Memories of Hull By Lucy Brown

My earliest memory of Hull was around the age of four years old, true. It was Christmas Eve and I was stood in my cot watching my mam doll herself up for that good ol' booze-up in our local pub. Then she turned to me and said; Ooohhh! Yer little bleeder, get to sleep now, else Father Christmas won't come. I didn't like the sound of this bloke, with a long hairy beard and cloak and never did like any of the Christmas stories about him. Mam .... Mam, don't want you to go out, I pleaded, but the words failed to penetrate her big, red rose earrings.

So I just stood there, scared to death she was going to leave me all alone, petrified at the thought of this Christmas bloke sneaking into the dark bedroom. However, what was even scarier, I couldn't find my dummy.

Mam ... Mam, want my dum-dum, I said, reaching out my hand, waiting for her to produce one from thin air like she normally did. She put the cap on her rose-red lipstick tube and shook her coal black hair. Blaghhh! Yer too big for mucky dummies. Anyow, yer dad slung 'em in the coal shed and the cats gone an' peed all over 'em, she said. Lay down, close yer eyes then when you wake up, there'll be loads-a-presents from Daddy Christmas.

There it was, that name again, that Christmas geezer and me without a dummy to my name to protect me. I ducked under the covers, eyes tight shut reckoning, if I can't see him, then he won't see me. Of course, the next morning, 5am sharp I was awake and up to my neck in dolls and prams. I loved that ol' Christmas bloke. Not a bit scared of him.

Articles - Made In Hull - Part Five - The War 1 By Maurice Fairfield

	We approached the end of a one off summer unusually sun-tanned, playing in the dusty street or at East Park and (most of us) wondering what was going on. Many of our parents looked worried. We had seen newsreels of Italian bombs and machine guns pacifying the luckless Abyssinians because Mussolini wanted an empire like everyone else. We had seen Read more...

Articles, Obituaries - John Sheridan 28/9/1923 - 24/6/2006 By Martin J Deane

	John Sheridan passed away peacefully Saturday morning last. He had been ill in recent months. Many will remember him for his commitment to the peace movement. All those Saturdays turning out for a stall in Queen Victoria Square, complaining of the cold ("It's bitter, isn't it?!"), handing out leaflets, or engaging even some most unlikely groups in conversation on what Read more...

Articles - Chill Out, Why Don't You? An Impromptu Article About Meditation By Steve Rudd

	Face it - it's impossible to avoid getting stressed-out. Still, have you ever considered that age-old method of meditation that is alleged to help overcome stress to an overwhelming extent? No? Well, neither had I until I decided to pay the beautiful Madhyamaka Buddhist Centre near Pocklington a visit on the evening of Thursday June 15th for a spot Read more...

Articles - Random Mushroom Babbling Bollocks By Sean Davey. Magic Mushrooms: The Truth

	They'll talk to ya and talk to ya and talk to ya about individual freedom. But when they see a free individual it's gonna scare 'em. Not my words, the words of Dennis Hopper. But so what, Hopper sold out a long time ago, not that I blame him, I mean, where do you go from there exactly? Hopper ran out of choices. He ended up as a crippled hack. Just as I Read more...

Articles - The Art of Cow-Tipping By Iain Booth

	The all so regular question asked about cow tipping, are the lengths of devastation it can lead to? The myth of cow tipping can be traced back through generations, proving to be a popular past time, however do we really know the controversy of our cow tipping actions? Cow tipping is an activity allegedly common in rural areas; it includes individuals Read more...

Articles - Practically Political In Every Way By Jo Allison

	A few years ago politics was dull, boring, and for men aged over 40 in grey suits with expanding waistlines and receding hairlines. Now suddenly it's cool. Politics is everywhere, it has saturated our mass culture, and almost everyone thinks they have a political position on something (or other). It's a disturbing fact, or perhaps a reflection on our society's celebrity-obsessed Read more...

Articles - World War III By Sean Davey

	For fucks sake, surrounded by all this teen pop shite that doesn't even deserve to be called music. In my opinion the career of any average manufactured band is far more sinister that that of Slipknot's, Pete Doherty's and Ozzy Osbourne's combined. I'm now convinced that this must be the government's method of keeping the general population under control. Just fill everybody's Read more...

Articles - See No Evil By Bekki Stephenson

	In a society rife with obesity, violence and drug abuse, do cartoons provide us with escapism or are they themselves the biggest danger of all? .. Sir Paul McCartney recently credited Bambi with inspiring his fight for animal rights. Back in December of last year, the former Beatle was quoted in The Daily Mail as saying If you think of Bambi Read more...

Articles - Volunteer Prisoners (Living in the Global Panopticon - Part 1) By Ann R Kist

	Many of us, if not all to a greater or lesser degree, are prisoners. We've allowed ourselves to become such, locking ourselves in our homes for fear of the night, sealing ourselves in metal boxes to move from A to B. We don't need Big Brother, we do quite readily give ourselves over to be watched, tracked, measured, assessed and put under constant surveillance. Read more...

Articles - Canine Partners Opens Station in Hull

	Canine Partners is a national charity with the slogan, Opening doors to Independence, and the basic objective is to train assistance dogs to transform the lives of people with disabilities. The charity is continually expanding. They have many satellite stations down the southern end of England and are currently expanding up the Northern end. One station recently created is Read more...

Articles - Identity Cards by B.Brother

	You may have heard that legislation creating compulsory ID Cards passed a crucial stage in the House of Commons. You may feel that ID cards are not something to worry about, since we already have photo ID for our passport and driving license and an ID card will be no different to that. What you have not been told is the full scope of this proposed ID card, and what it Read more...

Articles - The Restoration of Wellington Street Swing Bridge Part 1 By Tony Waddington Photographs By Tony and Mo

	Over the past 4 weeks work has been underway, dismantling this ancient bridge and after many years out of commission, and derelict, much work is needed to get it back in running order. The first bridge over the entrance to Humber Dock was installed around 1824 but replaced in the 1840's. Due to damage, worn or rotten structures, expenditure on the swing bridge Read more...

Articles - Memories of Hull By Frank Storey

I was most interested to read the article by John Firth regarding the fish shop owned by his grandmother in Redbourne Street. I worked at Gordon Street Police Station in the ranks of Constable, Sergeant and Inspector during the period 1947 to 1966, I well remember the Beatles visit - they used my office to get changed! I had a great leg pull with a young girl who was an avid Beatles fan, - we gave her a cigarette end Read more...

Articles - The Thames Whale By Michelle Dee

Sometime on Friday 20th January a bottle nosed whale was spotted in the Thames River. This unusual event caused quite a stir in the capital later that day the 18ft whale tried to beach itself in the shallow waters by Westminster Bridge. Volunteers and specialists alike tried to encourage the whale back the way it came into the deeper parts of the river. On the Saturday it was thought to have gone back towards the mouth Read more...

Articles - Partners In Parallel At Law Firm By Julian Woodford

	The truth really is stranger than fiction. Who'd have believed that the lives and careers of two young women lawyers could have followed such remarkably similar and parallel paths - and without them knowing it. Claire Ramsden and Jane Longhorn, who have just been made new partners at the Hull firm, Williamsons Solicitors, both started their education at the same Read more...

Articles - More Famous Than Christmas By Jim Higo

	You can guarantee that some things never change. Sickening over-indulgence, excessive eating and drunken abuse of your work colleagues, followed by obnoxious obscenities, mindless violence and the inability to string together a coherent sentence. Yes, that's John Prescott for you. This Christmas I have managed to stay as close as possible to the true and original meaning of Read more...

Articles - Consolation Prize By Lydia Rivlin

I came to Hull at the beginning of the year, to run as the Conservative Candidate for Hull North. I am a Leeds girl and would have loved to have got back to Yorkshire (yeah, I know Hull is supposed to be a separate entity, but as I said, I'm a Leeds girl). Well, I didn't make it. Labour got the seat and what I got was the consolation prize. Although we are all familiar with the expression Read more...

Articles - I'm Dreaming Of A Weird Christmas By Maurice Fairfield

I spent roughly half my life in Hull and the North of England and I could count the number of White Christmases on one hand. Cold, yes. Wet, yes. Bitterly cold, yes, but rarely white. Yet most of the cards featured gabled houses with icicles dangling from the eaves. Horses pulling sleighs, and always masses of that frigid white stuff. Most of the yuletide snow I have seen is artificial Read more...

Articles - Made In Hull: Stories 1969 - 2005 Part 4 By Rich Mills

	Through the large glass double doors I could see a number of other residents. All were transfixed by the pretty flashing lights emanating from the box in the corner, but I knew they were all fully aware of Laura and I approaching. We stood for a moment watching the specimens through the glass, briefly examining their static behaviour as they gave nothing away except a sense of loss. Read more...