Weekly News

The Mothers Secretly Working as Sex Workers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38128523

This BBC News article caught my attention as it isn't a headline you usually see on the news. Straight away it made me feel sorry towards the mothers who have to go to such lengths just to be able to provide for their children.

The woman's names included in this article have been changed to protect their identity. "There are thought to be around 72,800 sex workers in the UK and the majority of them are women." The reason many of these women decide to sell sex is very simple - money. The mothers seem to keep their work separate from their children by having two phones and keeping clients away from their homes.

I find it very sad that such a large amount of mothers feel the need that they have to sell their bodies in order to sufficiently provide for their children. One mother in particular, 'Jenny' entered prostitution when her severely disabled daughter was just 18 months old. She said this was due to the "desperation" for money. Yes she did receive benefits. However, she said it was only enough for rent and food and not the "£1,000-a-week cost of hiring a nurse." Not to mention the high risk of danger than comes along with their line of work - an estimated 152 sex workers have been murdered since 1990 and 2015. This just shows how desperate these mothers must be to provide for their children. 

Weekly News

Children's charities to get X Factor single VAT money

Children's charities such as Together for Short Lives and Shooting Star Chase will receive 100% of the profits from each download of the X Factor winner's single. This is happening for the sixth year running.

The winner will be named on the live final on Sunday 11th December, where the song will be downloadable afterwards.

The CEO of Together for Short Lives, Barbara Gelb and David Burland, chief executive of Shooting Star Chase are both 'extremely grateful' and describe it as a lovely Christmas present. They also point to the fact that "Fundraising in today's economic climate is proving increasingly difficult" which is the harsh truth of today's society.

I think this article might raise the importance of helping children in need and hopefully encourage people to donate to a charity this Christmas. I believe X Factor is setting a good example by doing this and it should be something done by many more businesses - especially during Christmas time as more emphasis is put on helping others than any other time in the year. Fans of the X Factor singles are likely to have a preferred reading of this news as it will bring them a sense of satisfaction when they buy the song.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38199725

Weekly News

Bosses told to bring back Christmas traditions to workplace.

This article from BBC News gives a representation of religion and can also be seen as an issue. This is due to the fact that religion isn't an agreed upon institution, people have differences in beliefs which usually leads to conflict. Which explains the reason why bosses such as the ones mentioned in the article and very cautious of offending workers of different religions. David Isaac, the chairman of the equality and human rights commission (EHRC) said that laws have been misinterpreted as employers became over-sensitive of other faiths and called for a "common sense" approach. "Lots of employers have now become really worried about doing something g discriminatory regarding their Muslim or Jewish staff. 

This article is interesting as it points out to readers that everyone should be accepting of other faiths and religion. And it's also hinting to the fact that Britain is a Christian country (although some might disagree with this in the modern society we live in) and therefore its traditions shouldn't be pushed aside. Dame Louise Casey said recently that Christmas traditions needed to be defended to stop social division. Which leads to the idea that religion is a source of social cohesion as it teaches us right from wrong and benefits people by giving them the strength to fight the exclusion or marginalisation they face by society. 

My Relationship With Music

Music is a form of escapism for me. I didn't take an interest in it until I started secondary school. Possibly because that's when I started using public transport by myself more regularly meaning music acted as a form of entertainment during my journeys home - as it still does. 
My friends and I tend to like the same sort of music, so when we get together if often plays as background noise.

I fund music has great control over my mood, especially certain songs as they have the power to help you remember memories and take you back to how you were feeling at that moment. The majority of the music I listen to will put me in a better mood. I'd say music has a big impact on my life since I listen to it everyday and go out clubbing etc.
I wouldn't say I have a specific taste in music. If you were to go through my iPod I think it'd be surprising to see such a wide range of music, ranging from Rock, Pop, Dubstep, Grime, Garage etc.

Songs

ABBA - Take A Chance On Me

T2 - Heartbroken

Music Industry - "Amy"

"Amy" (2015) is a documentary/biography on the life and death of British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, Directed by Asif Kapadia. It won 1 Oscar and had another 48 wins and 38 nominations, according to IMDb.
According to David Joseph (CEO of Universal Music UK), "It's a very complicated and tender movie. It tackles lots of things about family and media, fame, addiction, but most importantly, it captures the very heart of what she was about, which is an amazing person and a true musical genius."

However, the movie was heavily criticised by Amy's father, Mitch. He stated the film is "misleading" and "contains some basic untruths". This is likely to be due to the fact that the movie presents him as a villain. Even though we don't know if this was the directors original intentions, Amy herself sang "And id my daddy thinks I'm fine" in one of her most popular songs 'Rehab', which won 3 Grammy Awards in 2008. This shows us that Amy's father didn't give his daughter the help and support she desperately needed when she first started experiencing problems with drugs. Although Mitch did note that the movie contains "superb" and "beautiful" footage of his daughter. 
The movie allows the audience to feel as if they knew Amy due to the wide variety of archival footage which clearly explains Amy's story in great detail. It even includes personal footage which was recorded during her journey which gives a great insight into her personality and helps the audience relate to her as we don't usually see celebrities as ordinary people. The finished product shows her from a positive perspective rather than what the media might have portrayed her as which is a mostly troubled drug addict, who was criticised and largely bullied by the media. The movie focuses on showing us 'the girl behind the name' and therefore reveals a lot of information which the media took advantage of and thus ruined her.
Showing the media from this perspective reveals a lot about the negative effects of being famous and actually makes you feel sorry for the people behind the cameras. This highlights how corrupt and constructed the media industry is.

Weekly News

British children among the least active in the world, with exercise 'stripped out' of modern lives

Research comparing 38 countries all around the world placed England, Scotland and Wales among the worst for physical activity. Experts found these results alarming as it showed that movement was being "stripped out" of modern lifestyles, with children weaned on screen-time and starved of outdoor activity.

Latest figures show childhood obesity has reached record levels; with 1 in 10 children being obese when they start primary school.

Researchers said the typical modern lifestyle of spending a day in front of a computer, followed by an evening slumped in front of the television was proving fatal. Which is why they're calling for radical changes to be made in government policies. 

Seeing news like this isn't surprising. Especially as you see parents taking their children out for dinner to McDonalds or KFC, or feeding them ready-meals and frozen foods which aren't good for you in the slightest. I think this shows that parents lack knowledge on healthy diets and can't be bothered to cook something healthier for their children. Therefore I believe it isn't the child's fault if they're over weight. Additionally, as technology advances more and more children find amusement in that rather than going outside or taking part in physical activities.