Laptop Issues

LIVING without a laptop for the past three weeks has been hell. Now, I know what some will be thinking, and no, I don't even watch that kind of stuff anyway, and if I did, I'd watch it via my PS3.
I've been forced into using my sister's laptop, and it's not so fun - she's stuck stickes all over, and always wants it because she has a sad obsession with Coronation Street, and Doctor Who.
Three whole weeks looking at a laptop, all because the guy who is looking at it decided it would be a good idea to go and get swine flu - how ignorant!
I can't take it anywhere else because last I heard it was in about twelve pieces, but as a serious (and I use the term lightly) journalist, and one with videos to put together of different things - the Cullompton Town Council will be getting edgy about not seeing their carnival - I need a laptop, and my sister's isn't doing it for me.
If anyone knows anything about computers, and HASN'T got swine flu, or any other mild or terminal illness, can I borrow your laptop?

Awaiting His Maiden Voyage...

When I got aboard the first ship, I didn't expect to go to sea, the anchor rose but the ship never set sail. It was OK as the ship had never sailed before, but now I'm told for whatever reason the ship has been all out to sea and I received a postcard telling me how great the waves are - I remain more sceptical.

The second boat I strolled upon was similar to the first. I didn't think she'd ever sail the seas but now I'm told after I was asked to leave the deck that the boat did sail without me (yet again). For some reason boats must have habbit of not going out to sea with me, but when I leave they decide to raise the anchor and set sail. This boat had broken free and had sailed into choppy seas and was forced against the wishes of the crew to come back to dock. I've been invited on this ship to navigate it to a peaceful sea, but I don't know if I shall sail this ship despite being told the seas are nice. (A bit disgruntled how these ships sail off without me and then come back to tell me I'm missing out on a great time at sea)

The third ship I did sail upon did leave shore but then it sank to the bottom of the ocean. It was in need of repair anyway and I think it I should have expected the inevitable.

The last ship I was sailing in had done it's rounds all out to sea, had hit an iceberg on one occasion but had been repaired and still in good shape. It came into dock and I went on board but damage from a previous ice berg - another one the boat had clipped - which had not been seen until we set sail caused the boat to come into docks for repair. Not good for me - who thought that at last I was heading out to sea. I complained to the ship's captain that the boat had sailed the seas before, so why when I get on board it sails no more, - because of these protestations I was thrown off the ship and now I find myself ashore.

So I find myself not having the best of times with my sea traveling journeys. I would quite like a nice cruise one day but all the ships that come into dock soon fade away. Maybe it's me and I should find a new harbour or maybe it's just bad luck stopping me on my way.

Passers by just walk on.....

AN EXPERIMENT to find out if shoppers are good samaritans has shown a shock result - but matches trends.
George Layne 18, and Rikki Turner 19, from the Poole & Bournemouth College decided to film two social psychology experiments. In one Rikki dropped paper in front of people to see if they’d help pick it up, and in the other, George posed unconscious and remained still until somebody offered him assistance. George said: “I got help after seven minutes. I thought I’d be there for quite a while but it went quite quickly although at one point I did fall asleep.
“For the first two minutes I was conscious of what I was doing and started laughing at the thought of all these people walking by looking at me wondering what I was doing.”
Before starting the experiments people were stopped and asked whether or not they would help if somebody dropped papers in front of them or if they saw somebody motionless in the street. Layne added: “We dropped the papers twenty times and only two people helped. It was interesting as we interviewed about 15 people and 12 said they’d help in those situations, but our investigation shows something completely different.
Experts call this de-individualisation. This means that in a crowded place you are less likely to get help from others.
“I wasn’t surprised by the results as I’d seen these type of experiments done before and I have noticed similarities here” George added.
After seven minutes of lying on the floor of Bournemouth Arcade, one man did poke Layne to see if he was OK. He said: “I was going to phone the police, but I checked to see if the shop he was outside knew about this. There was a couple of women looking, but they just looked and got on with their business.”

Newspapers Struggle as Credit Crunch Continues to Bite

January 2009:
IT’S not been a happy Christmas for those working in the media industry as journalists working for local papers have been laid off in droves.
One such firm is Northcliffe Media who have been looking into ways of saving money with some losing their jobs and even having wages frozen.

Northcliffe, who own various media titles across the country spent six months this year visiting their outlets and deciding what to do to slash the ongoing financial trouble it faces.
One of the reasons local media is struggling is due the property market falling. Estate agents are going bust and not investing in advertising properties in the newspapers.

It is thought subs – those who check what is written before it is submitted – are first in line for the chop with reporters already being told to be more careful with their writing.

In Exeter at the Express & Echo some staff have had their wages frozen and in Tiverton, despite promising sales figures, Crediton reporter Tim Hall was made redundant before Christmas. Lucy Gooding who helped at the Gazette said: “They're all so stressed out it's unreal. Now that Tim's gone, there's no one really covering Crediton.”

The effect this will have on the quality of newspapers across the country is yet to be seen, but if companies continue to keep struggling we may see further cuts and the possibility of some papers going out of business or merging to form much larger regions for what would be our not so local papers.


March 2009:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7958553.stm
The BBC's article about Northcliffe got a mention on the Six O'Clock news today.(March 24).