Behave or Be Gone!

Photograph by jubeiz

Yet again reports of an unfaithful footballer ha hit the headlines. Wayne Rooney has been reported to have paid for the services of a prostitute.

Footballers need to understand that they are public figures, little kids all over the country look up to them and are inspired by their work on the pitch. They should therefore be prepared to set a good example and understand that what happens on the pitch matters just as much as what they do off it.

When John Terry's affair with Wayne Bridge's girlfriend came out John Terry was demoted from captain of England yet was still allowed to fly out and represent his country in South Africa.

Photograph by Ronnie Macdonald

These unfaithful sportsmen have not been punished, they still get paid millions and they are still idolised by many. This needs to stop. If footballers can't behave they should loose their sponsorships, they should be prevented from representing their country as well as their teams.

If footballers can't behave they should be gone, no matter how good they are at their sport.

WARNING - Hackers now claim to be technical help

My laptop is currently away for repair so when a man claiming to be a computer technician phoned my house phone my mam assumed that it was regarding my laptop which had been collected for repair earlier that day.

The "technician" told my mam that her laptop had serious errors and that they were being reported to his computer. He said that if my mam clicked on to Internet Explorer he would show us the errors.

Frustrated that the "technician" wouldn't give a straight answer to any of my mams questions she passed the phone to me. I felt that the phone call was a little strange and as soon as he told me to click onto Internet Explorer I pulled out the internet wire.

Despite the fact that I didn't go on to the website that I was instructed to, the "technician" still managed to disable all of the Norton security software installed on the laptop.

We phoned the TechGuys at PC World who told us that we needed to uninstall then reinstall the Norton software. However this wouldn't work and we ended up having to pay £30 to restore the laptop back to it's factory settings as it possibly had a virus on.

If you get a phone call like this, hang up as soon as possible and check your anti virus software is still working properly.

The Organisation Skills of a Peanut

Going on holiday is a stressful enough time as it is. You have to buy holiday clothes, all the medicines, pack it all, make sure the cats and dogs will be fed and the plants watered, make sure you have your tickets and passports and finally get to the airport on time. As stressful as it is, millions of people all over the world manage to do it.

When on my transfer back to Corfu airport last week we had to make a stop to collect a family of five. On the way past the accommodation, the bus driver beeped the bus horn to alert the family that he was there then drove on to turn the bus around. We sat and waited for the family for twenty long minutes with the flight time ticking closer and closer.

Eventually after the three children rounded up their unorganised parents, the bus driver drove on to the airport where, when standing outside the airport awaiting check in, a car pulled up and the father of the unorganised family ran after it. Out stepped the holiday rep who handed him a suitcase.

Now when travelling, I have forgotten things like a top I really wanted to bring or shampoo or once a camer memory chip but never a suitcase!

My dad was right when he said the family had the organisational skills of a peanut!

A Trip to Albania

Until just last week I knew nothing at all about Albania, yet after spending just one day in one of the poorest countries in Europe I have learnt so much about its varied past and hopes for the future.

Getting to Albania

Albania has only one airport which is situated in Tirana in the north of the country, 277km away from the town of Saranda in the south, making the south coast almost inaccessible to tourists who prefer short transfers between airport and resort rather than a 4 hour drive after a flight.

While there are plans to build another airport, an easier way of getting to the south coast of Albania is to fly to Corfu and get a boat across the Ionian Sea.

Culture shock

Docking in the port of Albania, the first thing you see is the tall buildings, the Vodafone billboard and the sunbathers on the beach. That however is where the comparison to every other tourist city ends.

Compared to what I am used to in travelling, Albania is relatively underdeveloped. Saranda is very much a work in progress as the hotels which line the sea front in various stages of construction outnumber the current number of tourists.

Our guide through Albania apologised for the state of the roads as we travelled to Butrint as they were very bumpy and still under construction. Another shock came when we saw the number of buildings that had been half pulled down then abandoned. We were told that this was because many people started to build illegally without planning permission so the government ordered their demise.

Albania’s history: Butrint

The town of Butrint is a major archaeological centre in Albania and is protected under UNESCO as a world heritage site. It is a mixture of Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian architectures. I enjoy visiting sites like this but Butrint seemed different from all the others I have been to. Where Greek archaeological sites have their wonderful mosaics on display, the Albanian mosaics were rather disappointingly covered in plastic sheeting and a layer of gravel to prevent damage, rendering them hidden away from view.

The theatre, built in Greek style is now partially underwater. Since an earthquake in the 3^rd century, salt water had been rising through the site. Archaeologists say that in 1000 years the whole site may be underwater. The theatre is still used today for performances. To make the setting more romantic, floating candles are placed on the water for that unique touch.

Due to a lack of money, much of the site is not fully discovered. However this shouldn’t stop anyone from visiting as there is still a lot to see. The Roman baths, the Venetian castle, the Great Basilica and public baths are among some of the ruins you can walk around.

The Future

When the communist rule ended in Albania in 1990, life was terrible, people were very poor and many left to live in countries across Europe where they found jobs in order to send money back to their families still in Albania.

Today, although there is still very little money in the country, Albania is building its way towards the future. Excursions like the one I went on are a great source of tourism. The beach beside the port was filled with people relaxing, families splashing around in the sea, like any other tourist spot. But Albania is different, it lacks in the necessary infrastructure and the mass population of tourists.

I would be very interested to go back to visit Saranda in ten years time and see how it has changed. My visit to Albania was completely out of the norm. It was very interesting to see a country before the boom of tourism. It’s something that is hard to find in Europe these days.

3@three

New ITV programme 3@three sees three presenters argue for the public vote on a range of subjects. Today was the first time I have watched the programme and found a few of the topics worthy of a blog post. The presenters of today’s programme were: Mark Durden-Smith, Gloria Hunniford and Andrea McLean.

British Jobs for British People?

Before I give my view on the topic, below are the opinions of the presenters and the result of the public poll.

Mark Durden-Smith – “We need to be realistic – it should be the best person for the job”

Gloria Hunniford – “It should be British jobs for British workers and the government needs to do more to make sure this happens”

Andrea McLean – “Small British companies are crumbling because they are being undercut by foreign workers”

59% of the British public agreed with Gloria

23% of the British public agreed with Mark

18% of the British public agreed with Andrea

I find it hard to agree outright with any of these statements. My opinion closely resembles that of Mark Durden-Smith but I feel that there should be some exceptions. For example, jobs which involve how the country is run, i.e. government work should only be done by British people. Another job which I feel should be carried out by a British person is that of England Football Manager.

In international football, all players must be a representative of their country however this is not the case for managers. Maybe I, like many other England fans am still bitter at being knocked out of the World Cup by Germany but Britain has many good managers that many people feel would make a better job than our current Italian manager.

For all other jobs which don’t require a British view jobs should be awarded to the best applicant rather than their ethnic background.

Men Better Bosses?

Once again, below are the opinions of the three presenters then how the British public voted.

Mark Durden-Smith – “It doesn’t matter about the sex of the person – it is down to their personality.”

Gloria Hunniford – “Women have too many issues going on in their heads – I prefer a male boss”

Andrea McLean – “Women are better bosses because they are more likely to understand emotional issues”

62% of the British public agreed with Mark

25% of the British public agreed with Gloria

13% of the British public agreed with Andrea

Firstly, I believe that Gloria’s comment is a bit of a stereotype. Not every woman is interested in having a family life and many put their careers first. Her view that women will leave work at the drop of the hat to tend to their ill children is not a view suitable to today’s lifestyle; especially with so many stay at home dads.

Secondly, I feel that Andrea has a point; women can be more approachable and more likely to feel sympathetic when workers come to them with their problems. However I feel that women can also come across as bitchy especially when often they have to make more of an effort to stand out from their male counterparts.

Overall I must admit that I agree with Mark Durden-Smith again. A good boss should not be judged upon their gender but instead upon their ability to carry out their role. I am glad that the majority of viewers voted for Mark’s view as it shows that there is no longer a large gender divide and that equality, although still questionable in some areas, is starting to emerge in the world of work.

Tall Ships Races 2010

Hartlepool’s economy received a massive boost at the weekend as over 600,000 people flocked to see the armada of 59 Tall Ships in the town’s marina.

The atmosphere on the Sunday was one of joy as queues of people, young and old waited to get on board some of the ships which came from as far as field as Russia, Indonesia and the Netherlands.

The Tall Ships Races are an annual event in European waters and are a great experience for young people to get involved as at least 50% of the crew must be aged between 15 and 25.

The vessels left Victoria Dock at 3pm today, and despite the rain, thousands stood and watched them sail towards Amsterdam for the next leg of their journey.

Combining My Passions

As well as writing, I count photography as a passion of mine. I have hundreds of photographs hidden away on disks and have decided that its time that they saw the light of day! I have decided to combine my two passions for your pleasure. Enjoy.