EXCLUSIVE - Egypt uprising: An eyewitness account

You may have been paying close attention to the drama in Egypt as the world experiences a historical uprising of the people but how much of the press coverage can you really believe? How much information is blocked from ever getting to you? What is the real story for citizens living in Egypt?

The following is a true email received by a British citizen currently residing in Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt. She is a teacher, who moved to the country to teach English to young Egyptians. The email, below is a truthful document that was sent to friends on Thursday February 10, describing the events of the current riots surrounding the reign of President Mubarak. Names of the people involved have been changed to protect their identities. Nothing else has been changed. Please note, this is a true accurate account and I have received special permission from the writer to publish it online.

"Firstly, big apologies for the big group email but I'm being lazy and thought I would update everyone at the same time! Thanks for everyone's messages and concern over the last few weeks. Nothing like starting married life with a bang!!!

So, since the wedding in December, we managed to squeeze in a honeymoon in Bath for a week before heading back to Egypt for the start of the school term (David's and mine) and then time seemed to fly by for a couple of weeks as we sorted ourselves out and got settled after all the excitement of Xmas, the wedding and new year etc etc. Our friends in Egypt who hadn't been able to come to the wedding threw us a party too so that was really lovely. I went back to teaching and was having a really great time with a new class of 11 adults who were lots of fun to teach (and helping me lots with my arabic) when I started hearing from some of my students about the facebooking going on organising for demonstrations and protests. This was very useful to start with as a teaching aid as I got to cover a whole new set of vocab having debates about political change, class structure, poverty etc!!! Three weeks ago the first protest took place on a national holiday (funnily enough it was the national police holiday!! no policeman around - good plan!). That was all very peaceful and my students came back to school on the Thursday with a mix of emotions about whether they could really cause political change.

At this point it was all very peaceful and we didn't feel threatened at all. That evening however the phone networks were taken down and so we had no way of contacting anyone. The next day, Friday, the government also took down all internet connection in an attempt to curb potential protests. After morning prayers though, the first major protests took place in Alex, Cairo and Suez. By 5pm that afternoon we were advised of a curfew being put in place and I was stock piling buckets of water in our flat as there was a rumour the water was going to be turned off too! That night was relatively quiet in our area although not downtown, but the next day it really started to kick off. It's hard to know how much of the rumours we hear are true or not, we hear that prisoners were deliberately released by police to scare the public, we hear that the secret police had a lot to do with the violence that then ensued.... whatever is the case we know for certain that the protesters had burnt out all police stations during the night on Friday and that the police fleed and were nowhere to be seen.

The police stations were raided and weapons of all kinds were quickly out on the street. David and I moved across a few streets to stay with Paul & Sandra as they have a tv and so we were able to watch some news coverage and find out more of what was going on. That first Saturday night was the most scary as at first we didn't understand what was going on, the curfew came into place at 4pm and as soon as that happened there were large groups of men out in the street armed with any kind of weapon you can imagine from baseball bats, machetes to rifles and hand pistols. There was a lot of shouting and fighting and gun fire. We saw some horrendous beatings of people, but as we listened to the men shouting we started to understand that these were local people who had formed their own 'security' neighbourhood watch groups and the people they were grabbing were trying to loot shops and break into apartments. Basically that situation developed over the next few hours to be the most organised system of residents looking after their own that I have ever seen or imagined. The men set up road blocks, check points and a one way system through our neighbourhood so that any strangers to the area could be spotted and checked. They have been doing this day in, day out until now. They have a system of signals, wear home made arm bands to identify themselves to the area and have a set call for attention when there is trouble so that they are all supporting each other. There was a very bizarre moment when I was stood on the balcony looking down into the street and a tank drove down the street below and parked up!! Since then we have had tanks and soldiers stationed around the area working alongside these 'neighbourhood watch' guys.

A truck of men with swords tried to break into an apartment block near ours and we could hear gun fire for about half an hour straight. This was the way for most of the first week. All across the city there was gun fire, explosions, nobody sleeping and massive protests. We could hear the protesters marching past on their way down town to the main square. We never ventured down there but the people I know who joined the protests described them as peaceful until the police started to intervene and then the violence escalated. I have seen children with rifles, men making petrol bombs, dodged bullets bouncing off the balcony as shots were fired in the air to scare looters, and even got caught on a street with a man who fired his gun just next to me! We were hearing all sorts of rumours about the British government advising people to leave, but with no internet and no phones we had no way of finding out or booking a flight if we wanted to! Having not slept for four nights and the situation spiralling David and I decided when the phone network came back up that we would try to go somewhere else. We managed to get a flight to Dubai and arrived there last Tuesday night. It was really emotional packing a suitcase as at that point nothing was certain and we thought we were leaving for good. Given an hour and one suitcase it was very stressful trying to decide what to pack! Still, it did show me that whilst I am often very materialistic, when it came to it I was able to walk out the door with a few sentimental items but put the rest down to 'stuff'!

Having said that the idea we were leaving our home and never coming back was horrible. Anyway, enough of that, we stayed with friends in Dubai and I'm glad we did as by all accounts Wednesday and Thursday last week were really scary here. By the weekend though we felt we could return as things had begun to calm and the internet was reinstalled, so we flew back on Sunday and are now back in our flat in Alex.

Things are ok, food is available although expensive, there is no money available yet, no cigarettes (that's one way to make me quit!), the internet seems to be back up and working ok, the phone network is still being a bit sketchy. Our water keeps periodically going off and the rubbish situation is getting pretty dire! There are piles of it everywhere and the smell is horrendous, but the people are doing what they can to bag it up and clear it into piles whilst they wait for some kind of collection service to resume.

The road blocks are gradually reducing and the men patrolling the streets are becoming fewer. In the day it feels relatively safe although things are all a little odd as people begin to return to normal life around the mess of the 'revolution'. Where I've ventured I've seen ransacked shops, burnt out vehicles and police stations but also people trying to get on with things, like the helpful people who have taken over the traffic direction after the disappearance of the traffic police!

So we are safe and well, I even went down to work yesterday as it had reopened and caught up with my friends there (they were very surprised to see me!). Harry's school is hoping to re-open on Sunday. The curfew is still in place and we still hear some gun shots (I stood next to a man yesterday who was trying to conceal a big gun in his trousers, he wasn't very successful!) but things are sooooooooooooo much calmer and safer than they were. It just remains to see what happens tomorrow as I hear rumours that there will be big protests again after morning prayers. Generally the protesters are all peaceful and do not want violence, it is only when the police and secret police step in that the massive problems have happened so hopefully the powers that be have twigged that now and will leave the protesters alone to demonstrate peacefully.... otherwise it will end up like last week again when it felt very much like the brink of civil war. Fingers crossed we are still a very long way off that!

There we go, sorry for the long email - you know me, never one for saying things concisely!!! Hope you are all well and I will be in touch again soon."

Roses are red, violets are blue. Valentine's is a trap for people like you!

The beginning of February means only one thing - Valentine's Day is just around the corner, which means more misery for singletons around the globe. But what about those of us that are in a relationship and are therefore forced by our 'better' halves to participate in this corporate money-making scheme?

Once a year we are forced to go out shopping or spend hours scrawling through online shopping sites, looking for that perfect gift to show our loved ones that we care. All the high street stores get excited and start putting those vomit-inducing red devil bears and heart pillows in their windows, making everywhere you turn look like a low budget chick-flick movie. We all know its incredibly stupid and yet we still traipse round for days on end trying to decide what is the perfect gift and settling on a cliche, cheesy cuddly toy - something really sad like a rabbit holding a heart, only to hand it over on the big day and be told to try harder next time. And what do you get? A pair of socks.

Its almost as though it has become acceptable to ignore your better half for 364 days a year and then on one day, you have to act all loved-up again, like the day you first met. And of course, you have to spend your money on tacky toys that are stored away in the cupboard under the stars the very next day and completely forgotten about. Its not like a birthday (which is odd; celebrating surviving on earth for another year?!) or Christmas where you can ask people what they want and order it on the Internet; having it delivered on time (sometimes) and without moving from your chair. Oh no, Valentine's Day is up to you to think of something appropriate and 'wow' your loved one. What would be appropriate would be to save your money and not fall for the retail world's get-rich quick scheme.

Does anybody actually know what we are celebrating? Surely someone didn't just invent a day for expressing your love - you can do that any day of the year and if you really do love someone, you don't have to wait for one specific day of the year to demonstrate it. According to my old friend the Internet the actual meaning behind Valentine's Day is simple:

"Experts state that Valentine's Day originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine". Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine."

So there you have it. We are celebrating the fact that somebody died. Seems an odd thing to rejoice over to me. Who is this St. Valentine and why is he never mentioned in the real historic events that took place since the world was invented? Was he there at the birth of Jesus Christ? No. Was he present during any of the world wars? No. Was he behind the fall of the Berlin Wall? No. He was just some Roman who left a message to a friend - it wasn't even a lover?! Thanks to him, singletons are made to feel extremely lonely once a year whilst couples are forced to waste money on junk for no real reason for one day in every 365.

Have I got it all wrong? Is this shambolic day actually worth celebrating? Forgive me, but my partner knows whether or not they are loved and I certainly have nothing to prove. Having said that, yes....the Mrs will be receiving a cliche, cheesy cuddly toy from me on February 14, which I will no doubt pay over the odds for - after all, it is Valentine's Day(!)

EMA - Easy Money Acquired or a deserved study reward?

So, today's the day the Government are due to make a decision on whether or not to scrap Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

For students, today has the potential to be disastrous. If your annual household income is less than £30,810 and you are aged 16,17 or 18 about to leave compulsory education for a further education course at a college or Sixth Form, you receive £10, £20, or £30 per week (depending on your family's circumstances) for attending all your lessons punctually. Essentially, its money or nothing!

Actually, its blackmail! The idea behind EMA is that students have financial help in order to pay for all the books, stationary and transport costs associated with going to college. In reality, students are being paid for going to each lesson at college. How much does a few textbooks and pens cost? No more than £100 surely – meaning three weeks worth of money should cover it; why continue being paid EMA for every other week of your term?

I myself benefited from EMA during my time at Sixth Form, whilst studying my A-Levels. Honestly, my decision to study A-Levels was not spearheaded by a desire to be gifted £30 a week of government money, more to gain the qualifications that I would need in order to be successful in life. Unfortunately for me, many students at my college were only there to pick up £30 a week of taxpayers money. They had no desire to learn or achieve anything and would come to college each day, mess around and go home every week £30 richer. Did the fact that they had no qualifications bother them when they left? Of course not, they could just walk into another college or go straight into a low-paid job where they could earn enough money to survive.

For me, I did not need EMA for travel. I lived only 20 minutes away from college. As far as books were concerned; yes I should have perhaps bought a few but why bother spending money on something that I could borrow for free from a local library (remember those old fashioned things?) As far as stationary was concerned, I only needed a notepad and a pen and I was good to go, meaning my EMA was spent on my social life.

Dire Straits sang about Money for Nothing
- does EMA follow the same principle?

Whilst it is easy to generalise and tarnish all students with a money-grabbing brush, it is true that some students do travel to college and travel costs these days are far from cheap! However, it is only around £80 for a student to purchase a termly discount (with that infamous student discount tag), which means that again, they only need to use up three weeks worth of money.

At the risk of not only insulting and shocking every student in the country, but also sounding hypocritical, I believe that to scrap EMA payments is no bad thing. However, for those that rely on it for transport costs and textbooks, why not replace it with a start-of-term loan of around £150 that should cover students for the whole term. Whilst EMA has the benefit of being an incentive for students to attend each lesson, why not make the start-of-the-year loan non-repayable for those that achieve excellent results throughout the term and for those that don't, ask for the payment to be returned. At least that way those that are only attending college to pick up some money for nothing will have no reward for their idleness. For those wanting to achieve, they get money to spend on resources they need that they do not have to pay back – its win-win for both the student and the taxpayer.

Yes, students who do not have rich parents need some money to go out and let their hair down but this does not need to be at the expense of government money. Why not do the unthinkable and get a weekend job somewhere to support yourself through your time in college? That way, we are teaching our youth the benefits of working and getting them used to being self-sufficient. That's my view, but then......I'm no government minister.....

Students, please feel free to rant and rave below.....

Foursquare: four better or four worse?

It's finally happened. While the world has been busy talking about the upsurge of question and answer based social networking website Quora , fellow social networking site Foursquare has hit the headlines as the first ever case of cyber stalking has impacted upon the online world.

Reports from various national newspaper titles, including Metro and Scotsman, are detailing the account of a 26-year-old man who was cyber stalked by a 22-year-woman tracking his location constantly through location-based social networking site Foursquare.

It took me a while to sign up to the location-based website, that asks you to 'check in' at venues from your mobile. Facebook was my first social networking guilty pleasure and then when that lost its charm, I turned to Twitter. In fact, only late last year did I finally succumb to Foursquare. Why did it take so long for a self-confessed social media addict to sign up? For the very reason it is hitting the headlines now.
The victim states that they were "left under siege for nine months by dozens of e-mails, calls and texts every day from a woman he only met for a matter of minutes." The alleged stalker is reported to have started showing up at a number of places the victim checked in at and harassing him as she took up the pretence that she was interested in employing him.

I saw the dangers associated with Foursquare from the very beginning. Surely letting everyone know where you are will leave you vulnerable to potential stalkers? Just like the furore over Facebook places (which, like Foursquare, asks you where you are situated in the world) which erupted over the statement that to share with everyone when you are away from home can leave you vulnerable to burglaries, there is a lot of privacy leakage within Foursquare.

Originally, I didn't particularly want anyone to know where I was and equally did not think many people I knew really gave a damn either way but the added incentive of achieving Mayorships and unlocking badges each time you check in at a destination makes the website strangely alluring and it was upon this basis that I signed up.

Before you ask, no I have not been stalked or burgled as a consequence of using Foursquare (touch wood!) and neither am I likely to be purely for the fact that I am careful how I use it. Only a fool would put their own home and full address onto Foursquare and repeatedly check in (believe me, I have seen some full addresses on there, which would have been very useful had I been a thief!) and even to check in to your local area is a risky business for those that like to keep their privacy. However, to check in elsewhere surely poses no risks?

Foursquare: Is it really a dangerous website?

In truth, it is actually incredibly difficult to stalk someone on Foursquare. The only people that see your check-ins are those that you have requested to be your friend on there, or whose friend request you have accepted, (except the handful of updates on the site's homepage, which, due to the amount of users signed up, are only there for a few seconds before changing!) beggaring the question why our victim accepted his stalker in the first place. OK, so he did not know she would turn out to be a complete obsessive but when she kept turning up at the same places he visited, did the thought never occur to him to delete her as a friend? (A resource that Foursquare offers with very simple instructions!) Just as with Facebook Places, it is nigh on impossible to stalk someone you are not 'virtual friends' with, even if you are their friend in real life.

Of course, no web developer is going to bear in mind of the risk of a complete nutjob stumbling across your online profiles when creating a new social networking website for in reality, there are few and far between. However, as with any social networking site the need for careful use by the user is of paramount importance. I'm sure you wouldn't put the dates of your holiday on your Facebook status, even if it is just 'friends' that can see (as long as your profile is set to private!) just as you would not paste your entire address on Foursquare in the knowledge that when you checked in somewhere else everyone knew you weren't home.

More than simply a bit of fun, Foursquare also offers significant benefit to businesses, as there is an option within the site to leave tips on check-in points, such as 'try this particular coffee bar for cheap, great-tasting espressos.' Furthermore, as the Wetherspoons trade once tried themselves, a business can offer exclusive deals to their Foursquare mayor as an incentive to keep visiting the establishment (Foursquare works on GPS so it is almost impossible to cheat the network.)

Foursquare is not a dangerous website and although the idea of it can potentially breach privacy, it is down to the individual user to filter the information they share themselves. Just like any other social networking site, Foursquare must be used with a pinch of common sense in order for it to become a fun and safe medium for expressing your views. In this particular case, it would not have taken a genius to work out how is was possible that the alleged cyber stalker kept turning up at the same places as the victim! When using social networking, you are putting yourself at the helm of the public domain and must reserve some dilligence at all times. If something is suspect, act to bring it to a halt or report it to the relevant authorities before it cascades out of hand!

Last year, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that cyber stalkers who harass people on social networking sites could face jail under a new crackdown. Restraining orders are available that can ban offenders from posting ‘any material relating to a victim on sites including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter’. Social networking is beginning to hammer away at your everyday life and as such, is being treated seriously by the authorities but at the end of the day there is no better way of securing privacy than by monitoring your own online activity.

Clegg's cuts cause capital chaos

"I rang the Liberal Democrats office yesterday and asked if I could purchase a written copy of their manifesto. 'I'm sorry,' I was told. 'We've sold out.' I said 'I know, but could I get hold of your manifesto please?"

Nick Clegg: A sell-out?

I voted for them. Nick Clegg impressed me during the infamous live Leader's Questions broadcasts. He portrayed his party as the only real alternative to a struggling Labour and an old fashioned Conservative rule. I never expected them to gain any sort of power but a vote for them was a vote against the other parties. Democratically, they didn't gain any power and yet somehow we now have a Tory-Liberal (Con-Dem-Nation) coalition at the helm and already the country's government is beginning to crumble.

The Liberal Democrats have sold out on so many levels since they joined the coalition but University fees was perhaps their biggest turnaround yet. Pre-election, Clegg and his band of merry men targeted the young people's vote by promising to abolish university tuition fees altogether. Students were leaving university with record levels of debt under fees of £3,100 a year and Clegg wanted to make life easier for those looking to learn. However, upon the dawn of the General Election, he began to creep backwards on his pledge and insisted that to abolish tuition fees altogether would be very difficult, instead pledging to 'significantly lower' the amount. The last thing anyone expected was for him to veto the Tory idea that universities in England will be able to charge tuition fees of up to £9,000 per year from 2012, as the government transfers much of the cost of courses from the state to students. Understandably, the nation's students petitioned against the ruling.

I sympathise with those youngsters who want to better themselves by going to university and originally agreed with their decision to petition - after all, this is allegedly still a nation of free will and speech so let them take to the streets to voice their opposition. However, my sympathy abruptly left me when I saw just how the students chose to protest. Three weeks of violence, vandalism, graffiti and disorderly behaviour followed on the streets of London and other large cities. Rather than the peaceful, diplomatic protests we were expecting from our young minds, we got behaviour that can only be described as feral. These people are meant to be our future and yet rather than tackle government the most effective way, by leaving a lasting impression from a peaceful and carefully orchestrated protest, they quickly turn against the entire British public by defacing such landmarks as Nelson's Column. Following such behaviour as that shown on the video below at 30 Millbank, (home of the Conservative offices), I am now all in favour of doubling the tuition fees again to £18,000 to pay for the repairs and maintenance that our country's streets and buildings need after students' violent reactions.



I never saw the true merit of university for myself. Throughout my educational life, I always wanted to avoid the route to university. I always wanted to be a journalist and didn't want to spend 4-6 years of my life proving I was worthy. No, instead I wanted to get the required qualifications as soon as possible so I could start doing the job that I so wanted. I did an intense 6-month NCTJ fast-track course. It was tough, but I did well and left to go straight into work on a local newspaper. Keeping in touch with my old school and Sixth Form friends who went onto university I only ever heard bad reports. Regrets that they are still studying and accruing more debt whilst I am in work doing the job I always wanted to do and earning. OK, I'm far from rich - in fact, I just about earn enough to scrape by but at least my figures are not in the minus as they could have been if I had gone to university!

On the other hand, they too have their stories. Unfortunately they are not always tales of remarkable academic achievement. Some have left university and nosedived straight into unemployment facing a UK jobs market that doesn't look like picking up any time soon - four years of their life wasted when they could have gone for a job prior to university when jobs were more widely available. Other tales are of mass drinking sessions, parties and general debauchery whilst at university - the kind of behaviour that we saw in the protests; far from the settles, clever academic youth that we expect to lead our country forward.

Of course, for some careers university is a must. It is the only place where you can learn all the necessary skills that you will need in order to succeed in your chosen career - where would potential lawyers be without a university education? Yes, university has a wealth of plus points but it is not the be all and end all of your life. Depending on your chosen future career, university is either invaluable or an unnecessary commodity. Plenty of people have boycotted the institution and gone on to do well enough without it. £9,000 is a tough amount to rake up in fees that aren't always necessary for the career you want to go in and if you are facing financial problems at university, try not wasting what money you do have on wild, overblown parties. The odd one to let your hair down is fine but every month or term is ridiculous! Finally, if you would like to show you displeasure at a government decision, do it peacefully and respectfully. Governments are far more likely to listen to diplomatic protests than they are to respond positively to violence and vandalism.

Think about it....university - and debt - is not the only option..........

Cheryl Cole - is the nation losing its sweetheart?

Blogging about the X-Factor is not something that I enjoy doing too much - after all, anyone who is anyone seems to have a blog on the subject these days and the public are at risk of being X-Factored to death this year! I've done quite well. I've only blogged about it once (now twice) when I championed Wagner and do not consider it a secret that I am a fan of his. In fact, I was all set to write a moany old blog post about his departure on Saturday after he was left in the bottom three, only for the unthinkable to happen and him to be passed through to the next round.

However, what annoyed me more than if Wagner had have lost the public vote was the way that Cheryl confronted him on national television about a comment he made about her in the press. Why? Because there really was no need!

Do we remember Cheryl Cole? Apparently, she's the nation's sweetheart. Plucked from Girls Aloud to marry Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole, the country quickly fell in love with the Geordie lass. Why? You tell me? I never really quite got her. Is it because she likes to speak her mind? No, I've never really seen her do much on The X-Factor except agree with Simon Cowell as she looks to keep her job. Is it because she is a talented singer? A matter of opinion but, erm.....no. So why is it? More than likely, its because she married an England footballer and became the English-residing version of Victoria Beckham.

Regardless, all of a sudden everyone loved Cheryl Cole and she happily played up to the admiration, glancing sweet smiles towards every member of the press she happened to spot whilst out and about. Until Saturday, that is, when she thought it appropriate to blast Wagner live on air for a newspaper comment she read allegedly quoting her as a 'council estate girl who got lucky.'

Cheryl Cole: Pulling her 'happy' face again

In actual fact, Wagner's quote was heralding the dramatic rise to fame of a council estate girl who got a lucky break with her talent. He was actually praising the judge but because she feels his place in the competition is questionable, she felt it necessary to confront him during a live show.

Anyone who thought Cheryl was a sweetheart will have quickly changed their opinion of her, upon seeing Wagner's surprised face as she confronted him. Not only is it hugely unprofessional to air the private lives of a contestant on a show that is allegedly about singing talent, but for the woman who has been misquoted in the press over a hundred times, it is downright hypocritical.

Would I expect my boss to criticise something I said about him in passing in front of my editorial team? No, I'd expect him to take the matter behind closed doors to discuss amicably!

Of course, the press has also said it's fair share about Cheryl's contestant Cher Lloyd but would Cheryl ask her about her alleged sexploits in the house on live television? No. Would she ask her about allegedly womanising young boys live on air? No. For Cher is not Wagner.

Assuming that the X-Factor is indeed based on public votes then there is no shortage of Wagner fans out there - how else would he have eclipsed Paije and Aiden in the competition? Why is he so liked? Because he is great fun! OK, he's not the best singer (unless he is singing opera) and his rendition of The Beatles' 'Hey Jude' was shocking but at the same time it was hilarious and more importantly, great fun! And that is just what you need in a competition that is being taken far too seriously. 

Wagner: He's not here to be taken seriously 

Have you actually looked at Cheryl's face whenever another judge dare criticise one of her acts? She looks as though she has just been dealt a personal blow to the face. If she is to continue as a judge on the show then surely she needs to be able to handle criticism. Furthermore, did you see her face when it was revealed Cher was in the sing-off? She looked as though someone had taken her own daughter off her. The worst thing is, Cheryl and her acts truly do believe they are a family and that is why they have become so painful and dull to watch. The X-Factor is meant to be an entertainment programme - not a reflection on the fortunes of Cheryl Cole and she needs to understand that a vote against one of her acts is not a vote against her.

Upon confronting Wagner on the live show, she then proceeded to argue with the members of the public that phoned in the Xtra-Factor, questioning the professionalism of her actions - yes - Cheryl Cole ranted and argued with the very public that helped put her on a pedestal so many years ago! The very people that made her as famous as she now is! The very people, whose following actually helped get her a place on the judge's stool for The X-Factor in the first place. And then, she spat on them all, in favour of a bitchy tirade at someone who is only there to give the public something to smile about on an otherwise lacklustre Saturday night.

I'm not looking to vilify Cheryl Cole. She has done that to herself. I merely want to point out how dull the programme is becoming and furthermore, how dull it would be should Wagner be voted out. He and Louis Walsh are the only two in the entire programme who are not taking it too seriously. Judging by everyone else's reactions, anyone would have thought that the exiting contestant was put to a firing squad after each show......

That would certainly make it more interesting...................................................

Virus provides a Thinkpoint for all non-technicians

"Treat your computer password like your toothbrush. Don't let anybody else use it, and get a new one every six months." ~ Clifford Stoll

It's good advice. Nothing is more important than computer security - I learned the hard way.....

It's the weekend so I take the journey with the Mrs. from Coventry to Birmingham to drop in on the parents. A quick hello, friendly chat, drink, a bit of dinner will suit us both and enable us to unwind after busy weeks. That's the plan but as soon as the Mother answers the door, the plan disappears in a puff of smoke.

No friendly 'hello,' no 'good morning welcome', but instead the panicky voice of a woman who thinks her life might well be over. And why? "John, the computer's got a horrible thing on it that won't go away!"
No, a spider had not crawled on it, instead it had caught some sort of rogue anti-virus software, known as Thinkpoint. 'Oh dear' I thought, but that, apparently, wasn't enough!

Now I am by no means a technician. I'm a journalist and although I have picked up web practices working in online media over the years, when faced with a computer virus my first thought is 'how much does a new computer cost?'

Thinkpoint - I think the point is to
cause you hours of suffering

Unfortunately for me, the family computer back when I lived with the folks was also known as the John computer - I was by and large the only person that really used it and since I moved out, the little brother's started college and needs it frequently. Cue me then, by no means qualified to play around with a computer virus but the most computer-literate person in the family - yes, I got lured into having a look!

My next thought was let's destroy my friend's weekend. Irfan Yasin is the web developer I used to work with in Birmingham - a highly knowledgeable and thoroughally useful chap when it comes to all things computers. I gave him a call and he confirmed that Thinkpoint is a virus. Did he know how to fix it? Are computers here to make our lives easy? No, so I was on my own. A 'Google' search and I found a step-by-step guide to removing Thinkpoint and with help from a bloke known simply as 'Alex' via the magic of Twitter, I managed to bypass the virus and reclaim the desktop by manually launching Explorer. May I add at this point that I had no idea at all what I was doing and managed to bluff my way through a simple tutorial over a number of agonisingly long, painful hours.

I got the desktop back but the virus was still there. Instead of blocking me from accessing the computer, it was scanning the Internet settings doubtlessly searching for credit card numbers to pilfer away! I needed to do something quickly but the joy of public transport meant that I was about to miss my very last route home to Coventry - I needed the quickest solution in the history of the world!

"Never let a computer know you're in a hurry." ~ Author Unknown

No chance! As soon as it looked like I had killed off the virus for good (checking msconfig for the hidden batch files and launching super anti-spyware), lo and behold the computer decided that it had been overworked and promptly crashed. I restarted the computer and guess what - it wouldn't even load up the start screens - had I killed the virus or inflicted another on the machine? The only way to know was to reinstall EVERYTHING! - always good when you should have been on your way home an hour ago!

"Jesus saves! The rest of us better make backups." ~ Author Unknown

Cue hours of reinstalling Windows, printer material, Office software and the like meaning that by the time I did go home, it wasn't via public transport but via a private taxi firm at some ungodly hour!

But guess what? Windows was successfully restored with no trace of Thinkpoint. Don't ask me how I did it - I really don't know but the first thing I did was brag just a little to Mr Yasin. Let's put this into perspective - I'm a journalist, not a technician.

It took a long, long time to do and I still don't know exactly what it is I did to destroy Thinkpoint and restore the computer but after the harrowing experience, I am inclined to wholeheartedly agree with the following quote:

"Computers must be female. No one but the creator understands their internal logic. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else. The message "Bad command or file name" is about as informative as, "If you don't know why I'm mad at you, then I'm certainly not going to tell you." Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for later retrieval. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it." ~ Author Unknown

For more information on Thinkpoint and to find out how to destroy it from your computer, click here

Searching for truth in Paranormal Activity 2

Its the film that everyone is talking about and also the one that campaign groups want banned for fear of viewers reading too much into it but is Paranormal Activity 2 really all its cracked up to be?

As someone who never saw the first film, strictly does not believe in the paranormal and has never actually been remotely frightened by any sort of 'horror' film in the past, I couldn't help being a little skeptical as the Mrs dragged me out to see it. A couple of hours later and it had certainly left an effect on me.

Let's get one thing straight - Paranormal Activity 2 is a scary film but not in the way you might expect. It is extremely cleverly edited so that it lulls you into a false sense of security from the very beginning and then begins to manipulate your paranoia as soon as you become comfortable. Everyone has some sort of paranoia-driven fear. Walking home in the dark alone, you always feel uncomfortable when you hear a noise and there's no-one around. Hearing noises when you are in bed coming from an empty room or seeing something fall off a shelf on its own - even your pet dog barking at absolutely nothing at all. These are the fears that Paranormal Activity 2 play upon but it is not so much the fear than the tension the film creates.

Not since the remake of King Kong has a film managed to gather as much tension as Paranormal Activity and after a bizarre opening twenty minutes when you meet all the characters who are set for a disturbing end, there is not one point throughout the film where you actually feel comfortable.

The film is written so that the majority of the paranormal activity occurs at night and for the first few minutes, you are put on edge as you see inexplicable incidents like a pool cleaner moving on its own and pans falling without being touched. The scenes quickly change to the next morning where the participants of the household are discussing the bizarre events that transpired.

There is a huge onus on the film as to whether or not it is based on any element of truth and certainly until half-way through the broadcast, it is a credible story - even for one who has no time for paranormal fantasies. However, as the ever approaching shadows of the paranormal become larger, the film begins to tail off and lose all credibility.

From random doors closing and children's toys moving on their own, to a grown woman being swept off her feet and seemingly thrown down a flight of stairs, Paranormal Activity 2 quickly turns from a half-believable tale to a hyperbolic nightmare (if you will excuse the pun!) For there is no way that a spirit can drag someone into a cupboard, cut their body open and posses them and even less way that these events can be caught on some sort of CCTV equipment.

However, although such events are a stark contrast to the opening, slightly believable occurrences, the genius of the film is that it maintains its tension and continues to play on your fear of the unknown. Not your fear of being possessed by a spirit but your fear of a loved one being possessed or perhaps more realistically, placed in grave danger and about to draw you into it as well. The film raises a moral argument as to whether or not the family husband will try and help his wife or just flee from the property altogether.

Unfortunately for us, he chooses to help her and there the film unravels to make a mockery of its original credibility. He becomes embroiled in a fight with the spirit with a typical Christian cross and comes off worse for wear as the film switches from being a modest video diary camera documentary to a rip off of The Omen. Its hard to describe the futility of the latter part of the film, especially when compared to the opening hour, without giving away the ending to those that have not yet seen it.

And yet, as you leave the cinema, there is something about Paranormal Activity 2 that still has you on edge. OK, the latter end was extremely unbelievable but throughout the entire film there was always something lurking that refused to allow you to sit comfortably. Perhaps the film is based on a true story and spirals out of control at the end or perhaps the 'based on a true story' tag is just a marketing ploy to attract audiences and give the production some sort of authenticity, thus making it all the more frightening?

Hopefully it is not the latter, for the film was certainly more credible and scary as it developed, before it became a seething mess of traditional, clichéd horror gore. Whether it is true or not is up to the audience member to determine based on their own personal beliefs and experiences but that aside, you cannot fault the film-makers for their genius. Never before have I been on the edge of my seat for an entire movie, start-to-finish and as I returned home and received an anonymous phone call with nothing on the other end, I have to admit to being just a little spooked.

Why I'm rooting for Wagner to take the X-Factor crown

I'm not about to pretend I'm too cool for the X-Factor like a lot of journalists like to dupe you into believing but nor am I an addict. Having watched a few series in the past and being rather unsurprised at what had come out of the show, something about the current series really has me gripped. No, its not the quality of the acts and nor is it the judge's comments, rather the fact that the show has become so old, its now something of a bad joke.

Whilst it is true that not since the 2008 show that featured such contestants as Alexandra Burke, JLS and Diana Vickers, the X-Factor has produced such gripping entertainment, nor that there will ever be as popular and successful a winner as Leona Lewis, I wouldn't have thought that those involved in the show would have succumbed so openly to public opinion that the series really has become old hat.

You don't agree? Then let's look at the blatant bias and ignorance of the X-Factor by first looking at contestant Wagner.

The X Factor: The series really has become 'old hat.'

“He can't sing,” is often the cry of many who return to work on a Monday morning shocked that the alluring Brazilian has managed to escape the public vote for another week. To a point I agree. The songs that he has been given to sing, he cannot perform vocally but anyone who insists that Wagner cannot sing is just downright ignorant. What strikes me as odd is that the X-Factor is a singing competition, as music mogul Simon Cowell repeats on the show almost every five minutes and by vocal ability, Wagner is one of the best! 

Did you see him in the audition stages? He was not talking the words to a camp disco song in embarrassing style but instead, exhaling some of the finest, note-perfect opera that you are ever likely to hear from a non-established performer. Yet opera is apparently not popular with the Saturday night television-viewing public and so instead of singing what he wants to sing, Wagner is given camp disco songs and made to look as talentless and humiliating as Jedward, the jokes from the last X-Factor series. And yet, we know that Wagner – unlike Jedward – does possess a powerful, commanding voice but its an opera voice and according to Mr Cowell, that's not popular enough (despite the fact that he signed opera quarter Il Divo in 2004!)

Elsewhere, arrogant, self-loving Cher is allowed to sing whatever she wants on the show. Apparently, the X-Factor is a singing competition but that doesn't mean Cher isn't allowed to rap week in, week out. With all due respect to rappers – it isn't hard. Its fast-talking and you can easily notice when Cher does attempt to sing that her voice is less than average. So Cher is allowed to rap but Wagner can't sing his powerful opera?

Let's see the judges put Mary Byrne in colourful Lycra and have her singing Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. OK, it wouldn't be the nicest sight ever but it would definitely make the competition a lot fairer. Yet instead, Mary, who does have an impressive voice, is allowed to sing her old fashioned big-bang songs every week, drawing nothing but praise from the judges for her vocal talents. Yet Wagner isn't allowed to sing opera? Are old fashioned big bang songs more popular than opera songs? I certainly wouldn't have thought so!

And so it is that poor Wagner, a potential opera star in the making, is forced to make a complete fool of himself on national television every week as he looks for a lucrative record deal doing what he loves most.

Wagner: One of few talent show contestants that actually has talent.

Elsewhere, Simon Cowell has turned his groups category into an equally poor joke. Instead of persisting with Pussycat Dolls – like group Hustle to the live finals, he chose the two groups he put together himself and as these are now the only groups left, he is choosing to put all his weight behind boyband One Direction, seemingly ignoring his girl group Bel-Amie, neither of which, by the way are particularly interesting, nor are they as vocally talented as Wagner!

Then you have Katie Waissal (or Katie Weasel) as I like to call her. Not only did she cause outrage after allegedly having a record deal over in the USA* before the show began, but she is probably as bland a singer as you can get. No spark, no stage presence and certainly no talent, Weasel should be thanked for finally making me realise that the show is a complete joke this weekend. For instead of coming out on stage and singing a reputable, interesting pop song she went traipsing round like a monkey, singing King Louie's “I wanna be like you” from something out of The Jungle Book stage presentation. Cringeworthy it was, entertaining it wasn't and yet somehow, the four judges (one of which has a failed music career, the other a career born out of marrying a footballer and the other two reputations as big-money label owners, not singers!) found it one of the best performances of the night. Add to that the judge's pathetic schoolboy spats and grudges and you have a programme that is well past its sell-by date.

And yet, I'm still watching. Why? Because there are some poor people in this show who are genuinely talented. No, not Cher Lloyd, not Katie Weasel but the likes of Matt Cardle, Mary Byrne, Rebecca Ferguson and yes, Wagner who should be given his chance at singing opera in a live show.

I'm no opera fan but I appreciate talent and see it in Wagner in abundance. So, whilst the X-Factor judges insist on making the entire formula of the show a joke, taking sides and favouring specific acts with rules for some and different rules for others, I'm one of the few that are trying to turn the joke back on them and actually create a worthy winner. Full credit to Wagner – he doesn't complain and returns each week with a smile on his face and bags of energy and passion, despite being made a mockery of. Wagner can sing and is more of a talent than these alleged talent judges can see – that is why I am rooting for Wagner to win the X-Factor!

*X Factor contestant Katie Waissel already has a record deal

What is the best thing about Bromsgrove?

So here's the situation - a colleague has to go and pick up a signed editorial confirmation from somewhere in Bromsgrove (Royal Mail has so far failed him). He cannot get time off work to go from Worcester - Bromsgrove in the week so wants to convince his girlfriend that Bromsgrove is well worth her spending a day at so that she can pick up his confirmation on his behalf.

We 'google' attractions in Bromsgrove and are given the following results: 

The Mailbox, Birmingham

The Pallasades, Birmingham

Earlswood Lakes - none of which, of course, are actually in Bromsgrove!

Gough PR - undisputedly the best thing about
Bromsgrove!

So I ask the question to my 274 Twitter followers, the majority of which work or live in the Midlands - surely someone will have knowledge of Bromsgrove? As always, I got answers but it seems that Bromsgrove is not one of the most exciting places the Midlands has to offer. Here's some of my favourite replies:

"The A448" - Peter Hitchman

"There's a chip shop. It does cheesy chips - that won me over!" - Caroline Ashton

"You'll struggle for sightseeing - although the Church is 'nice'" - Richard Harris

"We have a swimming pool?" - Natalie Adcock

"The only reason I ever go to Bromsgrove is to go through it on my way to Birmingham" - Lorien Adey

"We are based in Bromsgrove!" - Gough PR

So there you have it - the best thing about Bromsgrove is between a road, a chip shop, a swimming pool, a church, a train station and the Gough PR office! 

Thank goodness we managed to fix our fax machine!

"I give it six months"

It only seems like a week ago that the Birmingham Press were proudly announcing the launch of their website and the fact that it actually was only last week is evidence of the shocking downfall of the publication – an event that many joked about but never truly saw coming.

Born in April 2010, died in October 2010, six months hardly justifies an impressive business plan for the newspaper that was meant to rival BPM Media. Its 50p introductory price never actually changed from 50p meaning that the initial £1 retail value never saw the light of day. So what is it that belittled the Birmingham Press' claims that it will take readership away from BPM's Birmingham Post? Is it possible to rival a company so widely reputed as the Midland's biggest publishers or are newspapers in fact a dying breed of which only the established, traditional titles can expect to survive?

The Birmingham Press - even when pressed,
failed to deliver

The truth is, the Birmingham Press' independent publisher Chris Bullivant, shot himself in the foot when he announced upon the newspaper's launch in April 2010 that it was going to rival BPM's weekly Post titles. Its a bit like Bristol City gaining a shock promotion from the Championship and insisting that they are to challenge Chelsea and Manchester United for the Premiership title – not going to happen. And what was Chris armed with in his battle against Birmingham's most established and popular paid-for title? A host of redundant Post journalists and a couple of freelancers thrown in for good measure. In effect, The Birmingham Press became the Birmingham Post mark two from its very conception!

Had Mr Bullivant simply undergone his independent business away from the media spotlight and not immediately challenged BPM, who knows how long he could have traded? His Observer series has survived battle from smaller, city-wide BPM publications and even The Birmingham Independent and Midland Independent titles managed more than a year trading, without threatening BPM's business empire.

Of course, a business can develop too quickly. Within only a couple of months of The Birmingham Press being launched, Mr Bullivant decided to introduce a free title that was delivered to households throughout the West Midlands – The Birmingham Free Press. Again, this was only launched to challenge The Birmingham Post Lite – a free newspaper run by The Birmingham Post that was delivered to South Birmingham homes. Then, just six weeks later they launched their website, leaving a total of 1-2 months to really work on the brand identity for The Birmingham Press, undoubtedly not long enough. And let's be honest – their website was horrific to say the least.

The Birmingham Free Press was never
any competition for The Birmingham
Post Lite

As a personal web user I have issues with the navigation and presentation of the Birmingham Mail website but compared to the Birmingham Press the Mail have the most impressively designed website in the world. Let's be honest, The Press site looked as though a five-year old had designed it. Enormous tabs only linking to the contact us page and scruffy text and image boxes with no css input, all squashed against each other with no room to breathe. If I wanted to get up-to-date with Birmingham's latest news stories, I wouldn't be able to do it properly here! In fact, the very fact that this British business had a .com domain and used their .co.uk domain as a holding page told you that their web developer was anything but a senior.

Is it at all possible to release a weekly newspaper that can rival BPM's titles or is the newspaper industry just completely dead? These days, setting up a new printed product is a risky move with the launch of online news and in particular, video news and social media but it can be done. All you need is your own unique target audience and a firm social media presence. The Birmingham Press had none. Their readership target was the same as The Birmingham Post's as they looked to take readers away from a newspaper as opposed to bringing in a new market to Birmingham's weekly media industry. What's more, The Birmingham Press has never been anywhere near present on websites like Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. Not only is social networking vital in the media industry to get to know your PR and business contacts, but also to develop your brand amongst those in the know. The Birmingham Press had no real brand – it was not allowed the time to develop any kind of reputation or prestige in the media industry.

And so I am reminded of the words of former Birmingham Post and current Business Desk Editor Marc Reeves . Upon the first ever issue of The Birmingham Press going on sale, Marc said five words which have rung true to this very day - “I give it six months.” Or perhaps PR Guru Chris Brown's quote on Twitter is more relevant: “What a waste of money.” Whilst it is always a shame to witness the destruction of any new form of printed media, you could not help but think that this was coming throughout the newspaper's small existence. As Bullivant complains to The Office of Fair Trading about BPM's alleged unfair advertising prices, he can only blame himself for his newspaper's failure after he seemingly did everything wrong.

To read more on this story at Hold The Front Page, click here

Is Steve a right little Jobsworth when it comes to trainee journalists?

Much has been made online about a young trainee journalist, currently in the middle of studying for a journalism degree, contacting Apple's press office and receiving a less than polite response. The student in question, Chelsea Isaac's was set a simple task by her college - to write an article about the implementation of an iPad program at the campus. Naturally her first port of call for comment was Apple's press office, whom she phoned – six times. Becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of reply, she plucked out an email address from the web that she believed to be none other than Steve Job's and sent him an email asking for comment, stressing that the article was vital to achieve a high grade.

Steve replied putting bluntly that the firm's main aim is not help people achieve high grades but to deliver an efficient service to users of Apple products – fair enough, right? However, Chelsea had tried the press office to no avail and like any dedicated budding journalist, she pressed for an answer. Again, Steve replied stating that he would be unable to help her with her request as she was not contacting him in regards to a complaint about an Apple product.

Steve Jobs - A man who simply did what I would have done.

Chelsea persisted, insisting that she is an Apple user and had a query that could only be answered by the Apple press office, again stating that their co-operation was vital to help her achieve a high grade. Steve replied simply: “Please leave us alone.”

Is Steve wrong to refuse to co-operate with Chelsea or is she not going about the job of a young journalist correctly? Perhaps Apple's press department are to blame for not answering any calls – God only knows there is nothing more annoying than someone having a phone they never answer.

Many would argue that your opinion depends on the industry you come from – everyone knows the (healthy?) rivalry that exists between journalists and press officer's. Many a time I have called a large global corporation myself and not had any sort of reply from their press department or furthermore, been promised a call back that I had never received because they just can't be bothered with regional press. But then, you come to expect that in this line of work. Regional journalists and regional PROs depend on each other just as national journalists and global PROs co-exist together. Swap one with the other though and more than often the 'little' people just repeatedly get ignored. I'm not knocking Chelsea for her persistence – for that she gets top marks and has certainly proved that she possesses one of the most important skills to become a successful journalist but the severity of her issue is questionable. Did she really have to go directly to the Apple press office? Could her local store not have helped her or perhaps the college's own IT department? There are many people you can approach before you need to go straight to the top in business!

Of course, I'm not defending Apple's press office. What is the point of having a press office if they are not happy to liaise with the media? OK, so she is a student, not a qualified media agent but why should this prevent her from getting the information she needs? One day, she could well be a journalist and in a few years, could even be the person that Apple rely on to publicise the launch of their latest newfangled product. The fact is, the press office of any corporation exists to provide comment and information for the press, whether it be national reporters, regional press or trainee journalists and Apple's own press office is doing the brand a huge disservice by not responding to Chelsea's calls.

I've attacked everyone so surely now it must be the turn of Steve Jobs to get a bit of stick? I'm no fan of his or indeed Apple's – I was strictly a Blackberry user until it crashed and burned on me and even now am reluctant to turn to the iPhone - but here, Steve is not personally at fault. If I was the CEO of one of the biggest brands in the world, I would probably do the very same – ask an irritating, nagging wannabe journalist to just go away and leave me alone. At the same time though, he must accept some responsibility for his lacklustre press office. They are not helping his brand by ignoring upcoming journalists and only further the pessimistic opinion that Apple's PR only get in touch when they have something new to promote – a                                                       theory I have myself experienced in the past. 

Whether it actually was Steve Jobs replying to Chelsea's emails or not will always be debatable but whoever it was must have come from within the Apple family and are therefore hitting their own career-self destruct button. I doubt that Chelsea ever got the comment she was after from Apple's press office but must understand that hassling the CEO of a global corporation is not always the best way to get what you want.

To read more on this story or to see the email exchange between Chelsea and Steve Jobs, read the story on the Guardian website