I have rather enjoyed this week. It has been an immensely contradicting one compared to the last. No bad news, no hostile environments & more importantly I am unashamedly happy in being utter complacent with myself. I hope you are all sharing & bathing in my proverbial bath of prosperity!
I have very much enjoyed getting gripped to the new series of Celebrity Big Brother this week. Not for all of course and is a primary example of “Marmite” TV. Originally branded as a Platform to observe a group of people in a house under “psychological conditions” it may just have lost that connotation these days and purely being filled with a bunch of none entities who are just wanting to top off their bank balance. That being said I find the show hugely entertaining & something to eat a bar of chocolate to! Can’t really say much for the contestants other than The Speaker’s wife Sally Bercow is my favourite to win & the Notorious Darryn Lyons (known as MR Paparazzi) is in the surroundings with the most abnormal body I have ever seen (it must be seen to be believed) if you find yourself struggling to fill an hour this week I urge you to give the show a watch, despite the shows unfavourable reputation I myself may enter at some stage... of course if I was either a Z-List celebrity or I had lost all my pride altogether. The latter seems to apply to me more than ever recently... maybe I’m not that far off from entering after all.
Dieting makes us “Live Longer” Say Experts... get me a Panini!
Recent Research apparently confirms that exercising for 15 minutes per day and a consistent diet could make us all live for an extra three years. There seems to be a new piece of research each week that claims there is ways to avoid the likes of cancer & strokes & also things we can do in order to extend our lives to possibly live in access of a hundred years of age.
I for one don’t rate any of these so called “experts” that reveal these so called plans and preventions. The reality is, we all have to die of something and if in my case it is due to eating too many fried cheese, ham & pineapple panini’s then I can assure you I shall die a happy person. I can’t abide these people that have nothing better to do other than getting dressed in the most unflattering of Tracksuits, hit the gym for hours on end only to end up hot,sweaty and their heart beating at an uncomfortable rate... meaning that they are in a worse state to when they went in. Maybe I am utter jealous of those who prance around the high street with their tight fitting clothes completely unscathed that if the heat gets too much they are comfortable enough to remove some of their garments. The only thing I shall add to that is, those who have the ability & confidence to do that are usually the most arrogant individuals of the lot! The celebrities are no different... the reason that some of them have these “bodies of a Greek god” is by the help of a personal trainer. I can safely say that if I had the finances to PAY for one then I would also have the desired body, in-fact if we all could afford a personal trainer there wouldn’t be obesity levels in England to what they are at the moment. Forget all the hard work of pushing and pulling numerous pieces of gym equipment... I for one am not fat or obese, if I was then I would do something about it but as I’m not then I’m quite happy to eat one bar of chocolate after another. I managed to avoid EVERY Physical Education lesson at school & quite honesty I see that as an achievement rather than that of a regret, people in the fitness world just seem completely obnoxious & I for one have better things to do than monitor my food intake the thought of just being treated to a protein shake is making the chocolate moose in the fridge seeming ever more appealing. I certainly do not desire living an extra 3 years if it means having to put all these precautionary measures in place. I would rather cut three years of my life and just enjoy it. Along with the food. I certainly don’t see myself getting a Gym membership just yet!
A-Level Results at continued high. University places at all time low.
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| Student's Celebrating |
This week saw thousands of students across Britain being given their future fate on a standard piece of A4 paper. I find it completely amazing that effectively these A-level results not only dictate the next step either on the educational ladder or your life but can also either make or break a career, dream or ambition. I myself managed to escape the dreaded brown envelope as the college course I opted to take was worth A-Levels as the work went on and dependant on if I passed it. I myself found out a couple of months back that I had more or less passed the course with flying colours and so couldn't really ask for much more.
It was very nice to see students being depicted and portrayed in a positive way in the Media this week. Seeing students from across the country in snapshots of sheer delight as they got the results they so badly needed & seeing groups of friends in hugs of celebration & positivity was a complete transition to what we usually see and of course from the Repugnant behaviour by some of whom were involved in the rioting a couple of weeks ago.
I cannot stop thinking however that the celebration for these students stops now. The reality is University places have been more sought after than ever before & the chances of getting into one have been extremely narrow when compared to previous years. I have stated before that I myself declined University offers even though I had the apparent potential to go and study at one, quite simply because in my eyes the fact of having a degree has just lost all value. At one time if you had a degree you were looked at as an extremely talented individual with the world your oyster to use a cliche. Now however I just feel that not having a degree is the more valued option to show employees that you have managed to achieve such and such completely off your own back. I do not see the point of getting yourself into thousands of pounds worth of debt then not getting a job afterwards. Yes, I realise that you do not pay off the debt straight away but quite frankly either way you look at it it is a debt at the feeble age of let’s say 21. That is something I do not wish to be apart of. I value degrees to those who tackle English Language, Mathematical & Medical based courses, but those such as Media, Dance & Photography in my opinion is a complete waste of University resources. I say that and I myself did an advanced type of Media course myself at College but I certainly do not see the benefit of choosing a Media course at University because I am a realist and the reality is jobs in my field of interest are near impossible to get, so why would I get my hopes up and donate my life to the subject for 3 years when I get nothing in return other than a piece of paper and a rather swanky hat and gown at the end? Photography? why do an actual DEGREE in that? the basics are “Look into screen, steady hand and press the shutter button” then unbelievably you have a photograph... I mean for goodness sake is it any wonder these Universities are struggling?
The whole process of applying is farcical and I would actually describe Universities in most cases as a “farce” yes... I can see why there is a major panic in getting a place this year as of course this time next year those students will face an average £9000 increase in University fees. Something of which for most families financially is just something they cannot backup.
A-Level results are at a continued high this year and they have been for the last 12 or so years. The sceptics may say that the courses are getting easier but I can assure you I worked my proverbial backside off in my college course in order to come through it with a “Distinction” and for what? it may not be a degree but it is the same premise of a piece of paper. I haven’t been given a career on a plate quite simply because I have passed a 2 year course. What I can say though is that if/when I do become famous in my desired field then I shall be very much grateful in knowing that I have achieved it all on my own, without help. It is a competitive industry but without doubt I myself shall continue to strive just as you have to do whether you have a degree or not... what’s the difference?
High street in ruin... even in Wigan!
My Grandad told me that he went to Wigan this week... he hadn’t been for a while and his favourite place is The Galleries shopping centre due to a charming little Book Shop located inside it. He has been going there for many years as he does like a good read and certain types of books based on Military and War Aircraft.
To his disappointment however when he got to the shop a notice was placed in the window stating that the store has closed down a matter of weeks ago and there was a message from the staff thanking all their regular customers for their many years of valued custom. My Grandad was so disappointed that he felt like getting back on the bus home straight away. Claiming that there was no other stores which took his interest. He did however go into HMV but due to being disgusted with the average price of £15 they were charging for a Classical CD, he soon walked out again.
I don’t think I have ever seen the High Street in as much of a state that it is at the moment. Each and every high street looks exactly the same as the last with no charm, no individuality & constant advertising that there is “50% off% or a “Closing Down Sale” There is only so many pound shops I can stand and the reality is these days the likes of Pound World & Oxfam are cluttering up our high streets. I do not have a problem with charity shops by any means, here in Atherton of course we have two of them, which are very respectable & well stocked. The fact is though the High Street these days is just somewhere we all try to avoid rather than wanting to go there. Even when I was a child I used to adore going to my Grandma’s every Saturday as she took me to either Bolton or Leigh town centre and we used to spend a full day there looking around the town, popping into a nice cafe, I used to go into The Early Learning Centre (ahhh the memories!) but now the likes of Bolton Town Centre especially has just turned into a place which is calling out for a revamp and regeneration project. Independent businesses in towns such as Wigan are more or less none existent, instead we have the tacky shop fronts and branches of the likes of Wilkinson’s and Cash Generator. Everything these days just seems to be cheap tat and tacky to boot.
I put down all this to Internet shopping. I can quite happily spend around £30 on Amazon or Ebay and get myself a selection of DVD’S or CD’S and specifically I can even get myself a CD from Amazon for the price of just a few pence. My Grandad will no longer pay HMV prices when he knows that he can provide me the title of a CD or Book and that online I can get it three quarters cheaper that what he would have been paying for it in the likes of HMV & Waterstones. For that reason is it any wonder the high street is in the state is in? we may have ourselves to blame for choosing to buy online but do these big retailers really expect, especially in these hard financial times to buy from them when the prices are completely extortionate and unjustified.
The only enjoyable experiences shopping wise I have away from the Internet is from the high end places in Manchester City Centre, The Trafford Centre & the obscure places such as Bents Garden Centre. Anything else I want is just a few clicks away on the Internet... so convenient, pleasing and pleasurable. Come on, admit it... MUCH more pleasurable than suffering excruciating back pain by carrying bags through the Town Centres!
If you would like to comment on any of my covered topics then please do so below: Or if you have any stories you would like to share with the rest of Atherton then please email me at:
matt.howarth@athertononline.co.uk & I may post them next week! See my new Column every Wednesday here at Atherton Online!
This week on my Website I give my thoughts on the increasing popularity that is Reality TV and just why shows of its genre are dominating the TV listings. I also SLAM the return of ITV’S X Factor, give my more detailed thoughts on the return of Celebrity Big Brother & Gavin Henson is “The Bachelor” for Channel 5... but does this programme give his reputation and credibility as a rugby player much justice? I review the show. [HERE]
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