iJourno

2006-11-28T14:51:00.000Z

Facts about HIV

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. More than
42,000,000 are living with HIV worldwide.

You can not contact HIV from kissing, coughing, sneezing or sharing food.

Every six hours a person in the UK is infected by HIV.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the worst affected region in the world. There are 25,000,000 living with a HIV.

If you share needles or other drug injecting equipment that contains traces of HIV you can become infected.

Worlds Aids Day takes place on December 1.

There is no vaccine as yet.

There are numerous potential vaccines undergoing extensive trials at the moment. Even if they prove to be a benefit it will take several years these are available on the global market.

Since AIDS was first identified over 20 years ago 20,000,000 people have died due to the virus.

HIV is a virus that leads to the incurable and life threatening disease that is AIDS.

An HIV test is a simple blood test that checks for antibodies. Antibodies are your body's response to a viral infection.

The signs of HIV may take up to three months to show up in your blood.

An HIV positive test indicates HIV antibodies were found in your blood and you have been infected.

If you live in Tameside, and are aged between 13 and 25 and want more information about HIV and AIDS, contact the Information Shop for Young People in Ashton on 0161 308 3388.

Author: Andrew Campbell
Tameside iJourno group

2006-11-23T18:30:00.000Z

World Aids Day

World Aids Day is on December 1, and aims to raise awareness of the disease among young people.
Astley Sports College, in Dukinfield, will be holding an event which involves several hundred people.
On November 30, 600 people will hold up red cards to form a human red Aids ribbon, and 206 balloons will be released on the schools sports field.
The event has been organised and funded by the Information Shop for Young People.
Jayne Speat, the young people’s health development officer, said: "The event is about educating young people on issues relating to HIV and Aids. It aims to break down attitudes which lead to the stigma and discrimination of people living with the diseases. It's also about working in partnership with other services and encouraging schools to participate in issues other than the academic curriculum that are important for young peoples future lives."
The event will take place at around 11am on November the 30th.

Author: Craig Davies
Ashton iJourno group

2006-10-24T14:23:00.000Z

Noise Festival

The ‘Noise Festival’ is the UK’s first virtual arts festival for young talent - 25 and under - and it went live in October 2006!
Urbis, Manchester is, until 19th November the official exhibition space for the highlights of the website www.noisefestival.com.

The website provides a showcase platform of acclaimed artwork created entirely by young people and displayed the very best of 4,000 online submissions.

Noise Festival is directly aimed at young creative people wanting to get into the creative industries and who dream of seeing their work on television, radio, online and in print. It presented the opportunity to have their work reviewed by some of the UK’s most renowned creatives and potential collaborators. The best fashion, photography, illustration, design, music, fine art and new media is being showcased online and appears across a series of physical exhibitions throughout the UK.
Some of the biggest names in the creative industry have selected their favourite artworks to show as part of the multimedia festival. The curators chose artists because they ‘consistently demonstrated their originality, passion and innovation to their chosen art form’.
Lauren Clowes was chosen by the curator Mark Eley. After performing fashion shows from an early age, Lauren realised that she could pursue a career in the field she loved the most. After completing an art foundation course at Stockport College, Lauren went on to a three year fashion degree at Manchester Metropolitan University. During this time, she was able to create many collections for the degree course and for her own personal portfolio. During her time at University Lauren worked at the Palace Theatre where the basis for a few collections was inspired due to the theatrical influences from the stage shows. Lauren also takes themes from working in charity shops and customising clothes and accessories to sell on Portobello Market in London where she currently has a stall. Lauren channelled her interest in retro clothing with the aid of vintage shops and found objects in garments where ‘craft’ is greatly implicated.
Lauren first discovered her passion for fashion through art classes where she discovered she was much more ‘touchy-feely’ with fabrics and especially enjoyed sewing, more so than painting etc. Lauren innovatively experimented with these two mediums by sticking fabric onto flat drawings! At college Laurens teacher was able to help and guide her through her Art foundation. The North West has been a vibrant centre for the development of Lauren’s development of creative talent and has a reputation for continually producing some of the best creative talent in the UK. Urbis, Manchester is also all about covering what’s new, original and interesting about city life. Lauren was very pleasantly surprised to find out that she had been handpicked for the exhibition. Lauren was able to use much of her University work in preparing for the opening. The piece ‘garden party’ was actually done 2 years ago which further shows Lauren’s innovative skills in predicting fashions. This particular collection is based on ‘found’ objects (such as blankets) and is inspired by sunny days and garden parties. The outfits are actually comprised of picnic blankets to enable the characters to sit down wherever they may be. ‘There’s a commitment to nostalgia that really works’, says Eley, ‘it’s a real pleasure to find because it has such a huge personality’. Lauren loved ‘making an image that encourages you to be somewhere else, away from all the hustle and bustle of everyday life’. Lauren is modestly shy when she sees her work being admired by numerous people. Old photographs from her grandma and mum have provided inspiration for Lauren to produce a number of her creative designs. Lauren adores vintage clothing and charity shops.
The ‘noise festival’ is the biggest event that Lauren has been involved in, although she has had experience in exhibiting her work though fashion shows on a catwalk at University. Lauren’s dream job would of course be in designing individual, flamboyant creations which are ‘more art than fashion’. Lauren currently works in ‘Rags to Bitches’ in Manchester where she is soon to have her very own clothing line before she moves to London to continue working in the industry.

Author: Cherry Sandhu

Manchester iJourno group

2006-10-24T14:15:00.000Z

GMPTE interview - Rafael Martinez

Leaning back in his chair, sipping tea and smiling, Rafael Martinez looked ready to take on anything that is thrown at him. And he certainly knew how to answer a question.
The Crime Reduction Coordinator for the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, enthralled with his enthusiasm, passion and dedication for his job.
It was certainly a joy to discover that those trying to make a difference, do so with character.
The young, football crazy professional Rafael, or Raf, as his friends know him as, began by telling us about the route to his current job, starting with his education.
The skills he gained from his foreign languages degree helped him more in his current job of four years than you would think. Being a coordinator for an important department for public transport, he tells us how important it is to be able to summarise a lot of topics in a short space of time.
He said: “University helped a lot with this. The majority of a degree is based around research, and then creating brief preparation for seminars, and obviously managing your time plays a vital role.”
It seems that Raf thoroughly enjoyed his student life at gigs and all the other usual student scenes.
So why study languages and then go onto a post grad in business studies?
He said: “I have a flare for languages. As my father is Spanish, I was brought up to speak the language.”
So where does all this fit into his job? As a fresh graduate out of business school, Raf’s first job was with GMPTE in 2002, as a crime analyst.
He said: “As a temp for the business school after finishing my studies, I was waiting till an advertised job grabbed me before I took it.’ And it seems Raf’s astute decision was the right one; climbing the ranks to his current post with the Crime Reduction team.
Raf’s role now incorporates the negotiation and communication skills he gained as an analyst, and have remained helpful to him throughout his career at GMPTE.
He added: “It’s my job to improve the safety of public transport, and to build relationships with the police. We want to bring public and private together, as well as to overall improve security. We hear of many tales of incidents on public transport and it remains to be my ambition to further develop a career within local government that allows me to serve the needs of the public.”
As safety on public transport is a current big issue, what is GMPTE doing to help reduce crime and increase security?
“We use a multi-model tracking survey, which gives us the opinions of both passengers and non-passengers based on public transport,” said Raf. “We keep a main eye on busier routes, or those in quieter areas, poorly lit areas. Students are a big problem too, especially as many are new here and are therefore more vulnerable to crime in general.’
Raf also commented on how the public are much more aware of CCTV today, and want recordings now to show police. The public will also be interested to know that security guards have also been placed on the metro link for the last eight hours of rail, which Raf thinks will prevent much of the crime occurring currently at night time.
“We also do a lot of preventative work,” he went on to say. “Children who have never been on a bus before need guidance on bus routes, and most of all, the behaviour that is expected on transport.’
The ‘Crucial Crew’ are now the ones responsible for informing younger children leaving primary school on the public transport system, emphasising the way to ‘behave’ on transport.
So it really isn’t difficult to see that GMPTE are doing all they can for the prevention of crime on public transport. Improvements don’t just happen overnight, and people really do have to realise that GMPTE are doing the best job they can possibly do, and with dedicated coordinators such as Raf, we really shouldn’t have anything to worry about!

Author: Amy Coombs

Manchester iJourno group

2006-10-05T17:23:00.000Z

Papa Roach Gig Review
1st October 2006
Academy 2, Manchester

Papa Roach returned to Manchester to promote their new album ‘Paramour Sessions’, and proved that they are as good as ever. In the intimate surrounding of Academy 2 they mixed their set with songs from both old and new albums, in an energetic performance which left fans wanting more.
After entering through a black mist, they immediately leapt into new single ‘To Be loved’ and from that moment on the energy never left the room. Supporting on the night was The Bangkok Five, who never really managed to gets fans excited and could only generate cheers when asking ‘who’s here to see Papa Roach’.
When the main act did enter though, the fans when crazy and never let off until they left. They performed all the big hits, including ‘Getting Away With Murder’, ‘Between Angels And Insects’, and also slotted in songs from the new album which were well received by the crowd.
Papa Roach gave their fans a real treat, and no doubt people who didn’t get the chance to see them will be wishing they had. Don’t worry though - they will be back on our shores in February next year.

Author: Craig Davies
Ashton iJourno Group

2006-10-04T10:33:00.000Z

Why drive when you can catch a bus?

Being stuck in a stuffy Saxo in rush-hour traffic on my way to the city centre office where I work from Monday to Friday often urges me to consider using public transport. Afterall, it is much more environmentally friendly as all the promotional material reiterates over and over again. However, when I weigh up the pros and cons, there are reasons why I keep getting into my Saxo and paying the ridiculous petrol prices.
A consideration that must be taken into account is the current demand for accurate timekeeping. I am expected to be in work for 9am. If I could rely on public transport to guarantee that, having planned my journey appropriately, I would arrive, as expected, at 9am, I would relax and enjoy the journey to work, safe in the knowledge that I am not going to have to face my boss red-faced and out-of-breath having ran from the bus stop to make it in before 9.30am. However this is not reality; if I am going to be late and, more importantly, take responsibility for being late, I would rather be stuck in a traffic jam behind the wheel than at a bus stop staring at my watch, wondering whether a bus is actually going to show up.
An obvious perk of using public transport is the lack of discrimination against those of us who have not perfected the art of being able to lose our car on the streets of Manchester or against those of us who cannot afford the overpriced car parks. Another perk, close to my own heart, is the freedom from worry if you wish to have a few drinks after work with your colleagues. However, with the rising prices of public transport and the length of time that is usually added to the journey, one is inclined to drive home and have a glass of wine with dinner rather than chasing around Manchester and its surrounding areas to get home, just in time to cook the dinner before the watershed!
Being a young female, I have been brought up to be aware of my surroundings and avoid putting myself in a situation that might lead to me being on my own in a dark area at night. The threatening nature of bus stations, used as a shelter for young people with nowhere else to go, is intimidating. Theoretically the “Greater Manchester Transport Police patrol these stations”. Do they?
With the Nightbus bringing me home from Manchester after a long night out, if I arrive safely without having witnessed a fight on the bus, or having had a drunken sleazy older man try and make me get off at his stop, I arrive at the bus station to find the buses back to my house have stopped running. It is a twenty minute walk, do I risk it and walk alone or pay £5 to get a taxi? This is a question I shouldn’t have to ask.
Until buses and trains are safer, more reliable, less expensive and have an extended network that runs 24 hours a day, the demand and use of public transport will not rise. This of course means that transport companies cannot afford to improve their service. Until someone finds a way to break this vicious cycle I’m happy to drive in my Saxo!

Author: Su Lewis

Manchester iJourno Group

2006-10-04T10:29:00.000Z

RECORD REVIEW - METALLICA “LOAD” AND “RELOAD”
1996 + 1997, Vertigo

Picture the scene. You’re in the world’s biggest heavy metal band. It’s 1996. Five years ago, you released a self-titled album which defied all expectations and sold more copies than most of your fans have had hot dinners. You’ve changed the path of heavy music several times with a series of increasingly complex and punishing releases. You’ve just finished a four-year tour in support of said eponymous album. You’re tired, angry and coming to terms with your status. What do you do?
Well, if you’re Metallica… your guitarist and drummer wear eyeliner, you cut your hair and piss off countless people by releasing a relaxed, alternative rock-influenced album called Load, which still sells umpteen squillion copies, then follow it a year with more of the same, called RELoad this time.
But lets not be too hard on Metallica. In their defence, both are fine records, and if they’d put out more trash metal, they would have been dubbed one-trick ponies. There are many fine songs here; different but fine. There are heavy, raucous rockers (“Aint my bitch”, “Fuel” and “Better Than You”) huge, sprawling epics (“Bleeding Me “and” “The Outlaw Torn”, the latter of which is still one of the finest Metallica songs ever) and even blues and country excursions (“Low Mais Lyrics” and “Mama Said” respectively). The only problem is, most of Metallica’s fanbase at the time was extremely narrow- minded, and not all of the band’s experiments here work: “Ronnie” (from Load( is dreadful sub-Lynyrd Skynrd crap, and possibly the worst song Metallica have ever recorded.
Frontman James Hetfield was also criticised for making his writing more personal, but this is unfair – a man in his mid-30s writing songs like “Seek & Destroy” and “Creeping Death” would be widely jeered as well.
All in all, Metallica deserve full marks for trying something new, but theory and practice are seldom the same. At least both these records are better than St.Anger and everything Metallicas rivals Megadeth have ever put out.

LOAD: FOUR STARS.
RELOAD: THREE STARS
LOAD AND RELOAD: FOUR AND A HALF STARS.
KIRK HAMMETT AND LARS ULRICH’S MAKEUP: NO STARS

Author: Gregg Mather
Manchester iJourno Group

2006-10-04T10:26:00.000Z

Student transport - opinion piece

As a regular public transport user in both Manchester and Sheffield, it is interesting to see the differences of the services offered to students in the two similar size cities.
Manchester provides a very regular bus service in the student areas, with weekly passes costing only £2 for students and frequent buses on Sundays too.
In my opinion the students in Manchester are clearly catered for better than in Sheffield, even though Sheffield also has a large student popularity.
In Sheffield a return fair from the town centre to one of the student areas is at least £1.60 with no student concessions, almost the same amount as a weekly pass for students in Manchester! Sheffield also doesn’t have many bus services on Sundays - in fact hardly any despite being the fourth largest city in England - it is clearly not that advanced!
Another positive aspect of Manchester’s bus service is that it provides free journeys to all pensioners and disabled people after 9.30am - in Sheffield, there aren’t many buses with disabled access let alone ones that provide free journeys!
Manchester definitely wins in the sense of the better provision of public transport and its services, in comparison to Sheffield, which needs to cater for students and the general public better. However, a reason for these differences could be due to the difference in some of the bus companies used in both cities. To improve this, more positive similarities in all northern major cities, in terms of the number of hours that buses run on a Sunday, and standard prices and the amount of discount for students in certain student areas would certainly be advantageous!

Author: Shamela Ghafoor

Manchester iJourno group

2006-10-04T10:14:00.000Z

Metrolink expansion to go ahead

After a lot of debate, Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander recently announced that the first phase of the long-planned expansion to the Manchester Metrolink is finally to go ahead.
The service, which currently serves as a fast and efficient transport link between several regions of Greater Manchester, will have three new lines added to Rochdale rail station, Droylsden in Tameside and St Werburgh's Road in south Manchester.
The decision comes after a debate taking place over two years. After initial Government enthusiasm, plans for the extension were scrapped because of the prohibitive cost. Advocates of the expanded service, however, have always said that any costs incurred by the decision to extend the Metrolink service would be more than made up for in benefits to the regions’ economy through job creation.
The construction of the rail links is expected to begin in 2008, with a projected completion date of 2010. It will be funded with a £520 million fund from the Government and a £300 million loan.
Transport executives are now in the process of finding companies and contractors to carry out the work involved in the extension. They are also looking ahead to phase 3b, which, if the bid is successful, will see services to the town centres of Oldham and Rochdale town centres, as well as to Ashton-under-Lyne, East Didsbury and Manchester Airport. If the bid is successful Manchester will host one of the most sophisticated public transport networks in the country.
It is hoped that the extended service will make life easier for residents and commuters all across the Greater Manchester area. Councillor Andrew Fender, the Manchester spokesperson for the Authority, said: "Metrolink has already given Manchester a huge social and economic boost and the expansion of the network will play a vital role in the continued regeneration of the region."

Author: Richard Millington

Manchester iJourno group

2006-10-04T10:06:00.000Z

FILM REVIEW - ANCHORMAN The legend of Ron Burgundy
Cert: 15
Starring: Will Ferrell

As far as I can remember, there haven’t ever been any comedies based around newsreader. Bringing word of wars and natural disasters isn’t usually all that japesome. However, local news is different: see Granada’s Paul Crone, for example.
“ANCHORMAN”, the recent film from the “new school” of American comedy, attempts to make us laugh ourselves stupid with the take of Ron Burgundy, “anchor” of a local San Diego news show in the 1970s who has the city at his feet and the love and respect of his peers and viewers… until Veronica Corningstone, a gutsy and beautiful female anchor struts into the studio. While his colleagues are appalled at the idea of a female achor (reporter Brian Fantana remarking “it is anchorman, not anchorLADY!”), Ron is lovestruct and attempts to begin his courtship of Ms. Corningstone.
Eventually he is successful, but at the expense of his career (his final hours coming when he reads out “Go fuck yourself, San Diego” from the Teleprompter, outraging the city). After a humiliating fall from grace complete with a “Lost Weekend” to make John Lennon weep, he is called back to report on the birth of a panda at San Diego zoo. All ends happy and, he and Veronica achieve their career dreams of becoming network anchors.
Unfortunately, the audience don’t get that happy a conclusion. It’s not that “Anchorman” is a bad film, it’s that it just seem to be a bunch of sketches tacked together that often make no sense (for example, the scene where Ron and Veronica consummate their relationship, or where Ron and his co-workers Brian Fontana part-time reporter, full time Casanova).
Champ Kind (loud, brash sports anchor) and Brick Tomland (the weatherman who’s a few drops short of a storm) begin singing “Afternoon Delight” for no reason whatsoever. There are a few standout scenes which are actually hilarious: Jack Black’s comes as a disgruntled biker and the inner-city brawl between the rival news channels’ anchors’ but for a film with Will Ferrel billed as the star, it’s strange that Steve Corell (as Tomland) should get most of the laughs. Make no mistake, the lines you’ll be quoting to your mates will all be Tomland’s (I’ll give you these two as a heads-up: “LOUD NOISES!” and “ I DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’RE YELLING ABOUT”)
Essentially, “Anchorman” is a dumb idea pulled off poorly, and with the exception of a few lines by Ferrel’s co-stars, the film is cringeworthy in the wrong way (for the right way, see “Fawlty Towers”). The comparison of 70’s newsreaders to 70s rock stars in terms of excess and misogyny is amusing, but one good idea and a few quotable lines do not a must-see film make.

** and a half!

Author: Gregg Mather

Manchester iJourno group

2006-10-04T10:01:00.000Z

Opinion piece - Whitworth Art Gallery

Established over 100 years ago in 1889, Whitworth Art Gallery holds some of the most remarkable, and many extraordinary pieces of art work, and all right here in Manchester. Home to a broad range of textiles, sculptures, watercolours and modern art, I was overwhelmed with how much magnificent art can be held all under the roof of one museum, and in my home town.
One such magnificent piece of art has to be ‘Genesis;’ I think it would safe to say that this certainly does have a story behind it. Positioned at almost the entrance of the museum, the Genesis sculpture is most definitely an eye opener; at a first glance, many people pose the question, ‘is this really art?’ and in my opinion I would have to say, yes, undeniably, it is.
Created by Sir Jacob Epstein from 1929 until 1931, Genesis is huge in size, mass and beauty; clearly it rebels against the ‘rules’ of artwork, which only enhances its splendour. The marble sculpture portrays a pregnant, naked lady, with a face of what could only be considered revolting, yet for some reason it was hard to take my eyes off her. An in-proportion body, mammoth hands and thighs, and over exaggerated facial features, yes this woman is marvellous. In my mind, (and I’m sure in Epstein’s mind also) Genesis asks its audience, ‘why does art always have to show average beauty?’ The sculpture forces the fact that not only is there beauty in everyone, but also in pregnancy. ‘Genesis,’ meaning ‘birth’ could not only literally signalise the fact that the woman is pregnant, but also Epstein clearly gives the birth of a very different form of magnificence; by displaying beauty in a very unusual way. It combines pregnancy, culture and feminism; standing up and becoming proud of what you are, who you are, and what you are made of.
At the time of its creation, people were shocked that Epstein could be so ‘grotesque’ by showing this naked, pregnant woman. Pregnancy was something you should have hidden; women should stay covered up; but thanks can only be given to Sir Epstein for breaking these ‘rules’ once and for all.
However, one can only offer some criticism for the gallery after such praise. Whitworth Art Gallery is the home of many pieces by Joseph Mallord William Turner, worldly famous for his watercolour paintings, such as ‘Moonlight on Lake Lucerne,’ created in 1841. The collection held at Whitworth consists of some of his more popular paintings, many worth millions of pounds. However, some of his work was not really spectacular; I couldn’t help but think that between the work of Turner and that of Epstein there was really no comparison, and certainly thought Turners collection at the gallery had been over rated; so much so that I was disappointed with this part of Whitworth!
Another famous piece I observed on my visit to the Whitworth was ‘Frontispiece, The Ancient Days,’ by William Blake. I was surprised to see that poetry was not all Blake was good at! A relief etching finished in pen and ink, although small, the painting displays authority and wisdom and Blake has truly captured the power of the ‘ancient of days.’

By Amy Coombs
Manchester iJourno Group

2006-10-04T09:59:00.000Z

Public Transport - opinion piece

As a student in Manchester I am extremely concerned with saving my money! When first arriving in the city I was absolutely amazed to discover that the bus companies such as UK North, Magic Bus and Finglands offered weekly bus passes at just £2. I was also offered a termly bus pass for £30, which I also believed was a complete bargain. Unfortunately the prices have begun to inflate, but at £3 a week I suppose that I still cannot really complain! These passes also work after midnight. This is perfect for the student lifestyle, which involves going to bed in the early hours of the morning! When rushing to get to a lecture in the morning after one of these nights I grew increasingly impressed to find a number of busses pulling up at my stop on a regular basis. However I do believe that this regularity should continue for the whole day. After finishing university at five o’clock it is extremely irritating to have to fight your way onto a bus with hundreds of others wanting to get home also. The buses at this time are way too congested and overcrowded and not frequent enough. On many occasions I have opted for walking home in the rainy city as opposed to feeling claustrophobic crammed into a bus that is way over its limit, despite the fact that I have already purchased a ticket for a week’s use. I strongly feel that this must be against all health and safety rules. On this same issue I have felt extremely concerned with the lack of security on buses, particularly at rush hour when there is an endless number of school children causing chaos and also after a night out. I have witnessed several fights on buses in Manchester, which have made me feel incredibly vulnerable and threatened and made me fear for my own safety. Much of this behaviour takes place on the top of a double decker bus, whereby the driver may be completely oblivious to the situation as it is usual for the buses to be extremely rowdy and noisy at this time of night. Another nuisance of travelling on public transport in Manchester is the number of people who ignore the no smoking ‘rules’ of the bus. As a non-smoker I find it unbearable to be confined on a journey where another passenger is blowing smoke into my face. I have also had to endure journeys which have consisted of listening to a drunk passenger rant and rave for what seems like a lifetime. Although this may have been me on a couple of occasions after a night out! There is a risk of the passenger becoming aggressive due to the alcohol or even being sick in the presence of other paying customers.
Therefore despite being cheap for students to use the public buses, it is not entirely safe or reliable in my opinion and if parking wasn’t so expensive I would much rather drive to my destination!

By Cherry Sandhu

Manchester iJourno group

2006-10-04T09:57:00.000Z

RECORD REVIEW
KORN – KORN
1994, EPIC

Alright, alright. They might be crap now, and the genre they spawned may be long. Dead in commercial terms, but which ever way you slice it, Korn used to be the hound’s hangers.
Blending the crushing heavy metal of Pantera with the groove and hip-hop basshires of Faith No More replete with the ragged, seething vocals of frontman Jonathan Davis over the top of it all, “Korn” is a fantastic record. While its follows-up may have been accused of forced emotion and continual whining about the same old “I’m so unhappy” crap, its too extreme here to be anything but the real deal. From the slow, tense intro of “Blind” onwards the records coils and trashes with anger, intensity and a deep hatred for anybody that ever wronged Davis. Nowhere is this more evident than in the final track “Daddy”. An horrific reaction to the childhood sexual abuse Davis suffered, its disturbing to listen to at first, and then becomes unbearable: the tragic sound of a man screaming “You ruined my life” through chocked tears is something not everyone wishes to experience.
The only problem with the record is that after seven excellent tracks, you may feel the record falls somewhat flat from then until “Daddy” at first listen. However, repeated listening reveals a consistently pummelling album which is essential if you like hearing music.

*****

Author: Gregg Mather

Manchester iJourno group

2006-10-04T09:37:00.000Z

Our Day Out

Every couple of months my friends and I plan a day out in Manchester. We get the bus into the town centre from Moston and not have to worry about driving home after a few drinks.
I hate waiting for buses, but it's not often we have to wait longer than five minutes on a Saturday afternoon for a bus to come along, and we hop on for the short 15 minute ride into the centre.
No one has to worry about being in charge of the car keys to get us home safely because we know we can rely on the bus to get us back home again - and all for the price of a bag of chips. And there's no risk of losing the keys while we're out and about either!
If we took the car with us we?d only have to make our way back into town in the morning to pick it up. And then there?s always the worry that we could still be over the limit and could get pulled over by the police.
A one-way taxi ride, for the same journey, would cost us at least £5 more - it just wouldn't make sense.
The bus allows us the freedom to do what we want during the day, for just a couple of quid. A bargain in my book!

By Manchester iJourno group

2006-09-19T14:23:00.000Z

In't Public Transport Brilliant?

Well, there's the question, and now here's the answer.

Yes and no.

Yes for several reasons: if you don't have a car, it can get you where you want to go. If you do have a car but it's knackered, then it'll do the same. It's good for the environment, if you're one of those hippy types (man). There's more, but if I just sit here and tell you why public transport's the best thing since Jesus said 'Hang on, why don't we try being nice to one another instead of jabbing swords into our enemies' eyes all the time,' then you'd be looking for a sword to jab into your own eyes before long. So here's why public transport isn't so great: it's praised for being cheaper than a car, but if it's a choice between putting a fiver's worth of petrol in the tank or paying �2.90 for a half-hour bus journey that takes ten minutes by car, I'd rather pay the fiver (at least that lasts longer than half an hour). The train station in my village is a good mile away, and if I'm trying to get there on time, it takes a lot of running and a lot of swearing (if I end up being thirty seconds late). That also brings me onto another point: trying to get to a bus or train station on time is often the worst part of the journey, as you're constantly wondering if you've missed it, whether or not the fares have gone up, and whether it's going to get you to your chosen destination on time (which, if you're using it to get you to work, is a real pain in the derriere). If a train timetable tells me it's going to get me to a place for ten to six (which would be an ideal time for me to reach my destination), then I'd quite like it if it got me there for that time, instead of six o'clock or later. I mean, don't get me wrong: the train service is better now than it was fifteen years ago, and I'll take a ten minute delay over five hours waiting for whatever problem's decided to arse my day up to clear off, but surely if companies (and the government) wants people to use public transport, it's got to be more efficient. Safety's a bit of an issue as well. I, along with great swathes of the public transport-using public (wow, what a wide vocabulary), listen to rock music, and I often dress in a manner that indicates this. I'd appreciate it if I was shown the same courtesy I show to other people. But when I get tracksuit-wearing troglodytes calling me every name under the sun, smacking me round the head, punching me in the face and causing similar offence and harm to others like me (whether they're friends of mine or just random people sitting on the bus or train), it's kind of hard to feel like the world's a fair place. This doesn't just mean on the buses or trains, either. I've lost count of the amount of times that, while waiting in a bus station, I've been intimidated, spat at, insulted, punched and otherwise menaced by the Adidas-clad scum who come out of the woodwork in my hometown after ten o'clock and think that Wigan bus station's the most righteous, happening place to hang out of an evening since Studio 54, the Wigan Casino or the Ha�ienda. It's just not on. If I've had a good night out with friends in the pub and I decide to roll on home and have a good night's kip, don't I deserve it without having to clean blood off my Nirvana shirt when I get there? You really do fear for your life sometimes. The Night Bus service, which runs in Wigan of a weekend, is a very good idea, but as the man who invented the chocolate fireguard found out, theory and practice are seldom the same. Picture the scene. You've had a good night out. You roll out of your chosen watering hole or nightclub at ten to three in the morning. You go to Abrakebabra or any burger house of your choosing and get some fatty, hangover-enhancing sustenance, and then it dawns on you: 'How the hell am I going to get home?'

But never fear! Help is at hand! For out of the mists of the night comes a grey-and-purple lifeline: the 635 Night Bus! For only two quid it'll take you to your chosen town, village or hamlet and you can get home to bed for quicker and cheaper than a taxi. Sorted. But it's not all a bed of fragrant roses here either. It's an excellent idea, and I'd much rather use the Night Bus service than a taxi or, God forbid, walk (if it takes half an hour by bus, who knows how long it'll take on foot?). But the same problems are encountered with the night service as with the day service. As we all know, alcohol and young people have a strange relationship. Sometimes it's a nice one, in which the alcohol turns the young person into a great example of what it is to be a human, and sometimes it's a terrible one, in which the alcohol becomes the Devil possessing the soul of the young person and turning them into a good argument for bringing back capital punishment. Unfortunately, the latter usually seems to be the case in Wigan. Once again, I often find it hard to get through a trip on the night service without getting at least three clips round the ear, slurred demands for me to 'Give us a bit of that f**kin' pizza,' or worse. It's almost a relief to get off the bus, but even then the horror's not finished: it's my own fault for living in the back end of nowhere, but I have to get off the bus about a mile and a half away from my house, and the walk isn't a nice one. Few streetlights, huge forests overshadowing your every step and a jaunt past a hospital where a girl was murdered some ten years ago make it come in around #465 on Dennis Norden's Bumper List of Romantic Treks. A few months ago there were some roadworks on the route, and as a result the bus ended up dropping me off at the end of my road, but eventually it was back to the old school. So what's the way around these problems? I've heard that Wigan's bus station is patrolled by Greater Manchester Transport Police, but that doesn't stop the cavalcade of abuse from Wigan's leisurewear-clad University Challenge hopefuls. The price of buses is shockingly high in contrast to trains, with an average difference of at least one pound for a return ticket; a return ticket that is, of course, dubbed a 'Day Saver' on buses now. Day Saver is actually another way of saying 'This is our new name for this service, and a new name means it's better and thus, more expensive: we'll be after the shirt off your back next'. I always thought trains would've been more expensive to run than buses, anyway. All I ask for is that the masses of money that the bus and train companies extract from us all on a daily or weekly basis be put to some use other than marketing and advertising or making sure that the coffee machine in the staff canteen works properly. Bouncers at bus stations, there?s a novel concept. Bring back the old days of conductors on buses, too. And give them the power to clout the insolent. It's either doing that, or dispensing cattle prods to passengers who look like particularly obvious targets for abuse.

Author: Gregg Mather
Manchester iJourno group

2006-08-07T10:18:00.000Z

Summer Sundae Weekender Preview - August 11 to 13

The Summer Sundae Weekender is the best little festival you?ve probably never heard of. Now in its sixth year and ever growing in scale, the festival stretches over four stages with more than 100 artists. Events take place in and around Leicester?s De Monfort Hall with this year?s headliners including Elbow, Gomez, Calexico, The Proclaimers and Belle & Sebastian.
This will be my third year at the festival. So what makes the Summer Sundae so special, I hear you ask? Firstly, It?s a great place to see all manner of up-and-coming bands with Keane, Kasabian and Hot Chip among others having played there in recent years. Secondly, the festival site is very close knit, with all the stages are in close proximity to each other, making it a doddle to wander from one to the other.
It is also situated right in the centre of Leicester so, while you could spend the whole weekend in blissful ignorance of the outside world, the city centre is only a 10-minute walk away. Finally, the festival is fairly cheap as festivals go, with a price tag of �75 with camping only costing �2 per tent, but early bird tickets are available for only �65. The campsites are clean and friendly places, with facilities that don?t go to rack and ruin, even by the last day.
The music starts on Friday afternoon, August 11 and runs through to Sunday night. Tickets are still on sale as I write, but the camping tickets have already sold out. The festival is supported by BBC 6 Radio so if you can?t make it, you can still tune in and hear all the highlights. For further information, have a look at the following sites:
Summer Sundae official website: www.summersundae.com
BBC6 website: www.bbc.co.uk/6music/events/summersundae2006/
Efestivals website: www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/summersundae/2006/

Author: Garath Hacking
Manchester iJourno group

2006-07-26T09:30:00.000Z

Toronto - Should be a capital!

It is hard to believe that Toronto - such an exciting, lively, vibrant and colourful city - is not the capital of Canada, as it is comparable to London, Madrid and Paris.

Toronto, Canada is one of the best places that I have been lucky enough to visit, which explains why I have since returned to experience more of the lifestyle four times!

One of the best features of Toronto is perhaps the environment. In comparison to other capital cities like London, there is a much more safe and friendly atmosphere. It is noticeable how clean the streets are, especially when you consider how many visitors the city attraction a daily basis. Although the city is constantly full of activity, the people who live and work there are never too busy to smile and make you feel welcome.

The list of possible attractions is endless. There is the choice of shopping downtown in the famous Eaton centre or for even more trendy and individual shops I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Queens Street.

There is a countless number of restaurants to choose from and the breakfast buffets are amazing but unfortunately rather unhealthy! There is the CN Tower or Niagara Falls for those who aren't afraid of heights and who wish to see someof the most spectacular views in the world! There is Wonderland, a theme park that is on another level when compared to our own Alton Towers or Light Water Valley! This is situated right next to an incredible water park, for those extremely hot days.

One of my personal favourite places to visit is a five-minute ferry ride away from the city centre which takes you to an island that provides a sense of complete escapism from the occasionally chaotic city life. The island has its own little beach and a wide variety of paddleboats, canoes, ponds, rivers and parks. There are not many vehicles on the island and all visitors are able to hire a number of different types ofbicycles in order to fully explore the island. Another feature of Toronto, which greatly appealed to me, was the sense of multiculturalism. Not only is there a little China but a little Italy and India.

Having two universities located within the city encourages a great deal of international students (one of which happened to be my own brother, who studied in Toronto for four years!)

This adds to the wide variety of nationalities and cultures in the city, which makes it what it is. I thoroughly believe that Toronto provides a wide variety of activities, sights and shops and is suitable for everyone, whether they wish to go on afamily holiday or with friends.

Author: Cherry Sandhu

Manchester iJourno Group

2006-07-26T08:15:00.000Z

Ignorance is bliss

For some, ignorance is bliss. But it is only when you see certain things, or learn about particular aspects of life that these people fail to see, that you begin to realise you would rather be in the know than out of it. This was the conclusion I came to while travelling through the shanty towns on the thickly wooded outskirts of Goa. I may have been aware that I would be travelling thousands of miles to reach the destination; I may also have been aware that I was letting myself in for somewhat of an experience, if not a culture shock. What I was certainly not prepared for was the massively overwhelming feeling from the moment I stepped off the plane. The very first thing that hit me, aside from the heat, was the reality of the work these people did - work that would put us Brits to shame. In the two weeks that I was lucky enough to be there, I never once heard anyone complain about the amount of work they had to put up with (and for very little) and the conditions they had to work in. This was regardless of the sweltering heat; that almost wraps itself around you, absorbs into your skin and clings onto your clothes. This was regardless of the few pennies they would receive for the unbreakable, repetitive tasks, day in day out. And regardless of the fact that they have very little to actually go home to at the end of the evening. Those lucky enough to be able to buy a taxi - or tuck tucks - as they were commonly known, certainly didn't have the easy trade. These unfortunate persons fought for customers with their fellows, and would drive a good couple of hours for a customer, half way across the state, for as little as a fiver This is one of the many reasons that I arrived back in England almost ashamed of myself and on behalf of Britain. When you are able to see such poverty, you begin to appreciate every little thing you have. What shocked me most was that the people of Goa had nothing, literally; and yet they were underprivileged in every way possible apart from in spirit. I soon came to realise that when you survive on the bare necessities all your life, you have nothing to complain about. Another thing that I was quick to catch onto was the way in which the people of India trade. On numerous occasions throughout the holiday I was lucky enough to taste some real Indian spice, and I'm not talking about the curry. Various towns around the complex I was situated in held bazaars - the closest definition I can think of is a market - though they were unlike anything I have ever seen. The people of Goa shed a whole new light on the word haggling, something that is harder to adjust to than you would think. However, eventually I began to understand that I would always be the lucky customer or their first buyer of the day, and realised that whatever price I put to them, they would gladly accept. This may sound cheap and probably cruel, which is precisely what I considered it to be at first; in spite of this, however, tourists cannot fail to notice the craftiness and intelligence of the people and the skill of the culture in general, and it can scarcely be ignored that these tradesmen and women know exactly what they are doing. While writing this review, I began to think that one can only give some criticism after such praise; and yet the only fault I could think of was that in fact, that there was none to actually even give! It may be hard to comprehend such a place being so blissfully perfect; the distinct attributes of Goa being bizarre and extraordinary I questioned this myself while being there. However, it finally clicked that perfect was not, in fact quite good enough for such a place, it being an entirely different world, and one certainly unlike any other. I must stress that my personal favourite aspect of Goa would probably have to be the people; poor they may have been, but one thing is for certain; they were rich in kind-heartedness and humanity.

Author: Amy Coombs
Manchester iJourno group

2006-07-17T15:32:00.000Z

Big decisions for little people

I'm almost twenty years old and have no idea what I want to do in my life. So how do the government expect eleven year olds to do the same? Specialist schools in ten different areas of arts, business and enterprise, engineering, humanities, languages, mathematics and computing, music, science, sports and technology mean that at eleven, children will have to choose which area of education their life will have to lead.
Despite my view, there are some positives. Special Educational Needs schools give children with learning and physical disabilities the specialised support they require to gain the education they deserve.
On July 7, the Times Education Supplement reported that about �100, 000 a year extra will go to the specialist SEN schools for outreach work and to share expertise, particularly with nearby mainstream schools. These schools will not only benefit the needs of many children who cannot excel in mainstream schools but will also benefit the wider school community as a whole.
On the other hand, many schools that specialise in the ten areas have and will change their names to suit the specialism they have assumed. The professional names they have adopted give the school's title more respect. On a CV, 'Media Arts College' sounds a lot better than 'Secondary School'.
If the school is effective in their specialism then students will be aided considerably more in excelling in their chosen subject. A future scientist may be given better support in achieving their goal in a science specialist college than in a normal state comprehensive.
However, in my opinion the cons far outweigh the pros. That same future scientist may be able to excel in the subject they have chosen at aged eleven, but what if at aged sixteen or eighteen, they change their mind? They will have spent their entire secondary school career focussing the majority of their attention on one subject. Though a specialist school does have to provide a broad education on all subjects under the National Curriculum and a pupil may work just as hard in those subjects as the specialism.
But because of the specialist status the school is likely to put a lot larger sum of money into that subject. Meaning children will not be given the all round education that gives them full and fair choices at the end of it. Another problem with specialist schools is possibly that if the local secondary school specialises in one subject a children may feel put off from attending. This will pose a problem. If at eleven a child wants to be an actor or a footballer, they can attend the local media arts and sports schools. But what if you're not sure? Why would an eleven year old choose to attend a school that specialises in a subject they're not even sure they want to do yet? I don't know about anyone else, but what I wanted to do at aged eleven is far from what I wanted to do at sixteen and eighteen.When I was eleven all of the local schools were just secondary or high schools. But if now I was turning eleven I would have a choice between a science specialist school that is a five minute walk away from my house, or two arts schools that are both at least one bus ride away. With my present knowledge and thoughts on certain subjects; I would not like to attend any of these schools. So where does that leave me?
In Bolton, there are sixteen state secondary schools and fourteen of those have specialist status. Soon enough there will be no schools left that provide an equal education in all subjects and those that do will probably have pupils from miles away travelling right across town to find a school that will give an all round education.
Are we really going to subject our eleven year olds to travel a considerable distance in cramped school buses alone, just so they can get the full and fair education they deserve? Or maybe we'll just force them to attend the local science specialist school in the hope that they might take a liking of science before they turn sixteen.

Author: Fiona Bond
Bolton iJourno group

2006-07-17T11:46:00.000Z

My parents' love story

Golshan Ghuss moved from Afghanistan to Holland in 1997, and to Ashton Under Lyne in 2004. Here she tells the story of how her parents met and fell in love.
"My mom was seven years old when she moved to a new house. That's where she met my dad - he was eleven years old. My mom and dad were neighbours, they were very happy and became very close friends and started falling in love. My mom was thirteen and my dad was seventeen.
My grandparents didn't know about their love but if my grandparents from my mom's side knew
that their daughter was going out with a boy that was seventeen she would have to move from the village.
My parent's friends promised not to tell anyone and it stayed quite for five years. Then my dad
told his parents that he wanted to get married to the neighbours daughter and my mom told her parents that she wanted to get married to the neighbours son.
Then after a month they prepared everything for the wedding. When they where married they started a new life but after a couple of years they moved to Holland. After eight years they came to England and started a new life in England with their children."

Author: Golshan Ghuss
Tameside iJourno group

2006-07-17T11:13:00.000Z

Rangers complete streak over Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles lost their fourth game in a row, on Sunday July 16, after the Texas Rangers brushed them aside with the best pitching in the league.
The Texas Rangers went into their game at Oriole Park tied on first place in the American league west with Oakland, and on the back of a three game winning streak. However, the Orioles had lost five games in a row, and seemed to be out of the wildcard race.
Starting pitcher Kevin Millwood, of the Texas Rangers, was just one of the Rangers influential pitching force, which has held its opponents to four or fewer runs in the last seven games, which is the longest streak in the MLB, and it showed as Millwood struck out the first three Orioles batters at the top of the first inning, and began to work on a no-hitter in the fourth.
Although, the Rangers batters failed to capitalise on this, and it remained tied on nothing as they entered the fourth inning.
It was in the fourth inning that the Rangers played their best inning of the game. De Rosa, with an average of .313 against right handed pitchers, and on the back of a three homer and 7 RBI game, started the ball rolling with a single. This was followed by a Gary Matthews JR. double play, who was on an average of .333 going into the game. The Rangers knew they had to take any chances they got, so Michael Young hit a sacrifice fly to centre field, so De Rosa could score the fist run of the game. This was followed by a second sacrifice fly to right field by Mark Teixeira, who had an average of .280 against right handed pitchers before this game, which set up Matthews to cross home plate, to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Orioles tried their best to reply from the two runs, and they almost got their first run when Mora?s fly ball hits the centre field wall, missing the stands by just three feet. Because it clearly seemed to be heading out of the field, Mora was taking his time going around the bases, and because of this close miss, only got to first base on what was probably the best chance the Orioles had of getting a run.
It wasn?t until the sixth inning when the Orioles scored their first run. With Tejada on third Mora, with an average of .143 and 1 hit versus Millwood, hit a sacrifice fly to the left field, which sent Tejada to third base. This was followed by a second sacrifice fly by Hernandez, which allowed Tejada to cross home plate to score the only run for the Orioles, and the last run of the game.
After the game, Millwood said how he couldn?t keep his form up as long as he wanted.
Millwood said: "I was tired. The extra time off - missing my last start and the All-Star Game - was good from a strength standpoint but not good for my stamina.
Millwood also talked about how he well he has recovered from his injury. "My arm felt good and I felt strong," he said, "With physically, no pain, and feeling like my mechanics are where they need to be, it was a really good night for me".
This victory for the Rangers means they take the top spot in the west after Oakland was beaten against Boston, and the Orioles could be in trouble after Tampa Bay claimed a victory, meaning they are only one game behind them.

Author: Eric Wood
Rochdale iJourno Sports Group

2006-06-23T08:02:00.000Z

Oxegen Festival Preview

With the Oxegen Festival now only being a matter of weeks away the excitement is now growing. With the lineup boasting such bands as Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Feeder, the Zutons, Kaiser Chiefs and many more big name bands you can begin to understand the level of excitements which we are now experiencing.
The festival will take place at Punchestown Racecourse and will take place on July 8 and 9, where thousands of eager fans will be camped ready to see their heroes play over one crazy weekend. The event is broken down over many different stages, with the NME stage and main stage boasting the bigger name bands. It is not all about rock and indie music though, as there is also an MTV dance arena and also Pharrell Williams is also all set to make an appearance this year.

Author: Craig Davies
Ashton iJourno group

2006-06-19T14:50:00.000Z

Avenue Q: Brought to you by the letters F and U!

Opening soon in London's West End theatre land, AvenueQ is a musical about life, friendships, purpose, and above all, love. It's also about internet porn, monsters, laughing atother people?s misfortune, and the fact that everyone's a little bit racist.
Finally, it features hand puppets as the lead characters. Not your typical Andrew Lloyd Webber production then.Avenue Q draws its inspiration from Sesame Street, but viewed from fractured perspective.
There are characters that in no way resemble a certain biscuit-munching monster and a couple of orange and yellow flat-mates. If you've ever seen Meet The Feebles, then you've got the general idea. As you might have guess by now, this is not a show for the young ones, despite its the cutesy characters. Swearing features sparingly throughout and there is graphic simulated puppet sex at one point (think Team America for a mental image).
Our main character is Princeton, newly graduated with a useless BA in English and wondering what to do with his life. He finds himself on Avenue Q, an area so bad that moving to the Lower East Side is a step up (one of few Americanism that doesn't really work, though you get the general idea).
There he meet's the other residents ? Brian and Christmas Eve, two of the three characters who arelive (humans, not puppets), Kate Monster, who is looking for love, Rod (who is denial about being gay) and Nick, flat mates who are constantly bickering, Gary Coleman (yes, the name does ring a bell), the superintendent and finally, Trekkie Monster.
The story then follows their lives as Princeton tries to find his purpose, Brian and Christmas Eve look forwork, Kate dreams of opening a school for monsters, Nick tries to help Rod come out of the closet and Trekkie monster?well the less said the better.
Causing trouble for them are the Bad Idea Bears, so cute, yet so malicious. To begin with, it's an unusual sight to see the puppeteers carrying their characters, but it soon becomes fascinating. They smile and frown along with them. It's astonishing at times, with the four main puppeteers swapping roles repeatedly and having conversations with themselves as two separate characters. Also, considering that most of the cast are English, they all pull off their American accents with aplomb. Everything about this show is first rate and I have to say that I loved it and would very much like to see it again. Previews run until June 28 in the Noel Coward Theatre and then the show officially opens. Go see it as soon as possible.

Author: Gareth Hacking
Manchester iJourno group

2006-06-07T13:48:00.000Z

The Da Vinci Code: Leonardo Strikes Back

I'm a servant of the thing that's been haunting you. As you walk up the road, it leers down upon you from great billboards. Upon entering a library or bookshop its name will bombard you from all sides. If you switch on the TV it will be there, be it trying to assert itself over smug historians or simply exuding its own smugness and wealth for all to see. And now here I am, with the inevitable and unavoidable: it's a review of The Da Vinci Code.
I held out against reading the book for so long, really I did. As my friends extolled its virtues and competed over how many useless facts they could recall (what idiot with far too much spare time actually counted the 666 panes of glass in the Louvre pyramid?), I basked in the radicalism and anti-establishmentarianism that was Not Knowing Who The Hell Married Jesus. But when the first film poster reared its ugly head on my walk to school, the time was up. As a writer, if there is one thing I won't do it's watch a film based on a book I haven't read - I see it as the ultimate insult to enjoy something that may for all I know be making a mockery of the literature that inspired it. So, very reluctantly, I borrowed a copy from my best friend and tried not to cringe too hard at her gleeful smile over yet another victory for the Dan Brown Squad.
OK, so I have to admit it: my mind wasn't exactly open. I was going into that book with a cynical attitude better befitted to an 80-year-old than a teenager - and yet, even with that admission, I still have to say Dan Brown let me down. Some part of me hadn't quite expected my friends to be raving about absolutely nothing, but it seemed they were. Every part of me cried out that this book was simply one huge clich� - from the phrases used, to the techniques, to the plot itself. I cringed at the way the main characters' pasts were ever so subtly hidden in layers, making them the people they were. I sneered back at the characters' earnestness. The book came close to being hurled across the room several times.
Yes, I could see what had sucked in my friends, and with them most of the Western world - the plot was exciting, the twists admirable, and the buzz from guessing the truth before the characters annoyingly addictive - but I was still left with an emptiness somewhere inside me. It boiled down to this: could a book that had delighted so many, across languages and generations, really be this badly written? Without claiming I could do better, it honestly felt as though Dan Brown was working to a very precise mystery-story formula and substituting pieces of a highly controversial topic into the appropriate gaps. The Da Vinci Code had obviously delivered beyond expectations for so many others - but the only impression I got was one of a Big Fat Anti-Climax.
However, when one of your friends has to be physically dragged past its billboard each morning, it?s going to be rather hard to avoid a film. To tell the truth, I was rather interested to see how they were going to condense the exhaustingly fat paperback into a film that wasn't going to induce multiple comas; so I went along with only a token whimper of frustration. And I'll tell you what is its overwhelming characteristic: my god, that film is long. It went on, and it went on, and just when you thought it couldn't go on any longer, it did. By the end I was scribbling cynical messages to the characters on my leg - I kid you not. An irritatingly accurate memory meant that the only surprise was just how old Tom Hanks had got; I closed my eyes in the self-flagellation scenes, since I can't bear gore; and at many points I got terribly annoyed with myself for going all righteous on Dan Brown's behalf when the film didn't stick to the plot. Nevertheless, it did teach me that I was most terribly unsubtle: despite having finished the book, I had been left with no idea that Mary Magdalene's sarcophagus was underneath the Louvre. Good thing the director panned down to it, for all us philistines in the audience.
I have never been a Christian: this is not a licence to burn that evil, blasphemous book, because that would release unnecessarily huge amounts of greenhouse gases and all those poor trees would have died for nothing. I am in no way connected to the man who sued Dan Brown and lost: this is not a bitterness-fuelled attack. I am simply a citizen who, like all of us in our heart of hearts, wants to be the one who doesn't sell out and won't lower her standards. I'm lost now, branded as one of them forever, but for some it isn't too late. Those of you who haven't yet read or seen The Da Vinci Code - stay strong through the relentless fire of publicity. Hold subversive basement meetings with a secret handshake that can't be infiltrated by the converted. Huddle around a fire made from the copies people have bought you, hold each other's hands and whisper the mantra that will get you through it all: it really isn't that great.

Author: Kirsty Upham

Bolton iJourno group

2006-05-26T10:21:00.000Z

Review: The DaVinci Code

After receiving much criticism before its long awaited release, The DaVinci Code has proved a success among Brits, taking �120m in its first weekend at the box office.
Ron Howard's direction of Dan Browns mystery thriller, sees Professor Robert Langdon called to the Louvre in Paris, as the elderly curator has been murdered inside.
Near his body a baffling cipher leads to the paintings of Da Vinci, and Langdon joins forces with French cryptologist Sophie Neveu to try and decipher the puzzle.
Langdon and Neveu learn that the curator was involved with the Priory of Sion, a secret society, and they come up against a catholic organization, Opus Dei, who has long planned to seize the Priory's secret.
If Langdon and Neveu don't manage to decipher this puzzle in time, the priory's secret and an amazing historical truth will be lost forever. This film boasts many big names, with Tom Hanks playing Robert Langdon, Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu and Paul Bettany and Ian McKellen also making appearances.

Author: Craig Davies

Tameside iJourno group

2006-05-21T20:34:00.000Z

Edmonton brush aside helpless Anaheim

The Edmonton Oilers took a one game lead over the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the first game of the Western Conference finals.
It was early in the first period when Anaheim scored the first goal. It began when Edmonton managed to break through the Anaheim defence, when Steve Rolson managed to intercept the puck, and clear it deep down the ice. Michael Peca read the pass well, and drilled it home to give the Mighty Ducks an early one-goal lead. The lead however, didn?t last very long. Ales Hemsky scored the equalising goal, which made it all even as the first period came to a close.

The second period was definitely quieter than the first period. Neither of the two teams could break through each other?s defences. It wasn?t until the dying seconds that Edmonton took the lead. The goal was scored by Todd Harvey, who did well to force goaltender out of his net, to leave it wide open for him, as he taped in the puck to give them the lead at the end of the second.

As both teams entered the final period of play, Anaheim were determined they were not in the playoffs because of a fluke. Anaheim really tried to break the Oilers tight defence, but they couldn?t break through. They were given a golden opportunity though when Chris Pronger was sin binned for elbowing. However, the Oilers created a superb play with a man down, when Peza broke away, one on one with Anaheim goal tender Ilya Bryzgalov, and scored a perfect backhander, to win the game for Edmonton.

After the game, Rolson was asked about his fabulous goal. He said: ?I used to do that in college all the time?. His teammate, Peza, said that he realised he had to turn up the speed. ?It?s not something you practice, but you know he has the ability to get into the centre of the ice,? Peza said. ?We had never connected on it, he knows I am going to look for that ice and I know he?s going to try and get the puck in that spot if he has the time to do it.?

The Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said: ?Their goaltender is strong on his backhand, and we didn?t read the situation properly when we allowed Peza to get in behind us, I guess it caught us by surprise.?

Author: Eric Wood
Rochdale iJourno Sports group

2006-04-23T18:50:00.000Z

The bullies

I wake up Monday morning,
And fear walking through the classroom door,
I'm scared the bullies will take my books,
And then just throw them on the floor!

As I walk down the school corridor,
I try to ignore their looks but they see me,
And approach me,
And then steal all my books!

Bullies are quite clever, They wait till I am free
There's never anyone around,
When they are bullying me!

I am so scared and unhappy,
And I don't know what to do,
I put off going to school,
By telling mum I've got the flu!

My friends tell me to say something,
That way I can gain,
By getting rid of all this fear,
And feeling no more pain!

At last I told my mum,
And she went into school,
The teachers said I should have told them before
Instead of acting like a fool!

Things are getting better now,
And I'm actually enjoying school,
If the bullies try to start on me,
I walk away and keep my cool!

Author: Sammie Banks

Bolton iJourno group

2006-04-23T18:28:00.000Z

The Guardian ruined my film

The Guardian newspaper is solely to blame for this less than rapturous review of the Chronicles of Narnia film. Having last picked up The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at the age of seven, all I was left with was a rather hazy memory of a wardrobe, a cloven-hoofed beast called Mr Something and a lot of ice - plus, of course, the Turkish Delight.
Which somewhat lost its tantalising mystery when I finally tried one from a box of Roses by accident and nearly threw up. So when the world of 'always winter, never Christmas' was reintroduced to my consciousness, I was well and truly open to persuasion.

If Polly Toynbee told me I was in for three hours of force-fed, sexist Christianity, my mind gave only a mild shrug before accepting it. Add to this growing infuriation at having seen Susan's clich�d "Impossible!" at least twenty times on trailers and don't-watch-pirate-DVDs adverts, and the film's chances were looking about asgood as those of the Turkish Delight.

I am absolutely convinced that, had it not been for the anti-Christian outrage expressed by half the country, I would have been able to get into that film. I would have shared in Lucy and Susan's horror at the gathering of stereotypically evil creatures tormenting Aslan, rather than hearing a cynical and brightly interested voice in one corner of my brain remark, "Oh look! Golgotha!" I would have experienced their pain as they sobbed over his body, rather than unsympathetically sneering, "Stop being so Magdalenic!" And when the magnificent lion stepped through the enlightened stone frame, alive again, I would certainly not have had to bite my lip to stop myself asking: "So now can we have some chocolate eggs?"

Don't get me wrong. I am neither fervently anti-Christian, nor naturally cynical, but the Guardian ruined that film for me. Even discounting Polly Toynbee's rant entitled 'Down with Aslan!', every review of the film either made some reference to its being Christian propaganda, or elicited dozens of angry letters proclaiming that it should never have been allowed. Looking at it objectively afterwards, I couldn't help acknowledging that some of the special effects had been pretty good - and of course I was utterly taken by the cute factor of the fantastic little actress who played Lucy.

And although I missed the thrill of suspense that immersing yourself in a good film can bring, I didn't miss the pain that comes with it. Thanks to the cynical attitude implanted in me by the newspaper, I was spared from the full horror of the faun Mr Tumnus's frozen grimace of agony and felt no despair when Peter failed to slay the White Witch. I guess cynicism has its moments.

So to the Guardian, Polly Toynbee and all its righteous readers, I owe thanks - but they owe me three completely wasted hours of my Christmas holiday.

I hear the next book was too racist to even be filmed; then again, I'm sure the sequel will have plenty in it to object to if you put your mind to it. I'll just have to hope Polly Toynbee never gets her hands on Shrek.
Author: Kirsty Upham

Bolton iJourno group

2006-04-23T18:22:00.000Z

An introduction to...Scott Pilgrim

If you look around this page you should see a picture of one Mr Scott Pilgrim. Yes, the one in the blue coat with big eyes. He's 23, lives in Toronto, is between jobs and plays in a rock band called Sex Bob-omb.
It also could be said that he's also something of an idiot, though we won't hold that against him. He's also the eponymous star of a series of Manga-sized B&W graphic novels written and drawn by Bryan Lee O'Malley and published by Oni Press.

Welcome to his the world.So all-in-all, everything's going well for Scott, what with all of the above and the fact he's just dating a 17-year-old high-schooler when we first meet him. But it's not long before he starts having his dreams invaded by a rollerblading delivery girl. When she starts turning up in reality, Scott's smitten. Her name's Ramona Flowers, a delivery girl for Amazon.ca. It's not long before a budding romance develops, but if he wants to date her, Scott'll have to defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends.

Who's to know? Maybe this is a common thing over in Canada. Well, that's the plot out of the way. Here's why you should be reading these books. Their funny. No really, they are. The humour comes from the strong characters and convincing dialogue. And while everything's drawn in a simple, cartoony style Mr O'Malley manages to wring a great deal of character and emotion from so few lines. Everyone is easily distinguishable and you care about every one of these guys and gals. It's fair to say that these books are a little out-there, a mix of relatively real life and superhero/computer game fantasies. But no matter how weird or surreal things gets, it all seems the most natural thing in the world with the books following their own mad internal game-logic.

What I love espically though are the little details. The fact boxes that introduce the characters, the songs (with chords and lyrics so you can play along), the OTT titles. There's even a step-by-step recipe for Vegan Sheperd's Pie.

The series is still in it's early stages so there's still time to catch up, with Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life and Volume 2: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World having been released, and Volume 3: Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness due for release this February.

Also, a movie adaptation based on the first volume and to be directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) has been announced, though it isn't clear if and when it is to be released/filmed.If you're interested in learning more, just head on over to www.scottpilgrim.com
Author: Gareth Hacking

Manchester iJourno Group

2006-04-23T18:09:00.000Z

Film review: House of Flying Daggers

House of Flying Daggers chronicles the story of two doomed lovers and their quest as they roam across 9th Century China.
Director: Zhang Yimou

Starring: Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kanshiro, Andy Lau Tak Wah

Availability: out now to rent or buy

Certificate: 15

Distributor: Pathe

Ziyi Zhang plays Mei, a beautiful and mysterious courtesan. Convinced that she is affiliated with a revolutionary faction determined to overthrow the government, captains Jin (Takeshi Kanshiro) and Leo (Andy Lau Tak Wah) hatch a plan to win the trust of Mei so that she will lead them to the headquarters of the faction, otherwise known as the House of the Flying Daggers.

Jin, pretending to be a lone fighter on a quest for justice, 'rescues' Mei from jail and offers to accompany her to a place where she will be safe. Not knowing that Jin is in a fact a captain of the Royal Guard, Mei allows him to join her on her journey back into the heartlands of China to the secret place where the House is based.

The plan begins to unravel when the two adventurers begin to develop feelings for one another, making the final betrayal impossible. As might be expected from a film by Zhag Yimou, director of 'Hero,' House is visually sumptuous, with a lucidity and elegance rarely found in formulaic Hollywood blockbuster movies; his carefully refined aesthetic infuses the whole production, from the costumes to the sets to the fight scenes.

The arresting visual style is complemented by the balletic grace of the main protagonists as they fight their way across the Chinese heartlands. In fact, quite apart from the story of forbidden love that underpins the narrative development of the film, what leaves the biggest impression on the viewer are the astonishing fight scenes and action set pieces.

Yimou never falls into the all-too-common trap of making his fight scenes brash and overstated, never fills them with gratuitous, effects-laden violence. Instead he draws upon the athleticism of his cast and the evident expertise of his choreographers to deliver a series of breathtaking rucks that are as imaginativeas they are well staged.

Yimou also manages to coax decent performances from the main members of the cast. In particular Zhangstands out as the hypnotic and passionate Mei - which, seeing as she commands the greatest amount of screentime, makes a definite difference to the quality of the final film.

House is a refreshing and on occasion genuinely dazzling addition to this year's film repertory. For those who want a change from the interminable procession of explosions and guns typical of most other action flicks, House makes for a viscerally captivating alternative. Highly recommended.

Author: Richard Millington

Manchester iJourno group

2006-04-23T17:58:00.000Z

Reaction to the news

Some well known literary classics have been converted into text messages to help students revise for exams.
The service condenses classic works such as Bleak House and Pride and Prejudice into a handy memory aids.
So Hamlet's famous line: "To be or not to be, that is the question" becomes "2b? Nt2b? ???"
The BBC website said that Professor John Sutherland, of University College London, who is backing the project, claims it "amply demonstrates text's ability to fillet out the important elements in a plot".
We asked members of the Ashton iJourno group, from the Information Shop to tell us their thoughts:

Stephanie Blackwell: "I think it's a bit like cheating, but it could be a good evaluation. Plus it could be a bit confusing, not everyone texts in the same way. What if you don't actually understand what the message is saying?"
John Power: "Shorthand text messaging contains none of the information that an English Literature student would require in an exam room. The only way to understand quotes, character analysis and the plot for each individual scene is to study the published text in its entirety. How any university professor could give their backing to what is an impractical and useless revision technique puzzles me."
Craig Davies: "I disagree with the professors view and don't think it offers immense educational opportunities. Some people wouldn't understand what was being said an therefore could suffer badly in an exam. People also wouldn't really understand the book fully and this would surely confuse them."

Ashton iJourno group

2006-04-23T17:40:00.000Z

Volunteers knocked out by Ricky Hatton

Tameside's Young volunteers were treated to a surprise visit from Ricky Hatton recently.
During the summer last year, all the young people that had completed 100 and 200 hours volunteering attended a celebration night, which was held at the Chute Bar, Bow Street, in Ashton.
The Government scheme, called Millennium Volunteers, started in 2000, and anyone aged 16-24 have 12 months to do up to 200 hours volunteering in an area of their choice. It was set up to give young people experience in something they might want to do as a career. It also looks really good on your CV, and it can be great fun, and a way to make new friends.
A few of the placements this year included work at Tameside Hospital, Fundraising, Air Cadets, Journalism, and design work.
The night was a great success and everyone had loads of fun! There was great entertainment including Break dancers and a group of rappers called BlueTape from Ashton's new music project, which is based at Charlestown Industrial Estate.
The Deputy Mayor, Micheal Smith and his wife Teresa, was there along with the Millennium Volunteers co-ordinator, Lindsey Wright to present the young people with their certificates.
Ricky Hatton was also there to announce the winners of the prize draw, altogether raised �190 for Childline.
Some of the prizes were really good including, an hour for 8 in a Limo, a luxury hamper from Marks and Spencers worth �35, Lord of the Rings box set, Meal for 2 at Nando?s, a manicure at Jo Ferns, and loads more. Darren Nixon, 31, won a little girls body warmer, which was worn by Sophie Webster off Coronation Street - hilarious.
James Howarth, 10, also won a few prizes, including a Nike rucksack and a little pink plant!

He said: "It was great meeting Ricky the Hitman Hatton and he gave me his autograph. When I grow up I am going to volunteer."
The night was really good. A big thanks to Lindsey Wright who organised it all and well done to all the volunteers.
Author: Stephanie Blackwell

Ashton iJourno group

2006-04-23T16:36:00.000Z

Fearing fireworks

I always begin to rush home as soon as the clocks go back in autumn. As soon as it starts to go dark I want to get behind the safety of my own front door. I?m not scared of the bogeyman or anything like that, but I am scared of one thing, fireworks.
As soon as November 5 starts drawing near, I hate it, as more and more bangs and multi-coloured lights fill up the skies where people of all ages have set them off on any piece of land available.
At one time, fireworks were a novelty and were only set off on November 5 or a special occasion, but now they seem to be going off all year round as and when anyone feels like it.
I realised how much a problem fireworks were actually becoming when a lit firework was thrown onto a public transport bus at around 6 o?clock at night with a full bus of people. Luckily no-one was hurt as a quick thinking passenger kicked it off promptly into a grassy area where no-one could get hurt.
The legal age for buying fireworks in England is 18, so why is it that these youths who threw the firework onto the bus, were no more than 16 if that?
As there is a crackdown on buying alcohol if you are under 18, or if you are buying alcohol for an under 18 year old, surely there should be a crackdown on buying fireworks too?
In 2004 alone 1,160 people were injured with fireworks, this is compared with 1,136 in 2003. Almost half of these injuries were to people under 18, who shouldn?t be handling fireworks anyway.
Around the time of November 5, there are many well organised bonfire and firework displays to celebrate, but these are often spoilt by people deciding to set off their own fireworks, causing a danger to all the people watching.
Pre-millennium there was a voluntary code that stated that fireworks should only be sold for a three-week period around Diwali, and November 5. However when the Millennium came, this was extended so that the public could buy fireworks to set off at the new year, causing a disruption in the code. This was never returned to usual after the Millennium celebrations.
Surely with the amount of injuries caused by fireworks, the government should be trying to do something to put a stop to this. Would it not be a suitable idea to ask people (aged 18 or above) to apply for a license to set off fireworks.
This would include one date, a location applied for, and a time, in which they would have to be set off between, and perhaps this would stop people setting them off anywhere and any time.
If there is an on-the-spot fine in place for dropping litter, could there not also be one for setting fireworks off? Anyone found releasing fireworks without a license should be made to pay a fine. This will put people off, resulting in less fireworks being set off, and hopefully reducing the amount of injuries, or deaths due to recklessness of firework release.

Author: Sammie Banks

Bolton iJourno group

2006-04-22T08:38:00.000Z

Your Planet, Your Choice

On Monday August 29 2005, Hurricane Katrina smashed into America's Gulf coast. Winds blowing faster than 140 miles an hour tore through the streets of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, leaving destruction in their wake. Within hours more than 80 per cent of the low-lying city of New Orleans was submerged.
Survivors clung to the roofs of buildings as cars were flung across the streets like toys, while rescuers below had to push the floating bodies away from them as they searched. President Bush was on holiday in Texas at the time, but returned in order to co-ordinate the relief effort. He toured the region to see the devastation caused, travelling - as always - by helicopter and private jet.
These two events may seem relatively independent. But the terrifying truth is that, if we continue our current trend of disregarding our planet's trouble and contributing towards climate change - just as Bush in his jet was doing unawares - horrific disasters like Hurricane Katrina are going to become ever more commonplace.
Whenever we burn fossil fuels, as we do without thinking in our day-to-day car journeys, we release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - and since the year 1900, the amount we have produced has increased by 600 per cent.

Along with other gases emitted by humans in various ways, these have formed a 'blanket' around the earth and produced a result commonly known as the 'greenhouse effect'; that is, the gases act rather like the glass of a greenhouse in that much less heat escapes them than is let in. Slowly but surely, the planet is heating up. Without our greenhouse blanket, the earth's temperature would drop by a massive 33�C.
Hurricanes and other tropical storms, meanwhile, are directly influenced by this climate change. They are formed by moisture evaporating from the surface of the sea; as it evaporates, it rises until enormous amounts of heated moist air are twisted high in the atmosphere.

The hotter the air, the more moisture evaporates - and the more moisture, the stronger and more devastating the hurricane. In the last 35 years, as our use of fossil fuels has continued to rise, the frequency of powerful tropical storms like hurricanes has increased by a staggering 80 per cent.
So what can we do? What is "our bit" - the crucial step we can take towards trying to prevent rising levels of such destruction in the future? The answer is a simple one: reduce our carbon emissions, as much as we can. And one of the easiest ways to start doing this is by leaving the car in the garage and using public transport instead.
Many people's perception of public transport is of an expensive, time-consuming, uncomfortable journey fraught with hassle - this, now, is completely outdated. Many bus services now operate with one vehicle every ten minutes or better, and numerous student passes are available for all modes of public transport. It needn't be a lengthy process either: for example, the train journey from Bolton to Manchester Victoria for a spot of shopping in the Arndale takes just 22 minutes.

Even using the AA's up-to-the-minute route planner, that same journey still takes 30 minutes in a car - and that's not accounting for traffic jams or finding a parking spot. So when you make the decision to step onto a bus rather than into a car, you are preserving the world for yourself, your friends and future generations to come.

Forget the hairy armpits, tofu and sandals in winter: the green lifestyle is often far more easy and convenient than being wasteful. It really is as easy as 123 - that is, if that's your local bus number?

Author: Kirsty Upham

Bolton iJourno group

2006-04-22T08:11:00.000Z

Book review: Love Lesson by David Belbin

The debate over teacher-pupil relationships is a highly controversial one. One that most writers would probably fear.
But author David Belbin found the courage to approach the subject. Such an issue is usually handled with due care, and a strong message of wrong is portrayed to the reader. Belbin, however, put love at the forefront of the story, the love between a teacher and a pupil.
The theme of love is debated throughout, whether the love is real, or just a lustful feeling at the beginning of a relationship. The main characters of Rachel and the teacher Mike go through a rollercoaster of passionate, secretive love, that eventually fizzles out into nothing, leaving behind only a negative view of what love is about.
The strong sexual content makes this book suitable for older teenagers, but the mention of teenage pregnancy allows it to be a warning to younger readers. And although it is predominantly a teen novel, with narrative from the point of view of both Rachel and Mike, the book could also appeal to an adult readership.
Belbin is an excellent writer who can bring controversial issues to life in a much more real, and accepted way.

Author: Fiona Bond

Bolton iJourno group

2006-04-22T08:01:00.000Z

Rugby Football League deserves more!

Full house for the Powergen Cup Final. Sell out for the Grand Final at Old Trafford. Sell out crowds for the play offs in leagues one and two. Tickets selling well for the Tri-Nation Games.
This is a sport with little or no help from the media, but is still managing to quietly get noticed.
The Rugby Football League deserves praise for its sensible prices, with a regard to strong family ties. If dads go, the kids often go, and even mum gets involved, and invariably all the players play their part.
The upsurge in league attendances is set to continue with the return of Castleford to the top flight. The Tigers, as they are known, fully embrace the concept of league from the offset.

A colourful, noisy atmosphere from both sets of supporters, makes the day as opinionated as possible, but with very little trouble reported, if any. Problems that have occurred have been jumped on by the league straight away and extinguished.
So why is league not given the support by the general that it deserves? Is the working class game now becoming more cosmopolitan or does it still scare the other rugby code? Who knows?
Rugby league players don't just look the part but play the part, so come on let's see more of this great game, where everyone is treated as an equal.
Respect for the official by the players, and if the referee makes a mistake he admits it and a review of the positions is held. Football take note!

Author: Paul Taylor

Rochdale iJourno group

2006-04-21T20:58:00.000Z

Calling all volunteers!

Do you do any voluntary work? Do you want to do any voluntary work? Are you aged 16-24? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then we have a scheme for you! Millennium Volunteers is a government project that rewards any voluntary work you do. This could be anything from helping in a local school, being part of a summer scheme, lending a hand at your local youth club to cleaning up your local environment to raising issues that affect young people. All the time that you spend on volunteering instead of hanging around bored with your mates or watching the television can be accredited under the Millennium Volunteers scheme. This means that once you do 100 hours of volunteering you are awarded a Certificate of Achievement, when you continue on to complete 200 hours, you are presented with an Award of Excellence. Both awards are nationally recognised, plus they look great on your CV! If you think about it, it?s only means getting involved for around four hours a week and most people spend that playing on their X-Box or being bored anyway. We have both received our 200 hours Awards of Excellence through Bully Free Zone?s Millennium Volunteers based in Bolton town centre. Bully Free Zone was launched in 1996, and has become one of the leading peer support projects in Britain. They aim to raise awareness of alternative ways of resolving conflict and reducing bullying. They work closely with children, young people, parents, teachers, and anyone else who requires information from them. Bully Free Zone has a warm, friendly and welcoming atmosphere, with Millennium Volunteers, young people and children being part of their close family. As there are many children and young people at Bully Free Zone, this gives the Millennium Volunteers a chance to interact with them and an opportunity to share experiences about what has happened. Sometimes the young people just want a chance to be listened to and the MVs are there for them in most cases. During the summer, Bully Free Zone ran a video project, in which young people and MVs came together to produce a video to show the effects of bullying and how it makes people feel. There were many skills learnt during the summer, we participated in exercises on trust, friendships, team building as well as learning how to use the video equipment as well as all the technical aspects of film making. This is just one example of how the Bully Free Zone manages to bring together MVs and young people, helping to make them feel more at ease and be able to form relationships as it is often easier for young people to talk to someone closer to their own age than an adult or a parent. If by reading this you think that becoming a Millennium Volunteer could be for you, or someone who you know, and you live in the Manchester area, contact Bully Free Zone on 01204 454958 and ask for Pete Kobryn. Bolton area, contact Bully Free Zone on 01204 454958 and ask for Kevin Walsh. Alternatively you could e-mail them on office@bullyfreezone.freeserve.co.uk

Author: Sammie Banks and Fiona Bond

Bolton iJourno group

2006-04-21T20:24:00.000Z

Volunteering at the Greater Manchester Youth Games 2005

My preparation for the 2005 Youth Games began some weeks before the events of June 11 and 12, at a venue on Pink Bank Lane in Manchester. I had been taking part in the sports journalism course in Rochdale through Greater Sport, where I had been approached to do some volunteer work.
Jill Mayers, volunteer co-ordinator for Greater Sport, was one of the planners for the event and was very keen for the event to do well.
The training night was basically a run through of what would happen during the weekend. It looked pretty daunting to me. Buses running at regular intervals to ferry competitors around as well as volunteers? Would it work? I was slightly sceptical!
Many of the volunteers on the training night were a lot older than me, but they seemed very experienced and confident. Everything it seemed, looked great on paper, but would it work on the day.
When the Saturday arrived, I turned up bright and early in Bolton, and was given the job of car park attendant, but with not many cars to co-ordinate I was moved back to the main gates with my volunteer partner Phil. Our new role was to check people coming into the ground with cameras.
As the day went on, seeing all that was around me, I was proud to be part of the event. Then organisation and hard work that Jill and her colleagues put in to make the event possible, would probably never get noticed by the general public.
But I couldn't fail to be impressed by everything I saw, and in the breaks that I go, I managed to catch as many of the events taking place as I could.
Well done to Jill and thanks for asking me to help!

Author: Paul Taylor

Rochdale iJourno group

2006-04-21T20:20:00.000Z

Volunteer your opinion!

Greater Sport's Volunteer Development Officer, Jill Mayers, is looking for a group of both males and females, aged 16 to 24, to voice their opinions to improve the volunteer scheme.
She is calling out for a group of young, enthusiastic people from the Greater Manchester area, to meet up to put their ideas and opinions forward on various oppurtunities to improve the scheme.
Greater Sport is looking for brand new ideas, to develop a new, cooler uniform, to make volunteers stand out.
Jill would also like to discuss opportunities to organise events to recruit new volunteers, to help out with the fast growing number of youngsters involved in the Greater Sport programmes. These meetings would also allow all those attending, to put forward their ideas, and discuss ways to encourage people to become involved.
These ideas could include organising events to make people more aware of the programme, or even organising functions to explain to the public what the Greater Sport scheme is all about and different ways they could help to impove the organisation.
These meetings would be very informal, and would also incluse refreshments, and would takemplace two o three times a year.
A date and place is yet to be arranged but if you are interested in putting forward your ideas, you can either contact Jill either by e.mailing her at: jillm@greatersport.co.uk, or by texting her on 07881900384, giving her your age and the area you livein Greater Manchester.
Anyone interested in helping out with the sports scheme for young people is welcome. Volunteering can be rewarding in many ways and the meetings will benefit both the volunteers and the young people who take part in the Gretaer Sport scheme. So for more information just get in touch with Jill by either e.mailing or texting her, and she will give you any arrangements and further information as and when she gets it.

Author: Hayley Kinder

Rochdale iJourno group

2006-04-21T20:13:00.000Z

Sporting heroes: Peter Stewart

We asked our sports reporters in Rochdale to think of people from the world of sport - local or national or even international - who they considered to be heroes. One of our older journalists, Paul Taylor, chose the chairman of his local football team Heywood casuals who he has known for more than 20 years. Here?s what he had to say:
Peter Stewart, what can I say about him? "The chairman" as he is more fondly referred to. He is probably the funniest individual I?ve ever worked with in Sport. His attitude to everything is so positive. It is difficult to find the words to describe the guy - he is the finest.
Anytime, morning, noon or night, his words are always ?don?t worry, I?ll ring them and sort it!?
I started to play for Heywood Casuals in 83-84 as a 20 year old up and coming player, joining a team of very good players who were sadly getting older. The next few years were probably the most enjoyable of my career.
But people were getting older and all of a sudden we were struggling. People weren?t turning up, then we lost our treasurer. Then in stepped Peter Stewart.
The show must go on! Peter, who is now 62, went from full time supporter, to the kitman, linesman and then eventually the chairman.
All the time his infectious enthusiasm continuing to rub off on all around, especially myself. A succession of managers followed, with things becoming slowly worse. Peter was bringing in his daughter?s boyfriend just to make the numbers up, anything just to get a team out.
Then at the age of 27 I had my first taste as player-manager. Frustration and anger were never far away. But again, the chairman was there with his usual brand of humour - ?Well we might have the worst team in the league, but we?ve certainly got the best kit.?
His fundraising skills through his contacts, his constant questioning of people involved in the club, made us realise that this i the kind of chairman that would attract new, young people to the club.
Peter gave us a base to build on again. And so the rebuilding began with my contacts in local football and a team of enthusiastic committee members - it all bode well for the future.
The chairman had done it!
And it is only now that the dream is over that I realise how much work is needed to make a sporting team a success. But I always think it is the people behind the scenes who make a club and a player successful - not just the player.
I?ve had the pleasure of working with some great players and committee at Heywood Casuals, but Peter ?The Chairman? Stewart will always be remembered for his work, not just by me, but by all the other teams and players that came across him. To say he left his mark in local Sunday football is an understatement.

Author: Paul Taylor

Rochdale iJourno group

2006-04-21T19:26:00.000Z

Poetry: I am a person

I am a person
Not a bin for your waste
I am a person
Not a dartboard for your anger
I am a person
Not a lake to drown your sorrows
I am a person
Not a meaningless object you can smash or break
I am a person
Not something on the floor to walk right over
I am a person
Not a mindless insect you can look right down at
I am a person
Not a clown you can laugh at
I am a person
Not a thing you can control
I am a person
Not your personal punchbag
I am a person
Have you got it yet?!
Author: Crystal Cosgrove
Bolton iJourno group

2006-04-21T18:11:00.000Z

The Global Climate; An Apocalyptic Catastrophe Waiting to Rage

The greatest and most challenging problem that humans have faced as yet has gone unsolved so far. The world's refusal to unite, even to accept the crisis, and tackle the problem together, has hindered the attempts of any one nation trying to restore balance.
And now it has spiralled out of control. Too late to annul the causes and minimise the effects of global warming. The full might of environmental imbalance may descend upon us in the next 20 years. Glaciers will melt, countries will flood, deserts will grow vast-spreading out to beyond the deserts and savannahs, ecosystems will wither, habitats will be lost and humans may even cease to exist. The irony, of course, is that we have caused the problem that is gearing up to wipe us out. We were the ones who released thousands of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each day, we were the ones who cut down and burnt three thousand acres of trees and vegetation, a day, and we were the ones who ignored all the hallmark signs, and warnings from experts, and carried on. Carried on, that is, until recently.
Now, the greenhouse effect has caused global warming on such a scale that, in 2003, the first Eskimos had to migrate south because their homes had melted into the sea. This, combined with quickly rising temperatures, strange rainfall patterns and a 16 per cent increase in the number of people contracting skin cancers has forced governments to take serious precautionary actions. That is most governments; America has remained unsurprisingly aloof, and they are, unfortunately, the world's number one polluter. In fact they run away with the award, with China, Russia and Canada (second, third and fourth respectively) combined, don't output as many greenhouse gases!
The British Government, similar to many other European Governments has signed up to the Kyoto Protocol (and more importantly, but less famously has cemented the Montreal Agreement, this year), has increased investment in renewable resources as an alternative fuel, subsidised clean energies and has imposed the use of filters on power stations. The effect? Global temperatures have risen faster than ever.
At first this startling observation baffled scientists, and then it became downright infuriating. The explanation; global dimming.
Global dimming is the theory that as more pollutants and aerosols are released into the atmosphere the suns intensity will be reduced, so negating the temperature rises caused by global warming.
The theory gathered substance when experiments showed in the Maldives, evaporation was lowest in areas where the prevailing wind came from India, or, in other words, where soot pollution, and other light reflectors, caused light pollution.
Historical archives kept up the momentum of the theory as they showed evaporation had fallen by one-hundred millilitres over the last thirty years.
The clinching, and scariest piece of evidence came from 9/11. A study compared the temperatures before and during the three day plane grounding. The results were drastic. On average the temperature range (the high during the day and low during the night) increased by almost three degrees! Global dimming is real and serious. In fact, both global dimming and warming are more real and serious than we have ever before appreciated.
What happened during the plane grounding? Global warming and dimming are precariously balanced, locked in a titanic struggle as opposing processes. When global dimming was ever so slightly weakened, by the reduction in fumes released by planes, global warming, which chiefly relies on the greenhouse effect, rocketed up.
So, just try and comprehend; if in just three days of no air traffic in America the temperature change is three degrees (quite enormous), just imagine the extremes that would result if power stations, cars and planes were halted for longer. Fourteen, fifteen even sixteen degree rises? Substantial enough to push humans to the limit.
But we don't want to get cooler either. If global dimming gains an edge the consequences will be just as severe; famine, flooding, disease, mass migration, to name but a few.
When Britain, and other European countries, applied filters to power stations the reduction in strength of global dimming allowed global warming to push up temperatures. Scientists now admit they seriously underestimated the sensitivity of the earth, and now claim the only way to save the earth as we know it in the long run would be to gradually cut back on both greenhouse gas emissions and soot and particle pollutions in equal measures.
Whether governments and nations listen however, is another matter.
But, if recent events have illustrated nothing else, it is that nature finds a way to bite back; we can't carry on tipping waste into what is, now more obviously than ever, a finite, delicate earth. We will pay an unforgiving, heavy price for our uncontrolled selfishness and blind ignorance unless we do something significant now.
Pessimistic? No! Look on the bright side; scientists have been wrong before, they could be wrong again, who knows?

Author: Ben Storrs

Manchester iJourno group

2006-04-21T18:02:00.000Z

GMPTE Website Launch and Theatre Night

Journalists from the Bolton Young Journalists group got to see where their stories would be also be published (as well as on here) at a special launch night on December 2. Here's Sammie Banks' view of how the night went and of the show.
"Charles Dickens' classic novel "Oliver Twist" was revamped by director Neil Bartlett at the Library Theatre in Manchester on the same night as Bolton's Young Journalism group went for a night out. Myself and four other young journalists from Bolton, along with Josephine Wynne-Eyton from GMPTE and James Corner from Greater Manchester Connexions went along for a sneak preview of where the articles that we had written would be published, along with the iJourno site. We were treated to speeches and meetings with MPs and other important people as well as being interviewed by the Manchester Evening News. As soon as speeches were over we posed for pictures promoting the evening and then dashed across town to get to Croma. And after pizza, pasta and garlic breads, we just made it back to the theatre in time for the opening prologue of Oliver Twist. Each young person at the launch had also been given a ticket to catch the liveshow. This wonderful piece of epic theatre was staged beautifully, consisting of 24 scenes with several songs to make the audience feel that they are encountering the story anew. The Library Theatre has a very limited space, but this didn't affect the set in any way during this perfectly put together performance. With its light-hearted humour, gruesome death scenes and an overall general atmosphere of suspense which kept the audience on the edge of their seats, this performance had something for everybody throughout. Oliver Twist is of course an orphan who is left to roam the streets after running away from his new owner when he is sold as an apprentice. Cue audience participation. Oliver, played by three boys taking it in turns each night, was brought before us to have a good look at before we were asked to hand over £5 for him. The audience was involved throughout the performance, with actors talking directly to those watching. There were cleverly disguised on-stage dress changes, hand-held signs telling us what and where the action was happening and many, many trap doors to rid of unneeded props. All of the music and songs were performed on stage by the actors, and characters appeared in the audience taking the visitors by surprise. You were easily drawn into this world of child labour and the fight over this poor child's welfare. Dickens did not attempt to hide the truth about what was happening on the streets of London, and truly reflected the events taking place in the Victorian era when this novel was written. And these are carried on by the Library Theatre and their perfect depiction.

While this performance has been adapted to be very dark and menacing, it portrays the uproar and grime that was typical of Dickens' time by sticking to the original text that he wrote more faithfully than some other adaptations around. With a cast of only 10, multi-rolling is obviously the only answer, cast members including Peter Macqueen (Fagin), Stephen Finegold (Bill Sykes), Adam Price (MrBumble), and Michelle Butt as Mrs Corney are all played brilliantly. But deserving a special mention, are Tom Lawrence as the Artful Dodger, who also narrated his way through the play, and Ella Vale as Nancy. The star of the show however, must be young Oliver, played on the night of our viewing by Daniel Shaw. If you are after a play to watch the Christmas, Oliver Twist comes highly recommended both by myself, by others members of the group, and by professional journalist reviewers too. This performance has been awarded a five star rating on the Manchester Evening News website, and quite rightly too. This performance appeals to both old and young, male and female, and whether or not you like horror, I can guarantee you will enjoy this adaptation and there must be something wrong for you not to.
Author: Sammie Banks

Bolton iJourno group

2006-04-21T17:57:00.000Z

The Wolves in the Walls

A children's pandemonium, is a spot-on description for this, the first production of the Scottish National Theatre's new season. The Wolves In The Walls is an adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's picture book of the same name. Combining singing, dancing, puppetry and live tuba, this is a cleverly staged production, with all sorts of scenery flying about the place, walls constantly spinning, opening and closing.
It's a simple story. Lucy is bored. Whilst the rest of her family have their hobbies to keep them busy, she occupies herself with drawing. Then she starts hearing noises from behind the walls of her house. Her jam-making mum, tuba-playing dad and video game playing brother all think it might be mice, rats or bats but Lucy's convinced it's wolves. As her family tell her though, if the wolves come out of the walls, then it's all over.
The cast of eight, with four principals as the family are energetic, constantly moving about the stage, so much so it's lucky they don't have an accident. The other four cast members are household fairies early on, constantly moving furniture around but unnoticed by the family and then later they puppeteer the wolves. These are exceptionally well-made and emotive puppets, so much so that you forget the puppeteers are in plain sight. They could very easily be terrifying creations but they're portrayed in such a way to keep them just the right side of horrifying.
Any problems? Only that the production is only 70 minutes. I would have loved to have seen more, but as it is, it's the perfect length for youngsters to enjoy.
The Wolves in the Walls runs from March 29 to April 8 in the Tramway, Glasgow before going on down to London and then around Scotland.

Author: Gareth Hacking

Manchester iJourno group

2006-04-21T17:48:00.000Z

British Bores?

Some could say we're boring. Others may simply say we're not patriotic enough. Are these reasons why we don't have a day to celebrate the simple fact that we're English?
It's not a British problem - St Andrew's day is celebrated in Scotland, as is St David's day in Wales. But what do the English do to celebrate St George's day?St George has been England's patron saint for nearly 600 years, and has been passed through time not only in the form of a day dedicated to him, but also in the form of that red cross on a white background you see so often on an British flag. Yet each year on that special day we fail to acknowledge his existence. Sure you may see a few flags around, or do a small exercise in school or college. But that's where the celebration ends. Maybe the religious history behind St George has caused a lack of celebration, particularly since an increasing percentage of the population is now non-Christian. But why should that stop us celebrating being English? Or better still, celebrating with the Scots, the Welsh and the Northern Irish the fact that we're British? I'm not the only one who thinks so, Chancellor Gordon Brown also thinks it's a good idea. In a speech in London he said that people should feel proud to "embrace the Union flag". In terms of celebrating our country, our history and our future, we're falling behind many countries. The United States of America celebrate a day every single year, the 4th of July - Independence Day. A day in which they celebrate their freedom and independence invarious different ways. Barbecues, picnics and general family gatherings celebrate the day when the Americans broke free of the British and took control of their own country. As with the French celebration, Bastille Day. A day that celebrates a changing form of the country's government, no longer were they ruled over by Kings or Queens. These days both have very historical reasons behind their being. But one day in one of the youngest countries in the world, is a day we should be looking to replicate. That of Australia Day. Australia Day is a national holiday, celebrated on January 26 (the middle of summer in Australia), which is used simply to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian. A day to "re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the future." A day to be Australian. Surely celebrating our countries and the fact that we belong there should be a priority on any calendar. Particularly since so much has been happening to tear apart different ethnic groups in the past few years. We are white, we are black, we are south Asian, we are Chinese, we are mixed raced, we are every race in the world. But most importantly we are British and now is no better time than ever to celebrate that.
Author: Fiona Bond

Bolton iJourno group

2006-04-21T17:40:00.000Z

A world without books - Can you imagine it?

Imagine if you couldn't get hold of the latest Harry Potter book or if you couldn't join in debates over The Da Vinci Code. Or if you couldn't have access to recipes to cook, or movie listings to go to the cinema, or read Heat magazine. Imagine how different your life would be if you couldn't read the newspaper.
Most people have probably not considered what reading means to them. However, being an English and American literature student at the University of Manchester, I am aware of the importance of books in my life and to society as a whole. When I was a child, the tales of Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton and Judy Blume enhanced my life and imagination so much. Fairytales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood have been proven to be crucial to children's understanding of morality. And it is the actual reading and grappling with the stories that encourages this ethical appreciation. After reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe I checked the wardrobe faithfully everyday just in case a magical world would appear! It was this growth of my imagination that reading fuelled which compelled me to study books until degree level and beyond. I relish nothing more than reading and become very involved with certain characters, as I am sure many people do. With the recent hype over the Harry Potter series, reading and books have once again come into the limelight. I know that when Sirrius Black was killed, I was devastated and quietly admit to shedding a tear! Everyone has a personal connection with reading, from reading Harry Potter to Shakespeare to reading movie reviews to the football updates. Well, this is what I thought until some shocking statistics came to my knowledge: two million people in the UK suffer with blindness or visual impairment, and only 5 per cent of books published every year are made available in a format suitable for the visually impaired to read. Also, due to the poor design of 86 per cent of web-sites, blind people are cut off from the wealth of information and communication the internet provides. The web-sites are not incorporated to work with the specialist software visually impaired people need. I encourage you to think about how different your life would be if you had all this cut off from you. However, the visually impaired do have a chance with help from the National Library for the Blind. They hold Europe's largest collection of Braille and Moon books and provide free postal service to the visually impaired. The library adds 700 books to their collection a year, but it costs £730 to produce a single Braille book and they receive no Government funding. They organise many sponsored events, including 'Go Book Bonkers' on World Book Day, March 2, where anyone who sells books on Amazon can donate 10 per cent of profits to the library. I was involved in a gift-wrapping service in bookshops at Christmas, where we offered the service in return for a small donation. So, the next time you pick up a newspaper or a book, whether it is for study or pleasure, take a minute to consider just how lucky you are to have that privilege.
Author: Alison Bramley

Manchester iJourno group

2006-04-21T17:37:00.000Z

Michael Shields - Injustice?

Liverpool football fan Michael Shields is now just months into his 15 year prison sentence for a crime that he and his supporters insist he did not even commit.
Shields was arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of Bulgarian waiter Martin Georgiev at the resort of Golden Sands in Bulgaria, earlier last year.
The then 18 year old was travelling home to Liverpool via Bulgaria after attending the European Cup Final in Istanbul. On July 26 2005, Shields was convicted despite claiming his innocence throughout.
Meanwhile back in the UK, Graham Sankey actually admitted to the offence himself in front of UK police. He confessed in a statement that he slammed a paving stone onto the head of Georgiev. Although, due to the fact that he confessed in the UK, Bulgarian courts will not accept this despite his telling them that Michael Shields was nothing to do with the crime.
On returning to Bulgaria, Sankey will face trial himself and be sent down for 15 years also, therefore he is putting off returning while UK police have no control over his return. Liverpool footballer Jamie Carragher is backing a newspaper campaign started last year to release Shields from this false imprisonment.

Author: Sammie Banks

Bolton iJourno group

2006-04-21T17:33:00.000Z

Facebook: A student/stalker's ideal networking tool - is it really beneficial to us?

In case you hadn't heard, www.Facebook.com is the latest phenomenon to sweep Universities in the UK. To access it, you have to enter your University email address and make a profile, where you can put your full address, mobile phone number and email address. There is also space to write your interests, favourite films and music and even a section entitled, about me, so you can write as much as you like about the most important thing in your life! Then you add friends, and people can write you wall postings for all to see or private messages just for your eyes, and you can join groups and upload photos. Facebook differs from other communication sites such as MySpace.com and the ever-popular blog sites because it is exclusively for students.
So is Facebook a positive tool to bring students closer, or is it simply replacing face-to-face interactions? There is the small fact that three Harvard students created it, adding the American-popularity-contest element to it, with many people adding randoms to their friends list to achieve the buzz of increasing the crucial number. However, I don't see the great problem of meeting like-minded people on Facebook, it's not as if we're logging onto the dangerous chat-rooms that paedophiles use to get their kicks. Everyone you see on Facebook goes to the same University as you. And it was certainly a minority of students who didn't catch on to the addiction, with 6,000 students joining within the first three weeks of its launch.
Facebook is a useful tool for seeing events going on at your University, arranging nights out and catching up the next day, and uploading pictures so your friends can see the night (just in case it was a blur for them!) And the fact that people are arranging events and putting photos on the site must mean that they are actually seeing each other. That is surely evidence enough that Facebook enhances social life rather than replacing it?
Facebook reports that its users spend an average of 18 minutes a day surfing profiles which isn't really that bad, considering students are well known-procrastinators. The only time you have to start worrying about it is when you go on a 10 minute study break and check Facebook, then 2 hours later you check the clock only to realise you have been looking at some strangers photos all that time! It's interesting to find out who knows who and how you are linked with people, and I definitely disagree with Michael Duffy, who calls Facebook one giant time vortex. He is overestimating how much time students spend on the web-site. I would say that my friends, myself included, check Facebook as you would check e-mails and if we have no new messages or wall-postings we log straight off.
30 English Universities and over 70,000 users have succumbed to the lure of Facebook, and it continues to grow with new users signing up every day. There are definitely more benefits than drawbacks of this craze, so if you don't have a profile, get with the times!
Author: Alison Bramley
Manchester iJourno group

2006-04-21T17:23:00.000Z

Re-thinking The Da Vinci Code: Fiction or fact?

You may think it is strange to be writing a review of The Da Vinci Code three years after its release in 2003. However, in light of the court case surrounding which began on February 27, ideas about copyright and the act of fiction-writing need to be considered.
Briefly, writers of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, are suing Random House, the publishers of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, on a claim that he lifted ideas from their 1982 publication for his novel.
This court case seems to be a jealous attack on Brown’s novel, which has sold 40 million copies to date, compared with non-fiction The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail’s two million. Baigent and Leigh appear to be making a desperate attempt for publicity and the scary fact is that their case has a good chance.
Brown's novel has not grown in popularity simply because he stole ideas from Baigent and Leigh's book about Jesus Christ having children and not dying on the cross. On the contrary, Brown is one of the cleverest writers of modern times, managing to write to a massive audience.
The Da Vinci Code is at once a gripping thriller, a detective novel, an alternative history and a puzzle solver. To clarify, two years ago when I went on holiday, I was overwhelmed by the vast number of copies of the novel being read around the pool. For a book that popular to make it onto my reading list for English Literature at the University of Manchester is incredible. It is, as Brown intended, a springboard for debate about religion in all circles of society.
The book is truly a page-turner, action moves at break-neck speed. Small chapters and various sharp switches in perspective increase suspense to the limit. So in essence, Baigent and Leigh are agitated because Dan Brown managed to make a complex and shocking interpretation of history not only interesting to mainstream popular culture, but also incredibly exciting.
It is perhaps the blurring of fact and fiction in the novel that made it more of an intense read, made more tangible by Brown's prelude to the novel entitled Fact. He includes The Priory of Sion, Opus Dei and references to architecture, artwork and secret rituals in this list. This in all probability contributed to much controversy about the novel, but this happens everywhere. It is hard to think of a writer who does not allude to history at all, or have an interpretation of historical events. However, as a writer of fiction, does Brown not have the artistic license to take these historical ideas and take whatever perspective he desires? Surely this is a mark of good fiction writing - taking an obscure argument and convincing millions to question deeply rooted ideas in society. In addition, a question raised by Brown himself adds much clarity to my argument: How historically accurate is history itself?
The Da Vinci Code is circulating at a perfect time in society - a time when people are questioning beliefs and becoming interested in conspiracy theories. Whatever happens in the court case, the novel will go down in history, and will be debated and studied for years to come. I want to admire this book for its wonderful capability to keep readers on the edge of their seat throughout. It is not necessary to chastise Dan Brown for his views; like he says, readers can make their own minds up about the material. The only thing that differentiates Dan Brown from you and I is that he wrote his opinions down and earned millions for doing so. Copyright laws protect writers from having their actual text lifted, but if ideas were to be included in copyright laws following the court case, all artists would have much trouble publishing anything.
Author: Alison Bramley
Manchester iJourno group

2006-04-21T11:24:00.000Z

An Introduction To...Dinner For One

'Dinner for One' is something of a unique anomaly, a forgotten piece of British comedy that has taken root and become an integral part of European culture. Since its first screening on German television in 1964, the 18-minute black and white sketch has been shown every New Year's Eve, spreading outward as a tradition to Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
And while the actors and dialogue are English, it remains unknown in the UK, having never been screened on British television. The basic set-up is that every year Miss Sophie (May Warden) celebrates her birthday by enjoying a meal with four of her closest friends - Sir Toby, Admiralvon Schneider, Mr Pommeroy and Mr Winterbottom. Unfortunately, since these gentlemen have all passed away many years before, her butler, James (Freddie Frinton) has to impersonate each of these guests. At the beginning of every course he asks: "Same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?" and always receives the reply: "Same procedure as every year, James." The comedy comes from the toasts that accompany every course. As James must drink every guest's drinks in turn, what begins as a very formal meal slowly degenerates, with James going from reserved servitude to staggering fool with Miss Sophie seemingly unaware of her butler's inebriated condition. Finally the sketch draws to a close with a surprisingly suggestive final punch line.The sketch was first performed in 1948. It was only later that Freddie Frinton began performing it around England, with the role of Miss Sophie being played by a young actress called Audrey Maye - who's mother, May Warden later took over the part. The filming for German television came about after a German entertainer, Peter Frankenfeld and a friend, saw a performance in Blackpool in 1963. Afterwards, they managed to persuade Frinton and Warden to come to Germany although Frinton was not all that keen. Because of this he refused to perform the sketch in German, requiring a German announcer to introduce the sketch. Unfortunately, 'Dinner for One' was Freddie Frinton's only success, and he died at an early age, passing away just three weeks before filming a colour version of the sketch. So why has it endured for so long? As Mr Bean's worldwide popularity has demonstrated, physical comedy is appreciated universally. And 'Dinner for One' is very physical, with James tripping over, staggering around and generally attempting the most unorthodox methods of dinner service. Key to its success is Frinton's performance in what essentially is a one-man performance. His comic timing is spot-on and it's a marvel to watch. He also convincingly looks and plays a doddering old man; so much so that it's hard to believe he was only 35 years old when filming took place. It's a performance that has stood the test of time,demonstrated by the fact that while various remakes have been created over the years, the original's popularity remains undimmed, with 10+ screenings every New Years Eve. It's a part of people's lives, expected every year the same way the Queen's speech is here. Personally, I'd have to say that watching 'Dinner for One' would be the better option. Who say's German's don't have a sense of humour?
Author: Gareth Hacking

Manchester iJourno group

2006-04-21T10:43:00.000Z

Art: LS Lowry

The Lowry Centre in Salford Quays houses an exhibition of some of the most brilliant historical paintings, from one of Manchester's artists, Lawrence Stephen Lowry.
My interest in Lowry has grown from studying his work during my A-level art course and at school.
The exhibition has the widest collection of Lowry's paintings in the world and includes the famous paintings such as The Man with the Red Eyes and Going to the Match.
I had always dreamt of seeing the latter after seeing it in an art book years ago, and my fascination with it stems from my love of football.
The painting has received a lot of praise, and in my opinion, rightly so. I consider Lowry to be the best artist to represent the chaotic life of Manchester - the way that Lowry achieves this by layers of cramped houses in the distance and crowds of busy stick men and women.
I would recommend this exhibition to anybody, of any age who is interested in the history of Manchester or the work of Lowry.
I believe that his work holds many qualities, and he would have produced work to suit any tastes.

Tameside iJourno group