Thursday, December 8, 2011
Drinking at home? It's going down. Oh good.... hang on a minute.
The data above shows that the levels of drinking in the home are decreasing. However, this is despite the fact we are constantly told that Britain has a binge drinking culture that is a problem.
The National Health Service is regularly giving advice to people and warning about the dangers of drinking too much.
So what seems to be the problem? We are not drinking as much as we have in the past according to these statistics.
The problem is simply that our drinking culture in this country is horrific. We may have benefitted from some fantastic nights because of it, but it is horrific.
For me, drinking at home involves relaxing watching a film with a cheeky can of cider or lager. Maybe even a glass of red if I am feeling classy. It also conjures up images of loneliness and, quite frankly, being uncool. Lets face it, we are brought up to believe that going out on a Saturday night and practically destroying ourselves is the way to go when it comes to booze.
Well, when you're young anyway. One of the most disturbing things I have found about getting older is I can feel the glass of red becoming more appealing. I imagine the age of the people drinking at home would be more on the "mature side".
But go out on a Saturday night into any town in this country. Its a good experience to be honest. Go there when you are sober and you might as well have stepped into the deepest circle of hell.
You only have to go abroad to see how different our drinking culture is from the rest of Europe. I went to France to watch Warrington play Les Catalans in Perpignan. To any rugby league fan who has made the trip, it is a highlight of the season. It is also startling to see two cultures clash, British and French. The French people will have a meal, maybe share a bottle of wine, and will drink to chill out essentially. Then the British wade in, downing pints by the minute and singing dirty versions of the traditional French classic "Alouette". It is enjoyable but at the same time, eye opening.
So is the fact we are drinking less at home a good thing or a bad thing? It is a good thing, the NHS will most certainly be encouraged. But it certainly is not the problem.
It's that deepest circle of hell on a Saturday night.
Christmas time. A time for family, joy and mad panic buying. But we love it really
However, it seems like it has been for ages. The major superstores and retail companies have been telling us to do our Christmas shopping for quite sometime.
For Christmas does seem to be starting earlier. I am sure I remember as a young child, the Christmas countdown started on 1st December, you know, when advent started. It was when you got your advent calendar, started your shopping and started to decorate your home.
Nowadays it is different. In my hometown of Warrington, Peter Andre caused much excitement to the locals when he turned on the town's Christmas lights. He did this on 19th November, however. It was more than a month to Christmas. Meanwhile just down the M62 in Manchester, the Christmas markets (pictured) got underway two days earlier.
Christmas is undoubtedly now seen as a way of making money by big businesses, but before this turns into a rant about the rights and wrongs of that ideal, I shall move swiftly on to why I am looking forward to it this year, without sounding like an over excited child.
Christmas is a time for family. And also for being with some of your oldest and best friends. Since I have been at university for the last three and a half years, I scarcely see either that much. But it is different at Christmas time. It definately does seem to be the one time of year where families will get together. Some people argue that the family is a dying institution, Christmas usually proves that it is not. It is something that as you grow older you definately appreciated more. Admittedly there is an element of dread over the inevitable arguing, but in some ways it's all part of the fun.
Another reason I am looking forward to Christmas is because people will actually be happy. This country has become a very bitchy place to be. Everyone is interested in who is cheating on who, who is stealing who's benefits, why such and such a people will not go into work one day etc. At Christmas that does seem to change. This is due in no small part to the fact that many people choose to see who is doing these things on Coronation Street or Eastenders, but that is not the point. People do seem to have more of a smile on their face at Christmas and stop all the pointless arguing and just get along.
Finally, there is the slightly perverse enjoyment of Christmas shopping. Lets be honest, shopping for other people is a largely horrendous experience, but there is something rewarding about it at Christmas. I am of course not talking about the actual shopping itself, but more the atmosphere. Especially in a place like Manchester. There has been a recent sensation regarding Christmas Markets, Birmingham holds the honour of having the biggest one, and they are excellent in my opinion. Manchester's is no exception. You can spend your happy day guzzling mulled wine (or liquor coffee if you prefer) and buy a load of stuff you do not really need and sometimes have never even heard of.
The markets are usually called "German Markets" as well, which shows that at Christmas time, even the best of enemies can become friends.
Monday, December 5, 2011
The decline of "supporters" and the emergence of "fans"
Picture the scene. You support Blackburn Rovers. You have a vital game against Swansea City. To use the oft used football cliche it is a "relegation six pointer". It is the 20th minute, at Ewood park. Your star striker, Yakubu, scores a vital opening goal. He runs over to celebrate with his manager/boss.
What do you do? Do you cheer? Or do you do what many of the Ewood faithful did on Saturday and boo. Boo to your heart's content?
Football has changed a lot even since I started watching the game (back in 1996 if you're interested) and so has the average football fan's expectations.
This was an observation made by Manchester United boss, Sir Alex Fergusson, when giving his response to the sacking of Sunderland manager Steve Bruce. I happen to agree with him. Fans do seem a lot more fickle these days.
For instance, take poor Steve Kean. as Robbie Savage pointed out on Match of the Day 2 on Sunday night, he had to take the job. It was a terrific opportunity for him, a job at a Premier League club. The fact it was against the backdrop of the sacking of one of this country's finest managers, Sam Allardyce, has never helped him.
The decision by Blackburn's erratic owners to sack Allardyce was bizzare, no question about that. He may not get his teams playing attractive football, but more often than not, he gets results, which is quite simply the ONLY thing football fans care about these days.
But still, why boo your manager after his team has just got you a goal? I am at a loss to explain that. Maybe it is because much of my football life has been spent supporting Tranmere Rovers. As a result disappointment and football related depression comes naturally to me. But the mind of the Premier League fan has been altered.
This is mostly down to foreign investors. When Venky's took over at Blackburn the supporters must have had visions of the club going forward and becoming bigger and better. There is just one problem, pretty much every established Premier League club has the same vision. Blackburn do not seem to have the money of other clubs and if you look at their squad, the bottom reaches of the table is probably where they belong. In terms of playing squad can you honestly say there are three worse teams than them? It is hard. There is a case to say Steve Kean is doing the best he can with what he has.
The reaction of the Rovers fans showed a distinct lack of support for their team. The pressures of modern football make it seem that supporters are a dying breed. Fans are the way to go apparantly.
A lot of the changing expectations are to do with money however, and it is for this reason that Steve Bruce got booted out, not because he is a Geordie as Fergie seemed to imply.
He was undoubtedly very unlucky. Key players have left, some in bizarre circumstances (Asamoah Gyan for example) and others because Sunderland could not compete with the other club's offer (Darren Bent). But he had spent a fair amount of money and his former club is now languishing one point above the drop zone. They need a top striker desperately but in Martin O'Neill they have the man to take them to where they belong. A team with a near 50,000 capacity stadium does not belong in the Championship.
What do you do? Do you cheer? Or do you do what many of the Ewood faithful did on Saturday and boo. Boo to your heart's content?
Football has changed a lot even since I started watching the game (back in 1996 if you're interested) and so has the average football fan's expectations.
This was an observation made by Manchester United boss, Sir Alex Fergusson, when giving his response to the sacking of Sunderland manager Steve Bruce. I happen to agree with him. Fans do seem a lot more fickle these days.
For instance, take poor Steve Kean. as Robbie Savage pointed out on Match of the Day 2 on Sunday night, he had to take the job. It was a terrific opportunity for him, a job at a Premier League club. The fact it was against the backdrop of the sacking of one of this country's finest managers, Sam Allardyce, has never helped him.
The decision by Blackburn's erratic owners to sack Allardyce was bizzare, no question about that. He may not get his teams playing attractive football, but more often than not, he gets results, which is quite simply the ONLY thing football fans care about these days.
But still, why boo your manager after his team has just got you a goal? I am at a loss to explain that. Maybe it is because much of my football life has been spent supporting Tranmere Rovers. As a result disappointment and football related depression comes naturally to me. But the mind of the Premier League fan has been altered.
This is mostly down to foreign investors. When Venky's took over at Blackburn the supporters must have had visions of the club going forward and becoming bigger and better. There is just one problem, pretty much every established Premier League club has the same vision. Blackburn do not seem to have the money of other clubs and if you look at their squad, the bottom reaches of the table is probably where they belong. In terms of playing squad can you honestly say there are three worse teams than them? It is hard. There is a case to say Steve Kean is doing the best he can with what he has.
The reaction of the Rovers fans showed a distinct lack of support for their team. The pressures of modern football make it seem that supporters are a dying breed. Fans are the way to go apparantly.
A lot of the changing expectations are to do with money however, and it is for this reason that Steve Bruce got booted out, not because he is a Geordie as Fergie seemed to imply.
He was undoubtedly very unlucky. Key players have left, some in bizarre circumstances (Asamoah Gyan for example) and others because Sunderland could not compete with the other club's offer (Darren Bent). But he had spent a fair amount of money and his former club is now languishing one point above the drop zone. They need a top striker desperately but in Martin O'Neill they have the man to take them to where they belong. A team with a near 50,000 capacity stadium does not belong in the Championship.
So This is Great Britain is it?
The previous week saw a great deal happen in this great nation of ours. The main story of the week, was undoubtedly the strike action taken by millions of public sector workers.
Now, lets get one thing totally clear. The workers who went on strike were wholly justified in doing so. This government has ruthlessly attacked the public sector to balance the books after a recession that was caused by wild spending in the private sector. Their decision to stand up for their rights is to be applauded, not condemned.
But condemned it was. Social networking sites were filled with posts by people telling the workers to get back to work and to "stop moaning".
Stop moaning? Having your pension cut is definately something worth moaning about. Especially when you provide vital services to the public and you are being punished for a recession your sector did not cause.
There seems to be a culture of ignorance and apathy in this country at the moment. It seemed as if some of the same people who condemned the government's spending cuts, were now condemning the people who were protesting about it. There is also a culture of wild hysteria.
This wild hysteria manifested itself in Top Gear presenter's Jeremy Clarkson's ill advised comment about how strikers should be shot. The reaction by some people on the left was frankly, sad and pathetic.
As a Labour Party member I was saddened that my leader, Ed Milliband felt that he should join the scores of humourless drones in condemning Mr Clarkson's comments. I'm left wing when it comes to politics but it depresses me how some of my fellow lefties lack a sense of humour.
Putting my common sense hat on, I am able to deduce that Clarkson was joking. I do not for one second believe that he was condoning a widespread murderous rampage/culling against public sector workers. I actually found his comments to be quite satirical.
That didn't stop over 20000 people getting on their high horse and complaining to the BBC. No doubt a lot of them hadn't even seen the original broadcast. Images of the Andrew Sachs fiasco were conjured and the similarities are there. Why people in Britain have started to jump on every bandwagon and join in a culture of blame I will never know.
If this is Great Britain, it needs to change. It's far too petty a place at the moment. It also lacks common sense.
Now, lets get one thing totally clear. The workers who went on strike were wholly justified in doing so. This government has ruthlessly attacked the public sector to balance the books after a recession that was caused by wild spending in the private sector. Their decision to stand up for their rights is to be applauded, not condemned.
But condemned it was. Social networking sites were filled with posts by people telling the workers to get back to work and to "stop moaning".
Stop moaning? Having your pension cut is definately something worth moaning about. Especially when you provide vital services to the public and you are being punished for a recession your sector did not cause.
There seems to be a culture of ignorance and apathy in this country at the moment. It seemed as if some of the same people who condemned the government's spending cuts, were now condemning the people who were protesting about it. There is also a culture of wild hysteria.
This wild hysteria manifested itself in Top Gear presenter's Jeremy Clarkson's ill advised comment about how strikers should be shot. The reaction by some people on the left was frankly, sad and pathetic.
As a Labour Party member I was saddened that my leader, Ed Milliband felt that he should join the scores of humourless drones in condemning Mr Clarkson's comments. I'm left wing when it comes to politics but it depresses me how some of my fellow lefties lack a sense of humour.
Putting my common sense hat on, I am able to deduce that Clarkson was joking. I do not for one second believe that he was condoning a widespread murderous rampage/culling against public sector workers. I actually found his comments to be quite satirical.
That didn't stop over 20000 people getting on their high horse and complaining to the BBC. No doubt a lot of them hadn't even seen the original broadcast. Images of the Andrew Sachs fiasco were conjured and the similarities are there. Why people in Britain have started to jump on every bandwagon and join in a culture of blame I will never know.
If this is Great Britain, it needs to change. It's far too petty a place at the moment. It also lacks common sense.
Monday, November 21, 2011
The reasons why Rugby League is the greatest game.
My name is Stuart Robertson. I am a life long supporter of professional rugby league team, the Warrington Wolves. My dad took me to my first game of rugby league at Wilderspool when I was four years old, against the wishes of my mum most certainly.
I have been hooked on the sport ever since bordering on obsession. It is, without doubt in my opinion, the greatest game of all. Here are my reasons, in no particular order, why this is the case.
1) ITS RUGBY THE WAY IT SHOULD BE PLAYED
Now, before I begin, I have a confession to make. I am a rugby league fan who bares no grudge against the other code. Indeed, I have often found myself enjoying rugby union games and for my sins I used to play the game myself. I was a flanker (forgive me father...). It is a very good sport.
However, if I do have one axe to grind with the sport it is that it could be slightly better. There are times when I find myself getting frustrated by the sport.
For example, the scrum, the lineout and the endless amount of kicking to touch which commentators justify by saying the offending team is "playing the percentages" or "kicking for territory". This might be the case but it does lead to a rather frustrating couple of minutes where not a great deal happens. It's all a bit slow. It invariably leads to a period of about five minutes where the paying spectator cannot see the ball and the formulaic lineout = maul = maul collapses = scrum, unfolds.
In rugby league, fans can see the ball. And the lack of line outs, mauls and huge scrums (which can sometimes take 5 minutes to perfect) mean that more time can be spent on what rugby is about. Flowing passing, massive hits and trys. Lots of trys. In my opinion it is the way rugby should be.
2) THE FANS
This is a point that cannot be stressed enough.
Now, rugby League fans are not perfect. I am not a subscriber to the "family game" image that sections of the media and the RFL wish to project. This is not because I believe families have no place in our game. Of course they do, to suggest otherwise would be insane. It is simply because I think every sport is a family game. Even football. I went to many football matches as a kid. I went to many rugby league matches as a kid. There was very little difference.
However, one aspect of family game is very true I think. That rugby league IS a family. Whenever one of the rugby league fraternity is in need, the sports community rallies around them. For evidence of this, look no further than Steve Prescott, or, in more tragic circumstances, players like Leon Walker and Adam Watene (RIP)
Also, that rugby league fans can share space without trying to rip eachothers heads off. Events like the magic weekend, which for all their critics, I have enjoyed immensely, show that fans of all clubs can set aside their differences and come together for these festivals of the sport. When the good of the sport is in question, rugby league fans usually deliver.
3) THE PLAYERS
Lets get one thing straight, rugby league players are not superstars. And thank christ for that.
They're actually normal people. You can go over and talk to them in your local pub and they often make time to talk to the fans. I can only speak from my own experience but at the Wire, the players usually come over to the fans at the end of the game and thank them for their support. Properly, not just the couple of quick claps and then off that you get at premier league matches.
In short, they're not prima donnas. They're quite an honest bunch as well. Diving is not a real problem in the sport. It can be seen sometimes, wearing the guise of "milking a penalty", but it is not rife. The day a rugby league player ever feigns injury, for instance, will be a sad day for the sport.
They are good role models also. They show respect for the official on the field and the idea that what happens on the field stays on the field is admirable.
4) THE OFFICIALS
Oh my God. I am actually praising Rugby League referees.
Now they may not be perfect. They may make mistakes (show me someone who doesn't) and in the heat of the moment some of us, this blogger included, may have vented our frustrations with their decisions in quite a robust manner. But without them, there is no game. And also, they are a strong bunch.
For a rugby league referee would not put up with half of the rubbish a football referee has to put up with. Football refs moan about a lack of respect shown by players towards them but there are times when I find myself thinking "GROW A PAIR" whilst watching it on tv. Football refs need to figure out what rugby league refs did a long time ago. They don't have to put up with it. They have cards and a whistle, and they rule. Rugby League refs use them effectively.
5) A SPORT THAT TAKES RISKS RATHER THAN AVOIDS THEM
As a sport, rugby league has always looked forward. The RFL have come up with innovative ideas that have met with varying degrees of success. But at least they are making an attempt.
There are many examples of rugby league being ahead of other British sports. Our use of video technology to ensure greater accuracy in crucial decisions being one. Why football still has its head in the sand, I'll never know. Wire coach Tony Smith is against it also. Now I think Tony Smith is God for what he has done for us in the last couple of years but that is one thing I cannot agree with him over.
Other innovative ideas involve Super League and the move to summer. Anyone who thinks that was a bad move should have a word with themselves.
I have been hooked on the sport ever since bordering on obsession. It is, without doubt in my opinion, the greatest game of all. Here are my reasons, in no particular order, why this is the case.
1) ITS RUGBY THE WAY IT SHOULD BE PLAYED
Now, before I begin, I have a confession to make. I am a rugby league fan who bares no grudge against the other code. Indeed, I have often found myself enjoying rugby union games and for my sins I used to play the game myself. I was a flanker (forgive me father...). It is a very good sport.
However, if I do have one axe to grind with the sport it is that it could be slightly better. There are times when I find myself getting frustrated by the sport.
For example, the scrum, the lineout and the endless amount of kicking to touch which commentators justify by saying the offending team is "playing the percentages" or "kicking for territory". This might be the case but it does lead to a rather frustrating couple of minutes where not a great deal happens. It's all a bit slow. It invariably leads to a period of about five minutes where the paying spectator cannot see the ball and the formulaic lineout = maul = maul collapses = scrum, unfolds.
In rugby league, fans can see the ball. And the lack of line outs, mauls and huge scrums (which can sometimes take 5 minutes to perfect) mean that more time can be spent on what rugby is about. Flowing passing, massive hits and trys. Lots of trys. In my opinion it is the way rugby should be.
2) THE FANS
This is a point that cannot be stressed enough.
Now, rugby League fans are not perfect. I am not a subscriber to the "family game" image that sections of the media and the RFL wish to project. This is not because I believe families have no place in our game. Of course they do, to suggest otherwise would be insane. It is simply because I think every sport is a family game. Even football. I went to many football matches as a kid. I went to many rugby league matches as a kid. There was very little difference.
However, one aspect of family game is very true I think. That rugby league IS a family. Whenever one of the rugby league fraternity is in need, the sports community rallies around them. For evidence of this, look no further than Steve Prescott, or, in more tragic circumstances, players like Leon Walker and Adam Watene (RIP)
Also, that rugby league fans can share space without trying to rip eachothers heads off. Events like the magic weekend, which for all their critics, I have enjoyed immensely, show that fans of all clubs can set aside their differences and come together for these festivals of the sport. When the good of the sport is in question, rugby league fans usually deliver.
3) THE PLAYERS
Lets get one thing straight, rugby league players are not superstars. And thank christ for that.
They're actually normal people. You can go over and talk to them in your local pub and they often make time to talk to the fans. I can only speak from my own experience but at the Wire, the players usually come over to the fans at the end of the game and thank them for their support. Properly, not just the couple of quick claps and then off that you get at premier league matches.
In short, they're not prima donnas. They're quite an honest bunch as well. Diving is not a real problem in the sport. It can be seen sometimes, wearing the guise of "milking a penalty", but it is not rife. The day a rugby league player ever feigns injury, for instance, will be a sad day for the sport.
They are good role models also. They show respect for the official on the field and the idea that what happens on the field stays on the field is admirable.
4) THE OFFICIALS
Oh my God. I am actually praising Rugby League referees.
Now they may not be perfect. They may make mistakes (show me someone who doesn't) and in the heat of the moment some of us, this blogger included, may have vented our frustrations with their decisions in quite a robust manner. But without them, there is no game. And also, they are a strong bunch.
For a rugby league referee would not put up with half of the rubbish a football referee has to put up with. Football refs moan about a lack of respect shown by players towards them but there are times when I find myself thinking "GROW A PAIR" whilst watching it on tv. Football refs need to figure out what rugby league refs did a long time ago. They don't have to put up with it. They have cards and a whistle, and they rule. Rugby League refs use them effectively.
5) A SPORT THAT TAKES RISKS RATHER THAN AVOIDS THEM
As a sport, rugby league has always looked forward. The RFL have come up with innovative ideas that have met with varying degrees of success. But at least they are making an attempt.
There are many examples of rugby league being ahead of other British sports. Our use of video technology to ensure greater accuracy in crucial decisions being one. Why football still has its head in the sand, I'll never know. Wire coach Tony Smith is against it also. Now I think Tony Smith is God for what he has done for us in the last couple of years but that is one thing I cannot agree with him over.
Other innovative ideas involve Super League and the move to summer. Anyone who thinks that was a bad move should have a word with themselves.
RSS FEEDS
Today, in digital journalism, we looked at how to use our Google accounts and RSS feeds. This involved looking at google reader (http://www.google.co.uk/reader) and how to access the information from our favourite websites without wasting time trawling the web to find them.
Most major news sites offer free RSS feeds which gives you the information you want, fast. For example, the BBC offers a free feed via its news page. By copying and pasting the url link from that page, you can add it to your subscriptions on Google Reader by simply clicking on the add subscription box.
We also learnt about websites such as http://www.delicious.com/ and http://trunk.ly/ These websites are a viable alternative to simple bookmarks and favourites when you are using the web.
By tagging, and using tags that other users have used, you can find the information you want, again, quickly. If you wish to find stories on Carlos Tevez, you merely type his name into the search box and all the stories he has been tagged in by other Delicious users will appear.
Then we went on to social networking sites and how to make news from your RSS feeds appear on your twitter account or facebook account. This was done with the help of websites such as: http://twitterfeed.com and http://ifttt.com.
These are websites that allow the fast transfer of information from your RSS feeds direct to other users on your Twitter and Facebook accounts. This is especially useful with Twitter because of the quick and easy ways you can find people with similar interests to your own on the site.
ifttt.com in particular caused a stir, because of the way you can time when stuff from your RSS feed can appear on websites. For example, you can make a post from your RSS feed appear every day at 2pm should you wish.
The session was very useful as it taught me how to use programmes I'd previously never used before. In particular google reader. It is a far simpler and quicker way to get the information you need rather than just trawling through the internet.
Most major news sites offer free RSS feeds which gives you the information you want, fast. For example, the BBC offers a free feed via its news page. By copying and pasting the url link from that page, you can add it to your subscriptions on Google Reader by simply clicking on the add subscription box.
We also learnt about websites such as http://www.delicious.com/ and http://trunk.ly/ These websites are a viable alternative to simple bookmarks and favourites when you are using the web.
By tagging, and using tags that other users have used, you can find the information you want, again, quickly. If you wish to find stories on Carlos Tevez, you merely type his name into the search box and all the stories he has been tagged in by other Delicious users will appear.
Then we went on to social networking sites and how to make news from your RSS feeds appear on your twitter account or facebook account. This was done with the help of websites such as: http://twitterfeed.com and http://ifttt.com.
These are websites that allow the fast transfer of information from your RSS feeds direct to other users on your Twitter and Facebook accounts. This is especially useful with Twitter because of the quick and easy ways you can find people with similar interests to your own on the site.
ifttt.com in particular caused a stir, because of the way you can time when stuff from your RSS feed can appear on websites. For example, you can make a post from your RSS feed appear every day at 2pm should you wish.
The session was very useful as it taught me how to use programmes I'd previously never used before. In particular google reader. It is a far simpler and quicker way to get the information you need rather than just trawling through the internet.
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