Government changeover...but no Eastenders!

Comment piece



Big news in Britain last night as Gordon Brown resigned as Prime Minister and handed over power to David Cameron and his coalition government. The news prompted the BBC to broadcast a live news programme to cover the occasion which brings to an end Labour's 13 years in power.

Figures show that almost 10 million viewers tuned in and watched the events unfold, a few friends I have spoken to since were amongst those watching, however they had a different reason for tuning into BBC1 last night. Was it because they wanted to see David and Samantha Cameron move in 10 Downing Street? Or the fact that David Cameron became the youngest Prime Minister since 1812? or the even the fact that it is the first coalition government since the Second World War? No, it was none of these, they watched the live broadcast because Eastenders was supposed to be on at 7:30. Throughout the programme viewers were told that Eastenders would follow the end of the live broadcast from Downing Street, did it? No it didn't! I fully appreciate this probably makes them sound ridiculously sad, but apparently when you've had a long day it is rather annoying when all you want to do is relax in front of the TV with a glass of wine or a beer. Obviously this news needed to be broadcast, but is that not what BBC News 24 and BBC Parliament are supposed to cover on their respective channels?

I feel I must point out that they were not alone in having this opinion with many viewers writing on message boards and forums about their disappointment about the cancellation. The BBC also received 738 complaints from viewers unhappy that Eastenders was cancelled and 83 complaining that Holby City was cancelled; I have been assured that they did not feel the need to pick up the phone to complain about the matter, but all the same! So what does this show us?; firstly that 655 people were more unhappy about Eastenders being cancelled than Holby City! Also that a scarily number of people are more interested in Eastenders and what will happen next with the Masood family than the future running of the country!

Luckily for all the Eastenders fans out there it has been rescheduled for tonight! If you do happen to be unlucky enough to miss it again tonight catch it on BBC iPlayer

Danny Dyer sacked after 'cut ex' comment

Actor and TV presenter Danny Dyer has been given the sack from his position as a columnist for Zoo Magazine after he told a reader who had written in to his weekly 'Ask Danny' advice column, to cut his ex-girlfriend's face so that nobody else would want her.

'Alex from Manchester' wrote into the magazine to ask the actors advice on how to get over recently splitting up with his girlfriend. In response to Alex's letter; Dyer, 32, star of Mean Machine and The Football Factory wrote: "I'd suggest going out on a rampage with the boys, getting on the booze and smashing anything that moves. Then, when some bird falls for you, you can turn the tables and break her heart. Of course, the other option is to cut your ex's face, and then no one will want her."


The comment led to a number of domestic violence charities criticising Dyer's advice as 'thoughtless'. Sandra Horley CEO of national domestic violence charity Refuge condemned Dyer's views telling The Mail Online that; "Danny Dyer's irresponsible and tasteless comments do nothing but reinforce these horrific attitudes. Shame on him."

A statement released by Zoo Magazine stated: "As an immediate result of an ongoing internal inquiry following an indefensible comment published in this week's issue, Zoo has decided to bring the Danny Dyer column to an end."

The actor himself insisted yesterday that he was 'misquoted' and was 'devastated' over the comments and the reaction they had caused. He added: "This is not the advice I would give any member of the public. I do not condone violence against women."

Dyer, is currently working on a number of films due to be released in 2010, including starring alongside Sean Bean in Age of Heroes due for release in October 2010.

Raunchy Return for Christina...

Ladies and gentlemen, Christina Aguilera is back! Having taken a three year break to focus on motherhood, Christina storms back onto the music scene with her new single.

From the moment Christina hit the music scene in 1999 her vocal ability has drawn critical acclaim winning numerous Grammy and MTV awards. However her changes of image over the years have drawn mass attention from her millions of fans and the media. Moving from the sweet, innocent member of the Mickey Mouse Club, to the pop songstress from 'Genie in a Bottle', and onto the classic jazz style of 1920s America. However, her latest reinvention has been the most extreme. Long gone is the sweet, cherub face and the glamourous 1920s diva. The new raunchy style for Christina is clear for all to see in her latest video for Not Myself Tonight the lead single on her much anticipated 2010 album, Bionic.

This song mixes an electronic beat with Aguilera's unique voice to give a song that is insanely catchy. It will definitely have you singing or at least humming along after the first listen. The video has come under scrutiny for its over sexual nature, however I for one love the new look Christina and can't wait for whatever she has in store next.

The single Not Myself Tonight is available for digital download on 9th May.


Not Myself Tonight

Christina Aguilera | MySpace Music Videos

Woman wakes up in hospital with Chinese accent...

A woman from Devon who suffers from acute migraine headaches has begun speaking with a Chinese accent, despite never having been to China.



Sarah Colwill, 35, an IT project consultant from Plymouth in Devon has been diagnosed with the extremely rare condition Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS). Experts believe FAS is caused by strokes and injuries to the brain. As a result the injuries cause sufferers to lose the ability to speak in their native accent, due to areas in the left side of the brain linked with speech and language being damaged. Since 1941 there have only been sixty reported cases of the condition worldwide. Research into the condition is ongoing due to the complex nature of the disorder. John Coleman, a professor of phonetics at Oxford University, told Sky News: "FAS is extremely diverse, almost certainly not 'one thing', not a well-defined medical phenomenon.It is not the kind of problem that there are any easy generalisations about."

Sarah's ordeal began when she had an extreme migraine which made her call for an ambulance. This was nothing out of the ordinary for Sarah as she has suffered from frequent migraines for decades. It was the bizarre events which followed which have left Sarah sounding like a completely different person. When Sarah woke up at the hospital her speech had changed and instead of her West Country accent she now sounded Chinese.

In an interview with Sky News Sarah said: "I spoke to my stepdaughter on the phone from hospital and she didn't recognise who I was. She said I sounded Chinese. Since then I have had my friends hanging up on me because they think I'm a hoax caller."

Sarah who lives with her husband, has begun speech theory in an attempt to get her native West Country accent back. However shes admits; "I am frustrated to sound like this, I just want my own voice back, but I don't know if I will get it back."

Despite the limited number of cases in the last sixty years, there have been a few reported cases in recent years. In 2007, an speedway rider from the Czech Republic spoke fluent English when he woke from a coma despite the fact he was only able to speak basic English before his accident.
In 2006 in a similar story to that of Sarah Colwill; Linda Walker, a 60 year old woman from Newcastle woke up having suffered a stroke to find that her Geordie accent had transformed into a Jamaican accent.

Gay Adoption: right or wrong?

Comment piece
A recent survey carried out by children's charity Action For Children, revealed that more than one-third of those surveyed believe that gay couples should not be allowed to adopt children. The findings have been described as 'shocking and disappointing'.

Why should gay couples not be allowed to adopt when there are plenty of parents who abandon or abuse their children? Baby P, Karen Matthews are cases in point, both raised by heterosexual parents. The Baby P incident in particular sent shockwaves through the entire country. A post-mortem revealed he had swallowed a tooth after being punched in the mouth, and also suffered a broken back, broken ribs, having the tips of his fingers sliced off, and his nails pulled out. There have been no reported cases of such disgusting and sickening abuse being carried out on a child in the care of gay parents. There is no evidence to suggest that gay parents will be anymore detrimental to a child’s health or well being than a heterosexual parent. Those who argue that gay couples, and gay men in particular are likely to sexually abuse children have no hard facts to support such claims.

It has recently been revealed that a number of Roman Catholic adoption agencies would rather close than allow gay couples to adopt. The words petty and homophobic spring to mind, such a small minded retaliation would be severely damaging to the children within their care. Not to mention that it is extremely discriminatory and insulting to the gay community as a whole, that an establishment in such a great position of power would rather leave children in serious need of love and homes in the unsatisfactory care system instead of a much more secure environment with caring parents.

Many who oppose the introduction of gay adoption believe that it goes against religion. But why should religion dictate how people live their lives or what they should or should not be allowed to do? Christian’s seem to believe that gay adoption goes against the Fifth Commandment, ‘Honour thy father and mother’, if gay people are such an insult to religion, what about the commandments which are directly aimed at heterosexual couples who clearly break these commandments everyday. Just a brief search on the internet highlights just how many anti-gay groups and campaigns are around, due to the fact that many believe that gay people should not be given the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts. The reasoninf for this; that it goes against the teachings from the Bible. However when searching further on the internet I was unable to find any anti-adultery groups or campaigns despite the fact that adultery goes against the Seventh Commandment. Double standards much?!

Barring gay people from becoming parents is discrimination, based on sexual orientation. This level of discrimination would not be acceptable in any other contexts, for example; in a persons place of work, so why should it be acceptable in any other aspect of their lives. Adoption agencies have so many children who require a stable home, surely a loving home is better than no home at all. There is a major shortage of adoptive parents, and regardless of whether the family, is heterosexual or gay, it is better than the foster care system, not to undermine the foster care system and the terrific job that foster parents do. But surely the fact that the child or children will be offered far more stability than the possibility of having to be moved around different foster families, this can only be a good thing.

3 dimensionsal thinking...

Comment piece

Everywhere you go right now you can't seem to escape 3D.

And it seems that Hollywood directors are not the only ones cashing in on the popularity of 3D technology. Sky have unveiled plans to launch a 3D sports channel. Sky demonstrated exactly how the technology worked by broadcasting the Barclays Premier League game between Arsenal and Manchester United in 3D in nine selected pubs across the UK and Ireland. As of April the 3D sports channel was launched with over 1,000 pubs across the country broadcasting the match between Manchester United and Chelsea on Saturday 3rd April. Sky have announced the success of the initiative and it seems that other broadcasters may be planning to follow suit with Eurosport planning to transmit matches from The French Open at Roland Garros in 3D.

Sky have also announced that the following matches with be broadcast live in 3D:
Blackburn vs Manchester United on Sunday 11th April
Tottenham vs Arsenal on Wednesday 14th April
Manchester City vs Manchester United on Saturday 17th April
Chelsea vs Stoke on Sunday 25th April

On all of my recent trips to the cinema (taking advantage of my Orange Wednesdays; as cinema prices are shockingly overpriced- £8.40 per ticket- I could buy a brand new DVD and watch it as many times as I like for almost the same price..oh and having to pay an extra £1.50 for the 3D experience!!)I have been to see films available in 3D. Including Clash of the Titans, Alice in Wonderland, Ice Age 3, Avatar and The Final Destination. Out of intrigue I also went to see the same films in 2D and with the exception of Avatar none of the films were any better in 3D. The Final Destination in 3D disappointed me, I had expected to have knifes, fire and other objects to come towards me, but there was only one moment when I moved my head to 'avoid' an object! Being in 3D did not add anything to the film. The same can be said for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, which before I go on I think was a very good film, but once again being in 3D added nothing to the film and I left wondering why it had been made in 3D in the first place. Well apart from the fact that it generates higher viewing figures and in turn generates more revenue.

You can't help but think that Hollywood directors are just purely cashing in on the popularity of 3D technology right now. Yes, Avatar was an extraordinary success and shows how fantastic 3D films can be. But Clash of the Titans, which may I add is a great film, was originally filmed in 2D and transformed in 3D. Call me cynical but you can't help but think that the only reason it was changed into 3D was to line the pockets of the director with a few more million.

It seems that 3D films are going to continue to grace cinema screens with Toy Story 3, Shrek Forever There are also plans to release future Batman, Superman and Captain America in 3D.

Toy Story 3 is to be released in cinemas across United Kingdom and Ireland on July 23rd 2010.

Almost perfect comeback for Justine Henin

When seven time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin made her decision to immediately retire from Tennis on 14th May 2008, the entire sporting world was shocked. Not only was she the Number 1 player in the world at the time but her decision was made only 11 days before the defence of her French Open crown which she had won on her three previous visits.

Having seen Belgian compatriot Kim Clijsters win the US Open in only her third tournament since herself coming out of retirement, Henin was spurred into coming out of retirement. On the 22nd September 2009, Henin called a press conference and announced that she would be returning to play competitive tennis starting in January 2010.

Henin was given a wildcard entry into 2010 Brisbane International, where she defeated Nadia Petrova and Ana Ivanovic in straights sets en-route to the final. She eventually lost to Kim Clijsters 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 in an epic match which lasted 2 hours and 23 minutes.

Henin's second tournament was the 2010 Australian Open, which again she was given a wildcard entry in order to play. Having brushed past Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 6-3; Henin was faced with fifth seed Elena Dementieva; in a match that lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes, Henin won 7-5, 7-6 in a match that would have be worthy of the final, and many commentators have described as one of the best ever matches in women's tennis. In round 3 Henin faced 27th seed Alisa Kleybanova winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. In the 4th round she faced fellow Belgian Yanina Wickmayer recovering from a poor second set to win 7-6, 1-6, 6-3.

In the quarter finals Henin found some of her best form to defeat 19th seed Nadia Petrova 7-6, 7-5. Zheng Jie was the opposition standing between Henin and her 12th career Grand Slam final. Henin had won there only previous encunter back in 2005, and this match was to be no different, with Henin winning in emphatic fashion losing just one game on the way to a 6-1, 6-0 victory.

Before the tournament started there was much anticipation about the potential of a Justine Henin against Serena Williams final. The final everyone had hoped for came true when Serena Williams defeated Li Na of China to join Henin in the final. Heading into the final Williams led the head to head 7-6, with the pair having had a number of high profile, often highly controversial matches against each other. This final was no different with both players at the top of their games, trading breaks of serve in a tense match. Henin, had gone into the final hoping for a fairytale comeback story to match Kim Clijsters, however it was not to be the case, with Williams winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

Highlights from the final


Henin admitted that she was happy to be back on court: "It's been a very emotional two weeks for me. I thought they would never happen again, that I could come back on the court"

With the clay court season to start in the next few weeks, there is no doubt Henin will be back among the world's top 10 winning major trophies in no time.

Follow Justine's progress as she prepares for the French Open on her Twitter Page

Online Shopping making your money disappear?

Shopping on the high street could soon be a distant memory, as the popularity of online shopping continues to rise. More than one in ten high street shops are likely to become empty in the very near future, retail experts Experian have warned. Whilst in stark contrast online outlets are flourishing in the technological age, as more than ever people are turning on their computers to spend their money. I spoke to one student to get a unique insight into how the draw of online shopping is affecting one student.

Rebecca Harris, 20, from Brighton, has been in financial difficulty for the last year. Since being made redundant from her job in April 2009 she has had no regular income. However despite the knowledge that she was heavily into her overdraft, her love of shopping continued!

PB: So Rebecca what makes you shop online?

RH: Its all over the internet, its just easier to click and have it delivered to your door than to have to go out in all weathers and barge my way through the crowds.

PB: So what websites do you buy from most?

RH: ASOS, Boohoo, Topshop, Republic and very.co.uk are the ones I mostly buy from, but whenever I have a spare few minutes I browse lots of other sites as well.

PB: What makes you use these websites?

RH: I get sent so many emails and offers, things like free delivery and 20% off. I hate to see them wasted.

PB: Surely ignoring the offers would be better than spending large amounts of money?

RH: Yeah that's what my friends say but I just love the fact that I can curl up on the sofa with a cup of coffee and buy clothes knowing that they will be posted through my letterbox, like I said it's just so easy.

PB: Do you think there is anything that could be done to discourage you to spend money online?

RH: Maybe they could print a copy of your bank balance before you order to stop yourself from needlessly spending money! Seeing your overdraft on screen might make you think twice before clicking the confirmation button!

PB: Apart from online shopping, do you have any other financial worries?

RH: Well, online shopping is my biggest weakness, but yes I do have to worry about paying the rent, bills and food, car insurance and credit card bills. So money is always an issue for me. I have had to borrow money from family and that's never a nice feeling.

PB: What advice would you give to other people in your situation?

RH: Budget!- or at least try to! Treat your overdraft as a debt not a luxury. It may be simple to click a button and get whatever you want but at the end of the day it’s just not worth the extra stress!

However, it seems Rebecca is not alone in her love of shopping online. A recently released survey by business firm Deloitte highlights a 10% increase in online spending in the last 12 months with £28 billion being spent in the last six months alone.