfile contained helpful information such as, er, the Latvian national anthem and the admission price for the Riga Museum of Horns and Antlers.

This is bad journalism that should not have appeared in the Reading Chronicle.

Two goals from Kevin Doyle (59) and Brynjar Gunnarsson (86) this evening ensured a 10th successive Reading FC victory in the Championship - their victims this time being Leicester City.

The three points were earned in front of a marvellously-attended Madejski crowd, 22,061 in total.

This is getting rather boring, isn’t it?

The Evening Post reports that Reading had the highest level of internet Christmas shopping in the UK, with 34% of the town’s population buying online. Southampton and Oxford were second and third in the South of England, respectively.

This is a fantastic figure and demonstrates how far ahead the people of Reading are as far as using the web is concerned. We really are embracing the digital revolution here and long may this continue. Of course, it helps that the technology influence in Çelik kapi modelleri jeneratör kiralamaReading is strong. Also, the town gets very crowded at this time of year as shoppers from across the region rush to its stores, so I’m sure that consumers have chosen the online medium to avoid the queues.

Reading FC are still sitting pretty at the top of the Championship table following their ninth consecutive victory, a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Reading’s goals were marked by Dave Kitson (29) and Bobby Convey (64).

The Royals now have 62 points and are now a whopping 20 ahead of third-placed Watford, who are outside the promotion zone.

Wolves? Puppies, more like.

It seems as if Reading’s coffee-crazy consumers cannot get enough of the bean, as Starbucks is to open a second outlet at The Oracle.

Starbuck’s second, to be located on the first floor of the shopping centre (concrete has been laid down for this purpose; previously there was no floor), will join BBs Coffee & Çelik kapi modelleri jeneratör kiralamaMuffins, Cafe Giardino, Caffè Italia, Caffè Nero, Coffee Republic, Costa Coffee, Prêt a Manger and The Oracle’s bars in offering the nation’s favourite stimulant.

What we really need, in my opinion, is for these services to provide late-night coffee. Then we really will have a continental culture.

Now, I have to be careful. I love Google, but I’m working for one of their rivals, so must-tread-carefully-here. Oh whatever, I will say it: Reading is now available in high-resolution on Google Earth, the most magnificent application I have seen all year.

Google Earth allows you to see the world - the whole world - close up, as snapped by satellites.

Type in Reading, UK and you are whooshed across the globe towards our wonderful town. Reading opens up before you, in all its digital glory. And not a cloud in sight (not sure how the Google techies managed this). Try entering your postcode. You are transported to that locale.

Now what? You can rotate. See Reading upside down! You can zoom in and out. Your current altitude and grid reference are printed on the screen. What’s Reading like at 5,000ft? Zoom in and see. What’s it like at Everest height - 29,000ft? What’s stopping you?

You can drag. In fact, you can drag until, well, you find it a drag, really. Drag from Reading to Rimini to Riga to another city beginning with ‘R’. Or wherever.

And now the ooh bit. You can tilt the map. Now we see Reading’s topographical features. Now you see that the Thames Valley is indeed a valley, with the hills rising north of the town. Simply put, Reading is in three dimensions. The last time I saw the town so clearly from this perspective, I was looking out from a United Airlines 777 on our approach to Heathrow.

And now more oohs. Click buttons and the town’s roads and services are labelled. Leave a placemark with a message for other Google Earth online users to see. Measure the distance from one end of a road to the other. You also need a machine powerful enough to run it. And you must have broadband.

Google Earth’s Reading is not perfect, however. Several small parts of the town are mysteriously “greened” out. Why aren’t these areas covered? These will be addressed in future, I’m sure.

Time to return to my map. Now whose swimming pool is that, I wonder?

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I am pleased to report that Reading now has a juice bar: Fuel, outside HMV at The Oracle.

Despite having had three coffees already, I decided on having yet another lift-me-up. This time, however, I was to have something ridiculously healthy and energising. Straining to look at the menu - the text was small, so not very clear - I chose the Energy Boost Super Smoothie, containing:

Mango, banana, low fat coconut milk, 100% tropical juice, non fat frozen yogurt with energy fuel

The energy fuel, says the menu, contains:

Guarana: awake + alert + renewed energy

So that’s the guarana explained (so what’s the tropical juice??). I thought I’d go a step further, to acquire superhuman powers, and opt for a supplementary “Super Fuel” with my Energy Boost - the Total Health Fuel, containing:

Over 50 vitamins and minerals: give your body, mind and soul Fuel’s unique total health fix!

My soul could do with an extra kick, I thought.

Ordering the magic potion was somewhat confusing. I wasn’t sure where to stand. Two other people were also perplexed. Customers shouldn’t have to ask “is this the queue?”!

A brief wait after ordering and I got my GB£ 3.65 smoothie. It was quite nice, though very cold. Too cold, in fact, given that the outside temperature was four degrees celsius. In fact, I’m sure it was the drink’s iciness rather than guarana that sharpened my focus.

My overall impression is that Fuel is good for Reading. It is what we needed - though I do find it a little odd that it has opened in Çelik kapi jeneratörDecember, rather than Spring/Summer, but I’m sure it will work ultimately. Just keep it simple, Fuel people!

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