This is another article I wrote. It was in The Chronicle on 3rd March 2010. Thought I'd pop it up as well.
FUNDRAISING PUPILS SOCK IT TO POVERTY
Youngsters turned tradaition on its head when they pulled their socks up for a charity challenge.
In aid of Sport Relief, pupils and teachers from Harlow Green Primary School, in Gateshead, bounced their way to victory in a sack race with a difference.
Competitors hopped, skipped and jumped their way to the finish line against staff from from the Team Valley Sainsbury's store inside giant Sports Relief Socks.
Pupils and teachers turned out wearing their silliest socks in order to cheer for, and occasionally laugh at, their friends and work colleagues.
The 'sock race' helped launch the official sport relief sock, which went on sale last month in Sainsbury's stores.
Donations were collected and given to charity, with every penny going towards people living incredibly tough lives both at home in the UK and across the world's poorest countries.
Lesley Steele, head teacher at Harlow Green School said, "Our students jumped at the chance to see their teachers leaping around in a giant sports relief sock."
"The whole school has enjoyed the sock race, and we are all very proud to be supporting Sports Relief, especially the students. Some of the teacher's techniques left a little to be desired, but we'll keep practising."
Russ Walker, Sainsbury's store manager added, "we were really pleased to be able to help Harlow Green School kick off their fundraising. We all had a great time and it is terrific to think that our sock race has gone some way to help transform lives."
Sports Relief is planning a huge day of events at Gateshead's Saltwell Park to raise yet more cash for the cause.
Young and old alike are being invited to join the Sainsbury's Sport Relief Mile, which is expected to see some 4,000 people taking part in sponsored runs.
Depending on their fitness levels, participants can choose to run either one, three or six miles during the event, which kicks off on Sunday March 21.
Teachers can bulk buy Sports Relief Socks to sell in school by visiting www.sportsrelief.com/socksforschools.
Schools can choose to pay an initial deposit of just 60p per pair and then pay the remainder after the event.
Monday, 8 March 2010
Country Gripped by Fear
This is a brief article I wrote when I was on work experience with the Chronicle. I thought I'd pop it on here with my other stuff. It wasn't the main article, it was just a column on the side. It was in The Sunday Sun on the 7th of March 2010
COUNTRY GRIPPED BY FEAR
When officers arrested Peter Sutcliffe on January 2 1981 for driving offences, little did they know that they had finally managed to capture Britain's most wanted man.
Peter Sutcliffe, known as The Yorkshire Ripper, was responsible for the brutal deaths of Wilma McAnn, Emily Jackson, Irene Richardson, Patricia Atkinson, Jayne McDonald, Yvonne Pearson, Helen Rytka, Vera Millward, Josephine Whitaker, Barbara Leach, Maguerite Walls and Jacqueline Hill.
The hunt for Sutcliffe was one of the largest investigations ever run by a British police force and was hindered by many hoax letters and voice recordings received by the police.
In May 1981 he was found guilty of the attacks and was given 12 life sentances. It was recommended that he serve a minimum of 30 years, which meant that he was unlikely to be freed until next year.
In 2006 it came to light that John Humble of Sunderland had been behind the hoax tapes. He was sentanced to eight years in jail.
Had John Humble not sent in the tape, it is believed that the rippers final three victims would not have died.
COUNTRY GRIPPED BY FEAR
When officers arrested Peter Sutcliffe on January 2 1981 for driving offences, little did they know that they had finally managed to capture Britain's most wanted man.
Peter Sutcliffe, known as The Yorkshire Ripper, was responsible for the brutal deaths of Wilma McAnn, Emily Jackson, Irene Richardson, Patricia Atkinson, Jayne McDonald, Yvonne Pearson, Helen Rytka, Vera Millward, Josephine Whitaker, Barbara Leach, Maguerite Walls and Jacqueline Hill.
The hunt for Sutcliffe was one of the largest investigations ever run by a British police force and was hindered by many hoax letters and voice recordings received by the police.
In May 1981 he was found guilty of the attacks and was given 12 life sentances. It was recommended that he serve a minimum of 30 years, which meant that he was unlikely to be freed until next year.
In 2006 it came to light that John Humble of Sunderland had been behind the hoax tapes. He was sentanced to eight years in jail.
Had John Humble not sent in the tape, it is believed that the rippers final three victims would not have died.
Sunday, 7 March 2010
The Story Teller - introduction
This was a story I started writing a while ago. I haven't had time to complete it yet, it was only supposed to be quite short, but I thought I would upload the opening bits of it anyway. As i write more, I'll add more.
Feel free to leave comments and criticisms
INTRODUCTION.
Some-one once told me that if you tell your secrets to the moon, there is no garauntee that the stars will not get wind of it. Sometimes though, there are secrets that even the stars have a right to know, there are stories buried in the earth, within the archives of history that need to be told. Some of these tales tell us of the earth's mysteries, or of lies hidden within family trees, trees that need to be shaken before the fruits of the truth can fall within sight. There are stories that make us laugh, and there are stories that make us cry, but there is one thing they all have in common. They teach us that the world is never black or white, just a thousand shades of grey.
Some people know this lesson from the moment that they are born. There are people who live their life with the magic of words flowing through their veins. They can captivate the most reluctant of audiences and notice things that to most other human beings are barey worth noticing, things such as the way in which the wind sighs, or the beauty in the sky's tears. These people are immortal. When their bodies turn to ash and are whisked away in the breeze, their words will echo in the hallways of the future. They will act as a warning as to what has been. Their thoughts will echo on the lips of others, a prophecy as to what lies ahead.
Telling a story is like throwing a pebble into a lake and watching as that simple action, that one small stone causes the whole lake to ripple in front of your very eyes.
The gift of words is both a blessing and curse. In life my single voice has been drowned out by the crowds buzzing like a swarm of killer bees ready to attack. Whilst I live and breathe, I have remained invisible. It is a talent of mine, I can glide in and out of a room as if I am no more than fog or mist, yet less than the ghost of a memory. People do not see me, but someday there will be a 'once upon a time' and it will be my voice, and my voice alone that speaks.
I want you to know that I did not choose the words, but they chose me, and like a moth to a flame I could not resist.
Feel free to leave comments and criticisms
INTRODUCTION.
Some-one once told me that if you tell your secrets to the moon, there is no garauntee that the stars will not get wind of it. Sometimes though, there are secrets that even the stars have a right to know, there are stories buried in the earth, within the archives of history that need to be told. Some of these tales tell us of the earth's mysteries, or of lies hidden within family trees, trees that need to be shaken before the fruits of the truth can fall within sight. There are stories that make us laugh, and there are stories that make us cry, but there is one thing they all have in common. They teach us that the world is never black or white, just a thousand shades of grey.
Some people know this lesson from the moment that they are born. There are people who live their life with the magic of words flowing through their veins. They can captivate the most reluctant of audiences and notice things that to most other human beings are barey worth noticing, things such as the way in which the wind sighs, or the beauty in the sky's tears. These people are immortal. When their bodies turn to ash and are whisked away in the breeze, their words will echo in the hallways of the future. They will act as a warning as to what has been. Their thoughts will echo on the lips of others, a prophecy as to what lies ahead.
Telling a story is like throwing a pebble into a lake and watching as that simple action, that one small stone causes the whole lake to ripple in front of your very eyes.
The gift of words is both a blessing and curse. In life my single voice has been drowned out by the crowds buzzing like a swarm of killer bees ready to attack. Whilst I live and breathe, I have remained invisible. It is a talent of mine, I can glide in and out of a room as if I am no more than fog or mist, yet less than the ghost of a memory. People do not see me, but someday there will be a 'once upon a time' and it will be my voice, and my voice alone that speaks.
I want you to know that I did not choose the words, but they chose me, and like a moth to a flame I could not resist.
To Die or Not To Die
Reccently, Sir Terry Pratchett annouced his support for changing the current laws on assisted suicide offering himself as a test subject for legal euthanasia. The famous author and althzeimers sufferer was adamant that he, and all those suffering from terminal conditions should have the right to die saying "My life, my death, my choice."
His statement comes only weeks after Francis Inglis was sentanced to 10 years for ending the life of her son and Bridget Gildredale, who assisted in the death of her 31 year old daughter, was acquitted.
The Government's current guidelines on assisted suicides are both inadequate and highly unsatsifying. At best one commit the merciful act of helping a suffering indivdual die with dignity and pray to God that they will not be prosecuted for doing so. At worst, loved ones can watch as their relatives become unrecognisable, slowly and agonisingly loosing their identity untill they merely become breathing corpses waiting for death to take hold.
Sir Terry Pratchett is a man who has had first hand experience with those who suffer from terminal illness. When he was in his 50's he received the news that his father only had a year left to live. His father told him " if you ever see me in a hospital bed, surrounded by tubes and machines, tell them to switch me off." Such sentiments are widely echoed throughout society. This was demonstrated in the most reccent British Attitudes Survey in which over 80% of people agreed that an individual should have the right to decide if and when they want to end their life.
Yet despite the overwhelming public opinion to the contrary, the Care Not Killing Alliance believes that death is something that no-one should even consider. Despite the fact that care for the elderly in the UK has been described as "a care lottery" that is "both balmy and horrendous" by Michael Parkinson and Help the Aged, the Alliance believe that whilst care is still available death is NOT and option.
They state that "autonomy is not absoloute. We value living in a free society but are not free to do things that threaten the reasonable freedoms of others." It is their belief that were euthanasia to be legalised, those who requested it would feel pressured to do so, or subconsciously would not want to do so.
Such objections and concerns seem to suggest that those who support euthanasia do not recognise the importance of human life and do not place value upon the wishes and desires of patients. However, this could not be further from the truth. Whilst people such as the Care Not Killing Alliance believe that human life should be preserved at any cost, emotionally, physically and financially, those who support assisted suicide feel that it is the quality and not the quantity of life that is important. In the Richard Dimbleby lecture, Sir Terry Pratchett made it very clear that these are his own sentiments stating that "he would like to die before the disease[althzeimers] takes over."
That is not to say that anybody should be able to waltz up to his doctor, request a lethal injection and expect the doctor to whip up a concoction of leathal drugs. Current pro-euthanasia campaigners believe that euthanasia, when and if it is legalised, should be carefully monitered by the state. In order to protect vulnerable patients and prevent cases of 'forced euthanasia' any-one who wishes to invoke their right to die, must appeal to the courts whilst they are of sound mind and can prove beyond all doubt that their request is reasonable.
If such measures were in place, surely we could have the best of both worlds? A world where those who wished to die with dignity could do so, without fearing their loves ones would be prosecuted for assisting them and yet a world where the vulnerable were protected? Most importantly we would have a world where great men such as Sir Terry Pratchett, men who know their own mind, could choose to die peacefully, quietly and with dignity.
After all, isn't the freedom of choice a basic human right?
www.carenotkill.com
www.dyingwithdignity.com
His statement comes only weeks after Francis Inglis was sentanced to 10 years for ending the life of her son and Bridget Gildredale, who assisted in the death of her 31 year old daughter, was acquitted.
The Government's current guidelines on assisted suicides are both inadequate and highly unsatsifying. At best one commit the merciful act of helping a suffering indivdual die with dignity and pray to God that they will not be prosecuted for doing so. At worst, loved ones can watch as their relatives become unrecognisable, slowly and agonisingly loosing their identity untill they merely become breathing corpses waiting for death to take hold.
Sir Terry Pratchett is a man who has had first hand experience with those who suffer from terminal illness. When he was in his 50's he received the news that his father only had a year left to live. His father told him " if you ever see me in a hospital bed, surrounded by tubes and machines, tell them to switch me off." Such sentiments are widely echoed throughout society. This was demonstrated in the most reccent British Attitudes Survey in which over 80% of people agreed that an individual should have the right to decide if and when they want to end their life.
Yet despite the overwhelming public opinion to the contrary, the Care Not Killing Alliance believes that death is something that no-one should even consider. Despite the fact that care for the elderly in the UK has been described as "a care lottery" that is "both balmy and horrendous" by Michael Parkinson and Help the Aged, the Alliance believe that whilst care is still available death is NOT and option.
They state that "autonomy is not absoloute. We value living in a free society but are not free to do things that threaten the reasonable freedoms of others." It is their belief that were euthanasia to be legalised, those who requested it would feel pressured to do so, or subconsciously would not want to do so.
Such objections and concerns seem to suggest that those who support euthanasia do not recognise the importance of human life and do not place value upon the wishes and desires of patients. However, this could not be further from the truth. Whilst people such as the Care Not Killing Alliance believe that human life should be preserved at any cost, emotionally, physically and financially, those who support assisted suicide feel that it is the quality and not the quantity of life that is important. In the Richard Dimbleby lecture, Sir Terry Pratchett made it very clear that these are his own sentiments stating that "he would like to die before the disease[althzeimers] takes over."
That is not to say that anybody should be able to waltz up to his doctor, request a lethal injection and expect the doctor to whip up a concoction of leathal drugs. Current pro-euthanasia campaigners believe that euthanasia, when and if it is legalised, should be carefully monitered by the state. In order to protect vulnerable patients and prevent cases of 'forced euthanasia' any-one who wishes to invoke their right to die, must appeal to the courts whilst they are of sound mind and can prove beyond all doubt that their request is reasonable.
If such measures were in place, surely we could have the best of both worlds? A world where those who wished to die with dignity could do so, without fearing their loves ones would be prosecuted for assisting them and yet a world where the vulnerable were protected? Most importantly we would have a world where great men such as Sir Terry Pratchett, men who know their own mind, could choose to die peacefully, quietly and with dignity.
After all, isn't the freedom of choice a basic human right?
www.carenotkill.com
www.dyingwithdignity.com
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