Lauren's House of Fun

An UPDATE for once...

2008-04-18T15:03:06Z

Yeah, hi, I've been neglecting this journal because of fandom, but then I've been neglecting real life because of fandom, so...nyeh.

Everything is almost booked, flights and travel insurance so I just have to get my Wrockstock Pass and book my NEWTs and I am off to Missouri in 35 days...it is exactly five weeks away...omg. So this time in five weeks and one day I could have flown on a broom (yes, they offer that. That's one of the NEWTs. A zipline with brooms attached. Hell yes, our fandom is the coolest!!)...and I could have hugged a Malfoy. THE BEST KIND OF MALFOY. That is, the guys from Draco and the Malfoys XD Well, Brian did say on our thread he would hug us. So I'm all yay, I totally want one of their tshirts...maybe more than one. Wrockstock'll be my first chance to actually buy any US merch!...but no HatP :( And no MoM! I so want one of their tshirts. I'm going to cry now XD
(Actually my mother suggested I bribe someone into getting me one and sending it to me, or bringing it to Wrockstock. I would really REALLY like for that XD I wonder where they sell them. Hmmmm. Stupid no-selling-merch-online rules :/)

Ha, so I'm going late to Wrockstock because I have an exam that day (FAIL! Stupid Intro to Social Theory!! The lecturer was like "NOOOO!" because she wants me to like Social Theory XD I was like "I know it's not your fault. Lame exam organisers." She actually phoned the department from the lecture hall like, "Do we have any say over changing exams for undergraduates?!?!?!" because she didn't want me to a) have to miss out on going or b) hate social theory. But it happened anyway XD They can only change them for postgraduates, it turns out. Ah well. At least I still get to go :) And I arrive back in Glasgow at 9am Wednesday morning and guess what? I have an exam at 9.30 on Thursday XD So I'll be half dead but the important thing is, I'll get to hang out with fellow Invaders Spirit and Lauryn (married lesbian couple from Canada - 19 and 20 respectively), Tim (DJ Knockturn) and Shawni (whom none of us have met XD) along with freaking ABBY and PAUL and other people for dinner on the Monday night!! Before possibly going shopping in The Loop on Tuesday! And a hotel room party on Monday night (a tame one) for Spirit and Lauryn's six month anniversary!...yes, it's going to be SO FREAKING AWESOME.

(I'm getting excited, can you tell? XD)

So yes. In other news, still no job. I'm holding off til I come back I think, it seems like a good plan, except probably all the new high school leavers will also be looking for a job. Hmmm. Well, hopefully it'll work out XD I was planning my "MAK TOUR OF AMERICA" in bed earlier hahaha. Next summer, baby. And I know that nobody knows what MAK is...unless one of two people are reading this...and that's unlikely...but all will be revealed, and probably quite soon, and just... SQUEE.

Also, I received my MarvelousMail assignment this morning and it's a girl who lives in Greenock :) So I'm very happy! It won't take as long to arrive then YAY. The theme this time is "decades" so I was thinking perhaps 50s but looking at her profile I see that in her interests she lists "80s" and "80s music" so there goes the pin-up babes, Marilyn Monroe style stuff (although perhaps that is just too much my own preference anyway XD) and the amusing songs like "Pink Shoelaces" and stuff. Sometimes I think I should have been a teenager in the 50s XD seriously. Then I would have been in my 20s in the 60s...then perhaps I could have been a session drummer after all!...and yes, I might have stooped to attempting to incapacitate Ringo Starr. What, I'm only human ;)

ANYWAY! Yes, so for 80s things I shall go a-looking :) should be FUN! And I'll send out thoughtwaves that say "50s...50s...50s..." XD

(though she is also a Harry Potter fan, which makes me very happy. Darn decades assignment!!! XD Ah, maybe I can work it in somehow ;) )

Also: hahahaha they have made a film of "Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging" by Louise Rennison. The trailer looks infinitely childish but HILARIOUS. Have a look Doesn't it look hilarious? XD I'm sorely tempted to see it, you know. Ah dear.

Also, can I just say this now: AHHHH! A-Slack will not only be at Wrockstock (of course) he'll be giving speeches! And it's going to be SO AWESOME. There had better be a finale of The Weapon this year again or I will CRY. I'm not joking. The video from last year is so good I downloaded it to put on my iPod. Also, there was talk of a Wizard Rock Zombie Fangirl Movie XD which would be HILARIOUS. The wonderful guy who does makeup and is in The Quaffle Kids (I really want to say Andy...I hope I'm right), he posted some pics on the forum thread and we were all like :-O ...zombielicious!! So it'd look really good. But what do wizard rock zombie fangirls WEAR?!?! lol. I'm sure we'll figure it out anyway :)

I think that's it really. I have been leading a VERY boring life. Oh, although I did find a program which I'm trying to use to put fanfic on my iPod. Mixed success at the moment XD

Anyway, I guess that's enough for one day :) Hope you guys are all doing well!! Take care, and...argh! Jess! Only 34 sleeps! :-P

L x

P.S. There is talk of wizard rock meetups in England either before Wrockstock with a select few *grin* or in July with the WHOOOLE UK gang. (er, for the uninitiated, I'd hazard a guess that that includes a bundle of wizard rockers and some fans. There don't seem to be as many fans as wizard rockers however. Hmmm. And me, being a trusty reporter, of course ;) Oh, in saying that, Cauldrons and Chocolate Frogs is on hiatus. Coming back next month :) In case anyone here is interested :-P)

P.P.S.

Bwahahaha, the year I was born XD

Risk Society Essay

2008-04-03T05:23:26Z

Well, it took me like TWELVE hours (no kidding), but here it is, in all its mostly unreferenced glory (yay, that's what I'll be doing now).

Read, let me know what you think, if you can get through it XD (if not I suggest skipping to the part about safety standards, it's near the bottom. Read that and get MAD at exporters in Western society!!!)

...Ahem. On with the essay. But oh gosh, an apology to Andrew before I start...I was very impressed by your suggestion and really (as I told you) wanted to include it...but by the time I got to the end of the actual essay, not the conclusion, it was literally 6am. I had neither the time nor the energy left to go into the whole global-warming-affecting-Africa thing. Thank you for opening my eyes to it though, and I will certainly read up on it before the exam, as that might well be of use there :)

Now, here you go:

Based on the criteria found in the works of Ulrich Beck, contemporary British society can to a fair extent be considered a ‘Risk Society’, at least inasmuch as risks which affect this country, if not those which affect other countries. This can be seen primarily with risks created by technological and social advances, attitudes to the perceived risks posed by global threats such as nuclear power, the so-called ‘trust-risk relationship’ which the British public have with those who possess expert knowledge, and manufacturers’ refusal to adhere to sufficient standards of safety.

Beck states that “[i]n advanced modernity the social production of wealth is systematically accompanied by the social production of risks. Accordingly, the problems and conflicts relating to distribution in a society of scarcity overlap with the problems and conflicts that arise from the production, definition and distribution of techno-scientifically produced risks.” This theory that essentially, the creation of wealth brings about the creation of risks, indicates that in wealthy capitalist countries, there should be more technologically or scientifically produced risks than in poor countries. Given that the United Kingdom is one example of a wealthy capitalist country, it makes sense that Britain should exhibit more of these risks than third world countries.

However, there is another facet of the rich/poor divide which must be taken into consideration. It can be argued that the while the amount of risks being created increases as technology becomes ever more advanced, a more significant development in the understanding of risks in society is actually the now widespread knowledge that these risks are being created. According to Beck (1992: 20), there are two distinct periods of modernization, and these illustrate the difference between rich and poor countries in today’s society. On one hand, the distribution of wealth is paramount in countries where resources are scarce, and technological advances promising to generate more wealth are supported, the risks they may create swept under the carpet in the face of deliverance from poverty. The opposite of that, however, is happening in the wealthy Western countries today. In these countries, people do not have to fight in order just to live, and in fact the pendulum has swung so far the other way that there is a growing problem with people being overweight. However, the fact that technological and scientific development is not urgent and necessary permits people to question the legitimacy of progress for progress’s sake, particularly when it brings with it side effects which are, or are potentially, harmful.

Beck also argues that as technology has advanced, the nature of risks has actually changed. For example, he cites the sewer-free cities of the nineteenth century where the risk posed by the human waste in the streets contrasts greatly with the risks in today’s society, as “hazards in those days assaulted the nose or the eyes and were thus perceptible to the senses, while the risks of civilization today typically escape perception and are localized in the sphere of physical and chemical formulas (e.g. toxins in foodstuffs or the nuclear threat)” (1992: 21). In the case of less serious risks, dispersal of the knowledge of these risks’ existence has led to preventative measures being developed – for example, at present there is a project between Pennsylvania State University and Human University in Changsha, China, to develop a “spherical plastic widget” which will float inside a milk carton and will indicate, when placed next to a detector they envision will be placed at supermarket checkouts, whether the milk contains bacteria which causes food poisoning. (New Scientist) However when it comes to more serious, global threats, finding a solution is much more complicated. Threats posed by nuclear weapons and global warming, to name just two examples, are often widely discussed. There is, of course, far more to these dangers – and their domination of public discourse, than meets the eye.

The role of the media in publicising risks, for example, is undoubtedly complex, with the foremost concern being exactly how they choose which things deserve to be reported. However, Blomkvist and Sjöberg (1978: 207) think it is a matter of what stories will make them money: “Our press must make a living out of its sales so, in choosing news, the attractiveness or degree of interest must be considered. The same is true, of course, for radio and television which are also quite dependent on public reactions…accidents are reported…[because] they arouse curiosity.” In the same way, potential accidents also arouse curiosity, as well as fear, and therefore are also attractive to reporters. There is no doubt that those risks which have the potential to cause disasters on a global scale are among the most interesting to report. However, care also has to be taken in order not to spark an unnecessary panic. Therefore it is clear to see that the media are in a very powerful position within society, acting almost as the guardians of knowledge – at least as far as the general public are concerned. However, their knowledge comes from other sources, so not only do the public have to trust that the media report accurately the facts that they are given, they must also trust that the sources of the information are providing accurate facts as well. This is where another important element of Beck’s theory of the ‘Risk Society’ comes into play: the idea of ‘expert systems’.

Beck explains that when it comes to contemporary risks, the general public is forced to rely on people who possess expert knowledge – usually scientists: “[m]any of the newer risks…completely escape human powers of direct perception. The focus is more and more on hazards which are neither visible nor perceptible to the victims…that require the ‘sensory organs’ of science – theories, experiments, measuring instruments – in order to become visible or interpretable as hazards at all.” (1992: 27). In this way, not only are the public often unable to recognise risks which affect them, but they are utterly dependent on there being enough concrete evidence that a risk exists as to generate a consensus among the scientific community. Given that even such well-publicised risks such as global warming are still being argued over by some, it is no surprise that more than a few members of the public still doubt the validity of the argument for lowering carbon emissions. However, more serious than convincing the public that such a ‘far away’ risk exists (for while the threat of global warming is global and will affect everyone, it is thought by some that the effects will not be felt until reasonably far enough in the future that it will not become a serious issue during the lifetimes of the currently living) is the possibility that a lack of scientific consensus - or scientific testing itself - might lead to a disaster in the near future. In the field of manufacture, for example, Beck states that “…in the effort to increase productivity, the associated risks have always been and still are being neglected. The first priority of techno-scientific curiosity is utility for productivity, and the hazards connected with it are considered only later and often not at all.” (1992: 60). As a result, technological advances, while tending to increase productivity and wealth, can often lead to dangers which may not be discovered for some time. Ridiculously, when people – scientists for example, or employees of the manufacturer – come forward and attempt to warn people of the risk, often there are outright denials, and the burden of proof falls to them. Instead of the safer protocol where products must be proven safe before they are distributed or sold, it falls to people to determine the risk posed by the products after their manufacture, and often after the damage has already been done. In some cases, even when the manufacturer knows that their product poses a risk to the health or safety of their customer, they do not take any action. One such instance was that of the hazards posed by the mining of and working with, asbestos. Despite countless indications, reports, diagnoses of asbestos-related diseases and insurance companies refusing to sell life insurance to asbestos workers – evidence dating as far back as 1898, and that is discounting the fact that Pliny the Elder observed that slaves working in asbestos mines died of lung disease in the first century AD – the first step towards combating asbestos-related diseases was not taken until 1931, when regulations were put in place allowing a ‘safe level’ of asbestos which led to one in three workers contracting asbestosis after 15-19 years exposure (website). The effects of insufficient legislation and inaction by manufacturers of asbestos products continue to be felt, as 5,000 people in the UK die every year from asbestos-related diseases (2002), and legislation which attempts to limit these effects has continued to be passed until as recently as the Controls of Asbestos Regulations of 2006.

However, manufacturers ignoring risks can also turn into hypocrites. Some people have no compunction against exporting products which do not meet the safety standards in their own country, nor importing goods from countries which have less safe manufacturing processes. Zeckhauser (1991:381), referring to America but with logic equally applicable in the UK, supports these manufacturers: “Worldwide standards for risk are not appropriate…because individuals’ attitudes to risk are likely to vary considerably, depending on their countries’ state of development. Imposing the risk standards of an economically advanced society on less developed countries will reduce their welfare by retarding economic growth and the benefits it provides. The main reason for the United States’s higher safety standards is not superior awareness of safety’s importance but rather a greater ability to afford the luxury of greater safety. In many underdeveloped countries, increased income has a major impact on the individual’s prospect of survival.” However, given the statistics previously cited with regard to the blatant refusal to acknowledge the dangers of asbestos in developed countries despite clear evidence, this declaration that developed countries have higher safety standards than developing countries is frankly worrying, as if this is an example of these so-called higher standards, it could be argued that far greater and/or more numerous risks are being posed to the health of workers in these developing countries. Furthermore, Zeckhauser cites avoiding the curtailing of economic growth in developing countries as an excuse for observing less stringent safety standards, but is a reduction in rates of economic growth really too high a price to pay for preserving human lives? While he states that Western safety standards are essentially an expensive luxury, given the decades of insufficient legislation passed to deal with the dangers of asbestos, it does not seem far-fetched to conclude that other safety standards may be similarly lacking, and therefore that at least some standards observed by Western societies are in fact not exceeding, but rather barely meeting the thresholds of human safety. Based on this theory, the idea of allowing developing countries to maintain even less stringent safety standards seems to border on outright neglect. While the risks do not affect the population of Western societies directly, they can have indirect consequences, for example holidaymakers might be harmed by the products, or contaminated drinking water; or food grown with unsafe fertilisers could be imported back into developed countries. Even should there be no effect on the Western societies, the inequality required by the capitalist system – the Western societies need other countries to buy their products, supply labour, and a myriad other things – should ensure that all countries collaborate to ensure similarly high standards of safety for everyone, at the very least for the sake of the economy, if not for the principles of basic human rights.

In conclusion, contemporary Britain can be considered a ‘Risk Society’ in terms of the majority of risks which apply to the country itself. Greater attention is being paid to the risks created by scientific and technological advances, and more global risks - while they are being debated - are being brought to the attention of the public. The media’s role in publicising risks is becoming more understood, as is science’s role in determining where new risks exist. However, more needs to be done with regard to testing safety prior to product manufacture, as well as more stringent safety regulations being put into place as soon as a danger is identified, to minimise the harm it can cause – regardless of the impact on trade here in the UK or elsewhere.

If anyone tries to plagiarise this essay they will be NINJAED. I worked too hard on it XD Siriusly though, I can't imagine why anyone would want to. Oh well. Time to pretend to sleep ;)

Essayishness!

2008-04-02T14:53:59Z

Yes, I am working on a Sociology essay due tomorrow. It is about, "To what extent can we characterise the contemporary UK as a ‘Risk Society’?" So it's all good. I have a lot of books out of the library. I'm glad you can have up to 15 when you are an undergrad, though I doubt I will ever ACTUALLY have 15 out :P Then again, I might have that already because when I was running about getting books with Alan yesterday, I forgot about the ones for the last essay, two weeks ago, on Power, which I didn't return yet. So yeah, I have a LOT to take back. And I got seven yesterday. So I might have like 13 or something *blushes*.

My Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu albums finally arrived from CD WOW!!!! *is so very happy about that* I put them on as soon as I got home yesterday and I was just like YAYSOFUNKY!!! Because they totally are. I have favourite songs already, don'cha know :P "So Much For You", "Not Like That" and "He Said She Said" by Ashley Tisdale are AWESOME, believe me. In fact, no, don't take my word for it, go to Last.fm and listen to her :P She's awesome. And I might be slightly biased because of my new High School Musical obsession (come on. They're both in it. All I need now is for Lucas Grabeel to release an album and I'll be like OMGWTFALLMYCHRISTMASESHAVEJUSTCOMEATONCE!!!...his album cover would be ogleworthy. I know, I know, he's too old for me. I don't care. He's much closer to my age range than my beloved George Clooney. So there :P). Actually though, "Not Like That" reminded me of a cross between a Rihanna kind of beat, and "Like What" by Tommi, which came out like five years ago or something (OMGIFEELOLD) and which Rhian made me listen to, and was kind of sad but you know, just something about it was kind of catchy. It's similar like that. I do like it though :)

On Corbin's album I particularly like "Deal With It" and "She Could Be" and "Push It To The Limit" :) So yeah, check him out too!!! Also i found a picture of him where his hair is all slicked back, in a magazine, and he looks so much older and...well, hot. So yes. Now he IS about my age, right?

I may be overly hormonal.

Awesome!

2008-03-29T19:46:18Z

I got the High School Musical 2 soundtrack today, in a gift box which actually cost less than the soundtrack on its own when I was looking at it a week ago XD Clearly, I pwn. Yes, I got the last 'gift box' on the shelf, and it has a t-shirt (Ok, it's size "140cm" but you can't win everything) and a poster and the soundtrack CD and two postcards :) Chad and Ryan are together on the poster, but Chad isn't on the postcards. Taylor is in the poster too, sadly, though. But at least the Chadless postcards mean they're also Taylorless XD I still don't like her.

Anyway. I went to see the new Katherine Heigl film today, 27 Dresses, and it was really awesome. I had a massive sugary drink thing (one and a quarter, really, since the first one leaked and they gave me a new one!) and so I was on a freaking sugar high anyway, but it was truly brilliant. I loved it. I'm a sucker for cheesy romantic movies though. Cheesy movies in general, as evidenced by my HSM obsession, in fact XD

Anyway. I'm ridiculously pleased at bagging this soundtrack for not only less than the price I saw it at last week, but less than half price of the gift box's original price XD Oh yes, clearly I truly DO pwn! Bwahahahaha.

I don't have much to report really. I've been reading a LOT of fanfiction and listening to a LOT of music. Oh and I discovered an awesome Firefox extension that lets you sign in to Livejournal from one account to another with like a single click. Ingenious! I'm like in love with it now XD

New or restored obsessions since I wrote substantially: High School Musical; fanfic; music; fanmixes :)

I'm actually working on my own fanfic at the moment, so that's pretty awesome :) I'm really loving them right now.

Anyway, I must go. NCIS will be on soon and I need to be offline in time to watch it :) Take care everyone, hope everyone is doing well!

L xx

Corporations! Do they rule?

2008-03-20T03:57:14Z

I wish I could have used magic for this, BELIEVE me...

So yeah, this is my Sociology essay, I JUST finished it...*huge yawn* and I need to go reference it properly now before I go to bed...or fall asleep here. So if you want to tell me what you think then please do! But no "OMGYOUARESOWRONG" please, it's late and I'm very tired and liable to turn nasty.

So...

Do transnational corporations rule in today's globalising world?

In the so-called ‘global village’ of today, the influence of transnational corporations is inescapable. It may not always be immediately obvious, but the might of gross capitalism is being used everywhere, for purposes which vary from positive and charitable, to downright criminal. There are some areas in which this influence is more obviously wielded than in others, for example in the fields of media, technology, economy and law.

When it comes to the global economy, there is no doubt about it – the transnational corporation is king. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, people worked for themselves, and therefore produced things to maintain their lifestyle directly – for example, growing their own food. This is still the case in many of the world’s poorest regions. However, as technology has flourished and grown, it has forced a drastic change in the everyday way of life in Western society. The inventions which revolutionized production in the late 1700s - and the way in which they were used - brought about a huge boom in capitalism, ensuring the continual exploitation of workers for the benefit of the company owners. These workers are exploited in every single aspect of their lives. Primarily, they are forced to sell their labour in exchange for money, in order to live – to pay for a home and buy food, as the most basic examples. However, they are also exploited routinely in their everyday lives, as they are arguably being charged simply for the privilege of having every single thing they own or consume. While such exploitation is inherent in the very nature of capitalism, transnational corporations have proven time and again that their only concern when it comes to workers is how little they can get away with paying them for their labour. In some cases, what had the potential to be a positive force has in fact turned out to be very negative. Large corporations have decided to move production from developed countries like the United Kingdom and the United States of America to much poorer ones, where the people are much less wealthy and therefore more willing to work for lower wages than those who know what the products are actually worth. As a result, workers have been known to earn only a fraction of the profit the company makes from the product. As the wealth in the area increases as a result of the corporation’s presence, the cost of wages increases, and the corporation moves production once more, to another poor country where they can exploit workers. Theoretically this could continue forever – by the time there was no area of the world which had citizens poorer than a certain level, the capitalist leaders in developed countries would be richer and therefore able to pay more for the products, and the cycle would simply begin again. As a system, capitalism perpetuates inequality, it cannot exist without it, and transnational companies exploit this trait to its full extent. They generate obscene amounts of money through this system – according to the Institute for Policy Studies’ “Report on the Top 200 Corporations”, fifty one of the world’s largest one hundred economies are actually corporations. To put that into perspective, the top corporation on the list, General Motors, had a reported profit of more than the gross domestic product of twenty seven countries listed, which included Portugal, Ireland, New Zealand and even Denmark.

How corporations use all the money they make is also a contentious issue. There are concerns over a handful of companies controlling large sections of the economy, particularly in relation to media. In November of 2007, the Federal Communications Commission in America announced a proposal to relax rules regarding ownership of multiple media outlets in the same market. These rules, implemented thirty two years ago, were intended to prevent media monopolies in local news markets. Despite the FCC’s assurances that this was a minor alteration and would not affect news coverage, they attempted to hide the fact that loopholes in the proposal could have extreme consequences for the future of the American media, causing unprecedented consolidation as well as allowing larger companies to push out small, independent owners, and permitting newspapers to own television stations of any size. The FCC decided on this course of action despite proof from at least as far back as 2001 which showed that media consolidation could have a negative impact on racial minority content, as increased consolidation would lead to less black ownership of media, with the knock-on effect of reducing the amount of ‘black-targeted content’ (Waldfogel, 2001). As it is now, despite the fact that minorities make up 34% of the total American population, they own only 3.15 per cent of full power commercial television stations, a decrease of 0.3 percent in the space of a year (Free Press, 2007). However, rubbishing public protest the FCC allowed only one month for complaint - rather than the typical three month period they normally allow - and changed the rules. A “resolution of disapproval” – that is, a bill which would nullify the rule changes – has been introduced to the Senate, and campaigning has begun again in earnest to do something about media consolidation before it is too late.

Action against media consolidation appears to be viewed by some people as an attempt to prevent large companies achieving more success. However, there is far more behind the attempts to stop it, than meets the eye. For one thing, studies have shown that where media are owned by the same company, they tend to feature at least some of the same news, and naturally this cuts down on the variety and amount of news covered, as well as limiting coverage of local issues. While these consequences are all negative, one in particular could be important. Joel Waldfogel of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, presented to the FCC some research conducted into the effects of consolidation on localism in 2001. In 2006 he published some research conducted in conjunction with Harvard’s Felix Oberholzer-Gee, which showed that in an experiment into the effect of local media, the introduction of Spanish language local news boosted Hispanic voter turnout by five to ten percentage points, compared to non-Hispanic voter turnout. The authors hypothesise that therefore there is a “trade-off between integrated media markets and civic engagement”, and state that, in complete contrast to the FCC’s decision, their results “provide a basis for the continued pursuit of regulatory policies that promote localism.” In today’s increasingly niche society, it is all too easy to get national news, popular television and other content online, decreasing community involvement and causing apathy. The results of the 2006 research indicate that increasing local news coverage would have the benefit of increasing community participation, which in turn leads to more involvement in society as a whole as people feel they can actually make a difference. However in light of the FCC’s decision to relax the rules on media consolidation, it seems that America may be doomed to a future of citizens growing increasingly isolated and apathetic in front of computer screens. More evidence is also provided by Herbert Schiller in his book “Information and the Crisis Economy”, in which he states that “In the gathering crisis which affects employment, production, and survival itself, the communication process could serve constructive ends if it would be utilized to inform, alert, and mobilize people to the problems that face them, and, if it offered as well, a channel for the presentation and discussion of genuine options.” Clearly this shows promise for social change should the media be revolutionised with fairer ownership and coverage. However, he adds, “This…is a description of democratic communication. It requires…the widest possible public access to and involvement with the means of expression, in both an active and reactive mode…Minimally, it would guarantee representative expression, subject to continuous popular review and correction. Is even an approximation of this kind of communication possibly in an economy, national or international, that is dominated by huge private companies and combines?” This would appear to be the pertinent question, as if this is not the case, should questions be raised about whether an America without a democratic media can honestly continue to be called a democracy?

This fight for corporate control is not restricted to the traditional media, however. A debate on so-called ‘Network Neutrality’ has been raging violently since an FCC decision in 2005, and shows no sign of stopping. The theory behind the idea of ‘Net Neutrality’ is that the internet should remain entirely neutral and unbiased. This notion has been around since the internet’s inception – however it did not become an issue until 2005 when the FCC investigated a small broadband company for blocking access to the VoIP service Vonage. The company unblocked the service and paid a fine, but the issue of whether Internet Service Providers (ISPs) could legitimately block access to certain applications or websites began to arise (http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/29/net-neutrality-and-the-fcc-whats-being-done-to-preserve-it/). On one side of the argument, supporters of Net Neutrality state that the internet is an invaluable tool for business and the transfer of knowledge because it is cheap to access and use, and point out that this is fair. The opposing view, however, is that since ISPs are run as businesses, they would be well within their rights to decide to block access to certain services if they wanted to. However, this is not an issue of ‘inappropriate content’ – it is actually all about money. America’s larger communications companies – AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner to list just a few examples – have plans to charge companies for fast access to their sites, slow down competitors’ sites, and block entirely any sites that they don’t like. Unsurprisingly, should this happen it will have a huge effect on the internet’s viability as an accessible, affordable resource. Essentially it’s an issue of corporate censorship, and an extremely important one. William H Dutton points out in his book “Information On The Line” that “Threats to equity…are among the societal risks most frequently raised by critics of the information society”, and points out that “…[r]esearch on the adoption and diffusion of [information and computing technologies] among the public at large highlights widening gaps in society between the information rich from [sic] the information poor…The most consistently dominant set of factors associated with the early use of ICTs in the household has been tied to the socio-economic status of the household - the income, occupation, and education of the head of household…for example, the heads of households with a computer in the home are more likely to have a higher income, be employed in a managerial or professional occupation, and have a college education than those in households without a computer.” While the cost of buying computers has fallen drastically in the past decade, enabling far more people to purchase them and access the internet, it is worth remembering that there are still people who do not have home access to the internet and must go elsewhere, such as libraries or internet cafes. Theoretically, is the Net Neutrality argument so different to this? The increase in speed and reduction in price of internet connections enjoyed by the public has had the major benefit of increasing the accessibility of the internet and the wealth of information it contains. Similarly, the introduction of cheaper access from internet cafes and free access in newly refurbished libraries has served to make computers more accessible on the whole to those who cannot afford their own home connection. No doubt politicians and corporations would argue that this is a good thing – particularly if they are making money out of it. However, had there not been a reduction in cost and an increase in the availability of public computers, would there still have been such a dramatic increase in internet use? Doubtful. Therefore it must be considered whether charging for faster connection speeds and slowing down or possibly even blocking competitors’ websites would have people turning off their computers in droves rather than face the spiraling costs and increasing censorship that such a system propagates. A mass revolt against such blatant commercial exploitation could prove more costly for these corporations in the long run, should this occur, than seeking alternative ways to make money from their ventures.

The final way in which transnational corporations greatly influence today’s society is in relation to what happens when they do wrong. Corporations have been getting away with causing damage, illness and loss of life for years, and such cases are now unfortunately commonplace. Ridiculously, due to a precedent set in an 1886 court case, Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company, corporations are held legally to have the same rights as a human being, under the 14th amendment to the US Constitution. Despite the fact that this amendment was created to protect recently freed slaves, corporate lawyers have been exploiting this for years. It is made all the more ridiculous by the fact that according to David Korten, “The doctrine of corporate personhood creates an interesting legal contradiction. The corporation is owned by its shareholders and is therefore their property. If it is also a legal person, then it is a person owned by others and thus exists in a condition of slavery -- a status explicitly forbidden by the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. So is a corporation a person illegally held in servitude by its shareholders? Or is it a person who enjoys the rights of personhood that take precedence over the presumed ownership rights of its shareholders? So far as I have been able to determine, this contradiction has not been directly addressed by the courts.”

In conclusion, transnational corporations wield a huge amount of power on a global scale. They have control over virtually every aspect of people’s lives – from their job to the food they buy; from the news they can access to the internet content they can download. Their influence is inescapable. However, people are beginning to fight back. Clearly sick of watching corporations escape punishment for their transgressions, projects such as Wal-Mart Watch and Exxon Secrets have sprung up in defiance, to ensure that these companies get exactly what they deserve. Organisations such as StopBigMedia and the SavetheInternet.com Coalition have been formed to protect media from the corporations. While these actions are movements in the right direction, however, they do not come close to stopping the corporations’ power, and much more effort must be expended in order to regulate them. There are some proposals online at the moment for an international regulatory body for transnational corporations which, if created, would have the power to intervene and to levy fines on corporations found to be in violation of terms. While this is not good enough to solve the problems, it certainly would be a large step towards improving fairness in the global economy. Despite the fact that in the capitalist system there will always be winners and losers, with these organisations fighting for the public’s rights, the world may yet have a chance to eradicate the super-exploitative transnational corporations for good.

A fun game!!...Or two.

2008-03-19T17:41:02Z

Yus, two fun games for you guys. One for movie lovers, and one for music lovers!...I'm going to link this from my other journal too so that more people will come and play!...y'know, I hope.

(stolen from wishmaster_kami):

1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDB and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDB search functions.

~~1. "Can't we just, like, kick this old school? Like, I have the baby, put it in a basket and send it your way, like, Moses and the reeds?" "Technically, that would be kicking it Old Testament."~~ alawston Juno!!

2. "It's a Pi pie!"

~~3. "...Is that really what my hair looks like from the back?"~~ alawston Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

4. "What do you think is more exciting , having sex or boosting cars?" "Having sex or boosting cars... Um...Uh. How about having sex WHILE boosting cars?"

5. "You can't ride two horses with one ass, sugarbean!"

6. "Never let the fear of striking out, keep you from playing the game."

~~7. "I crashed my van into Jesus!"~~ faerie_lass - Saved!

8. "Have you ever experimented with heterosexuality?" "What? You mean sleep with a straight guy? What for?"

9. "Why do you cut yourself, Lee?" "I don't know." "Is it that sometimes the pain inside has to come to the surface, and when you see evidence of the pain inside you finally know you're really here? Then, when you watch the wound heal, it's comforting... isn't it?" "I... That's a way to put it."

~~10. "My parents died when I was five. I'm an orphan." "Who was that kindly fellow who gave you away at our wedding?" "Paid actor." "I said, I said I saw your dad on 'Fantasy Island'!"~~ faerie_lass - Mr and Mrs Smith (I love this quote XD)

11. "What do they think I am? Dumb or something? Why, I make more money than - than - than Calvin Coolidge! Put together!"

~~12. "They're going to be looking at us like that, aren't they, eh? I mean, what if next Friday 400 women turn round and say 'He's too fat, he's too old and he's a pigeon-chested little tosser'?"~~ alawston The Full Monty

13. "Girls with asses like mine do NOT talk to boys with faces like yours!"

14. "Tell me how this safety net is working for you. Tell me you don't take that blade and drag it across your skin and PRAY for the courage to press down."

15. "Sad, to be all alone in the world..."

Name That Tune

step 1. put your ipod (or itunes) on shuffle.
step 2. post the first line or two, or your favorite line, from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song may be.
step 3. strike through the songs when someone guesses BOTH ARTIST AND TRACK NAME CORRECTLY
step 4. for those who are guessing, looking the lyrics up on a search engine is CHEATING!
step 5. if you like the game, post your own

We did this on Facebook once or twice but I haven't seen it on here yet and I REALLY love doing this so yeah. Friends please guess and also post it yourself because it's so much fun XD

1. "I'd give you all a boy could give you. Take my tears and that's not nearly all..." (this is a cover version. So even if you give the original artist you can have this.) alawston - Tainted Love, Marilyn Manson (Well DONE!)

2. "On the stereo, listen as we go, nothing's gonna stop me now..." If you need a clue, this was used as the theme to what used to be a really popular TV show.

3. "Now the Dark Mark, it has appeared on me, Lord Voldemort he calls, but I want to be free. From all the evil I have seen and I have done, so please believe it's over...the good in me has won."

4. "I would walk a thousand miles, just to talk to you for a while. So many things that I would say, and to hear your voice and see your eyes on me..."

5. "Every time I see your face, I can see the games you play, nobody can break hearts better..."

6. "Gave me a push and he started singing, I sang along while I was swinging. The sound of our voices made us forget everything that had ever hurt our feelings." (This is from the soundtrack to one of the movies I used for the above game XD I love that movie SO MUCH.)

~~7. "I like a good beer buzz early in the morning, and Billy likes to peel the labels from his bottles of Bud..."~~ alawston - All I Wanna Do - Sheryl Crow

8. "The man said, why do you think you're here? I said, I got no idea. I'm gonna, I'm gonna lose my baby. So I always keep a bottle near..."

~~9. "The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. I could say it ain't so, but darlin' what's the use? The darker the chocolate, the richer the taste. That's where it's at..."~~ faerie_lass - Run And Tell That, Hairspray Yes, it was in the movie :)

~~10. "When I come home, oh I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you. And if I grow old, well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you."~~ faerie_lass - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles), The Proclaimers OH HECK YES. Well done!!!

11. "Do I attract you, do I repulse you, with my queasy smile? Am I too dirty, am I too flirty, do I like what you like?"

12. "Your parents say everything is your fault, but they don't know you like I know you, they don't know you at all...I'm so sick of when they say, it's just a phase, you'll be ok, you're fine...but I know it's a lie."

13. "A thousand miles seem pretty far, but they've got planes and trains and cars, I'd walk to you if I had no other way...Our friends would all make fun of us and we'll just laugh along because we know that none of them have felt this way..." faerie_lass - Hey There Delilah, Plain White T's

14. "I don't know what's worth fighting for, or why I have to scream...I don't know why I instigate and say what I don't mean. I don't know how I got this way, I know it's not all right..."

15. "Load up on guns, bring your friends...it's fun to lose and to pretend. She's over-bored, and self-assured...I know, I know, a dirty word..." (Love. SO MUCH.)

16. "Another turnip on the fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. So make the best of this test and don't ask why...it's not a question but a lesson learned in time." - alawston Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), Green Day (you may be right, I don't remember. I'm sure I saw it written like this somewhere before though lol. Probably someone trying to be funny).

17. "I know a girl from a lonely street, cold as ice cream but still as sweet..."

18. "Wanna make some noise, really raise my voice, yeah I wanna scream and shout...No inhibitions, make no conditions, get a little...out of line. Ain't gonna act politically correct, I only wanna have a good time..."

19. "The tears come streaming down your face, when you lose something you can't replace...when you love someone but it goes to waste, could it be worse? Lights will guide you home..."

20. "Rectangular, awkward, hurt...million controvert, never, undressing, sneer...blue, therapy, fall, inside, father, dethrone, applied, guillotine, apprehensive...engineer!" (Yes, this is an actual song. The randomness is kind of the point.)

21. "Such a big man, such a little chick. I think it all goes back to your tiny...pickup truck in the driveway..."

22. "Rise from the ashes...four more hours to go 'til daylight, on a flying motorbike...soaring high, the countryside just passes by, and I will hold you tight, on a flying motorbike..."

~~23. "I'd give up forever to touch you, 'cos I know that you feel me somehow. You're the closest to heaven that I'll eve be and I don't want to go home right now."~~ faerie_lass - Iris, Goo Goo Dolls YAY well done :)

24. "Hey little girl take me off the shelf, 'cos it's hard having fun playing with yourself. Once you've browsed through the whole selection, shake those hips in my direction..." (For the record, I disagree. As you probably do too.)

~~25. "She was gonna be an actress, she was gonna be a star, she was gonna shake her ass on the hood of Whitesnake's car..."~~ faerie_lass - 1985, Bowling For Soup

I'd better get back to my essay now... *sheepish* I've just really ticked off a good friend, too. Bahhhhh. </hardass>

Survey and Update!

2008-03-18T12:20:53Z

I took this survey in August '06 and discovered it while reading back through my journal yesterday. So here it is again, updated, because I am trying to put off having to go down into the stacks and search for books on sociology and the power of corporations. Sigh.

1. What is your main cell phone ring-tone?
Hello Little Girl by The Fourmost. I kept meaning to put wrock on it but haven't got around to it yet. Some day, maybe.

2. What is your default LJ icon?
It's the kiltedmonkey monkey, but I do love my Ravenclaw icons from Wicked-visions.

3. What station is your car radio permanently tuned to?
You know, I don't have a car. And besides I have an iPod lol.

4. What is your computer desktop image?
Here, it's the official Strathclyde desktop. At home, it's the Devil Wears Prada promotional poster, which has been on it for AGES. I must get other wallpaper.

5. Is there something you wear every single day?
Glasses or contact lenses. This morning I had to duck out of a lecture though because one of my contact lenses got dislodged and stuck up underneath my eyelid...it wasn't fun. It was pretty amusing, looking back, already, so that's something. But it wasn't much fun at the time and all that.

6. I wish I had a tracking device on:
I don't know. Maybe my phone lol. I lose it around the house sometimes.

7. What page does your internet browser open with?
Google because it's the default firefox homepage and my firefox keeps resetting itself so I don't even bother to change it any more. Besides it's useful to have Google just one click away :)

8. This item never leaves my purse:
Stamps. I always have stamps in my purse. It's so mad. Right now I have an elastic band, money, sugar, salt, stamps, various cards and promotional things, a card for a taxi company in BIRMINGHAM, and a card for an Italian restaurant. That I can remember.

9. What TV show do you never miss?
I never missed Heroes when it was on, now it's over but I have the box set YAY! Um. I never ever ever miss Skins, I've actually come to like it. And Grey's Anatomy is coming back to our screens in just two days' time, I'm so happy about that!!!

10. What phrase do you hear yourself repeating too often?
"Awesome!"...because the Americans have corrupted my brain.

In other news, I am planning to try my hand at writing fanfic, and Maren is back in the fold so we're working on an issue of Cauldrons and Chocolate Frogs for April. If you're interested in the fandom side of things I suggest you pop by my creative journal, musicaldiscord however I do warn that there will probably be some high-rated slash going up soon XD it'll all be clearly labelled and thus easily avoided though. As ever, if you don't want to read it then DON'T :P I don't see why people find that so hard to grasp...

Anywhore, not the point. Gah it's cold here. I must go and do essay research now.
Hope you are all having a good day, catch you on the flipside, and don't forget to be awesome!!

L x

PS. Carol and Harny agree mightily that Chad and Ryan are gay. Hahahahaha I told Jess I would convert the people at uni, I told her!!...I am a bit too happy about this. Well I don't care XD Fandom isn't fandom without gay subtext, lidi even made icons to that effect :P
(though my favourite is still the "Subtext is an anagram for buttsex" XD. I have that on my musicaldiscord account. So totally rox.)

An Update! At long last!!!

2007-12-21T21:48:10Z

Yes, dear ones, I know I have been neglecting you. Since August I have been plunging myself into ze Harry Potter fandom, and am loving it muchly. To that end, I must say:
EZINE!!!!!

So yes, Cauldrons and Chocolate Frogs, all about the Harry Potter fandom...go and check it out, seriously. It's awesomesauce.

L xx

P.S. If you want more this you'll have to go check out (and possibly friend) musicaldiscord...it was originally a creativity journal and now it's becoming increasingly like my new home. But I'll still keep this one on, because...y'know. More personal stuff can go on here. And plus, the name rocks.

A survey I stealded from Maren

2007-09-24T15:37:42Z

Fill it out!! Pleeeeease!

1. Do you have a tattoo?
2. How old are you?
3. Are you single or taken?
4. Fish?
5. Do you dream in color?
6. Ever seen a corpse?
12. Do you like musicals?
16. What are you wearing?
17. Have you ever peed in a pool?
20. Which do you prefer - short or long hair?
21. What's your favorite day of the week?
22. What's your favorite color?
23. If you could bring back anyone that has passed, who would it be?
24. Tell me one interesting/odd fact about you?
25. What was your first impression of me?
26. Have you ever done drugs?
27. Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?

Looong survey, stolen from sarah's Bebo

2007-08-21T22:14:38Z

Honestly answer the following 20 questions... can you get through them without lying???

1 - Why are you best friends with your best friends?
Because we were all the misfits and it brought us together.

2 - What bothers you the most about other people?
Phoneyness, and bullying.

3 - Would you ever marry for money?
I don't think so. But I'd hate being completely skint. So I might not marry someone who was homeless even if I loved them, if I didn't have much either.

4 - Do you prefer to text message or talk on the phone?
Text, definitely. I'm always scared people will overhear me.

5 - Do you believe that 30 really is the new 20?
No. That's a lie made up by 30 year olds so they don't feel so bad about getting older :P

6 - If you had a crush on someone would you tell them?
No. I never have lol. I'm like that.

7 - What is one of the toughest things you ever had to do?
London. And that is all I will say about that.

8 - Name a challenge you are faced with on a reg basis?
Trying to juggle everything without dropping it all.

9 - Do you cry a lot?
No, but I often WANT to.

10 - Do you have a plan?
A plan? I wish.

11 - Do you think its possible to only love one person for the rest of your life?
I think it's possible. But whether two people are really well enough suited for that to happen, well only time would tell.

12 - Are you close with your family?
No. They would hate to hear that, but it's true. There is so much that I just can't tell them.

13 - Name one thing that you are good at?
Writing. It's my one talent.

14 - Name one thing that you are bad at?
Drawing. Can't draw for toffee. Although I hate toffee, so that's a really crap incentive. Chocolate, give me chocolate! Nah, I still couldn't draw for that.

15 - Your thoughts on Karma?
I think it exists.

16 - What does the 5th text message in your inbox say?
I'm not posting it!!! (and that's not a LIE, it's an OMISSION...it's different. Honest...) If I posted it, believe me, LJ would ban my ass for posting lewd messages :P Let's just say it was from Joe, late at night, while he was in America.

17 - What did you reply to it?
Something in the same vein :P Therefore I'm not gonna post that either. Also I can't remember exactly what it said lol. I was trying to wind him up and make him squirm because he was in a restaurant with his parents, ROFL. It worked ;-)

18 - What do you do for a living?
I don't work, I'm a student, ie. skint.

19 - Do you honk your horn at old people when they are driving bad?
I don't have a horn. I can't drive. I'd be dangerous behind the wheel.

20 - Why do you do myspace surveys?
Umm, mostly because they're funny usually.

-Quiz 2-

WHAT’S:
1. What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up?
Oh God, it's so early, but I have to get up if I'm doing this today.

2. What did you do last night?
Wrote a fanfic! Or, well, the start of one. Even though I swore I'd finish my notes first...I got bored with that and decided to skip to teh story. Sooner teh story is written, sooner can write TEH HOT BOYSEX.
Oh yes, you know I just wrote that :P

3. What is the most important part of your life?
Probably the internet part. Because I feel like sometimes I can actually make a difference.

4. What would you rather be doing right now?
Nothing. Well, maybe writing the fanfic. But I'll do more of that tonight :)

5. What did you last cry over?
Probably the smell of eggs in the kitchen...I know, I'm a total freak...

6. What always makes you feel better when you’re upset?
Sorting things out I guess. Feeling more in control.

8. What’s the most important thing you look for in a significant other?
Sense of humour. Gawds, must have a sense of humour! And also must not mind my nagging. Sadly, I do it rather a lot. Luckily Joe luffs me and therefore puts up with it :

9. What are you worried about?
Good thing you didn't ask me this yesterday :P Umm...nothing in particular I guess.

10. What are you looking forward to most in this week?
Nothing. Sleeping, perhaps. Doing more writing on the fanfic. I know, I am so sad.

NINE HAVE YOU’S:

1. Have you ever liked someone while you had a girlfriend/boyfriend?
No?

2. Have you ever had your heart broken?
No, luckily.

4. Have you ever been out of the country?
I've been out of Scotland, but not out of the UK. And...what happened to 3?

5. Have you ever done something outrageously dumb?
Er, of course. Hasn't everyone?

6. Have you ever been back stabbed by a friend?
Um. Yes! Again, hasn't everyone? lol

7. Have you ever had the cops called on you?
No. I'm a good girl *polishes halo*

8. Have you ever dated someone younger than you?
After reading Sarah's answer that anyone younger than us is "ewww" and "still mid-puberty", next time I see her I shall have to bitch-slap her. Yes, Joe is younger than me.

9. Have you ever read an entire book in one day?
Of course. I'm an avid reader.

EIGHT WHO’S:

1. Who was the last person you saw?
My mum. She came in to tell me it was time to come off. Yet I'm still doing this. FEEL PRIVILEGED!!

2. Who was the last person you kissed?
Joe. Duh.

3. Who was the last person you texted?
Ummm...maggie T I think but that's a real fluke lol, I hardly ever text her, it's just been a weird day text wise.

4. Who was the last person to call you?
Ross. But I had to put my phone off because my mum was RIGHT THERE.

5. Who was your first crush?
HAHAHAHAHA. Scott Tart. At the age of FOUR.

6. Who is the last person who texted you?
Ross, Margaret or Joe. I don't know who, my inbox was full so i had to delete it lol. The last message I have in it was from ross but that was from this morning.

7.Who is the last person you freaked out on?
Manjit...

8. Who did you last hug?
Probably Joe. In July. Sad :(

SEVEN WHEN’S:

1.When was your last shower?
Few days ago? You didn't ask about baths though, I'd just like to point out that I'm not disgusting and dirty, lol!

2. When did you last see your mom?
About ten minutes ago.

3. When was your last time u saw your dad?
Umm, 45 mins ago?

4. When did you last dress up?
To go clubbing in London. Ha! Ha! Ha! Load of good that turned out to do.

5. When was the last time you cried?
You asked that already...No you didn't actually, you asked over what. Um, I think a couple of days ago.

6. When did you last go to the movies and with who?
With my mum, a couple of weekends ago, to see...what did we see? :-O Oh, Hairspray :D It was brilliant!

7. When did you last listen to music?
About ten minutes ago, rofl.

SIX WHERE’S:

1. Where does your best friend live?
I don't have a best friend.

2. Where did you last go?
Wishaw

3. Where did you last hang out?
In here, probably.

4. Where do you go to school?
Went to high school at Clyde Valley...go to uni at Strathclyde

5. Where is your favorite place to be?
Here in front of the computer.

6. Where did you sleep last night?
In my own bed. I'm a sadsack, remember?

FIVE DO’S/DOES:

1. Do you like someone right now?
Yes.

2. Do they like you too?
We've been dating for almost a year, so I'm going to venture "yes".

3. Do you ever wish you were someone else?
Yes.

4. Do you know the muffin man?
Not personally.

5. Does the future scare you?
Hell yes.

FOUR WHY’S:

1. Why are you best friends with your best friends?
We did this already. Read back up, moron quizmaster.

2. Why did you get a myspace?
This is actually on LJ, and stolen from Bebo, but I got myspace because my friends had it.

3. Why did your parents give you the name you have?
Because Kathryn was too similar in sound to my last name, and I was female so they couldn't call me Alexander.

4. Why are you doing this survey?
I got bored.

THREE IF’S:

1. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Being invisible, I think. Either that or telepathy. I could use it like the cop in Heroes, to help people :)

2. If you could go back in time and change one thing, would you?
Maybe. I don't know what I'd change though. If it meant I'd have to relive everything since, I don't think I would. Too much has gone on since anything I would change. I couldn't go through all that again.

3. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could bring one thing what would it be?
Something that would let me listen to music, like an iPod, only it would have to have unlimited battery power, obviously.

TWO WOULD-YOU-EVER’S:

1. Would you ever get back together with any of your ex’s if they asked you?
I don't have any exes.

2. Would you ever shave your head to save someone you love?
That's just random and stupid.

ONE LAST QUESTION:

1. Are you happy with your life right now?
Not really. But I realise it could be WAY worse.

Exam results

2007-06-25T15:46:11Z

Well, I passed them all. Thank goodness. I couldn't bear to do resits too, it was hard enough the first time round...
I'm pretty happy with the results, except Psychology lol. I felt I'd done a bit better than that. Also, Sociology - happy with it, but thought it might be a bit higher, seeing as my essays got such good marks. Maybe my exam was bad :S

History - 63
English - 60
Psychology - 55
Journalism - 66
Sociology - 65

Survey I stole from forum

2007-06-22T10:20:01Z

Age: 18
Location: Glasgow-ish, Scottishland
General desc: 5'3". Dark brown hair just past my shoulders. Curvy. Green eyes.
Occupation: Uni student.

I KNOW: Nothing. That's how is seems, anyway.
I WANT: To be happy.
I HAVE: Too much free time. I should get a job.
I WISH: That the world would just stop.
I HATE: When my head hurts, like it does now.
I MISS: School. Things were at least a little more structured then.
I FEAR: Losing control.
I HEAR: Girls Aloud - Jump (For My Love), and chat beeping.
I SEARCH: For my house key, usually. I'm constantly misplacing it.
I WONDER: Why people keep saying I have to be strong.
I REGRET: Spending four years like this.
I LOVE: Nowhere near enough.
I ACHE: Inside. Feels like my chest is going to burst open.
I CARE: Too much, sometimes.
I ALWAYS: Log on to MSN when I come online. Maybe I shouldn't do it so much.
I AM NOT: Useful.
I DANCE: To the Gladiators theme tune, when it's on.
I SING: If I'm happy.
I CRY: Very little, because there's always someone around. And when I'm alone, I can't.
I DO: Nothing.
I FIGHT: With myself.
I WRITE: Not enough. I'm 4,626 words behind on my script :(
I WIN: Points on Neopets games.
I LOSE: At life.
I CONFUSE: Myself.
I LISTEN: To people. Well, I try.
I CAN USUALLY BE FOUND: Online or watching TV
I NEED: To get it together.
I AM HAPPY: No.
I SHOULD HAVE: Gone to bed last night instead of staying up reading.
WHAT COLOR PANTS ARE YOU WEARING?: Stripy pyjama bottoms?
WHAT SONG ARE YOU LISTENING TO?: When You're Gone - Bryan Adams & Mel C. (Yes, I know - sad).
WHAT TASTE IS IN YOUR MOUTH?: None really, I just got up.
WHAT'S THE WEATHER LIKE?: Grey.
HOW ARE YOU?: Sad.

D O Y O U ?
GET MOTION SICKNESS?: No, thank goodness. I'm phobic about vomit.
HAVE A BAD HABIT?: Yes. I bite my nails, and the insides of my cheeks.
GET ALONG WITH YOUR PARENTS?: They say things and I put up with them. Does that constitute getting along?

F A V O R I T E S
TV SHOW: Bones/Grey's Anatomy
MAGAZINE: Web User
FOOD: Too many to list. I love food.
THING TO DO ON THE WEEKEND: Watch TV. NCIS, CSI, Law and Order...

H A V E Y O U ?
BROKEN THE LAW?: Yes, but nothing major.
RAN AWAY FROM HOME: No.
SNUCK OUT OF THE HOUSE: No. Bit hard when you live upstairs!
EVER GONE SKINNY DIPPING: No, I can't swim.
MADE A PRANK PHONE CALL: No.
EVER TIPPED OVER A PORTA POTTY: Why would I?
USED YOUR PARENTS' CREDIT CARD BEFORE: Yeah, mostly because they can't input their own stuff into web forms *eye roll*
SKIPPED SCHOOL BEFORE: No, I'm a good girl.
FELL ASLEEP IN THE SHOWER/BATH: No.
BEEN IN A SCHOOL PLAY: Not really, but I've been in school *shows*...a lot of them.
LET A FRIEND CRY ON YOUR SHOULDER: No. None of my friends ever wanted to.
EVER HAD A MAJOR REGRET: No, I don't think so.

L O V E
BOYFRIEND / GIRLFRIEND: Yes.
CHILDREN: Maybe someday.
BEEN IN LOVE?: Yes, I am.
HAD A HARD TIME GETTING OVER SOMEONE: No.
BEEN HURT?: Nope.
YOUR GREATEST REGRET?: I don't really have one in this category.
GONE OUT WITH A SOMEONE YOU ONLY KNEW FOR 3 DAYS: No. Nearly.

R A N D O M
DO YOU HAVE A JOB: No. I should, though.
YOUR CD PLAYER HAS IN IT RIGHT NOW?: Hmm, I dunno. Blondie, maybe?
IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?: Brick Red or Spring Green.
WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?: I answered this already, did I not?
WHO MAKES YOU THE HAPPIEST?: I don't know. Forum people. Probably Joe.
WHAT'S THE NEXT CD YOU'RE GONNA GET?: I don't know. Maybe McFly's newest album.
WHO DO YOU CONSIDER GOOD FRIENDS?: Sarah, Nicola, Margaret T., Joe, Sven, Chris, Fee, Sammie, Rhiannon.

W H E N / w h a t - w a s - t h e - l a s t
TIME YOU CRIED?: Nearly about two minutes ago.
YOU GOT A REAL LETTER?: I don't even remember. It was probably from Margaret T.
YOU GOT E-MAIL: Earlier, to tell me I had a PM from Mio.
TV PROGRAM YOU WATCHED: CSI last night.
MOVIE YOU SAW AT THE THEATER: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

YOUR THOUGHTS ON
ABORTION: I think it's a good thing, to have the option.
TEENAGE SMOKING: Nahhhh.
SPICE GIRLS: I like 'em, sue me.
SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE: Why not?
DOWNLOADING MUSIC ILLEGALLY: I don't any more lol, because I got too scared of getting caught, but the prices are definitely a rip-off.

A rant on the demise of reality TV (and some dodgy Gladiators quotes)

2007-06-19T09:10:39Z

I just lately discovered that FTN (channel 20 on Freeview) is showing reruns of Gladiators from 1995, from 7-8 each weeknight. I've become a bit addicted. There's something thrilling about watching people battle it out, being on the edge of your seat shouting "No! Go the OTHER way! He's coming that way!" when a contestant decides to go up the Pendulum and the Gladiator is coming down, or shrieking "Come on, come ON!" at your favourite contestant when two are running up the Travelators simultaneously at the end of the Eliminator. There's something so...unspoilt about it (and I don't just mean Ulrika Jonsson's hair. Gosh, she looks so young, so does John Fashanu. They present it, y'see, in case you can't remember that far back).
Because it WAS far back. It was 1995, for God's sake. 12 years ALREADY. I can't believe it. Where does the time go? And where does the quality programming go?
Well, ok, as my mum is always quick to say, Gladiators isn't exactly "quality programming" in the classical sense. It's extremely contrived, and pure entertainment. But isn't that what we expect from Saturday night TV?
Apparently not any more. You know, in this current climate of reality TV with all the crap we show - Big Brother, X Factor, Pop Idol, Grease Is The Word, Strictly Come Dancing...while I admit that each of these probably has their charms (well, except Big Brother, obviously :P), generally the reality TV right now is pretty pointless. Gone are the days when reality TV meant participating in games and possibly winning things, having a lot of fun and having five minutes of glory on TV in the process (think The Crystal Maze, Fort Boyard, Gladiators, It's A Knockout, etc.), not sitting at home on your sofa watching people - some really bad, some really good - compete for the prize, sometimes getting humiliated in the process, always trying to be realistic and convey real life, and then you vote for who you want to win. No longer is winning based on merit, but in fact now on the public vote. We pay to influence real life. Reality TV is no longer about fun and entertainment, it's about getting as much money out of the public as possible. Sure, shows like the ones I mentioned - Gladiators, It's a Knockout, etc - were very contrived. But that didn't matter, because they were FUN.
Where is the fun in reality TV nowadays? Answer me that.

And since those were more innocent times, I'm going to give you some quotes from Gladiators. And I swear to you, not one person burst out laughing or even sniggered after these were uttered. Clearly it really WAS a more innocent time.

Contestant: "I just couldn't get it up."
**
Announcer: "Unfortunately for Mike - no balls."
**
Gladiator: "I don't mind a bit of rough and tumbling going down. That's the best bit."
**
Announcer: "His speciality this season is the quick finish."
**
Ulrika: "Rhino, well, yes, he's wider than he is tall."
(Male) contestant: "Yeah, well, I felt the whole width, length and everything of him."
**
Announcer: "Cobra wields his ramrod for a quick up-and-over."

Cookies and underachievement

2007-06-19T08:55:05Z

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

I've been really busy lately, and yet it feels like I've achieved hardly anything. My script is not happening right now, I seem to spend all day online and yet do nothing. Well, I know I do things, but in the grand scheme of things (or even the not-so-grand, everyday scheme of things), I don't seem to be achieving anything. All I do consistently is: go into chat, write down pointless things like quotes, and songs I must Youtube, and to-do lists that never quite get finished. I don't know if I've ever actually managed to finish a To-do list in my life.

Sad day.

Jeez...

2007-06-09T20:28:39Z

...It's absolutely BOILING here. I'm off to get into the spotty nightie so beloved of Myspace and SF chat, to cool off - and possibly have some chocolate. But that's me hoping for the best.
I took a Blogthing today to find my celebrity boob twin. They stopped at 32F so I just picked that.

Your Celebrity Boob Twin:

Jenna Jameson

Who's Your Celebrity Boob Twin?

So yeah, I share boobs with an adult entertainment star. Don't know whether that's good or bad :P But probably good, because, as we all know...

MySpace Codes for Images @ OurSpace.biz

Sorry, I was just DYING to use that...think I'll go over to Realcurves and put it in my sig :P

I've been so bored lately, I'm going to have to look for a job. Yeuch.
Anyway. Hope y'all are having a good summer, and that it stays this warm!!
Peace out ;)

L xx

Sociology Essay - Gender Inequality

2007-02-28T15:03:50Z

What are the main features of gender inequality today? Critically evaluate two of the explanations of these features.

The main features of gender inequality today are: work, education, and gendered expectations in society. This essay will discuss how these inequalities can be accounted for according to the theories of liberal and fat-positive feminism. Liberal feminism is a theory of individual freedom, and its devotees are of the opinion that a woman’s private life should not be regulated by society, and wishes not to change the system entirely, but simply improve women’s experiences and rights within it. Fat-positive feminists, however, while having specific image-related beliefs, tend to ally themselves with the beliefs of radical feminists. These attribute women being oppressed to the “patriarchy” of society, and seek to challenge standard gender roles in a bid to change this.
Today, gender inequality in the workplace is still rife, despite the passing of the Equal Pay Act more than 35 years ago. This is illustrated in Scottish Enterprise’s figures of those in Modern Apprenticeships from April 2004-March 2005, (Equal Opportunities Commission, 2006, 3) which show that certain areas were still more male- or female-dominated; only 0.5% of plumbing apprentices were female, while only 0.9% of early years care and education apprentices were male. While those occupations with smaller numbers of apprentices were fairly balanced in the male to female ratio, six of the eleven occupations with more than 1000 apprentices were, “heavily gender segregated”, with such disproportionate representations of the “non-typical” gender as low as 0.5% (Equal Opportunities Commission, 2006, 3). However, figures from the government’s Women and Equality Unit show that in 2005, the mean pay gap between men and women who worked full time was just 17.1%, the smallest it has been since it was first recorded in 1970, so in this area at least, the situation appears to be improving (Women and Equality Unit, 2006, 2). Liberal feminists would argue that this gap should not exist at all, and women should be given the same wage as men; and that more women should be entering the so-called “non-typical” professions. Fat-positive and radical feminists would also view the wage gap as indicative that things need to change until women have equal wages, but their opinions stem more from the idea that the gap is caused by oppression of - and discrimination against - women by dominant men, and that this could be solved by changing the way society’s traditional power roles are held by men, as opposed to the liberal-held belief that society does not require to change, but simply needs more legal action to ensure fair and equal treatment of both men and women.
On the matter of education, there is no question of the difference in performance. In schools, girls are consistently achieving higher marks than boys. This goes for higher qualifications, too; the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s (SQA) statistics for 2005 show that out of a total of 616,978 entries for national units at Higher level, 342,375 of those were girls’, compared with 274,603 from boys (SQA, 2005, 24); while at Intermediate 2 level the difference drops, but is still noticeable, with 293,993 entries from girls and 262,549 from boys (SQA, 2005, 23). Once they leave school, however, according to a Scottish Executive publication on strategies to address gender inequalities in Scottish schools, this high rate of female achievement seems to drop. After leaving school, the publication states, “some young women who had demonstrated high levels of attainment in school were positioned by versions of 'heterosexualised feminities' into subordinate relationships with males.” (Scottish Executive, 2006, 5.iii) While the lack of sustained achievement would be lamented by liberal feminists, who would seek to find ways to encourage young women to achieve more after leaving school, fat-positive, radical feminists would be utterly appalled at the thought of female achievement being curtailed by the – seemingly undeniable and relentless – patriarchy of society. They would call for a complete change in society, claiming that males would have to be shifted from positions of dominance in the workplace and in everyday life, in order to give both young and older women – and non-dominant males, too – the chance to fulfil their potential, and thus create a fairer working environment with equal opportunities for everyone.
Finally, the largest and possibly most contested area of gender inequalities: gendered social expectations. The first of these expectations concerns the traditional gender roles of women staying at home to ‘keep house’ and look after children while men go to work and earn a living for the family. For a start, these traditional roles no longer relate overly much to today’s society, with the number of women in the labour force steadily rising. According to the office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey, 24,859,000 women over the age of 16 were in the labour force during October-December 2006, compared with 24,514,000 during the same period in 2004 (Office for National Statistics, 2007, web table 1). Additionally, more men are deciding to become stay-at-home fathers, allowing their partners to be the breadwinner instead. However, the stereotypes persist. Women who attempt to have a career are often criticised for neglecting their families; and even women in rather high-ranking positions can be forced to start all over again at the bottom of the career ladder after taking time off work to have children, particularly if she requires a position with more flexible hours in order to fit in childcare obligations. This, of course, is completely unfair, as it basically negates the woman’s achievements and essentially forces her to choose between having a career and having a family. This tends to apply more to those with specific “careers” as opposed to typical working class women who work simply to earn money, not to progress up a career ladder. However, working class women also have responsibilities to their families, as shown throughout history and today in some of the more disadvantaged areas where unemployment is a problem: “Feminist research, like studies of unemployment during the depression of the 1930s, shows that women bear the brunt not only of managing household expenditure on reduced incomes but also of the sacrifices made…Much…research literature suggests that women’s skill, resourcefulness and effort in ‘stretching’ the available money is a critical factor in the family’s ability to survive men’s unemployment. Further, women may protect both their children and their husbands or partners from the worst effects of ‘life on the dole’ by concealing their own worries, or prioritizing their children’s and the husband’s or partner’s needs.” (Robertson Elliot, 1996, 85-86) While the fact that the number of women in the labour force is growing would be welcomed by liberal feminists, it is likely that they would campaign for the introduction of legislation to prevent women being bumped back down the career ladder after childbirth; and encourage the wives of unemployed men to go out and find employment for themselves, and support their family that way. Fat-positive, radical feminism on the other hand, would rally fiercely against the notion of women choosing between career and family, and would blame this on oppressive, dominant males, who care more about making a profit than being fair to all employees. They would campaign for an overhaul of society – no doubt reminding men in the process that women aren’t required to bear children, but childbirth is essential for the continuing existence of the human race – and that these children will grow up to be the next generation of employees – both male and female.
The other most important gender role inequality in society is that of image. While it is commonly argued that there is increasing pressure on men to look good, and not just on women, it is safe to say that women do feel more of this pressure – not only in today’s society, but also have done throughout history. Women are constantly pressured to be what might be described as an “all-round package” – thin, attractive, intelligent, domestic…the list goes on. This image is perpetuated by the media. Women in the media are glamorous, famous, and usually very, very thin. Today’s society is becoming increasingly polarised, however. On one side, there are the celebrities and professionals, who are incredibly thin, polished, and glamorous. On the other, there are the apparent hordes of obese people that we keep being told about. An obesity epidemic! And then, in the middle, is the average woman, wondering where she belongs, in this world obsessed with weight loss – both to be achieved by those who don’t need it, so they continue not to need it, and by those who are supposed to need it, simply because being fat is seen as being undesirable and unhealthy, and they are not conforming to the cultural “norms”. However, these so-called norms are doing a lot more damage than good. Being constantly surrounded by media images of perfection, magazine articles on dieting and weight loss, and clothes which come in sizes that very few women could naturally fit into (referring, of course, to the hotly debated size zero, equivalent to a UK size four), makes healthy girls question their weight, feeling too fat to fit in with the trend of ever-shrinking celebrities such as Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan, and being scared to death of becoming obese like newspapers are constantly warning them against. In a society so obsessed with the size of women’s bodies - one way or another – is it so surprising that the number of women suffering from eating disorders is on the rise? It rose sharply in the 1980s and 90s as a result of the prevalence of leggy, emaciated supermodels, and it is still going. In 1992, 60,000 people were estimated by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to be receiving treatment for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa at any one time in the UK. However by 2000, the British Eating Disorders Association believed that the number receiving treatment was closer to 90,000, with many more incidences of undiagnosed eating disorders, particularly bulimia (British Eating Disorders Association, 2000). Bulimia is more common, and according to figures from the BBC’s website, it’s estimated to affect between one and two percent of women who are aged 15-40, with anorexia estimated to affect between one and five teenage women in every 100,000 (BBC, 2006). While men and women of all ages can be affected by eating disorders, it’s apparent that a large number of sufferers are female, and usually young. This could be interpreted as saying a great deal about our society and the way in which many factors affect the self esteem of young girls, but the constant presence of professionally dressed and made-up, airbrushed women (they don’t mention that in magazines) only serves to make those who are in the stage of their lives where they are most vulnerable to outside influence, particularly over their bodies – feel bad about themselves, because they simply can’t match up to these unrealistic, unhealthy, but apparently desirable, ideals. On the issue of body image, liberal feminists would probably say that girls and women should not be made to feel so bad about themselves that it leads them to take such drastic action, and that this is an example of their core belief: that “one’s private life should not be subject to relation by society.” (Humm, 1995, 151). However, the distinction between the liberal feminist belief that society should not interfere in people’s private lives, and their lack of similar thought on people’s lives in the public sphere is illustrated by Judith Butler: “Although we struggle for rights over our own bodies, the very bodies for which we struggle are not quite ever only our own. The body has its invariably public dimension; constituted as a social phenomenon in the public sphere, my body is and is not mine.” (Butler, 2004, 21) Therefore, the liberal feminist view is that a woman’s body cannot be solely hers to ‘control’, if you will, because inevitably people will see and react to it. Fat-positive feminists, however, would be incensed. They believe – as their name indicates – that society’s disturbing trend towards unnatural thinness is inherently wrong. They believe that women are meant to be all different shapes and sizes, and that there is nothing wrong with being larger than the skinny waifs who adorn the catwalks, so long as you are healthy. Most women are simply not meant to be that tiny; according to a 1997 article by Kate Fox, “Even 25 years ago, top models and beauty queens weighed only 8% less than the average woman, now they weigh 23% less. The current media ideal for women is achievable by less than 5% of the female population – and that's just in terms of weight and size. If you want the ideal shape, face etc., it's probably more like 1%.” (Social Image Research Centre, 1997) Given that statistic, the fat-positive feminist beliefs are clearly more sensible. In this increasingly image-obsessed society, women would be well served to keep that in mind before they do some serious harm trying to starve themselves down to fit our unhealthy mould of body ideals.
In conclusion, the main features of gender inequality today are: work, education, and gendered expectations in society. The status of women in work is improving, but both liberal and fat-positive feminists believe the wage gap between women and men needs to be closed. Society needs to work on maintaining girls’ high standards of achievement once they have left school, to ensure that they fulfil their potential in the workforce, and in life in general. Traditional gender roles of mothers staying home and fathers going out to work need to change to keep up with the changes in society, particularly considering the issue of discrimination against women who are bucking the trend. And finally, body image needs to shift away from a focus on women’s bodies being thin, and towards the fat-positive belief that it’s perfectly fine to be whatever size they naturally are, because if they are healthy, that is all that matters.

Things To Know And Tell About Me

2007-01-11T15:01:13Z

1. I sing. Loudly. In public.
2. I have also been known to dance and skip, in public.
3. My utter hypernss has caused David-from-uni to brand me insane.
4. I am addicted to chocolate; specifically Guylian Belgian chocolate seashells (usually only on special occasions) and double chocolate cookies from Millie's Cookies, which are just the best cookies in the world ever. Official.
5. I have a laugh with a capital L. It is a Laugh. Sometimes it makes people turn around.
6. I can be daring - but, for the most part, I won't do something if it's illegal.
7. I have two teddies named George and Henry, and currently also a helium-filled balloon monkey called Gerald. Once he deflates, I plan to get a stuffed toy monkey, which I will call Gerald II.
8. I have A Thing for jewellery, particularly earrings. THe bigger and brighter, the better.
9. I obsess VERY easily.
10. I am a bit sensitive about: my stomach, my face, and being made to feel stupid.
11. I LOVE being naughty - particularly when other people have no idea, hence why texting appeals, and my phone bill is so big :-P
12. I am an only child, and as such, rather spoilt.
13. My taste in music is scorned by pretty much everyone. Everyone finds at least one track they like, then they wrinkle their nose at something else. I am not ashamed to admit that I go from Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers, through Elvis and the Beatles with a long pause in the 60s - the best music decade, by far - and then through to the 2000s, picking up a few tracks along the way. Particular favourite atm are: The Go Goo Dolls, The Fratellis, The Beatles and The Hollies.
14. While they often cause immense difficulty in getting clothes to fit - particularly dresses of blouses - I am pretty proud of my 32FF breasts - not least because all the teen magazines always say girls will turn out like their mothers boob-wise - and mine's an A :-P
15. Most days I like having a nice orundy figure that goes in and out in all the right places. Sometimes I would gladly swap it for being straight-up-and-down if I could be thin.
16. I love words, and how people use them never ceases to amaze me.
17. I've always wanted to own something DKNY, but never managed it yet.
18. Some people who don't know me assume I'm a complete goody-gody. I often dream of telling them all the things I've done...just to see their reaction :-P
19. I VERY MUCH like to surprise people.
20. I figure only five people have seen me cry, my entire life.
21. I've done some things that maybe I shouldn't have because someone wanted me to, and I figured I was so lucky they even wanted me to, that I didn't stop to think about it.
22. However for the most part, I don't regret ANYTHING any more, becase now I see it's all brought me to here. And this is a good place.
23. I'm very much a night owl and not a morning person. For example, I wrote this in bed, at 2.10am.
24. I have stupendous hearing, and brilliant eyesight - up close. Ten paces away and everything blurs without my glasses. And yes, I wear glasses all the time. Contact lenses squick me.
And finally:
25. I have a havit of leaving everything to the last minute, I veer between being completely slapdash and being an outright perfectionist, and I have a disturbing grammar fixation. But despite all this, someone who I love, loves me, and I've never been happier in my life :-)

2006 Survey I Stole From OpenDiary

2007-01-01T22:25:59Z

1) Best Drinking buddy?
I guess none? Although Maggie listened to me witter on at Sarah's party, which was pretty cool.

2) Lifetime service award - Longest friend?
Probably Sarah...

3) Newcomer of the year - newest friend?
Alana

4) High Point of the year?
The stuff with Joe; singing in public; getting in to Strathclyde.

5) Low point of the year?
When I'd just started uni and was feeling like shit.

6) Best holiday?
Christmas.

7) Anthem for 2006?
...Um. Too many to count. But Whitney Houston's in there, as are Roxette, Tiffany...

8) Any regrets?
I don't think so.

9) Best Night out?
Sarah's party.

10) Worst Night out?
I don't go out enough to have a worst night out.

11) Who Did You Spend Valentines With?
Myself.

12) Best relationship?
Joe.

13) Worst relationship?
None.

14) First Gig of the year?
None.

15) Last gig of the year?
None.

16) How did you spend your birthday?
Doing nothing. School, maybe. Who knows?

17) Best decision made all year?
To be open and just go for it with Joe.

18) What are your plans for next year?
Uni, and to go to London in July.

19) Most stupid idea when drunk?
...Probably to try to walk while thinking "I can stay upright". I fell into walls.

20) Biggest surprise of the year?
Joe's 'tip' texts, I guess. Oh, and getting into Strathclyde.

21) A phrase to sum up this year?
"Fortune favours the brave", perhaps. Even though I'm far from brave.

22) Most commonly used word/ phrase?
"Oh, FUN..."

23) Best Film?
13 Going On 30

24) Best Album?
Simon Webbe's "Sanctuary". It's bloody amazing.

Sarah's 18th Birthday Party!!

2006-12-03T22:38:17Z

Last night was AMAZING.

First of all, I don’t go out much. God, if you’re reading this, you probably know that already. I sit home and chat, or I watch DVDs. And yet…last night it was Sarah’s 18th birthday party, and so I got all dressed up in my spotty top and black trousers and then I ventured out, ready to leave as soon as I felt like it.
First of all, when my Dad dropped me outside the Malt, where I’d agreed to meet Sarah, Maggie, Sarah’s sister Christine and her friends Amanda and Tam, I was half an hour late. Well, it took me ages to get ready…
Anyway, I gave her her presents, and she loved the jewellery box I got, and the little Me To You 18th birthday bear :-D And so I sat and listened to Christine telling her to “Eat! I’m under orders,” and then once they were done with their food, we walked down the hill to the Caley bar.
That in itself was a great feat. First of all, Sarah had had like three drinks already…Maggie had had two…I was the only one who hadn’t had any. And Sarah was wearing a SKIRT and a really low cut top…so the wind was simultaneously blowing UP and DOWN her outfit…lol!!! It was brilliant. Anyway, so ten hours later we eventually got there…and started laughing as we looked at all the old embarrassing pictures of her posted around the walls… :-P
So I sat at a table by myself for awhile, because the birthday girl was busy being adored :-D and Maggie and Sarah’s younger sister Jayne were up dancing. However after a bit Maggie came back, and Gordon (coolest cousin in the world, OFFICIAL) bought me a drink because I didn’t know if they’d serve me at the bar…and then everything kind of took off from there.
Basically by the time I was three long vodkas in I’d got a fit of the giggles. And then they brought out the buffet…I fell down the step to the buffet…which Lisa noticed but was too polite to comment on :-P And I fell into walls…doors…had a very amusing conversation with Nathalie over the toilet doors… “Merry Christmas and happy Thanksgiving!” “Thanksgiving’s past!” “Is it? Why don’t I celebrate Thanksgiving?!” “Because you’re not American.” “Oh. Do they celebrate it?” “Yeah.” “Ugh. Do you get presents at Thanksgiving?” “No.” “Oh, well what’s the point of that then?!”
Normally I would have gone into the whole “Mayflower…native Americans being killed by the white settlers…etc.” explanation but I was laughing too hard to care. And then I got back to the table and yelled in Maggie’s ear, “Nathalie is SOOO funny!” and she’s just sitting there going, “Uh-huh…yep…maybe make the next one a Coke?”
In total I had five long vodkas. There was much dancing (Gordon is FANTABULOUS lol. Should have seen us all during the Grease Megamix…absolutely hysterical!!), and I bumped into a lot of things (I have a bruise on my arm from a door and one on my leg from the corner of a table), and I also knocked over a tableful of drinks…that was quite bad, lol.
I think a great time was had by all, anyway. I know Sarah had a great time :-P We lost count of how many drinks she’d had after about 7 :-P Anyway, hopefully there will be pictures up soon, and then you can all point and laugh :-P
Hope you’re all doing ok and that everyone who was at the party last night had as great a time as I did, lol!

L xx

Today

2006-11-16T20:26:36Z

Today was WEIRD.
I got up and had to RUN for the bus because I was so late leaving the house...laughing at the posts on Jess's "Does Size Really Matter?" thread, on which my name has been mentioned SOOO many times...not sure whether that's good or bad :-P
Then the bus on the way in was interesting.
When I got in, I was walking down Cathedral Street with a big goofy smile on my face yet again (I must stop that whole bus thing. It's not good, one of these days some thug's going to beat me up for smiling at them. It IS Glasgow, you kow). So I got to Journalism and the first thing Carol asked me (she's always first in the room) when I walked in the door was, "How's the romance going?" And so I just said, "Good, very good." And then started grinning like an eejit again.
Journalism was so, SOOO boring.
Then I went to the library - and not my Psychology tutorial!! Whoops - and spent two hours in chat, firstly having a minor meltdown of the "Oh noes!" variety rather than the "I hate myself and want to die" variety; then latterly talking about orgies and being called by all three guys in the room at the same time...
After that, I received some messages from Mal trying to guess who my mystery man is (Alex? Du-ude) and Xan with a suggestion for something I could try...Lindsay now thinks he's a pervert :-P
Oh, and I got a Superhero Triangle drawn on my arm. Michelle was Super Slut so I don't know who I'm supposed to be. Sal was Mr Angle *sniggers* Although we did have a good laugh, we passed a note and I laughed about how boring his email address is, lol.
That's pretty much it. Oh, and Mal just told me that I'm not boring, no, I'm "stimulating ;)"
Rofl.

Anywhore. Peace out, gang :D

L x

P.S. Not gonna tell ya, not gonna tell ya...Mal, you will be left wondering :-P

Random songs :D

2006-11-07T22:43:19Z

Five Random Songs from Media Player:
1. The Frodo recording (because clearly that is just trying to be funny).
2. I Love A Piano/Snooky Ookums/When The Midnight Choo Choo Leaves For Alabam' - Judy Garland and Fred Astaire
3. Affirmation - Savage Garden.
4. Footsteps - Showaddywaddy.
5. Be-Bop-A-Lula - The Everly Brothers

My first Journalism assessment piece. Comment please!!

2006-11-03T13:46:06Z

Firework (n): A device containing combustible chemicals which causes spectacular effects and explosions when ignited.

That was what he had always called her. His little firework. She could still remember it, as clearly as if it had been just yesterday.

“Gramps! Are you nearly ready?”
“Oh, be patient!” her mother snaps, drawing her coat tighter around her expanding stomach and shivering in the November chill. Her father is helping Gramps balance those coloured tubes in old milk bottles, and then she has to laugh at the two of them jumping up and running back down the garden to the little group clustered on the patio. Gramps stands behind her and puts his hands on her shoulders. She likes it when he does that. It makes her feel safe.
Suddenly, one of the coloured tubes flies up in the air, knocking the milk bottle sideways. She is still watching the milk bottle, so she gets a fright when there is a loud bang, and a splash of colour explodes in the sky and is gone.
“What…?” she starts to ask, but there comes another, and another. She watches in fascination as reds burst into the sky, to be replaced by greens and blues and even, once, a purple. Once the few that were set up are done, she turns to Gramps and asks in wonder, “What are they?”
“Those, darling, are what we call fireworks,” he answers with a smile. “Aren’t they lovely?”
“They’re very pretty,” she says.
“Just like you,” he tells her, and his smile widens. “I’m going to call you that from now on. My little firework.”
“I don’t look like a firework,” she says, amused, and her mother snorts. Gramps shoots her a look, before crouching down to Ellie’s level.
“Not now you don’t,” he tells her. “But when you’re older, you will be as bright and as pretty as any of the fireworks they can make.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, I promise,” he says. “So I’m going to call you my little firework. And now your daddy and I are going to set up some more of them, all right?”
“All right,” she says happily. After the men go back to the milk bottles and the box of fireworks, she jumps up and down a few times, singing, “I’m a firework! I’m a firework!”
“Behave!” her mother hisses, and she stops, and stands there quietly on the edge of the group until Gramps comes back and they all watch the next batch of fireworks together.

“So much for ‘bright’ and ‘pretty’,” she said now, with a mirthless laugh. Her hand drifted unconsciously to her right arm, where she had a permanent mark. A little dot, that told the story she had spent so long trying to keep a secret…

“What did I tell you?” her mother hisses, her eyes wild to ten year old Ellie. “Only take out one toy at a time! Jesus, how hard is it to remember that?” She tries to explain.
“But the car is FOR Barbie!”
“I don’t care! You were making too much noise!” Before Ellie can open her mouth to point out her mother’s rapid change of tack, it is too late. She leans over Ellie and, as she speaks, the girl can smell the gin on her breath. “You know, I never wanted you. You were just a mistake, one I’ve spent the last ten years regretting!” Ellie promptly bursts into tears. “Oh, shut up, you crybaby! At least you’re not being lied to, you know the truth.” When Ellie does not stop crying, her mother grabs her by the arm. Ellie cries out in pain, at both the vicelike grip and the cigarette burning into her skin, which her mother appears to have forgotten she is holding. And then she slaps her.

She winced at the memory of that slap. It had shocked both of them to the very core. And no matter how her mother swore she wouldn’t do it again while she was sober, out would come the drink again, and Ellie was always the one who suffered. Eventually her father had given up and moved out. She could still remember it vividly, pleading with him to stay as he loaded his suitcases into the car, and then drove off without a backward glance at his only daughter. After that, it had only worsened. All distraction gone, it happened every other day. The only place she had been able to go to escape was her grandparents’. Her grandfather, knees now too far gone to arthritis to run the length of the garden, had promised to take her to the big local fireworks display. She was looking forward to it, had been for weeks.
And then everything changed.

She grimaced, thinking about it. She was getting close now, and she could see in the orange glow of the streetlight that there was no one else around. Good, that would help.
She stopped, and looked at her hands. Grandma…Gramps…she said in her head. I’m sorry we never got to go to the display. I’ve been watching some of them on the way over here, everywhere I look the sky’s exploding in colour. Kind of apt really. She paused for a moment, then continued. If you can hear this, then you probably already know what I’m doing. I just…I love you, ok? And I hope you’ll understand.
She looked up, trying to fight down the rage she felt at the person – stupid, selfish idiot – who had put the firework through their letterbox just a few days before. ;A senseless tragedy’, the papers had called it. She liked that, it was poetic. They had called Gramps Roger though, he would have hated that. He always went by ‘Gerry’, for a reason she had never known. And now never would.
She took a deep breath. And for a split second, she could have sworn she saw her grandparents smiling at her, waiting, before, seeing the lights, she climbed over the barrier, ran into the road and waited for the bang.

My Life Movie Soundtrack

2006-10-21T22:27:57Z

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

Opening Credits:
We Can - LeAnn Rimes (random, but REALLY COOL)

Waking Up:
Goodbye My Lover - James Blunt (another REALLY random one...good though :-) )

First Day At School:
Billy S by Skye Sweetnam ("Monday mornings suck, it's way too early to catch a bus. Why conform without a fuss? Daddy Daddy no, I don't wanna go to schoool..." Apt :-P )

Falling In Love:
Night And Day - Fred Astaire (so apt!! Such a lovely love song, too :-P )

Fight Song:
Everywhere To Me - Michelle Branch (SOOO not a fight song...)

Breaking Up:
Vivere - Lesiem (I have no idea what this even is. A friend sent it to me).

Prom:
Ever Dream - Nightwish (huh. Not sure about that one).

Life's OK:
Good Night - Roy Orbison

Mental Breakdown
Listen by the Goo Goo Dolls (gosh. Why couldn't it have been "Acoustic #3"? *pouts*)

Driving:
Shaking the Blues Away - Ann Miller

Flashback:
Lose My Breath - Destiny's Child

Getting Back Together:
Over the Hills and Far Away - Gary Moore

Wedding:
Face To Face - Devil You Know (God is a Man...)

Birth of Child:
Blue - Angie Hart ("Where were you...I fell into the moon, and it covered you in blue...I fell into the moon, can I make it right, can I spend the night...)

Final Battle:
Streets of Philadelphia - Liv Kristine

Death Scene:
In the Country - Cliff Richards

Funeral Song:
She's Not You - Elvis Presley

End Credits:
New World - Leroy

Uni

2006-10-03T21:31:47Z

Lectures been to so far: 10.

Part lectures been to so far: 1 (because they kicked me out of beginners' German. Psychology is way better anyway :P)

Times fallen over: NONE (woohoo!...well, so far)

Stairs climbed: FAR too many to count. Up to History is 6 freakin floors alone!!...and Stuart thinks I'm insane for climbing them when there are lifts. But there are huge queues for lifts!!...and I need the exercise LOL.

Times have sarcastically muttered "Oh, FUN": Also far too many to count.

People I have met that I already knew: James; Gillian, Gozzy, Robbo and Lauren Purdie from Dalziel; Alana (sort of).

People who I have met and whose names I have remembered: Stuart, David, Alana, Kirsten, Heather, Sinead, Robert, Claire, Jennifer, Carol, Chris, Claire, Martin, Hannah, Lindsey.

So. Thus far, I have learned:
1) The hill you climb to go from Livingstone Tower to the John Anderson building? It might as well be a mountain! You can only go DOWN it comfortably. FACT. Which they neglected to mention in the prospectus!!

2) Lots of people have been heard to wonder how dangerous said hill will be in wintertime when it's icy. Answer: very, very and extremely. We'll have to get sledges.

3) That there is a way to bypass the hill entirely!! (Thanks Stuart :P ) It's a bit of a long walk, but SO WORTH IT. I wondered when we went that way, "Is this really better?" But having been up the hill, the answer is YES!!!

4) That the History lecturer probably isn't wearing a wig, but his hair sometimes looks like he is.

5) Learning Services does not open until 10.30.

6) The top five hates of people in the psychology class are: *Iraq/Bush/Blair *Terrorism/September 11/July 7 *Child abuse/paedophilia *Holly and Jessica's murders *Rape.

7) The Hutchison £30 monthly bus pass takes me both from here to Wishaw AND on the Pullman :) Yasssss.

8) Conditioning is cool, but psychology does have a lot of jargon!

9) There is another entrance to the John Anderson building...but I still don't know where it goes, so I'm still too scared to use it LOL.

and finally:
10) If you walk around Glasgow humming songs from old Fred and Ginger movies...you will get funny looks :P

Hope everyone's having as good a time as I am :D I have a day off tomorrow so I'll be sitting here in front of the computer the whole time :P I'll think of you all slaving away...

L xx

Survey I stole from an iconmaker's journal because I saw it while taking icons

2006-08-20T20:46:17Z

1. What is your main cell phone ring-tone?
This could be considered sad, but right now it's a recording of "Call Me" by Blondie. I had "Hello Little Girl" by the Fourmost on it for the LONGEST time...but this is my new one. May have something else soon. Maybe.

2. What is your default LJ icon?
The one which accompanies this post; that is, the kiltedmonkey monkey :)

3. What station is your car radio permanently tuned to?
Real Radio. Because my parents and I both like that. Although sometimes the parents listen to Saga :/ That's when I get the DAB radio out lol.

4. What is your computer desktop image?
This wallpaper, from the CAMP official site :)

5. Is there something you wear every single day?
My glasses. I can't see without them.

6. I wish I had a tracking device on:
My glasses...I take them off to wash my hair or go in the shower or whatever, and when I go back I always forget where I put them *blushes*

7. What page does your internet browser open with?
Google. Google just rocks. I would set it to gmail, but my address and password are saved and i don't want my mum to be able to read my mail lol.

8. This item never leaves my purse:
Um, I guess my purse, since by purse you mean handbag? Oh, or my prescription sunglasses that Nicola thought were so funny. But I tell you Nicola, if you had as bad eyesight as me, you would want prescription sunnies as well. Stops you having to make the choice between getting fried eyeballs and being able to see!

9. What TV show do you never miss?
House...Home and Away...Grey's Anatomy when it was on, unfortunately it's off now *pouts*. And Sugar Rush, because I mean...uh-huh. Right now we're watching Pimp My Ride UK everyday, even if I want to slap Westwood stupid. Hey man, you're not black, you're a middle aged white guy and "holla" does NOT work, so STOP SAYING IT.

10. What phrase do you hear yourself repeating too often?
"It was amusing". Because I can't just say 'funny' like a normal person. Oh, and I use "gosh" a lot, too. Gabriel thinks it's funny.

What Would Have Worn In The 80s?
Name / Username
On Your Feet..	jelly shoes,neon green pumps
Your Hair Was..	teased and blowdryed
Your Hair Styling Must Was..	Hair Spray With Glitter
Your Favorite Accesory Was..	Jelly Bracelets
Your Favorite Outfit Was..	Neon Green Shirt With Ruffled Skirt With Black Leggings And Yellow Converse
Your Favorite Year Was..	1989

This cool quiz by burnin_up - Taken 63750 Times. </a>