Lest we forget, or have we already forgotten?

On the 11th of November at 11am every year the world comes to a stand still, as we sit and observe a two minute silence in remembrance of those who fought in World War 1. We also sit and think about those who fought in other wars and those courageous men and women who are still fighting abroad today.
 
Yet, for some reason as I sat in my University café it dawned on me, have we forgotten Armistice day?
 
Sat there in a group of 6 we put away our phones, music and laptops and sat in silence paying respect to those who allowed us to still be here. Looking around though, it clicked that out of all the people in the café; students and lecturers alike, we were the only ones observing the silence.
 
A silence that was meant to reflect those who fought on our behalf before we were even born was filled with the noises of coffee machines, talking and even shouting. The main shock of all was that one person who spoke the entire way through, sat right next to a group of students who purposely sat with their mobiles away not saying one word. Oh, and did I fail to mention she was conducting an interview? Which I'd assume means she was more than likely a journalist and as a journalist myself the fact that a fellow journalism student didn't know what day of the year it was and decided to do her interview at that time of day shocked me. Well, it didn't just shock me, it of course, shocked my course mates who spoke up explaining to the girl who was talking that she had spoken through the entire two minute silence. She replied by saying "I did a two minute silence on Sunday at Topshop, I didn't realise we did another one today, I'm not from this country". As one who doesn't like confrontation I decided to let it slide, my outspoken course mate on the other hand does, and spoke on behalf of all of us, explaining how its a national day which happens across the world and there was no excuse.
 
I couldn't help but silently agree with what was being said, there is no excuse for forgetting a national day, and with social media there is no excuse is there? Well, I noticed that apart from the odd tweet from News sources, many didn't take to the web to share their thoughts on the day. However, if you're ever wondering when it's snowing or if a celebrity died just log onto Twitter or Facebook everyone always takes to social media to share meaningless details. Yet, things which actually matter and are critical to others are forgotten.
 
Walking past the cenotaph today I grew silent looking at the reefs others had laid down in remembrance of those who fought for our country. Walking back past it later I felt honoured to be British as I saw army veterans standing proud, displaying medals they'd won and being interview by the press.
 
So, although not all of us observed the two minute silence, those who did remember with respect, those who didn't, well, maybe more should be done to help them remember. Perhaps chiming a bell to alert people that it's 11am? Or maybe just putting a post of Facebook will do the trick.

Is including the Greens and TV Debate Camerons way of diffusing tension between him and Farage?

As a nation, we are used to seeing two major political parties in the limelight, these are usually the Conservatives and Labour. However, in recent years UKIP has formed a huge following with Nigel Farage who seems to be relatable to many members of the British public. As a result of this UKIP has started to form major debate in British society with many pro and against.

Due to the controversy surrounding this political party BBC and ITV have decided to include this party in a TV political debate due to take place in April. The debate was originally due to be between the Liberal Democrats, Labour, The Conservatives and of course UKIP. Mr Cameron has decided this isn’t fair it would seem. Although these are at current the most popular parties he feels it’s unfair that UKIP a ‘minor party’ is included yet other minor parties aren’t.

On BBC Breakfast the prime ministers said “the point I made was that you couldn't have one minor party, UKIP without having another minor party, the Greens." One belief on why Mr Cameron has made a point of wanting to include other minor parties; Greens, SNP and Plaid Cymru is that he doesn’t want to debate Farage alone.


We have all seen Farage sitting in the pub debating away with colleges and due to this is Mr Cameron is worried about going head-to-head with him and wants other parties involved to diffuse the tension. Also should we have all the parties in a TV debate or just the two main ones? Well Channel Four and Sky believe we should only focus on the two main parties therefore they will be hosting a debate only between The Conservatives and Labour; which Mr Cameron hasn’t seemed to argue against.

Journalism...its a contacts game

Anyone who is trying to get into the world of journalism will have been told many times its not what you know it's who you know. That being said most places still desire someone who has a degree especially in media law so they know the rules of journalism. However, it is all about who you know.

So how do you get to know people? Well work experience is of course the easiest way, as a student you probably think your far too good to work for free and your time will be wasted if it was spent walking around making tea for people who are doing a job you want to do. Well a) most places don't actually make work experience people just make tea and b) if they do then you really don't want to be working there no matter how established they sound and c) don't try to aim too high in your search.

Most journalists I have spoken to have told me they started in local news and built it up from there, local news is a very exciting and interesting job which is great to start in especially with work experience. Most local news companies are aware that you are young and want to work so as a result they want to throw work at you and give you a real experience of this world of journalism.

Although not all major companies are unlikely to get work experience with. It's just a case of making contacts. Twitter is a great way to make contacts as it lets you interact with editors and writers and show them your work via Twitter and show off your talent. If they see a tweet from you they'd probably prefer to reply to that than a long email which is the same as every email they get from many young aspiring journalists.

Overall, if you truly want to get work experience do something to make yourself stand out and make friends. Once your in maintain the connection send tweets/emails about there lives not just how much you love their work. Keep at it and remember its all just a big contacts game.

Fifty Shades of Grey - The Review

There has been one film which has had the world talking for the best few months and that is Fifty Shades of Grey. After being a summer sensation in 2012 it’s finally been turned into a film. The book took women by storm and had everyone talking and now after many casting changes the film has been released in cinemas. So, much like many women up and down the country I grabbed my girlfriends and went to see what the fuss was all about having read half of the book I was not certain of what to expect.

Fast forward two hours and five minutes and I’m amazingly feeling slightly emotional. Having read the mixed reviews from the book I was unsure what to expect from the film but amazingly it was pleasantly amusing. The film managed to capture the sexual essence of the book yet combined a romantic twist leaving many females including myself excited and hopeful for a sequel. Dakota Johnson gave a believable performance as lead female Anastasia Steel creating a vulnerable character who we fear for when she enters the red room and who we feel empowered by when she takes control from Mr Grey played by Jamie Dornan. Jamie Dornan’s performance was uncomfortable in places when he needed to change from being a dominant male to letting his innocent side show, but he did create a credible male lead.

Danny Elfman managed to combine current music trends with a sensual twist to match the scenes perfectly. He created a dynamic soundtrack which helped us as we watched Miss Steele become surrounded by Mr Grey’s world. With a tension building songs and loveable numbers we watched this odd romance blossom. However, the music does remind us that this book is based on a piece of popular fan fiction constructed upon the romance of popular Vampire teen saga Twilight.
Sam Taylor-Johnson used a range of shots to create a more dynamic film than expected but she tends to zoom a lot into Miss Steele’s lips, possibly more than a female viewer would enjoy. However, as a director of a film which was never going to have amazing reviews she does make an effort to create an enjoyable movie.

If you’re expecting to go to see this movie and witness a plot-twisting drama which makes you gripped to your seats and not wanting to turn away from the screen then go see another film. This film does what it says, it’s a sexual romance movie which is perfect for a girl’s night in and grips you. For some women they found it emotional, the love story was developed more than E. L. James allowed it which helped the movie has a slight amount of depth by the story line doesn't develop anymore than you’d expect. If you’re a 18-25 year old woman you’re bound to enjoy it if not, watch it with an open mind and don’t search for any kind of deeper meaning.

What is the big deal with V day anyway?

So as many women will be made well aware of by now with the help of advertising companies, Valentines day is soon to be upon us. For some this will mean sitting in with a loved on watching movies, going out for a meal or going away for the weekend. For single ladies this will mean a night of crying, watching romantic films and being constantly reminded by Facebook, Twitter and any other social media portal you can find that they are alone.

However, is being with someone the best thing in the world? For me, I plan to spend Valentines day with the four ladies who make me get up in the morning and actually make me laugh. So what's the difference between a boyfriend and a girlfriend (in the friend sense not lesbian sense) well for starters there is the obvious, men have something many women desire, but other than that is there much difference? I mean sure, it's nice to have someone at home waiting for you and wanting to spend their evenings with you, but surely that's what your friends do as well? They are sitting there waiting with food or drink and they make you smile as well.

So, this Valentines day maybe they should start making campaigns for friendship rather than love relationships. Oh, and by the way, before you think this is just a rant from an eternally single woman this is not the case, just at times I am drawn to the idea of this single woman lifestyle and bring my self to question what the problem is with it. My single life experience has been short lived compared to some but those few months were precious, they helped me learn all the things I have wanted to for a long time. Like how you pull some random stranger in a club and it introduced me to the world of Tinder - although think I could of lived without that - so although yes, single lifestyle has its downs as long as you have girlfriends to bring you up it's not that bad.


Also, when it comes to Valentines day, we women always seem to have this ideal that men are cute and romantic and they will do something amazing on this day. Truth is, shouldn't they treat you like that everyday? If you love someone there doesn't need to be one day of the year that you spend specially with them just to show you love them. Oh, and most men also hate Valentines day so the likelihood of a boy being cute and romantic to you for this day is very low.

Are gym clothes just for working out?

As we come towards the end of January many women will look back on the first month of this new year and work out if they have started to achieve any of those drunken New Years Eve resolutions they made. Many women would have all made the same resolutions, I'm going to loose weight this year. For some this is something they have started to stick too for others not so easy. However, it's fair to say the shops have been helping us ladies, those kind designers have created many lines of gym/workout gear for us to wear when going on our trips out. My question is though, does this actually help us work out more?


As someone who attempts to attend the gym three times a week I do find myself surrounded by a mixture of gym outfits. There are the ones who go in old baggy tops and leggings, these people tend to have headphones in and a determined face on, they don't often look around to see what others are doing but concentrate on working out then going home. Then there are the ones who go in brand new leggings and fitted t-shirts, these people don't often have headphones in but if they do they are designer and normally hang around there necks, they often spend most of the time on their phone or looking around trying to see whose watching them work out.


Bearing all that in mind, does that mean that when shops sell gym clothes its not being sold because gym clothes are necessary when working out but rather they draw attention to you and the idea that you do workout. Often when I leave the gym I go straight home in the clothes I worked out in, however, when I go shopping I often see women strutting around in the clothes they supposedly wore to the gym. Strange this is that these people wearing these gym clothes all tend to not be sweaty or even slightly red faced. Yes, perhaps they haven't worked out yet, but surely if they're going to go shopping pre-gym they would want to walk in normal clothes. So that just asks the question more as to why they're walking in gym clothes.


For many women gym clothes make you look more shapely and perhaps they like people thinking they work out often and are healthy giving the idea they are fit. One thing is for sure, these women are doing it for slight attention rather than to be healthy. So next time your in the gym think, are you going to workout or get some attention. Depending on what your doing may depend on what you wear.

Digitaldeminuendo

In the 21st century we are living in a world where are lives are consumed by digital screens. There everywhere, be it the phone in our hand, the TV in our living room, the laptop on our desks or the iPod in our pockets technology consumes our everyday lives. However, due to the increase of a digital world are we seeing a decrease of an interactive world? A world where two people would sit down look each other in the eye and have a conversation rather than keeping one eye on your phone and one eye on the person your talking to.




Although, you can use your phone to have a conversation with someone who isn't able to meet you, does it mean we turn to our phones to have a conversation rather than using them as an aid to meet someone in public? We should be using the phones to help us but in a world where everyone is so busy its difficult to find the time to meet up and see each other so do we turn to ours phones to make our lives easier rather than just using them as we're too lazy for actually meeting up in person.


Problem which does occur is double digitaldeminuendo, when someone is using a phone to contact you whilst paying their attention to another screen. We all I feel have witnessed this, when we are growing bored of a phone conversation so feel that instead of telling the recipient we are bored we turn our attention to other digital means. So is this pure rudeness or just general lack of not wanting to disappoint the person on the other end of the phone.


So, to conclude, digitaldeminuendo is a very real thing which our current generation seem to be suffering with. Be it the fact that there are just too many screens out there to steal out attention or its just become enriched in our culture to turn to a screen over human conversation. That's a thought to leave you with, next time your on the phone is someone paying attention to you or just saying hmm and yeah are they concentrating on another screen?

Is university the student version of Big Brother?

Big Brother has graced our screens for nearly 14 years and there is something addictive about watching a bunch of either strangers or celebrities all living together arguing all the time. Whether it's it's the arguments that keep us interested or just the sheer joy of watching a group of people be so socially awkward towards each other that it's just hilarious.
So what is it about Big Brother that I feel is similar to the life of a university student? Well for starters it's the fact that a group of students all of similar age have been dumped into halls and are to be expected to live together for the next three years of there lives. Yes, they may not all live together of the full 3 years but at least for the first year they do have to endure each others company. Which sounds difficult, but there is the one thing students have over those in Big Brother.
First, we all have bedrooms so if worst comes to worst you could always spend your university life sitting in your room watching an absurd amount of Netflix only leaving your room to eat and go to lectures. Believe it or not but the vast majority of students seem to turn to this lifestyle, I'm unsure why as although money may be tight going out of an evening hardly costs much with many clubs doing free entry and 80p drinks.
However, we all have our own feelings of what aspect of university life we all want to experience. For some its all about drinking for others its all about work for some its trying to find a balance between both aspects of university life. Finding balance can be difficult however, when you're trying to manage your work load and your social life with a good group of friends it's easier than you'd think. Especially when your friends are incredibly sympathetic and supportive towards you and are willing to help you in every way they can.
So although Big Brother and student life may have similarities at present there seems to be more getting drunk and having fun in student life compared to Big Brother which is consumed with people arguing.

In the newsroom

So Thursday and Friday saw my second experience of being in a real newsroom The first of which was when I was 16 and had just had my first article published and sat in the Buckinghamshire Advertiser newsroom working away trying to be a real journalist. My second experience was very unlike my first.
I'm 18 now sitting in the newsroom, not as bright eyed as bushy-tailed as I was at 16, probably a result of not going to sleep until 1am as a result of sitting in the corridor chatting for far too long.
However, something which strikes me about the two newsrooms I have experienced is the difference between them. One produces work for local press and is printed on a daily basis so works to incredibly tight deadlines. The other is a group of students working to try to make their work look great and to another tight deadline. The work ethic is similar, however, were a group of students working unpaid so are working to show off our talent and get a good grade. Whereas the journalists in the 'professional' newsroom are working to get paid.
You can't fault the atmosphere of both newsrooms, the hum of people searching through Twitter trying to find a story worthy of publishing. Although the content maybe different the attitude journalists take to their work can't be faulted.
One thing which was the most interesting about a day in the news room was how excited you get over a Breaking News! story as every journalist rushes to try to be the first to publish a link to it.
Hence why I spent half of my day creating a sister blog; I Prefer News. The blog is linked to this one and features brief news pieces in and around the world, some are local some global. Check it out at iprefernews.blogspot.com and see for yourself.
The newsroom inspired me today and thats something which doesn't happen often, how frequent is it that someone gets inspired over something so trivial? Well for me its often but not everything can force me to write. Today saw a change in that, it increased my want and desire to write and hopefully that attitude will stay.

New year, same bottle of wine

2nd January 2015. So 2014 was an eventful year, as I sit here by the warm fire with a glass of wine in hand I can't help but feel like I should be writing a novel or pondering some of life's great questions. Instead I'm trying to write an insightful first blog post of 2015 which at the moment seems more like my inner most thoughts than a piece of interesting journalism. So I have made a new decision hence why I waited to blog until the new year. This year  I Prefer Writing is going to see a few changes. Whilst I do enjoy writing these anecdotal-style posts I do want to increase my level of investigative journalism. So I will endeavour to produce these little posts once a week (you all seem to enjoy reading them as the viewer counter keeps going up) but will try to jazz it up with some news about my new favourite place - Southampton.  Mostly it's my new favourite place because of the people there, the university, the lifestyle and the new found independence that comes with it. However, this is still a Carrie Bradshaw-esque blog site so I feel it wouldn't be a new year post without some new years resolutions so here goes:
  1. Go to the gym more, who doesn't want to have a new year being skinny!
  2. Attempt to write another book, this attempt has been made many times before but this year I'm determined to get at least half way through it.
  3. Stop shopping, this may sound bizarre but I must admit I am a self confessed shopacholic, anyone who has ever gone shopping with me knows I can't stop myself when I see a red sale sign.
  4. Go to a foreign (or British) place I've never seen before!
  5. Stay as happy as ever!
Number 5 is the most important one to me. Since moving to Southampton I have met the most amazing bunch of people and can't help but feel blessed with how my life has turned out. That's it I promise no more banging on about my happy life. I think this post has been exhausted and the wine glass is empty. So whilst I go refill the glass I Prefer Writing will be back again next Friday, however in between any Southampton based news will be placed on here - hopefully.
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