Have you done something amazing this Christmas?

Christmas is not all about presents it’s about charity, sharing, love and spreading that Christmas spirit. There may be a lot of presents with your name on them under the Christmas tree, but there are many people in our Preston community who have never received gifts because they are victims of war, poverty, disease and natural disasters. ‘Do something amazing this Christmas’ is one such project that strives to make a difference this year. 

Jane Taylor, brainchild of this project says that this is her way of giving back and helping our local community. ‘Do something amazing this Christmas’ is a project that strives to pack essential requirements in over 50 shoeboxes for various centres across Preston, including Parkinson House (a mum and baby unit for disadvantaged families), Fox Street Homeless Shelter and Merriweather Care Home (for 16-25 year olds experiencing times of hardship). 

Shoeboxes filled unwanted clothes, toys, toiletries and anything else of good quality. 

“We researched online the different charities doing it such as Samaritans, but decided that we'd like to have a more hands on approach and have control over where the presents went, so I researched centres in our local area that could use our help and chose three that catered to women, men and children. This meant we were helping a more diverse group and having a bigger impact,” said Jane Taylor.  

The shoe box donation will have ended by 17^th December as the items will be put into shoe box style presents and are planned to be delivered to them on Christmas Eve, all wrapped up.

Organizers urged everyone to make a difference during Christmas, “Everyone at this university is fortunate to be working or have access to university education. There are plenty of people in our local community who have nothing. Let's make a difference.”  

When asked what memories she takes from this experience, Taylor replied that hardest time was going in to visit the different centres and seeing what an amazing job the staff were doing, but how much help they still needed. “I suppose you feel like whatever you do it won't be enough, but if everyone thought the same nothing would get done! So we just have to do what we can.”

While her special moment yet was coming into university to find over 30 emails in one day responding to her requests for donations which were quite touching.

“But I'm sure the best bit is going to be giving out the presents.” she added.

The shoe boxes will be displayed at Preston North Premier Inn until Christmas.  

Are you going home for Christmas?

Have you thought about what you will be doing over Christmas?  Will you be going home?  Or are you planning to stay in the UK? 

There are over two thousand international students who represent 100 countries at University of Central Lancashire.

True, not all of us celebrate Christmas, some come from cultures that celebrate Christmas in different ways while for others Christmas is not celebrated at all. Whatever it maybe it is hard not to experience some element of Christmas as the holidays approach.

Shopping windows filled with Christmas decorations and unbelievably attractive sales find students queuing up to buy their presents for Christmas or something special for their loved ones back home.

But some students aren’t as fortunate to return home for the holidays. Students who can’t go home at Christmas can find themselves in a difficult place without friends or support structures around.

Thirty three year old Jude Nwagbara, who is pursuing his postgraduate studies in Human Resource Management said he won’t be going back home in Nigeria this Christmas due to financial constraints.

“Home is far from here, it isn’t easy going back and forth whenever you want to. I will be spending my holidays in Preston. I think it should be fun as long as I my friends to celebrate with.” he said.

But most of the international students have agreed that they would love to know and experience how Christmas is celebrated in Britain.

First year International Journalism students, Pang Yanrong and Kerstin Tschernigg excitedly quip that they love learning about the culture here as it is wonderful how various people celebrate Christmas differently.

“I am going to buy a plastic Christmas tree and decorate it and sing carols in different languages!” said Kerstin.

They plan to have a mini Christmas celebration in advance before they part ways for the holidays.

Kerstin Tschernigg said she will spend ‘actual Christmas’ back home in Austria. “I am going back to my home country and plan to celebrate Christmas traditionally with my family. I will go to church at 10pm. Before that we'll exchange gifts, sing under the Christmas tree and have dinner together.” she entailed.

While, Pang Yanrong won’t be going back home to Singapore but instead will be heading to Munich for Christmas to visit her cousin who is studying there. “I don’t think it is worth the price of the flight to fly back to Singapore for a week or so and back again.”

Uzondu Izidoro, Business student from Nigeria said he is most likely to stay back in Preston as well. But he did go on to add that no matter where they celebrate it Christmas is a time for families and friends to celebrate the holidays and share memories of warm celebrations and delicious food.

If you wish to experience a traditional Christmas with an English family, you can. Christmas Hospitality is an organization that allows you to spend the festivity with a Christian family who are willing to share their traditional Christmas day: a time of festivity, celebration, family times, and the remembrance of a very special birth.

This is open to all international students of any or no religion and there is no charge involved. The scheme has been running since 2004 and the feedback from students has all been positive. To register log on www.christmashospitality.com. Although, numbers may be limited by the numbers of host families available and the places will be allocated in the order in which registrations are made.

If you are planning on staying on-campus over Christmas then you must look at the recommended list of events lined up for you this Christmas.

But no matter where you are, here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous year. 

(This feature was originally published in PR1 Magazine on 29th November 2010)

PR1 is University of Central Lancashire's Student Magazine.

To read issue: http://issuu.com/jamesbutlin/docs/pr1issue61

Film Review: MegaMind - "I Make Bad, Look So Good"

Directed By: Tom McGrath , Cameron Hood

Cast: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Brad Pitt, David Cross, Justin Theroux

We have all seen a clichéd hero-villain plot where the good guy always beats the bad guy and of course gets the girl. Have you ever wondered what would happen if the super-villain won for a change?

That’s exactly what screenwriters Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons asked themselves when they came up with the initial concept for Megamind, the animated adventure from DreamWorks being released on December 5th.

Megamind is a satirical take on the superhero genre focusing on a down-and-out super villain (voiced by Will Ferrell) who finally destroys his arch nemesis, Metro Man (Brad Pitt) during one of his many botched hostage plots involving news reporter Roxanne (Tina Fey), who may remind you of Lois Lane from Superman.

Lost and depressed without an enemy, he creates a nemesis, turning to Roxanne's lonely cameraman Hal (Jonah Hill) into Metro City's next big superhero, Tighten.

Unfortunately for Megamind, Tighten turns into one of the biggest villains who decide to utilize his new power against humanity as revenge for the lifetime of rejection he has endured for years. Megamind is left undecided; can he defeat his own diabolical creation? Will the evil genius become the unlikely hero of his own story? Will the super villain get the girl, this once?

Besides the noticeably A-list voice cast, Megamind is written by Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons who take in their dexterous plotting that guarantees there’s never a dull moment while director, McGrath takes good care that the action doesn’t cross the line from the energetic to the simply exhausting.
Overall, the film stands as one of the best arguments in favor of 3D over the past couple of years that feels like mature, restrained, even natural use of the technique.

Moreover, if Megamind lives up to expectations, audiences can be sure that there will be a follow-up adventure. “I think Megamind creates a world that has a lot of possibilities story wise,” said McGrath in his interview with comicbookmovie.com.

“There are a lot of stories you can tell from the point of view of the villain other than just the relationship between good and evil.”

(This article was originally published in PR1 Magazine, Entertainment Section on 29th November 2010)

PR1 is University of Central Lancashire's Student Magazine.

To read issue: http://issuu.com/jamesbutlin/docs/pr1issue61

Film Review: Gulliver’s Travel

Directed By: Rob Letterman

Starring: Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Jason Segel, Catherine Tate

5/10

Gulliver’s Travels is yet another remake of the classic tale based on the 18^th century novel by Jonathan Swift of a man who ends up on an island, and he’s HUGE!  So what sets this latest version new Gulliver’s Travels apart from the rest? For one, it stars our ever so talented Jack Black who will be playing the big guy.

In this epic and modern tale Gulliver (Black), a mailroom clerk at a New York newspaper bluffs his way into an assignment about the secrets of the Bermuda Triangle, he is then hurtled to an undiscovered land, Lilliput, where hilarity will no doubt ensue! At first enslaved by the diminutive and industrious Liliputians and later declared their hero but soon learns that it’s how big you are on the inside that counts.

This 20^th Century Fox film is set to hit the big screens this Christmas of 2010. There’s a mixed response when it comes to its release, some critics say that if you’re a Jack Black fan or care for some live-action family adventure, you should definitely give this flick. While, others say that judging from the posters and trailers it looks like a fake movie similar to Funny People or Tropic Thunder, leaving room for disappointment.  

(This article was originally published in PR1 Magazine, Entertainment Section on 29th November 2010)

PR1 is University of Central Lancashire's Student Magazine.

To read issue: http://issuu.com/jamesbutlin/docs/pr1issue61

Contemporary Art, Museums and Galleries, Who Cares?

As you approach Preston's Market Square, it’s hard to miss the stunning Neo-classical building which was designed by James Hibbert (1833-1903) to house the Harris Museum, Art Gallery and Library. 

As you walk into the grand 117 year old building, it is quiet, comfortable and engulfed in a history of its own. You're greeted with smiles from the art shop which leads to a cafe that is surrounds itself with exquisite artefacts. As you ascend the two storeys of the Museum, you will experience the story of Preston unfold before your eyes.

Harris Museum and Gallery is a host to several community engagement projects that strive to intrigue Preston’s diverse community through a wide range of local organisations on creative, tailor made workshops, projects, talks and tours. These projects are funded by Renaissance North West and are in association with six hub museums and galleries namely Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester Museum, Whitworth Gallery, Bolton Museum, Tullyhouse Museum and Harris Museum and Gallery.

A constant proportion of 16 million adults in England alone, visit museums on a yearly basis, said The National Survey of Culture, Leisure and Sport, Annual Report (2006).

Who Cares? is one such community project which explores the positive impact that museums and galleries can have on our lives. The research will be completed by 2011 but ongoing outcomes of this project can be seen in and around the museum.

“Who Cares? is a project that targets young adults and working people thereby trying to gauge how museums and galleries affects their well being,” said Kyra Milnes, Access and Inclusion Manager at Harris Art Gallery and Museum.

It includes several workshops and exhibitions such as Sharing and Learning: A Touching Experience, Fun, Food and Fabric, Stories of the World and Reminiscence sessions.

Sharing and Learning: A Touching Experience is a ceramics project in partnership with Galloway’s Society for the Blind and Coppull Parish Church School. 

“This project works towards educating the community in understanding that visual impairment is a disability and not an inability. Often, people with visual impairments are excluded from the making of art, so during this project young people were educated through working collaboratively with visually impaired adults to create ceramic artefacts,” said Viv Booth, Project Manager from Galloway’s.

Fun, Food and Fabric, a creative textile project in partnership with Sahara Preston’s African Caribbean Women’s Group, featured in the Embellished: the Art of Fabulous Fabrics exhibition in Harris.

Stories of the World is a graffiti project in collaboration with young people at Beneast Training Ltd, this will be featured as a part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad project for young people.

While, Reminiscence sessions involve a specialist team of volunteers, trained to facilitate reminiscence sessions on a monthly service to local care and rest homes. They take them themed boxes of Harris objects and artefacts out into the community and use them to trigger memories. 

Harris Museum and Library

Student opportunities to gain some experience

There’s a wide range of volunteering opportunities at the Harris, in all departments of the museum. “At the Harris, we always need volunteers to help the team develop the program, assist curators, aid with talks and tours and get involved in several projects,” said Milnes.

If you are student aged below 25 years, you could get involved in the ‘Young Harris-Youth Arts Group’ where you get to meet at least once a month and work on creative projects relating to the Harris using art, performance, poetry, animation and music.

For more information you can visit www.harrismuseum.org.uk or contact 01772 905 412.

Art of Matter

With the growing art movement in Dubai, X V A Gallery has pioneered Middle Eastern art in Dubai. Since 2003, it has been one of the foremost contemporary art galleries in the Middle East. The brainchild of Mona Hauser, owner of X V A Gallery, the fair is now in its fourth year and aims to showcase the best the region has to offer.

X V A artists have recently exhibited in the 2009 Venice Biennale. Art Abu Dhabi 2009 and the Unveiled: New Art From the Middle East’ exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, London. This year, the gallery has four remarkable exhibits between 17th January to 5th May 2010. Two art exhibits, Abdulnasser Gharem: Restored Behaviour and Al Braithwaite: Hall of mirrors ran simultaneously, between 17th January to 10th March.

Abdulnasser Gharem: Restored Behaviour, the first major solo show by acclaimed Saudi artist, Adulnasser Gharem, restored behaviour will showcase recent ‘stamp’ paintings, installations and photographs from a series of site specific performances made in and around the artists home in southern Saudi Arabia. Al Braithwaite: Hall of Mirrors are Braithwaite’s portraits of modern Middle Eastern figureheads present a powerful message about the geographical realigning of power in the 21st century. An unusual mixture of modernity and tradition.

Bastakiya Art Fair returns for its 4th year from 15-21 March 2010. Dubai’s only fringe art fair, BAF has a global reach with a focus on Middle Eastern contemporary art. BAF promotes gallery collaboration and artistic unity with Dubai’s art community, plus the fair attracts International artists, collectors and curators. With a series of brunch talks curated by Rose Issa and a wide range of exhibitions including national art pavilions fro Iraq, UAE, Pakistan, Lebanon and Iran, BAF successfully showcases the best of the best emerging talent in Middle Eastern contemporary art.

A Double Exhibition between the 4th April to 5th May, allows us to preview a return of the well loved Lebanese artist Moussa Tiba and a debut in the UAE for German-born-artist Carolin Kropff.

BAF and X V A Gallery guarantees to satiate everyone’s artistic sensibilities and is definitely worth your time.

Glimpses of the Fair

 Bastakiya, Dubai

Art Gallery at BAF

¬Orginally written for an art magazine project that explores contemporary art in the Emirates¬

Dear Africa: new book launched

¬Original Article published in University newspaper- Pluto¬

http://www.pluto-online.com/2010/10/dear-africa-students-launch-new-book/

A book of letters between Lancastrian and African children is being published by UCLan students.

Letters to Africa is a riveting collection of letters exchanged between more than 250 children from Lancashire, Kenya and Zambia, as well as contributions by UCLan students and renowned authors.

The aim of the book is to exemplify a side of Africa never seen before.

The book is a charitable project and all proceeds will buy educational resources for the African schoolchildren in Kenya and Zambia.

Project Manager Debbie Williams, explained what she wants the book to achieve.

“By publishing this book we hope to bridge the cultural divide between UK and African school children by giving them a chance to tell us about their lives through letters, drawings and photographs,” she said.

“This is a completely unique venture. There are a lot of projects and publications about Africa written by adults and experts but none which allowed the children who live there to speak directly about their environment, daily life and their future.”

This eight month project is a collaborative effort of second and third year students from UCLan’s publishing, photography, writing for children, children’s illustration, linguistics and sport science. Photography student, Gemma Nolan, even won a BBC Wildlife photography competition for her close up of a lion in Kenya.

Letters to Africa is supported by celebrated children’s authors Lauren St John (au­thor of The White Giraffe), Mary Hoffman (author of Amazing Grace and the Stravaganza series), Ifeoma Onyefulu (author of A is for Africa) and others, who have all contributed to the book.

This 145 page book proves to be an exceptional resource for primary school teachers and the creative curriculum helping students discover Africa through cultural anecdotes, fun facts, journal entries by visitors who have exchanged engaging tales with the Maasai people and equally captivating fiction accompanied with beautifully captured local photography.

Concurrently, since its publication in August 2010, it has been long-listed for Channel 4’s TV Book Club. What makes Letters to Africa even more

The UCLan Publishing House has joined hands with charitable companies such as The National Literary Trust to help them promote this spellbinding book and have also started working on a second instalment focussing on the social and environmental changes in Kenya.

You can purchase your copy at Blackwell Bookstore (Student Union) for only £9.99.

***

The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity that transforms lives through literacy by working with individuals who struggle with literacy and the professionals that support them.

One in six people in the UK struggle to read and write. Poor skills compromise health, confidence, happiness and employability but with better literacy, everyone can succeed in life.

That is why the National Literacy Trust campaigns to improve understanding of the importance of literacy and to help individuals to understand the importance of literacy in their lives.

Night Is Here

As dawn turns to dusk,
the night settles in.
Shining, glimmering
With the moon up high.
>
Feeling the nights wind on my face,
Deep in thought,
Lost in fantasy,
I ponder.


Unsure, unaware, unbound
I wander up and down
To seek answers to questions
That I ask myself
Day after day
And night after night.

'I remained spell-bound. I had definitely fallen in love.'

I always get my camera out when I see a clear or an unusual sky. I can spend hours staring at that brilliant blue space.

String of clouds

After the Rains

The Yellow Surfer

The Rising Sun

Sweet Surrender

Black balloon and Yellow Skies

"I emerged at last, stumbled a few steps in the mud and then I saw it: an ethereal mountain emerging from a tossing sea of clouds framed between two dark barracksöa massive, blue-black tooth of sheer rock inlaid with azure glaciers, austere yet floating fairy-like on the near horizon....I stood gazing until the vision disappeared among the shifting cloud banks. For hours afterwards I remained spell-bound. I had definitely fallen in love."

-Benuzzi, Felice No Picnic on Mount Kenya

Love is in the Air

Pink Skies

My first Rainbow

Black Skies

 Yellow Heart

Sun-eat 

(doesn't it looks like an animal/creature sort (unicorn) gobbling up the sun)

Mind over Matter

When something's are left undone
it torments my mind
leaving it forever in unrest
perturbed and almost crucified
it hangs more than a mere reminder of thought
of decision,
of passing
that one is left speechless
at the control mind has over matter.

When the heart is enlivened again, it feels like the sun coming out after a week of rainy days. There is hope in the heart that chases the clouds away. Hope is a higher heart frequency and as you begin to reconnect with your heart, hope is waiting to show you new possibilities and arrest the downward spiral of grief and loneliness. It becomes a matter of how soon you want the sun to shine. Listening to the still, small voice in your heart will make hope into a reality.- Sara Paddison, The Hidden Power of the Heart. PC: Megna Kalvani

'1 Billion Die Hungry Every Year,' Who's Responsible?

http://www.allafrica.com; http://www.africaonline.com - both of these sites contain information on the perils of Africa including starvation and aids http://www.aah-usa.org – Action against Hunger site for efforts to save millions of people a year from starvation

http://www.thehungersite.com – a site for statistics about world hunger; also, donate here towards the starve out hunger cause

http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/drussert/WebQuests/HallOvandoRobinson/start.html – site that investigates the question, “What can one person do about hunger?

http://www.wfp.org – World Food Programme site

According to the US Census (2009), there are 1.8 deaths per second worldwide, meaning that there are over 100 deaths per minute.

Out of which, every six seconds a child dies of starvation.

Can you believe that? I cant.

With World Food Day celebrated yesterday, on 16th October 2010. It was shocking to read that over 1 billion are starving.

yeah, you read right, 1 billion. Dying. Why? from simply starving.

So, for those of those you, who don't understand the seriousness of this rather common term, 'Starve' which we use quite recklessly in our 'healthy' lives.

Starvation is that feeling of hunger one experiences with a lack of food, the “persistent gnawing condition resulting from a lack of adequate food intake, which prevents one form working of thinking correctly.” Starvation is the most severe case of the condition of hunger.

Starvation and hunger, if not combated, lead certainly to malnutrition. Malnutrition is the condition resulting from a lack of life sustaining vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

On October 11, a new global hunger index released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) showed that one billion people face hunger this year.

The 2010 Global Hunger Index showed there was alarming hunger in 25 out of the 122 countries surveyed.

"The present dramatic situation has come about because instead of tackling the structural causes of food insecurity, the world neglected agriculture in development policies, resulting in an under-investment in this sector, in particular in developing countries," said Kanayo F. Nwanze, the Nigerian vice president of IFAD, a United Nations agency and an international financial institution, whose mandate is to help rural poor people pull themselves out of poverty.

I understand natural disasters. I understand incurable diseases. I understand accidental deaths. I (don't) understand Wars. I understand mental/health issues. I understand natural deaths.

What I don't understand why do people have to die because there's no food available.

I see plenty. Why aren't they getting any?

Before you start pointing out that hunger is most severe in the 'poorest' parts of the world such as Africa, India, Pakistan and Indonesia. I agree, that they do have the largest percentage of hungry people of all the countries in the world.

But even developed countries like United States, have nearly one in four people, 1.3 billion total, live on less than US$1 per day. One out of every eight children under twelve in the US goes to bed hungry every night.

So back to the question, of why these people aren't getting any food?

Is it due to lack of food?

Is it be because the countries don't have any money?

Is it because of lack of technologic advances?

No, NO & No.

I highly doubt its any of these reasons why nations are finding it hard to feed its citizens.

I think I can safely say that they have enough of money to spend on basic necessities like food or technology to make that required amount of food.

Even, Nwanze, the Nigerian vice president of IFAD, a United Nations agency and an international financial institution said, 'that there is too much hunger in the world, even though there are abundant global food supplies, better economic prospects, and lower food prices,' a Press TV correspondent reported on Friday.

For fun, lets review some approximate amounts spent by countries only on SPORT instead of feeding their people.

Africa, spent billions on the World Cup 2010.

India spent billions on the Common wealth Games 2010.

UK will be spending billions on the Olympics 2012.

Is SPORT that important? Now you may say sure, it is. It increases the country's economy, there's more jobs, development in telecommunications, roads.......etc just to look good in the public eye.

So if there's so much money gained, where does it all go?

People are STILL dying from not having food and basic health facilities.

Where do you think nations are going wrong? Are they doing enough?

References:

http://www.starvation.net – by Starvation.net, to-the-minute information on the starvation crisis in many third world countries worldwide, including to-the-second statistics

http://www.napsoc.org – National Association for the Prevention of Starvation home site containing information of how to aid in the cause to eliminate starvation

Baraka: A Silent Masterpiece

Movie’s Name: Baraka Directed by: Ron Fricke Produced By: Mark Madigson Written By: Constantine Nicholas & Genevieve Nicholas Music By: Michael Stearns Release Date: 1992 Running time: 96 minutes

Baraka is an ancient Sufi word, when translated means ‘a blessing’. This movie is no ordinary everyday movie that one watches but is a silent masterpiece. Baraka has no plot, actors, dialogues or subtitles thus entitling this movie to be watched anywhere by anyone. The movie is a breathtaking journey through six continents and twenty-four countries. The rich cinematography and sensuous music compels the viewer to know more. The film offers no answers but many questions. It is up to us to perceive it in our own way and come up with our own conclusions. The movie may seem to be a wondrous jigsaw but it all does fit together to make perfect sense.

Baraka illustrates the basic elements of earth which are air, fire, water and land and how these are used in various ways by several people in different places. The movie shows an antithesis to any situation thus maintaining a balance on mother earth but yet at most times this balance is not equally shared, causing bedlam.

The movie also depicts how man has evolved from Stone Age to today’s digital world. But in the process of advancement, mankind has let machines take control of their emotions, making their lives more mechanical and monotonous. People throughout the world are becoming more materialistic day by day and are forgetting the basic fruits of life itself.

The beauty of the movie Baraka is that it targets no particular audience. It tries to convey a message without any words concentrating on the visual representation thus offending no one. It also shows that even though we are all so different in our own very ways, yet we are all the same. Baraka is indeed a one true blessing by itself as it makes the viewer acknowledge the value of life and how an individual must stop to savor each ‘blessing’ in ones life before its too late.

View trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYZ8RWqqicQ

Debating Darwin's theory

Over the years, we believed Darwins theory, but the debate still continues...which one will prove to be the fittest?

'Survival of the Fittest' is disputed.

"Competition did not play a big role in the overall pattern of evolution”

-Professor Michael Benton (Bristol University)On the other hand,

"What is the impetus to occupy new portions of ecological space if not to avoid competition?”

-Professor Stephen Stearns (Yale University)