It really has been far too long since I last had something to say…

That’s actually a lie, there’s plenty to say but then you don’t want to hear about the complexities of insurance validations. If this is what you’re after you’re in the wrong place!!!

Long story short between finishing university, finding a job and generally dealing with life this blog has kinda fallen by the way side. However it’s time to get back to the writing block and shove some entertainment in your faces! (and maybe a little bit of serious stuff but nothing too much )

My first article will focus on the rather incredible Hunt for a Star hosted by Hangout Harry right here in glorious Prestonia. Featured will be an exclusive interview with your winner Andrew Sanderson as well as footage from the night. Believe when I say this guy is one to watch!

And the next post will show exactly why!

Expect to see everything on 2nd June and expect to have your socks blown off. Until then it’s nice to see you all again!

Sneak preview of star of the show Andrew Sanderson with backing dancers, Sarah Dennett (left) and Skyla Armer (right)

The main reason for me picking up on this is twofold. Firstly my mother is a sufferer of  type-2 diabetes and as such would be one of the first in line for the vaccine and secondly I myself have been in and out of Preston’s neurological unit throughout my life and as such feel a certain kind of connection with these types of issues. I would however like to point out that I am not a doctor or even a medical student so it is possible that some errors may be present in this post.

First off the main condition which seems to be causing problems is Guillian-Barre Syndrome. As reported in the Daily Mail earlier this week certain additives of the vaccine specifically Squalene are suspected to have detrimental effects on patients.

This is mostly due to the fact that squalene is an adjuvant designed to fight the virus quickly and as a result decrease the time it takes for the body to become immune to the virus.

However issues have been raised as to whether this is safe. Squalene has thus far only been approved for use in three vaccines ever. This could well be due to the fact that GBS is such a large risk and can even result in death. Antibodies seem to turn on the host in this syndrome attacking nerves and thus disabling the functions of various parts of the body including the lungs.

Check out this story to see what I mean

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206807/Swine-flu-jab-link-killer-nerve-disease-Leaked-letter-reveals-concern-neurologists-25-deaths-America.html

Either way in my opinion here we have an issue that requires great attention and a great deal more thought than has been given to it so far.

Let me know your opinions and expieriences

One love

Hey everyone. Bit of a random post today. As I said when we first met this blog is actually part of my uni course so I do have to upload some of my work onto here. This is one of those pieces of work.

I have to admit photography isnt exactly my forte but here’s an attempt. Its a picture from outside Preston City Council which obviously is pretty relevant to a journalism course.

The next proper post should be up by the weekend

One love

I thought I’d use this post just to clear a few things up. From some of my writing I can understand why some of you would think that I hate Nintendo. NOT TRUE. I have followed Nintendo since the SNES (when I was 5) and just think that somewhere along the way they have moved away from what was once an incredibly loyal fan base. I now know more people who have bought a Wii, played for a week and then sold it on again due to its lack of old school games.

HOWEVER, that is not to say that these games aren’t around. Things like Mario Galaxy, Zelda, No More Heroes along with many others (Metroid/Zack and Wiki/Fire Emblem) are all examples of games aimed at the more “classic” audience. However the prescence of so many games aimed at the wider audience seems to have put up a barrier between the Wii and the more hardcore audience.

However in doing this Nintendo must be commened for its marketing scheme. By pulling in big celebrity names for adverts (indeed by advertising at all) they made a gigantic step which many of their fans had been waiting for, for a long time. But in doing so things like “Carnival Games” have been released. A truly awful game which quite franky should never have been published. However now any company with the brains to incorporate motion controls into a game can now publish whatever they wish and sadly it will sell.

This may sound like a bit of an over simplification but this is what I want to know. Have Nintendo sold our or are they simply moving with the times innovating as they go and pulling in a bigger audience with that same innovation.

Comments as always will be MUCHOS apperciated.

Okay so down to business once again.

Last week I ran a thread on whether the PS3 can be saved by the onslaught of Square Enix releases coming up in the next couple of months but that was just a look at Sony.

Now its time to take a look at the bigger picture. We all know there are three main consoles out there Wii/PS3 and the Xbox 360 all of which have a devout following the only real variant being size of fanbase.

First up the Wii. Most notorious for its “wavey wavey” controls and childish catalogue, to a casual observer it would seem that the Nintendo have already won the war. But in doing things have had to be changed. No longer do we see the more “traditional” games appearing on Nintendo’s consoles but rather games like Wii Sports and Wii Music. Its all well and good that they may pull in an otherwise forgotten audience (the elderly/women/families) and kudos to Nintendo for opening the market in the way they have. But one has to wonder if in doing so they have “sold their souls”

Nintendo to be a platform for “hardcore” gaming that the average person just does not have the patience for. And as the longest running company of the “Big Three”, at least in terms of videogames its hard to not feel betrayed by their new tactics.

In many ways it is this failure by Nintendo to remember how they got where they were which has allowed for the Xbox360 to sneak into the lead in terms of hardcore gaming. Games like Call of Duty/Prototype/Halo along with Microsofts aquisition of Rare (a steal from… you guessed it NINTENDO) that have allowed them to rise to the top of the pile.

By providing a home for all those hardcore gamers who must sit and cry at night as their parents play Wii Microsoft has found itself a market. The Xbox original did struggle to do this pre-Wii (the original Xbox was somewhat of a flop given its tremendous power) but the gap in the market that Nintendo left was a perfect place for Microsoft to slip into.

And then there’s the PS3…. well I can try and be nice and say “there’s a chance for them yet” but let’s face it they were to slow to release and have SUFFERED for it. The first two of Sony’s consoles trounced anything that stood in their way and then they had to try and get fancy. Blu ray seemed like a great idea 5 years ago but given the fact that it took 5 years to make the console blu-ray compatible and THEN developers had to struggle with working round the all too complicated processors… one word Sony: MISTAKE

There are very few people I know who dont now own a Wii and either a PS3 or Xbox 360. However from expierience most people tend to opt for the latter for many reasons many of which have been disscussed above.

So then, while the Wii is the most successful of the three big consoles to date second place is still to be decided. Let me know your views.

Is the Wii too childish to deliver to real gamers?
Has the PS3 missed its chance?
Is the Xbox going to grow in strength until eventually Microsoft own the world? (Sorry slight bit of bias there)

Have a read/comment/prove me wrong.

One love

P.S Just on a personal note I would like to say congratulations to two of my friends who have just had a beautiful baby girl to whom I am a very proud godparent!

That got me thinking about the work that these people do and how much of an effect it has on peoples lives. Very few doctors seem to get the recognition they deserve for helping people in the way they do in todays media. Nowadays it’s all about “It was the doctors fault” as opposed to “they tried their best but their only human”. Mistakes are made everyday and believe it or not doctors arent there looking for an easy way out but rather the best course of action they can take to benefit their patient the most.

Naive as that might sound it still has to be said that doctors for the most part work long hours for less pay than they should and as such I’ve decided to profile one particular Dr who worked in the neurosurgical department at Preston and changed that particular readers life for the better.

I will try to bring you a far more positive picture of the medical field and hopefully find some truth about the way doctors are portrayed along the way.

Looking forward to hearing from everyone!

Whereas once they were THE giant of the industry now they trail behind Nintendo and Microsofts machines by a very long way. There are 1 million and 1 reasons why this would be but mostly its just been the price and complete lack of incentives to buy its consoles. No games? Why buy the machine?

However this all seems set to change. How? Final Fantasy. The hit japanese RPG series has already shifted thousands of PSP’s since the release of FF:Dissida and with FFXIII out soon they’ve got to be hoping for more of the same.

There might be problems with the latter due to the fact that Xbox 360 also has a copy of the game ready for release around the same time but hopefully Sony will have been able to secure enough exclusive content to make getting the game on PS3 an appealing option. Afterall it worked with GTAIV and Arkham Asylum… Final Fantasy should be a piece of cake.

How about everyone else out there? Can FF save the Playstation 3? Is it worth shelling out the money for the console for exclusive content on what is going to be one of the biggest games of the year/decade/century?

Let me know!

My name’s Ben and I’m hoping that some of you lovely people will be joining in me in a hearty disscussion about… well pretty much anything… I’ll be starting off with a few entertainment features and such but thats just to get the ball rolling.

Just a little about me. Im a student at the University of Central Lancashire studying journalism and I’m writing this blog as a part of my course but will keep it going after my degree.

Anyway feel free to say what you want… afterall thats what the worlds all about