What should we talk about today?
The world according to Kirkey
iankirkebc 
What’s in a brand? Surely if you like something you simply buy it. Maybe so, but what makes you want to select it in the first place, and often remain loyal? According to research by Nielssen and Meijers in 2011, overt displays of high-end consumer consumption promote positive behaviour in social interactions. Field research showed … Read more
The really important moments in my life are usually accompanied by tears or, at the very least, a glazing of my eyeballs. These trigger events don’t necessarily have to be dramatic, seismic, or signal loss and tragedy. My bouts of significant self-reflection are often partnered with the most ordinary events, like a trip to the … Read more
As a kid I remember being traumatised if I had to sit with my parents in the living room whilst any political programme was being aired on the telly. I vividly recall Sunday afternoons being hijacked by an epically long monologue presented by the late (and great) Brian Waldron. Remember that in those days of … Read more
I often daydream. Indeed, as I have matured this pastime has become more regular, extended, and bizarre – culminating in forgetting to do stuff I had promised to do; for example, turning the oven on for dinner, putting the bins out or making that call. Laying on the beach without the same domestic pressures bearing … Read more
The cold evening chill against my face only added to my already heightened sense of anticipation. Slayings, subterfuge, and the sinister story of London’s first recorded serial killer was only moments away. How was I so certain? This was at least my fifth walking tour of the killing grounds of Jack the Ripper. Standing on … Read more
As World leaders gathered in Glasgow in a battle to save the planet, a somewhat lesser conflict was about to erupt in the same city. I didn’t see any premiers at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium where Glasgow Tigers took on the Poole Pirates in the first leg of the Championship play-off final, although the old … Read more
Come with me on a journey connecting the solar system with the ground beneath your feet. No, go even deeper than that to the very core. The DNA that makes you you; where the past, present, and future collide in a triumphant spectacle of the molecular and the mega; where life, death and the very … Read more
On the face of it moving a sofa from A to B was never going to be an historic event, an ‘ah-ha’ moment, or a pivotal turning point in my life. Yet as this seemingly mundane event unfolded in a somewhat adult style rendition of an Enid Blyton classic, I was reminded of some of … Read more
Undying optimism, strength of character or lunacy? I don’t get it either sometimes, but I’m glad it’s part of my DNA. COYP! Two hours before kick-off – Notts County v Wealdstone My location: Puerto Santiago What’s it all about Alfie? What’s it all about Alfie Is it just for the moment we live What’s it … Read more
My first recollection of the term ‘bully’ was from the pages of The Dandy, my must-read childhood comic. “Bully Beef and Chips,” created by Jimmy Hughes, first appeared in 1967 and reflected the story of two boys in seemingly constant conflict – the aggressor, a pudding basin haired brute called Bully Beef, and the victim, … Read more