Check out my website – www.amymayshead.co.uk
August 8, 2010
It is still in its early stages but have a look! Let me know what you think.
You Bet…They Die
August 5, 2010
Greyhound racing is a popular sport amongst many…But very few people know what actually goes on behind the scenes…
I set out on an adventure to discover the truth – some of which is unbelievable shocking.
Click below for some interesting listening.
*Amy Shead investigates – You bet…they die
The quality shouldn’t be too bad but if you would like me to email a top quality version then leave a comment with your email address.
Dreams really can come true
August 5, 2010
We all dream of marrying our prince charming, getting a job that pays that six figure sum, and driving around the M25 in a Ferrari. But lets face it, the closest many of us get to that is in our dreams. Well now all of that might be able to change, with people actually ordering what they want, and it arriving on their doorstep, sometimes literally!
Click on the link below to listen to my mini feature on how to improve your life. Apparently you can even order furniture and it will arrive…
*Amy May Shead explores Cosmic Ordering
Enjoy!
Spice up your relationship!
August 5, 2010
Matthew Hussey offers some fantastic advice on how to spice up your love life on This Morning. Look out for me playing the part of the lucky girlfriend!
Click on the link below.
I shall be blogging lots more again soon – I am currently finishing off the MA – so busy busy times!
FASHIONISTABLE – wow
May 4, 2010
I randomly bumped into Dvora whilst out in Kensington. She asked if it was possible to take a photo of me and could ask a few questions so that she could put it on her blog. I of course agreed, especially as I was a fellow blogger – we all like to help each other out!
I have since been reading her blog and it really is fantastic. Dvora is one of the most creative fashion photographers that I have seen and she gets the most incredible photos for her blog not from using a green screen or a professional studio – but out on the streets of London. It really is incredible.
I definitely recommend a look at her blogspot :
http://fashionistable.blogspot.com/
Having said that, her studio photos are just as fabulous. You can check those out here:
So enjoy, and make sure you all keep looking gorgeous – Dvora could be taking your photo next!
National No Smoking Day
March 10, 2010
Every year more than a million people quite smoking on No Smoking Day.
Across Harrow, a number of drop in centers have been set up, offering those wanting to quit a chance to talk to trained professionals.
Holi Festival celebrated in London
March 6, 2010
National Eating Disorder Week
February 23, 2010
London Fashion Week took place alongside National Eating Disorder Week this year. We wanted to find out what fans of the fashion industry thought about this.
Life…?
January 24, 2010
I like to think deeply into things, as i’m sure we all do, I have heard on several occasions how people have suggested that life is merely an illusion so I let my mind wander on this idea…
The human thought process appears to be a complex one, and perhaps it is thought limitations that are preventing us from understanding who we truly all are. I have read that Hinduism relates very much to maya, which means illusion, so is there the possibility that there could be some truth to the question of whether life is just one big illusion?
What is this existence that we are living in? What is it that makes things real? Is it only when our senses experience them? The human being cannot see everything; for instance we do not see air, yet we know it is there. It then appears that it can also be feeling that makes things real. General awareness results in us understanding the ‘reality’ of things. But how real are theses things? We understand illusion to be a deception or an unexplainable, misleading perception of reality. Therefore how far can one go to confirm that the ‘life’ they are living is actually real? But then again how can it possibly be believed that the people and the general environment surrounding us are not there…
If feeling and awareness aid us in interpreting this existence then how do we all know that what we as individuals experience is ok or correct? An example would be placing one hand in hot water and one in cold. Once removed and held at room temperature, each hand senses differently.
Looking for example at vision. A colour blind person sees colours differently from what a ‘normal’ person would see. But then what is defining what is right and wrong? There is no right and wrong. Animals also see/hear/generally sense the world differently to us. If so many individual species experience things differently then there really is no correct way for each living creature to perceive its surroundings out of its often short existence. What we see in our minds is what we believe. However many people are blessed enough to create vivd and realistic images purely in their brain, with a sense of proximity and colour. Where does the ability to do this originally stem from? Perhaps it is from what has already been experienced or perhaps it all links in with the question of how much of life is actually one big illusion?
Looking even more at mindset, if there is somebody that an individual likes/or is attracted to, one will often overlook all the faults of that person. Counteracting this if somebody is not all that keen on a person then any bad things that are heard about them tend to be much more likely to be believed. Take politics for example, this continuously occurs.
Taking the blame happily…?
Following on from this and looking at ones own self. It tends to be very difficuilt for people to accept that they are in the wrong. It always seems to have to be blamed on the fault of other circumstances that made a wrong doing occur. The question is that why would anybody really want to do anything bad when they have been granted the chance to exist in whatever form this ‘life’ is. This suggests that there could well be a constant good and bad side to a human, continuously battling for control. Everybody can relate to this, as they can with the constant battle that we are all faced with for our entire lives. That is the battle of winning or loosing. Self preservation is something that comes naturally to all of us.
There are countless stories that relate to the illusion question. For example in Indian mythology which related specifically to fragments of imagination. There was one example where a prince named Duryodhan gets deceived. He saw things that were not actually there, and did not see things that were actually there; yet he had perfect eyesight.
There have also been experiments carried out, such as that by Russel Targ and Keith Harary. Their experiements showed how people could describe in some circumstances what was going to happen half an hour before it actually happened. Does this mean that we all may have the ability if we want, to project our minds to the future? I once read a book that was based around the idea of cosmic ordering, suggesting that if you think positively and tell the universe what you would like to happen then it will indeed happen. I am very much a believer of this.
Science explains to us that the entire Universe is made up of atoms, which are basically electrical sub-particles such as electrons and protons etc, which are arranged into a particular fashion. I often wonder what actually controls these atoms. If you think deeply about it, it actually all becomes quite scary. If our minds are creating the things we see, how could everybody possibly witness the same thing? Perhaps our minds are connected to a place from which these images are being projected.
Life is one big dream
What truly astonishes me is the things that I dream. I often see things in my dreams and they then come true. I have even had beloved family members who I have lost appear in dreams, and it all seemed so real – perhaps it was. Yes some things are linked into dreams that have occurred from a previous day etc, but often there appears to be no link – that is for myself anyway. What I cannot work out is how I can have a dream, and then within the next day or so that event actually happens, or even more extreme the exact same thing happens in terms of down to even the fine details. It is all a mystery, but personally I feel that is shows there is something much more to what we see as being ‘life’. Perhaps this is merely the beginning.
The dream situation also links in with the concept of ghosts and poltergeists. It tends to be a phenomenon that people are great believers of, or think it is all nonsense. The fact is that I hear of so many experiences with theses paranormal beings I honestly wonder how it could not be true that there are other spirits/life forms out there that we are either not intelligent enough to appreciate or simply have not used our brains enough to have the ability to become aware of their existence. If we are all believers then maybe this would mean that we would get a chance to continue after this life.
If you consider it further and suggest that reality is that which exists after we stop believing, would that mean that we were never actually here? If everything was purely physical there would be no way of ascertaining this. Consciousness really is not that physical when you think about it, it is very possible that consciousness could transcend both space and time, and onto eternity, with every living creature being stuck with some abstract illusion. It can be understood that both time and space are born of the moment, therefore the moment which, is where conciousness resides, transcends both space and time. So that moment is here, now and everywhere. What should also be remembered is that one of the most important aspects to life is that of love, and love is something that I imagine many would agree is one of the ultimate meanings of life, and the reason that we are placed here.
We have only just begun…a deeper existance
No matter what science suggests, there can never really be one provable reality. Being human does not mean that we have reached the be all and end all of what is is to ‘be’. An animal without language ‘exists’ even though the concept of existing is a human trait. The illusion concept that is found globally throughought our world in mystic traditions must have some element of truth – that is of course whatever ‘truth’ may actually be.
The universe is so complex and so very miraculous that we may well believe it to all be an illusion, and it could well be. This is a question that will most probably never be answered. Perhaps it is a vast super intelligence of a supercomputer that ultimately will end all supercomputers or perhaps our brains mathmatically contstruct objective reality by interpreting frequencies that are ultimately projections from another dimension – that being a deeper existence.
Pigeon clearing is costly blood sport: lobby group
November 9, 2009
Trafalgar Square
By Amy May Shead and Simone Knox
Taxpayers are funding a £60,000 campaign to scare pigeons from Trafalgar Square and a lobby group is calling for an immediate end to the “blood sport”.
Two hawks are used to chase the birds from the iconic London Square, as part the Greater London Authority’s pigeon control programme.
The Save the Trafalgar Square Pigeons lobby group said the hawks were being used to kill pigeons instead of chasing them away.
“They’re charging the London tax-payer thousands of pounds to rip up a tame flock of birds,” said spokesperson Julia Fletcher.
One of the many signs banning pigeon feeding in the Square
Pigeon numbers have fallen dramatically over the past five years, but the lobby group blames the ban on feeding pigeons for their reduction in numbers.
“Today there’s just a few hundred birds from a flock of 4,500. The hawks have not killed four thousand pigeons. They’re starving to death,” Ms Fletcher said.
“There are hardly any birds left there. The hawks are totally unnecessary.”
The scheme has also drawn criticism from London Assembly member, Gareth Bacon, who said the cost was not justifiable in the current economic climate.
A flamboyant use of public money
The GLA contributes £45,000 to the scheme, while Westminster City Council pays £15,000 towards it.
“This something that has irritated me since 2004,” Mr Bacon said.
“I thought this was a rather flamboyant use of public money, and was rather surprised to learn that the practice is continuing.”
The scheme was introduced by former mayor Ken Livingstone, in 2000. He said that he wanted to make Trafalgar Square a Cleaner and safer place for visitors.
A by-law was introduced to prevent feeding the birds, but when they continued to return to the square, two hawks were introduced to scare them away.
Despite the growing anger over the programme, London’s Mayor Boris Johnson, said he would continue to divert money to the scheme.
“The programme of control has proved successful in dispersing numbers from around 4,000 to around 120,” he said.
Trying to take a photo of what the Square is renowned for
“As a result the square is cleaner and hygienic. Further, the programme enables a significant ease on the costs of cleaning the site and conservation of statues.”
Anna Brown, from London, was visiting Trafalgar Square yesterday and she said it was the most “pigeon-free” she had seen it in years.
“It had more atmosphere with the pigeons. But it is cleaner now,” she said.
A front row seat in the living room
November 5, 2009
Most people love watching some sort of sport on the television. I imagine that most people will most certainly have done this at some point within their lives, even if they were dragged into doing so by a friend…
Watching our favourite sport on television is a compensation for the absence of the sensory experience of moving with the crowd and soaking up the live atmosphere. If you think about it ‘TV’ literally means seeing at a distance. After considering what actually constructs our sports packages that we see on screen, I have realised that more goes into it that what you might initially imagine.
The events are tailored for entertainment purposes. It clearly seeks to entertain and thrill the audience in as strong a way as possible. We see the use of split screen, bottom screen, slow motion replay, animation and much more whilst allowing our wonderful technological items to produce HD images and play out the sound from the best quality speakers.
We need to appreciate the fact that live is captivating even if it is on screen, and I personally think that it can be a more pleasant way to experience a sporting game. I have to admit that I do love to be at a live match also however…
There is also no doubt that sport has become a commodity- it touches us individually. Not only does an individual gain a great entertainment value out of it but it also aids in interpreting the world that we live in and is actually extremely informative.
Trashy television?
Watching sport on television rises above watching many other trashy television programmes. Yes we still often see a story, and a connection between the sportsperson and the viewer can be made, but this story is something so much better than many other programmes.
There is also the thrill gained that what is being watched is reality – anything really can happen, and the viewer is shown how an ‘ordinary human’ can suddenly shoot to pure stardom. Idealism also links in showing true purity, honour and Olympism in its finest.
Escapism I feel is also a key factor that comes into what we watch on sports broadcasts. A time of brilliance can raise an audiences’ spirit and this can unite people as one.
A sense of patriotism is surely one of the best feelings one can experience. National honour is one of the greatest prides and watching sport allows us to have this. In other words sport can really affect the state of the human mind – what somebody may feel about the state of their mind may tie in with what they feel about the state of their nation.
Those off the pitch are just as important
The people themselves that are involved ‘off the pitch’ in relation to our television sporting coverage is also something that is very interesting to note. During television sporting events we generally see an accompanying running commentary. These media personnel really do engage and hold the audience in an almost hypnotic way.
We also see a cosy network of ex players and current managers contributing to the broadcast, as well as the typical hero and villain types. Punditry I do feel is a great part of our sports broadcasts as these people generally tend to be well respected and have expert knowledge about the game. Proliferating media outlets have helped to feed the development of a real celebrity sporting culture. 
Much sports broadcasting generally remains a form of journalism, but it is also informed by a mix of values drawn from television entertainment conventions. Personally however I feel that over the last few years, sports broadcasting has been slightly less journalistically driven and increasingly populated the sporting stars. Football especially tends to be driven by soft opinion rather that hard analysis. It sometimes seems that they are promoting the sport rather reporting, investigating and analysing.
Sport as whole to me is fascinating. Live sport on television is turned into drama; there is tension, thrills, and a general real spectacle to be had when watching. I agree much with what Rupert Murdoch once expressed – that “sport overpowers film and everything else in the entertainment industry“
Business prospects…
November 3, 2009
After a morning spent in a team being set the task of creating a TV/Radio station idea I have realised that the idea of creating a business is actually more realistic than one may think .
To talk amongst a small group discussing, debating and analysing different business ideas and opinions actually enables some pretty inventive things to be created. This can literally be done within a matter of minutes. I was extremely pleased with the idea that we created.
Of course the depth to creating an actual business is going to be somewhat intense and have many avenues that need to be considered. However once an idea has been developed, with the right knowledge and financial support (which I admit may well be tough in this economic situation) something may well actually be able to be materialised.
My team and I are now contemplating how we will take our idea to the next level. I am not going to let onto what the idea is because you readers may think it is that good that you may steal it…
I just wanted to write a small blog expressing that if you take a basic idea i.e. a radio station and you get your creative juices flowing then you may well surprise yourself with what you come up with! Voila!
Personalities from Underground. Smiling prohibited.
November 2, 2009
I find it so very fascinating to study human behavior. If you have a natural eye for spotting these behaviors and interpreting them then it really does become addictive.
To observe an individual, or indeed a group of individuals and interpret what their reactions in a situation mean is incredibly interesting. It is amazing how you can tell so much about somebody without even holding a conversation with them.
Whilst traveling on the London Underground yesterday I was without a newspaper or an i-pod, therefore my human watching was at its peak. Observing some individuals on the train I was playing a game in my mind imagining what each of their personalities may be. Something which is quite uncanny really, as I will most probably never come across these people ever again in my lifetime. It occurred to me that the majority onboard the tube actually always look incredibly miserable. Cheer up, it might never happen.
The next thing I know, I hear the sound of a band playing inside the tube carriage. A collaboration of around five young men with a trumpet, accordion, tambourine and other instruments were playing some jovial music. I smiled immediately. It was very strange to see this on a train, but it certainly made a nice comparison from the usual dull atmosphere that the London Underground infects people with.
It made me think that perhaps musical entertainment should always be provided for passengers. Perhaps it is a remedy to make people smile. Perhaps was as far as I would get. Looking around me nobody else was smiling. Everybody was looking at the floor – trying their best to avoid any eye contact with the young gentlemen.
If the Underground musicians are good they deserve some spare change
After a song or two, the men began to walk down the train asking for any spare change. Being at the end of the carriage I was able to observe what reactions they got. Most people avoided eye contacted and continued staring at the floor. Some said a simple ‘no’. Not one person gave them a thing. Not even a penny literally.
When they reached me, I gave them a big smile, said I liked what they had done and put some change in their pot. Why should they not get a smile and some change? These men were talented, played some good songs and were asking only for a little money if people had it. I could tell immediately that they were delighted with my small gesture.
Yes some would see this as begging but the fact is they were using their initiative and had thought of a new way to make a little extra cash. It could hardly be said that they were causing a nuisance to anybody – they were actually bringing a ray of light to the carriage.
I honestly could not believe that I was the only person to give a reaction to these men. Has London caused the majority to have a personality bypass? Would it have been so much of an effort for somebody to have even spared twenty pence or even given a smile? Some people really should lighten up and think a little differently about life. How these people could not react to seeing a band all of a sudden start playing some upbeat songs on an Underground train in London on a Sunday afternoon completely baffles me. You cannot blame the recession for this.
Perhaps you may consider me to be the strange one…although I would rather be like that than conform to the lemming like society that we so often find ourselves living in.
People need to stop being so serious and enjoy life! Give somebody a smile, and you can pretty much guarantee that they will smile right back.
Fans extreme lack of knowledge about their sports clubs
October 28, 2009
When it comes to publicity it appears that people literally often do believe everything that they read. When it comes to ‘sport people’ who label themselves as so called fans to a specific sports club, some tend to show a lack of what can only be described as common sense.
They think about the club in an extreme single minded way. They moan because something doesn’t appear to be being done in the correct way. They rage when a certain member of a team does not get played. They expect everything to be done as if sport is a perfect fairy-tale film.
I truly feel that these people, if they are to call themselves fans need to take a little time out and think far deeper into what supporting a club really means.
They should consider that a sports club is something far greater than watching a game, what they read in the papers, see on the television and what is read on forums.
Somebody else could do a better job?
It also becomes clear from countless media related items that I have trawled through that the majority appear to ‘be able to do the job’ far better than anybody else that is already involved. I would love for these people to be put in such a position; I am almost certain that they would fail immediately. However, if indeed these people were thrown in at the deep end then maybe they would finally begin to understand the true depth of how difficult it must be when you are faced with making decisions within a sporting environment.
For example. if a specific player who appears to be a gift from heaven to the sport is not played for a game or indeed several games, uproar occurs amongst fans. This is often targeted immediately at the management. Surely thinking logically about this situation, there is likely to be an underlying issue. If not the player would indeed be played. Once again we see the straightforward view of supporters.
Because many of these ‘fans’ seem to stick to such a narrow view, they also appear incapable of understanding just how difficult it must be for sports clubs at present. The clubs have not been isolated from the economic climate that we are emerged within. This is surely common sense. How can people have so little world knowledge that this does not occur to them?
I truly feel that some of these people who choose to support a sports club, and whom insist on making it such a huge part of their lives need to re consider their actions. Do not get me wrong, as mentioned there are those who clearly do think about and understand things; but there are also many who fail to do so.
Millions of ladybirds invade Britain
October 23, 2009
Ladybirds clustered in between a window today
An invasion of ladybirds is sweeping across the south east today. Many being spotted are the Harlequin variety, which are a potential threat to numerous insect species.
Many people this morning would have arisen to find the exterior of their houses swarmed by the insects, large numbers of which would have been gathered in between doorways and windows; a sight that can appear slightly unsettling.
“They tend to swarm at this time of year, they are seeking a place to spend the winter” said a spokesman from the Essex Wildlife Trust today.
A real threat
The harlequin ladybird seems to be dominating this invasion. Originating from Asia, and only colonising Britain for the past four years scientists suggest that it could be threatening more than one thousand native species. Those at threat include other insects, parasites and plants. It is known as a voracious predator, even preying on the larvae of other ladybirds.
A harlequin ladybird - threatening British species
The Essex Wildlife Trust spokesman expressed his concern for the vast amounts being spotted:
“They are incredibly invasive and thought to be detrimental to native ladybirds”
This swarm is certainly quite the spectacle, something of which people should appreciate even though it does carry its deeper concerns. Observing the sky, trees and thousands of buildings being decorated with small black and red beings is extraordinary, and a rare opportunity.
Trying to find somewhere safe to stay for the winter
It could mean the beginning of the end for London Metropolitan University. £36.5 million is the current sum that is owed back to the Higher Education Funding Council for England due to incorrect student data returns.
Around 550 job losses are to be expected so the money required can be found. A spokesman for the University and College Union explained how he feels that“ staff and students are being punished for blunders up the top” and University staff member Amir Soumeeh suggested how he felt that other things should be done to reduce the number of job losses.
He hinted that he believes the senior employees are earning astronomical amounts of money, and as the issue has stemmed from the management they should take pay cuts and reduce bonuses so that more jobs can be saved.
A joint union strike between UCU and UNISON took place last week as the management of the University failed to agree to negotiate with staff trade unions and withdraw redundancy notices that were to be issued with nursery staff.
HEFCE are still set on recovering the funds that have been over paid across a five-year period. When suggested to them that it seems ironic that the government can find millions to bail out banks but not a University that enables access to higher education for some of the poorest students in the country – a spokesman replied:
‘”It would be unfair to the rest of the sector, we fund Universities on correct data”
Mental health disorders – “We laughed ourselves better”
October 20, 2009
Marian Moore
“Being over medicated does not make people better”. These were the words spoken by Marian Moore today whom has schizo-affective disorder.
She believes that the system works against curing people with mental health problems, and that having more psychological therapy is the way forward.
It was revealed how for twelve years she suffered silently, experiencing hallucinations and hearing voices – with her brain “trying to explain the inexplicable”. When the pinochle point came that she was no longer able to cope and she had to reveal what was occurring, medication was immediately prescribed with little thought of actual psychological counselling.
“Drugs can make you worse” she said, and once diagnosed and labelled with the illness her personality changed even more. A real fear was felt.
‘Mind over matter’
Marian had dropped down to five and a half stone in weight, reaching the point where her internal organs were beginning to fail. Something miraculous then happened, and Marian realised that ‘love’ had much do to with making herself better. Mind over matter seemed to be the ultimate key.
“I decided to help me for half an hour a day”-This positive psychology proved to be a success and Marian began to stabilise mentally. She explained how to be able to love anything else, you first need to love yourself and that much of what she believes occurs in the mind is down to the way you think about life.
“If I had studied philosophy I would never have got ill in the first place”
AM tells Boris disabled tube is waste of time
October 14, 2009
By Amy May Shead and Simone Knox
Green Park tube station
Installing step-free access at Green Park tube station is costing taxpayers £97 million – and a Conservative Assembly Member today condemned the scheme, saying it was “half-baked” and a waste of money.
The London Assembly Member – Gareth Bacon, said the money would be better spent improving disability transport above ground, including the troubled Dial-a-Ride. The whole project is tipped to reach £400 million, making 25% of the tube network accessible for the disabled.
“I’m not convinced that step-free access isn’t just a grand gesture with financial extravagance attached to it,” Mr Bacon told London Mayor Boris Johnson during the Mayor’s question time today.
At least £34 million has already been spent upgrading Green Park station, with another £63 million earmarked for the project. But Mr Bacon said step-free access stations across London were flawed, as wheelchair users still had difficulty getting on the trains once they were on the platforms.
“All we’re getting for that is one or two lifts that can take people down to a platform… and there’s nothing to allow users to board the trains from the platform.”
Lord Richard Dutton
Wheelchair users cannot get on board the trains
Wheelchair-bound Lord Richard Dutton carries a ramp to help him get on and off trains, but he said the majority of wheelchair users didn’t have one, so they didn’t use the tube.
“It would be impossible. Had I not had a ramp, I wouldn’t be able to get off. It’s preventing all wheelchair users. They’ve got to make the whole tube accessible,” he said.
Mr Bacon asked the Mayor to reconsider the cost of the upgrades. However, the Mayor said 24 step-free access projects had already been deferred, and denied that the whole scheme wasn’t “just a grand gesture.”
“I don’t think we should abandon the objective of people trying to use the tube because of disabilities, wheelchairs and push chairs. But you do have a point,” he said.
FOIE GRAS – THE SICKENING TRUTH
October 12, 2009
Courtesy of The Animal Protection and Rescue League
There are countless examples of cruelty beyond disbelief in this world. One which I feel is one of the most revolting, unnecessary and barbaric is that of the process involving ducks and geese in order for a so called fine delicacy to be served on the plates of high class diners – foie gras.
Shame should be cast upon anybody who supplies it, serves it in their restaurant or consumes it. Think back to the ducks going about their lives when you visit the park. They are inquisitive individuals whom have developed relationships with one another and are meticulous when it comes to looking after their nest.
In order for foie gras to be created these animals encounter a hellish experience as far away from life on the lake as possible.
Foie gras, which translates into ‘fatty liver’ can often be found at some of the finest dining experiences – that of weddings, banquets, and at top hotels. It is best known as a traditional French cuisine.
It appears that many of the consumers of foie gras are unfamiliar with how it is produced, they just ‘know’ that it is delicious – something that should be truly appreciated for its fine and unique taste. I have been fortunate enough to attended some very fine restaurants which had foie gras on their menu – luckily I had never decided to choose it.
Since then I have been led to understand the cruelty linked with the production of ‘the delicacy’. I know for a fact that I will never touch it. I also doubt whether I should even set foot in those places again. They do not deserve the support for trying to sell such a nauseating ‘food’ item.
The repulsive production procedure
Courtesy of The Animal Protection and Rescue League
The method in how foie gras is produced is certainly not for the faint hearted. The birds are squashed into tiny cages with their wings twisted together, restricted from the freedom of even being able to turn around in dark filthy sheds, existing in their own waste and with no natural light.
Every three hours they are force fed with 4lb of a corn mash mixture which swells inside them, so much so that they literally reach bursting point. This would be the equivalent of us eating around 45lb of pasta a day. This itself is absolutely repulsively inhumane, but the worst is yet to come.
In order for this unbelievable quantity of corn mush to be pumped into the animals, huge metal pipes are forced down their gullets and straight into to their stomach, during which their insides are ruptured and their beaks are cracked. Their livers increase to ten times the normal size and the animals quickly become sick.
Some experience a painful death, with corpses left among live birds whom are only waiting to continue enduring this agonising process each and every day.
This torture continues for around three months until the birds livers are so diseased and overladen with food that they are considered fatty enough to be served on somebody’s dinner table. At this point the birds are shackled without a care and their throats are cut, only waiting for their miserable lives to drain away for eternity.
Courtesy of The Animal Protection and Rescue League
Eating a diseased organ
Foie gras is actually a very painful liver disease – fatty liver disease, which should be treated by a veterinary surgeon. Instead it is cruelly and intentionally induced on foie gras farms throughout the world – type the two words into YouTube and you can see for yourself the distressing process and effects. I am sure it will convince you that any civilised and sane individual would not want to let foie gras anywhere near their knife and fork.
In addition to this, it has been said that certain surveys have suggested that eating fois gras can lead to a whole array of diseases, including that of Alzheimer’s, and why would anybody want to eat something that was riddled with ‘disease’ and of an astonishingly high calorific content anyway?
We share the planet with these creatures that provide us with food, therefore these creatures who are often at our mercy deserve our upmost respect. They still have a face, just like you or I.
When it comes to the production of foie gras, this respect is failing miserably. It is a completely unnecessary food source being created, no matter whether it is a French tradition or not. We are living in a modern day society.
The actual farming of foie gras is banned in the UK, as it is it Israel and Switzerland, but there is no law to prevent restaurants or food stores from exporting it in and selling it. Marks and Spencers, Waitrose and Harvey Nichols no longer place it on their shelves, but there are many more food halls such as that of Harrods which still sell it.
Courtesy of The Animal Protection and Rescue League
Hopefully in the near future this barbaric delicacy will have become extinct. People need to be made aware of the shocking truth, and when they are I am sure that opinions will change and fois gras will be successfully banned throughout the world.
To read more about this cruel procedure and to support the campaign visit – www.banfoiegras.com
QPR: NEW SPONSORSHIP DEAL IMMINENT IN WAKE OF BRIATORE VERDICT
October 12, 2009
By Amy May Shead, Nathan Rowden, Stefanie Linhardt
Queens Park Rangers Football club is believed to be on the verge of securing a new sponsorship deal according to a QPR-Spokesman.
The new deal is likely to go through within the next two days, which could secure some much needed finance for the West London Club with the uncertainty over Flavio Briatore’s future as major stakeholder.
Although the spokesman could not officially comment on the Briatore case, of which a verdict will be announced on Thursday, he did hint that if Briatore was to exit, then the other sponsorship deals could possibly be in jeopardy.
Sponsors including Lotto, Santander, Gulf Air and ChronoTech Watches could possibly withdraw funds.
New Sponsor ‘TOYO’
Our informant would not name the new sponsor, however a new company boarding is already present in Loftus Road Stadium and has been for the last two matches – remarkably unnoticed. After a brief tour of the stadium and eliminating the established sponsors, a Japanese based company called TOYO appears to be the only obvious candidate indicated.
The spokesman claimed that any result of the Briatore case would not affect the potential sponsorship from the new sponsor and therefore the investment could prove vital to the continuance of QPR in the immediate and foreseeable future.
It has also been rumoured that current shareholder, and UK’s richest man, steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal will purchase the remainder of Briatore’s shares. When asked of this, the spokesman answered “Yes, that is one of the rumours”. Even with the potential Mittal-buyout the new sponsorship will secure some extra-income and put the fans minds at rest.
CHURCH turns out hundreds in a drunken state and wearing fancy dress
October 11, 2009
Some 'Church' goers
I was exceptionally pleased with myself after being accepted into one of the top casting agencies in London today. To take a nice easy stroll along the London streets on a Sunday afternoon when you are pleased with yourself always seems to be a little different and more enjoyable than doing so in the week days when there is the never ending rush of people whose lives are so crammed with business that they have not a second to spare. There is no such thing as an easy stroll to be had – you are dragged in with the frantic flow. I was thoroughly enjoying my Sunday stroll in Kentish Town when I was all of a sudden confronted with what seemed like thousands of people dressed in outfits which ranged from togas to toads. You name it, the outfit was there.
In shock I immediately stopped and observed, only to notice how it seemed that these people were in no sober state – staggering, giggling, and sitting down with eyes appearing heavy. I was beginning to question my own sanity – was I really seeing this extraordinary sight before me at 16.00h on a Sunday? I couldn’t resist, I had to to do some further investigations.
30 years of Sunday Church drunkenness
I pounced on a few passer byes who could only manage to tell me that they had “just been to Church” before they carried on their journey in a wobbly line along the pavement. This confused me even more and after much persistence I eventually began to make sense of the situation. I came across some individuals who were slightly more coherent than the majority which is where I was told that ‘Church‘ is actually a club of which you attend at mid-day on a Sunday, and that it has been a success for thirty years. People ‘religiously’ as it were turn up early on a Sunday morning to continue with their weekend drinking antics. Sunday really is no longer a day of rest.
I am sure than this club must create some considerable controversy, is it mocking the people that attend a religious establishment on a weekly basis to worship their God, and is it encouraging the much spoken about subject of binge drinking? There are many questions that arise, of which I do not have the time to go in to at this present time. What I will point out however is that from my observations, everybody although drunk appeared to be in a rather relaxed state and there was no evidence of Loutish behavior.
It was as though although these individuals were under the influence of alcohol they had more respect for the streets that they were walking down and the people that they were passing than what they would do at two o’clock in the morning.
The affect on the locals
I decided to head into a pub within close proximity to the club to gain an opinion from some of the locals. I assumed that there must be some negative feelings regarding ‘Church’ floating around Kentish Town when hundreds of people dressed in outrageous costumes take over the streets each and every Sunday without fail. It came as quite the surprise to me to discover that the staff and locals were quite content with the situation. It was explained to me how ‘Church’ hire bouncers to protect the surrounding area before, during and after the clubbing hours to ensure that there is no wrong doing and that nobody is allowed in the pubs after 16.00h who have been to the venue.
“The bouncers line the streets and pub entrances, specifically encouraging the club goers to make their way onto the buses and tubes as quickly as possible” explained a bar attendant. The arrangement seemed too good to be true, and to my disbelief – it actually seemed to work; I would estimate that within just under an hour ninety percent of the crowds had disappeared.
‘Church’ certainly sounds quite the unique experience and something that I may consider trying so that I can attempt to understand the reasons for its immense success. It appears that the phrase ‘anything goes’ is the penultimate saying for Kentish Town, but then so it should be – it is one of the most fashion crazed locations in London. Perhaps I can supply a far more detailed and interesting insight into this unusual Sunday clubbing addiction sometime within the near future. For now I have decided to keep my opinions to a minimum. I shall keep you posted.
Radio – A blind medium? I think not.
October 11, 2009
I have been getting increasingly frustrated with hearing assumptions and negative comments spoken about on the subject of radio.
It is not boring, it has not had its day and it certainly is not ‘undoubtedly better’ than television. The opinions that I hear on radio itself seem to come from that of little consideration about what the medium actually is.
It seems to be a somewhat stereotyped opinion from those who clearly lack any substantial knowledge about the media world that we are embedded in. What I cannot seem to understand is how so many seem oblivious to the fact that radio has the gift to affect an audience in such a way that no other media form can, especially when it comes the the genre of radio drama; which clearly is one of the most unappreciated literary forms of the last twenty five years.
CSR FM
Compared with that of television, one would assume that due to the obvious fact that radio lacks visual stimulus there is no way that it can be as ‘compelling’ and varied as what is broadcast on the television.With a never ending source of images that seek to shock, influence, entertain and teach constantly on our screens, to think that radio could do exactly the same is sure to be seen as plain stupidity by the majority.
My opinion however is quite the opposite. Radio offers a very different theatrical effect, an effect which I feel is one of the most interesting, as well as being one of the most influential. It most assuredly is not a blind medium.
Seeing with the eye… and seeing with the ear…
Thinking philosophically, what difference is there between seeing with the eye and seeing with the ear? Blind people can still see, they still have the ability to imagine what is going on around them, and create their own visual sense as it were. Other human senses allow them to interpret their surroundings. Sight is a minute part of the human experience.
Feeling and emotion are surely as important to true life fulfillment; without them what would we as human beings be?
This is where my theory comes in to play – radio (especially radio drama) has the ultimate ability to delve deeply into human feelings and emotions, so much more so than television or film. The entire imaginative spectacle can be influenced – there are no limitations; by which I am suggesting that taste, sound, smell and visual can all be created just from hearing even a simple sound.
What is so fantastic about radio is that because we are only using our ears to consume the source, each individuals interpretation will differ in a variety of ways.
The sound that we as an audience hear from our speakers is entering into the subliminal mind of the human being, creating an almost dream like experience, a visual show ground that goes on for eternity.
Therefore when considered further it would make sense to say that radio encourages us to have far more active involvement with the source being listened to deep within our ever so complicated minds, especially when comparing it to that of television, where an often passive trance appears to take over the viewer.
Experimenting on the airwaves
Sound experimenting
I do not want to bore you with lists of sounds that are used within radio and the ones that I particularly feel from experience have an incredible dramatic effect, especially again in the case of radio drama, but I do want to stress that the list really is never ending.
There is always the opportunity to experiment with sound to create a new emotional adventure.
All sounds that we hear have a hue, they have a spectrum of nature just as fine art does, therefore each individual encounters something that no other person will. How fantastic is that? We are allowed to let our minds run wild and create as insane or normal vision as we wish. We see no barrier as is experienced when watching a screen.
So there we have it, radio is extraordinarily far from being a blind medium. Instead of waking up in the morning and glueing your eyes to GMTV or BBC Breakfast, try switching to a radio station and think about what you have read in this blog – you may be surprised. Your imagination may even thank you for it.
Welcome to the world of Amy May
October 11, 2009
Amy Shead
To be told by one of my Masters Degree Lecturers just a few hours ago that I had to create my own blog and begin blogging daily came as quite the surprise to me; the thought of this is something that I probably would never have considered doing seriously in the past. However, I have been carefully analysing the blogging craze that appears to have stormed the world and I imagine that it may well be quite addictive, in fact – very addictive.
So today is the day where an addiction shall inaugurate. Suddenly the innumerable things of which I frequently think such as “I wish I could rant about this” or “I want to express my opinion because it is superior to yours” are shooting back into my mind. In fact I am fairly tempted to sit up all night and type an explosion of opinions, words, thoughts and visions that have developed in my mind over I have no idea how much time. Finally here it is – my own space. A space for my stories. Wonderful. Lets get started.
Although firstly however, just a little more about me – Amy May Shead (Surely you want to know a little about who is writing this blog?).
Amy May Shead
I was born in Rochford, Essex in 1987, and before you say it, yes I do get so called ‘stick’ from certain individuals for my place of birth. I can assure you however that although I may be a blonde and fun loving lady, I have brains and a serious academic side also; recently leaving University with a First Class Honours Degree, and at present completing my Masters Degree in Broadcast Journalism. I can also categorically say that I have never worn a pair of white stilettos. I do however enjoy dressing as a wild child, with my huge lioness-like blonde hair and my favorite leopard print fashion numbers, sometimes there really is nothing better. It is delightful to bring out the true wild side within yourself once in a while, as it is to dress as a Pirate – I like to say I have a somewhat ‘creative flair’.
Some of the many things I have done over the past 22 years
Throughout my life I have always been involved in anything and everything ranging from acting, singing, sport, traveling, through to playing a mammoth amount of musical instruments, of which I was privileged to gain many achievements from. Of recent I have been involved with a BBC Saturday morning radio show, as well as taking part in many other media related experiences, hence my choice of Masters Degree.
I am also a great animal lover, having owned dozens of pets from a friendly parrot named ‘Casper’, tortoises who are older than my nan, to a giant dog who is still my ‘little princess’. As well as this I try to volunteer abroad when it is possible to help to save creatures in need, whilst always finding time to devote to the most important people in my life as well as to general havoc causing.
Dressing as a wolf
As you can see I generally love everything about life itself, and why shouldn’t I? You only live once, so make the most of it. Live each day as your last. I could go into so much more detail about my past twenty one years on this earth, but I shall refrain from telling you all the details, I want to commence with my blogging; write about new, exhilarating, and extraordinary subjects. I may even establish an Amy May Shead blogging empire. We shall see. Enjoy
Amy May Shead 