MP’s Have Voted To Increase University Tuition Fees To Up To £9,000 And For A Basic Upper Threshold On Fees Of £6,000

9th December 2010

MP’s Have Voted To Increase University Tuition Fees To Up To £9,000 And For A Basic Upper Threshold On Fees Of £6,000.

Won By 21 Votes.

Once again the students have taken to the streets of London in protest and once again there have been elements of peace and violence. Violence and idiocy shouldn’t be any part of a protest and it doesn’t help the cause either.

Students are claiming that the police have been too heavy handed, even with people who are being peaceful – the news has shown us police on horses charging through the crowds of students, old and young. One man was cradling his head after the event and a policeman hit him again for no reason. Another girl claimed her friend was crossing to a different area and she too was hit. I think this is completely unacceptable – protests should not be violent, on either side.

Ed Miliband states:

‘This is a bad day for families and for all people up and down the country.’

He says that the coalition will not progress after today and they have showed the country that they cannot be trusted. He says politicians should not promise things they will not or cannot deliver in the end, and claims he will be a politician that ‘under promises but over delivers.’

I Do Not Own The Rights To These Images

Images From www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11962415

YOPEY Young People Of The Year Awards

On the 25th of November I got the chance to go to Rotherham

to attend the YOPEY Young People Of The Year Awards.

YOPEY’s motto being ‘Revealing, Recognising and Rewarding Positive Role Models.’

My auntie, and best friend, won Second Prize Winner in the Yorkshire regional finals for her wonderful fundraising efforts with charities such as The British Heart Foundation and Northumbria University’s RAG.

The night was wonderful and it was really interesting and heart-warming to see all the brilliant young people that work hard to do amazing things for others.

Check out the YOPEY website for more information on this fantastic group >>> http://www.youngpeopleoftheyear.org/

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McAfeePhotography©2010

NUS Demo 2010

Students and lecturers held a demonstration yesterday in London against the government's plans to triple university fees.

NUS [National Union of Students] estimated that around 52,000 people marched towards Whitehall, planning to protest peacefully against the government’s cuts; the majority of the demonstration ran smoothly until the cause was tainted by a small minority who took it upon themselves to turn violent.

As the march reached the Conservative party HQ around 30 participants decided to attack the building, breaking windows and seizing the roof. Then around 200 people broke into the Tory HQ – not all of these people were even students! And the attack was said to have been pre-planned. A huge riot ensued; people with hoods and balaclavas entered the building, carrying anarchist flags, breaking windows, attacking police, burning placards and images of Cameron and Clegg. The riot police were then called in.

Unfortunately what was meant to be a meaningful, peaceful protest of unity against the government turned into something that was undermined and overshadowed by the small minority of violent thugs.

York student, Oliver Wheatley:

“The violence of the few, although perhaps raising the profile of the march in the media, will only act to ruin the efforts of myself and thousands of others who turned up today to march peacefully.”

Personally I think that those who were able to go, and who protested peacefully should be proud of themselves. Those that did not act accordingly, should not.
I was there in spirit!

[I own no rights to the photographs.]

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Shitty Government

I Am Sick To Death Of This Shitty Government. I Said It From The Beginning And I’m Saying It Again Now – This Government Is A Load Of Shite. These Cuts And Closures Are Getting Ridiculous…Now The Military Is Going To Suffer…Can’t Wait To Hear The Chancellor Blab On About It All Tomorrow. How About Cutting The Government Down!! Far Too Many Useless MPs For Anyone’s Liking.

Sure Cuts Need To Be Made & Money Needs To Be Saved But Not Like This. A Proper Review Has Been Done My Arse! They Haven’t Had Enough Time To Review Things Properly!

Ed Miliband Is Right;

“This Review Is A Profound Missed Opportunity. It Is A Spending Review Dressed Up As A Defence Review. It Has Been Chaotically Conducted. It Has Been Hastily Prepared. And It Is Simply Not Credible As A Strategic Blue Print For Our Future Defence Needs."

Let V Know If You Agree, or Disagree.

We'd LOVE To Know What YOU Think!!

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INCEPTION

Seeing the most talked about film of the year last night was a huge treat.

Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio and literally comes from the dreams of The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan. If you haven’t already seen this movie I suggest you do!

It’s stunningly beautiful, both visually and mentally; a darkly intricate storyline of dreams and inception, where the subconscious can be manipulated by the conscious.
If you’re not questioning yourself and your surroundings by the end of the film then you may need to watch it a second time. This movie is fantastic for film-lovers who like to be challenged; who like to watch a movie that makes you really work to understand and therefore enjoy the entirety of the film.

WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM?

Christopher Nolan explains the birth of the ideas featured in Inception come from his own dreams and experiences.

“There are times in my life where I experienced lucid dreaming, which is a big feature of Inception. The idea of realising you’re in a dream and…trying to manipulate it in some way. That’s a very striking experience.” – Nolan, E! News.

ZERO GRAVITY!

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars alongside DiCaprio; in one scene we see Levitt literally climbing the walls and ceilings of a hotel whilst fighting off an attack. The scene involved creating a 100 foot long hotel corridor which worked via a rotational device enabling the set to turn a full 360 degrees six times every minute! Scenes like this one are reminiscent of The Matrix with the zero-gravity fight scenes, yet Inception offers something much more exciting and striking visually.

Levitt said: “I couldn’t think of the floor being the floor and the ceiling being the ceiling. I had to think this is the ground…Now this is the ground…and now, this is the ground. That was the mind game I had to play to make it work.”

ALL WORK AND NO CGI?

Nolan did want extensive use of CGI, like in the Zero Gravity Levitt scene where the set was built from scratch instead of being green screened. "However sophisticated animation is, the audience can always tell difference between something that has been photographed and something that has been animated,” says Nolan. CGI was used of course but with a photographic foundation which is built upon.

LEO’S DREAMS

“I’m not a big dreamer. I never have been. I remember fragments of my dreams.” Says Leo; whereas his character Cobb spends his life within the subconscious in vivid illuminations.

Leo spoke of meeting with Nolan every other day for two months to talk about the concepts, structures and rules of a dream world.

NO FUNNY BUSINESS!

Nolan steered clear of the comedic side of dreams, an aspect that we have all experienced whilst dreaming, because he wanted a specific tone to the movie.

"A darkly intricate storyline of dreams and inception, where the subconscious can be manipulated by the conscious."

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Ben's Challenge

I saw this on the news tonight and I thought it was an absolutely amazing story!
This is just another example of the amazing people who are serving our country on a daily basis.



The then 25 year old Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson served with 7 Para RHA in Afghanistan. During September 2006 he suffered horrific injuries caused by an anti-tank mine, leaving him unable to walk or speak.



Ben has lost both legs, the use in his left arm, as well as suffering brain damage and 37 other injuries. Spending 3 months unconscious in military care, doctors expected Ben not to recover but his progress has been an extraordinary surprise to everyone’s delight.

"But I'm a Para. We don't do physical boundaries." Ben Parkinson.


[Ben before]


He has learned to walk again with the help of prosthetic legs, endured multiple operations in order to fix a shattered spine and taught himself how to speak again.

"I want to show other people who get brain injuries that you can fight back." Ben.

[Ben after]

Ben is currently on a challenge!

He has already completed a Kayaking challenge to raise money for the Doncaster Neuro Outreach Team and BLEMSA, on the 11th of April 2010.

Today he has just completed a Parachuting challenge in order to raise money for Service Charities and also to support other injured soldiers.

His ultimate target is to raise £25,000 for much needed equipment by the Doncaster Neuro Outreach Team and BLEMSA [British Limbless Ex Service Men’s Association]. So far Ben’s Challenge has exceeded expectations, support has poured in, and the fundraising has surpassed the £25,000 target. It currently stands at £26,235.69!

I think Ben is a fantastic individual and I have nothing but respect and admiration for him.

If you would like to know more and even donate money to his very worthy cause please visit his website:

!!!! http://www.benschallenge.com/ !!!!

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