Latest news with #PaulAtkinson
The Guardian
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary review – happy-sad tale of 60s psychedelic rockers
The happy-sad story of 60s band the Zombies is recounted in this very watchable documentary from actor, film-maker and Coppola family member Robert Schwartzman, younger brother of Jason. Keyboardist Rod Argent, singer Colin Blunstone, guitarist Paul Atkinson, drummer Hugh Grundy and bassist Paul Arnold were the amazingly talented group from the English home counties who, in this film, look heartbreakingly like a five-man team on University Challenge. The Zombies became a hugely prominent part of the British invasion of the US, while at the same being royally manipulated and exploited. Their eerie and sublime harmonies, topped off by Blunstone's beautiful, plangent and weirdly vulnerable lead vocals, were the foundation of iconic songs like She's Not There, praised by George Harrison on Juke Box Jury (the equivalent of getting a simultaneous OBE and papal blessing). Then there was the mysterious, psychedelic and weirdly unwholesome masterpiece Time of the Season from 1968, although sadly Schwartzman doesn't ask the band to walk us through those groovy lyrics: 'It's the time of the season for loving / What's your name? What's your name? / Who's your daddy? Who's your daddy? / He rich? Is he rich like me?' It stormed the US charts after the band had made the gloomy decision to break up, exhausted and demoralised and, above all, needing money to pay the bills. Some of the band stayed in the business as performers; chaotically, Blunstone continued as a solo artist by experimenting with a change in name ('Neil MacArthur') which only confused everyone. And after the band split up, American copycats started ripping off their act under the same name. The Zombies' story in many ways cuts to the heart of the dilemma for everyone who wants to make it in music: when do you cut your losses, give up, take a boring straight job and then torment yourself with the thought of what might have been if only you'd stuck at it a little bit longer? Incredibly, Blunstone was plugging away in a dull sales office when he heard about Time of the Season making it big in the US. Eventually the surviving members of the band reformed and were passionately praised by younger musicians such as Dave Grohl who admired their cult 1968 album Odessey and Oracle. (The band had long claimed that 'Odessey' was a deliberate coinage, mixing 'Ode' and 'Odyssey' – before finally admitting it was a spelling mistake which stayed on the cover after it was too late to do anything about it.) There's a lump-in-the-throat moment when the surviving Zombies are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; it was amazing, they say 'to realise in your 70s, that you were successful in your 20s'. Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary is in UK cinemas from 24 June, and US cinemas from 29 June.
CBC
04-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Calgary continues efforts to plant nearly a million trees, and better balance local canopy
The city intends to plant 930,000 new trees by 2029 After a major influx of federal dollars last fall, Calgary's efforts to plant more trees continues this spring. Since 2023, Calgary has planted 200,000 trees as part of an effort to introduce 930,000 in total by 2029. Looking further ahead, Calgary, a city of roughly seven million trees, aims to nearly double its urban canopy coverage from 8.25 per cent, as measured in 2022, to 16 per cent by 2060. The local effort was bolstered by nearly $61 million from the federal government last fall. The funding is part of Canada's 2 Billion Trees program, a national effort to improve urban spaces, provide cleaner air and help the country adapt to climate change. But where Calgary's new trees will go is a pressing question surrounding this project. Many of the more well-established and central Calgary neighbourhoods have more trees. But Calgary's canopy often grows more sparse in neighbourhoods further from the city's core, in areas that weren't developed with trees in mind or have poorer soil quality. The disparity creates a problem for residents who miss out on benefits like trees that offer shade to mitigate heat in the summer and disrupt winds to protect from the cold in the winter, while also more effectively managing storm water, improving biodiversity, and enhancing social and mental wellbeing. Paul Atkinson, the city's acting urban forestry lead, said Calgary tries to tackle this disparity by targeting areas with less trees per hectare of public land, but it's not always a simple fix. Some areas need soil rehabilitation, which can be expensive, while other neighbourhoods weren't developed with enough space for trees, based on street design and where utilities were installed. "If you take that bird's eye view and look at some of these sites, they might look like ideal spots to plant a tree, but they might actually have high-pressure gas lines or utilities or street light cables or all these things underground," Atkinson said in an interview with This Is Calgary. LISTEN | Where will Calgary plant nearly a million trees? Media Audio | This is Calgary : You get a tree! And you get a tree! Caption: Where will Calgary plant nearly a million trees? We put that question to the city's top tree guy, and also ask if communities with historically fewer trees will get finally get spruced up. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. A map of the city's urban canopy shows neighbourhoods like Eau Claire, Erlton and Garrison Green have more than 25 city-maintained trees per hectare. But other neighbourhoods like Franklin, Sunridge and Mayland have less than five. The city's efforts don't just end on public land though, as its Branching Out program offers roughly 5,000 trees per year for residents to grow on their land, with quadrants covered by less canopy given priority. Frustrations over a more sparse canopy But some parts of the city want a stronger effort to balance the scales between trees in each neighbourhood. Much of Ward 5, which is represented by Coun. Raj Dhaliwal, has an urban canopy far below the city's average. In November, Dhaliwal said he planned to call for a sizeable amount of the federal funding toward new trees to be used in his ward. What's the value of a tree? The city will tell you Saddle Ridge is one neighbourhood with less coverage, boasting just eight city-maintained trees per hectare. Asim Baig, president of the Saddle Ridge Community Association, points out parts of his neighbourhood feel barren, with no trees at all or older plants damaged by hailstorms. He said he often hears frustration from other residents, because it seems as though trees damaged by hail aren't replaced at a rate matching the damage. "Every time we push for having more trees around our boulevards and parks, the reason that we hear is that soil is not as good as the other communities. And our frustration is that there has to be some sort of remedy to mitigate this problem," Baig said. Baig added that caring for trees has also had an effect to unite residents who share a passion for it, and that the neighbourhood on the whole wants to see more trees. "[Trees] add a sense of belonging," Baig said. "It's not even [just] better for environment, but people come together." Planning planting ahead Atkinson said soil quality, depth and availability can all be improved, and the benefits of better soil health, carbon sequestration below ground and tree longevity outweigh the associated cost. But it's still an expensive process, and can lead to some resistance. "When you're dealing with trees and convincing people if we enhance the soil it'll save us money over 200 years and it will produce a canopy over 200 years, it's a pretty tough sell because I won't be here in 200 years to find out if we're all correct," Atkinson said. The city plans its canopy development roughly a year out, and it's using other methods to put more trees in the ground like new micro-forest areas. It's planting potted trees that, because they need to be carefully dug into the ground by hand, can be installed closer to some underground utilities. In some neighbourhoods, Atkinson says they've already put in the work in all of the available plantable area, the canopy just needs time to grow. In other cases, there's more work to be done. "We want people to have access to trees. We want every citizen to have these cost-effective solutions to mitigate heat and all these things around residences," Atkinson said.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'I will die happy now Newcastle have won a trophy'
A man who has incurable cancer says he will "die happy" because he has seen Newcastle United win a trophy. Paul Atkinson, from Blyth, Northumberland, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in May 2022 and given between two and five years to live. A lifelong Newcastle fan, his one hope was to live long enough to see his team triumph at Wembley. "I thought when we lost there against Manchester United two years ago that was it, but we did it this time and I still feel like I'm dreaming," he said following Sunday's Carabao Cup victory. Mr Atkinson was born in 1955, the last year Newcastle won a major trophy, and has been a season ticket holder for much of his life. "I first started going in 1966 after England won the World Cup, I was a Byker lad so me and my cousin Kenneth would walk down. "I've been to Wembley three times and we lost every time, the last time was against Arsenal and I swore to myself I would never go through that again." When Newcastle reached the final of the Carabao Cup again after the disappointment of losing in 2023, Mr Atkinson was "sure they'd do it". "I don't know why but I just thought it was our moment, and there were a few nervous moments at the end there but we got there and I'm just over the moon. "Who knows perhaps I'll still be alive to see a new stadium." Mr Atkinson, who worked for the charity Stella Maris as a chaplain looking after seafarers, is urging men over 50 to get checked out for prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men. "I was waking up to go to the bathroom more often but I just didn't realise that was one of the symptoms," he said. "People of my generation, and my father's generation, didn't talk about things like that." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Newcastle fans celebrate 'brilliant' cup win City wakes up to historic Newcastle win 'I wouldn't be here without prostate test' Newcastle United NHS Prostate Cancer
