Was it wight for the BBC to Suspend Wossy??

I don't think there is anyone in Britain who is unaware of the problems Jonathon Ross and Russell Brand have caused the BBC over the last two weeks.

All over Brand doing what he does best, shagging.

But have the BBC acted appropriately? and who is really to blame?

I would argue that you can expect nothing less from Russell Brand, he is notoriously innappropriate and that is what people like about him. He draws big crowds with his rudness and crudness and that is why the Beeb hired him. He did not act out of character in any way.

I think he was right to resign. He has recognised that the public feel he went too far and apologised, but would rather take himself out of the situation entirely than restrict himself in future. At least he's standing up for what he believes-even if it is vulgar to the majority.

Ross

It is Ross the public are most disappointed with. He is a family man, a prime time entertainer and a very talented reporter/prestenter-which is certainly highlighted by his £6 millon a year. He is not the sort of person the public would expect to phone up an old man and yell "he fucked your granddaughter" down the phone and then proceed to make comments about sexually assulting the man.

He had a serious brain freeze.

The Beeb were right to suspend him. They could hardly sack him, as they'd be losing one of their most popular shows and he'd only go straight to Sky or Channel 4 and get even more money, but he needed to be punished.

By Jonathon's quitting of presenting the ITV television awards in December, it seems he agrees that he should be punished for his part in this diobolical lack of judgement.

BUT

Surely, it's really the BBC's fault? They ALLOWED the program to be aired. Sure Radio 2's director has resigned, but what about the program producers and editors?? Do they not feel partly to blame?? 

If you listen to the show, it sounds as though Ross and Brand realised they made a mistake- in my opinion they probably thought this segment would be edited out. I do not condole the hurt they may have caused Sachs, but if it had not been aired-I'm sure he would have been far less angy.

Why didn't the BBC producers realise this was innappropriate to broadcast?? 

You've gota go a long long way to find a better biscuit.

Woohoo! McVities have announced they are cutting the amount of saturated fat in their leading brand biscuits by half.

Hobnobs, Rich Tea, and Digestives will soon be much healthier!

I guess this means I can eat twice as many!

Skanky band t-shirts-height of cool?? We'll see Katie Perry in one next.

So today I was reading G2 like i always do on a Monday, when I stumbled across the fashion 'dilemmas'.

"I've recently noticed a lot of young women wearing T-shirts for bands that broke up years before they were born. What's that about?" Malcom Store.

And Hadley gives the answer that basically wearing manky "skanky band t shirts" are cool. Not only that  but "it doesn't matter what band-any will do".

Granted Hadley says all this somewhat tongue in cheek, so please don't think I'm laughing at her, (I actually really enjoy her quirky style)

But this whole thing brings me to my point-the things people will do to look cool.

"Coolness"

Kate Moss is seen wearing a "skanky band t shirt" (she is particularly fond of THE CLASH), so everybody else goes mad over them....eugh (my friend Stuart donned a primal scream t today hehe-clearly he models himself on Moss)

MP's (notably Mandy and Osbourne) aspire to a lifestyle greater than they can afford hence cavorting around with oligarchs and getting themselves in sticky situations.

Idiots like Katie Perry. She is stupid enough to think posing with a knife will make her more popular, 'cooler' and help her appeal to a younger generation. After this backfires she then has the disgusting cheek to pull the same pose, but with a spoon. She is ridiculing all those people who have lost their lives to knife crime and basically saying "f*$% you" to everyone who criticised her for her insensitivity.

Be yourself

Nowadays, everyone wants to be cool and like someone else, what exactly is wrong with being yourself?

If you want to wear a skanky band t shirt do so-don't let me stop you.....

In fact i might go out in a Pussycatdolls t shirt this week! 

Strictly Racist?? Concerns over BBC's top show.

After last weeks dance off Olympic hero John Regis and News of the World has declared Strictly Come Dancing a racist show. Please.

Last week Don Warrington, and Heather Small were in the bottom two and faced a dance off. They are both Black. Does this seriously constitute as racist??

Don Warrington, was an awful dancer. Fact. This actually really annoyed me, not because I hold any sentiments for him, (I don't actually even know who he is) but because I love Lillia. 

In my opinion, she is by far the best dancer/choreographer on the show. The judges clearly agree with me too, every other word is about her wonderful, imaginative choreography.

She also has a gorgeous figure and does not look half starved like some of the other professionals on the show.

But her skill does not change the fact that Don could not dance- the judges only gave them 23 points.

Granted it was not the lowest score given that evening, but it was hardly a good one.

And yes there were white contestants that had lower scores that were saved  by the public vote, but honestly, who WOULDN'T vote for John Sergeant?

Furthermore, if the show is so racist, then how did Alesha Dixon win last year??

It's not just talent

The show is about dancing talent, but it is also about appeal and likability. The stars need to capture the audiences hearts and if you're a B Lister with limited interpersonal skills it's likely that you'll be booted off quickly.

It is just as Erin Boag says 

"John Sergeant was the under dog. Andrew is in GMTV, Mark Foster-he got his chest out. It just happened to be Heather and Don in the bottom".

That's exactly it. It just happened.

Strictly is a show where you vote for people to stay IN. Not too boot them out in a racist frenzy.

Strictly Common Sense please people.

BBC news reports headteachers' going to Arizona-AFTER they've come back!

HA.

If the BBC had read my blog two weeks ago they would have known about this before the teachers had gone! There's no point in making a fuss about it now.

That's really all there is to be said on the matter.

Although... my mum had an excellent time, lots of bargain shopping was done. Hehe.

BBC article

Sarah Palin, Rainbow High

Eyes, hair, mouth, figure, dress, voice, style MONEY

It costs nearly 100 grand a month to look like Sarah Palin. No wonder she looks good.

 In September the Republicans spent £92,000 on her image.

This included 

• £46,186 in a single trip to a department store in Minneapolis
  
• £30,397 in boutiques in NYC ans St Louis, Missouri
• £2,900 on hair and makeup 
• £3,000 on her husband
• £181 on her six month old son Trig!!

Her trade mark glasses cost $375, and I'm sure she'll have more than one pair.

It's alright for some eh.

Palin has never been photographed wearing the same outfit twice, similar granted, but never the same.

It really makes you feel sorry for all those desperate American house wives that are trying to emulate her look.

Republicans

It's nice to know the American political parties have so much money to waste, I'm all for looking good, but i think even Victoria Beckham draws the line at 100k a month.

rotten rotherham-at least thats what we now all think

Jamie Oliver's new Ministry of Food campaign has thrust Rotherham right into the for front of the publice eye. 

For being possibly the crappest town in Britian.

Understandably the residents are not too thrilled.Debbie Johnson, who works in the Thornton's in the high street says the program

"made us all look stupid. It even made me ashamed of being from Rotherham"

I'm not surprised. Not when the poster girl for the town is a women who DOESN'T know what boiling water looks like! Honestly.

But not only are the people being publicly humiliated- they are also being fleesed by the program.

£££ for Jamie

In good old Jamie fashion, there's big money involved. The city council and the Rotherham NHS have agreed to spend £100,000 keeping the cooking centre open for a year.

Tony Mannion, a Conservative councillor said "I am absolutely astounded that we are subsidising Jamie Oliver and Channel 4 to make programs"

Well we already know Jamie's biggest cause is his own.

The food police: who stole the tarts?

In our current financial climate you will probably just as surprised as I am to discover our Police budget is being wasted on catching......wait for it......desert thieves!!!!

Yes. Desert thieves.....but not any desert thieves.....POLISH desert thieves.

You've gotta be kidding :S

This year we are predicted to extradite over 1000 'criminals'. More than 4 times the amount in 2006.

Over 40% of the cases originate from Poland.

The problem is the polish do not have a crime filtering process, which means that every case no matter how trivial has to be tried.

Polish Criminals 

So far this year British Police have arrested a Door thief, (who stole his own doors), a Desert snatcher, and a Piglet rustler. Seriously!

When our Police find these people they have to be shipped off back to Poland.

According to DS Gary Flood "We now arrange for a Polish military flight every three weeks".

Surely this has got to be costing? Time and Money??

I think the Polish are having a laugh at our expense, literally.

Jamie's fowl dinners really are fowl

Jamie Oliver, the spokesman for free range organic chickens uses battery eggs in his ready made sauces.

He is the Patron of the friggin' Battery Hen Wellfare Trust!

I guess that at the end of the day things really do come down to money.

In January this year, Jamie needed a new angle to keep up his t.v status (and wage packet), so he denounced battery chickens along with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and Gordon Ramsey.

Camp Jamie also needed to keep profit up on his ready made sauces, so in the battery eggs go. Good plan, shame someone noticed.

Not the First Time

This isn't the first time we've seen Jamie's conflicting views on chickens, one of his restaurant's emerged to be serving eggs from battery hens earlier in the year.

Apparently Jamie was unaware of both of there incidents, and a new recipe for his green pesto sauce (made without the help of battery hens) will be on sale from January.

But the Green Pesto sauce already in the shops will stay there, they've got to keep making a profit after all.

Grandma Glamour- men want sex appeal, not knitting.

Prince Will is meant to be in a very very very serious replationship with Kate Middleton.

She's said to be at the height of cultured fashion, although in my opinino, frumpy and drab. She's not ugly, but there is something of a Katie Holmes/granny vibe about her-which is just not the right image for a young girl.

Aparrently I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Last night Wills, Harry and Chelsey (note no kate) when out on a very expensive night on the town, Kate was probably tucked up in bed with a warm glass of milk. They were having a great time, a few drinks, a few jokes....

Enter Paris Hilton. (and Christina)

Will cannot take his eyes off her. The blonde glamourous slightly slutty looking girl who is a million miles away from his dowdy girlfriend.

According to sources after inviting them to share his table, Will repeated comments on how beautiful she is, repeatedly.

I think this says it all really. No guy, not even the heir to the throne really fantasises about their grandma.

You can only be young once after all. Make the most of it. 

What's the problem with Playboy? Feminism-or just holding us back?

I have always considered myself a feminist.

Ever ready for a bit of man bashing and constantly on the brink of declaring myself a lesbian and off men for life.

I also fully believe that women are the superior sex. Lets face it we give birth, look after the children, cook dinner, wash clothes AND have careers on top of that.

Even university, which was once a male dominated area of education now has more women studying than men! 

HOWEVER

I am not one of those women who believes it is demeaning of a girl to wear a short skirt bat her eyelashes to get what she wants. Despite our superiority it is unfortunately a male dominated world and us women have to do whatever it takes to succeed.

Eva Peron did  NOT  get to be the most powerful woman in Argentina through her math and science ability.....well perhaps biology :P

Anyway, it really annoyed me when reading in the Guardian today how Joan Smith was criticising playboy bunnies, and girls who aspired to look like them. 

What exactly is wrong with good grooming and personal hygiene?

Sexual Appeal

Smith seemed to think that dressing up and making the best of yourself as a woman meant only appealing to a man's sexual nature and that it was not appropriate to get recognition for ones looks. Hello- what about self value? Looking good makes everyone feel better, just look at programs like 10 years younger!

Smith thinks it should all be about intelligence and brains.

 In an ideal world, perhaps she's right, brains should come first. But men will always see women as objects before anything else.

 Any smart woman should know that.

 If you want to be  remembered and respected you have to have sexual appeal to get male attention. Otherwise you are just an anal bitch, with aspirations that will never be realised.

And if you're a really intelligent girl, you'll let the man think he's cleverer than you, that way he'll always do whatever you want.

42 day Terror

Today the Lords are to give a decision as to whether to pass the law allowing Police to detain terror suspects for up to 42 days. It is widely suspected that they will throw the law out as many people take the view that it infringes on our human rights.

Personally, I am all for the passing of this law -I mean at the end of the day we deserve to live in a safe world and the only way to deter terrorists from carrying out attacks is to come down hard on them. 

(If i had my way we would also bring back the death sentence, but thats another story entirely.)

Also the police would have to have a good reason to believe an individual was connected to terrorist activity in order to arrest them in the first place-I'm pretty much convinced that no normal law abiding citizen without connections to terrorists would be suspected of criminal activity

So basically most of us are pretty safe. 

Indeed a YouGov Survey has found the 69 % of the British public are in favour of the prolonged period of detainment.

If Brown fails to get this through the Lords, it is going to show that people still do not have faith in him, he could still push the law through of course, but we are supposed to live in a democracy so it would really have to be a last result.

Here comes bridezilla

The perk of being a bride is to be the best dressed, most beautiful woman in the world for a day.

Without a doubt, the wedding dress is THE most important aspect of the wedding-definitely more important than being permanently attached to the man of your dreams-soon to be nightmares. 

And this is reflected by the tens of thousands of pounds women spend on 'the perfect dress', every woman wants an original, a designer label and something that will look fabulous on them, and only them.

But with the current financial climate, it seems women are cutting back on everything non essential, and sadly this seems to include dresses.

Marks and Spencers is currently selling a wedding dress for £15! Surely there's at least one 0 missing off that number, but no! £15!!! Apparently it is in an effort to clear out old stock (it has been marked down from its original £150) to try and get rid of it. This says a lot for the dress in question really doesn't it?

Indeed Natalie Theo of the Daily Mail said "the dress was not exactly oozing with style" and that the quality was debatable.

It also says even more about the budgets of the women flocking to buy this dress, according to Marks it sold out quickly and they had to replenish the stock!

The credit crunch really is a sad time for everyone, no bride really wants to get married in (shudder) off the rack.

Branded like cattle: Vicar facing possible disciplinary action

Rev Ray Mullen a parish priest in the City of London is facing disciplinary action after suggesting in his blog that gay men should have 

"sodomy can seriously damage you health"

tattooed on they buttocks.

He then went further to say that on their chins should be written the words

"fellatio kills"

Despite there being many closet (and some not so closet) gays in the church, there are many members of the religious community that still display overt homophobic tendencies. 

I know that the bible condemns same sex relationships, but it also stresses tolerance and treating everyone as equals.

If this vicar feels it is right to label gays, surely he could not appose to having bigot branded on his forehead. After all-that way everyone is being treated the same.

Mullen has however been quick to say that he was only 'joking' with his comments.   Press Association

Degree or not degree: Is university worth it financially?

People enter in to higher education for all sorts of reasons, many of which want to gain a high paying job at the end of the three years. This is the common conception of the out come of a university degree, indeed if this was not the case would so many people really spend all those thousands of pounds on it?

Today I read in the Guardian that a third of students who have started university since 1998 have not yet started repaying their loans.

This means that 10 years after finishing their degrees, many graduates are still earning LESS than 15k!

How is this possible?

Are modern graduates settling for menial, minimum wage jobs because they simply cannot be bother to fulfill their potential? Granted a small minority probably are-but the real problem is that today no company will give the graduate a chance in the real world.

Nowadays degrees are 'two a penny', and with so many being deemed 'mickey mouse' courses it's no surprise that they do not seem to be worth the paper that they are written on.

Employers would rather have someone who started at the bottom and knows the business rather than a novice with no other skills than being able to down a pint in two seconds! Students are also socially more immature than their peers who have been in full time work for three years.

Companies just don't have time for graduates. It does not make financial sense to hire them-they still have to be trained but unlike people without a degree they also expect a decent wage to do the training!

I'm not damning a good education, far from it. I 100% believe that being well educated is one of the most important attributes a person can have, yet from a financial perspective perhaps people who do not necessarily need to go to university should consider an apprenticeship or internship, before getting saddled with a loan they have no means of repaying and a long hard slog to get the wage they deserve.

And on another note, perhaps in our current economic climate the Government should think twice about getting more people into university and encouraging debts, especially those that can never, with all the will in the world, get paid off.

OJ Simpson: what goes around comes around

In a bizarre twist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._Simpson"> OJ Simpson was sentenced to life 13 years to the day from when he was acquitted of murdering his ex wife http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Brown_Simpson"> Nicole Brown her friend Ron Goldman. Justice was finally served.

Hollywood couldn't write this kind of material.

This whole man's life has been one long movie script-from his impoverished background to a stunning football career-his marriage to a blonde bomb shell-his violent and jealous temper-the 'twin murders'- the 'get out of jail free' racial card-his ridiculous attempts at regaining his career and popularity-to armed robbery and kidnapping finally resulting in the sentence he should have served long ago.

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.

If I did it

A lot of people would think Simpson had this coming. Despite being found innocent on both accounts of murder, there was A LOT of evidence to suggest that he did it. This was exemplified when in his autobiography If I did it he included a detailed yet 'theoretical' account of what 'may' have happened the night Brown and Goldman died.

Back in 1995, the Jury made a grave error of Judgement, concentrating more on the racial issues surrounding the case than the facts. Simpson was granted 13 years of freedom, but everyone has to pay eventually.

Gotcha!

A year ago Simpson was arrested for robbing Room 1203 in the Palace Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Two men were selling Simpson memorabilia and as his defence he claimed he was simply taking back what 'was rightfully his'.

By no means am I condoling robbery, however would OJ have received the same guilty verdict and long sentence if he hadn't been the poster boy for 'the one that got away'?

I think not.

So Simpson gets life for a not so serious crime. Naturally he is going to appeal-but does he really have the right to? Should he not just be thankful that he got an extra 13 years?

As JT says, what goes around comes around.

Do you wear a titsling, or do you buy a...bum bra????

Now I wasn't going to write about this but the fact that I literally cannot stop thinking about it suggests that I need to get it out of my system.

The Daily Mail on Thursday featured a new phenomenon-the Bum Bra.

It's called the 'Double O Thong' and is designed to give women, wait for it, a BIGGER behind! Already to me there is something wrong with that statement, having always shied away from clothes that make my derriere larger than it is- but there you have it.

Although according to the Mail it doesn't make your bum larger....just fuller..hmm whilst also flattening your stomach at the same time! Interesting.

This new pair of pants is said to give you a figure to rival Marilyn Monroe, although i seriously doubt that by wearing them you would feel even remotely as sexy and voluptuous.

These pants are....large. There is no other word for it. Granny pants with the kinky modification of being chap-less, like crotchless panties gone wrong. If these things became a global fad, then believe me, it would be an excellent form of birth control.

But according to Kate Faithful, they do actually work. Once covered up with clothes, this vile contraption turns you into 'Jessica Rabbit'. Somewhat hard to believe, but apparently true these pants make your butt 'higher, rounder, and smoother'.

This all sounds good, but women would still have to get over the hurdle of actually WEARING the things. And to be honest, I don't think I could get over the grossness of them, let alone the prospect of someone peeking them as they creep over the top of my low rise skinny jeans. Ewww.

Lovemybubbles

Singletons- Bridget is 'ruining' our families.

I love Bridget Jones.

She is the saviour of women and lets us no its ok to be normal. And by normal i mean to drink too much, to eat a whole packet of Christmas tree chocolates in one sitting, not be able to cook and to do mildly embarrassing things such as display our arses on live t.v. 

She lets us know that we are not alone in the world, that there are millions of other women like us, struggling along without a clear direction.

The Torys' view of Bridget

Bridget has recently come under fire from the Tory's for 'wanting too much'. Apparently she is to blame for today's women not getting married and 'destroying' the family . She has been to university and so it stands to reason that she wants to marry a man equally, if not more, educated. After all, why should she be the main provider??

More women are now going to university than men. Good on them.

The blame here is completely misplaced, rather than condemning women for wanting more, should we not be criticising men for settling for less??

Costa del School: Teacher training cancelled.

Today staff at the Edensor Technology college were meant to be travelling to Marbella for a 4 day teacher training course.

However due to negative media publicity as well as pressure from the town mayor ( Mark Meredith ) and parents, the Head Teacher has been forced to cancel the trip.

Cost

Admittedly the trip was said to cost £17,000 but why shouldn't the teachers go somewhere nice to do their training? It's not as if there are many other perks of the job!

Indeed if a bank or a car dealership decided to take its employees on a training weekend nobody would bat an eyelid!

Parents complaints

Parents have been complaining that if pupils are not allowed to take a holiday during term time, why should teachers be able to close the school for 2days? Of course they are forgetting that each school is allocated 5 non teaching training days a year, it is the school's own choice as to when they take them.

I think this is really more a case of the green eyed monster than anything else. It's parents who can't afford to go on holidays themselves that are kicking up a stink. Its not as if many of them making the complaints care about education anyway.

Perhaps these people would like to make a fuss over the fact that my mum (a Headteacher), is going on a training week in Arizona in 2weeks time. If they are making a fuss over Marbella, they certainly won't like that!

Good Samaritian McGarahan

At a time when he was meant to be celebrating life, Frank McGarahan, a successful city banker, was murdered. How ironic.

What happened?

He had gone to visit his brother and to attend his new niece's christening, yet an act of heroism ended his life. He chose to play the good Samaritan and help a man who was being brutally beaten by a gang of youths, they turned on him, and the consequences were fatal. The original victim survived.

Why Bother?

This leads me to wonder whether we should intervene when we see trouble, is it worth it? If i saw a man getting beaten in the street I wouldn't help, maybe I'm selfish, maybe I'm uncaring, maybe I'm a coward, but at least I'm still alive.

Would you play the hero?