Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
So long summer....
"Hello, Good evening and Welcome"
The long cold and drizzly summer of 2009 is officially over. It's back to life in the P.R world and 2009/2010 looks like an exciting academic year for the Leeds Met Students Union Public Relation Department. We have all spent the summer globetrotting around the world, adding to our P.R experience and generally being young and frivolous.
On the Friday the 25th of September we will be holding a stall at this year’s Freshers Fair to try and recruit some fresh blood to add to already talented team.
After my meeting with the big boss man Ben Mac, I will be able to add a calendar of events so that students can pick and choose which events they want to contribute to.
On another note here is an article written by yours truly for the Freshers addition of "Leeds On"
George Berkeley once famously pondered "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"
I thought about this philosophical riddle as I walked into my bedroom with a tray of hot soup and toast, and placed it on my girlfriends lap. My thoughts were this "If my swine flu infected girlfriend calls out for her pillows to be puffed, or for the channel to be switched over to Loose Women or for another Lemsip and no one is around to hear her, does she make a sound?" granted mine is slightly less poetic than George's, however I, unlike Georgey boy, know the answer to my riddle. The answer is simply, there is no conceivable situation in which I would ever be able to leave my girlfriends side as she battled against her feet becoming trotters, growing a corkscrew shaped penis and losing the ability to look upwards, even if I wanted to, the emotional leash round my young neck was fascinated far too tight. So of course the solution to my philosophical ponderment is that the whole idea is flawed because during my girlfriends many hours of need there is no way I was leaving the flat.
Now I am well aware of the dangers of the H1N1 virus and in no way am I talking candidly about the infection before thoroughly researching the subject. The BBC news reported in late August that the deaths relating to swine flu in England and Scotland stood at 40 and that all of these cases related to people with underlying medical problems. This is proof enough that the infection is still a massive problem for our country and with winter round the corner it seems the government is desperate to vaccinate the most at risk groups, pregnant women and children, with plans unveiled to vaccinate 13 million people in the first wave of injections. I think that’s about enough research. So the problem I have with the whole episode is that in my experience, as soon as anyone has a little sniffle, a tickly cough or the desire to eat from a trough they don't just jump on the pig flu bandwagon they request to drive the bloody thing. “Pig flu will kill 40 a day” shouted one tabloid rather sensationally and then suddenly work colleagues, football teammates and even my own girlfriend were struck down faster than Nick Griffin at a Lethal Bizzle gig. Now, I know most of them had no contact with a doctor, so unless the people who I work with in the Halifax call centre, or my mates who struggle with the Box pub quiz, or my girlfriend who failed to point out where Wales was on a map of the U.K, have all secretly got PHD's then surely their self diagnosis is nonsense. Coincidentally they do all read the Sun, strange.
After my girlfriend got through a pocket sized pack of Kleenex she decided it was time to call the flu hotline. The man on the other end of the phone began to read a script of questions to her, these were used to determine whether or not she was infected. "Are you currently having a fit?" asked the helpful gentleman, "No, but my boyfriend just threw one after I complained about the temperature of my coffee" she joked, obviously loss of sarcasm isn't a symptom. The flu inspector went on to ask more questions like "Can your chin touch your neck comfortably?" I stopped myself from asking which chin of my girlfriends he meant, as I thought this might inflame the situation and as my matador’s sword was not within reach in case I needed to tame a raging pig, I kept stum. With all her might she called on all the things she had learnt in G.C.S.E drama to continue the mobile examination, she played young women on deaths door extremely well, she was more convincing than the nanny in "the hand the rocks the cradle" and after putting down the phone nodded and told me my next task was to drive 4 miles and pick up the antidote, the magical Tamiflu.
The man on the phone had told her because she had 3 of the 5 main symptoms, chances are she was one of the infected and because of this she had to be quarantined, she spoke like she was in a scene from the sequel of “28 weeks later”. “28 trotters later”.
Her symptoms included a sore throat, a cough and blocked ears. I don’t know what the hell blocked ears are because she could clearly hear what Ruth from Hollyoaks was babbling on about as she transformed some deserving souls house into an IKEA clad eyesore in 60 minutes. Needless to say I took my orders and returned with the ten capsules. Four capsules and two and half days later my girlfriend was conveniently well enough to enjoy her 23rd birthday. Celebrations included a saunter round Meadowhall, lunch at Yo Sushi!, where she stayed true to her piglet roots and had pork and quail egg yakatori and the evening culminated with a fine dining experience with her doting father. I thought this was quite an achievement for someone who was bedridden only 24 hours previous and that needed breakfast, lunch and dinner made for her in bed. Unfortunately for me loss of appetite was not a symptom.
I’m pretty sure that if swine flu had not been shoved down our throats like a hog roast sandwich with extra crackling that little sniffles and tickly coughs could have just been cleared up with a Lemsip and kick up the arse, which is how my dad used to cure my ailments and I turned out just fine. I understand the need for prevention and that the government have a responsibility to protect the people of this great island, but if I see another Facebook status saying “bedridden and on Tamiflu” I’m going to do the unthinkable and delete my Facebook profile, imagine that, a world where I’m not inundated with inane drivel from people who I used to go to primary school with telling me about their latest pregnancy or which “Skins” cast member is the most shagable.
I’m sure that I will come under much criticism from sufferers of the H1N1 virus and I’m sure many will call for my resignation and a public apology, well to them people I say you’ve got more chance of seeing..........I’ll let you finish that one.
The long cold and drizzly summer of 2009 is officially over. It's back to life in the P.R world and 2009/2010 looks like an exciting academic year for the Leeds Met Students Union Public Relation Department. We have all spent the summer globetrotting around the world, adding to our P.R experience and generally being young and frivolous.
On the Friday the 25th of September we will be holding a stall at this year’s Freshers Fair to try and recruit some fresh blood to add to already talented team.
After my meeting with the big boss man Ben Mac, I will be able to add a calendar of events so that students can pick and choose which events they want to contribute to.
On another note here is an article written by yours truly for the Freshers addition of "Leeds On"
George Berkeley once famously pondered "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"
I thought about this philosophical riddle as I walked into my bedroom with a tray of hot soup and toast, and placed it on my girlfriends lap. My thoughts were this "If my swine flu infected girlfriend calls out for her pillows to be puffed, or for the channel to be switched over to Loose Women or for another Lemsip and no one is around to hear her, does she make a sound?" granted mine is slightly less poetic than George's, however I, unlike Georgey boy, know the answer to my riddle. The answer is simply, there is no conceivable situation in which I would ever be able to leave my girlfriends side as she battled against her feet becoming trotters, growing a corkscrew shaped penis and losing the ability to look upwards, even if I wanted to, the emotional leash round my young neck was fascinated far too tight. So of course the solution to my philosophical ponderment is that the whole idea is flawed because during my girlfriends many hours of need there is no way I was leaving the flat.
Now I am well aware of the dangers of the H1N1 virus and in no way am I talking candidly about the infection before thoroughly researching the subject. The BBC news reported in late August that the deaths relating to swine flu in England and Scotland stood at 40 and that all of these cases related to people with underlying medical problems. This is proof enough that the infection is still a massive problem for our country and with winter round the corner it seems the government is desperate to vaccinate the most at risk groups, pregnant women and children, with plans unveiled to vaccinate 13 million people in the first wave of injections. I think that’s about enough research. So the problem I have with the whole episode is that in my experience, as soon as anyone has a little sniffle, a tickly cough or the desire to eat from a trough they don't just jump on the pig flu bandwagon they request to drive the bloody thing. “Pig flu will kill 40 a day” shouted one tabloid rather sensationally and then suddenly work colleagues, football teammates and even my own girlfriend were struck down faster than Nick Griffin at a Lethal Bizzle gig. Now, I know most of them had no contact with a doctor, so unless the people who I work with in the Halifax call centre, or my mates who struggle with the Box pub quiz, or my girlfriend who failed to point out where Wales was on a map of the U.K, have all secretly got PHD's then surely their self diagnosis is nonsense. Coincidentally they do all read the Sun, strange.
After my girlfriend got through a pocket sized pack of Kleenex she decided it was time to call the flu hotline. The man on the other end of the phone began to read a script of questions to her, these were used to determine whether or not she was infected. "Are you currently having a fit?" asked the helpful gentleman, "No, but my boyfriend just threw one after I complained about the temperature of my coffee" she joked, obviously loss of sarcasm isn't a symptom. The flu inspector went on to ask more questions like "Can your chin touch your neck comfortably?" I stopped myself from asking which chin of my girlfriends he meant, as I thought this might inflame the situation and as my matador’s sword was not within reach in case I needed to tame a raging pig, I kept stum. With all her might she called on all the things she had learnt in G.C.S.E drama to continue the mobile examination, she played young women on deaths door extremely well, she was more convincing than the nanny in "the hand the rocks the cradle" and after putting down the phone nodded and told me my next task was to drive 4 miles and pick up the antidote, the magical Tamiflu.
The man on the phone had told her because she had 3 of the 5 main symptoms, chances are she was one of the infected and because of this she had to be quarantined, she spoke like she was in a scene from the sequel of “28 weeks later”. “28 trotters later”.
Her symptoms included a sore throat, a cough and blocked ears. I don’t know what the hell blocked ears are because she could clearly hear what Ruth from Hollyoaks was babbling on about as she transformed some deserving souls house into an IKEA clad eyesore in 60 minutes. Needless to say I took my orders and returned with the ten capsules. Four capsules and two and half days later my girlfriend was conveniently well enough to enjoy her 23rd birthday. Celebrations included a saunter round Meadowhall, lunch at Yo Sushi!, where she stayed true to her piglet roots and had pork and quail egg yakatori and the evening culminated with a fine dining experience with her doting father. I thought this was quite an achievement for someone who was bedridden only 24 hours previous and that needed breakfast, lunch and dinner made for her in bed. Unfortunately for me loss of appetite was not a symptom.
I’m pretty sure that if swine flu had not been shoved down our throats like a hog roast sandwich with extra crackling that little sniffles and tickly coughs could have just been cleared up with a Lemsip and kick up the arse, which is how my dad used to cure my ailments and I turned out just fine. I understand the need for prevention and that the government have a responsibility to protect the people of this great island, but if I see another Facebook status saying “bedridden and on Tamiflu” I’m going to do the unthinkable and delete my Facebook profile, imagine that, a world where I’m not inundated with inane drivel from people who I used to go to primary school with telling me about their latest pregnancy or which “Skins” cast member is the most shagable.
I’m sure that I will come under much criticism from sufferers of the H1N1 virus and I’m sure many will call for my resignation and a public apology, well to them people I say you’ve got more chance of seeing..........I’ll let you finish that one.
Monday, 16 March 2009
Thursday, 30 October 2008
"Sachsgate” Ross and Brand, why did they get it so “wong"?
I have to admit I am a big fan of risqué comedians like Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross, but this time they seemed to have pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable to far. The one question I keep asking myself is why did they actually have to ring Andrew Sachs, surely the joke would have been just as affective without actually having to leave a message on the 78 year olds mobile phone. I am an avid listener of Brand’s podcast and have heard him spout more offensive gags than “I slept with your grand daughter”, granted it is pretty offensive, but Brand often plays with subjects such as race and homosexuality, the difference being he rarely singles out and names one certain person and never before have I heard him peruse such a personal attack.
So why have two of the most popular television personalities, arguably two of the most talented in their field, slipped up so badly? Let’s face it their not dumb by any stretch of the imagination, they‘re two well educated and successful men. How could they not have realised that berating a young women and her granddad in such a way, was in very bad taste. My opinion is that comedians like Brand and Ross believe they have some sort of key to every city in the world, which allows them to do or say anything they want, because at the end of the day they are rich and famous, and everybody loves the rich and famous right?
Brand has now resigned from his job at the BBC and issued an apology to Sachs, Ross however is apparently in “crucial talks” with the BBC to hang on to his 18 million pound contract. Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC, is allegedly considering removing all risqué comedy in an attempt to protect the BBC’s reputation, as the complaint tally reached 27,000. I really hope that this is not the case as the BBC has been the breeding ground of some of he most innovative and edgy comedy I have ever seen.
Let’s hope that this was just two mates getting caught up in the moment and not anything more sinister. I say keep Jonathan Woss after a stern telling off and a sincere apology to the Sachs family and get rid of Lesley Douglas, The Radio 2 controller who should never have aired the pomposity.
So why have two of the most popular television personalities, arguably two of the most talented in their field, slipped up so badly? Let’s face it their not dumb by any stretch of the imagination, they‘re two well educated and successful men. How could they not have realised that berating a young women and her granddad in such a way, was in very bad taste. My opinion is that comedians like Brand and Ross believe they have some sort of key to every city in the world, which allows them to do or say anything they want, because at the end of the day they are rich and famous, and everybody loves the rich and famous right?
Brand has now resigned from his job at the BBC and issued an apology to Sachs, Ross however is apparently in “crucial talks” with the BBC to hang on to his 18 million pound contract. Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC, is allegedly considering removing all risqué comedy in an attempt to protect the BBC’s reputation, as the complaint tally reached 27,000. I really hope that this is not the case as the BBC has been the breeding ground of some of he most innovative and edgy comedy I have ever seen.
Let’s hope that this was just two mates getting caught up in the moment and not anything more sinister. I say keep Jonathan Woss after a stern telling off and a sincere apology to the Sachs family and get rid of Lesley Douglas, The Radio 2 controller who should never have aired the pomposity.
What a difference a week makes...erm.. 168 little hours
So in my last blog entry I told you that "My aim for October was to have a placement sorted before it was time to go trick or treating" well as I sit here deciding weather to be a Edward Scissor Hands or Freddy Kruger I am pleased to inform you that I have an interview with Trimedia U.K a Leeds based P.R company, and I am very hopeful about my chances. The interview is not until next Friday so I am going to keep all my eggs out of my basket and continue to apply to P.R companies in Leeds.
This week I have also attended a meeting with the guys and girls who run the Students Union and they have lots of events and campaigns that they need P.R and Marketing students to get involved with. The meeting was only attended by four students, myself included, so it was suggested by Lewis Coakley (S.U president) that we become the P.R and Marketing department for the S.U. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain experience in putting on real events and working with campaigns that will actually affect people, which I can use in my P.A.C.E portfolio.
Tomorrow I have a meeting with Stacey Ellis a 2nd year Events Management student who is putting on an event in February a the Civic Quarter. Stacey last year organized a fashion show, which raised money for B-eat a charity which helps people with eating disorders. This year I will be helping Stacey to organize the event, and this time we are going for a type of "Fashion Rocks" event, which is basically a fashion show with live music from bands and D.J's. I will keep you up to date with our progress.
I am currently reading The fall of advertising and the Rise of P.R by Ries and Ries, and working through The Business Environment by Otter and Wetherley. The latter forms the topics for the Organization and Environment module, this is the one that I am finding the most difficult as it includes complex economics, something which I have not studied before. Hopefully soon I will be able to tell you exactly what caused the subprime crisis and what the word “recession” actually means.
This week I have also attended a meeting with the guys and girls who run the Students Union and they have lots of events and campaigns that they need P.R and Marketing students to get involved with. The meeting was only attended by four students, myself included, so it was suggested by Lewis Coakley (S.U president) that we become the P.R and Marketing department for the S.U. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain experience in putting on real events and working with campaigns that will actually affect people, which I can use in my P.A.C.E portfolio.
Tomorrow I have a meeting with Stacey Ellis a 2nd year Events Management student who is putting on an event in February a the Civic Quarter. Stacey last year organized a fashion show, which raised money for B-eat a charity which helps people with eating disorders. This year I will be helping Stacey to organize the event, and this time we are going for a type of "Fashion Rocks" event, which is basically a fashion show with live music from bands and D.J's. I will keep you up to date with our progress.
I am currently reading The fall of advertising and the Rise of P.R by Ries and Ries, and working through The Business Environment by Otter and Wetherley. The latter forms the topics for the Organization and Environment module, this is the one that I am finding the most difficult as it includes complex economics, something which I have not studied before. Hopefully soon I will be able to tell you exactly what caused the subprime crisis and what the word “recession” actually means.
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Doesn't time fly......
My aim for October was to have a placement sorted before it was time to go trick or treating. Well I have just over a week left and I have some very promising leads. Jo Scupham the very nice lady from the placements office has informed me about a P.R opportunity at a local charity and is meeting the people in charge, with my C.V in hand. I have also applied to ten different P.R and Marketing companies in and around the Leeds area and I feel I am on the verge of acquiring some real P.R work.
I am now also a published sports reporter, I may not be reporting on the champions league for a national newspaper just yet, but my report on the Men' football varsity which is published in issue 34 of the student newspaper ,"The Met", is a start.
I have also made a great contact in the form of Hannah Limming, a second year event management student, who I am meeting next week to discuss organizing an event in February at Civic Quarter Campus. So watch this space.
With the word RECESSION ringing in my ears (cheers Gordon) and the daunting prospect of finding a job at the end of my course, I know that the experience I gain now is crucial. So wish me luck in my attempts to find a placement.
For the rest of the day I will be sending C.V's and attending a lecture by Richard Bailey.
I am now also a published sports reporter, I may not be reporting on the champions league for a national newspaper just yet, but my report on the Men' football varsity which is published in issue 34 of the student newspaper ,"The Met", is a start.
I have also made a great contact in the form of Hannah Limming, a second year event management student, who I am meeting next week to discuss organizing an event in February at Civic Quarter Campus. So watch this space.
With the word RECESSION ringing in my ears (cheers Gordon) and the daunting prospect of finding a job at the end of my course, I know that the experience I gain now is crucial. So wish me luck in my attempts to find a placement.
For the rest of the day I will be sending C.V's and attending a lecture by Richard Bailey.
Monday, 20 October 2008
What to write on my very first Blog?
As I sit watching "Have I Got News For You" I begin to think that my first Blog should astound my audience, maybe with some glittering satirical comedy about the credit crunch or Madonna’s divorce just like Ian Hislop does, but as the audience for this Blog will probably consist of my mum, who is more of a "Little Britain" fan, I will keep it short and sweet.
I have recently started an undergraduate degree at Leeds Metropolitan University studying Public Relations and Marketing. Starting a Blog was suggested to me and my fellow students by one of our lecturers Richard Bailey. I can’t believe I haven’t thought about it before, it’s free and I have no editor to answer to, brilliant.
So who am I?
I grew up in a small Suffolk town called Newmarket, otherwise known as the home of Horse Racing. I studied Media, Theatre and P.E at Newmarket College and after passing my A-levels traveled up the M1 to study Leisure and Sport Studies at Leeds Met. After two years of my degree I decided that the course was not taking me in the direction I wanted to go, so I jumped ship and set out on finding a course that could let me be creative and innovative.
After a year of working full time for the Halifax Bank of Scotland my piggy bank was full enough for me to return to university. The course I had chosen as you already know was P.R and Marketing. Why?, because I loved studying the media at A-level and I after researching exactly what being a P.R practitioner involved, I was excited to see if I could be creative, innovative and produce press releases that would get published.
What will my Blog include?
I want my Blog to be a reflection of my journey through university and somewhere where I can express my views about issues that interest me. I also want it to be a tool for meeting new contacts and thus raising my profile within the P.R industry, and of course I want it to be a place where I can become a master of social commentary like Ian Hislop.
I hope you enjoy.
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