Got My Bloodstock Tickets Booked!

So next year I will be super busy, with all my studies for being a nurse. Luckily I have paid off for a holiday to Egypt (with my boyfriend) but now I have bought tickets for Bloodstock Festival 2012. Between 10th-12th August next year I am going to be at the heaviest metal fest in the UK and I can't wait!

The line up includes Alice Cooper, Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Hatebreed, Anvil, Orange Goblin & Paradise Lost with many more to be announced across 3 stages. Bloodstock have been known to book well known acts along with unsigned but talented bands. It's purely about the music, so I'll be sure to be there drink in hand, hopefully enjoying the sunshine and rocking out to pure metal, sounds like pure heaven! I love camping as well, and since I'm going with friends (and the boyfriend, of course) it'll be sure to be a good laugh, although I won't be staying HEL site as you'd be ejected if you make noise after midnight (it's the family campsite, fair deuce), I plan on staying up with friends and recovering when I return home.

Up until 15th December 2011 tickets for the whole weekend + camping is only £90 each on the early bird deal, so if you love metal and want to go, you need to get moving a buy a ticket NOW!

Visit the site http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/ for more information. It'll be an epic weekend!

Comedians making "jokes" about disability, again.

I can't help but notice lately than some comedians have caught the attention of the media for making jokes about a certain group of people and that's people with learning disabilities. Frankie Boyle, Ricky Gervais and Jimmy Carr have been criticised for making jokes about people who have learning disabilities and in particular people with down's syndrome.

I'm a big fan of comedy and I love to see stand up shows but I think these jokes about learning disabilities definitely cross a line. All kinds of people and cultures are targetted by comedians but the difference here is that many people with learning disabilities are not able to stand up for themselves, have conditions that they certainly did not bring on themselves and face enough challenges every day and don't need added challenges brought on by this kind of ignorance.

Hate crime against people with learning disabilities is still a problem that is far from being solved, with the death of Gemma Hayter at the hands of people she considered to be friends (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-15723053) and the case of Fiona Pilkington the mother of Francesca Hardwick, a woman with learning disabilities who took both of their lives after years of being targeted for hate crime (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/sep/28/fiona-pilkington-suicide-mother-police), condoning bullying of people with learning disabilities only hinders the efforts to reduce hate crime against those with learning disabilities. Many people with learning disabilities face harassment and bullying on a regular basis, the bullies will hear the jokes made by these so-called comedians and use it against those they are bullying.

I notice that these comedians will offer some sort of apology but will try to justify their actions, in the case of Ricky Gervais he persistantly used the word "mong" and tried to justify it by saying the meaning has changed. I doubt the people who face these insults feel the same way. I also have to point out that he used the word to describe Susan Boyle, who does have a learning disability (but not down's syndrome, of course). I have also noticed that Frankie Boyle has implied that people with learning disabilities wouldn't understand what he's said, but many actually do and they understand that they are mocked for something that is not under their control.

I can't help but think you've hit the lowest of the low when you feel that you have to target vulnerable people in our society.

Confession: I love Dr Martens

I am obsessed with Dr Martens boots, I only have 1 pair at the moment but I want MORE! I've never been lady like or particularly girly but I do like shopping for clothes and make up, and Dr Martens just suit my style (or at times lack there of). They are perfect for shopping, partying, going to gigs, damn it I'd wear them everywhere given half the chance, only downside is that they're a touch out of my price range hence I only have one pair at the moment.

I love this pair at the moment, I like floral prints and they'd look great with jeans and dresses. I hope somebody can buy me a pair for Christmas.

Are Phobias Weird?

I ask this because I do have a strange phobia: Tomato Ketchup!

I've realised that every time I mention my phobia everyone either assumes I'm weird or I'm lying, I prefer people to think I'm weird because those who think I'm lying decide to try me. I've had panic attacks caused by people waving blobs of ketchup on a chip in my face, then they get shocked that I'm crying and hyperventilating, I warned you didn't I?

I have to wonder if I turned round to somebody and said "I have a phobia of heights" would they then force me to skydive from a plane? Or if I said "Spiders really care me" they then start throwing tarantulas at me? I sincerely doubt it, so why do they have to force me to be in close contact with the dreaded red sauce?

You may say "It's an irrational phobia! Ketchup never harmed anyone..." I am fully aware of this, deep down I know that I won't die if some did land on me (eeeeurgh the thought of it!) but that doesn't mean I don't want to be sick whenever I smell it. All phobias are pretty irrational, some are understandable though.

Many people have phobias, I'd guess that most people do it's just that some are more common than others. Whether the phobia is of the dark or of cotton wool, it may be irrational but not really all that weird!

The Best Rock & Metal Bands EVER!

The last few blog posts have been pretty serious and politcal so I want to do something a bit more light hearted. I love metal, I do like other genres of music as well, in fact I like most things (apart from hiphop and most r'n'b) but I think metal has to be my favourite of all time. To celebrate my love for music, here's a list of some of my favourite bands! Yay!

AC/DC

This is a band I was fortunate enough to see at Download Festival in 2010, they don't come to the UK very often. Originating from Australia, this band have been going since the 70's and are known the world over. Some of my favourites include "Highway to Hell", "A Whole Lotta Rosie" and "Rock and Roll Train". Seeing their set on their very on stage (they literally had their own stage used exclusively by them next to the main stage) was an amazing experience, they were just absolutely brilliant.

Metallica

Another band I have fortunately seen live, this time at the O2 in London in March 2009. This was also my younger cousin's first gig and I was proud to take him to this one. This is a band that have been going since the 80's and I would still say their earlier ablums were the best. They sadly lost their bass guitarist Cliff Burton 25 years ago in a traggic accident in their tour bus, but they have kept on going and are considered by many one of the greatest metal bands of all time.

Alice Cooper

Real name Vincent Furnier, not really much of a rock name is it? He is better known by his stage name and persona Alice Cooper. I saw him perform at the Camden Roundhouse at Halloween in 2010, and this has to be one of the most theatrical music performances I have ever seen. On stage he dies about 4 times by different methods and is the original shock rocker and was emulated later on by Marilyn Manson, but Alice Cooper remains the original and the best! His career has covered 4 decades and his best known song is "Poison".

System of a Down

This band is probably one of the most unique bands out there and have performed songs with some of the craziest lyrics but most actually have an underlying political message, the band originate in LA but have Armenian descent. I saw SOAD in Brixton, London in 2005, they were another great live band and there was lots of moshing! I love this band mostly for the fact that they so sound so different to other bands and really do have their own unique sound!

Avenged Sevenfold

This is the first band on my list whom I haven't actually seen live but I enjoy their music none the less. I actually listen to their second album "Waking the Fallen" before I'd heard their first album "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet", but that's because their first album was possibly their weakest. A lot of their music have a lot of biblical content when you read into, even their name is after a passage from the bible but most notably their song "The Beast and the Harlot" which is based on the Book of Revelations. My point is, this band can write a song pretty much about anything, whether it's film, religion, love, philosophy. They sadly lost their drummer in December 2009, James "The Rev" Sullivan, this was a hard time for the band but they have returned with their album "Nightmare".

Iron Maiden

This is a band I am so desperate to see live, one of my best friends is a member of the Iron Maiden fan club and she has seen them many times, I am very jealous! This band is another band whose existence spans decades, but have had a few changes in band members but still remain metal legends. They have had one UK number 1 hit and that was in January 1991 with "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter", possibly a reaction to Cliff Richard's "Saviour's Day" being Christmas 1990 Number 1 the previous week!

Rammstein

This is a band I am going to see in February 2012 and I am extremely excited! This band sing almost exclusively in German (some lyrics have been in English and Russian etc) and have what I'd say is quite an industrial sound. If you ever translate their lyrics in English (that's if you don't already speak German) some of the words are quite shocking but still have a point to them! Their shows are known to be spectacular and from what I hear they put on a great performance, which is why I am very excited. I feel that it's actually their overall sound that makes them stand out.

That's pretty much it for now but I do have so many other bands that I enjoy listening to but these are my Super Seven (random number tbh, ah well!). I find metal that metal has some of the greatest talent and most brilliant sounds, and can express music to go with every kind of mood. Unlike X-Factor types metal artists work hard to get to the top and only the genuinely talented have careers that last.

Thank you for reading... Stay metal!!

Teen pregnancy down - but that's not enough for some MPs!

Another article in the Guardian caught my attention today http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/16/anti-sex-drive-nadine-dorries about MP Nadine Dorries' proposal that we should teach abstinence only as a compulsory part of the sex education curriculum?

My concern is that she is focussing on girls, that somehow it's always down to the females to say no and forgetting that sometimes boys are pressured into having sex before emotionally ready. In fact, many teenage boys feel under pressure to act "the man" and get with girls.

Teen pregnancy is at the lowest rate in the UK since the 80's, at the moment we have an evidence based curriculum that gives young people the facts. Meanwhile, in the US in states where abstinence only sex education curriculum is taught teen pregnancy is at a much higher rate. The evidence is that ABSTINENCE ONLY SEX EDUCATION DOES NOT WORK!! If we give young people the facts, they tend to make up their own minds. They are already taught that they have the right to say "no" and to only do it when they are ready, and that's not necessarily going to be when they are married. I completely disagree with Dorries when she says it could combat sexual abuse, because it hasn't worked that way for America either!

I have a feeling that Nadine Dorries is just trying to enforce her own personal and religious view into parliament and into law. Just like how she proposed that women having abortions should receive pre-abortion "counselling" from pro-life and religious organisiations, she's now trying to push her religious opinions into education with no real evidence at all to back up what she has to say. Personally, I see her as a chauvinist who's trying to limit the choices women have over their own bodies.

Big companies exploiting young jobseekers?

Hello everyone!

I read another article in the Guardian (I read this one a lot, you probably guessed) it's titled 'Young jobseekers told to work without pay or lose unemployment benefits'

I think unemployment is awful but making people work for big companies for free is probably the worst way to go about this situation. If big companies like Asda, Tesco, Poundland et al can get free labour from the government they are far less likely to recruit more people into paid positions. Also by sending people on these work experience placements and stopping their benefits if they pull out the government are taking away time they could be spending on going to interviews and finding a suitable job. This is taking advantage of poor people who would have no option but to provide big companies with free labour, this is exploitation at it's worse. This offers no solutions.

If the government want to bring in a work for your benefits system they should at least be sending job seekers to charitable organisations, this way at least they will be doing something worthwhile with their time not just put into a supermarket and told to just work. Technically at the government the government are saving big businesses money on recruitment and paying employees, it could be argued that the government are providing private organisation state subsidies they could be in breach of EU law.

I think as usual the government are looking out for big companies and not the "little people".