I went home from University on Friday so I could a) catch up with mates and family etc b) pay an installment of my holiday money for next year and c) take a break from Uni life!
Had a fun weekend as well, went out into town on Friday night had a few bevvies and a good laugh really, saturday went to Oldham Vs Brentford as part of the press to report on the game for my journalism assignment and we won easily 3-0!
That night I got invited to Manchester and we went to the printworks for another piss-up so that was great except for the bank balance : Ahh got to enjoy yourselves once in a while haven't you?
Sunday was cure hangover day and get ready to come back to Uni day, so I got back to my student accomadation last night, fulfilled from a top weekend back home. :) and ready to get back into assignments and other work.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
The Veil Debate
This has been going on for a while now and as a journalism student I have been reading a lot about this from all sort of different angles.
Especially the Australian muslim cleric that said women who didn't wear the hijab head-dress were like "uncovered meat" for sexual attackers. He has apologised for his comments and said they were not meant to be perceived as they were due to the fact they were taken out of context but still...
Anyway, I think this whole debate has been blown way out of proportion, it is not just about the Veil anymore. It has broadened to include religion, work, why it is worn? what do other religions think? etc and I don't think the comments Jack Straw made were unreasonable. From what I have understood he only asked them to remove their veils when they came into his office and they din't have to and another woman was present, hardly a scene for polictical/religious scandal? He was right to bring the debate into the arena...maybe the way he did that was not quite right, he probably should have spoken to muslim leaders about the issue but what is done is done. I watched a debate on question time (bbc one) a week ago and they dedicated about 30 minutes to this issue. The general consensus seems to be that Muslim women want to wear it but other people think it "seperates them from the community" and compare it to the hoodie as it hides their face. I don't agree with that as it is a religious item of clothing and I don't mind them wearing it at all. However, I don't come into contact with too many veiled women and I do think that it would stop them being an integrated part of society in some instances as if you cover your face it seems like you have something to hide. I have absolutely no problem with the veil being worn and think in this diverse society we live in that it should be accepted, if a muslim wants to wear it they should be able to without prejudice. Having said that....the case of the muslim school teahcer wearing a veil, I agree that she should not be wearing it while teaching children and on a wider scale I think that it should not be worn for work if their work is not to do with their religion. In a working environment were customer interaction is vital and uniforms often a necessity I wouldn't feel comfortable with someone wearing a veil trying to sell me something and if the veil is allowed in work places it seems to be another case of bending over backwards to try and please everyone when that is simply, just not possible.
Especially the Australian muslim cleric that said women who didn't wear the hijab head-dress were like "uncovered meat" for sexual attackers. He has apologised for his comments and said they were not meant to be perceived as they were due to the fact they were taken out of context but still...
Anyway, I think this whole debate has been blown way out of proportion, it is not just about the Veil anymore. It has broadened to include religion, work, why it is worn? what do other religions think? etc and I don't think the comments Jack Straw made were unreasonable. From what I have understood he only asked them to remove their veils when they came into his office and they din't have to and another woman was present, hardly a scene for polictical/religious scandal? He was right to bring the debate into the arena...maybe the way he did that was not quite right, he probably should have spoken to muslim leaders about the issue but what is done is done. I watched a debate on question time (bbc one) a week ago and they dedicated about 30 minutes to this issue. The general consensus seems to be that Muslim women want to wear it but other people think it "seperates them from the community" and compare it to the hoodie as it hides their face. I don't agree with that as it is a religious item of clothing and I don't mind them wearing it at all. However, I don't come into contact with too many veiled women and I do think that it would stop them being an integrated part of society in some instances as if you cover your face it seems like you have something to hide. I have absolutely no problem with the veil being worn and think in this diverse society we live in that it should be accepted, if a muslim wants to wear it they should be able to without prejudice. Having said that....the case of the muslim school teahcer wearing a veil, I agree that she should not be wearing it while teaching children and on a wider scale I think that it should not be worn for work if their work is not to do with their religion. In a working environment were customer interaction is vital and uniforms often a necessity I wouldn't feel comfortable with someone wearing a veil trying to sell me something and if the veil is allowed in work places it seems to be another case of bending over backwards to try and please everyone when that is simply, just not possible.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Tuesday 17th August
So, this is national post-what-you-did-today-on-your-blog-so-people-in-the-future-can-see-what-an-average-day-is-like-in-2006 is it? Okey dokey.
Well then, Hi my name is Joe and I am 19, I am a 2nd year journalism student at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and below is my day:
8:30am- Woke up and got dressed for playing 5-a-side football.
9:00am- Arrived at the sports centre to play football, turns out we only have 9 people, so it ends up 5 players V 4.
10:00am- End of 5-a-side football game, we lost :(
10:15-10:45am - Walk back to my student accomadation and set up my Playstation 2 (games console) in readiness for my mates to come round to my flat and play on Pro evolution soccer 5, which is a Playstation 2 game.
11:50am- set off for my 1st University lecture of the day which is Print and online Journalism practice module.
12:00pm-1:00pm- Have a lecture on sports reporting and the various ins and outs of it.
1.00pm-2pm- Attend my International Journalism seminar (smaller group than a lecture) were we discuss how each media medium undertake reporting on International News and the pros of cons of this approach and how it affects the industry.
2pm-4:45pm- Back in my flat, watching Neighbours, an Australian soap programme on British TV, browsing the Internet and play on Pro Evo 5 again. During this I actually have some food!
5:00pm- 7:40pm- Be the microphone controller for the Journalism leaders forum held in Greenbank (the name of the building) lecture theatre. Hold the mic in front of people in the audience who ask questions to the panel.
7:40-9:50pm- Go to the Union bar with a few friends and drink a small quantity of alcohol while watching the Manchester United Vs Copenhagen football match, which United win 3-0. Before leaving to go back to my student accomadation, called Foundry Court in Preston.
10:00pm- 10:15pm- Write this blog! While cooking/eating a microwave cooked Lasagne (note: I like pasta, one of the students best friends)
10:15:10:30pm- Browse the Internet while watching the BBC one news report and the local news report which follows. Hear loud music outside coming from another flat...
10:30:11:00pm- finish writing this post and get ready for bed.
11:00pm- anytime after this I am probably asleep...after all it has been a long day! TC (take care) all.
Well then, Hi my name is Joe and I am 19, I am a 2nd year journalism student at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and below is my day:
8:30am- Woke up and got dressed for playing 5-a-side football.
9:00am- Arrived at the sports centre to play football, turns out we only have 9 people, so it ends up 5 players V 4.
10:00am- End of 5-a-side football game, we lost :(
10:15-10:45am - Walk back to my student accomadation and set up my Playstation 2 (games console) in readiness for my mates to come round to my flat and play on Pro evolution soccer 5, which is a Playstation 2 game.
11:50am- set off for my 1st University lecture of the day which is Print and online Journalism practice module.
12:00pm-1:00pm- Have a lecture on sports reporting and the various ins and outs of it.
1.00pm-2pm- Attend my International Journalism seminar (smaller group than a lecture) were we discuss how each media medium undertake reporting on International News and the pros of cons of this approach and how it affects the industry.
2pm-4:45pm- Back in my flat, watching Neighbours, an Australian soap programme on British TV, browsing the Internet and play on Pro Evo 5 again. During this I actually have some food!
5:00pm- 7:40pm- Be the microphone controller for the Journalism leaders forum held in Greenbank (the name of the building) lecture theatre. Hold the mic in front of people in the audience who ask questions to the panel.
7:40-9:50pm- Go to the Union bar with a few friends and drink a small quantity of alcohol while watching the Manchester United Vs Copenhagen football match, which United win 3-0. Before leaving to go back to my student accomadation, called Foundry Court in Preston.
10:00pm- 10:15pm- Write this blog! While cooking/eating a microwave cooked Lasagne (note: I like pasta, one of the students best friends)
10:15:10:30pm- Browse the Internet while watching the BBC one news report and the local news report which follows. Hear loud music outside coming from another flat...
10:30:11:00pm- finish writing this post and get ready for bed.
11:00pm- anytime after this I am probably asleep...after all it has been a long day! TC (take care) all.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Not safe anywhere.
I know the majority of my posts seem to be quite negative but this one is happened only a few hundred yards up the road from me.
Man murdered at university campus
A man has been murdered at the University of Central Lancashire campus in Preston.
A manhunt was launched after the 51-year-old man was found with terrible injuries shortly after 7pm on Friday.He was found by two female students on a walkway, known to students as Victoria Path, which passes directly behind the university's new student union venue, 53 Degrees, on Fylde Road.Police and paramedics were called at 7.19pm but the man was declared dead at the scene.One eyewitness said: "His face was just a mess. I think he'd been beaten. That's what it looked like."Police immediately sealed off a large area of the university campus between Brook Street, Victoria Street, Plungington Road and the student's union building.A car park, between the road and Victoria Building which is believed to be used mostly by staff from Victoria Building, was also largely cordoned off.Police confirmed the incident was being treated as murder and appealed for witnesses. A university spokesman confirmed no staff or students were involved in the incident.He said: "UCLan security services are liaising with the police to discover if footage from the university CCTV cameras can help with the police investigation."Two men have been arrested and are helping police with their inquiries.A police spokesman said: "At 7.19pm, an ambulance was called to a pathway that runs by the side of the 53 Degrees club from Fylde Road to Adelphi Street. "A male was found with head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. "The police are investigating how he came to receive the injuries but are aware that a number of people were in the area at that time and may have witnessed some disturbance taking place."
The story was in the LEP, the local paper here. I walked past yesterday and they had two police standing near the incident and the area all taped off. Just as the forensics were scanning the area for anything to find the attackers. I hope they do find them... I remember a couple of serious attacks here last year and in the last few years even murders but that is just the kind of society we live in nowadays. ?
Man murdered at university campus
A man has been murdered at the University of Central Lancashire campus in Preston.
A manhunt was launched after the 51-year-old man was found with terrible injuries shortly after 7pm on Friday.He was found by two female students on a walkway, known to students as Victoria Path, which passes directly behind the university's new student union venue, 53 Degrees, on Fylde Road.Police and paramedics were called at 7.19pm but the man was declared dead at the scene.One eyewitness said: "His face was just a mess. I think he'd been beaten. That's what it looked like."Police immediately sealed off a large area of the university campus between Brook Street, Victoria Street, Plungington Road and the student's union building.A car park, between the road and Victoria Building which is believed to be used mostly by staff from Victoria Building, was also largely cordoned off.Police confirmed the incident was being treated as murder and appealed for witnesses. A university spokesman confirmed no staff or students were involved in the incident.He said: "UCLan security services are liaising with the police to discover if footage from the university CCTV cameras can help with the police investigation."Two men have been arrested and are helping police with their inquiries.A police spokesman said: "At 7.19pm, an ambulance was called to a pathway that runs by the side of the 53 Degrees club from Fylde Road to Adelphi Street. "A male was found with head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. "The police are investigating how he came to receive the injuries but are aware that a number of people were in the area at that time and may have witnessed some disturbance taking place."
The story was in the LEP, the local paper here. I walked past yesterday and they had two police standing near the incident and the area all taped off. Just as the forensics were scanning the area for anything to find the attackers. I hope they do find them... I remember a couple of serious attacks here last year and in the last few years even murders but that is just the kind of society we live in nowadays. ?
Monday, October 09, 2006
R.I.P Paul Hunter
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/6035879.stm = there is the link to the BBC resource that has the story but I am going to share my thoughts on here.
I didn't know he was that ill, thought he was getting better. I have never had cancer or known people close to me to have it but still, must be a deep shock to his family as he was only 27.
I was in buoyant mood, browsing the internet then came across this story and it stopped me in my tracks. Never seen him live but watched Paul many times on TV and I liked his style of snooker and before the illness he was quite a good player.
Shocking news, tragic and he leaves a Wife Lindsey and young daughter Evie Rose.
Not important now but his birthday would have been this Saturday...the day when I start my radio show :(
He will be sadly missed by all his family and by the snooker profession. I am sure the tributes will pour in tomorrow and rightly they should.
Life so cruelly ripped away at the tender age of 27. Do events like these ever make you wonder that life is just not fair? They do to me.
R.I.P Paul Hunter 14/10/1978 - 9/10/2006.
I didn't know he was that ill, thought he was getting better. I have never had cancer or known people close to me to have it but still, must be a deep shock to his family as he was only 27.
I was in buoyant mood, browsing the internet then came across this story and it stopped me in my tracks. Never seen him live but watched Paul many times on TV and I liked his style of snooker and before the illness he was quite a good player.
Shocking news, tragic and he leaves a Wife Lindsey and young daughter Evie Rose.
Not important now but his birthday would have been this Saturday...the day when I start my radio show :(
He will be sadly missed by all his family and by the snooker profession. I am sure the tributes will pour in tomorrow and rightly they should.
Life so cruelly ripped away at the tender age of 27. Do events like these ever make you wonder that life is just not fair? They do to me.
R.I.P Paul Hunter 14/10/1978 - 9/10/2006.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
USA + Guns = death
I feel I have dodged this subject of my blog due to me 1) Not knowing enough about it to full comprehend the US guns culture as I live in the UK and 2) Maybe not wanting to post about the tragedies of the 3 schools that gunmen got into and killed innocent school children.
Last Wednesday a 16-year-old girl died when an armed man, who also killed himself, took six students hostage at a Colorado high school and on Friday, a head teacher at a high school in Wisconsin was killed when he confronted an armed 15-year-old student as he entered the school and now a gunman has killed 5 girls between the ages of 7 and 13 years old. Thankfully he shot himself as well.
I can not begin to comprehend how someone with a loaded gun could walk into a school and take hostages at gun point? and I thought taking a pen-knife to school was bad.
This is why, I wasn't sure about writing this post....I am shocked and horrified about what has happened to these kids and there families.
The white house was/is holding a conference today about the issue of security in US schools...not suprising. How can people get hold of guns so easily and then use them to kill innocent people? Thats what I can not understand and frankly, I don't know if I want to understand.
The hostages being taken in their own school at gunpoint is serious enough and it is clear that must of these people aren't afraid to take away a briefly lived life or lives but a 15 year old taking a gun into school and killing a head teacher...I cannot find the words.
I am not totally ignorant, gun crime happens in UK of course it does but to the extent and the ramifications of the US, thankfully, I would say we have not yet reached that stage.
A final thing as well, a big investigation is being launched and all these meetings are taking place but 3 things in the space of a week....a lot of damge has already been done but anything that can be done to stop lunatics going anyway and taking hostages or waving a gun around should be done.
Both of the murderers obviously could not face up to what they had done, walked into a school full of children and taking away the rest of their lives as well as devastating the families/friends of the victims so they took the cowardly way out and shot themselves.
These things do intrigue me, suppose it is natural instincts as a trainee Journo to ask the guys who stormed into the school why did they do it, what did they think they would achieve, can they see the pain/suffering they have caused and get into their minds....but with cold-blooded killers do we really want to hear they story even if we could?
R.I.P
Naomi Rose Ebersole, age seven, Lina Miller, age seven, Mary Liz Miller, age eight, Anna Mae Stoltzfus, age 12, Marian Fisher, age 13, the Head Teacher killed last Friday and the 16 year old schoolgirl killed in Colorado.
Last Wednesday a 16-year-old girl died when an armed man, who also killed himself, took six students hostage at a Colorado high school and on Friday, a head teacher at a high school in Wisconsin was killed when he confronted an armed 15-year-old student as he entered the school and now a gunman has killed 5 girls between the ages of 7 and 13 years old. Thankfully he shot himself as well.
I can not begin to comprehend how someone with a loaded gun could walk into a school and take hostages at gun point? and I thought taking a pen-knife to school was bad.
This is why, I wasn't sure about writing this post....I am shocked and horrified about what has happened to these kids and there families.
The white house was/is holding a conference today about the issue of security in US schools...not suprising. How can people get hold of guns so easily and then use them to kill innocent people? Thats what I can not understand and frankly, I don't know if I want to understand.
The hostages being taken in their own school at gunpoint is serious enough and it is clear that must of these people aren't afraid to take away a briefly lived life or lives but a 15 year old taking a gun into school and killing a head teacher...I cannot find the words.
I am not totally ignorant, gun crime happens in UK of course it does but to the extent and the ramifications of the US, thankfully, I would say we have not yet reached that stage.
A final thing as well, a big investigation is being launched and all these meetings are taking place but 3 things in the space of a week....a lot of damge has already been done but anything that can be done to stop lunatics going anyway and taking hostages or waving a gun around should be done.
Both of the murderers obviously could not face up to what they had done, walked into a school full of children and taking away the rest of their lives as well as devastating the families/friends of the victims so they took the cowardly way out and shot themselves.
These things do intrigue me, suppose it is natural instincts as a trainee Journo to ask the guys who stormed into the school why did they do it, what did they think they would achieve, can they see the pain/suffering they have caused and get into their minds....but with cold-blooded killers do we really want to hear they story even if we could?
R.I.P
Naomi Rose Ebersole, age seven, Lina Miller, age seven, Mary Liz Miller, age eight, Anna Mae Stoltzfus, age 12, Marian Fisher, age 13, the Head Teacher killed last Friday and the 16 year old schoolgirl killed in Colorado.
Monday, October 02, 2006
the best 100 cartoons of all time
Yep. I was so bored last night that I watched this on Channel 4 and it was quite good actually.
The winner (if it isn't obvious...) was the Simpsons! But Futurama, Family Guy did well and of course Looney Toons! Ahh it brought back some great memories from my childhood...although I was very unhappy to see Scooby Doo at around 50th-odd place :( There was a lot of Anime in there as well which, personally, I can't really watch because I hate it so much...but thats just me.
Anyways, my 1st University lecture starts tomorrow so I got to get back into the swing of things as they say. Going to my student rag's news meeting tonight and just seeing how the first week goes before involving myself in community radio and other possible outlets of my Journalistic-future. Also, paid £70 for a years membership at the University gym so it better be worth it!!
The winner (if it isn't obvious...) was the Simpsons! But Futurama, Family Guy did well and of course Looney Toons! Ahh it brought back some great memories from my childhood...although I was very unhappy to see Scooby Doo at around 50th-odd place :( There was a lot of Anime in there as well which, personally, I can't really watch because I hate it so much...but thats just me.
Anyways, my 1st University lecture starts tomorrow so I got to get back into the swing of things as they say. Going to my student rag's news meeting tonight and just seeing how the first week goes before involving myself in community radio and other possible outlets of my Journalistic-future. Also, paid £70 for a years membership at the University gym so it better be worth it!!
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