Share it with the World...

Facebook. Twitter. Flickr. Youtube.

All have become household names in the past months and years. They are ways of networking, sharing photos, thoughts, and contacting Friends and the World. They are incredible.

But are we really aware of just how far a single photo on Facebook can spread?? Should we really be posting all our memories on the internet? It is called the Worldwide Web for a reason; do we really want anyone and everyone to be able to invade on our lives?

Selling your children...

This week we heard Brad Pitt explain why he and Angelina Jolie sold photos of their New-born twins in 2008 to Hello! and People for an estimated £8.75m.

"I know some of these guys who are in that Stalkerazzi world" Pitt said "And you really have to seperate them from the Papparazzi in our industry. That's another breed."

Brad Pitt

"We figured, 'Let's cut it off in the beginning', and instead of that money going to people I do not respect, we could make some good out of it."

The money is reported to have gone into the Jolie-Pitt Foundation charity.

But when every Proud mother begins posting pictures online of their newborn baby, who knows where they may end up?



Joan Goodchild, CSO



Joan Goodchild, senior editor of Chief Security Officer, online helps to point out some of the Hidden Dangers.

She says that:

• Your information is being shared with third parties

• Facebook ads may contain malware

• Your real friends unknowingly make you vulnerable

• Scammers are creating fake profiles

• Privacy settings revert to a less safe default mode after each redesign

This last one is particularly important, as such redesigns have taken place very recently. To put it simply, every time Facebook changes, all of your information is made public. It is important to check your settings and amend them after these design changes.

For some people, having the most friends is a key part of using Facebook. What they don't realise is that an estimated 40% of Facebook profiles are fake. If you have 500 friends, that's a potential 200 fake people.

Your only as Protected as the weakest of your Friends

It only takes one of your friends to be hacked, for all your information to go public, and potential viruses etc. to be sent straight to you.

Be Careful What You Post


Sarah Richardson



Of course, sometimes a post doesn't have to go all the way round the World for it to end in disaster.

Sarah Richardson was stabbed to death, in a frenzied attack, by her estranged husband, after changing her Relationship Status to single.

Camille Mathurasingh was stabbed to death 20 times by her ex-boyfriend Paul Bristol, after he saw her with a new man on Facebook photos.

These events seem extreme, and indeed very rare, and seem to indicate a problem with the murderer, not Facebook. However, one British police agency recently reported the number of crimes they've responded to in the last year involving Facebook climbed 346 percent. These are real threats.

Social Networking is a double-edged knife. Fantastic for keeping in touch with people, but perhaps in some cases too many, or the wrong people.

Monkeying about...

A sad, moving and in some ways disturbing video was released this month, showing a group of Laboratory Chimpanzees seeing the Outside World for the very first time. Their shockingly Human reactions strike a chord in the heart, as they hug each other for support as they enter this brand new Environment.

Click Here to see the Video

We all know Chimps are not far off being Human, so why are we still treating them as a much lesser species?
We all hate torture of Humans, but why do we not care so much about torture of our Primate relatives?

The life of a Chimpanzee is full of small pleasures. Freedom, swinging through the trees and Family. Why then, do we find it so hard to treat them fairly, and instead lock them in labs and Zoos?

When will we realise it's not just Humans that count? I fear that these wishes will not be granted soon enough.

A Crime Punishable by Death

The Death Penalty. Now non-existent in Britain, but still used in over 35 States (October 2009) in America. 

This week it has been brought into a Controversial Light, after Troy Davis was executed in Georgia, despite most of the witnesses leading to his sentence later changing their testimonies. The murder he was accused of committing took place in 1989.

So is the Death Penalty right? Should we bring it back? Or should the US follow us, and abolish it? With those questions asked we instantly step off the firm ground of opinion, right onto the thin ice of Controversy.

Let's start with the easy stuff. The Facts.

The Death Penalty was first introduced to the UK in 1707 and was abolished in 1964. The Americans introduced the Penalty in 1608, and  according to the "Espy File" 15,269 people were executed in the United States and its predecessor colonies between 1608 and 1991. There were 46 executions in 2010 alone, including one by electric chair, and one by firing squad.

Ronnie Lee Gardner (1961-2010) Executed by: Firing Squad.

Ronnie Lee Gardner, seen above, was sentenced to death for fatally shooting his Attorney, on the way to a Court hearing for a Homicide that he also committed. His first Murder was committed in 1984. His Second, the Attorney,  was 1985. He successfully kept his case in Court, with a series of appeals, for nearly 25 years before he was shot by Firing Squad in 2010. Whilst in Jail, he also stabbed another inmate.

For even this man, whose whole intent was to murder or cause bodily harm, surely the firing squad isn't suitable punishment? Isn't there a more humane way? Or is any form of execution equally inhumane?

In my opinion any form of killing someone, is in itself Murder. OK, OK there are exceptions; Hitler and his Nazi colleagues, serial killers and serial rapists. There are some people who don't deserve a place in even the darkest of Prisons. And I know that if someone I know directly was murdered, that I would want the Murderer to be punished. But to be killed?

They say two wrongs don't make a right. Surely this is the same for murder. Two people murdered and nobody's happy. But where can you draw the line between who should be sentenced, and who should be condemned?

According to Isle of Wight Conservative MP Andrew Turner, (2 August, 2011) that line is those who "killed children or Police Officers." He used the all too familiar stories of Ian Brady (pictured above) and Myra Hindley, Roy Whiting, and those who murdered Baby P.
Mr Turner also said that a Parliamentary debate should take place to discuss the matter of Capital Punishment, and whether or not it should be brought back. He said the Death Penalty is the "proper punishment" for those serious crimes.

Amnesty International responded by calling the penalty "a cruel relic of the past".

At the same time, a Government petition website was launched, giving campaigners and the public the chance to initiate Parliamentary debates. You must secure 100,000 signatures to be eligible for your idea to be debated in the Houses of Parliament.

So far the Petition to "Restore the Death Penalty" has 21,139 signatures (22.09.2011) whilst on the same day, the Petition to "Retain the Ban" has 29,592 votes.

Jeremy Croft, head of Amnesty UK's policy and Government affairs, said "In our experience public support for Capital Punishment falls dramatically when people are confronted with the grim reality of what it means to put a person on trial for their life, and then kill them."

He said that he was also concerned about miscarriages of justice such as the Birmingham Six, the Guildford Four and Stephen Downing.

Leicester City Councillor Barbara Potter, however, said "I believe in an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life" Adding "I'm a mother myself, so I want to keep them as safe as possible."
"With all the DNA technology we can be 100% sure that someone is guilty and when we are 100% sure that this man has killed this child and the evidence is there, then capital punishment is appropriate."

We get you want to keep your child safe, as any parent would. And we get that some criminals are evil, evil people. But there is a chance that someone may be killed, and that a few months later that last little bit of evidence will be revealed which proves them innocent. Can we really take that risk?

In my view, no. If I could would I have ensured that Hitler was executed? Yes, of course I would. Would I have done the same of Myra Hindley? Probably, yes, but I struggle to actively say that I think it is ever going to be a good thing to end somebodies life. War Crimes, Holocaust, Mass Murder, Torture. These things perhaps deserve to be punished by death. But surely in almost every single case, there is a form of repentance, of regret.

Forgiveness is not something we do for somebody else, but for ourselves, to help us get well and move on. Times have changed, and maybe death isn't the answer to death.

Is it all worth it?

   This year, unemployment rates hit the roof across the UK as we blasted our way to over 2.5 million jobless people across the Country. In 3 months alone, 80,000 people joined the crowds of unemployment, official statistics tell us. That increase alone is the largest for almost 2 years; and as we stand the jobless rate now stands at 7.9%.

   There's more doom and gloom hitting the Unemployment News; the number of people claiming Job seeker's Allowance also rose by over 20,000 and Youth unemployment rose by 78,00 to 973,000.
In other words, the number of Young People across the UK now unemployed, is almost three times larger than the entire population of Fife in 2009.

   Statistics like this begin to make you wonder; is it worth it? For Students south of the border, you could be paying £27,000 for Uni, just to face a 1-in-10 chance of not being employed. Compare that £20,000+ debt to receiving up to £53.45 on job seekers allowance, and you may begin to think that maybe Further Education isn't such a good idea.

    Of course, the Student Fees haven't yet made over the border to Bonnie Scotland, or at least not to affect Scottish Students. Edinburgh Uni, St Andrews Uni and several other Universities will charge UK students to study there, with some reaching a cost of £36,000 for a 4-year course.

   But it isn't all good news in Scotland. A recent NUS Scotland survey discovered that:

61% of students worry frequently or all of the time about finances

62% said that not receiving enough money was having a negative impact on their studies

50% had been forced to access commercial credit (credit cards and the like) to get by

68% were working more than the Cubie-recommended 10 hours per week with 47% of these said that combining work with study was having a negative impact on their studies

36% considered dropping out due to financial worries, with 89% of these saying “not having enough financial support” was a key reason for considering this

NUS SCOTLAND, Still in the Red report

    This is getting ridiculous. People deserve education, in fact it is a Human Right. So why should you be allowed to study because of your money, not your knowledge or intelligence? All the Politicians seem to say is that they are there for us. They are there for the less well-off in the Country.

   Yet introducing such ridiculous fees, will merely make a terrible inescapable escalation of the poorer not being able to afford education, not being able to get a job, getting poorer, their children receiving worse education, not being able to get a job... You get the idea. But apparently the Politicians, who are representing US may I add, do not catch on so fast.

   The idea that in the long run, the amount they will be paying out in Dole money, will soon overtake the amount they are saving by their steep, and dangerous cuts. Surely it is their responsibility to make Jobs, not ensure the closure of more retails, factories and businesses, whilst hiking the cost of fuel, food and other necessities by increasing the VAT rates.

   Just how much further can they go, before the volcanic eruption of bankruptcy, unemployment and homelessness that is already showing signs of coming, finally blasts its way into the Houses of Parliament, and they realise the Errors of their ways.

   You may think I'm being harsh, perhaps it's not all the Governments fault. Well, no. You're right. We could blame the banks perhaps? Or perhaps the old favourite, Gordon Brown? 

   They, along with others, may well have initiated the UK's problems, but let's face it, the glorious Con-Dems have hardly helped. The VAT rise causes less high street income, meaning more businesses closing, which, in turn, means more unemployment, more dole money... We are back to that vicious circle again.

I may be being selfish, only focusing on the Young and Unemployed, as there are far more people, and far more problems, in Society than that. The Elderly, Single Parents and Families. That means the Government must help with Pensions, Child Support, and need I even mention, Crime, Health care, the BBC, Transport, the Armed Forces, Defence, along with Education, Employment, Dole... You can see why they may be ever so slightly strapped for cash.

It's going to take time to rebuild a stable economic climate. Let's just hope we will survive the storm, until that Day finally arrives.

Apollo 18

In a week where NASA released new photos of the moon, to help prove Astronauts have been there, a new Paranormal activity style Horror has been released, set on the eerie lunar surface.
Apollo 18 follows the tried and tested "found footage" approach to Horror, but takes it to new Heights. To the Moon.

Based on a supposed further flight to the Moon, the astronauts on board Apollo 18 are attacked by a mysterious and seemingly invisible force on landing, and their fight for survival is shown through CCTV cameras located across the Shuttle and Moon.

What looks to be a good Scare, could also appeal to the fainter-hearted, surely the night to follow won't be quite as bad, knowing that the creatures on the Moon are 240,000 miles away... Or will it?

However the film pans out, one thing I can say for certain is that it will be "Out of this World"

Question of the Week: Tell me something I don't know about you?

Tough Question as posed by Media Lecturer, Colin Somerville.

So many things, and yet so difficult to think of things on the spot (or should that be blog-spot...)

I think the most surprising thing in recent months, was that I was part of a Community film which was shot across Fife this Summer. A first-of-its-kind project, which took people from the community and turned them into Actors, Actresses, Writers, Set Designers, Costume and Composers.

The story of the film focusses on the 1926 General Strike, and the ensuing Miners Lock-Out. It features family stories of participants in the project, and you can see the emotion on members faces, as the story of their parents or Granparents are acted out in front of them.

The film, now in Post-Production, has been burning away in Director Robert Rae's mind for 4 years, and has been running workshops in the community for almost a year. The film is due to be released next Summer.... How exciting!!

Click to see the Mini- shoot here!

The Twins of the Twin Towers

Tomorrow marks the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks on the Twin Towers.
As thousands once again prepare to show their respects to those who lost their lives, TV Channels across the Globe have been desperately searching for that new twist, that one thing that will shed new light on the fateful day in 2001.
Programmes covering Conspiracy Theories or the effect of the Ash that lingered days after the collapse of the World Trade Centre have been hitting our screens, but the one that really has that Je ne sais quoi is a BBC Documentary, originally shown on Tuesday 6th 2011 entitled simply "The Twins of the Twin Towers".

Over 2,735 people were killed in the ferocious attacks, and a number of them were Twins. This hour-long documentary looks at how the Surviving Twin coped without their "Other Half".
The Twins asked why they had survived, and not their sibling. Many of the Twins blamed luck, others blamed fate, whilst one said that she felt as though her brother had told her not to enter the building, even though he was already dead.

The connection between the Twins seemed unbelievable. One Twin told of how he felt nothing until the 2nd tower fell, at which point he got up and told his Boss "I'm leaving. My brother just died".

A very powerful and moving documentary, which offers a brand new twist on the all too familiar story of that awful day in September 2001. If you're going to watch a programme about 9/11, then choose this one. Not for the easily upset as it contains distressing images.

8/10

Entry #1: First Days of College

This week I started my NC Media Production Course in Glenrothes. The Course focuses on all aspects of Media; Journalism, TV, Film and Radio. We also study Media Analysis, Multimedia and Art and Design.

Media is something that has always intrigued me; and being a naturally nosey person, it's right up my street!

I am particularly interested in Journalism, but am keeping my mind open to all possibilities as I progress through the course. Even if I do choose to pursue Journalism as a career, there is still the choice of which form. Radio, TV and Newspapers all host a wide variety of Journalism, and to me all of them seem very exciting.

I'll be using this Blog to discuss my studies, and also taking it as a chance to share my humble opinions on News and Current Affairs.

Watch this Space!