Wednesday 6 May 2009

Blog Questionnaire

Age: Over 21
Sex: Female
What is your degree subject (both if joint)? Creative and Professional Writing and English
Does ‘Being Bad’ relate well to the other modules you are taking? I do not think it has much relevance for English, but it could be helpful for creative writing.
Have you found ‘Being Bad’ too demanding, too easy, or at an appropriate level? It is pitched at an appropriate level.
Do you think the list of topics covered on the module was appropriate? Yes
Are there any topics not included in the module that you would like to see included? No
Do you think that the format for classes has worked well? See below
What did you think of the module team? They provided some very interesting and thought provoking lectures. They are a brilliant team.
Do you think it would have been better to have had more?
Small group discussions? Yes – I think more people would have contributed to small class discussions rather than trying to contribute in a very large lecture theatre.
Discussion and debate among the class as a whole? No – I think the large lecture theatre was not conducive to having meaningful debates. Sitting at the front meant I could not hear what people at the back were saying, it would be helpful if the lecturer could repeat what had been said, presuming their hearing is better than mine.
Information and talk from lecturers? Yes
The approach taken in the module is interdisciplinary (drawing on perspectives from English Literature, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Media Studies and Politics): do you think this a useful way of approaching the topics covered in the module The interdisciplinary format worked well for this module, as that was the intention.
Do you think that interdisciplinary modules are a good idea? No - I would personally prefer to take extra modules in creative writing and English, as that is what I came to University to study.
Do you think you have benefited from the interdisciplinary approach taken in the module? I really do not know the answer to this one.
Would you like to see more modules that cover this kind of subject matter? No – this one was good.
Are you planning to take the follow-up module PH2004 ‘It Shouldn’t Be Allowed’ at level 2? I have not decided yet.
Would you recommend ‘Being Bad’ to a friend? Yes
Do you think that the blogs (web logs) were a good idea? The blog component of the module was the thing that I was dreading the most. I had not looked at blogs before. Creating blog entries turned out to be a very interesting and rewarding activity - In fact I became addicted to it. I am very grateful to the Being Bad module for introducing me to the brilliant world of blogging. I will probably continue to be a blogger as I had such fun. (Or I need to get out more and stop being such a sad nerd).
What did you think of the other assessments (e.g. would it be better to have one longer assessment rather than two shorter ones?)? The two short assessments were good, although it meant having to write in a lean way and focus on the main points. It would have been nice to have a greater choice of topics for the last assignment. I was hoping for questions on bad comedians and alcohol.
What have you learned from the module? Lots - it has all been very good.
What parts of the module have you found most useful and why? All of it, but especially the blogging as it has introduced me to a whole new world in the blogosphere. I would never have got into blogging without this course, so thank you.
What parts do you think were a waste of time and why?
It has all been useful and relevant.
Are there any other comments you wish to make regarding ‘Being Bad’? - Just to say thank you to Dr. Jones and his team for a very informative module, and for teaching us how to blog. It was a good learning experience.

Alcohol


Here is the last posting on bad behaviour. Today GMTV reported that the gender gap for binge drinking is getting narrower with double the number of women binge drinking in recent years. There has also been a steady increase in drinking amongst the middle-aged and elderly. The ‘safe’ limits do not seem realistic for a lot people; many are either ignorant of the safe drinking limits or in denial and do not want to think about them.
There may be something more profound going on in society which is making people, especially women, want to get hammered regularly.
Is life more stressful? Are people feeling nihilistic about the future with the planet boiling up under the effects of global warming? Is it the credit crunch? Is it down to successful advertising? Do women feel they have achieved equality with men, including drinking like men ? Are people feeling depressed? Are people becoming too self-indulgent with growing levels of consumption in all aspects of life? Or is because people are bored?
It could be all of the above, and lots of other reasons.
The level in young men has reduced – why? There was a suggestion that more young men are smoking cannabis instead; there is certainly a trend locally in Shropshire for ‘grow your own’ amongst young males.
This article has links to information on safe drinking limits – that is if anyone gives stuff and would like to know.

http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=34687

Monday 4 May 2009

Comment - Throwing food away

http://beingbadwolv.blogspot.com/

Hi Ashley,
I am sorry you found English food so revolting, and had to throw stuff away. At the farm shop this morning here in rural Shropshire they were giving away leaflets on the bad behaviour of wasting food. A third of the food we buy gets thrown away. This is appalling, and as you quite rightly point out it is dreadful for the environment. The link below gives tips on how to avoid so much waste, and how to use leftovers.
At lot of food thrown away is still in date.
Standard guidance is to adhere to ‘use by’ dates, and never use eggs after this date.
Some foods with ‘best before’ dates on have a bit of leeway – just use common sense. If it looks past it, bin it.
I think supermarkets are to blame with all the special offers, encouraging people to buy more than they need. I suspect that accounts for a lot of the waste problems. It may also be contributing to obesity as people feel obliged to eat all these extra things.

http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/shropshire

The baby P case



This child’s death was harrowing. Little Peter was found dead in his blood spattered cot with a broken back and fractured ribs. He had sustained over fifty injuries, and had been grotesquely abused throughout his short life. His mother and his killer stepfather are facing life sentences.
The actions of Peter’s mother and stepfather are beyond evil. Peter’s grandmother told reporters that her daughter was manipulative, and that her boyfriend was obsessed with violence. Haringey Social Services were vilified for missing the serious risk Peter’s ‘carers’ posed. Psychopaths are calculating and devious, and this pair could have easily conned the social work team.
Peter looked a beautiful little boy and it is incomprehensible how anybody would want to harm him.
Peter’s stepfather is also guilty of raping a two year old girl.
The bad thing about this case is that this evil monster has had the audacity to appeal against the evidence because the main prosecution witness, i.e. the victim, was only four when she gave her evidence.
Peter's mother and srepfather were not tried in court under their real names, for fear of an internet hatred campaign influencing jurors. Why should evil people have the right to be protected when they have committed such brutal acts? They should be exposed and made to face the consequences.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090504/tuk-baby-p-stepfather-may-appeal-6323e80.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8029832.stm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/baby-p/5257667/Baby-P-stepfather-convicted-of-rape.html

Comment - Gordon Brown

http://stripeybees.blogspot.com/


Hi Briony,
I had a good laugh reading your post on Gordon Brown, and I totally agree with you that the man is a complete tosser - literally - I did not realize that has temper tantrums and throws things like laser printers around. He is exhibiting bad behaviour, and should be setting a good example to the rest of the population. You said that he expects people to sanitize messages they have to give him - sounds like he does not want to hear the truth and is a bully.
He use to annoy me by going on about how ‘prudent’ he was; in fact all he has done over the years is stealthily rob the population, which is a bad and underhand thing to do. Now he is presiding over a bankrupt Britain. His Youtube performance of manic grinning scared the life out of me – he may have been trying to charm the voters, but he just looked incredibly sinister. I confess to having to turn the TV off when he and his ‘Darling’ are on because those two Muppets annoy me so much.

Comment - Dangerous driving

http://beingnaughty.blogspot.com/


Hi Zoe,
I’ve just spotted your posting on dangerous driving, and it links in with a posting I’ve made on speeding. I did not realize that the Portuguese lorry driver, who killed a family of six, only got a three year sentence. This is appalling and sends out the message that dangerous driving and speeding are not serious offences. If the jail term was thirty years or more for something like this , then it might curb the reckless behaviour of these drivers, or at least make people think before doing daft things on the road.

Saturday 2 May 2009

Speeding


Scottish footballer Lee Miller is awaiting trial for speeding at 120 mph in a 70 mph area. He is just typical of many high profile cases of speeding footballers. A lot of top footballers think they are above the law, and because they have the money for high performance vehicles, they speed. It is frightening being on the road when some maniac screeches past, well above the speed limit. It is dangerous and anti-social. I hate fast cars and have no respect for drivers who try to 'impress' by speeding.
The government is considering bringing in tighter speed limits. Some urban areas will have limits of 20 mph instead of 30 mph, and some danger spots in rural areas will be reduced from 60 to 50 mph. I think this is a good thing to do; it appears to be backed up by statistics showing that there should be a reduced mortality and morbidity rate. (Cynically) - It will also rake in more money for the government from speeding fines, as people are caught out by the changes.
It will however do nothing to reduce the risks of accidents caused by footballers,joy riders, people high on drugs, or under the influence of alcohol, who probably account for a lot of the problems on our roads caused by speeding and dangerous driving.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8009364.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8022487.stm