What's worse? Dissertation or Desperate Scousewives...!?

I've got this little lump in my earlobe and it sort of hurts. I'm ignoring it though. If I had a hurting lump anywhere else in my body I'd be worried or paying it alot of attention or having it checked out.

My dissertation is my ear lump. AJP work is a lump elsewhere. My dissertation is, in the main, ignored and occasionally revisited with a grimace. My AJP work is mulled over, cried over and flashed about.

I need to address this balance...

Speaking of unwanted nasties lurking about... What about Desperate Scousewives, hey?!

Lets start with the good stuff... The shots of this beautiful city I now call home and Elissa's green dress.

And onto the bad stuff... It looked like it had been scripted, directed and produced by the Tories as another attack on Liverpool.  The opening credits, flutey music with a nails-scraping-down-a-blackboard accented voiceover, echoed those of Shameless - are the directors drawing parallels between the lifestyles of fame hungry "Scousers" to those of benefit-scamming, criminals from Manchestaaaaaar?!

My main issue though is that I know no Scousers like that.  Thank God.

Twitter was awash with comments.  "I'd rather watch my gran have a bath" read one Tweet, while #slags #shit and #scousewives were trending.

The contrast to Young Apprentice was fantastic. Truly, the haves and have nots. As in, the former have... flair, creativity, brains, style and a little bit of humour (Harry H! I love him!) and the latter have not... an ounce of dignity (anal bleaching?! Layla!), ability to ad lib or style.

There's no denying, though, that this is my new guilty pleasure.  (I wish they'd just get another series of Peter Andre on. Now that's quality television.)  And that many more hours and blog posts will probably be dedicated to Desperate Scousewives than to my dissertation, for the foreseeable future...

BUY NOTHING DAY FEATURE

This is a long'un... A feature I've just written about Buy Nothing Day.

When George Osborne delivers his autumn statement tomorrow it is expected that we will be encouraged to start borrowing again, to carry on spending and, of course, remember that ‘we are all in this together’.

Quite the opposite of what many across the country were doing this weekend...

This Saturday marked the annual Buy Nothing Day – the day that we are encouraged to ‘spend a day not spending’.  

This isn’t a protest, more of a movement.  ‘Shop £€$$, Live More’ is the slogan.  And the idea is not to suddenly stunt our economy or raise a silent, non-spending middle finger to the bankers and politicians, it is to simply stop and think about the way in which we consume and how frequently.

It is no coincidence that it falls on, what is for most, the weekend after the last pay day before Christmas and the first big Saturday for Christmas shopping.

Much like the festive shop displays it draws us in, taking some of our favourite slogans – ‘Free!’,  ‘No Purchase Necessary!’ and turning them on their head for its own means.

Instead of Buy One Get One Free people are encouraged to Buy Nothing and Do Things That Are Free. 

Bake a cake.  Make someone a present.  Feed the birds.  Help someone out.  All suggestions on the Twitter - @BuyNothing Day.

The day is one of the many brainchild’s of the AdBusters movement (of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy St Paul’s fame) but it was established in the UK by Michael Smith, a web designer who wanted to stop consuming and take on a challenge back in 1996:

“I was in my twenties when I began this, I consumed every day.  When you’re in your twenties you want the clothes, the commodities, I was like that but I wanted to do work that benefited other people too.”

“I realised, consuming is damaging,” he said.  “If we want to use the world’s resources in many years to come then it’s good that we do this, it can make a big impact.”

The website explains: “It is a simple idea, which challenges consumer culture by asking us to switch off from shopping for a day.

“The day is celebrated as a holiday by some, a street party by others - anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending!”

While Buy Nothing Day does nods towards its ‘sister’, the Occupy movement, Smith assures that this is not a protest.

“We’re not protesting, we’re just saying that we’ve chosen not to shop.  It’s a personal challenge.  The whole thing of thinking I’ve gone 24 hours without consuming is weirdly liberating,” he explains.

Of course this isn’t a one day challenge.  It asks us to “make a commitment to consuming less, recycling more and challenging companies to clean up and be fair”.

Student Josh Luscombe, said the experience certainly made him rethink the way that he consumes:

“It made me think about how much money I waste on crap every week and why I’m always broke when it comes to end of the term,” he said.

“I've probably spent over £50 on fast food since September and now I’m skint.  I’m just going to cook so much more now, it means I’ll save a hell of a lot of money and I’ll be so much healthier!”

Although he found Buy Nothing Day to be a bit of a revelation, the idea certainly isn’t new.  In fact the scheme is now in its 15^th year, and almost anywhere you look on the web, from blogs to Twitter to websites like moneysavingexpert.com it seems many have been proponents of no spend days for some time:

“Once or twice a week have a day where you spend nothing other than budgeted-for things. Quite often just spending once can break the cycle for the rest of the day,” advises economic expert Martin Lewis on moneysavingexpert.com.

The internet is perhaps the only place you will see adverts for the day.  buynothingday.com works quietly and conscientiously through the year to build momentum for the day.  And rather than using non-environmentally friendly posters and flyers to publicise the day, Facebook and Twitter are awash with advertisements.

#buynothingday managed to trend on Twitter earlier last week, while on Facebook users left statuses, comments and posts imploring other to observe the day or sharing how they would be “celebrating”.

One Facebook fan commented: “The end of the month, don’t get paid till Tuesday... easy!”.

This was perhaps missing the point, but it’s the taking part that counts, surely.

Morris Bryant, a freelance web designer, marvelled that taking part in not spending idea was novel.  “It’s pretty amazing that they need a day for this. I do it regularly,” he said.

Organisers admit it can be difficult to gauge just how many people are participating though:

“We can’t put a figure on how many people participate but worldwide, probably, naturally more people will not spend than spend on Saturday.”

What tips would Smith offer to first time Buy Nothing Day observers?  “Stay away from the shops!  You could go out without your wallet or purse or if you want to go to extreme lengths you could freeze your cards in a block of ice!

“How you get involved is up to you - that’s your satisfaction, that’s for you.  All sorts of people participate for different reasons.  It’s like a self fulfilling event.”

Student Stefanie Zuber participated purely out of curiosity: “I have to say I found it easy and enjoyed it.  I even went on a night out and I didn’t buy a drink till midnight! It was like New Years Eve when it turned 12pm. 

“There are so many things even around the city which are for free.  It saves you money and lets you appreciate the things which are already there more.”

Unlike sales figures, how successful it is for all that participate is nigh on impossible to measure.  “I can’t really gauge how successful it has been, other than emails I get from participants.  Every year is different, it’s never the same,” said Smith.

He is surprised by some of the organisations which have come out in support of the movement over the years, but hopes more will join the movement: “Obviously organisations like Friends Of The Earth are very supportive, but about five years ago the retail consortium came out in support of what we are doing, basically when it really became evident that people were spending beyond their means and getting into a lot of debt they agreed that people had to change their habits.

“The ironic thing is that Buy Nothing Day will be more fun when the economy gets going again.”

Buy Nothing Day

 

It’s Friday night, the bell rings for last orders in my local and I head to the bar for a last glass of red wine... only to realise it’s gone midnight and I’m not allowed.  Bugger... 

I am now observing Buy Nothing Day.  The next 24 hours are going to be a challenge.

Or are they?  How hard can it be to spend a day not spending?  I usually while away a Saturday at home reading the newspaper, perhaps popping out to see me grandma or to my sister’s charity shop for a bit.

As a student, and someone who’s travelled for a year, I’m well used to not spending for days at a time so found the whole experience pretty easy.

The only tough part of my Buy Nothing Day came when I was at my grandmas.  It was a cold, winters evening and she was running out of milk for all important brews during Strictly Come Dancing.  I felt pretty awful for not just popping out to buy her a bottle.  If this day was a day to consider ethical spending I felt like a contradiction.

I’ve vowed that from now on I’ll try to spend one day a week not spending.  The week running up to Buy Nothing Day I think I saved about £6 just by making packed lunches in the mornings, so I’ve already reaped the rewards.  I found that while the day did make me stop and think about how much I consume, it more made me think about how I organise my time.  Something I really should do better in third year!

Some of my friends marvelled that Buy Nothing Day is even slightly out of the ordinary as they regularly go days without spending.  Others said they couldn't imagine a day without a takeaway coffee, a lunch out or a newspaper or magazine. 

I wonder if Buy Nothing Day is preaching to the converted...  I don’t think that I actually consume all that much.  Not just because I usually can’t afford to, but because all those Saturdays spent with my grandma or in the charity shop or reading my lefty newspaper have taught me I don’t need to.   Happily, the day doesn’t feel that much out of the ordinary.

RED CROSS ARTICLE

Below is an article I wrote for the pilot edition of the Aus-Afro News while living in Sydney, Australia in 2007.
It's obviously a little dated but I like it alot mainly for the nostalgia of sitting in an apartment overlooking the beach, bathed in blazing sunshine as I wrote it...world's away from my house overlooking Asda while a cool breeze blows in now...but also because it's a great news story!

This little photo is a polaroid of Coogee Beach (courtesy of Emma Brown, you beauty!), just a few minutes from where I lived and wrote in Sydney.

FBS. xx

In the Kakuma refugee camp, in Northern Kenya, Tatu watches as Rashid rides his pushbike unsteadily by. His satchel weighs him down, full of the kind of news she and her young son pray for every day. 

Three years ago Tatu became separated from her husband following an attack on their village by militant rebels. Thousands others fled, that same night, causing the chaos that led to the couple’s separation. They have had no contact since.

That is until now. This time it is Tatu’s turn for good news from Rashid.

Rashid is a volunteer in the Australian Red Cross initiative, The International Tracing Service, which assists families in regaining and maintaining contact with lost relatives and friends.

He is about to deliver the news that Tatu’s husband is alive and well and living in Australia.

_____

Set up in 1918, following the First World War, The International Tracing Service works alongside the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to restore family links, clarify the fate of loved ones and facilitate the exchange of news.

The mission statement of the incentive is to honour the commitment to the humanitarian needs of refugees, asylum seekers and others stuck in the immigration system or searching for missing loved ones

Like Tatu, many of the people benefiting from the service have become separated from loved ones following humanitarian or natural disasters or wars.  They may have lost contact due to lack of telephone or mail systems in their new regions or may simply not know where someone ended up following a conflict or disaster.

The system is free and run primarily by volunteers.  Any information provided is handled with the strictest of confidentiality and consideration as it not only seeks to regain contact but also maintain it.

_____

The success of the service should not be underestimated.  In the financial year between 2006-2007 alone, there were 757 resolved cases across Australia, making it one of the most successful years to date.

However, while the service cannot always guarantee success they are committed to chasing every last piece of information.

If it is felt an enquiry can be taken no further then this families are advised of why this is so and perhaps what steps can then be taken to further the search with similar organisations.

The Tracing Service currently have cases open for families separated during the conflicts in Sudan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Afghanistan, The Democratic Republic of Congo and The Middle East.  In Australia the majority of clients are from Sudan, Burundi, Liberia, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq.

_____

The Red Cross believe that the process of knowing the fate of missing loved ones is essential to the recovery process of having been through a conflict or disaster situation.

“Simply not knowing the fate of a loved one can cause such anguish,” says Hamish Lindsay of Red Cross.

“It’s a privilege to be in a position where we can help people reestablish contact with relatives.  Successful cases are very rewarding,” says Lindsay, Coordinator of International Tracing and Detention Services.

Rashid would agree.

He searched for hours in the 86,000 strong refugee camp to pass on a short-but-sweet message to Tatu:  “I am alive and well. Your loving husband, Matthew.”

_____

Hello, and here I am.

In the interests of 'self improvement' I have done two things - joined the gym and started a blog.  The former I've come to consider as good antidote to the amount of pork pies I eat, the latter because it's 'what I should do' as a budding journalist.

It obviously has nothing to do with the fact that my brother has just started one or the hilarious name I came up with for it while washing the dishes.

Similar to Harry M in last night's Young Apprentice I've come up with the name before the concept so what said blog will delve into remains to be seen... most likely comment on programmes like Young Apprentice (love!), Strictly Come Dancing (love!love!love!) and X Factor (hate!hate!hate!)...

I'll also be publishing articles and features I've written, posting about lovely journalist experiences I've enjoyed (interviewing the BNP, accidently finding myself briefly appearing in a BNP propoganda video, following protests, etc) and be spending alot of time ranting and raving about my beloved student radio station, Looprevil Radio.

If my blog gets just one more listener for the station then it'll be a raging success! (hint hint...)

So, happy reading I suppose!

FBS. xx