I have just published my new book improbabilities a collection of my photo-surreal images at blurb.com. check it out and order a copy if you feel so inclined.

While Hugh has regaled in showing us the joys of growing your own and the stark reality of catching/killing your dinner, he has also proved a worthy challenger for the title by single hand-idly taking on the might of the poultry industry, and the nations supermarket giants in a  bid to improve the welfare of our favorite meat – Chicken.

Jamie Oliver has waged a one-man war on the governments school diners policy, employs the under privileged in his restaurants, created his Ministry of food in an attempt to get the nation cooking again and is now promising  to save our bacon in a bid to persuade the British public to by British pork.

Meanwhile snapping at their heels are Uber chef  Gordon Ramsey and culinary alchemist Heston Blumenthal , both employing their considerable talents to help turn around the fortunes of ailing businesses whilst hammering home the culinary holy trinity of  Local – Seasonal  and Quality produce.

Although I have found many of  these programs highly entertaining they also posed a question in my mind – Why are we relying on celebrity chefs to save us from ourselves surely this is the job of our democratically elected government? I thought about this for a while and came up with what I felt to be the obvious answer – create a new government made up entirely of celebrity chefs! Surely running a successful country is just the same as running a successful restaurant – only on a bigger scale.

So with that in mind here are my candidates for my fantasy ” Kitchen Cabinet”.

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families – Only one man for this job school diner reformer and bad mussel cooker Jaime Oliver.

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Who better than our local hero & chicken choker Hugh Fernley Whittingstall.

Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform - The perfect role for the Hestonator if he can turn around the fortunes of Little Chef just imagine what he can do for big business.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport -  With experience in all three and maniacal rantings  it could only  be Delia Smith

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change - Rick Stien(face) who better to look after the little fishes.

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs -Anglo-european relations would never be better  with Raymond(point)Blanc in this post 

Chancellor of the Exchequer – Reprising her Fathers government position and more of a darling than Alistair – Nigela(browns) Lawson.

Prime Minister – Only one chef has the charisma and balls to keep this government in line – Gordon get(the f%ck out of my kitchen) Ramsey.

  Chinese artist Yuanning Che gradated in a ma in fine art in 2007 this new series of work inspired by Sakura, or as it is know in the west Cherry Blossom is an omen of good fortune and is also an emblem of love, affection and represents spring. Cherry blossoms are an enduring metaphor for the fleeting nature of life, and as such are frequently depicted in art. Che stated ” I always feel that I don’t take photographs with my cameras: I take them with my hearts and my minds. They are a reflection of my selves, what I am and what I think.”  

Yuanning Che 2008  

Barry Jackson a digital photo artist has shown internationally and wrote books on Photoshop his new series “URBAN ANGELS” explores the long held religious belief that angels invisibly walk among us in order to provide guidance and protection. Jackson constructs the images to appear as if they where candid snapshots taken with some kind of spectral camera catching the angels unawares as they went about their daily business.  Although the ethereal beauty of the angels creates a vivid contrast against the gritty backdrop of stark urban reality they also manage to appear inconspicuously at home and serene in their far from heavenly surroundings.  

Barry Jackson 2008

Bass was a master of  bold,simple, confident design and was almost single handily responsible for turning the creation of movie title sequences into an art-form. If you would like further information on the work of Saul Bass check out saulbass.tv this very well designed flash web-site site has been lovingly created by Brendan Dawes in the style of Bass as a homage to his work.

I also found this amusing piece on youtube which shows how Star Wars could have looked if it had been filmed two decades earlier and Saul Bass had been responsible for the opening title sequence.