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Eye For Film >> Movies >> Kamui: The Lone Ninja (2009) Film Review
Kamui: The Lone Ninja
Reviewed by: Anton Bitel
Sai Yoichi's Kamui: The Lone Ninja resurrects a brand of hyper-stylised, ultra-bleak chanbara not seen since the Wakayama Tomisaburo-starring hexalogy of 1970s Baby Cart films, whose peripatetic heroes Lone Wolf and Son are perhaps best-known to English-speaking viewers through Robert Houston's re-dubbed remix of the first two Baby instalments into the now much-sampled 'video nasty' Shogun Assassin (1980). Sai's film, too, is a savage live-action adaptation of a celebrated manga (in this case Shirato Sanpei's multi-volume series Kamui Gaiden published monthly from 1964-71), and its hero is likewise a formidable fighter turned fugitive in a world that is both culturally specific (Tokugawa-era Japan) and nightmarishly infernal. And as the red-splashed opening titles promise, there will be blood.
Before that, though, a brief prologue presents Kamui's backstory in a series of inked panels that form the 17th-century equivalent of a manga, concisely linking together the hero's and the film's origins. Further references to the film's comicbook source are to be found in the enigmatic old man who is often shown sketching the film's scenes of violence as they unfold before him, and whose true identity will not become apparent till near the end – as well as in the free use of CGI not only to tweak the action sequences into gravity-defying excess, but also to lend a hyperreal aesthetic to much of the background scenery. This is a highly mannered cartoon world, but Sai's steady grip on characterisation and drama ensures that all the florid fantasy remains rooted in the human domain.
Born to a poor village in the mountains, Kamui (Matsuyama Ken'ichi, 'L' from the Death Note trilogy) has dedicated himself to finding personal freedom in a time of rigid feudal hierarchy and social exclusion. So he travels from home and pursues the only avenue open to a low-caste 'non-human', becoming a ninja - only to break away from the clan and its strict code of obedience when all the ordered assassinations of folk little different from himself have become too much for him. His defection, however, makes him, and all those around him, punishable by death, and he now lives a life of constant movement, suspicion and violence as ninja-hunters hound him wherever he goes.
When chance casts Kamui ashore on a small island, he finds respite, companionship and even love in the home of carefree fisherman Hanbei (Kobayashi Kaoru), whose wife Oshika, aka Sugura, (Koyuki) is also a renegade ninja, and whose eldest daughter Sayaka (Ohgo Suzuka) is all eyes for the young stranger. This new-found idyll, however, will not last long, as both Kamui's troubled past and Hanbei's more recent run-in with the effete, sadistic Lord Gunbei (Sato Koichi) prove to be problems not so easily left behind. When the Watari, a crew of breakaway ninjas turned professional shark hunters, arrive with their captain Fudo (Ito Hideaki), Kamui might just have found himself a community of like-minded rebels and lovers of freedom – or he might equally have been drawn right back into what he has been trying to escape all along.
In Kamui: The Lone Ninja, issues of humanism and class division are never far from the surface. The daimyo Gunbei treats commoners as the expendable instruments of his pleasure or wrath, but has, not unlike the similarly cruel Roman emperor Caligula, conferred a rank and title upon his favourite horse, Ichijiro. When the leg of 'Lord Ichijiro' is hacked off at the fetlock and stolen by Hanbei, Gunbei regards the theft as a direct challenge to his authority, and lashes out murderously, while his consort Ayu (Anna Tsuchiya) declares that 1,000 or even 10,000 severed human heads would not suffice to repay the loss of the horse. For Hanbei, though, the theft was no act of rebellion, nor targeted specifically against Gunbei, but merely a practical means to improve his livelihood as a fisherman - a precarious profession which, with its constant elemental 'battles', ever-circling sharks and its separation from hell by 'only a plank of wood', is closely paralleled to Kamui's own perilous life on the run.
Where Kamui has realised that the blood which flows through everyone's veins is the same – a realisation that has led him to turn his back on the path of assassination – Gunbei (in a chilling coda) will order that a decorative screen depicting key scenes from the story be painted, purely for his aesthetic enjoyment, with the 'real blood' of 100 or 200 randomly picked commoners. Amid such horrific iniquities and inequalities, the film asks, is true freedom ever possible for anyone but the privileged? And can the individual truly isolate himself or herself from the harsh realities of the outside world?
If you view Kamui: The Lone Ninja merely as an action film, you are bound to be intermittently disappointed, especially in its interludes on fishing and island life – although the fighting, when it comes, is as intense as it is inventive, thanks to a dizzying combination of wirework and digital effects. If, however, the film is instead regarded as a pessimistic parable of the nature of freedom, as well as a (sometimes gory) anatomisation of a society's immovable class structures, then even these quieter episodes begin to ripple and resonate with their carefully crafted analogies and contrasts.
The film may be episodic, and its narrative may travel from mainland to sea to island to sea to (another) island to mainland while ultimately going exactly nowhere, but if Kamui, no matter where he is, seems always to be faced with similar alienation, mistrust and danger, this serves to portray a type of hero who has to run to stand still, in a world which has no room for his dreams of a better life. Here, Kamui's endless struggle and suffering are all – but if that, and the film's immense visual beauty, do not sound enough to keep the viewer entertained and enthralled, then there are always the CG megasharks...
Reviewed on: 09 Aug 2010
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Ninja-tastic adaptation of the famous manga.
Director: Yoichi Sai
Writer: Sampei Shirato, Kankurô Kudô, Yoichi Sai
Starring: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Koyuki, Kaoru Kobayashi, Kôichi Satô, Hideaki Ito, Sei Ashina, Ekin Cheng, Yuta Kanai, Naoyuki Morita, Shigeru Nakano, Suzuka Ohgo, Panta, Daisuke Ryû, Yukio Sakaguchi, Gorô Tamiya
Sci-Fi 2010
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Under 21 Challenge Series
Queenstown Car Club Constitution
QCC Events
Event Entry Forms
Queenstown car Club History.
The Queenstown Car Club was conceived as the result of a discussion to form a car club between the late Brian Middlemass and Stuart Maclean. It was formed as the Wakatipu Car Club to encompass the whole district and not restricted to just Queenstown.
Early events were grass sprints (autocross in todays terms), car trials, and even standing 1/4 miles on the closed road between Arrowtown and Queenstown. Monthly meetings were held in the RSA Clubrooms on the site of the Memorial Hall. Monthly attendances were generally around 35 people, with sprint event numbers around 20-30 and car trials 12-20 people.
The first major event was the Coronet Peak Hill Climb first held in 1972. The club had not officially affiliated to MANZ (Motorsport NZ) so a permit to run the event was graciously applied for by the Southland Sports Car Club (SSCC). The idea of such an event came from Colin Bunce of SSCC.
In the 70s and 80s the Coronet Peak Hill Climb was a major sporting event in the Wakatipu. Queenstown car displays, parades and other promotional activities surpassed that of todays efforts with sometimes 200-300 paying spectators. Obtaining the initial road closure was done with the assistance of the then Mayor Warren Copper and the final approval given by telegram by the Minister of Works Mr PB Allen.
Early and relatively substantial (especially by present day standards) sponsorship was obtained from Skyline Enterprises with a dinner and prize giving on the Saturday night being a special social event at the Skyline Gondola Restaurant. Other Sponsors followed and competitors came from all parts of the country with many notable New Zealand Champions partaking over the years. The club also obtained road closures for sprints at both Frankton and Cromwell industrial estates to run sprints over the years.
Obtaining road closures in earlier years was easier than present for a number of reasons. Events were held on Hunter Road prior to sealing and Hogan Gully Road for Hillclimbs, Malaghan Road (the Arthurs Point route to Arrowtown) and Domain Road for standing ¼ miles. Little Road prior to sealing was used for a sprint.
Most probable the event that took the longest effort to organise by the club was the 1987 Glenorchy Rally with sponsorship from the Terraces Hotel and the suggestion to organise the event came from the Chariman of the Lake County Council the Late Tommy Thomson. As a result road closures were not an issue to obtain. Many months of organising went into the event with competitors coming from all over the country. The winner was the late Malcolm Stewart in an Audi Quattro.
The Queenstown Street races were separate from the Car Club for many reasons.
Motorsport has been well represented in the district since 1971.
With great thanks and appreciation the Queenstown Car clubs thanks Stuart Maclean for preparing this short but concise history of the Queenstown Car Club.
In 2008 a small but committed group of car enthusiasts reformed the Queenstown Car Club. It had been in hiatus for over 10 years. It was formed with the hope of re-igniting the resorts love of motorsport. As the Highlands Motorsport Park began to take shape more and more interest has been seen in the district for Motorsport and related activities.
We have held several car shows showing off some of the local classic, historic and racing cars in the district. We have also held monthly events including one round of the Otago/Southland Interclub Series.
Queenstown Car Cub Championship Points
CARnival 15 October 2016
Stoney Creek June 2016 Pictures
La Ferrari, Porsche 918 and Mclaren P1
Local Motorsport fan is famous…on one website…hahaha
Jiri on Coronet Peak Hill Climb 2016 DATE
qccadmin on Coronet Peak Hill Climb 2016 DATE
Paul mcCulla on Coronet Peak Hill Climb 2016 DATE
Autocross Coronet Peak Events Gravel Interclub Pictures stalkers Stoney Creek street race Taylers Teretonga Victoria Flats Video

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Home > Politics > UK > England: Still Learning to Speak its Name
England: Still Learning to Speak its Name
Bily Bragg plays Cranhill (1990)
Contributing to this Bella Caledonia series only reminds me how far behind England is relative to the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Scotland decides on independence in less than a year, Wales is debating devolving police and criminal justice powers, while the Republic of Ireland has just voted in support of retaining the Senead, the upper house of their parliament. Then look at England – or rather, at the Westminster political class and London cultural elite. Here, 'constitutional matters' are not considered fundamental to the workings of the nation or Union, to be decided by the will of the people. Instead they are routinely dismissed as dull and a distraction from 'real politics'.
The exception is Europe. Euroscepticism in England is tangled in a curious and in many ways paradoxical relationship with the rise of English identity in recent years and the emergence of Englishness as a political community. As this report from centre left think-tank IPPR shows, the disaffection among people in England with the constitutional status quo is growing. There is a strong link between anti-European sentiment and the desire for a renegotiation of England's position in the Union or indeed outright independence.
UKIP is the only major party in England that is speaking to this growing constituency, which goes a long way to explain its recent surge of support. When asked which party "best stands up for English interests", the majority root for Farage. Labour lags significantly behind, the Conservatives come a bad third, and the Lib Dems are hardly worth the count. Of course there are the English Democrats. With their roots in the 'English National Party' that formed in 1998 in response to the devolution settlement, EDP continues today to be a fringe party with little prospects. Today they have just one elected representative, the councillor David Owens, formerly of the British National Party – hardly an advertisement for the party.
It's no wonder that constitutional issues in England are so often dismissed and avoided. The traditional mainstream parties of Westminster – I say 'traditional' as the Lib Dems now consistently poll below UKIP – are running scared. While they have their heads in the sand, the populist right and far right in England have ceded this rich and volatile ground.
In electoral terms, Labour has immediately the most to lose from further devolution. The Tories have some 100 more English seats at Westminster than Labour. England faces the nightmare of a 'Forever Tory' nation if Scotland breaks away from the Union. I personally believe that this could lead to a healthy re-engagement of Labour with left-leaning voters across the nation and even prompt a much-needed reincarnation of the party. But Labour politicians are understandably terrified to confront this challenge. It's of no surprise that the Labour for Independence group in Scotland has faced slur campaigns from party HQ. Even if Scotland votes against independence, further devolution should still keep Miliband up at nights.If the Tory's proposal of English votes on English laws is introduced, Ed faces the surreal scenario of winning power but remaining impotent to legislate on 'England-only' matters. Imagine PM Ed Miliband battling English Minister Boris Johnson – or even Nigel Farage. I for one would move to Scotland.
Meanwhile, Cameron is desperate to keep the rising discontent in England with the two Unions – Britain and Europe – at bay. He has tried to appease unruly backbenchers and win back defectors to UKIP with his promise of an in-out referendum on EU membership in 2017, but this doesn't address the English question. In fact, the often explosive, irrational nature of the debate in England on Europe can be seen in part as a symptom of the repression of the English question. What exactly would the Prime Minister "win back for Britain" in his proposed pre-referendum negotiation of powers? The freedom to make doctors work longer hours? Is that really why he's putting his neck on the line? Just remember the farce of the 2011 veto, ignored by Brussels as the childish tantrum that it was, and ridiculously trumpeted by Eurosceptics as a victory of which "Britain" could be "proud". Why is this political arena so emotive and ridiculous? I think it's useful to read 'Britain' here as 'Greater England'. While Putin's spokesperson riled Cameron by calling the UK "just a small island that no-one pays attention to", the PM's wounded reaction should be read in the context of a man who fears he will preside over the end of the Union and the reduction of his cherished Britain that 'ruled the waves' to an impoverished Little England no longer calling the shots.
I think Phil Mac Giolla Bhain was spot-on in his contribution to this series in identifying a markedly different "value base" within the political elites of Westminster and Holyrood. Take the health service: the NHS in Scotland and Wales have been sheltered from the restructuring and privatization visited by the Coalition on the English NHS. This is a key to a larger picture of drift between the ruling ideologies of the nations, with Scotland and Wales retaining the spirit of the post-war settlement, while Westminster is free to use austerity in England to attempt a radical shrinking of the state and the sell-off of our welfare services, public institutions and national treasures such as the English forests. While the rest of the UK can be seen to be pulling away from this essentially neo-liberal project driven through by London, people in England and particularly those outside of the dominant South East are justified to fear abandonment to this fate.
Finally, to answer the question 'what does the constitutional process look like from England?' I'm afraid my conclusion is far from palatable. The Westminster class has avoided what they term 'constitutional matters' for far too long, in the apparent hope that refusing to acknowledge the fast-changing nature and attitudes towards the Union and its place in the world would some-how disappear the issue. This refusal has fed into an often deranged debate on Europe. It is a mentality born of the peculiar history of the Anglo-British state, the post-imperial legacy and our unique lack of a written constitution. England cannot continue to 'muddle through'. We are like a toddler stumbling over our first words while Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic have been fluent in the language for generations. We cannot continue to be silent about our own nation. The world will not wait for us to catch up.
By Niki Seth-Smith
gerry mcgregor says:
31st October 2013 at 6:25 pm
If it ever comes to English MP's for english bill's, will there ever be a non-english PM. They would not be able to vote for a large part of queen's speech. The same can be said for ministries where responsibility has been devolved, they must be English ministers
If more taxation was devolved, could a scottish or welsh MP be chancellor imposing taxes on England while their home country could be reducing them.
All of the major offices of state apart from Foriegn Office & the Armed Forced would be barred to everyone apart from English MP's. What would that do for the state of the Union?
polwarthian says:
that is a very, very good point Gerry, Thanks
31st October 2013 at 10:28 pm
maybe some media interviews should as the No campaign if they would be happy with this situation.
Charles Patrick O'Brien Lvss says:
First I noticed that UKIP was the English party,why would UKIP be called the English party after all it makes claim to be United Kingdom party,but that is part of the English attitude as it comes across to me.I see it that Westminster thinks only in the terms of England,and Britain is "just a part of England" I know its not but that is the impression given.There is a site on facebook called "why are the English not British" and that is the real question,it seems like Westminster has always had an England bias,and used the term "Britain" just to make us in the Celtic fringes think that we were really a part of a much bigger country,and we have not and never have been accepted as equals,just "tribes" to be tolerated at least that is the impression I have had.We do have this strange way of dealing with perceived problems or problems that might arise,and by seeking out those possibilities, the problems are then created. We have this method of weather maps on TV,especially the BBC which elongates England and shortens Scotland,this is a subtle way of making those in the "smaller" part of Britain think that they are "too wee" and need to cuddle-up top the bigger part of the island,when in fact Scotland is more than one third of this island,but it about perception and more and more people have woken up to these wee tricks.If you look at any other country in the world their TV stations do not distort the size of the country they all use a "flat map",that is one example,time and typing make me hold back from typing more,but I believe we can all think of other similar slights.I think its best summed up with "The chickens are coming home to roost"
Niki Seth-Smith says:
Can I just say I'm not a big Billy Bragg fan.. for the record!
bellacaledonia says:
Sorry Niki! I realised there's quite a problem in representing this story ie how do you visually represent England without it having connotations of the right?
IndependentEngland says:
1st November 2013 at 12:11 pm
I suggest avoid using the Union flag which is the symbol of the BNP and other far right groups. use the more moderate English flag the Cross of St George.
alfredtheok says:
After 30 years solid support, I ceased to vote for Labour straight after 1998 Devolution Act became law. A lifetime of always voting and always voting socialist, I will never vote for Labour again.. (or for that matter, the LibDems & Tories). That conniving cabal of control freaks, oh-so eager to march into any despotic country (usually with oil reserves) in order to bestow upon them their vision of Mother-of-Parliament democracy. Finger-wagging this Dictator and that Clan Leader on the absolute imperative of all things democratic; while here in England, 50 million+ wallow in a national democracy-free zone – a morass of Govt appointed quangos, no-mandate Scots, Welsh & NI MPs shoving their beaks into our supposed devolved matters – and successive Prime Ministers continuing to try to give the impression that their remit in Health, Education, Planning, Transport, Local Government, Culture etc is UK wide, when in reality it's England only.
I don't give a toss whether Nicky Seth Smith, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Billy Bragg, Professor Robert Hazell, Kenneth Clarke, Richard Herring, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown or any other brain of a planet pundit thinks that an English Parliament is a bad idea… A sort of grubby English nationalists step too far.
Well I'm an English nationalist, I know, I know, an attack of the vapours all round, right? But with me it's all about NATIONAL DEMOCRACY – it's the thing lots and lots of people died for. An English Parliament! It's our democratic right to have one, it's not up to some Eton-educated wide boy spiv or an 'I feel your pain' millionaire socialist to tell me and 50 million others that somehow, SOMEHOW, our English national democracy is not required, too expensive, dangerously divisive or a price worth paying to preserve the union.
It's not.
It's England who were the first nation in the world to willingly join together as a unified and codified nation state. It's England who originated the Magna Carta, the world's first document to detail basic freedoms of the individual. It's England who passed the 1685 Bill of Rights…….
Not the UK, not Britain and not, as Cameron so often tells us, 'our country'…
And it's England who are the only Country in Europe who has no national parliament, no First Minister and not even our own national anthem….
The movers and shakers in the Westminster bubble should be bloody ashamed of themselves for such a state of affairs. Forget wittering on, handwringing as you go about Englishness, give us our bloody parliament back. Our English pride will follow……..
…… Oh, but just hang on a minute, isn't that what you people are scared of?
NOTE TO THE SCOTS: Please do the right thing, vote YES, YES, YES next year and do us all a favour… Kill this God awful union, this supposed 'Union of Equals' once and for all. English Parliament NOW! (It's called national democracy, we should give it a go)….
G. P. Walrus says:
"It's England who were the first nation in the world to willingly join together as a unified and codified nation state."
Check your facts mate! There were other nations, including Scotland, before England. If you want to argue for an English nation state, more power to your elbow but you'll do better to argue from a basis of fact. And you'll do even better if you base your arguments on social justice, not appeals to a fictional past. There's a lot you can learn from the Scottish debate. Stick around these pages.
Old Albion says:
1st November 2013 at 8:01 am
Hear hear
To Alfredtheoak, i mean……………………..obviously
andyshall says:
Why assume the English are English Nationalists ? Most English people have no interest in a separate English state and no obvious reason why they should.
Steve Pocock says:
1st November 2013 at 10:07 am
The independence debate barely registers in England. Those that are awake to the consequences of separation consider it a road to financial disaster. Interest in politics has hit rock bottom and Farage offers the only alternative game in town down here. Another reason to vote yes next year. Politics in England is a shambles.
More English voters want Scotland to declare independence than do Scottish voters. We can't wait for you to go. Please vote YES.
Vote SNP Set England Free!
Fulub Hosking says:
1st November 2013 at 2:50 pm
England: Still Learning to Speak its Name? Don't know about that! It seems in Cornwall 'England' and 'English' are shouted very loudly at the local peasants. English nationalism is an overt policy of the anglo-british establishment in Kernow.
Barontorc says:
We Scots are doing something about the stoopidly abusive political scam that governs the UK, as is.
If the MSM and BBC do not totally skew a fair democratic solution, we Scots are more than capable of returning an independent Scotland, which will be the catalyst, surely, for all inferior regions outwith the South East and London to recognise their own claim of rights and get something done about it.
Even the BBC is reporting that almost all funding – 80/20 understates it, is heading into the overheated London area – what about the needs of the other English regions?
Get a grip greater England and sort out your case for equality – we 're doing our job – it's past time for you to wake up, smartish and you go for it. UKIP ain't the answer by a country mile!
The article is interesting but… oh there's always a but… it is mathematically incorrect to sat that Scotland becoming independent abandons England to a forever Tory government because in only 7 (at the very most) out of the last 70 years has the Scottish contingent affected the colour of Westminster parliaments. 2 short lived minority Labour party parliaments and one slim to eventually non-existent majority parliament (Callaghan). The Callaghan parliament was a disaster leading to the winter of discontent, grave digger strikes and a vote of NO confidence and a GE which brought Thatcher to power. As a matter of fact, over the last 100 years, each time there has been a Labour minority government that has resulted in a Tory landslide victory at the next GE.
So, no, Scotland is not leaving the Tories in charge but is leaving the Tories with a YES vote.
Moreover, I feel it is up to the English to choose their government and not blackmail the Scots into accepting the same horrors the English get just for the sake of it, for after all England chooses the Westminster government with, or without the Scottish contribution of representatives.


Jon Davis vs. Rich Swann: Swann is singing "Junction Baby" instead of "Ronin Baby," which plays into Swann questioning which stable he is more loyal to after spending the summer in Japan…Swann got even more ripped in Japan…Swann did some flippy stuff early, but Davis cut him off and worked him over…Swann came back with some slaps and kicks…Swann hit a Code Red but Davis just kicked out before 3…Swann went for a hurricanrana but Davis caught him and gave him a HUGE Bucklebomb…Davis hit a big spinebuster but Swann hit a RKO and a standing 450 but Davis KICKED OUT!…Leaping FameASSer from Swann but Davis still kicks out!…another ace crusher but Davis again kicks out…a frog splash but Davis kicked out…(the kicking out was getting ridiculous by this point, which was evident by the fact that the crowd was getting quieter and quieter for each one)…Swann went for some wacky backflip move but Davis caught him and hit a torture rack spinning power bomb for the win out of nowhere…Swann sold that move like death…solid match that the crowd enjoyed, but i wasn't a huge fan of the finishing sequence…Brodie Lee came out again and took out Swann with a boot and a powerbomb…crowd did not like that…Lee made his open challenge again and Gregory Iron answered the call!
Final Thoughts: Another DGUSA show, another Johnny Gargano match that convinces me the guy can be a star in the WWE. His timing and in-ring storytelling has shown incredible improvement in the last year, and he is my clear cut choice for Most Improved Wrestler in 2011. While the match is definitely worth going out of your way to see, I think DGUSA missed an opportunity by not letting PAC and Ricochet blow the roof off the place for 15-18 minutes. I think they could market a match like that as the Mysterio/Eddie from Halloween Havoc of a new generation. Just some Monday morning quaterbacking; it's not that big of a deal. The show is fun and a breeze to watch; easily worth $15.


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Q: UILocalNotification on particular day like sunday repeat by every 2 week I want to repeat UILocalNotification particular day alternatively. I mean if it's fire on sunday 7:00 am then second notification should be fire on next to next sunday 7:00 am.
Is this possible?
Can any one help me.
Thanks!

A: You can make a counter of hours's and save it in NSUserDefaults
  if (counterOfHours % 336 == 0) then push notification, remember to set counterOfHours to 0 :)
Cheers S.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Emergency services across each of the home nations have today committed to a uniform approach to supporting the mental health of their emergency responder workforce. In a UK first, The Chief Officers of the National Police Chiefs Council, National Fire Chiefs Council and Assocation of Ambulance Chief Executives have made a public pledge on behalf of their organisations at The Royal Foundation Emergency Services Mental Health Symposium. In addition, HM Coastguard (as Chair of UK Search and Rescue, UKSAR) has also signed the Commitment and will be working with UKSAR members to embed its standards to support the wellbeing of their staff and volunteers.
It forms part of the Blue Light Together package of mental health support announced today by The Duke of Cambridge, which has seen The Royal Foundation working together with emergency service leaders and partner charities to change the workplace culture on mental health and provide specialist support to emergency responders and their families.
Today's Symposium, which brought together 200 leaders from across fire, ambulance, police, and search and rescue as well as the Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick and Mind CEO Paul Farmer.
"This is an unprecedented agreement, and it sends a powerful message to all emergency responders that mental health is, and will remain, a firm priority for the UK's emergency services. It means that, for the first time, a uniform set of standards for supporting the mental health of emergency responders will be adopted and integrated into their workplaces. This is a crucial step in ensuring that the staff and volunteers who work so tirelessly for our nation can be properly protected."
– The Duke of Cambridge
The Mental Health at Work Commitment for The Emergency Services means that every emergency service organisation in the UK will:
Prioritise mental health in the workplace by developing and delivering a systematic programme of activity
Proactively ensure work design and organisational culture drive positive mental health outcomes
Promote an open culture around mental health
Increase organisational confidence and capability
Provide mental health tools and support
Increase transparency and accountability through internal and external reporting
Built on a framework from the 2017 Thriving at Work employment review, co-authored by Mind CEO Paul Farmer, The Commitment will be integrated into each organisation's existing wellbeing strategies. They are accompanied by a Wellbeing Impact Assessment to apply to new and existing policies under review and tailored guidance informed by mental health charities and emergency service experts in recognition of the unique challenges faced by their workforces. The Commitment, signed by the chief officers on behalf of their members, includes a note welcoming future assessments by the respective independent oversight bodies to further improve mental health support.
This Commitment forms part of the Blue Light Together package of mental health support for the Emergency Services, announced today by The Duke of Cambridge. The Royal Foundation's Blue Light Together programme of work has been supported by an Emergency Services Senior Leaders Board working in partnership with charity partners over the past year to identify solutions and share best practice to ensure that emergency responders and their families can access the advice and support relevant to the unique challenges they face.
Supporting the Commitments, further measures announced today under the Blue Light Together includes:
The 'Blue Light Together' resource website– Providing blue light workers, their friends, families and retirees with specialised information and advice tailored to their needs and experiences. The website includes specialised information and advice to help emergency responders with mental health, real life stories and tips from colleagues working in the field, and guides for employers so that they can support their teams with their wellbeing. It has been produced in partnership with Mind, The Ambulance Staff Charity, Police Care UK and The Fire Fighters Charity and has been developed to build upon the work being carried out across the UK. The platform will complement Lifelines Scotland website, which provides support to the emergency responder community across Scotland.
Blue Light Together Network of Emergency Services Therapists – Working in partnership with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), The Royal Foundation is funding the creation of a directory of therapists who have experience of specialising in addressing the complex mental health needs of emergency responders and will be made available to all those in need of support. Working alongside the BACP, the therapists will be offered ongoing peer support and continuing professional development to ensure they can provide the best possible care to emergency responders. This will be accessible via the Blue Light Together website.
This week also saw the launch of an anti-stigma campaign by leading mental health charity Mind funded by a grant from The Royal Foundation's COVID-19 Response Fund. The UK-wide campaign, broadcast at the symposium, aims to empower emergency responders to open up about their mental health and seek support, and includes signposts to Blue Light Together. The campaign will run throughout November.
Visit the Blue Light Together website


We are In the Milkweeds, your audio ballot card for Illinois elections. Produced by Cher Vincent. Artwork by Cristina Vanko.
In this season, we will assemble citizens, experts, and elected officials to discuss a weekly theme that will help unpack what's going on during the Chicago Mayoral Race.
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In the wake of our infancy here at Red Hot Vegans we perked enough ears to receive some free food from two different vendors: Soyummi Foods and Galaxy Nutritional Foods. Our loving blog czar Marie kindly offered me the opportunity to eat the free food and blog about it. I promptly ate the food, but I neglected to blog about it. Now, with Vegan MoFo fully upon us and the push for content ever looming, I decided to dust off my pics and give that free food its due.
The good people of Galaxy Nutritional Foods sent us samples of their newish vegan cheese shreds, available in two flavors: Mozzarella and Mexican. I gave both flavors a test run with a pizza and a quesadilla. Like Daiya and Follow Your Heart, this cheese is billed as a vegan cheese that actually melts. And melt it does! In fact, it liquefies. When we ate the Mozarella on pizza we had to do some quick thinking and fold our slices up like pizza tacos to prevent burning cheese spillage. Since this cheese melts so very well, you can get away with using a little less of it than you would with other brands. Additionally, I think these cheese shreds offer a sharper and more pungent flavor. Considering the sharper flavor and the extreme meltability, I think the best use of Galaxy cheese may be in a sauce. A creamy fettucinni alfredo sauce or a spicy southwestern mac and cheese sauce would really hit the spot right now. Whole Foods sells the Galaxy cheese at a lower price than some of the other brands, and that saves you money for dessert; which brings me to the Soyummi pudding.
These individually packaged puddings are low in calories, gluten free, additive free, and refined sugar free. Rest assured: they are not flavor free. I enjoyed these puddings, finding that they taste unexpectedly fresh for something that comes from a package. Though they are light and fresh, one package of pudding will not satisfy you like a Cliff bar or a handful of nuts. If you are like me, then you could easily eat the whole four pack in one sitting. However, if all you want is a virtuous little dessert then these puddings will serve you well. I tried the dark chocolate flavor (reminds me of chocolate mousse) and the tapioca flavor (such satisfying little balls).
So there you have it! Soyummi Foods and Galaxy Nutritional Foods validated our blogger existence with some free samples. We ARE a real blog! We are!
- Conan's Pizza: Conan's has north, central and southern locations, and they all deliver, so there is a very good chance that one delivers to your doorstep, which makes them an automatic winner in my book. Their deep dish pizza is excellent (FYI – their thin crust is not vegan), and you can get Daiya at no additional cost on Wednesdays. Also, there's generally a $2 coupon that you can print from their website to save a little extra dough.
- East Side Pies: East Side Pies is a conundrum. They are vegan friendly; they have a ton of unique vegan topping options and they have vegan labels on their menu. However, they don't actually offer a vegan cheese option. This place is great for those of you that have never converted over to vegan cheese.
- Hoboken Pie: A veritable holy grail of vegan pizza with rotating vegan specials including seitan and tofu ricotta. There's no upcharge for their vegan specialty pies, and they have 1/2 off build-your-own pies on Tuesdays. They are also debuting a special pie just for Vegan Pizza Day called the Red Hot Butcher (topping details below), which warms our Red Hot Vegan hearts!
- Mellow Mushroom: An awesome national chain that offers Daiya, as well as tempeh and tofu at their Austin location. Order a vegan pizza or calzone and sit back and relax with one of their many beers.
- The Parlor: The Parlor wins for most mock meat options, with house-made vegan chicken, sausage and pepperoni all featured on their menu. While they seldom have all the mock meats available, the rare chance when I can order a vegan meat lovers' pizza is alone worth heading over there. They also offer a vegan French bread pizza that is perfect for dining solo and they are one of only two places that I know of that use Follow Your Heart instead of Daiya.
- Promise Pizza: Promise is an organic and super-duper vegan friendly pizza place. They offer calzones, regular, whole wheat, and gluten free vegan dough, and to top it off, they have vegan cinnamon knots (order sans icing) and beignets! Their prices are affordable, and they deliver; the only downside is that their only two locations are up north – so hike it on up there to get your pizza on.
- VIA 313: Vegan Detroit style pizza in Austin! What is Detroit style pizza you ask? It turns out it's an incredibly delicious, oily, thick crusted, rectangular pizza with the sauce on top of Follow Your Heart cheese. It hits the spot after a night of drinking on E 6th st. Visit us at ATX Vegan Drinks, and check it out!
- Wheatsville: What's better than Wheatsville's popcorn tofu? Popcorn tofu on a ready-to-bake vegan pizza!
- Whole Foods: By far the best deal in town. You can get a large vegan pizza with three toppings for $14, and, on top of that, the same pies are only $10 on Thursday! Whole Foods gets a bad rap for being expensive, but their pizza is definitely not going to break the bank. Vegan ready-to-bake pies are usually available as well, and the Gateway location also offers tempeh bacon as a topping.
- zPizza: I'm a huge fan, as they are the most vegan friendly national pizza chain that I'm aware of. They have a delicious vegan pie called the Berkeley Vegan prominently featured on their menu (it even has veggie burger crumbles on it!). Their locations are seemingly random, and not particularly accessible from central Austin, but I guess we should all be grateful that they are bringing vegan pizza to what would otherwise be vegan pizza deserts.
– Beets: Raw pizza – 'nuff said.
– Milto's: From what I've heard, this place is a Mediterranean cafe that also happens to serve pizza. Their gluten-free crust is vegan and, while they don't offer a vegan cheese option, they will put Daiya on your pizza if you bring it to them.
– Promise Pizza: Offers a vegan gluten free crust. See above for more details.
– zPizza: Offers a vegan gluten free crust. See above for more details.
Now that you're craving pizza, and can't wait to celebrate Vegan Pizza Day – come join us for an awesome Vegan Pizza Day celebration at Capital City Bakery, with a pop-up shop from Rabbit Food Grocery and pies from Hoboken Pie! Capital City Bakery will be making adorable pizza themed cookies, and Hoboken Pie is offering 20% off pizza when you mention "Vegan Pizza Day" on Saturday, June 30th (for the party, and for pick-up orders only). They are also debuting a new vegan pie called the Red Hot Butcher with Daiya cheese, Field Roast sausage, and Yves pepperoni!
No matter how you chose to celebrate, we hope you have a happy Vegan Pizza Day!
Hoboken Pie, already my favorite vegan friendly pizza place in town, has upped their game with BBQ seitan! The BBQ seitan pie is this month's special, and it does not disappoint. It's packed with Daiya, seitan, BBQ sauce, onions, jalapeños and a light sprinkle of cilantro. The pie costs the same as their non-vegan specialty pie pricing, so there isn't even a vegan upcharge! The 14″ pie costs $17, the 18″ pie costs $21, and the 20″ pie costs $26. They even have 1/2 off build your own pies on Tuesdays, so you can get an amazing customized pizza for a steal!
In addition to Daiya vegan cheese, Hoboken has their own house made tofu ricotta, and they can also make vegan garlic knots! None of the vegan specials are listed on the menu, but the servers generally know what you're talking about, if you just ask for vegan options. They're centrally located on Red River and 8th St, and they deliver 7 days a week until 2:30am!
We decided to pick a pizza up to take home, and then remembered that we had just purchased some Parmela through Rabbit Food Grocery. I didn't even know that I missed putting parmesan on pizza, until I put Parmela on our pie. It was cheesy, tangy and all around the most awesome vegan parmesan replacement I've ever tried. It's got a super simple ingredient list of nuts and fermented soy, which makes me love it all that much more. Pick some up today, and get your pizza on!


Our space microbes flew to the ISS on April 19th, 2014. Check out the microbes that flew here, read about the results of the "Microbial Playoffs" here, and see how the microbes grew in space compared to earth here! NASA also maintains a page describing the project here.
Still to come is our analysis of the microbes already living on the International Space Station (submitted for publication), and our analysis of the 3000 cell phone and shoe samples taken from participants in Project MERCCURI.
-Here's a paper describing a new species of bacteria (Porphyrobacter mercurialis... get it?) that we discovered during this project, and that we sent to the ISS. And here's the paper describing the genome of that species.
-Here is our publication describing the scientific results of the microbial playoffs, and here's a short paper describing the genome of the one bacteria that appeared to grow better in space.


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Perfect Nonsense: Meet the new Jeeves and Wooster (BBC Video)
Stephen Mangan and Matthew Macfadyen talk about their roles as Wooster and Jeeves in the West End play, Perfect Nonsense.
You can watch the video on the BBC website.
Matthew Macfadyen: Mac The Knife
Matthew Macfadyen spoke with the Express, talking about the gore in Ripper Street (appropriate for the era and location) and that his children are more interested in Despicable Me 2 than in his stuff.
About being recognised on the street -
"I don't get stopped in the street very often but it does happen a little more now," he says. "Since this show started, people stop me and say they love it and I'm so glad they do. It's a lovely feeling to get good feedback."
Read the full interview HERE.
Matthew Macfadyen Interviews
Perfect Nonsense: Goodale On Creating The Perfect Jeeves & Wooster Play
Writer Robert Goodale spoke to Official London Theatre, explaining the evolution of how he came to bring Jeeves and Wooster to the stage. About the casting, he goes on to say
Although I had absolutely nothing to do with Stephen Mangan's or Matthew Macfadyen's involvement, I did suggest the two of them during the casting process. Having worked with them both at the Royal Shakespeare Company, witnessed their extraordinary comic abilities and observed how well they got on together, there was no question in my mind as to how perfect a pairing they could be. So I was thrilled when they were approached and their performances have reached a height that no one could have predicted.
Stephen is playing Bertie to perfection as an utterly charming simpleton with a touch of the vaudevillian front man that PGW had intended. Matthew is completely inscrutable as Jeeves and hilarious and extraordinary as all the other characters that he in turn has to play. It's fascinating watching an actor allow his characters to evolve through raw instinct rather than just pulling their stock-in-trade out of the bag.
Perfect Nonsense: Front Row
You can listen to Matthew Macfadyen and Stephen Mangan talking about Perfect Nonsense on Front Row. It's now live using this link. Matthew and Stephen appear within the first few minutes of the show.
Perfect Nonsense: Steve Wright in the Afternoon
You can listen anywhere in the world for the next 7 days. Listen to Matthew Macfadyen and Stephen Mangan on Steve Wright.


Shashikanth is a founder and leads the company. He is responsible for overall strategy, product choice, relationships with senior management of customers, investor relationship and team building.
After earning a BTech from IIT Madras in 1998, Shashikanth got his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 2002. Subsequently, he worked with GE Global Research, New York after which he has joined the faculty of IIT Bombay where he continues to serve. He is a receipient of the MIT TR 35 award.
Shashikanth is passionate about contributing to creation of an ecosystem in India that fosters investment of high-quality man years into development and market realization of unique products that offer compelling value.
Amit is a founder and heads the R&D function. He is responsible for early stage investigations leading up to technology and product definitions.
Amit obtained his BE from the University of Mumbai in 2003, MTech from IIT Bombay in 2005 and a PhD from IIT Bombay in 2007. Amit is excited about coming up with novel product ideas that provide genuine value.
Manish is a founder and heads supply chain. He is responsible for delivery & manufacturing quality. Manish is also responsible for strategic sourcing & vendor development.
Manish obtained his BE from University of Mumbai in 2001 and an MTech from IIT Bombay in 2006 after which he worked at IIT Bombay towards realizing India's first steer-by-wire vehicle. Manish then worked for Eaton India Engineering Centre before joining SEDEMAC.
Manish is excited about participating in technology stories that bring the best out of available resources for the benefit of the community-at-large.
Rajesh heads sales and is responsible for OEM accounts. He graduated with a BE from the University of Pune and has worked in a variety of business development roles. Prior to joining SEDEMAC, Rajesh was with Honeywell Turbo.
Rajesh believes that core technology development can significantly contribute towards changing the way electro-mechanical systems are architectured and that SEDEMAC's vision rhymes with this trend.
Nikhil heads Global Business Development and is responsible for new accounts. He graduated with a BE in Electrical (Power systems) from Amravati University and has an experience of over 24 years in business development and general management roles.
Nikhil firmly believes that our in-depth understanding of power-trains and approach to product innovation is unique and will be well appreciated in all economic regions & geographies as these reflect on our control products in terms of never-before features, reliability and performance.


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Saturday night I was sipping wine and dorking around with my beads when I did a mental inventory of whom I had to "gift" with a "creation." I know that giving away these things for free will shoot me in the foot if I ever decide to open my own internet shop, but having a list of giftees helps me to sit down more and experiment.
I sent a quick FB message to coworker K and asked her, "If you were to receive a totally free bracelet, what color would you want?" "Pink or teal!" she replied.
I don't have a lot of teal beads (something to shop for at Bead Fest Philadelphia!) so I opted to go the pink route. The pink beads I had hanging around from April's pink bracelet. Meaning, I didn't put them away yet.
This time I went with wire-wrapping instead of waxed linen thread. And when I was done, I decided to add a few teal accents. I had a length of sari silk and some Swarovski crystals. The ribbon adds a touch of mixed-media that I've been lacking.


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Faifley Rock Art
Clydebank MSP Gil Paterson visited Dr Kenny Brophy and his team of local volunteers, students and archaeologists who have been out and about recording the prehistoric archaeology of Faifley.
The results of the rock art survey work will be showcased at a drop-in event in the Skypoint Centre on Saturday 23rd March between 2pm and 4pm and Mr Paterson is urging local people to pop along and discover the fascinating history of the archaeological heritage on our doorstep. There will also be a chance to try your hand at making your own rock art.
The survey work has been organised by Historic Environment Scotland's Rock Art Project whose aim is to enhance understanding and awareness of Scotland's prehistoric rock art by training and supporting community teams to gather detailed information. The recording teams are making 3D digital models of each stone which will be freely available online.
Speaking about the project, Mr Paterson said:
"The Cochno Stone is becoming better known, no small thanks to Dr Kenny Brophy of Glasgow University, but I wonder how many people realise the true extent of all the rock-art around Faifley?
"This area is a prehistoric treasure trove with several sites which have not been seen for many, many years.
"All credit is due to Kenny Brophy and his team who work so hard to raise awareness and teach us about our rich heritage. He always seeks to encourage the whole community to engage with our ancient legacy and we should support and participate in these initiatives wherever we can."
Standing up for the greenbelt
Gil Paterson MSP has sent a written submission to East Dunbartonshire Council regarding the Local Development Plan 2.
In his submission he states that he wishes to record his "strongest objection" to any change of designation for the ground bounded by the Mains Estate, the Craigdhu Wedge, Mosshead and Baljaffray in the new plan.
The land in question is currently designated as greenbelt and Mr Paterson wants it to stay that way.
Speaking to the Herald, Mr Paterson said:
"Local people in Milngavie & Bearsden are really concerned about this issue and many of them have contacted me about their worries.
"The potential loss of greenbelt, open, agricultural land between the two communities would forever change the character of these separate and distinct areas, the amenity of this green space would also be lost to the people of those communities forever.
"Obviously, there will be pressure from residential developers to change the current provision at this location but my view is that would fly in the face of other important East Dunbartonshire Council Policies in relation to greener travel options, lowering traffic congestion and improving poor air quality.
"The council have enough development land available at the moment, there is no need to endanger this greenspace. Indeed, the proximity of green spaces goes a long way in making Bearsden & Milngavie such a popular place to live."
Mr Paterson, also urged East Dunbartonshire Council to retain the allocation of land at Allander for the creation of a new rail halt with park and ride facilities, a cause he has long championed.
My Question to the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, on fire & carbon monoxide safety regulations


Last month Microsoft released the SharePoint mobile app for iOS. Since more of our clients require mobile SharePoint solutions, I thought I'd try the app out and give my assessment.
Let's start with the very beginning. It's a very good place to start. When you launch the app for the first time you're prompted which SharePoint environment do you want to sign in to.
For SharePoint Online, you need to enter your email and password.
When signing in to an on-premise server, you need to enter the URL and then your credentials. I didn't need to enter my domain, but I'm curious if you have multiple domains using your site if you would need to prefix your credentials with the domain then.
Once you log in, you are not logged into the environment forever with that account. You can easily add more accounts and/or environments.
Once you've logged into the app, you'll see that it is broken up into four tabs on the bottom of the screen: Sites, Links, People, and Settings. I'll dive into each of these sections.
Sites is the first tab that loads when you sign into the app. Within this tab, SharePoint sites are broken into two categories: frequent and following. As you can see in the screen below, I have a bunch of sites within the tenant I'm signed in to, that I visit frequently.
Pardon the funky formatting in the screenshot above as I had to obfuscate some of the site names.
If you don't follow any sites, go ahead and start following them. I was impressed that after I started following a few sites, I was refreshed the Following page in the app and the new sites I just started following appeared within a minute or so.
The million-dollar question, and the reason you're probably reading this blog, is how does SharePoint look in the app? Your results may vary.
In their blog announcing the app, Microsoft said that "if you have invested in responsive, mobile-designed portals, they will shine through in the app." This is true. Some sites look gorgeous; other times, you'll be wishing you were not on your phone. Let me show you what I mean.
Here's an Office365 Video portal. Based on my tests and Microsoft's statements, all video portals will look like this and I think that's great. Granted, O365 video portals are not typical SharePoint sites - but they're not the exception to looking gorgeous.
I went to a team site and was really pleased with how easy it is to get around. The ribbon is nicely tucked up at the top of the screen and isn't log-jammed with icons. Here's a screenshot of the contents in a document library.
You can click the search icon to open a search modal, add folders and links, upload, share, set alerts. I'm loving those tiles. If you're not a fan of the tiles, you can switch back to the list view. And if you're not a fan of big, easy to use tiles you can switch back to "classic" SharePoint.
Your experience in a document library will vary depending if you have all of the Office apps installed on your phone. If you do, the files will open and can be edited in their respective apps. If not, you can only open a read-only version of the file. More on the integrations with the other apps later.
When you visit a publishing site, or a site that has been customized, that's where the trouble starts.
Here's a custom site we use internally for projects. Note the tiny ribbon especially compared to the previous screen shot. Even an infant's fingers would have a hard time selecting the gear icon to get to site contents.
But when you do get to site contents, things change to be mobile friendly. In this case it's due to the fact that on this site we do not use a custom master page. But then once you get into a library, you're back to the same experience.
The pain is not just for heavily customized sites. Here's a document library on an out of the box publishing site using the Seattle master page.
I'm calling this problem "The SharePoint Branding Dilemma." This isn't terribly new. The question shouldn't be whether to brand or not. The question is really how much branding do you want to implement to meet your requirements? I think after years of hearing, "we like SharePoint but don't like how it looks", Microsoft is taking the lead by implementing the modern UI for Site Contents and document libraries. Since other updates, both major or minor, are pushed to SharePoint Online and can break branding, you should do your best to try and future proof your sites. There's a lot of development frameworks out there and provisioning engines like PnP can be utilized to deploy branding in non-invasive ways.
There isn't a silver bullet to solve this problem, and this conversation might best be served in another blog, but if you're interested in utilizing the SharePoint app in your organization you should start thinking about the best way to implement branding for you.
Links contain important links to content both within and outside of SharePoint. Where do these links come from?
Good question. Technically here, but more specifically the links actually link in a hidden list at the root site collection in your tenant. If you go to https://tenant.sharepoint.com and view site contents you can't find the list. Instead open up the that same site in SharePoint Designer. Click All Files> Lists. You want to select SharePointHomeOrgLinks.
This is a new list to me, and a Google search seems to indicate it's pretty obscure as I only get one result. Why this list is hidden is beyond me, as I think admins would like the ability to easily manage these links. Also it's a little perplexing why it's on the root of the tenant. However if you're updating this list, tread lightly if you're thinking of making any other updates to the root of the site collection as problems have been noted here.
The people tab shows you individuals you collaborate with. Selecting a user takes you to a mobile friendly version of their Delve page where you can see contact information, as well as their manager, and files they're working on.
I had two different experiences with the people tab. In a SharePoint Online environment, the people tab was populated with people I email and IM frequently. In a 2013 on-premise environment, the people tab was populated with my org chart. I believe it's because the on-premise environment does not have the power that is Delve and the Microsoft Graph API.
The experience is a little disappointing when you visit your own profile as you can only view it, not edit it. This would be really nice to have.
The settings tab is self-explanatory. At the present moment, I have about a half dozen Office 365 environments plus one on-premise environment. I can easily add all of these environments to the app. I just toggle my account through Settings.
If content is king in a digital workspace, then search is queen. The SharePoint app has pretty good search functionality. You can search sites, files, and people simultaneously. You cannot filter, but the results do come with some recommended results.
Another feature I like is the Sharing capability. If this is really geared towards having pure mobile SharePoint use, adding users via the app is a clutch feature. Through this you can add users and groups to be members of a site.
Does it Play Nice with Other Apps?
If you have other Office apps installed on your phone, you can essentially perform all of your work tasks from your phone without needing a computer. The problem with this though is you need to install a slew of additional apps. The SharePoint app works best with OneDrive, Word, PowerPoint et al. However, this is where the SharePoint app really falters.
If you're in the SharePoint app and want to work on a document in a document library, you need to open the OneDrive app, and then from there open the appropriate Office app. I did all of this using iOS and since there's only a single button on the device, you quickly find yourself juggling a few apps. In many ways it's not terribly different than working at a traditional computer where you have a browser and a fat-client application running. But it's not particularly elegant. My fingers started getting fatigued from entering my credentials in each app when I changed tenants. It'd be amazing if somehow they could pass credentials from one app too the other.
Overall the app is a start in the right direction. I like the search capabilities, effortlessly toggling between multiple tenants and environments is easier in the app than in the browser. The SharePoint sites look great and shiny when you have new, barely touched SharePoint sites.
The main problem, and it's not the app's, is that customized SharePoint sites that are not optimized to be responsive don't look so hot. Because of this, there's no unified user experience with SharePoint in the app. As I touched on earlier, Microsoft is making progress in regard to this but the change will need to start at the site collection level.
In some ways the app is unnecessary. We already have the OneDrive app which allows rapid access to files, search, the ability to jump between SharePoint Online tenants, the ability to open SharePoint sites in the app, as well as the ability to work offline. All that's missing in OneDrive is people search, links, and sharing capabilities. It would be nice if Microsoft could bake more of OneDrive into SharePoint or vice-versa to help eliminate redundancies in functionalities across the Office ecosystem of mobile apps. Plus on mobile devices that are perpetually crunched for space, I'd like to do more with less apps instead of installing more apps.
To some, this app may feel like too little too late. That's a cynical belief and it's incorrect. The SharePoint app can't do everything it's competitors do and it's unrealistic to think that on first launch it would knock all of the functionality out of the park. I think the app is a great first effort to bring key SharePoint functionality to mobile users without significant development efforts. After hearing "mobile first, cloud first" over the last few years, the app - as well as recent changes by Microsoft to the platform - really hit home the point that the mobile experience is going to be instrumental to the future of the platform. I look forward to seeing how Microsoft's mobile ecosystem for digital workspaces develops and matures in the near future.


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Rugby Legend Bryan Habana and Land Rover Support Red Cross in Coronavirus Pandemic
Bryan Habana shows his support to mark International Volunteer Day on 5 December
Rugby legend and Land Rover Ambassador Bryan Habana has visited a British Red Cross centre in London to thank staff and volunteers for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.
The former Springbok and star of the 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning team went to the Hackney Destitution Centre to show his support on International Volunteer Day. Habana, in London for the Autumn Nations Cup, met staff volunteers providing practical support and advice to asylum seekers in need and helped out by packing food parcels.
Habana is a long-standing supporter of the Red Cross alongside Land Rover, which is providing 58 more cars to help in the fight against the pandemic. Jaguar Land Rover has already lent 362 vehicles to support the response to coronavirus since March. These include 164 to the British Red Cross, with further vehicles going to South Africa, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Bulgaria, Portugal and Austria.
Bryan Habana, Land Rover Ambassador, said:
"I am extremely passionate about giving back and it is humbling and a privilege to use my role as a Land Rover Ambassador to support the incredible work that the British Red Cross has been doing throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The work of the Red Cross is now, more than ever, of critical importance and it was inspiring to see first-hand the difference the staff and volunteers are making every day."
The Hackney Destitution Centre provides food parcels, toiletries and practical support to vulnerable refugees and people seeking asylum. Staff and volunteers are keeping the centre open at a reduced capacity to continue helping those in need during the pandemic. They have used a Land Rover Defender to deliver food parcels to people across London who could not leave their homes.
The centre is also supporting individuals in collecting their parcels one at a time, to maintain social distancing measures. Staff and volunteers are also running online activities and social sessions to help keep people's spirits up.
Gloria Ho, Destitution Service Manager, British Red Cross Hackney Centre, said:
"It was really special to meet Bryan Habana and show him how we've adapted to continue supporting vulnerable people in London during the coronavirus pandemic. He was keen to get stuck in and his support is invaluable in helping us to continue to champion the rights of refugees around the world. Land Rover is a long-standing supporter of the Red Cross and the work we do in communities like this all over the world."
If you want to support the British Red Cross, find out how you can volunteer here https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer
For further information, please contact Karun or Andriana at Sassy:
karun@sassyfilms.com | +44 (0) 7725 940 179
andriana@sassyfilms.com | +44 (0) 7761 255 487
IV Bryan Habana, Former Rugby Player
GVs Bryan Habana at Hackney Destitution Centre in London
Rugby Legend Bryan Habana and Land Rover Support Red Cross in Coronavirus Pandemic [subtitled version]
Bryan Habana
Global Media Centre LTD 2018