Photographer Maximilian Clarke recounts his experiences at the hands of soldiers in Donetsk (more…)
Tag: telephone
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Help find the EastEnders parrot
Appeal launched to find a parrot that whistles the EastEnders theme tune that has gone missing in Kent (more…)
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Out of the Ordinary
Highlights from the second annual Christie’s South Kensington sale of unusual items and objects, ‘Out of the Ordinary’
On 3rd September Christie’s South Kensington will auction “an eclectic selection of art and ephemera celebrating the joy of the unconventional”. Here, The Steeple Times selects a few highlights (more…)
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Don’t be an arsehole, be a true friend
A letter that just had to be shared
Today I was sent a scan of a letter written on 6th December 1983 by Spike Milligan. It made me laugh and I thought it most worthy of sharing with readers of The Steeple Times.
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Picture of the week: Don’t phone home
Kevin Waldrum and his mobile: a pair who should be parted
Our picture of the week comes from today’s Mail Online. Featured in it is a former security guard named Kevin Waldrum, along with a letter from his mobile phone provider Vodafone demanding £91,184 in unpaid call charges for a period of just three months.
Mr Waldrum claims the bills stems from his having been depressed after his girlfriend left him and that he felt a “special bond” with a girl named Hannah. Despite an initial bill of £19,333.63, Mr Waldrum continued to call. He claims he “could not give up”.
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BT phone home
The future for red telephone boxes
The red telephone box is something that tourists often cite as being symbolic of Britain. Just like the red London bus and the red pillar box, though, these Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed kiosks are sadly disappearing from our streets.
Decaying red telephone boxes are an increasingly common sight throughout Britain 
Traditional red “K6” model telephone boxes being removed from Warwick town centre Killed by the mobile phone revolution, British Telecom successfully lobbied to remove public telephones as usage has declined dramatically. The company state that calls from payphones have fallen by more than 80% in the last five years and that around 60% of the boxes cost more to maintain than they generate in revenue.
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Ejector seat? You must be joking
The sale of a gadget laden James Bond-mobile
“I never joke about my work” stated Q when James Bond enquires about the ejector seat in his new Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger.
In October 2010, RM Auctions in association with Sotheby’s sold one of the four world famous 1964 Aston Martin DB5’s made for the film to an Ohio based property tycoon named Harry Yeaggy on behalf of Jerry Lee, a broadcaster and philanthropist. The car, which was used by Sean Connery in Goldfinger and Thunderball, achieved a price of £2,600,000 against an estimate of £3,500,000.
Richard Stewart Williams seek £3 million for this promotional James Bond 1964 Aston Martin DB5 Now Cobham based Aston Martin heritage specialist Richard Stewart Williams is marketing another of the DB5 vehicles produced for the franchise’s Thunderball. This one, though only used for promotional purposes, features all the gadgets Bond required including revolving licence plates, hubcap blades, hidden guns, a bulletproof screen, radar and a smoke machine.
It features hidden guns ideal for seeing off anyone attacking from the front 
And a bullet proof screen that rises from the boot 
Advanced for its years, there is even a Sat Nav system and all manner of other special features 
The design even incorporated a mobile telephone 
The vehicle was specially adapted by John Stears (1934 – 1999) The adaptations to the vehicle, last sold in 2005 in Arizona for approximately £1,300,000, were orchestrated by the renowned special effects designer Michael John Stears (1934 – 1999). Better know as “The Real Q”, Stears also built flying cars for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Man with the Golden Gun and created mechanical effects for Star Wars. He won two Academy Awards for his work and his talent and vision plainly can be seen in this vehicle for which Richard Stewart Williams seek £3,000,000.
For more information contact Richard Williams of Richard Stewart Williams Limited on +44 (0) 1932 868377.
View further details on the car at: http://www.rswilliams.co.uk/aston-martin-sales/?carid=42
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The “i” wise monkeys
Gina Miller asks if today’s “i” generation can still embody the proverbial maxim “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”
The hysteria and media attention around the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini has made me take note and observe “i” gadget usage over the last few weeks. The idea of people queuing outside Apple stores in these times of austerity when so many are struggling seems totally absurd to me. Even more absurd is that these individuals behave like addicts and do not question what mobile phones are doing to their lives. They just can’t wait for the next high.
Do the “i” generation truly understand this principle? My observations of “mobile junkies” started on the 21st September. During the day there was media coverage of the launch of the iPhone 5 and interviews with joyous consumers as they got their hands on these new toys. In the evening, I attended a truly inspiring concert to celebrate and publicise Peace for One Day. The concert marked the United Nations’ World Peace Day, which calls for a day of global ceasefire and non-violence. Prior to the music there were links from leaders around the world in support of the day including a speech about global action against domestic violence, an Afghan Leader in support of the day and the extraordinary director of Interpeace, Scott Webber. And what were the people at either side of me, above me, in front and behind me doing? They were texting, emailing, playing games and obsessively tinkering with their mobiles.
From the woman talking on her mobile as she steps into the road to cross without ever looking up, to the parents waiting in the playground for their children texting and emailing, the mobile has taken precedence over what we should really be paying attention to. In restaurants, couples and families do not talk to each other but instead have their mobiles in their hands as they eat and prop up mobiles or iPads playing cartoons for the children instead of talking to them. Have we lost all sense of propriety? When do we talk to each other? When do we get to know our children?
People text to ask someone out, they text to break up and they text to ask what is for supper. Trust in relationships is tested as women track their husband’s iPhones and if a partner doesn’t call or text at least five times a day then the other questions the depth of commitment or love. Children as young as seven demand iPads or mobiles from doting parents who don’t know how to say ‘no’ or instil the idea that you strive to attain the rewards of hard work. There are even reported increases in teenagers and a young adult complaining of aches and pains in their thumbs due to over-texting. 24/7 email access engenders expectations and stress that means people are never really shutting down from work mode. People on trains incessantly chatter and children get brutally attacked on their way home from school for their mobiles. All sense of privacy has been eroded as any celebrity or person in the public eye can be spied upon now that mobiles have cameras. All these negative trends are due to these gadgets but sales keep rocketing most especially amongst those who can least afford them.
I read with interest an account from a guide at the Sistine Chapel who said visitors come in, take photos on their phones and iPads and then move to the next room. No one, the guide suggested, really looks with their eyes, wonders or lingers at the beauty before, around and above them anymore. For these visitors, instead, it is all about taking the picture and instant gratification.
Whilst mobile phones keep us in touch and mean we can assure our loved ones we are safe, running late, find out about the children or ask whether grandmother is warm; this convenience appears to come at a very high price. Apple recently sold its 100 millionth iPad and reported profits of £5.08 billion in the three months to 29 September 2012. Apparently there were 2 million iPhone 5s ordered in the first 24 hours and similar figures are expected for the aggressively priced iPad mini. If you the average spend one of these new gadgets were to be conservatively calculated at £200, that gives a total spend of £400 million. Just think what a difference that amount of money would make if each person gave it instead to the extraordinary small community charities who battle at the coalface of the negative trends in our society?
The ancient three monkeys proverb associated with being of good mind, speech and action has been corrupted by gadgets and now in the modern world we turn a blind eye. We have grown an extra appendage that we appear unable to live without.
What if we all engaged in a national day of no phones or portable tablet? What if, as a social experiment, all networks were also to shut down for one day? Would we not have a different sort of ‘peace day’ that would start to rebuild our interaction, families, relationships and empathy? We would have to look into each other’s faces when we spoke and we might remember when we laughed more, talked more and maybe even tolerated more. If we took up this challenge, perhaps we might even rediscover some of our lost humanity and ‘we’ culture rather than the egotistical ‘i’ culture that sadly dominates society today.
Gina Miller, founder of Miller Philanthropy, is the host of Champions in the Community at The Hurlingham Club on 8th November 2012. For more information and to donate, go to: https://mydonate.bt.com/events/championsdinner
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Holly Candy (born Holly Rachel Vukadinović)
Best known for her role as Flick Scully on the soap Neighbours, this Australian born actress, singer and model struck gold when she married the British property tycoon Nick Candy. Her foray into music as Holly Valance brought success with Kiss Kiss but she subsequently fell out with her manager and had to pay him $350,000 in damages. She’s now most likely to be found on London’s social circuit or out shopping. -
Mccreedy's blues
Thomas “T.J.” James peruses the works of artist Conor Mccreedy
Conor Mccreedy is an internationally known artist, art collector and entrepreneur who lives between New York City, South Africa and Paris.
Conor Mccreedy wearing his synonymous “Mcreedy Blue” Originally from Johannesburg, Mccreedy was intrinsically drawn to painting in his youth. He attended St. David’s Marist Inanda where he excelled at soccer and went on to represent South Africa in the Gothia Cup junior world soccer tournament in Sweden.
Next came a stint at Hilton College. Here Mccreedy was awarded the Kennith Beghin memorial prize for art and also a first prize in the annual university arts competition. At the time, Mccreedy’s art professor stated in a letter of recommendation:
“Conor is one of the most outstanding pupils to come through the department of art in the last decade. He is undoubtedly one of the most naturally talented individuals I have ever seen in my lifetime.”
Obtaining an IEB Matric pass with Distinction in Art gave Mccreedy admission to the University of South Africa but instead he attended university in North Carolina on a golf scholarship. Later, he decided to change paths again and transferred to the Pratt Institute in New York.
By happenstance he met the American comedian Chris Rock’s uncle and through him gained an introduction to the president of the National Arts Club. This brought a significant break and Mccreedy became the youngest artist to be invited to hold a solo exhibition entitled, Outliers, at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park, New York in 2010.
“Where to Begin” by Conor Mccreedy 
“Portrait of Mentor” by Conor Mccreedy, 2009 Mccreedy’s artistic style has developed significantly over the years. His masterful strokes of the brush and lines are now considered unsurpassed. Mccreedy’s paintings are dabbled with ambiguity, which causes one to develop a new understanding and outlook. His paintings truly evoke truth and the sublime. In them also, he uses his figures as a tool to question modern views of sexual, racial and social identity.
As an example of his style, Mccreedy’s Indigo Blue Series provide the viewer with a lugubrious surface but, as the eye becomes entranced by his work, the somber veil is lifted and an array of expressions and emotions are revealed.
“Her Stride” by Conor Mccreedy, 2010 
“Five Female Nudes” by Conor Mccreedy, 2011 Mccreedy uses a specific type of blue for his paintings. He named it “Mccreedy Blue” and it now transcends from his art into his unique style. The implementation of this colour in both his dress and art create a unifying theme of distinction and also are representative of the brand that he has become. Resultingly, GQ Magazine listed Conor Mccreedy as South Africa’s best dressed man for 2012 which is surprising given that he detests shopping.
Mccreedy is also heavily involved in social media also and highly influential in this domain. He is the most followed South African on twitter with just under 300,000 followers and tweets to them regularly. He uses his fame for good as well and chooses to support the Faces of Hope Foundation that provides funding to support children and adults with leukemia and lymphoma.
When home in South Africa Mccreedy becomes inspired by the euphoric scents of the African bush. He has a love for animals, especially lions, and is intrinsically connected to the raw nature and beauty of Africa.
Conor Mccreedy Mccreedy will be spending this summer in The Hamptons and Manhattan this year. Here he’ll continue to create and be inspired by the world around him.
View more examples of Conor Mccreedy’s works at: http://www.conormccreedy.com
Follow Conor Mccreedy on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/CONORMCCREEDY
Follow Thomas James on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/thomasjames124