The Influence of The Media: A comparison between Broadsheets and Tabloids

Characteristics of Broadsheets and Tabloids

Articles Accessed

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article2396290.ece &
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/5221322/Manchester-United-survive-first-half-scare-then-destroy-Spurs.html

 

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO ARTICLES BOTH ON THE MAN UTD GAME

TABLOID	BROADSHEET
Heading: “Simply Ronbelievable”	Heading: “Manchester United survive first half scare then destroy Spurs.”
The heading is a combination of the word believable and Ronaldo. The attempt is to describe Ronaldo as unbelievable. The language is highly informal.	The heading is longer, more informative and provides an accurate description of the game.
Language: “Next up, Arsenal fasten your seatbelts” “Nothing can stop United now”	Language: “seemingly unable...”
The language is biased and obviously is in the favour of Manchester United.	The language is cautious and suggests that other possibilities exist.

 

Broadsheets	Tabloids
-          Common newspaper format	-          11 x 17 inches
-          11 x 20 inches	-          Narrower than common newspapers
-          New York Times, The Gaurdian, The Independent, The Telegraph	-          The Sun, Daily Mail, The Enquirer
-          Sober Tone	-          Often emotive and use of slang
-          Unbiased opinion	-          Often sensationalised.
-          Simple black and white text	-          Often colourful

The New Referendum and The Welsh Assembly

Referendum:
A referendum is a ballot taken by the people to decide on a pressing matter that concerns the population as a whole.A referendum on the 3rd of March 2011 took place in Wales. The focal point of the referendum was to ascertain whether Wales should have the power to determine laws that affect Wales only. The result was in favour of the Wales making laws that only affected them.

The (BBC.UK) has conducted research which has indicated that twenty-two Welsh counties are advocates of change in save for one, namely Monmouthshire.
A positive vote will in effect give the Welsh Assembly direct powers in influencing direct law making policies.

Deputy First Minister and Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones said "To demand respect, you must first display self respect," . He further added that "Today we have done just that, and the rest of the world can now sit up and take notice of the fact that our small nation, here on the western edge of the continent of Europe, has demonstrated pride in who we are, and what we all stand for."(BBC.UK)

Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said that it was turning point for Wales as now the Welsh government could decide on laws that are made within Wales and solely affected Wales.

This is defiantly a momentous occasion in Welsh history as to some extent it grants Wales a significant amount of independence from British Parliament.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of The European Union

European Union:

Advantages: Single market has increased competition and thus lowered prices for the European market.
No customs tax is required between member states in terms of transportation of goods.
Citizens are free to access all member states at their convenience.
Creation of jobs.
More available funds through collective contributions.
Stronger bargain power through in the International market.
Co-operative law enforcement agencies.

Disadvantages:
Excessive regulations may cause inefficiency and bureaucracy.
Concentration of power
Loss of sovereignty.

Notes on the Somali Language and the Contributions it's made to U.K culture.

Background: Somali was colonised by Italy. Most of the country is of Muslim faith and the majority can speak Italian for the above mentioned reason.

Somalis are one of the 1st African groups to have settled in Britain.

The first wave of Somali's came in the 19th century as seamen.

The second wave came in the 2nd world war because of its affiliation to Italy.

In recent times the civil war of the 80s led to Somali political refugees seeking asylum.

In the year 2000 a survey was conducted in London schools and the results showed that the Somali language was the 10th prevalent language in London schools.

CONTRIBUTION TO THE U.K CULTURE

To a great extent the Somali language and culture has influenced U.K culture. Examples of this include:

Music: Aar Maanta is a popular artist in London who merges a classic Somali with rock and hip hop. 

Media: There is also a BBC Somali Service which is broad casted globally in the Somali language. There are also Somali newspapers sold in Britain which do quite well. These include Kasomo, Jamhuuri and the Somali Voice.

Food: An abundance of Somali restaurants are in operation all over the U.K and are seemingly doing quite well.

www.somaliuk.com

TIME MANAGEMENT

Definition: Time management is the ability to make a conscious plan about the order and time allocated to specific tasks or objectives. Time management can be done on a day to day basis, a weekly basis and sometimes people even plan the way they will spend their time for an entire month.

Techniques:

• Set goals.
• Prioritise goals.
• Make a plan of action.
• Make a time table or a schedule.
• Never deviate from the time table or the schedule.
• Always allocate sufficient leisure time to the schedule.
• Always allocate sufficient recuperation time such as time for resting and sleeping.
• Always allocate sufficient exercise time to the schedule. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind.
• Healthy diet and eating 3 meals a day increases energy levels and subsequently productivity.
• Delegate or ask for assistance when time does not allow for a task to be completed instead of forgetting about it all together.

What May Affect My Quality of Life at Glamorgan University

Quality of life is understood to be the mental, physical,emotional and general well being of a person. It is often confused with standard of living which is a concept mainly based on an individual's income. Quality of life could be seen as measure of happiness.My quality of life at Glamorgan University may be affected by a multitude of factors. These factors include:

• The Environment: The weather seems to play a determining role in my quality of life. Due to the fact that I am accustomed to sunshine for over 10 months per year back in my home country, I find the more cloudy, gloomy weather in the U.K often makes me homesick.
• Sports: I find that playing sport generally makes me a happier person and I am pleased that Glamorgan offers such a wide range of sporting activities.
• Night-Life: Socialising and meeting knew people during my leisure time makes me a more relaxed and out going person. I find that Cardiff has a multitude of establishments that cater for this where as in my home country the establishments have a more older aged target market.
• Health: I find that the cold weather at times aggravates my heatlh conditions.
• Education: Education plays an important part in my quality of life because it can either provide stress and anxiety about dead lines or conversely provide mental stimulation of which i crave for.

The Origins of The Word "posh" and an Insight into Welfare in Botswana.

I shall begin this blog post by giving the reader an insight into the definition of the word myth. The word myth as defined by The Oxford Concise Dictionary (2009) is "a story, generally untrue or sensationalised of which is lent weight to by numerous repetition." It thus seems to be an adequate word to describe the origins of the word "posh" for they are numerous myths surrounding its derivation.

Perhaps the most popular myth about the origin of the word "posh" is that it is an acronym for "port out, starboard home." According to  (phrases.org.uk) the myth goes that Peninsula and Orient passenger vessels used to allocate the more affluent passengers the cabins on the port side of the ship when departing and the cabins on the starboard side of the ship when making the return journey. This was done because the port side offered more shade and a cooler breeze on the way out and conversely the starboard side did the same on the return journey. It is rumoured that the affluent passengers' luggage was marked "PO" and "SH" and consequently the word "posh" came into existence to describe the upper more affluent class.

However this origin of the word is discredited by (Oxforddictionaries.com) and is relegated to nothing but a myth. The reasons given are that the merger of words to make one word with the use of each words beginning letter (acronyms) is an occurrence that only emerged in the 20th century. In fact the word "posh" is grouped with other ludicrous meanings such as "golf" standing for "gentleman only, ladies forbidden" and "cop" standing for "constable on patrol." These are all dismissed as myths for these words were in existence decades before the trend of acronyms emerged. Researches are challenged to find any acronyms before the 1920s. It further goes on to point out that had the word been an acronym it would be spelt "P.O.S.H" as is convention for acronyms and abbreviations.

Perhaps a more plausible myth is that the word is derived from the Gypsy language of Romany. (worldwidewords) accredits the word "posh" to have meant half in the language but it later evolved to posh-houri which meant half a pence. The word than further evolved into slang terminology to describe money in general. It then progressed to meaning expensive, fancy or someone affluent or  someone living an affluent lifestyle.

The origin of the word posh remains an uncertainty with the port out, starboard home myth proving to be the most dominant.

Welfare in Botswana

1. The official retirement age in Botswana is 60 years.
2. The amount paid to old age pensioners is believed to be roughly P300 (Pula) a week which is equivalent to £30.
3. An unemployment allowance is afforded to the unemployed ( those who have no jobs but are actively seeking employment and have searched for employment within the past 4weeks) whereas disgruntled workers (those who have given up searching for a job and are unemployed) are afforded no allowance.
4. The following benefits exist in Botswana: 

•           Housing benefits
•           Sickness benefits
•           Death Grants
•           Education grants
•           Maternity grants are only awarded to the most needy.

5. Social workers exist in Botswana and are mostly regarded in a bad light. They come off as intrusive and invading family privacy.

6. SOS, UNICEF and Children with HIV foundation are some of the charities operating in Botswana. They all collect money through donations.

7. The Citizen's Entrepreneurial Development Agency can be compared to the Citizen's Advice Bureau as they provide advice on a multitude of topics such as reducing debt, how to start a business and a host of other topics aimed at empowering citizens.

8. Health care is provided free of charge at government health care facilities. However the facilities do not adequately cater for demand and often critical or serious cases are left unattended for extended periods sometimes with fatal consequences.

9. Family doctors are well paid in Botswana. They earn an average of P75 000, an equivalent of roughly £7 500.

10. A typical nurse's uniform in Botswana constitutes a white hat (usually with a cross insignia on it) and a white or blue dress similar to the ones usually portrayed in movies.

11. 999

12. Herbal remedies and traditional doctors (stereotyped as being witchcraft in modern times) are the popular alternatives to medicine in Botswana.

London Riots Presentation Notes

• Omolola: - The main participants of the riots were teenagers. 

                         - The teenagers enganged in acts of vandalism.

                         - It was suggested by David Cameron that in the future rubber bullets should be considered
                            as an option.

                         - It is also of Omolola's opinion that the teenagers had no reason to strike.

                         - Her info was accessed from The Independent Newspaper website.

• Abdualazeez: - Claims of opportunistic behaviour.

                               - Claims of police misconduct.

                               - He further quotes a blog by "mabinogog" at blogspot.com as the search of a better life
                                  at all costs as a reason for the riots.

                               - He also adds that Dr Paul Bagualy from Leeds Uni attributes the riots to
                                  unemployment and anger.

                               - He proceeds by illustrating the veiws of Richard Sudan who is of the belief that public
                                  service cuts, poverty, police attitude, racisim and ignorance are the main cause of the
                                  riots.

                                - Another source he quotes is Mike Butcher, a technology journalist who is of the
                                   opinion that the use of BBM (Black Berry Messenger) as a main contributor of the
                                   riots as these kinds of messages are untraceable and hence effectively served to
                                   conduct the riots. He is also suprised that BBM was not banned for the period while
                                   the riots were taking place.

• Henry: - Who was Mark Duggan?

                     - 29 years of age.

                     - Displays a pic of him exhibiting a gang sign.

                     - 4th of Aug minicab stopped at approx 18:15 BST

                     - There was a wepon discharge.

                     - Mark Duggan died 30mins later.

                     - Speculation about whether he was gang affiliated, armed or if he shot at the Police 1st.

                     - Police mishandled peaceful demo on the 16th of Aug

                     -Visual display of chaos.

• Ralph: - 4th of Aug Mark shot by Scotland Yard.

                    - 6th Aug : peaceful protest march.

                    - Armed youth looting.

                    - Influence of Black Berry Messenger.

                    - He attributes the causes of the riots to poor relation with police, social exclusion, crime culture
                       and opportunism.

                     - Viable solutions include special forces for riots, more youth opportunities, more awareness of
                        opportunities and the regulation of video games.

                     - His info is sourced from BBC, SKYNEWS, CNN and FOX NEWS.

• Ezekiel: - Mark Duggans suspected of shooting at Police.

                      - Officer shot back in self defence.

                      - Was Mark a family man or a gangster.

                      - North London people believed he was a gangster.

                      - 4 children and a fiance.

                      - Was arrested previously with no evidence.

                      - Gun found at the scene.

                      - Some suspect gun was planted on the scene by police.

                      - References: Gaurdian 8th of August 2011.

• My opinion: It is of my opinion that the riots were intially incited by the killing of Mark Duggan but later turned into an opportunity for people to enrich themselves materially due to adverse poverty. It should also be noted that some participants were merely trying to express their distaste of the current government along  with their polices. I am also of the opinion that the use of social networks further made the situation worse as it enabled the riots to be coordinated.

New Government Summary

A NEW GOVERNMENT

Summary Notes

6^th of May 2011, new govt is elected.

Labour Party replaced by Liberal democrats and conservatives.

Led by David Cameron

65 years since Lib Dems have been power

Conservatives are pro: free market

                                     Privatization

                                     Low taxation

Labour party are pro: Social and economic equality

                                   More public spending

                                   Larger govt role.

Recent times have seen the parties get closer

General Election: -Conservatives – 36%

                             -Labour – 29%

                             -Lib Dems- 23%

Seats: Conservatives – 306

           Labour – 258

           Lib Dems – 57

Hung Parliament; no majority 4 any party.

11^th May: Coalition/merger

No system of proportional representations.

Seats are also constituencies/districts

Each has an MP (representative)

Terms of the coalition was that a more PR must incorporated in the future.

People of Britain

People of Britain

In order to understand modern day people in Britain, a journey into history must be embarked upon to get a better over view of the subject matter. 

In 1707 the Union of England,Wales and Scotland was formed. (BBC.co.uk) Within this Union a variety of different cultures and identities intertwined and interacted and many disputes arose which led to a number of clashes. (BBC.co.uk)

In an article authored by McConnachie(Sovereginty:2002) he estimates the population of the British people in 4000BC was 3000 people. This figure rose to 20 000 by 2500BC and between the 1000-700BC the population had reached 10 000. He goes on to further to show the population increase over the years chronologically but those details will be ommitted for the purposes of this blog. I rather focus more on the reasons given by McConnachie for the causes of Britain's exponential population growth rate through out the times.

The main reason given for the population increase is migration of foreigners into Britain. Causes of such migration can be attributed to factors such as political asylum, colonialism,the slave trade and the world wars of which Britain played major roles in both.

Whereas the elite of the past in Britain was mainly royalty and other families of nobility, the elite in this generation tend to be footballers such as David Beckham, musicians such as the Spice Girls and actors and producers such as Guy Ritchie. 

Education

Education

UK and Botswana's Education system.

To a large extent the education system in the U.K is similar to the education system in Botswana. This is most likely attributed to the fact that Botswana is a former British colony and thus many British practices have been adopted.

The similaraties between the two education systems are that it is compulsory for children to attend school from the ages of 5-16 years of age. Another similarity is that there are three types of schools,namely, local authority,independent and international schools.In both countries uniforms are also compulsory unlike in the USA where it is very rare to find uniforms.  Another common factor that there are three terms in the academic year unlike countries like South Africa which have four terms. The main exams written in both UK and Botswana are GCSE and A levels..

On the other hand, to a lesser extent the two education systems vary at certain aspects. For example, in the UK the school year commences in September and ends in JULY whereas in Botswana its from Febuary to November. Another difference is that in local authority schools in Botswana have corporal punishment where as its not allowd in the Uk.Also unlike the education system in UK the government sponsors students beyond secondary school and given the right marks they will award u a scholorship!!