Manners still matter
Shocking: Manners are so infrequently used that we often find ourselves surprised when faced with a polite gesture
For many Londoners and commuters, the sweaty, over-crowded chaos of the tube during rush hour is a source of much frustration, claustrophobia and badly disguised annoyance at their fellow human beings.
Whether you are a fan of the often unreliable underground or avoid the beast at all costs, we’ve all had days when being pushed, pulled and squashed into the potentially unwashed body parts of a total stranger is enough to drive us completely round the bend.
I have to count myself as one of the lucky ones when it comes to my daily commute. Certainly the first part of my journey through the capital is relatively easy and upon first boarding the tube, I usually find myself faced with nothing more harrowing than spacious carriages, numerous free seats and the occasional sobbing baby.
However, as the train continues on its arduous journey towards the bustling city centre, this seemingly pleasant scene evolves into one of utter horror. Sweaty bodies collide with rude, foul-mouthed people desperate to snag themselves a seat, while impatient businessmen and women frantically push past some slow-moving, headphone-wearing youths desperate to shave even the smallest of seconds off their journey time.
A small part of me is surprised that the country’s commuters haven’t skipped out of their jobs, set up tents in one of the city’s tourist hotspots, decked themselves out in the latest tie-dyed burlap clothing and begun a hippy-style protest against TFL‘s undeniable cruelty against commuters.
Needless to say, the tube is not one of my favourite methods of transport.
Despite my sometimes overly bitter feelings towards the tube however, yesterday’s commute served as a much-needed reminder that among the masses of self-serving, forcefully shoving tube-users remains a small number of respectful, polite people willing to take the extra second to make your journey that bit less painful.
Confusion: the verdict of Amanda Knox's appeal was wrongly reported numerous times
With breaking news coverage becoming ever-more fast-paced, news organisations across the world are going to desperately extreme lengths in order to remain at the forefront of the international media.
This evening marked one such media frenzy as journalists across the world waited with baited breath for the much-anticipated verdict of the Amanda Knox appeal in Perugia, Italy.
Between the language barrier and the confusing delivery of the judge’s verdict, media coverage of the appeal was thrown into utter chaos, particularly when a number of reputable news organisations – in their haste to be the very first to report the story – jumped the gun and reported the wrong verdict.
The Daily Mail, the Guardian, the Sun and Sky News – to name just a few – were all caught out when their hasty attempt to beat the masses lead to some embarrassing online slip-ups and sparked a wave of criticism from readers and journalists alike who expressed outrage and (at times) pure glee at the glaring mistakes.
Burberry puts tweeters in the front row at London Fashion Week #LFW
Photo courtesy of @Burberry
For many, it is the dream seat of a lifetime – a front row spot at one of this season’s must-see designer shows and, with it, the knowledge that you have finally achieved what many can only hope to one day attain: fashionable status.
For the past few days, London – and indeed the fashion world at large – has been set alight by the delights and delicacies parading down the catwalk at London Fashion Week. Carefully manicured claws have been out for months in order to procure tickets to the hottest shows in town and there have been tears, tantrums and fits of frenzied fashion hysteria by those not lucky enough to have been blessed with a spot at the front row of fashion’s must-attend event.
Surely, you ask, it is enough to attend such an event? The answer – most definitely not. As the most discerning of the fashion pack will tell you, while raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow at your ignorance, the front row is the be all and end all at LFW. Sit anywhere else and you might as well be perched outside on the curb, just hoping to catch a glimpse of your favourite celebrity as they effortlessly glide from one front row seat to the next.
Graduates left out in the cold
Having now graduated from two institutions of higher education, each time with an ok degree by most people’s standards, I feel that I now have a sufficient enough understanding of graduate recruitment to throw my two cents into the debate that currently surrounds the future of the UK’s young people.
While I myself am trying to break into a notoriously tricky industry – the world of media can be so cruel – it seems that nearly every graduate across the country is experiencing the same soul-destroying search for employment that so frequently ends in bitter disappointment and frustration.
“Hiring graduates is a risky business you see… All that training that we have to put them through. It’s really more of an investment than a recruitment,” is what one company recently told my friend – who by the way left an incredibly good university with a first – after putting her through an intense round of interviews, psychometric tests and online verbal reasoning exams. Read more…
London town is burning down #ukriots
The media has been full of images showing the extent of the violence and destruction taking place in London
London is in a state of utter mayhem this evening after a series of violent riots ripped through the capital leaving a trail of chaos, devastation and fear across the capital.
There are currently 16,000 police men and women deployed throughout the city in an attempt to quel the violent mob that has ravaged this city – and others – for the past four days. Looters, protesters, petty thieves, vandals and criminals have come together to form a mob of utter mayhem as they tear throughout the UK’s cities leaving behind a trail of total devastation and destruction wherever they go.
Anyone who has picked up a newspaper, watched the television or (if you’re a resident in London, Manchester or Birmingham) looked out of the window will have seen the chaos and horror that has flared up throughout the UK’s biggest cities in the past three days. The media has provided coverage of the story from every angle – from live blogs to infographics showing the worst-affected areas of London.
Tindle journalists strike against churnalism
Staff at NLH News will protest against severe cuts
As a journalism student desperately seeking a career at any reputable publication, my determination and confidence in my own abilities have taken numerous knocks throughout the course of my journo quest.
We are told on a daily basis that each of us has chosen to pursue a career in an area of journalism that is currently flailing on its last legs. Many believe that churnalism has ruined what is left of the dependable regionals and many of the nationals have begun to follow suit.
I have, however, been lucky enough during my short career as a journalism intern, to work at a number of publications striving to maintain a sense of quality and originality that have made newspapers the valued media source that they (hopefully) still are today.
One such paper was the Enfield Advertiser, part of NLH News, a group of north London-based newspapers owned by Sir Ray Tindle. Sadly, severe budget cuts and staff redundancies have left the papers in a state of desperation, with just three reporters attempting to generate enough content to fill nine publications.
Kate Middleton’s former school made to feel shame
Kate Middleton's former school has been the subject of much media attention
Since the announcement of the royal engagement, the media has been flooded with information and intrigue about the future Mrs. Prince William. Who is the designer deemed royal enough to design her wedding dress? What did she get up to on her not-so-naughty hen night? And so on and so forth.
More recently, however, the press has picked up on a number of stories about Ms. Middleton’s past – from her slightly awkward appearance as a young prep school pupil, to her starring stint in a St. Andrews fashion show. Unsurprisingly, many newspapers have eagerly lept upon rumours that the future Queen of England was once bullied out of her well-to-do Berkshire-based boarding school, Downe House.
Tales of cliquey girls smearing excrement in Kate’s bed – proven to be a ludicrous lie after it was revealed that Kate, a day girl at the school, never actually used a bed – and bitchy back-stabbing have dominated a number of publications over the past week.
Truck off! Hackney cyclists hit back at HGVs
TFL have launched a number of campaigns to increase lorry drivers' road awareness
A loud horn sounds above the busy buzz of traffic followed by a series of yelled expletives. A filthy lorry quickly accelerates away leaving a furiously shouting cyclist surrounded by a cloud of dirty smog.
“It happens all the time,” the angry cyclist explains in a quieter tone, swinging himself off his bike and removing his helmet. He pauses to glare in the direction of the lorry before leaning against a nearby tree.
David James is visibly shaken after the confrontation and it takes a minute before he calms down.
Worryingly this scene is nothing new for the cyclists of Hackney. Each day thousands of the borough’s bikers are involved in near-misses with lorries and other HGVs.
“You’ll be sitting in a queue of traffic next to a lorry and when the cars start moving they just cut right into you without a moment’s hesitation,” the 26-year-old explains.
“The best you can do is try to jump out of the way, yell, scream and try to tell them they could have nearly killed you.
Islington Gazette: Burrito bachelor in Latino love search
RIchard FitzGerald, creator and dater for 52 Burrito Dates
At a quick glance, Richard FitzGerald appears to be living out an incredible fantasy. With a year’s supply of free Mexican food at a top Islington eatery and a string of girls literally begging to date him, Richard is the envy of many men in London.
However, sitting across the table from the would-be Casanova on our first date, it seems as though his romantic reality has not been as fulfilling as the fantasy. While an endless supply of tasty Mexican treats coupled with throngs of potential dates might seem like the perfect arrangement, Richard seems slightly unenthusiastic about his romantic prospects.
A half an hour into our “burrito date” and I have learned a great deal about the ups and downs of the 27-year-old’s whirlwind, fiesta-filled lifestyle. It all began last March, when Richard won 365 fast-food Mexican meal vouchers, donated by Chilango, in Upper Street, Islington, in a raffle.
Quick to brag about his foodie fortune on the social networking site, Twitter, the Irish-born Shoreditch resident found himself with an influx of friends asking, demanding and, in some cases, even begging that he share his winnings with them.
After numerous conversations and debates with fellow Twitter users about the best way to share the mounds of Mexican cuisine, Richard hit upon an idea that would allow him to share his impressive prize, while also indulging his love of social networking and blogging.
The premise was simple – Richard would take a different girl on a date to Chilango every week for a year, in an attempt to find his perfect burrito babe, while publicly blogging about the intimate details of every experience. In April of last year Richard set up his first burrito-based date and http://www.52burritodates.com was born.
“I had loads of people messaging me on Twitter and asking if I would take them out for a meal at Chilango. Some suggested that it would be a great way to meet women and take them on dates and that’s where I got the idea from,” he explains.
“I already had a blog and I thought that this would make a great basis for a new one. I set it up and organised my first date and it all just followed on from there.”
Islington Gazette: Sweet treats for all
Cyber Candy offers a wide range of spectacular sweets
Looking at the sweet-filled walls, the giant gummy bears and the weird, yet wonderful collection of pickle and bacon flavoured mints, you could be forgiven for thinking that you had stumbled into Willy Wonka’s factory.
Although perhaps not as fantastical as the fictional world of Wonka, Cyber Candy, in Upper Street, Islington, is sure to amaze even the most discerning of sweet lovers with its incredible variety of sugary treats.
Owners Margaret Morrison and Allan Goacher founded the company in 2000 when they began selling their creative collection of candies online.
Since then, Cyber Candy has grown into a fun and popular brand, fuelled by the couple’s love of quirky confectionary. They now have shops in Covent Garden, Brighton, Birmingham, and most recently, the Angel, Islington, where they keep their headquarters.
The Islington shop holds special meaning for both her and her husband, as the couple first met while Margaret was a student at City University’s Department of Information Science, down the road in Northampton Square, Finsbury. After deciding to open another London-based store, the pair had no doubts about where exactly it should be.
“My husband and I met when I was a student at City University. Angel was our hanging-out patch so opening a store here was really special for us,” said Margaret.
“We felt like we were returning to the place where we had originally met. When we found this space it seemed like the perfect location to launch our newest London store.”
Since opening in April 2010, Cyber Candy’s Angel shop has seen a constant stream of customers, from the young to the old, all drawn in by the shop’s wide variety of tempting treats.
From Wonka Kazoozles, her personal favourite, to the Cinnamon Bun Bites, Margaret believes that the shop has something to offer everyone, from candy-crazed kids to seemingly straight-laced adults.
“The products are really popular with young adults, people who love the retro aspect of our shop,” she explained. “They get really excited about the candy and it makes them feel like they did when they were young children.
“Kids tend to go a bit crazy when they come in here, like they’re a bit overwhelmed by it all. They get over that soon enough though!
“People who have been away travelling love spotting things that they only thought they would find in another country. There’s a little something for everyone.”
Multi-Minded Musings 