Readers Wives debut EP Secrecy & Sex is due for international release on November 8th on UK label 260 Degree Music. The EP is by far the grittiest collection of songs I’ve heard in a long time. It’s a dark and alluring mix of edgy lyrics with bassy melodies.

Lyrically it pulls no punches, which in fairness is quite obvious even from the names of the tracks. “Sexually Attracted To Myself” is a strange and enlightening mix of peculiar lyrics and sweet melody, which at times feels really reminiscent of The Smiths.

“Advertising Heroin” is a little more frantic. Like all their other tracks is really quite dark “too thin to even bare a child just like her dead sister”. Talking about a modern day victim of the heroin chic trend.

Secrecy & Sex is a really rare commodity. It’s a first offering from a band which really doesn’t try to play it safe. The tracks are all good in their own right and each one is different lending it an experimental but incredibly self-assured vibe.

The music industry, let’ face it, has seen better days, and the Disney flavours of the month aren’t the ones who are going to pull it out of the gutter. On their MySpace the band proclaim “No longer need you surf the internet looking at crappy stage managed bands full of girls with fake tits, guys with fake moans and truly awful, thoroughly manufactured scenester haircuts who’d do anything to have their shockwave haircuts & painted nails pictured in NME. We’re not trendy. We’re not 17. There’s only one reason this band are here. We love music. It’s like medicine to us”. They’re one of the only bands of late I’ve heard that lives up to this promise. Readers Wives is one of those rare bands that make music, rather than attain the glory of playing in a band for attention or to get famous.

They have a few gigs upcoming, definitely worth checking out

12h November @ 18:30 – Peter Parker’s Rock N Roll Club, London, U.K.

14 Nov 2009 @ 20:00 – Future London Underground,London, U.K.

21 Nov 2009 @ 20:00 – Live at Odessa, Dublin, Ireland

4 Dec 2009 @ 22:00 – Art Freckles @ The Back Loft, Dublin, Ireland

30 Jan 2010 @ 20:00 – The Square, London, UK

Listen online at http://www.myspace.com/readerswives

Things my dog tries to dry himself on…

The couch

The stairs

The bathmat

The side of the toilet

My clothes

The other dog

Things my dog makes little to no effort to dry himself on 

The towel I put down for him

I accepted the challenge put to me on Facebook to list all the gigs I’ve been to, or as many as I can remember. 

I think one or two may have slipped through the net but here’s as many as I can think of. I guess if I can’t remember them they mustn’t have been that good. Even though there are some I’d like to forget, not naming names but I’m looking at you Red Hot Chilli Peppers. 

1. Guns’n'Roses

2. POD 

3. Metallica

4. Alice in Chains

5. Bullet For My Valentine

6. Funeral For A Friend

7. Kila

9. REM*

10. Oranger

11. Journey

12. Def Lepard

13. Whitesnake

14. Tesla

15. Il Nino

16. Skindred

17. Lamb of God

18. Children of Bodom

19. Slayer

20. In Flames

21. Idlewild

22. Steps

23. B*Witched

24. Westlife

25. Power Rangers Live Show

26. Joshua Radin 

27. Jimm Eat World

28. Styrofoam

29. Opeth

30. Aerosmith

31. Chris Cornell

32. The Feeling

33. Foo Fighters

34. Nine Inch Nails

35. Silversun Pickups

36. Avenged Sevenfold

37. Russel Watson

38. Michael Buble 

39. Red Hot Chilli Peppers

40. Basemen Jaxx 

41. The Thrills 

42. The Pixies

43. Maria Taylor 

44. Starsailor

45. The Zutons

46. Jonathon Rice

47. Cleopatra 

48. Samantha Mumba 

49. Sinead Lohan 

50. Scisor Sisters

51. Gem

52. Franz Ferdinand

53. Maroon 5 

Congratulations to the 40,000 men and women who completed the Mini Marathon last Monday June 1st.

It really was a great day, the sun was shining and everyone was in good spirits. It’s also amazing to see so many charities being supported and how dedicated people are to help out.

Congratulations again, also a  huge thank you to everyone who sponsored me in aid of the DSPCA. Here’s a couple of pics I snapped with my phone, they’re probably a little blurry, I only walked it but I was worried if I slowed down too much heat stroke would set in. I’m definitely going to get in shape and run it next year (I said that last year too).

Peace out

Some of the 40,000 participants

The 9k marker...nearly there

Euphoria, the finish line is up ahead

In February this year 16-year-old schoolgirl Jenna Parry became the seventeenth young person to commit suicide near the town of Bridgend in Wales. Local police attributed many of the deaths to social networking websites, but claimed that the young people of the area blamed the media attention of the first couple of suicides for a majority of the following deaths, saying “They were all young people with big issues. There are a constellation of factors influencing these young people. Young people tell us that the media coverage is starting to contribute to those pressures”. The parents of one of the young boys who had taken his own life pleaded with the media to quell their coverage of the suicides after their son Nathaniel lost this battle for life in hospital after committing suicide a week before Jenna Parry’s death. They claimed that the media not only influenced their son in his decision, but that the coverage of his death added to their grief in the wake of his death (The Sydney morning Herald Website, 20^th February 2008, ‘Copycat Suicide’ Another Teen Dies). 

Media Matters because the topics covered in the media and the way in which they are handled can be a matter of life and death for many impressionable media consumers. If a person is already in a delicate frame of mind and contemplating suicide, detailed coverage or graphic images used in news reports could be the final push they need to take their own life. Because people now have 24-hour access to the news and media, and so much of the information on the Internet is uncensored, people are party to a lot more information that they used to be. While this has distinct advantages, it often leads to people viewing things they shouldn’t.

            Research carried out in the United States between 1973 and 1979 proved the link between media coverage of suicide and the number of teenagers who took their own lives in the days after the reports. It also showed that the numbers rose even further when more stations picked up on the story. The reports not only led to increased levels of suicides but also copycat suicides (Phillip & Carstensen, 1986, L Clustering of teenage suicides after television news stories about suicide). This raises difficult questions about how suicide should be covered in the media or whether it should be discussed at all.

Suicide contagion occurs mainly among young people. This is when a person tries to imitate a suicide they have learned about in the media, often copying the act down to the method they use. “Suicide Contagion is more likely to occur when the individual contemplating suicide is of the same age, gender and background as the person who died” (Boyd (2007) page 262 4^th edition). Suicide contagion raises some moral questions for journalists, especially when reporting on high profile suicides such as the death of a celebrity or public figure. Celebrity deaths are fourteen times more likely to lead to copycat suicides than any other, but the dilemma is that they also receive a lot more media coverage because of he victim’s status  (Laurance 2003 Celebrity suicides `likely to inspire copycats) In research carried out by conducting 42 real world studies of the impact of media coverage of suicides, it was found that stories of a non-famous person were 4 times more likely to generate a copycat suicide than if they hadn’t been covered at all (Stack (2002) Media coverage as a risk factor in suicide). Because of this many believe that coverage of suicide does more harm than good. After the mysterious death of singer Kurt Cobain in 1994 police never determined whether or not his death was actually the result of suicide. His death resulted in 68 known copycat suicides by dedicated fans who not only lived for the singer, but wanted to die like him too (CBS News, April 6^th 2004, Kurt Cobain: Not A Suicide?).

Media interest groups such as The Media Wise Trust have campaigned for journalists to be responsible about portraying suicide. In 2007 they published a leaflet consisting of work from the National Institute for Mental Health in England after research by the Centre for Suicide Research once again proved the link between media coverage and suicide. Their aim was to work with the National Union of Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists to “Develop guidelines and a set of training modules to help media practitioners appreciate how their approach to coverage might save lives” (The Media Wise Trust, 2007, Page 5, Sensitive Coverage Saves Lives Improving media portrayal of suicidal behaviour).

            The rise of the Internet has created a revolution in the way people can access information. As the Internet is virtually lawless however, it means that websites generating negative messages are allowed to be broadcast. Sites such as pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia campaigns and racist websites are allowed to run unmonitored.

In November 2002, Tim Piper, a sixteen year old school student from Chippenham took his own life after researching advice on the internet about the best methods of committing suicide (BBC News Website, 15^th November 2003, Surfing for Suicide). His is one of the growing number of tragic stories emerging as more and more people are falling prey to internet suicide pacts, webcam suicides and websites which advise people on the best methods of ending their own lives.

The first reported case of an Internet suicide was in October 2000 in Japan when a suicide pact was made online between a group of young people (New Prophecy, April 24, 2007, Internet Death Pacts Increasing Worldwide). Since this case hundreds of young people have arranged similar pacts over the Internet, bringing a threat into people’s homes they may not even realise is there. In Japan alone it is thought over 30,000 people commit suicide every year, making theirs the highest suicide rate in the industrialised world, a study from the Japanese government indicated that one in five people in Japan have seriously considered taking their own lives at some point (Hogg, October 6^th 2008, Downturn stirs Japan suicide fears) with many of these deaths being attributed to internet suicide rings and chat rooms. Some feel that more responsible reporting by magazine, newspaper and television journalists and greater care when publishing annual statistics will prevent many of these deaths (Internet Suicide Japan, Counseling Japan, 2005 newsletter #1).

During an investigation into the phenomenon, the BBC uncovered what they described as “a growing, and morbidly frank underworld of chat rooms and websites with names like “Suicide Club”, where thousands of (mainly young) people meet and talk and plan their deaths” (Harding, 2004, Japan’s Internet ‘Suicide Clubs’. A). They discovered comments from people on message boards and forums advertising for others to meet up with them so they can commit suicide together. The worrying thing is that the people involved don’t seem to grasp the gravity of the situation, for many it is just a morbid fantasy rather than a method of escape, and it seems they are confusing the virtual world with the real world, where if you die, there is no second chance. Interviewee Naoki Tachiwana told the reporter “Well, I’m depressed – and that’s a disease…But to be honest, I think I’ve always been interested in killing myself.” (Harding, 2004, Japan’s Internet ‘Suicide Clubs’. B).

This worrying underworld of suicide fascination has led to many young people broadcasting their suicides on the internet and inviting others to watch. The most prominent case at the moment is the story of teenager Abraham Biggs. On the 20^th of November, Biggs posted a comment inviting people to watch him kill himself live on camera by taking a cocktail of prescription medicines. 100 people logged on to watch and many encouraged him telling him to hurry up and get it over with. Many believed it was a hoax until some time later they witnessed the police breaking into his room and discovering his body before covering the camera (Stelter, 2008, New York Times Website – A). According to Professor Jeffrey Cole of the Univertisy of California Online communities “are like the crowd outside the building with the guy on the ledge…Sometimes there is someone who gets involved and tries to talk him down. Often the crowd chants, ‘Jump, jump.’ They can enable suicide or help prevent it” (Stelter, 2008, New York Times Website – B).

A recent study showed that one of the most common methods of suicide in recent times is the use of prescription and illicit drugs. It also showed that those who partake of illicit drugs are up to 25% more likely to commit suicide (Cohen, February 19^th 2008, The New York Times). One of the most high profile news stories about suicide this year was the death of actor Heath Ledger by a suspected deliberate overdose. It was never determined whether his death was accidental or not, but as quickly as the news broke, the actor’s family pleaded with the media not to discuss it as a suicide. Despite this suicide was mentioned in a majority of the news reports about the star’s death. Even though the results of his autopsy had not been released, a huge number of newspapers mentioned suicide when reporting about Ledger’s death, even if it was just alluding to the fact that it was a suspected suicide. The New York Times reported that no suicide note had been left at the scene where his body was discovered despite the very headline for the article stating that autopsy results had so far been incnvlusive (Newman, Baker. January 24^th 2008. The New York Times). On the 27^th of February 2008 The New York Times published an article about Heath Ledgers death, chronicling the deaths of previous celebrities who had comitted suicide. While it was never directly stated that Ledger himself committed suicide, mentioning the suicides of three other stars was a clear hint as to the opinion of the paper about how he died (Bader, January 27^th 2008, The New York Times)

This put the notion of suicide into people’s minds when it wasn’t necessary or even in good taste. What these facts show is that while the media are not to blame for a majority of suicides, responsible reporting and careful censorship could prevent many unnecessary deaths. The language journalists use can have a dramatic effect on how the story is perceived, this is also one of the easiest changes to make to work towards responsible and sensitive reporting. Referring to suicide attempts as being either failed or successful as the person’s death is, in people’s eyes, not a success. Referring to people as being mad, crazy or insane by means of an insult can be upsetting for people suffering from a mental illness. Printing details of how a person committed suicide can give people ideas about how they might kill themselves, this can lead to copycat suicides (Headline, 2008, Examples of Negative Reporting). The media have a responsibility to report information as accurately and fairly as possible. This can be difficult in the early days in the aftermath of a suicide when details are unclear, but when history repeats itself so many times and with such detrimental results, careful regulation of media coverage would be a logical step. Even starting with simple changes such as using different language or terminology, or omitting illicit details from a suicide report, journalists can take the first steps towards lowering suicide rates and ensuring that there is always responsible coverage of a difficult issue.   

The Revels eviction is undoubtedly the most important political event to have taken place this year, maybe even in history. And so we must treat it as such, placing what care and reverence we can into this life-altering decision. There will always be a place in our hearts for each of the Revels, whether we like them or not, but no matter which sweet gets voted out, they are all winners…except for the loser. 

Coffee 

One of my favourite of the Revels family. The fondant doesn’t taste strongly enough of coffee for non coffee-drinkers to complain about the taste, but there’s that unmistakable aroma which makes you feel like you might be a cowboy leaning against a fence with a cup of Maxwell House after a hard day herding cattle. Sorry where was I? Oh yeah…Coffee is nothing but deliciously mild fondanty treat whose inoffensive flavour can be enjoyed by all. 

Orange

The most delicious of all revels. Sweet and just a little bit tarty. All of the other revels are lacking in comparison to orange’s tangy goodness. Part of the excitement of Orange is not knowing if its going to be a coffee or an orange one. Toffee tries to look like them but he’s all bobbly. Coffee and orange are a double act, keep them together *If you leave me now, you take away the biggest part of me…ooooh noo baby please don’t go…*

Chocolate

Arguably the most useless of all Revels. Why if all the other Revels are coated in the stuff do we need one that is solid chocolate? It’s just a Minstrel with no skin. I’m not saying don’t like this flavour but to be honest if it means sacrificing coffee, the chocolate is the most expendable flavour. If you need the chocolate that badly why don’t you just gnaw it off all the other sweets put it into a big pile and eat it separately. Or buy a bag of sweets that isn’t marketed as having variously flavoured centres.   

Toffee

I like toffee. It takes me back to my childhood days of cruising sweetshops looking for anywhere that sells poppets. Poppets may I add now only seem to be available in bathroom vending machines. The less said about that the better. 

Raisin

Fruit has no place within a bag of sweets! However tasty it is, I voted for raisin, but I did so tactically knowing it was in second place behind coffee. I saw my chance to save coffee and dammit I took it. I stand by my choice and if I had the chance I’d do it all over again!

Malteaser

I have nothing against Malteasers in Revels. Except for a vitriolic hatred that gurgles at the back of my throat at the mere thought of them. They’re the only brand name Revel, and because of this, thinks it’s better than the other Revels. Malteasers are delicious, but If I want a bag of Malteasers I’ll go out and buy one. They never taste quite as good when they’re mixed in with the other sweets. I love Malteasers, really I do but they just taste bland when your taste buds are already over stimulated by the other flavours.  

Many is the time I bit into what I was expecting to be an orange or coffee sweetie only to hear that distinctive crunch. With only a split second to react I have no choice but to bite into what I thought was going to be a soft sugary centre. I don’t mind crunchy things, hey I love crunchy things, some of my best friends are crunchy things. But it’s the trauma of expecting one thing and getting another. Malteaser Revels are liars. Given half a chance they’d deceive you and everyone you care about. 

Final thought: I like Parma Violets so really should you be listening to me about this? 

My suggested Revel replacements: 

1. White chocolate centre covered in milk chocolate. 

2. Lemon

3. Nougat

4. BRING BACK PEANUT

Bane – Eric Bana

Everyone has their two cents about who should play the potential villains in the next Batman movie. So here’s my opinion on the matter…and yes I know this blog “insists upon itself”, it’s just me having some fun.

Enjoy…

Poison Ivy 

Who? Rebecca Romijn 

Why? Having played Mystique in the X-Men movies she’s no stranger to comic book adaptations. She also suits the role looks wise. 

The Riddler

Who? Johnny Depp

Why? Because of his amazing talents as a character actor and ability to throw himself head long into a role. There’s not many actors who are able to capture the essence of a character in quite the same way.  

Penguin

Who? Philip Seymour Hoffman

Why? As well as fitting the role physically he’s a very talented actor.

Mister Freeze 

Who? Patrick Stewart

Why? He was fantastic in X-Men and is dignified and intelligent enough to play the complicated character.

Catwoman

Who? Rosario Dawson or Devon Aoki 

Why? Both very talented strong women. Rosario looks closer to the original character though. 

Devon

Rosario 

Bane

Who? I still can’t decide. 

Why? I think Hugo Weaving or Kevin Spacey might be good but look nothing like the character. 

The fabulous translation of the instructions for my new bendy USB keyboard

The flexible keyboard cannot be used in the following conditions:

This product cannot be contacted with sharp objects           

It cannot be contacted with oil or organic impregnate like acetone and Toulon, aso

It cannot be pressed when it was rolled

Do not place heavy objects on in a long time

It cannot be pulled into the oven and putted on the fire to teast

It cannot pull out strength to twist or pull it 

I have a headache, so why you ma ask am I sitting in front of my laptop? Well because I didn’t get chance to watch this week’s Zero Punctuation review yet and i’ll be damned if anything gets in between me and that bitter, crazy english man.

I’ve suffered from migraine for a ling time, since I was about 12 or so. Ranging from headache with blurred vision to full on hemiplegic migraine (not cool). For anyone who has never experienced one or it you’re one of those people who refers to every headache as a migraine (I hate you people) the most pleasant way I can describe them would be if someone was standing on your head, pushing on your left eyeball and punching you in the stomach at the same time. So if like me you have had to endure this I researched a few different remedies to try and shake them off or possibly prevent them. Should be useful with the exams coming up.

Apples 

One forum suggests that eating apples can help to relieve migraine and insists that when over the counter medicine doesn’t help Granny Smith will.

Vinegar

At least three people on the site suggested that vinegar has helped them to recover from their migraine: ”An old fashioned remedy for any headache was to soak a piece from a brown paper bag with cider vinegar and apply it to the forehead. Something about breathing the fumes helps in some cases, anyway”.

Avoid Carbs

Stodgy carbohydrates sugar and caffeine are all triggers for migraine

B Vitamins

B Vitamins are good for warding off migraines. In particular, vitamins B2, B3 and B6. Migraines have also been liked to a deficiency in magnesium. Black beans, soy milk, oysters, whole grain breads, nuts, halibut and spinach are all rich in magnesium. Regular headaches can also be a sign of iron deficiency and anaemia. 

How to get through a particularly bad migraine

1. Get warm. If there’s one thing i learned it’s that feeling cold only makes it more frustrating and unpleasent. Throw on comfortable clothes or lie in bed.

2. Stay away from light. there’s nothing worse than having to put up with head pain and eye pain. It only makes you feel sicker.

3. Take deep breaths, make sure you get plenty of fresh air. Take a nap but leave the window open. 

4. Try not to think about it too much. I know it sounds crazy but I know from experience that lying around feeling sorry for yoursef makes it worse.