A Sad Star Shines With A Christmas Commendation

As we near Christmas we hear of amazing tales of selflessness, generosity and kindness. We use Christmas as a time to think of others and be thankful for what we own, are able to gain and for the people that are closest to us. However, there is one man, whom I have met with, who puts others before himself to an extent that I could not have possibly imagined. This young man had been through some of the most extraordinarily traumatic circumstances and yet, to a monumental level, he maintains the greatest possible emotional attributes that any man can ever maintain. The love for his family and the ability to battle through the toughest of situations all add to his wonderful charisma and respect for other people.

Matthew Sanders(False Name) was born in Blackburn, where he lived on a council estate for roughly five years. During this period, Matthew suffered the first in a series of traumatic events. "I was molested when I was younger, I was five years old." He went on to reveal an even more daunting fact. Matthew's exploitation was committed disgracefully "by a member of the family". "I knew that it had happened. I kind of kept it down and kept it in but it came out when I was having a conversation with my mum when it happened to her as well, by the same family member". His mother was also harassed by the same man, her own father. The man was eventually sent to prison for twenty-six years, and died during Matthews young years. Matthew seemed to smile as he stated he was "not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing".

After five years in a Blackburn council estate, Matthew moved to the countryside where he spent most of his teenager years. However, during his early teens he was faced with another emotional blow. When he was 14, his mother had a serious stroke and had to view it with his own eyes. He went "to play cricket, came back, walked in the door and she was led [Lying] on the floor". His face saddened with the memories of this traumatic time, and he would remember for the rest of his life.

During his first year of University in 2009, Matthew experienced a year of fun, excitement and crazy antics and still describes his university experience in a highly positive light stating "I love it". However, a year that was suppose to break him into the world of higher education, turned out to be a year of suffering. His mother was suffering from a number of "TIA's, which are like mini-strokes" (Transient Ischemic Attacks). This put a massive amount of strain on his emotional life, his social life and his educational life. "In regards to the Uni, I lived a couple of hours away so the logistics of getting back when she needs me or anything is quite difficult". It is understandable to assume that going back and forth would have made his University work suffer yet he selflessly continued to visit his family as much as he can, however difficult it was. He normally had to "carry 10 or 12 books back at a time, your lap-top all your clothes and stuff".

Even during this rough time he was still friendly to everybody and he would rarely let these traumatic events get to him. "I kind of forget it when I'm with people, it's when I'm by myself that I have trouble". His absolute respect for the others around him allows him to take comfort in the company of other people, even when we spoke his politeness and manners were impeccable. "It makes me feel better when I'm with other people". Even though his outside appearance portrays a sturdy emotional level, the feelings about himself move in the opposite direction. "I tend to overanalyze everything it's happened in all times of my life, like my now ex-girlfriend". Even after analyzing himself he still comes to this conclusion. "I would hear something from someone about me. Whether or not its true, I would analyze and I would worry about it."

Following the situation with his mother, Matthew was faced with the biggest set back of the lot. He was told in 2009 that he had been selected for the England under 21's cricket team. Not long after this amazing news he suffered a little accident. "The day after, I dislocated my knee". Who would have thought that this accident would have lead to a whole new wave of suffering. "They found a tumour in my knee, it was a cancerous tumour, it is very rare in people my age". From this, Matthew deduced one simple thing. "When I heard the word cancer I thought…death". Suddenly, University had become the least of his worries and started to panic about what to do next. "It gives you something else to think about".

This is where Matthew truly came into his own. Some people may see this as selfish, whereas others will see it as heroic. I see it as one of the most courageous stories I have ever heard. Matthew decided to tackle his illness alone. He went through a gauntlet of treatment all by himself. "I was on a drug, I can't remember the name of it. I was having injections, I was having radiotherapy. I had other problems, I had DVT (deep Vein Thrombosis) so I had to have morphine and all these other drugs. DVT pretty much runs in my family, my mum's had it and my brother has had it." His radiotherapy treatment was the harshest of them all as every other fortnight he would have to attend it. "For the first couple of weeks they had to strap me to the bed because I kept moving". I was then hit with the reasoning of why he chose to do this alone and the extent of how alone he really meant. "I didn't talk about it, I didn't tell my parents about it". The reason he gave was unreal about my mum". I suppose because his mother was suffering from strokes, any tragic information like Matthews cancer could have easily caused another one.

His selfless acts touched my heart as much as I hope they will touch yours. However, Matthew remains a positive thinker, and a kind and devout son, brother and friend.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and Matthew has recently been given some news which, I think we can all agree, he definitely deserves. "I have the all clear now, and I don't have to go to hospital for another 2 months". Matthew is not the only one who is recovering. "My mum's in relative health, she has not had an episode for about 7 months now." All in all Christmas is about giving, and one thing we should all give Matthew this Christmas is a huge amount of respect, to recognize his bravery and to see him as an example of what selflessness really is this Christmas.

For more information on child abuse visit: www.NSPCC.org.uk,
Or if you wish to make abused children happy this Christmas visit:www.NSPCCwishes.org.uk. Also if you need further information about Cancer or wish to donate to a Cancer Charity visit: www.CancerResearchUk.org.

A day in the life of the life in my garden

The main message that i wish to portray is a day in the life of the life of my garden, is through the decaying of nature and how that decay is still as picturesque as fresh nature. In my photographs i wish to show great contrast between the rotting and the fresh, and how, albeit opposites, they create a matrimony of visual pleasure. I wanted to highlight this in my photos because i believe nature is one of the only true constants that exist. What i mean is, eventhough aspects of nature decay and rot, it is still a continuous act of nature. Even after a plant decomposes it puts something back into a natural ecosystem which is used to create new natural organisms. In brief, the circle of life. A stangnant or rotten pond will always be a home to another kind of life form. The contrats of the rotting against the fresh is similar to the contrast between light and dark. They are two opposing moods that need each other to have a reason to exist. The same is similar with fresh life and decomposing life, they oppose each other, yet they need each other. I hope that the photographs being presented will represent these views and are as entertaining as you may wish them to be.

A weathered gnome smiling in the fresh morning light.

A proud and powerful bird full of energy, enthroned upon a weak and withering tree.

A hellish, decomposing flower glows with a fiery aura, standing against the chilling afternoon breeze.

You will always find life in the darkest of places.

The apple never rots far from the tree...

Darkness envelopes the restless living, soothing it to sleep.

Keynes has been hailed as both the saviour and destroyer of the capitalist system. Why?

Taking into account the present economic conditioin of our country, the history of economic disasters such as "The Great Depression" and the world economy, John Keynes' theories on the "Multiplyer Effect" and the "Circulation Theory", can help to determine why he has been hailed as both the saviour and the destroyer of the capitalist system.

To start, we can analyse the battle between Keynesian and Monetarism ideas and why the clash of the two can highlight reasons that Keynes' theories may have saved or destroyed the capitalist system. Monetarism, a selection of theories put forward by Milton Friedman, suggests that the goverment should have little say in any kind of buissness. During Margaret Thatcher's reign as PM (Prime Minister) in the 1980's, she used this idea duirng her term.

Althought part of monetarism was successful during Thatchers term, Keynes had to step in with his theories to sort out the 80's recession. His main theory used was a term known as "stagflation". It starts off with increasing government spending which, in turn, gave people more jobs or "government waste" jobs which people would always be needed for. The idea that you should "pay people to dig holes and fill them up again" is a prime example of this. People get jobs, the money they earn is used to perchases, which in term sorts out the recession.

On the negative side of things, people earning more money means that prices in shops increase. This happens when employment rises. The rise in employment rises the Aggregate demand, leading to higher prices in shops. This then means that people cannot afford things anymore. Wages will rise, people will get paid more to do their jobs more "government waste" jobs become available which pay more than normal. These jobs were prominent during the US "Great Depression" and lead to the forthcoming problem. Overshooting or undershooting the aggregate demand will lead to inflation, where the pound becomes almost worthless. Unemployment and inflation rise which is where the term "stagflation" eventually comes into play. This Keynesian theory suggests that inflation will never be low, suggesting that this destruction to a countries economy makes Keynes a probably destroyer of the capitalist system.

An idea that made Kenynes a temporary saviour for the capitalist system was the "stimulus package". In times of economic downfall, the government would print money to give to people to spend. To give a practical example for this we can use the USA. Let's say that george bush decided to give everyone in the country $200 to spend at their will. There is a man named Dave that runs a television retail service. With this spare $200 people go and buy his televisions as they have the money to do so. This is good for Dave as he has made a massive profit and the money that he has earned, he is able to spend in other places. So to make himself more money, he uses the "stimulus packages" that people gave him for televisions, to buy a larger number of better televisions. This money he has spent has now gone to someone else which also helps the economy. This is a reason why Keynes may be hailed as the saviour of the capitalist system, as it
leads to a higher Gross Domestic Products, increasing consumerism, which eventually leads to an economy boost. The boost is a good thing and because of this Keynes can be hailed as a saviour of the capitalist system as this theory allows a countries economy to grow.

However, with every action comes a reaction and the boost that the economy gets because of the "stimulus package" is only temporary. The money which Dave spent on his new televisions, has now gone to waste because people no longer have the available cash to spend. Dave is forced to sell the televisions at less than he paid for them, leading to his eventual bankrupsy, lack of money and finally unemployment. This completely disrupts the natural market, and will lead to a fall in the economy, clarifying the fact that even thought Keynes could be seen as a saviour of the capitalist system, it is not permanent. In this light, Keynes can be seen as the destroyer of the capitalist system.

The "Paradox of Thrift" is a term which can help to understand why Keynes may be seen as the destroyer of capitalist society. This is a reaction to the "circulation theory", another of Keynes' ideas. This can also be a result of the "stimulus package" mentioned in the previous lines. The money from the "stimulus package" gets put into buisnesses which then spend money on other companies etc. The money is then spent the same way, going back into "circulation" as is to say. This does make Keynes a saviour of capitalist society, but that is without possible complications which i will now explain. Where the "Paradox of Thrift" comes into play is where rather than spending money, people will save it. The money which could have been spent on a buisness, is not spent which leads to the recievers also having to save money because of a lack of income. This does benefit the people saving, but the money is not going back into the economy, once again decreasing the GDP, the AD and increasing unemployment because buisnesses may save money by sacking employees. This increase in unemployment once again makes Keynes the destroyer of capitalist society.

To conclude, Keyens can be hailed as both the saviour and destroyer of capitalist system. While Keynes' ideas are exceptional on a temporary basis, like the "stimulus package", the after effects of his theories create astoundingly negative effects on the economy as a whole. The "circulation effect" cannot be wholly successful, especially when the results show increases in everything bad for the economy. Keynes can be hailed as the middle man of the capitalist system, his theories provide a good basis to becoming a saviour of economic growth, but some of the concequences or reactions to his theories could destroy the capitalist system.

Writing assignment: Gonzo Journalism

He was outside wokingham train station at about midday. He had a firm handshake and a relatively trusting voice as he said his greetings. He was dressed in a greay suit with a stripey gray tie. It looked a little cheap. He was also carrying a black case with a silver handle that looked rather old. He led me from the station down the road. While passing, the 12:31 to Reading had just pulled in. An idiot decided it would be a good idea to psuedo-heroically get across the level crossing while a train was at the station. Luckily for him it went the other way.

Walking from the station i asked mark about the current day. He had not been up to alot. He mentioned he had just released his manifesto on his website. Lots of people had apparently commented on it. "Some comments were good and some were bad" said Mark. "However, as a new politician that is expected." Another train went the other direction. It was the 12:36 to London Waterloo. The train had excessive graffiti on it. One drawing stated "cunt". It dictated a feel of anger and oppression. Mark commented that it was "disgusting".

Upon walking into town, he was harrassed by passers by. They were mainly women in their middle thirties. They said that his attempt at politics was futile. MArk ignored them but looked at the with a degree of sinicism and hate. He walked proud with his head held high. His steps were jagged, as if stumbling. The stony road was not the most even of things. It looked more like a crevis than a pathway. He crossed the road infront of a blue ford fiesta. It was one of those boy-racer types that cost about five pence to make. It had loud drum and base projecting out of the window.

He waved me into Cafe Nero. Lots of people recognised him. Some of the people were young kids that did not know who he was. He waved at them, and they nervously waved back. They seemed friendly. There was an old couple sat in the corner who also waved. Their wave included a happy smile which Mark reciprocated. He approached the counter. They employee asked what he would like. He was obviously a fan. They discussed the current political standings and asked what Mark thought the election outcome would be. Mark was certain it would be a hung parliament. The employee looked confused. He must not have had enough political intelligence to understand what was happening. MArk ordered a black coffee like it was all that he drunk in there. Lo and behold, it was his first ever visit to Cafe Nero. He said "it is important for a politician to be comfortable in all situations and surroundings". Another customer overheard and snarlled. Mark sat down in the middle of the room. Mark seemed to sink into the soft leather sofa as he gently sipped his coffee. He spoke of his current standings and his excitement for the election. He was sure he would not win a majority in wokingham, but he was confident in gaining some votes. His hand gestures were just as he spoke, conveying a positive and confident attitude towards anyone who took interest in his views.

About half way through his coffee, he was approached by another human. A tall man also dressed in a suit, but alot more groomed than Mark was. They spoke professionally about current affairs. However, there was a sense of tention between the two. The smartly dressed man turned out to be John Redwood. Wokinghams conservative representative. They continued to speak between themselves until Redwood departed with a sompetative handshake. Mark continued to sip at his coffee still discussing wokinghams future. He spoke of the development of a shopping centre and how he thought it would destroy the towns pub-managed economy. He said that getting rid of a pub in wokingham is like taking away steering from a car. It will go all over the place.

MArk finished his coffee with a refreshing breath. He left the premises and strolled into the heart of town. Outside the town hall he spoke to the mayor. The MAyor wished him good luck in his future endevour and parted with a firm handshake. He walked around the back of Iceland. He spoke of the day and said he had buisness to attend to. He enetered his car. It was quite a nice car for a politician, however he also owns a large company known as Trademark Windows. He drove a jet black Lexus which was highly polished.

He drove off with vigilance around the corner and left view. Walking home there were people talking about Mark.Mainly elderly ladies that mentionned that they saw him. When asked, they said that they wont vote for him because it would be a waste. He is not one of the main parties so it would be a waste. MArk was pleasant but lacked reality in what he was doing. He was not convinced that he wouldnt succeed. Still, His courage has led him to become a well known figure in Wokingham's society. It is a local town therefore everyone knows everyone. He was a pleasant man.

New journalism

In brief, New journalism was the introduction of literary techniques in reporting. Punny headlines we are so used to now are a result of Tom Wolfe's journalism. It brings flare and with certain linguistic techniques can also influence you.

Using onomatopoeia, like in Wolfe's book "The electric kool-aid acid test", can become catchy to a reader, cause imagery and make readers imagine things that they might not wish to, subconciously giving them ideas and views.

Headlines are not the only thing. Even in the reports themselves tom wolfe would use linguistic techniques such as alliteration, to grab the readers and make them read on. Readers subconciously submit to linguistic techniques without knowing which allows journalists to subliminally influence people, hence the great success of the Journalistic media nowadays.

Background of the Sexual Revolution

The sexual revolution was profoundly involved with the hippie culture of "free love" in the 60's - 70's. They believed that sex was a biological phenomenon and thus, lots of stonned orgies occured. Its background can go as far back as The Enlightenment (marquis de sade) and can even be traced back to the victorian era. You could look at it with the jacobean period also with the uprise of the Radical, diggers and levellers.

It is definately not a "holy thing" seeing as it the sexual revolution was at the time of the disregarding of christian power.

The mass media helped a great deal. Most americans now had television and decent radio, so the popularity of the "free love" culture was broadcasted world wide so people all over the world could be influenced by what they see and hear. The fact that few people owned these media outlets, meant that their views could be put into place (similar to the political swings of newspapers noweadays).

The introduction of the pill made contraception easy, so people were increasingly able to have free unprotected sex without the consequences of bastard children. Condoms were also mass produced.

And here comes frued!! Hearts for phycoanalysis. The whole oedipus complex arrose with children apparently wanting to shag their parents. The oedipus complex describes this. Oedipus's father gained a prophecy that his son would eventually kill him and marry his mother. After Oedipus was left in the forest to die, he returned, killed his father (which he didnt know) and married his mother. O dear.

William riech was also important to this. Mysteries of the organism was a revolutionary film and invoked the breaking down of "body armor" to cause "orgasm reflex" which linking to frued, braught back happy childhood memories, maybe causing desire for their parents.

All is prevalent to the sexual revolution as sex was seen as a way to break away from the boundries of society and power and was a leading factor for the 60's and 70's "free love"

The Assent

A great Existentialist film. I will only write a short para on it as most people watched it in the lecture last week.

AS we said the week before some existentialist films are pretty weird, and the assent was no exeption. Angles watching how we live from above is a strange concept to think of and to think about how they would percieve us is intersting. These Angles have no idea about anything we do or the reasons for doing so. The existentialist part comes in where one angel talks about he doesnt feel like he exists because all he does is watch people. He is envious on how people on the world can feel and experience emotions and tasks, as it means they have a history.

Overall it was a good film. If anyone didnt watch it i would recommend it to see a good tke of an existentialist film.