Thursday 30 December 2010

The 2010 Mash Up.

So Christmas is over for another year, leaving a trail of hangovers, paper hats and empty bank accounts. I hope everyone got everything their hearts desired and you're all looking forward to 2011. If you're not then here; have a little slice of 2010!
This guy (DJ Earworm)...(yeah I don't know either) takes the cream of the Top 40 crop from one year (he does this annually) and bungs them all together into one epic song. And when they call it a mash up, it actually is mashed line by line. Take a listen.

I also respect the fact that this was a very lazy blog post.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Monday 13 December 2010

A Blog From Years Ago That I Forgot to Post or Something About Cartesian Doubt


My most recent lecture involved a myriad of rhetorical questions. Why do we so willingly accept paying off debts such as mortgages and student loans? Why do we continue to go to a job which is hated by the majority?
Those who refuse to conform to this restricted style of living have two sides of the board to fall on. They are either brandished mad people; or are lucky enough to be admired. If you are willing to play this mental lottery of sanity, you could end up somebody like Sophie Calle. Or, a safer version of this liberated form of person comes in the form of Mary Blair.
Both artists in their own right (French and American respectively), Calle in particular rails against society. Calle, in an artistic creation of Cartesian Doubt, questions everything in life. Studies it and could ultimately baffle anyone who tried to challenge her way of thinking. Calle's more famous studies involve finding a lost address book, and by interviewing everybody inside, built up a suitable mental image of the man in question.
Not restricted to just one place, Calle once flew to Italy, following a man who had no idea he was an intricate part of her new interest. Calle's life is liberated, and in no way restricted by places, people or even time.
This form of living has been a goal of society's for centuries. The romantic revolution during the 1800's, held the belief system that people should be free; and not restricted by cities and industry.
Mary Blair (an artist that designed and heavily influenced Walt Disney's 1951 version of Alice in Wonderland) creates scenes, animals and people that appear to have no sense of physical being. The tree's are the color they want to be, the people are any shape and size, regardless of how people want them to appear. Her sense of style and idealism brings to light the apparent rigidity of normal life. Blair's world is freeing, shape shifting and exciting; (The perfect choice for Lewis Carroll's Wonderland) but also a life that most of us, symbolically, would desire.
So why aren't we all as creatively free as we'd like?
To bring the example into popular culture, Lady Gaga, a well known figure in the music industry is often noted for her insane sense of style and belief system. Yet she is rarely if ever criticized; since her extraordinary amount of talent over rides this.
So do we need to have something going for us? A streak that enables society to overlook the non conformity because we make up for it in other areas? Maybe if you're extraordinarily talented you just can't fit in by rule of thumb. So does that make the rest of us-the crowds and the general public, undeniably average?
Probably. In fact most definitely. But why is this depressing? Everybody has the chance to achieve what they want in life.
And besides, without us, the talented would have no one to shine for.

Tuesday 30 November 2010

The Living Dead

Local street artists located in Paris and Berlin have created graffiti with a difference.
These images are made from discarded animal pelts and fur coats. Scattered across the cities, they form the shapes they once held in life, acting as a reminder of the lives that have been taken.



These lambs adorn a slaughterhouse. Numbered for effect they eternally wait for their death. Although wool is considered an okay pelt to be seen in, it is the way the animals are killed that anger protestors and organisations such as PETA.



Wolves run the streets along with animals such as bulls, deer, cats and bears. Amongst the concrete buildings a moose watches over commuters as a leopard creeps along some railings. Although all silenced, they are far from hidden.
To see the full gallery of these living dead visit: http://www.neozoon.org/pictures.html



If the 2D life forms were not enough, the creators have also come up with something quite chilling. These animated creations are robots, covered in the discarded pelts. Although the movements are far from active, it effectively hammers home that these animals should be doing so much more. They have been killed, skinned and then re animated in such a way that you tend to forget these faceless creations were killed so someone else could wear their fur.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Designers for the Disabled


Models have walked the runways in leaps and bounds in recent years. The controversially anorexic have grown curves, gained breasts, and now, they're taking another step.
For the first time ever, a fashion show used disabled models for two shows in London. Showcasing clothes from the likes of Ann Summers and ASOS, the fashion shows had support from Eastenders and Hollyoaks stars, as well as gaining critical success.
Proceeds from the shows went towards supporting HAFAD (Hammersmith and Fulham Action on Disability) who hosted the first show on the 22 Oct. The second show on the 25th was hosted by London fashion show "Disabled and Sexy" who featured their show for spinal muscular atrophy awareness.
The models featured in the show stated that, for their own personal reasons, the shows helped prove that even people with disabilities could look and feel sexy.

The fashion shows coincided with the search for contestants for a new BBC3 programme. "Britains Missing Top Model" which will have the same premise as "Britains Next Top Model", except this time around eight disabled woman will compete for the prize; a high-fashion photo shoot and a cover on a glossy magazine.

Is this really fashion with a heart? Or is this just this seasons trend? I highly doubt whether next years collections will showcase disabled models (rumour has it that a couple of high profile designers refused to collaborate with the HAFAD shows), but for now, the shallow walls are crumbling on superficiality.

Saturday 20 November 2010

The Intellectuals and the Masses


The French Revolution was not just a shock for the people living in Versailles. When it occurred it essentially sent shock waves through most of the elite as the peasants made it more than clear. If they massed together, not even the monarchy was safe.

John Carey is a professor of English at Oxford University and the author of The Intellectuals and the Masses. He in no way condones the views set by the elite but showcases their values in his book.

The elite had always sat high and dry, safe in the knowledge that the people beneath them in the hierarchy were too stupid to realize that they could be doing better with their lives than building carts and doing other physical labor. However, times were changing, and social developments meant that crowds of people were now learning to read and growing in power. People like Lord Northcliffe jumped on this new cultural change and created newspapers pandering to their needs. The newly invented tabloid embraced the lives of everyday people. It specialized in being picture heavy, so that it was even easier to read than before. This led to the belief that the common newspaper bypassed the intellectual. On top of that they were enabling woman to become clever, something unheard of.

A rift was created between England, a rift brought about by fear as the elite desperately tried to cling on to their status in the social order. They knew that once everyone else became educated, there would be nothing setting them apart from the rest of England. So they created modern art. Modern art being something so unintelligible and so unlike the art that had come before it, only they could understand it. Modern art was apparently the "superior art", it belonged to them and if you didn't understand it, you were not `elite`.

These extreme views were epitomized in a few individuals in particular.
  • Gissing-Apparently the earliest English writer to formulate the intellectuals, he only slept with woman who were inferior to him and would regularly boast about beating them up. He believed woman's education was to blame for the cultural change. Upon writing his book "In the year of the jubilee" he states that aspects such as fashion illustrate the folly and greed of woman and everything to do with their attire. When he travelled to Italy in later life he was greatly moved by the sight of a peasant. Although he couldn't care less about the person as a human being, he is moved by the notion that somewhere in the world, certain people are still in their place and are still working the land with no inclination to be educated.
  • H.G Wells- Another one who holds woman's education responsible. "Woman's craving for material things has ruined mankind". He also believed in sterilization and elimination of certain members of the human race. Those suffering from genetic illnesses or those who are not mentally stable should be killed or sterilized. "The way of Nature in this process is to kill the weaker". He dreamed of a modern Utopia in which we would all live in a Big Brother-esque world, where we'd all be recorded according to fingerprints and numbers. Everyone is kept control of. The fact that this would be so appealing is no surprise, since this is what the elitist were most afraid of, losing their power over the masses.
  • Wyndham Lewis-A huge supporter of Hitler, he greatly appreciated the idea of eliminating certain races and certain human beings. He thought that the world had become just one big melting pot, where races and culture were no longer distinguishable. Pedigree and class were incredibly important to the intellectuals during this century, and the fact that Englishmen essentially came from the same stock as Shakespeare would have been a great source of pride. Therefore other cultures were thought less of. The idea that racial purity generated strength, meant that health of the race was paramount.
The mass was seen to be spreading in an unhealthy way. Suburbs which were built to accommodate the ever growing population were condemned for ruining the countryside and were said to be worse than slums. When they were eventually built, they were thought of to be breeding grounds for, not only more masses, but diseases and further education opportunities. Everything the elite detested.
Freud described these masses as a primal horde/pack. The idea of it plays to animal instincts. Those who are apart from the mass have successfully managed to suppress their unconscious desires and instincts. They have successful Ego's and Superego's and are therefore better humans than those giving way to their need to huddle together.

Characters such as Bloom in James Joyce's Ulysses is also mass. Yet through the book, we get to know him extremely well. His fears, his fantasies, his desires etc. Joyce individualizes someone from within a crowd and shows that they are all human, not just one body of people. Yet the idea that education should be a privilege still held. Nothing so fine should ever be so common. Only higher forms of life actually live, the rest should merely survive.

Things like the cinema and movies and even newspapers were seen as cheap forms of entertainment, tacky and not intelligent. Even the newly invented crematorium was seen as a "conveyor belt" into death. The crowds had even over crowded the cemeteries. This all eventually culminated in the holocaust during Hitlers reign in the Second World War. Whether the situations Carey pinpoints in his book is to blame is debatable. Though it is clear the intellectuals mentioned were great supporters and would not have protested the thought of it happening. As D.H Lewis made clear, the mass murder of millions of people would be no more terrible than the fall of leaves in the autumn.

The masses were to blame for everything over the coming years; woman's rights, marriage problems, disbelief in God and the grand principle of female independence. The elite tried their best to make education as inaccessible as possible to the inferior masses and to some extent this is still continuing today.

James Joyce: Ulysses


James Joyce was born February 1882 in Dublin. Chapter 15 of his book Ulysses is one characters stream of consciousness, repressed fears and wish fulfillment as he spends one night in a brothel.
Bloom hallucinates continually about sex and fantasies as his sub-conscious gets the better of him.
The whole chapter is like one big dream in terms of the way Bloom even changes clothes according to the situations he finds himself in. He may lose himself in a fantasy for an hour but find that little to no time has passed in the real world.

Towards the beginning of the chapter, Bloom hallucinates his mother and father are with him and reprimanding him on the state of his clothes. Although he is muddy because he almost got run over, he becomes ashamed and tells his father that it's because he has been playing with the other children. On top of this, we become aware that his outfit has changed to that of a young boy's. This feeling of fear and unworthiness in front of a father figure has echoes of Sigmund Freud's belief in the Oedipus complex. Bloom feels like a child, and this is reflected in his outwardly behavior. Throughout the chapter, Bloom is also looking to become a father figure to the other character of Stephen. This is due to the fact Bloom recently lost his real son and has the instinct to feel like a father again. Therefore their is a common theme of father and son through the chapter.

Woman in the chapter are all either prostitutes, whores, ugly, mean or crazy. The woman's attire is described like "vicelike corsets" or "restrained in net tight frocks"; language associated with traps and limited means of escape. When Bloom is visited by his grandfather (yet another dream sequence), Virag lectures on womans clothing and how it is highly deceiving. Aspects of a dress such as the rouched bits which hide the fat, and the padded bits for enhancement, so that when you strip it down, it's nothing like what you anticipated. Woman are temptresses who entice you in. "The vice of her painted eyes".
On top of that, one female character; Zoe, also appears to dabble in witchcraft. She reads Blooms palm, while a chalked circle appears on the floor. Two signs that back in the early century were sure signs of evil and witchcraft.
The woman Bloom meets within his hallucinations all treat him like dirt. They beat him either mentally or physically and he even turns into a camel when faced with his wife.

Bloom also gets visited by a nymph at one point within the brothel. A nymph that saw Bloom having sex many years ago within the forest. She (another woman who is not normal) is annoyed that Bloom had disrespected the forest in such a hideous way. She claims that he took the forests innocence. Since the trees and the animals that were witness to Blooms crime, did not consent (I'm assuming) to having their innocence removed, the implication is clear that Bloom essentially raped the forest of it's purity. However, Bloom reminds her that sex is a "natural phenomenon" and that sex and nature are linked. At the beginning of the novel two characters discuss the fact that "even the all wisest Stagyrite was bitted, bridled and mounted by a light of love". Stating that even the greats like Shakespeare turn into animals when it comes to sex. Eventually, the nymph has to agree and disappears, albeit in a worse mood than when she arrived.


The whole chapter allows the reader to see Bloom's worst fears, deep seated worries and his fantasies. He turns from a sheepish child in front of his father, to a burdened camel in front of his wife, and still yet to a power hungry and selfish ruler during another fantasy. We see every side of his personality and the argument remains whether James Joyce revealed himself through the character of Bloom, or whether the book is merely a work of fiction. But as the chapter itself states: "Sleep reveals the worst part of everyone".

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Sigmund Freud


Sigmund Freud was a German psychologist born 6 May 1856. Born into a matriarchal society, his theories tended to blame a lot of psychological problems on the mother and demean woman overall.

People's problems in adult life could be always be linked back to childhood and the restrictions that had been placed on them during this time. His Psychosexual analysis of childhood incorporates five stages. If a person was not allowed to complete one of these stages succesfully, they would become fixated in later life and therefore could be attributed to certain dysfunctions. These stages were as follows.
The Oral Stage: Children have a need, during the weaning process, to put things in their mouth. At this age it's how they explore the world and understand new things. If a child is prevented from doing this, it's believed that in his adult life, he will often have addictions like smoking, drinking, or even habits such as nail biting or chewing pens.
The next stage is the Anal Phase. Toilet training and learning to control yourself is obviously a vital element of growing up. Positive feedback potentially means a well adjusted adult, if the child recieves negative feedback, he runs the risk of being anal retentive; in which the child becomes overly tidy or organised, or anal expulsive; when the child becomes destructive or disgustingly messy.
Next is the phallic stage. This is where the child begins to differentiate between males and females, as well as being focused on the genitals. This ties in which the Oedipus complex where the male child wants to own and have a relationship with the mother; while holding a deep resentment towards the father. This jelousy eventually turns to a fear that the father will discover his sons intentions and castrate him. After this realisation, the son instead sides with the father and rejects the mother. He learns from the father and creates his male identity.
On the other hand, girls suffer from penis envy. She will also resent the mother for not giving her a penis and will try and identify with the father. In time, she will come to replace her penis envy with the acceptance of having a womb. However; since she has already identified with the father, she creates two seperate identities, both male and female. This, according to Freud means woman are sexually weaker and genetically all bisexual.
Next was the Latency stage. This stage was a period of calm, before puberty the child represses his sexual desires and does not think about them. But then finally there is the genital stage in which the desire for relationships kicks in. If all has already gone well in previous stages than the teenager in this stage has a far better chance of gaining a normal and steady relationship.

Freud also focused on the Id, the Ego and the Superego. Three aspects of a persons subconscious which controlled how you acted in social situations. The Id was your pleasure principle. It works off of instincts and it's main concern is you and your wants. Regardless of other people. The Ego is there to control the Id, the Ego deals with common sense and rationale. Okay you may be hungry enough to eat everything you see in the supermarket (your Id), but you know that that would be wrong thanks to your Ego. Lastly, the Superego will actively punish you for misbehavior with features such as guilt. Your Superego is more like your conscience, and acts as a moral guide as opposed to just common sense and instinct.

Freud linked everything he could back to parenthood and theories such as Oedipus. Even though he only ever based his theories upon one person and therefore just one case study. In the case of phobias, he studied a boy called Little Hans who had a fear of horses. Even though Freud discovered Hans had; when he was younger, seen a horse collapse and die of exhaustion one day in the street, Freud decided that Hans' phobia was due to his father. He managed to theorize that at one point during Hans' childhood, his father had, like so many do, got down on all fours and carried Hans around like an animal. As Hans would have been young enough at this point to be going through Freuds' Oedipus complex, Hans of course associated a fear of his father, into a fear of horses and therefore just displaced his phobia. Of course to Freud this proved two of his theories beyond belief.

Freud truly believed that everybody had repressed feelings of anxiety or desire and that this showed itself in your everyday life through various means. His theory was that your mind was like an iceberg. Only the tip of it was showing above the water, but beneath, remaining unseen, was an incredible amount of hidden material which he believed he could get to, if you just agreed to lie on his couch.

Wednesday 3 November 2010

WINOL WINOL WINOL

Sat in the newsroom on the morning of a bulletin, which is what I'm doing now. There is an element of panic. Although everything always ends up running smoothly in the end, and our viewers see the calm veneer of what we produce; we let ourselves fall victim to the frenzy of a Wednesday morning.

This comes about by factors such as not enough news packages. One Wednesday saw WINOL have a total of only two news packages, as three pm rolled around, we had a total of three. On the verge of calling off the bulletin we eventually pulled it together and scrounged a news show out of what we had. Practice makes perfect and we have certainly had enough practice running around like headless chickens.

As fresh little second years, being added to the news team is almost like being chucked into the deep end-I wouldn't say it's filled with sharks because the third years have been more than helpful in helping us get started but there is always an element of learning on the job. Learning by mistakes and taking on constructive criticism.

Debriefs every Wednesday afternoon after the bulletin has aired show mistakes that, as the year progresses, we learn to spot and avoid ourselves. Mistakes such as where to place interviewees for appropriate backgrounds and audio. I'm not a news reporter myself, my role is Sub Editor, but watching the points made about the reporters news packages is still helpful for taking on board what not to do in a real job.

As Sub Editor my role is to take the reporters news, sports and fashion pieces and check them. Check them for spelling mistakes or even legal problems which could potentially create a law suit against the university. No pressure then! To say our WINOL roles strain friendships could be argued as very true, as people chase each other up and get increasingly stressed as we all depend on one another to keep the programme running. The director needs the script, the script writer needs information from the reporters, the reporters need the computers to keep working! My extra job is also to run around on bulletin day and get times from the news reporters, cut the time by three seconds and put it on the script so the director knows when to cue the presenters during the show. As much as it runs like clockwork, it's all we can do to not bite each others head off as we all try and focus on our own role in the bigger picture.

But we manage to keep each other sweet and it's still not enough to keep us meeting up in the pub later (or even holding impromptu dance parties on a Tuesday evening). Small problems that we encounter can be fixed with the smallest thing, for instance better communication between the hierarchy. Audio problems and green screen problems will be found anywhere and instances such as that set us up for the real world, and a real job.

We do often sit down and wonder what it would be like to do a normal uni course, just merely have lectures and classes to attend rather than a nine to five job. Yet the feeling after the bulletin goes out and Cooper has had his post WINOL Galaxy Ripple, you realise how worth it it all is.

Thursday 21 October 2010

Thus Spoke Zarathustra


Thus Spoke Zarathustra is in essence, an anti-bible. His disbelief in the Christian faith led to his writings opposing most of the Christian values. Like for instance Zarathustra's favorite animal is the snake. A creature that in Christian terms, is the reason for Adam and Eve being led astray. Yet this to Zarathustra is what he wants from humanity; individuality from the herd.

The aim of Zarathustra is to explain to mankind about the "ubermensch" or overman. Mankind as it is now is simply a bridge between apes and the overman that he speaks of. He explains that humans will eventually become bland, unthinking and without chaos since; "one must have chaos within one to give birth to a dancing star". Mankind will eventually fail to reproduce anything worthwhile unless they at least try to become the overman.

A common theme within the text is the concept of the abyss. The abyss and the bridge that crosses it is the idea that the road to becoming the overman is dangerous. Filled with obstacles, it should be hesitant and faulting. Like a tightrope walker-coincidentally this is exactly what Zarathustra sees when he first enters the village. When the tightrope walker falls and dies, Zarathustra tells him that he didn't die failing as it would appear; but he died trying. Therefore he is set apart from all the other people who do nothing toward their future.

Laughter and childhood innocence is also a factor which Zarathustra praises. His three metamorphoses' include, the camel; taking on burdens and working hard. The lion; strength, and courage of conviction to take control, and then the child. The child's innocence beats the lions strength in Zarathustra's values. These three stages will help you on your way to becoming the overman. The overman can laugh at anything he wants and does so, because he has risen above all others.

"God is dead" is a famous saying from Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Taken out of context this may seem like a blatant refusal of the Christian faith, but in reality Zarathustra was acknowledging that at one point God may have been alive, but there is the possibility that he died a long time ago. The fact that humans still revere and worship him is an example of their inability to think for themselves.

Zarathustra had strong beliefs that people should think for themselves and be individual. By his teachings he hoped people would eventually achieve this.

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Kate Nash v. Example. The Big Debate


After reading my close friend Gareth Messenger's blog on the large debate between Kate Nash and Example, I have been spurred into action to retaliate.
Gareth admits he has taste in dance and electro-pop. What he means by this, and after thorough inspection of his ipod, is a mix of chart hits, and album tracks from chart hits. Where was the Belle & Sebastian? Where was the Death Cab For Cutie? The Cardigans? And more importantly, where was the Kate Nash? Mr Messenger claims to have a varied taste in music, yet his music taste merely ranges from 1-40 according to this weeks releases. I myself range from Lady Gaga, to Coheed and Cambria. From Adam and the Ants, to Joan Jett and still further to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Although not calling myself a music mogul, I believe I have more to say on this matter than the boy who has John and Edward on his ipod.
Yes, admittedly Kate Nash did not have many chart hits. To Mr Messenger who’s bible is the UK top 40, this would be an issue. But to the average music appreciator it is generally a small if not ignorable fact. Kate Nash is to me, my young teenage years. On the day her first album was released I was 16 and in Blackpool with my two best friends. Our first holiday alone without parents. A time of messy relationships, crushes and angst. Made Of Bricks captured this perfectly. With lyrics such as “I’m sitting with my friends getting drunk again on wine and I think about you”, and further lyrics which capture conversations such as “I heard she’s easy and if your guys with someone that’s sleazy then he isn’t worth your time ‘cos you deserve a real nice guy”. It captured the essence of what we ourselves were going through. What we figured was important at that point in our lives, and to this day they provide a welcome bopping and singing session whilst making a cup of tea in the kitchen. Her second album “My Best Friend Is You”, is more angry. A lot more heavy and with deeper subject matters, a main factor of her second album is sex. Now 19 years old, it’s still relateable, still with the same incredible beats and certain songs such as “Mansion Song” give you an excuse to jump around the house, shaking your hair and shouting the lyrics. Standard afternoon!
Songs such as “I’ve Got A Secret” and “Skeleton Song” also deal with issues such as homophobia and anorexia without being to down your throat about it.
Now, Example as an artist is pure annoyance. I have on many an occasion listened to Gareth blaring his songs out of the computer (or MY ipod speakers). I have a very leniant taste in music, but I cannot stand, and emphasis on cannot stand rap. Example used to rap in his songs. I would rest my case there but I won’t. Rap isn’t music. It’s words. Spoken to a beat. A skill I could do if I switched on one of the pre-recorded beats on a keyboard and talked over it. Now this wonderfully talented artist has gone more Calvin Harris, doing more dance and synth tunes. Gary Numan did this in the eighties-and I can only just about, very mildly, tolerate him. Calvin Harris has one song that I like. Example can’t hack it. There is nothing to his songs other than a need to be in the charts. One might argue that one of my favourite artists Lady Gaga does the same; yet when she performs, or sings, she has a depth and emotion in her songs. Same as Kate Nash. Same as Ellie Lawson or A Fine Frenzy. If someone can find me one moving or talented song of Examples, I’ll eat my gilet. Fact!
Artists like Taio Cruz, Roll Deep or Jason Derulo are also just as plain generic and yes I have them on playlists, but only because they are good dance tunes and they remind me of many a night of drunken debauchery. Example isn’t even good to dance to. And I will dance to anything. Another fact! I suggest he goes back to pre-recording tracks for keyboards and just lets me do the talking.

HCJ: Modernism


Although Modernism was a concept thought up long ago during the late 19th century, effects of it's reign can still be seen today in the form of buildings such as the Chrysler building in New York City. Architect William Van Halen designed the building after being inspired by machine technology. For this reason, the building contains details such as hubcaps and images of cars along it's stainless steel surface.
Modernism relished the idea of thinking outside the box. Modernists celebrated buildings that were scientifically designed; standard structure was no longer in vogue.

Questioning and exploring were also parts of this new culture. One of the more famous modernists Nietzsche, once stated: "God is dead". Although this may come across as a blatant refusal to believe in a universal creator, it wasn't. Modernism merely questions his current existence, yet understanding that at one point God may have been alive.

Modernism came about after Romanticism had had it's time in the lime light. A paradigm shift is the term used to describe this as it is a cultural change, often in reaction to the one before it. For example the French Revolution overthrew the monarchy in favor of a more free way of thinking. The next paradigm shift came in the form of Romanticism changing to Modernism. Modernists believe that there are never any `absolutes` in life. No absolute evil and no absolute good. There are also no fixed points to speak of and nothing has a centre. De-Centralization was the term used to describe this belief. Europe in particular was no longer a central part of the world. Those roles had been handed to countries like America and continents such as Asia. The highly modernistic view was that Europe had been eclipsed.

Other elements of Modernism were aspects such as psycho analysis, which meant Sigmund Freud played a role in this new culture. There was also the train of thought that everything was made of nothing if you broke it apart; especially with todays technology of being able to split atoms, everything eventually comes down to nothing.

Modernism eventually met its end during World War I, and in particular during the holocaust. After Modernism came postmodernism, which was a basic rejection of all that had come before it. It was a rejection of reason and the rejection of truth. This seemingly anti-modern stance during the late 21st Century was the next paradigm shift,and marked the end of Modernism.

Starbucks To Barbucks


After purchasing your morning coffee at your local Starbucks store, you could now also return there in the evening for a pint or a glass of your favourite wine.
A Starbucks store in Seattle is testing their new business idea of selling alcohol in the evenings, as well as their famous coffee. A move planned to see their customers through from the morning, right till the end of the day.
The idea came about after the realisation that a majority of their sales are during the morning as people come in before their day begins. The executives over at Starbucks have decided they'd also like to cash in during the evenings.
If the idea takes off in Seattle stores, the alcohol will be available after four in the afternoon, and could be hitting stores worldwide.

Thursday 14 October 2010

HCJ: Tabloid Nation

The Daily Mirror is hailed by Tabloid Nation as being the beginning of the modern day “Red Top” we see today-with the likes of The Sun being the epitome of just that in modern terms. To want to succeed in the tabloid industry, you essentially have to assume that the public are simpletons. Placate them and entice them in with pictures as opposed to text, make headlines big and eye catching so the regular member of the public doesn’t have to work hard to read it, and offer enticing prizes for questions impossible to answer. Such as “£1 a week for the rest of your life if you can accurately guess the sum of all the gold within the Bank of England”. Competitions like these were bound to send circulation through the roof, and the people behind the press (such as Alfred Harmsworth) knew just that, as at the age of 21 he created his first magazine called Answers. By offering cash prize competitions and giveaways which would attract up to 700,000 entries. When Harmsworth eventually created the Daily Mirror, it was described as being something “…of easy absorption by the most ordinary intelligence”, “something to look at on the way to work” and something to “prevent them [the people] from thinking”.

As well as Alfred Harmsworth as the so called “Chief” of the Daily Mirror, the team of journalists also included Hannen Swaffer who was responsible for the pictures which would embellish the front page of every edition. With more than an air of similarity to William Randolph Hearst and The Examiner, the front page was often adorned with photos that no other paper had. For example, Daily Mirror reporters were the first people to climb inside the mouth of Mount Vesuvius, and also the first people, despite the crew, to fly inside a Zeppelin airship. When the Titanic sunk on April 14th, by April 15th, the Mirror had obtained photos from a shop on Edgeware Road that no other paper had managed to get hold of and printed them the morning after. Amongst other ground breaking achievements, Swaffer is also responsible for setting up the relationship between the royal family and the tabloids, as on April 2 1904, he printed a groveling but profitable family photo of the royals within the paper. Circulation boomed to 71,000 and the Royals have since become detrimental to the Tabloid industry even to this day.
However, this relationship was almost threatened when the Mirror underhandedly obtained photos of the recently deceased King Edward laid on his death bed looking nothing short of skeletal, and then pasted it on their front page. Although circulation soared far past the 1 million mark, the paper waited with bated breath for retribution from the Royal family. Yet Queen Alexandra eventually spoke and stated she had in fact chosen the Mirror to print the photos because the newspaper was a personal favorite of hers. No doubt embarrassed to admit that the lowly little penny paper had so slyly got past her and her royal empire. Although a blessing to the normal eye, within the Tabloid world, this must have come has something of a disappointment, as a trip to the tower would have done wonders for circulation. Showing how little has changed with the old mantra of “any publicity is good publicity”.

When it comes to photographs for newspapers, both William Randolph Hearst, The Daily Mirror and even papers today understand that the more cute, pretty or eye catching the photo. The more readers will, sympathize, read or be interested in what you have to say. For example Hearst’s campaign to stop the Spaniards sending innocent people into concentration camps, was focused on Evangelina Cisneros, the so called “most beautiful woman in Spain”. She was the perfect candidate for a sympathetic story and a good front page.
In the same league, the Daily Mirror, albeit years later started a campaign of its own. Since no one in 20th century London cared or could do much about the plight of children and poverty stricken slums. The Mirror set up a campaign to save a poor little pit pony, which looked better in photos and as a bonus, the Lord Mayoress of London offered to buy the pony off their hands and look after it. Paving the way for future tabloids was the idea that most pictures contained either accidents, disasters, crime, royalty or sports.


Although Hearst was the first to start Investigative Journalism with his reporter Nellie Bly who would often do things like pretend to be insane and then report on the inside of an asylum-The Mirror would send their reporters to report on such things as the conditions of immigration travel between Liverpool and New York City. Continuing the trend of first-hand experience articles.

Even though nowadays female readers are seen as no different to male readers-(with the Daily Mail nowadays catering solely to a female audience with their woman section) in Harmsworth’s time, female readers were not so profitable since they didn’t have the vote, therefore trying to use the paper as a propaganda tool wasn’t so effective. In terms of political interest, Baldwin, the prime minister during World War I, complained about just that when he stated that the paper was no longer just a paper but “engines of propaganda”. This was brought about due to the fact that Harmsworth had sold off the Daily Mirror to his younger brother, Lord Rothermere. Rothermere was a fascist and had attempted to set up the Right Wing United Empire Party with his partner Oswald Mosley, who in turn was the leader of a right wing party called the “New Party”. At one point during 1931 they even tried to suppress Gandhi and his efforts for peace, stating
“Put Petter (their candidate) in and you put Gandhi out!”
Allied together they would promote their fascist beliefs in both the Mirror and in turn the Daily Mail. After falling out over a business agreement, the promotion for Mosley stopped and his supporters fell from 40,000, to just 5,000. Further emphasizing the power of the press.

Just after the First World War, the papers created a war themselves, albeit on a smaller scale. The Free Gift war. In 1922 The Herald started giving massive free prize giveaways to anyone who would buy their paper. By employing ex serviceman they also had a veritable army of people to promote the paper on the streets. Rival papers began to match or better every offer made by the Herald, including tea sets, mangles, books, kettles, coats, shoes and cameras. Lord Beaverbrook, owner of the Daily Express stated, in something reminiscent of the famous Churchill speech “I shall fight them to the bitter end”. War of any kind is a blessing to anyone within the tabloid or indeed newspaper in general, industry. As William Randolph Hearst so infamously but apparently said “You furnish the pictures, and I’ll furnish the war”. When war broke out after the USS Maine sunk, Hearst celebrated and asked readers to send in ideas for war strategies for the chance to win $1000. The Journal beat the 1million circulation mark the day of the sinking.

Peoples dependencies upon the Tabloids and newspapers was summed up during World War I, when The Mirror was arranged to be distributed amongst trenches as well as to the regular public. The public of course enjoyed reading about what their soldiers were going through out on the firing line, and the soldiers in turn enjoyed reading about what was going on in the regular world at home.

In terms of groundbreaking achievement during the time of Hearst, Northcliffe and Rothermere, Hearst created the template for every Tabloid with big headlines and pictures over riding text, with catchy headlines and hooks to suck readers in. A front page technique still being used today. Years later, another definitive moment came in the form of Harry Guy Bartholomew. Whilst working at The Mirror, he invented the Bartlane system. A machine that enabled pictures to be sent in a matter of minutes or hours as opposed to the days it took before, Soon enough the Daily Mirror and the New York Daily News were trading pictures daily.
These accomplishments in the world of press are the framework of the tabloid industry we see today.

Monday 4 October 2010

Cara's Life Lessons, And The Case Of The Missing Cheese Grater.


With a lack of newspapers, fashion exhausted, and HCJ finally done, I'm willing to blog about myself for lack of a better subject.

After just over a month of living in Orchard House, I have learnt a number of things which I am happy to share in case anyone else is blissfully oblivious to these complications in life:
-The large noisy fan above the oven is in fact called an extractor fan, not an exfoliator fan.
-No matter how much I tidy, the place seems to collect toast crumbs, sock fluff and make up stains within a day.
-Fish don't like it when you play loud music right next to their tank.
-My laundry doesn't do itself and fold itself neatly across my bed like it used to.
-Plus it needs ironing.
-I'm not allowed to leave my clothes, belts or shoes around the kitchen because Karen trips over them.
-Some microwaves have a button which needs to be pushed to get it to open, and no amount of pulling will change that.
-Microwave cheeseburgers definitely need to be microwaved, don't even attempt to put them in the oven
-Life without Sky+ HD isn't fun. Where on earth is E!News!?
And Justina tends to sleep talk when you sneak into her room late at night to get the nail varnish.

Yet I still haven't learnt how to cook, and I've lost my cheese grater. Which I never thought I would do considering it's bright pink. But there you have it.

This first week back at University has in itself taught me a fair few things, including how to use Joomla. The system responsible for our Winchester News Online Site. The revision sessions on camera and the editing equipment were much needed and appreciated it has to be said. Plus helping my friends Keegan and Justina on their feature filming every so often is handy. But none of it has of yet helped to find my cheese grater. Priorities, priorities.

HCJ-William Randolph Hearst

With the Gold rush of the 1840s and 1850’s, where immigration saw thousands flood into the US with the promise of a new life, America conquered land that was before unexplored. Western America was cleared of its original owners, the Native Indians, and was incorporated into the United States. With this rush of discovery, America as a nation believed, and still does, that they have the right to explore any frontier they desire. The term `frontier` was applied to the experience of crossing a border and being changed by the encounter. According to scholars at the time, this change made the pioneers involved more American than the people back home.

In terms of pioneers, George Hearst was amongst those who travelled to California in 1850 lured by gold-and with hard work and deliberation became extremely wealthy. Interested in a political career he brought the San Francisco Examiner, which was then passed down to his infamous son William Randolph Hearst.
Upon taking over the Examiner, Hearst began to change it completely. Eradicating the heavy textual front pages, he replaced it with pictures and illustrations. In the context of the times, with immigration levels high, and a need for a big audience, he decided the one thing everybody would be able to understand would be pictures. As well as different languages, he also took into account the fact pictures made things easier to understand for the illiterate. He reduced stories, enlarged headlines and eliminated adverts. Obsessed with the front page he created `hooks` to drag people in to wanting to read more; such as “Butchered as they ran”. He knew what would sell and what the people needed as well as wanted.

In New York City, Pulitzer was the newspaper genius. Hearst was aware that one of Pulitzers most appealing and pulling features was his cartoon of the “Yellow Kid”. So in 1896 Hearst stole the strip by paying the cartoonist a higher wage, and placed it in his magazine. Not to be out done, Pulitzer simply hired someone else to copy the comic and at one point there were two papers containing the same cartoon. This Yellow Kid war is responsible for the term “Yellow Press”. A term used to describe the act of inventing sensational stories, faking interviews, running phony pictures and distorting real events. Or what we in England call, “The Red Tops”.

Hearst pioneered in tabloid journalism with features such as investigative journalism. Nellie Bly was the first of her kind to endure such things as pretending to be insane and then reporting from inside a mental institution. This was later continued by reporters for the Daily Mirror almost 100 years later with reporters going undercover on boats taking immigrants from Liverpool to New York.

During the Spanish War of 1897, innocent people were being sent to concentration camps and so, for an angle, Hearst discovered that Evangelina Cisneros, the so called most beautiful woman in Spain, had also been imprisoned. With a hefty pay off, he rescued her, became a hero and got a good front cover.
Hearst's newest paper The Journal eventually broke the 1 million circulation mark upon the beginning of the Spanish war when one of America’s ships, the USS Maine sunk while in Spanish territory.

In regards to crime, both The Journal and its rival The World, competed to become the best. When a mutilated body was discovered on a local beach, The Journal offered $1000 for information on the crime-through thorough investigations led by the paper, an arrest was eventually made and the headline smugly read "Murder Mystery Solved By The Journal".

This act of self promotion and in turn, picture domination, are techniques that were pioneered by Hearst, but could still be seen years later in people like Lord Rothermere for the Daily Mirror, and more currently, The Sun.
He set up the template for all tabloid journalism and in his own way, discovered a new frontier.

Thursday 9 September 2010

Vandalism? How chic.


This month in honor of Elle Magazines 25th birthday-London is going to be covered head to toe in fashion graffiti. Not the most conventional birthday celebration ever but one that will no doubt turn heads. John Galliano will be running around the city on an unannounced date and under the cover of darkness to bring our capital city a splash of chic vandalism. 30 different secret locations have so far been targeted and the people who find them first will win prizes.
The graffiti is temporary however since it will fade during rain or until the London grime returns to cover it back up.
So happy birthday Elle! And happy hunting to those interested.

Tuesday 27 July 2010

The Season of the Mother


Today I decided to have a day to myself, to sort out money, finally call some people back and generally do all the boring stuff I used to watch my parents do. After drinking copious amounts of tea and listening to Ke$ha's album on repeat, I'm still planning on doing those things. But for now my mind is occupied with the fact that this season; hemlines have been lowered (dignity is back people!), flats or kitten heels are very much the new stiletto (I may need to remember this one), and trousers are the new dress, in boy cut, straight and even flare. As well as knitted woolens and muted colors, it's even been claimed that the chicest place to holiday this winter is England.
It's gone back in time as models sported fur and wool, whilst other shows drew inspiration from the 50's , 60's and 70's.
Outdoors is the word on the street as Lagerfeld even flew in a giant iceberg from Sweden to display his new line of outfits.
Good news for my mother. If she spends her perfect afternoon in her kitten heeled flip flops, her floor length skirt and her woolen scarf, reading her Catherine Cookson book outside a caravan; she will be the height of fashion. Tres Tres Chic.

Monday 26 July 2010

Don't Ask Don't Tell.


If someone asked you to conjure in your head an image of the armed forces, what would you think of? Strong, courageous men and women? Fighting side by side? United in their beliefs? Well then you would be correct. What you don't picture are the secrets hidden beneath the khaki. The unjust policies that still reside amongst the military. Because in America, if a soldier reveals in any way that they are gay lesbian or bisexual, federal law dictates that they have to be dismissed from their career.

This incredibly immoral rule means that not only do these young men and women have a physical war to deal with everyday, they're also battling with what they say and what they talk about. They're having to be someone they aren't whilst fighting for the country that restricts them. In the rules own words, a solider cannot talk about familial issues regarding homosexuality or their lifestyle since;
"It would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability."

While most of us thankfully see no difference between the man leading his troops to safety, or the woman who saves her friend during a terrorist attack, America does. It differentiates on something that if any other job tried to do, the US government would not be able to ignore it.

While a number of cases have cropped up during rallies for the repeal of the law, some stand out more than others. One man fighting for the Navy had his E-mails hacked into revealing his sexuality. He was immediately dismissed and information was sent to his family explaining he was dismissed for being gay. His family were unaware of his sexuality up to that point. What part of Don't Ask Don't Tell did this man violate? Whilst he was dismissed; (a man who in his own words claimed he would work for the Navy again in a heartbeat), the forces continue to let in ex convicts and serial offenders.
Another young man described how he didn't struggle with keeping his sexuality hidden whilst serving in the armed forces and enjoyed his time with his comrades. Yet one day while on patrol he claimed a close friend of his turned to him and said that they should hang gay people from the trees so that they know they're not welcome.

Why America feels comforted by the fact that they have fighting for their country ex convicts and homophobes I will never know. At least a majority of us can take comfort in the fact that a bill for a repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell has been passed, and the US Senate is going to vote in the summer of this year to hopefully, and finally, overturn this outdated rule.

Sunday 25 July 2010

Non Parlo L'Italiano


As some of you may or may not know I spent a fortnight of my summer this year in Italy. With some thought spared for France and Switzerland along the way. I am happy to report I have come back with no sunburn (despite the 38 degree heat). This if you don't understand is a very high achievement for myself.
After traveling through the rolling fields of France then through the green mountains of Switzerland (whereupon we found out the hard way that Switzerland does not have the Euro, and is instead still clinging on to its Swiss francs) we arrived at our destination; Bungalow Lago. Or what we English would call; Bungalow Lake. Blunt and to the point. I liked it.
The lake itself was stunning, crystal clear and an extremely welcome refreshment after a hard days shopping (yes in that kind of heat and strange language shopping can be hard!). Yet the whole lake experience was sadly ruined for me by what I will call here, Mostro Lago. Or quite simply; Lake Monster. While merrily kayaking one day across the largest lake in Italy I stopped for a break. When something surfaced feet from my plastic boat. I decided that with it being a murky brown color and the appropriate size, that it was a seal. I deemed this a nice animal to be so close to me; until the body continued to dive and a large greenish dorsal fin appeared on its back. My arm muscles screamed at me for days due to the speed I kayaked back to shore.
After my traumatic incident with the Mostro Lago the rest of the holiday passed smoothly (if you don't count Italian spiders that run at you in the middle of the night, electrocution with a laptop lead and creepy ghosts that turn out to be just eccentric homeless people). We visited Verona, a city that I fell head over heels in love with. If you're not already in the know, Verona is the setting for the famous power couple Romeo and Juliet, making it the recent star for the new Amanda Seyfried film "Letters to Juliet". One area of Verona seems to attract more tourists than even the giant amphitheater situated in it's centre (possibly one of the most incredible buildings I have ever seen). A low brick tunnel which leads to an ivy covered balcony. The house inside is supposedly where Juliet and her family lived, and tradition states that anyone who comes to visit should leave a gift for the doomed lover. Therefore every inch of wall space as far as the eye can see is covered in love letters, from all over the world. Flowers and even cigarettes adorn the walls with people either thanking for their luck in love or asking for help on their quest for it. You could easily spend a day just reading the worlds love life. As the day wore on, the arena lights began to light up the amphitheater and the opera began to start. The highest notes drifting over the stone walls that had been listening for centuries. We sat in the park for a little while, I decided that one day I would return, and we left, yet not without a reminder from Shakespeare that "There is no world outside the walls of Verona".

Another memorable pit stop was of course Venice. I am a sucker for anything that looks remotely gothic or Edgar Allen Poe, so I spent a majority of my time there getting lost in some of the incredible mask shops that were located around the city. My limited Italian found out for me that a majority of the masks had been hand made by the shop owner. Carved the way they have been for centuries. I brought a cat mask and then searched endlessly for an invite to a masquerade ball. I'm still waiting.
We took a Gondola ride through some of the back streets, passing ornate doors that led to water, though we were informed they were once the main entrances to buildings. Homes, apartments and restaurants loomed over us, some walls teetering precariously on eroded bases. Stone lion heads dipped their noses into the water, almost appearing to be drinking, while jesters and demonic faces leered at us overhead, safe from the water and subsequent erosion.
The most notable thing about Italy were the buildings. So many of them had had their faces painted with the most ornate designs, depicting Gods, painters, dancers and lions. Although they were all now fading heavily, the incredible artistry was evident still even to this day. I have never before been to a place where I could just stand there and marvel at a house.
We peppered the rest of the fortnight with sunbathing, visiting local villages and wondering what lived in the lake.
During our last few days we took a cable car up to the top of the mountains that had loomed over us for 14 days and took in our local surroundings from above. While my dad took photos, my mum found a place to sit and enjoy the view and my sister gazed around with the binoculars, I befriended the local cows and thanked the Lord there wasn't a Mostro Montagno. Or quite simply, Mountain Monster.

Sunday 27 June 2010

Sand, Sea and Sunburn


Before I go away for a real holiday where I can get really sunburnt, I went away for just the weekend to my friends beach house. Although just under an hours ride away it posed a welcome relief from; well, from home.
Arriving late Friday night, after a cramped and hot car ride we gave in to our instinct to cool down and jumped straight into the sea. However, this lasted about ten minutes before we ran shivering back up the beach, slipped and slid our way across the tiled floors and hastily unpacked our beach towels. At least we tried.
I personally am not a massive fan of the beach. I'd rather go somewhere in the countryside than to the seaside; but there is something about waking up to the sea every morning. Hearing the gulls and the waves and walking along the shore before coming back in for breakfast. Something so removed from everyday life. That is until you return and your flip flops which you placed so lovingly upon the beach are now floating away on high tide. You have no choice but to brave the freezing temperatures and look entirely ungraceful as you splash forward to retrieve your precious footwear. Yet we returned to find a cup of coffee and some toast waiting which we happily accepted.
Through all of the mosquito bites, and the sunburn and the salt and the sand; my favorite aspect of returning to the beach house each summer is for one reason. Midnight swims. Although I appear to be completely alone in this sentiment. Due to some untapped primal instinct (or the opening scene of Jaws), not one of my fellow beach companions enjoys the thought of going into the water in the dark. So they more than willingly let me go it alone. I personally love swimming through the ink black water, with the exception of that silvery slice of moonlight. Always to my left and always avoiding me when I try to swim in it. It's like the reverse of trying to jump on your own shadow. After some time of my fruitless game I'll get out and join my friends on the beach.
After more minor details such as BBQ's, sunbathing, volleyball and of course Ring of Fire, I left. Walked out the door and down the drive as red and white as any England shirt you may see. I was very proud until Sunday's game; which I'll leave for some more sport inclined Journo to comment on. Until then, I'm going to go sunbathe some more. Wish me luck.

Monday 7 June 2010

Confessions of a Belgian Waffle



Today proved to be very unsuccessful in terms of going to the beach (cue shivering under beach towels whilst trying to shake sand out of the Dorito's. Said sand consequently gets in our eyes. All the while my consistent worry remains the fact that my hair is quickly blowing into it's stubbornly un-brushable state). Yet in terms of fashion, it's a quick reminder that the A/W collections will soon be upon us.
So far the sneak preview has included woolens; for example the all in one woolen shorts by Jil Sander and Prada's knee high woolen socks. The colors remain muted in homage to the minimalist look of the S/S collection. And the camel coat by the likes of Chanel keeps cropping up in various photo's and magazines. Through this mish mash of ideas will no doubt come a definitive look when the collections hit the high street around September. By then hopefully the rain will have a legitimate excuse to be beating down my window.

In terms of more traditional art forms; Alison Read deserves a look up. Her blunt, black and white print style ranges from the soft smudged charcoal appeal of a baby elephant, to a harsh linear crow. Specializing in animals she is most definitely on my radar. And consequently a few of her prints can be brought from a shop on Parchment Street in Winchester.


Lastly if you're not already in the know-this blog needs a read.

http://www.belgianwaffling.com/

And a thank you for inspiring this blog title.

Tuesday 1 June 2010

Celebri-Tots and Diddy Designers


With Suri Cruise the new Celebri-tot and push up bra's the latest thing for under ten-year-olds, the question on every mothers lips lately is "are our little ones growing up far to fast?". The answer to that is of course debatable.

First and foremost, the clothes on offer to the children such as padded bikinis for the under five's, and heels for their barely developed feet are undeniably bad. Taken from experience after five years of wearing heels about five times a week-they're damaging! Or, if you're going to wear heels, slap on a pair of five year old Jimmy Choos, don't waste time on Primark! (In other words, only shove your child into heels if you can afford the surgery in years to come).
As for the push-ups and the padding; if the parents who buy these for their children want this to look normal, well then pad out the hips and the thighs while you're at it; chuck in some teenage kind of mood swing and watch how quickly their little girl disappears in front of their eyes. Which is essentially what their choice of clothing is doing to their child.

Because any normal little girl would gravitate towards the pink princess dress, the Sleeping Beauty outfit or the teddy bear. If the child herself is demanding the sexy underwear, any normal parent would be concerned. Children don't read the papers or watch the news. They don't read gossip magazines or follow Perez Hilton. The people responsible for wanting to look like Suri Cruise are the adults.

On the other end of the spectrum, in the same way a little girl would zone in on a pink dress, in modern day terms, that pink dress is a J'adore Dior t-shirt. The Minnie Mouse outfit is sparkly Hannah Montana get up and the teddy bear will be the new Princess and the Frog Wii game. None of these items exemplify sex in the same way kitten heels and make up do, they're just a reflection on the times we live in. Maybe parents shouldn't be fretting about what the children want to wear, but how much the bill will add up before they leave home.

Wednesday 28 April 2010

The Communist Manifesto

Karl Marx was born on May 5th 1818 and was a German philosopher and political economist amongst other things. One of his observations, which begins his writings on the Communist Manifesto is that the world has always struggled with class systems. Though only recently has it been clearly split into just two opposing groups; Bourgeoise and Proletariat.

Bourgeoise
Bourgeois was created with the expansion of industry.
Industry started off with just the Guild Masters, which then became the Manufacturing Middle Class. Where class distinctions used to be between different guilds, opposition could now be found in just one workhouse. Division was becoming more concentrated. As industry and trade became more demanding, the Manufacturing Middle Class soon became Modern Industry. Manufacturing was taken over by Industrial Millionaires or, as they are more commonly called here, the Modern Bourgeoise. This new industry established the world market. It increased capitalism, travel and communications. Anyone not involved in this modern Bourgeoise movement, was pushed to the background. Creating the two distinct classes Marx talks about.

Since Bourgeois was a social class powered by its ownership of capitalism, it was a strong force. Karl Marx believed it could convert lawyers, priests and physicians in to it's paid wage laborers. Like Communism, Bourgeois was it's own being. It can spread across the globe "nestle everywhere, settle everywhere". Like the description for Communism as a spirit/spectre, Bourgeois seems to be a being that could get everywhere at once and make itself at home. Bourgeois takes over countries with the ultimatum that if they don't come under it's reign they will face, what Karl Marx calls "extinction". It creates a world after it's own image and calls it "civilization". As a class it takes the "sentimental veil" from families and reduced relations to just money relations. It sees facts and figures as opposed to people.
According to Bourgeois, Capitalism was independent and had individuality whereas the living person was dependent, with no individuality.

Loosely translated, Bourgeoise in French means "City-Dweller". With this in mind, Bourgeois took small villages and a scattered population and conglomerated it. Different areas were lumped together to form one nation with one government; centralizing the means of production. It increased the urban population as opposed to the rural. An oppression which would later be a factor Communism highly wished to abolish.

However, the industry and commerce that Bourgeoise created soon became to powerful for even it to control. The industry it so proudly created was to be its downfall.

Proletariat
Laborers whose life consists of solely working. They are described as mere appendages of the industrial machine as opposed to individual people. They are slaves of the Bourgeois class.

With the Bourgeois idea of uniting small and scattered populations into one large concentrated group, they unwittingly unite other bitter laborers. Strengthened by numbers the laborers hold trade unions against the Bourgeois. These were only sometimes successful. The irony lies in the fact that without the expansion of Bourgeoise and modern industry, laborers would not have the communications they needed for their riots.

Proletariats are free, they are without property and are not tied down. This is what makes them so potentially powerful. They have nothing to lose but their chains.
As a group they cannot unite and take a stand without causing a major disruption, as Marx says "the lowest stratum of our present society, cannot stir, cannot raise itself up, without the whole superincumbent strata of official society being sprung into the air.". Although classed as the "lowest stratum" of society, they make up the majority and are the only ones really taking a stand against the Bourgeois.

The victory of Proletariats over the Bourgeois came in the form of them being underestimated. The success of the Bourgeois rested in part upon the co operation and hard work of the laboring proletariats. With modern industry uniting these laborers together into one angry and uncooperative mass, the fall of the Bourgeois was inevitable.

Communism
Communism was similar to that of the proletariats in that they wanted to overthrow the Bourgeois, although their main aim was the abolition of private property. Or at least private property in the Bourgeois form. Before modern industry, private property was duly worked hard for and was genuinely the fruits of ones labour. Yet the private property of the bourgeois is won by the exploitation of others, whilst destroying that of the peasants and farmers. Those involved in the Bourgeois society do not work. Communism aims to abolish the exploitation of laborers for other peoples gain. There is a wish to abolish laborers existing solely to serve the Bourgeoise. Wage labour is a factor which keeps them existing for this purpose. Without capital, there will be no wage labor.

Communists wish to abolish nations and nationality. Although this was a Bourgeois ideology, it benefited the proletariats as well as decreasing national divides and opposition. The coming together of nations unites a stronger defense against the Bourgeois and gets rid of the chance for nations to exploit each other.

Communists mainly aim to gain 10 things;
-Abolition of private property
-A graduated income tax
-Abolition of rights of inheritance
-Confiscation of property belonging to immigrants and rebels
-A national bank with an exclusive monopoly
-Centralization of communication in the hands of the state
-Extension of factories and cultivation of soil in accordance with a common plan
-Equal obligation for all to work
-Combining industry with agriculture/gradual distinction between urban and rural
-Free education

When class distinction is gone, political power will no longer be necessary; there will be no more oppressing of classes.

Saturday 3 April 2010

Curse of the Oscars


As Sandra Bullock and Jesse James go through their public break up and scandal-I suspect this is the last thing on their minds; yet some of us can't help but notice the connection between winning Best Actress; and then losing your husband.
A random connection but a connection nonetheless; one that has so far been held by
Julia Roberts, Hilary Swank, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Kate Winslet, and now Sandra Bullock.

Clearly the new golden man in their wives lives was to much for these guys to bear as this list would appear to prove;
Julia Roberts lost her husband Benjamin Bratt in 2001 after winning Best Actress, Reese Witherspoon also suffered after winning for Walk the Line, her and Ryan Phillipe, with whom she has two children, announced their divorce. Hilary Swank lost her man Chad Lowe in 2006, Halle Berry split from David Justice and in 2009-Kate Winslet split from Sam Mendes.

Although all actresses have different and varying reasons for leaving their lovers (Jesse James in particular pulled a bit of a Tiger Woods on Sandra Bullock with mistresses pouring in with claims), they all seem to have the worst kind of comedown from their big night.
Lets hope the next winner whoever she may be; is single.

Friday 26 March 2010

Newsday Bulletin week 3

Hi, this is Cara for Winchester News
Southampton was brought to a standstill on Thursday after an unexploded bomb was discovered in London Road; near the city centre.
The device, which had been left over from World War II, was uncovered by builders working on the site.
Both ends of London Road were cordoned off by police and nearby residents were evacuated.
Oliver Harry, who specializes in the councils "Safe City" area of work, was on hand to help with the evacuees.

AUDIO: OLIVER HARRY
IN WORDS: "40 minutes after"...
OUT WORDS: ..."To stay for the evening"
DURATION: 12 Seconds

The bomb was later removed by bomb disposal experts in the early hours of Friday morning and taken away to be safely detonated.

Would-be MP’s of Winchester were quizzed last week on the ongoing debate over fox hunting.
Martin Tod, Patrick Davies and Steve Brine for the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Conservative parties respectively, were asked their opinions on overturning the five year ban.
Davies stated he was fully against the idea of bringing it back, whereas Brine opposed that it was a bad law and should be repealed. Martin Tod for the Liberal Democrat party also gave his opinion.

[AUDIO: MARTIN TOD]

Inmates at Winchester community prison are to come under scrutiny as a new programme involves installing television links in their cells.
The footage will be watched by doctors at Winchester hospital to observe their health. It is hoped that this will reduce the cost of security needed to escort inmates over when they need treatment.
The plan is currently being tested at Andover and it's hoped the programme will be installed in Winchester as soon as possible.
Ruth Buckley, a nurse at the hospital explains the benefits.

[AUDIO RUTH BUCKLEY]

In other news, £10,000 worth of grant money has just been awarded to the Prime Theatre Company in Winchester.
The unique theatre gives opportunities to older people to act and participate in shows and was recently awarded the money by the national lottery.
Ros Liddiard, director of the Prime Theatre group explains what she hopes to spend the money on.

[AUDIO: ROS LIDDIARD]

This has been Winchester news. Thank you for listening

(Audio on a CD)

Thursday 18 March 2010

Knock Off Designer Bad For Your Health


Clever marketing strategy or genuine fact?
A new survey claims that cheap knockoff UGG Boots are incredibly bad for your feet.
According to Dr. Ian Drysdale at the British College of Osteopathic Medicine, the shoes are deceptively comfy. Yet in reality your feet have no support within the UGG's comforting fluffiness and it is ultimately damaging your feet and ankles, achieved by it flattening the natural arch of your foot.
The knock off boots have been linked to a surprising rise in deformities and back pain. When in comparison, genuine UGG's have reinforced heels and insoles to prevent such problems.
So there you have it ladies, designer is actually good for your health!
Buy it genuine! Your feet depend on it.

Fox Hunting Debate


As a growing girl, me and my father would spend time together like any normal parent and child. I can safely say he taught me the most important things in life; how to shoot pigeons, rabbits and ducks (and yes believe it or not, there is a difference in how they move). Though I can safely say I never have (and never will) shoot a living animal, I have been brought up with the knowledge from my farmer father that certain animals are pests if they enter your land, steal your crops or affect your livestock.
However, fox hunting is where the lines get blurred, and then crossed.
Of course there is the ongoing and highly controversial debate over repealing the five year ban on fox hunting. David Cameron has promised a free vote on the subject if he becomes prime minister; which is worrying since a recent survey showed that out of 120 Tory candidates in marginal seats, only 1 was against the idea of repealing the ban.
Yet the argument for reviving this prehistoric tradition is invalid.
Those for it claim that fox hunting is mandatory. It's needed to control numbers of those pesky foxes, the hunt is good for the countryside and Martin Tod even argued that the sport is actually kinder to the animal because it kills them instantly.
In a nutshell, these men on their high horses hide behind their top hats and bluff their way into making people believe they have the animals best interest at heart.
Which when thought about logically, is the kind of irony you can't make up.
The foxes being hunted have potentially never entered anyones land being so far out in the country (some just cubs), they have caused no harm yet they are subjected to being dug from their homes by terriers, chased endlessly for miles before being hopelessly torn to shreds. It's a self proclaimed sport, the word sport defining the idea of an activity done for fun.
The debate is still continuing and I strongly hope it remains just a debate, there will always be people against something or other, it's just a case of keeping their beliefs illegal for the sake of the 21st century.
All I can say is those who wish to repeal the ban have clearly never watched The Fox and the Hound.

Tuesday 16 March 2010

Newsday Story 2: Debate over Fox Hunting

Would-be MP’s of Winchester were quizzed last week on the ongoing debate over fox hunting.
Martin Tod, Patrick Davies and Steve Brine for the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Conservative parties respectively, were asked their opinions on overturning the five year ban.
Davies stated he was fully against the idea of bringing it back, whereas Brine opposed that it was a bad law and should be repealed. Martin Tod for the Liberal Democrat party also gave his opinion.

[AUDIO: MARTIN TOD]

For now, the law remains a highly controversial issue and one that will no doubt cause many future debates.

Monday 8 March 2010

Southampton Bomb Scare

Southampton was brought to a standstill on Thursday after an unexploded bomb was discovered in London Road; near the city centre.
The device, which had been left over from World War II, was uncovered by builders working on the site.
Both ends of London Road were cordoned off by police and nearby residents were evacuated.
Oliver Harry, who specializes in the councils "Safe City" area of work, was on hand to help with the evacuees.

AUDIO: OLIVER HARRY
IN WORDS: "40 minutes after"...
OUT WORDS: ..."To stay for the evening"
DURATION: 12 Seconds

The bomb was later removed by bomb disposal experts in the early hours of Friday morning and taken away to be safely detonated.

Thursday 4 March 2010

The Tale of the Angry Receptionist


Or the tale of how Cara was publicly humiliated by someone half her height.
On my quest to get to the bottom of Southampton's very own bomb scare I actually had an unusually pleasant conversation with the police. We commented on how hot the reception was, how it's a pain that no one is in the office to give me an interview and then they kindly gave me the directions to the office I needed to see. So off I trundled, to the other side of Southampton, encountered another police officer who kindly let me under the tape and made my way to the big building housing the London Road evacuees.
This is where I met the woman(?) who sent my afternoon into a rapid descent.

With my best and most winning smile and professional voice I asked the woman(?) behind the desk if somebody could spare some time to answer four short questions. Immediately, the woman's gormless face spelled disaster. Had she not understood me? Maybe she doesn't speak English. However, apparently she seemed to think I didn't speak English when with her next question, she kindly enunciated each word for me; "Where. Are. You. From.?".
"Winchester University"
"Yes you need to speak to our press office"
"No sorry I can't speak to a press office I need an audio quote as soon as possible"
With this she motioned me behind the desk. I thought I'd scored with the small woman(?) who patronized me so; so I followed her beckoning arm.
However, I was brought to an abrupt halt when she opened the partition with a chair firmly placed between me and her.
I didn't have time to assure her I was not going to attack her with my Marantz, before she once again began to talk in that wonderful small person language of enunciating every word.
"What. Do. You. Want?!"
"Just someone to answer a few questions. I just need a few quotes on what happened today, how many people were approximately evacuated here. General details."
"Where. Are. You. From!?"
"Winchester.University". By this point her peculiar form of speaking had caught on and I have to admit I found myself talking it back to her. Maybe she'd understand me better.
However, I clearly said something in her language that was unacceptable as she began to shove me with her chair. For some unexplained reason (I believe it was shock) I refused to move and after a struggle with me and the chair (I may sue for trauma), she eventually managed to shove past (which was no easy feat since her half height had contributed to her being double the average width).
In complete bemusement I followed like a nature observer following some species of rare angry gnome. She didn't like this. She spun back around and told me once again
"I SAID! I would go get the press release!"
"Well I said! I don't need a press release!"
She then retorted (in the best middle aged woman(?) voice) "EXCUSE ME!!".
Out of instinct and mild shock I just exclaimed "What!? what!?" whilst flinging my arms and wildly looking around. Not my best retort, but the situation had rendered me thoroughly speechless and confused.
Thus followed a strange sort of stare down (emphasis on me staring *down*) before she sulkily flung a door open and stormed off.
Well I waited. And I waited. And I waited.
Eventually grumpy came back and handed me a piece of paper with *drum roll please* the bloody press release number on.
She then proceeded to tell me I needed to evacuate the building.
"Evacuate the building? There are people sat in here very calmly"
"No you need to leave the building"
So with my best sigh, best eyebrows raised, best patronizing laugh, best head shake, best "whatever" tone-I flicked my hair and left.
With my best restraint at not being arrested for General Bodily Harm.

Thursday 18 February 2010

Civic Center Council Meeting.


Today marked the day I actually sat and listened to politics for more than an hour. Albeit my mind did trundle off every so often but I was generally surprised that at least two of the topics at hand I did find interesting.
First things first; pinstripes and un-ironed suits were the name of the game in this chamber. Bar one woman who was in flaming orange (and looked entirely lost throughout the whole procedure) the primary colors were without a doubt, blues and greys. Perfectly matching the chairs, walls and drapes; my bright green jacket would have fared better in the house of commons but I was just destined for higher things.

The general things discussed were of course mainly to do with my wonderful home of Southampton; which was no surprise since the meeting was conducted in Southampton's civic center. The topic kicked off with Declarations of Scrutiny. Since those involved were nice enough to take the time to explain it to us; a Declaration of Scrutiny is when judgement is passed on another persons decision. This is since laws dictate that a person cannot "scrutinize" a decision they made themselves. The hour and a half kicked off with a debate over whether the recent charity event of selling artwork to raise money had actually benefitted anyone? There seemed to be some confusion over whether the artwork was theirs to sell in the first place and where most of the raised money had got to. Very shady stuff; until we moved onto the development of a new Sainsburys in Portswood.

For me personally I liked hearing their developmental ideas for my area-for instance an old pier which has been a landmark through my nineteen years, is in talks of being turned into a hotel. Nightclubs I used to and still fairly often frequent are targets of anti-social behavior; this topic in particular kept making me want to raise my hand and make a point. All these men, falling asleep and gazing around the room-were VERY behind the programme when it came to matters I believe the public would be interested in. Such as anti-social behavior on our doorsteps. They've only just realized that The Square (an infamous nightclub on the highstreet) is one of the worst places for violence in town. And they appear to rely to much on statistics. They did all agree that crime has fallen to 23% over 10 years, but left it limply at "of course some areas are worse than others". Next topic!

Although some interesting ideas were raised for certain problems, like the development of a new Sainsbury's opposite the Waitrose in Portswood. This was very exciting news for them; it involved heavy traffic and the question-"will it draw people to the old highstreet? or from it?". The combatant approach was an idea one man had heard from China, in terms of small businesses...And then I lost the plot but he was most definitely on the ball and I admired his league of inspiration.

Needless to say; I appreciate what they do in terms of their zest for all things development and traffic but, this meeting in particular, just seemed entirely pointless. I know for a fact that the ideas they put forward in those meetings, never get put into reality. "You know you're from Southampton when you've been waiting for an ice rink from the council which they promise every year!". (It's a Facebook group) but it's true. They like to voice their opinions but you know it doesn't amount to much. I have never been more uninterested in gossip.

Tuesday 16 February 2010

New York Fashion Week


So New York Fashion Week is upon us once again; and this time around it has brought pastels, beiges, whites and utility to the A/W collection.
Although this Summer was promised bright colors and sailor stripes-it appears we are fading out of the winter in trench coats, dull colors and clogs no less!
Like the shoulder pads of '09 created by Balmain-this collection is no doubt heavily inspired by the recession we are recovering from. The shoulder pads of last year represented woman taking a stand; as they did in the eighties for women in the workplace, so they did for the credit crunch of 2009. Granting power back to those in need of it. This seasons collection screams practicality. It's the outfit of someone who's bank balance has been hurt so bad they're unable to buy many more clothes. Although this thought is painful to consider-the fashion world has us in their thoughts as they create a line up of minimalist simple looks. Nothing extravagant it makes the financially crippled wardrobe a smorgasbord of opportunity. Even the plain white t-shirt has been reinvented by names like Chanel, Yves St Laurent, and Stella McCartney.
Although Balmain refuses to go quietly, still sporting leather; Denim is also back in force along with the jumpsuit. Marc by Marc Jacobs sported military influence down the runway and the trench coat revelled in beige being back in.
Although there is a gaping hole where Alexander McQueen should be, the show must go on-albeit in heavy snow and clogs.