All 21 entries tagged Me

Spring is here!

• The air is warm
• There's a cool (but not chilly) breeze
• The sun's beating down
• I'm wearing a t-shirt outdoors.

…All adds up to making me a very happy person.

I love spring!

: 25 Mar 2006 12:45 |  Tags: Me |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Edward R. Murrow: my new hero

“I’m not looking for impressive adjectives, I’m just telling you what I’ve seen”

I discovered a new idol and inspiration this week, a man who – forty years after his death – is going to return into the spotlight later this month, with the release of George Clooney’s Good Luck and Good Night.

Edward R. Murrow was the founding father of Broadcast Journalism in the U.S. His career began in the 1930s reporting for CBS on the run up to World War 2, and throughout the forties he, and a team of other correspondents (known as Murrow’s Boys), brought the war to America, with the famous opening line, “this is London.”

After the war, Murrow returned to the States, and with his producer Fred Friendly (who Clooney plays) they moved from radio to television, creating the See It Now programme (1951–1957).

He’s most famous for his great journalistic escapades, especially taking on Senator McCarthy, dedicating a special half hour programme to exposing ‘the junior senator from Wisconsin’ as a fear mongerer. But it’s not these things I admire in the man, and especially not his continual pushing of the American ideals (he was after all, a product of his time).

No, if there’s one thing I really admire about Edward Murrow, the one thing I would want to take on myself, it most definitely is his writing. Murrow had a way with words that was perfect for broadcast journalism, but sadly neglected today.

His pieces to camera were brutally honest: beginning his first ever TV broadcast he admitted that he didn’t have a clue what he was doing “this is an old team trying to learn a new trade”. His voice-overs totally engaging, taking you right there next to him (an impressive feat, as TVs in the 50s were tiny), and his descriptive writing – well, that was something else.

During the war, he recorded several radio reports from aboard a British bomber, during a raid over Germany – a brave enough achievement itself. Yet, despite being in danger of death with anti-aircraft fire exploding either side of the bomber, he delivered a memorable description, that even to I, three generations down the line, was gripped by. His best line, described the bombs falling over Berlin “like pieces of rice being dropped on black velvet.” Extraordinary – the image flashes in your mind right away.

He knew the “beauty and power of the spoken word”, and this is something that broadcast journalists today have sadly forgotten. He is a revered figure in America, yet as we all know, American TV journalism has really gone to the dogs. Politically motivated coverage of Iraq is followed by extensive coverage of an emergency landing of a small plane, followed by a cute panda story, all split by epochs worth of advertising. Americans don’t hear about Africa or Asia, unless it’s got a strong American angle, the results of which were clear in 2001.

British broadcast journalism though is going the same way. Rolling news channels have reduced the well considered, well written analysis of events into on the spot speculation. Journalists don’t write like Edward Murrow anymore because they don’t have the time – they must report from a place they’ve only just arrived at, and tell us that they don’t know anything. Events like July 7th last year showed that although 24 hour news channels can show us the latest they can’t analyse, and I think its because of this, the daily, edited bulletin (like the 1, 6, 10 O’clock news, or Channel 4 News) will never be stopped.

It’s a world Murrow wouldn’t want to work in, but what about his legacy? Hopefully, his excellent writing will be admired and imitated by future journalists, and in fairness there are several correspondents around who are great writers: the much underestimated Barnaby Phillips for example.
His desire to just explain what he saw, but in a vividly descriptive language should never be forgotten, nor, his ability to open people’s eyes to things that they never knew were happening - watch Harvest of Shame - essentially telling us all about the worst people, and the best

: 09 Feb 2006 11:13 |  Tags: Broadcast Journalism Me |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

A day of non acheivements and compromises

Writing about an entry you don't have permission to view

In contrast to the lovely Miss Crawley's more positive entry, take this - my day today, with much to do and little acheived...what's the opposite of woopah?

In summary, my 3 big things to do in the big smoke today were:

1. Get to the Thai Embassy before 11:30 to apply for a visa
2. Buy a diary I've been meaning to get for ages on the Portabello Road
3. Go for a job interview

8:27 – catch train from the L'Spa to London – UNCHECK
8:45 – realise the train actually left at 8:27, not 8:57 – CHECK
9:27 – catch the train, an hour behind schedule – CHECK
11:40 – on time at the thai embassy – UNCHECK
12:00 – decide with Claire we'll go to Cambodia as well, thus avoiding the need for a visa in the first place
13:00 – Portabello Road…the market is closed. Buy diary? – UNCHECK
13:45 – aim to get to interview in Camden Town for 3PM…major delays on the Northern Line
15:10 – arrive at interview on time – UNCHECK
16:00 – leave interview feeling confident – UNCHECK
19:00 – arrive home and get an email from my tutor. have I done well enough this year to put me in the running for a first next year?

UNCHECK.

: 28 Jun 2005 21:39 |  Tags: Me |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Re: Vision

Well, it's 9.30 PM...my next, and final exam for the year is in 12 hours.

So, it's finally time to put away the revision notes, close the books, and finally finish this f**king revision!!!

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So with it all over, it's time to count the costs. Right at the beginning, I started making a daily count of how many hours I'd spent in the library or learning grid.

What a geek

Now instead of whining on "i've spent sooo long revising" I can actually see whether I have or whether I'm talking out of my arse.

The total number of hours, from each day, since Thursday 28th April, is 102 hours.

Tragic

But some calculations need to be made first – it's not nearly this much. I work in a 45-minute work, 15-minute relax pattern. So first I need to cut that figure down to 75%, which is 76.5 hours.

Then take off an obligatory 15% for the amount of time I spent pissing about, doodling, daydreaming or wishing I was dead, or at least a finalist: That leaves me with approximately 65 hours, of solid thinking.

You loser

So there you go. It's probably more like 30, but I want to go into the exam tomorrow thinking I've done some work.

Now for something else

And in other news, check out this superb piece of audio-visual from the world wide web. Anakin, you dark horse you. Whacka whacka.

: 08 Jun 2005 21:44 |  Tags: Me |  Comments (5) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

That's it…rub it in why don'tcha

This 2nd year malarky sucks royal length sometimes.

Today, still in the thick of it to coin a now satirical phrase, I did a mammoth 10 hour stint, mixing it up between the learning grid and the library. Mildly proud of myself, I left at 10, when it became obvious that the fit girl across the way had actually be ignoring me.

I strolled down to the bus stop, ready for another long wistful bus journey home to fall asleep on…and what happens? The bus is packed…with 1st years all going to Sugar!

Man. That's just cruel. A long journey through Kenilworth, listening to a new drunken song, which went something along the lines of "She'll be using a vibrator when she comes, She'll be using a vibrator when she comes, She'll be using a vibrator, using a vibrator, using a vibrator when she comes".

And when they all packed off at the top of the parade..5 student saddos remained, reflecting on how still our lives were empty shells of exam hell.

Next year, next year.

: 07 Jun 2005 23:06 |  Tags: Me |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

My day of hell :: t–minus 26 days

Oh dear bejesussing god, I'm actually going to fail my second year.

It was all looking so good. "No exams at least the 31st of May" the History department said. "That's fine" I said. "That gives me 4 weeks to finish my 2 5,000 word essays and should give me a few weeks to revise afterwards. Lovely jubbly."

Then, when I got back from the holidays, I discovered I've been royally screwed by the morons up at exam-timetable central. Not only are my exams a week earlier than suggested – the beginning of week 6, I have my 2 worst ones on the same day.

No less than 5 hours – that's 5 individual essays to write in a single day.

There's nothing worse than someone moping around feeling sorry for themselves, and I'm sure people have been worse off than me, but it means I've found myself in some predicament.

Because its so early – literally 5 days after the essays are due in – even getting the essays out of the way early, I'll still only have a week or so to revise for the 2 exams. So today I made the decision to scrap the 2nd long essay. This means the 5 hours on the 23rd May now become 6 hours, and 60% of my year will be decided on that single day.

PROS:

• I've finished the other essay, so I can start revising straight away
• That's 3.5 weeks of almost solid revision
• Once I get that day out of the way I'm almost there
• 6 hours is no different to the 5 hours before…

CONS

• …Except that it is, because the 2 exams now both count for 100% of 2 modules
• I seem to be the only person doing this
• I'll be writing solidly for a whole day —> repetitive strain injury or summat
• I'll have to be thinking hard ALL day…I normally take at least 2 days to write an essay, how the hell am I gonna do this 1200% faster?
• If I'm feeling slightly off, tired, ill on the 23rd May, I'm singularly FUCKED.

Hm, now I have more cons than pros. That didn't happen earlier, I'm sure.

Oh well, I've made my bed now. Or rather, I had made my bed, then the exam board came along and curled a humungous turd in it, so I had to change beds at short notice.

Damn.

: 27 Apr 2005 22:21 |  Tags: Me |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Places I've been

Writing about Where I've been from Hub of Creativity...

Great find Shall!

So far, I've visited a measly 5% (13 countries) of the world.

create your own visited countries map

or vertaling Duits Nederlands

I want to make it at least 30% before I die.

: 17 Apr 2005 17:01 |  Tags: Me |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Lonely in Leam

Writing about web page http://www.boredoffmyass.com

Yup, this must be the quietest Leam ever gets, Easter Sunday. I haven't seen another student in about 3 days. In fact I haven't spoken to anyone in 3 days. Apart from Abdul at the supermarket. He's nice, and he supports Chelsea.

I'm quite surpised people have all gone home for Easter weekend. Let's face it, the pious round here are few in number, and even so, Easter rates as the lamest festival (this year made lamer by the absence of Ben Hur on the tellybox). So I'm even more surprised to see so many of you have hit the churches like it's got some clearance sale on or something. Not even the Pope bothered this year.

Oh well, so I'm sticking out down in da Tachbrook ghetto, keepin it real, with a gang of townies who get together at the other side of the road, smoke a fag and then get picked with their mum to go fishing. I've mashed my way through several tomes on the Tudor Revolution in government, inspired by the bureaucratic actions of Thomas Cromwell to rearrange the furniture in my room.

Hm, and what else? Well, let's see, I went down to the supermarket again to buy some curry sau—-

[**BORING BLOG MONITOR :: THIS BLOG HAS BEEN TERMINATED FOR BEING SO INANELY DULL :: BOREDOM LEVEL 4 (LESS PREFERABLE TO CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL WINNER) :: THIS BLOG WILL CONTINUE AS SOON AS THE PERSON WRITING IT HAS SOMETHING INTERESTING TO SAY**]

: 27 Mar 2005 22:45 |  Tags: Me |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Well, if we're all doing it

Writing about web page http://www.bzoink.com/surveys.php?id=6154

: 24 Mar 2005 19:28 |  Tags: Me |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

How to put off long essays for over a week

Here's a great recipe I've found and used this week to put off even thinking about my Easter work for a stupid amount of time:

Ingredients:

• 4 days in Krakow
• 1 21st Birthday in London
• Lots of Bison vodka
• Even more Oriental Star
• Not enough Sleep
• 1 film

Procrastinates for: 9 days

1 – Sleep as much as possible

After the End of Term party treat yourself to a nice long lie-in and spend the whole of Saturday pissing around trying to tidy your room failing dismally. Follow with a night at Bar Oxygen.

2 – Head to Krakow

Get up at 5am on Sunday and clamber onto a coach and find yourself 8 hours later in Poland's 2nd city, where it's snowing like mad. Only thing to do is warm yourself up with cheap Polish beer and vodka so do so with great ferver.

3 – Do the Krakow

There's loads to do in Krakow (not as dull a place as you'd think), a lot of which is said better than I could by Chelsea. My favourites though were the St. Mary Basilica on the Market Square, possibly the most impressive church I've ever seen, especially in Eastern Europe. Wawel Castle is also interesting, but really just a museum and you'll get bored there. And instead of Auschwitz, the more alternative reader may choose to add a sprinkling of the Salt Mine, just outside Krakow – a place that is much more interesting than it sounds. Carved purely out of rock salt, this 300ft + mine extends deep into the ground with the centrepiece being a huge vaulted hall, with chandeliers, artwork on the walls and grand staircases..all carved beautifully out of salt. Stir well.

4 – Eat and Drink the Krakow

Now add 4 nights of cheap Polish food (lots of pork and lots of dumplings) some of which is served to you by the waiter on a sword. To this add dangerous amounts of flavoured vodka: Bison Vodka, Apple Strudel vodka, Citrus Vodka and Cherry Vodka all being rather excellent. Finally sprinkle with some superb underground Jazz Clubs, and bars, and the realisation that British culture sucks in comparison to the continent.

5 – Add a night of carnage

End the trip with a night of alkohole abuse of the worse kind, ending with projectile vomiting by a large number of 2nd year historians. Funnily enough none of the 1st years threw up. Return home.

6 – Waste another day

Sleep as much as possible, hand in some film and attempt once again to tidy room. Fail dismally.

7 – See a film

Then treat yourself to a friday night movie. I whole heartedly recommend Hotel Rwanda – by far the most moving war film I think I've ever seen. It's based on the true story of a hotel owner who harboured over 1,000 tutsis in his hotel while the Hutus attempted to massacre them in 1994. Moving performances by Don Cheadle and Nick Nolte especially. I'll be seeing this film again and I'll write about how amazing it is another time. But just see it, OK?

8 – Go to London

If you weren't tired of all this procrastination by now, go to London for 2 days and do the whole arsy "I've got too much money" thing. Go to Portabello road and drink a £6 Bloody Mary (yes, I did this). Then go to a friend's 21st birthday in an exclusive bar in Covent Garden, and drink your way through over a dozen free cocktails, before realising the next morning that you consumed over £70 in one night on alcohol…but didn't pay a penny. Oh yes.

9 – Finally return home.

knackered and with a strange swelling under your chin. Uh-oh.

And that is how to avoid doing any work (and spend a hell of a lot of money) in 9 days. Now I need 9 more to recover.

Pictures of Krakow will be up here tomorrow!

: 20 Mar 2005 15:36 |  Tags: Me |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem