To Blog or not to Blog that is the question?

For some people blogging is a way of life. It seems that perhaps it gives an individual a new found relevance in the wonderful world of all things web. Still to others it could be observed that it offers an opportunity to be listened to in a world that doesn't always want to listen. For somebody who has an opinion and want to engage that opinion in to convocation, a blog could be the answer. To have the platform to share your feelings, ideas and opinions with people outside your own inner circle of peers can be a rewarding experience. I certainly believe that many of us blog on the basis of I blog therefore I am. This can observed when communicating with avid bloggers, as you can sense their enthusiasm and fulfilment which they recieve from blogging. I guess you get from blogging what you put in. So as long as you enjoying it keep doing it. As for me I'm a lazy blogger to put it politely! I most definitely have an opinion and I love to express it. However I'm not particularly some who enjoys the spotlight or being the centre of attention. Having those attributes in your personality can certainly aid a good blogger but as I stated I do not. So where does this leave me? Well I suppose I am an occasional blogger. So you will hear from me from time to time but probably not as often as you'd like (said firmly with tongue in cheek).



I will follow this short article up with a couple of tales of summer activity thus far.

The Football Writers Association live event Liverpool

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the Football Writers Association (FWA) live event in Liverpool. This is an annually event that discuses a range of footballing issues, in an open debate with a panel of journalist and ex-professional footballers. The debate occurs in front of an audience who are able to partake in the discussion. I took part in this as a representative of Liverpool John Moores University with two other students, Lee Reid and Robbie Hayes. As an Evertonian and media practitioner I was delighted to attend. The panel consisted of Paul McCarthy, the executive secretary of the FWA, Michael Owen (former Liverpool and England striker, now a BT Sport pundit), Alan Stubbs (Everton’s Under-21 coach), Andy Dunn (FWA chairman), Chris Bascombe (Daily Telegraph), Paul Joyce (Daily Express) and Jonathan Northcroft (Sunday Times). From start to finish it was a very enjoyable occasion, not only did we witness firsthand opinions from renowned journalists and personal sporting heros but we also provided with as much booze and posh nosh as we could consume. During the event I found out that the tickets would have been £25 for paying customers, which would have been a more than fair price considering how enjoyable it was. This left me feeling very fortunate that the University had offered us this opportunity, and also a little bemused more of my fellow students had not attended. During the event we had opportunities to meet some of the journalists and footballers that attended. This was possibly even better that all the free excellent food and drinks, even though the miniature steak and chips were excellent.We were seated next to the man who was writing an article for FWA on the event. He really was interesting and more than happy to converse with us about football and journalism.

The true highlight of the evening for me was meeting former Everton captain and now Everton under 21’s coach Alan Stubbs. At the interval I took the opportunity to speak to him and inform him I used to be a fan and enjoyed watching him play. This meeting proceeded to become a fifteen minute convocation, where we discussed the transfer market and the current shape of the Everton squad. Alan Stubbs was a really nice individual who seemed happy to spend time talking to fans. This sadly cannot be said for Michael Owen, the ‘Big name guest’ of the night. Owen a successful footballer for England, Liverpool and other major teams did not share the openness or politeness that the other footballing guest had shown us. Robbie a lifelong Liverpool fan who had been an adoring follower of Owen was sadly shunned on attempting to speak to him. This was a slight dampener on the event however that a side we all had a fantastic time.

I feel privileged to have attended this event and would recommend other students to take up other similar opportunities in the future.

Recently I have been ill and spent some time in hospital. This was due to losing the feeling in my legs and left hand side. This was caused by inflammation in my brain and spinal cord. Today I found out that my symptoms are the same as multiple sclerosis (MS) and if unfortunate in the future I could get MS. I am optimistic that this will be an isolated episode and I should fully recover over the next month.

On reflection of the time spent in hospital I was very impressed by the hard work and professionalism of the nurses. I recall one nurse coping single handedly as two patients in the same afternoon needed stabilising. Even though doctor’s carryout life saving surgery it is important not to forget the nurse’s work. The same nurse that probably saved two live that day then stayed two hours after her shift ended to write a report so the next nurse working fully knew the situation. That was two hours unpaid and after a twelve and a half hour shift. That type of dedication and work ethic is something that should be commended. In fact all the staff that I met during my stay in hospital were excellent and some were even inspiring. I am so grateful we have the NHS it is an institution to be proud of.

Anyway back at University now and cannot wait to get back to doing what I love and maybe even be inspired to work harder and be more committed after my time in  hospital.

Will Christoph waltz away with it?

Christoph Waltz an actor who most of us will have only been familiar with since Inglorious Basterds in 2009. Waltz is in line for his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He won his first playing Hans Landa, in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, and once again this nomination is provided from a performance in a Tarantino film. In this role he plays a bounty hunter called Dr King Shultz in the film Django Unchained. One of the reasons he is profound in his performances is that Tarantino wrote them with Waltz in mind. Tarantino has the insight and knowledge to use non-Hollywood actor and with good effect.

In both performances he is captivating and amazing to watch. Even though the two characters he plays are different in their nature there is a similar feel to them. Hans Landa is a Nazi in World War II who is responsible for rounding up any Jews hiding in France. In fact Landa is the villain in the film, however due to his performance he is almost likable. In Django Unchained he plays the role of bounty hunter who frees Django (played by Jamie Fox) and then goes in search of Django’s captive wife. Again Waltz puts in a charismatic performance, and even more likable than Landa as he is the heroic team mate of the protagonist.

Will he win? I don’t know...

I hope he does his performance was certainly award winning, as he has already won the Golden Globe Award. However the Academy Awards do not always agree with the Globes. My gut feeling is it may go to Tommy Lee Jones for his performance in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. Lincoln is certainly a film that may make American Academy voters feel some sort of patriotism towards the cast of the film. Not to take anything away from Tommy Lee Jones, he won he would be a deserved winner. I would like to Chrisoph win, and if he keeps teaming up with Tarantino there will be plenty more nomination to come.

Will Daniel have his Day?

Will Daniel have his Day?

Daniel Day-Lewis is set to become The Academy Awards (Oscars) most prestigious winner. If he wins the Oscar for his role as Abraham Lincoln, in the Steven Spielberg film Lincoln, he will earn his third award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. No other actor has done this in The Academy’s eighty-five history. What is more fascinating with Day-Lewis’s career is the overwhelming amount of awards he has received in his relatively short acting career. He has appeared in only twenty films yet has won eighty-seven internationally recognised awards. That is ratio no other actor in the history of film has even nearly replicated.

The recognition he receives is largely due to the fact he is method actor. This means he will become the character during his time of making the film. This dedication to a role ended in broken ribs during the filming My Left Foot as he spent two weeks hunched over in a wheelchair. During the filming of The Last of the Mohican’s he lived off the land, and learned how to hunt and fish. He also carried a rifle around the film set at all times. In his performance as Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York, he learned how to be butcher. When he contracted pneumonia on set he refused medication because his character would not have been able to the receive treatment. Due to the efforts Day-Lewis puts in to his work he refuses to make back to back films. This gives him the opportunity to select films which he wants to invest his time in too. However this seems to be positive for his career, as he is in more demand as an actor, as film makers know they will be getting quality if not quantity.

Will he win his third Oscar? Yes!

The politics of this film will ensure he wins, as he is playing the man who abolished slavery in America. Therefore without Lincoln there would be no Barack Obama. Putting the politics on one side, Day-Lewis’s performance is nothing short of extraordinary. Every envisagement I have ever had of Abraham Lincoln came to life in his performance. When watching him act I felt like it was Lincoln I was watching. As an audience member when he was screen I somehow forgot I was watching a movie. The film contains other notable performances from Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field, however Day-Lewis truly steals the show. He deserves his third Oscar.

I can’t say he is the greatest actor of all time or he is my favourite but I would say no other actor has better selection of acting performances on film. He just has not made a bad film that he plays the lead role. This is down to the dedication he puts in to his art and for that he deserves the recognition.

Where have the punks gone??

Where have all the punks gone??

We need you back!!

In the seventies & eighties the punk genre provided a voice for the oppressed. The punks emerged from a time of greedy capitalistic governments and mass unemployment. Once again our society has found itself in a similar situation. In the late seventies the Sex Pistols led a musical counter attack on the oppressive regime, which was the start of a fresh way of thinking. You don’t have to accept the situation you are in if you’re not happy! This gave young people an empowerment that hadn’t existed pre-punk. Not only were people going to express themselves, they were going to protest and actively stand up against societies wrongs. This attitude of voiced protest spread to comedy and this provided alternative comedians like Ben Elton, who were not afraid of giving their opinions on society. Even the Queen of fashion Vivian Westwood was a punk. This punk culture was refusing to be silenced and was relentless in its pursuit of equality.

Today we are in a worse situation than in the punk era, society is seriously flawed and yet the people with a public voice are seemingly silent. I can’t think of a single punk band that has emerged since 2008, the year that we all found out how ineptly our country had been run. Now over 3 million people not in employment, a series of welfare benefits cut from people who rely on them and not a single protest song? How? Oh and not to mention students having to pay £9,000 a year tuition fees, and at the same time millionaires being given a £40,000 tax relief. If that isn’t enough to cause a rebirth of the punks I don’t know what will! I am starting to think that there is some sort of block on punk music by the powers that be. Instead of hearing music that has a message we are saturated with mindless manufactured music that has no benefit in society. Music can be the trend setter, the influence on people to make a difference.

People have stood up for what they believe, across the country there has been protests outside major high street shops that don’t pay their taxes. In London and eventually other parts of the country last year there was riots. These riots were dismissed as criminality pure and simple by David Cameron. Yet he was responsible for the closure of all the youth centres in that area. One of the major contributing factors of the riots, another huge factor is mass unemployment in the area of the riots. I am in no way in favour of rioting but I am in favour of protest. Which is why I think we need the punk spirit back to protest again our corrupt and selfish society?  

Sun Xun at the Blue Coat art gallery

This week I visited the Blue Coat art gallery in Liverpool. For the next two weeks Liverpool is holding an art event called the Liverpool Biennial. This event is being held in several different locations, and has a sense of a cultural coming together in one city. As part of my university brief, I and two others explored the Sun Xun exhibition which is situated in the Blue Coat. The building from the outside is somewhat a piece of art. This 18^th century building, maybe considered a prime location for fine art, however perhaps unexpectedly its home to a selection of modern art. It would seem fitting that Sun Xun’s art seems to capture the modern and something of the old. I felt when observing the exhibition that I was seeing what could be described as modern fine art. Xun is certainly a talented artist, which is evident throughout his pieces. A particular favourite of mine was the hung scroll of birds, a hand drawn sequence of a bird taking off and flying away. This is so impressive because it is how you would view a piece of film, meaning that if it was animated it would create a moving image. Overall I was impressed by the gallery and the art inside. I would recommend the experience to anyone with an interest in art.