What do you think? Is christmas sustainable? how would it work in a changed world?

Or should all our 'do-gooders' leave our festivals alone!!!



Christmas that i once knew was only about Praising and rejoicing about the Birth Jesus Christ. But over the past years the tradional and meaning of christmas has changed and we use this time of the month for unneccessary buying, large amount of individuals in depth, etc. All which i know makes no difference but some people use this time of month to take advantage of the true religious meaning and just taking time off work and doing nothing but ending up gaining pounds. All which are suppose to be part of Christmas but personally we are forgetting the reasons why Christians and Catholic celebrate christmas.

However the idea that Christmas can be seen has not been sustainable is one issue I do not agree with. The extra lights been displayed shows the interest people have on celebrating christmas but if one ask them why do we celebrate chirstmas they are likely to give you the wrong answer by stating "Because of santa claus". Christmas I believe is all a part of us, no matter if one doesn't understand the true meaning behind the fesitval but we all share something in common. Which is showing care to our loved ones, whole family getting together enjoying each ones company, allowed to eat as much as you please. All attributes which makes Christmas sustainable.

But yes maybe we can cut down the waste lights by switching all decorating lights off when about to go bed and maybe cooking organic food and eating more healthy meals, cutting down deserts. But to me Christmas won't be the same if all this are cut down. However i do beleieve that there's other issue which should be more considerd less sustainable rather than facing Christmas as an issue whuch only occurs once a year whereas other issue such as Cutting down your Carbon footprint which can be changed everyday needs to be highlighted more. But I do understand why christmas is considered as not been sustainable.

In years to come I personally don't think changes will take place in order to make Christmas more sustainable, but I do beleieve that the religious meaning behind what Christmas is will be lost and forgotten about and one will only wana know what present they have under the Christmas tree.

The Do-gooders have their entire rights to express their feelings about Christmas just like everyone else would like their opinions to be acknowledge but I do beleieve that Christmas is one of the festivals Fighting, War and all bad vibes should be left behind. Its a great idea to know that there are people out there that cares so deeply about the Future and our environment passionatly but on Christmas everyone deserves to be with the ones they love and have funn and put on weight if they pleased.

To what extent do the best selling UK newspapers cover stories related to serious issues? To what extent would you think that it is their role to do so? In your opinion does the tabloid media and 'low budget entertainment' (reality shows, soaps) have too much power and influence in this country?


Most newspapers sold in the United Kingdom are tabloids. Only one broadsheet features in the top six selling newspapers of January 2009 (Audit Bureau of Circulations 2009).
1. The Sun 3,146,000
2. The Daily Mail 2,200,398
3. The Daily Mirror 1,366,891
4. The Daily Telegraph 783,210
5. The Daily Star 768,534
6. The Daily Mirror 736,340

Before going deep in the question we truly need to understand the differences between both newspaper type, Tabloids and Broadsheets.


The tabloids
consits numerous newspapers such as
The Sun
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mail
The Daily Star
The Daily Express

Tabloids use lots of pictures
They have short news items.
They write in short sentences - like this.
They focus on celebrity gossip
They give lots of space to scandal and sport
Tabloid newspapers often adopt a written style which is casual and chatty.
They are aimed at a younger audience.
They assume that people know about film and TV stars, sports personalities, and the rich and famous.
They usually illustrate their stories with eye-catching headlines, pictures, and captions.
They are very fond of using Slangs, alliteration and puns in their writing. Here's a typical tabloid headline: 'BOMB BOY BLASTS BEACH BUMS'

BROADSHEETS:

The Guardian
The Times
The Daily Telegraph
The Independent
The Financial Times

Broadsheets use more text than pictures.

Their stories can sometimes be quite long - something they call 'in depth reportage
They treat their subjects more seriously, and they present their information in a style which uses more complex language and longer sentences - like this one
Broadsheet newspapers generally aim to be more factual and objective in the way they cover the news.
They pay more attention to politics, government, and international affairs - rather than to scandal and showbiz news.
However, they usually reflect the views of the people who own them

Now that the difference between both Newspapers are clear, one can start answering the question provided.To be honest I'm not surprised that the best selling Newspapers will be all 5Tabloids, not even one broadsheet. This shows how citizens feel about the society we live in. We all say we care and should be the highly power duty to inform us as citizens any important issue yet we contradict ourselves by giving into the gossip and entertainment world rather finding out what tomorrow brings. To be honest I am not the to criticize others as i also pay very very little attention to Broadsheets and instead sit with a cuppa while reading about Katie Price and Peter Andre relationship status in The Sun.

This is a terrible lifestyle to live, and one shouldn't continue this way as we are not allowing our self to be informed and instead we pay all attention to celebrities lifestyles and what rather wanting to find out what they spent their millions on. Although individuals are not necessary to take all blame, the blame also goes to the Tabloids industry. They have the right to inform us on serious issues, as they seem to do it well when delivering gossips so therefore delivering serious issues such as Climate change and sustainable development shouldn't be difficult. Although people seem to have made it loud and clear that they prefer to read about Jordon's personal outgoings and rather why it will rain snow tomorrow rather than rain seem to bother me slightly and YES i blame the newspapers. I believe the newspapers especially The Sun to use their popularity to their advantage by believing more serious issues to their papers and maybe this will change people attitude to the topic Sustainable Development. This would be a brilliant idea, as readers will still have their gossips to read and at the same time they will have no choice not to avoid serious topics such as climate change etc if it was included in the paper.

However some Tabloids do encourage serious topics in their newspapers but not as much as celebrity lifestyle. And maybe that's why there's a difference between Tabloids and Broadsheet. But realistically you will not catch me buying any BROADSHEET newspaper, NEVER.. maybe when I'm older and rich. [lol]. Exactly my point, due to stereotypically labelling we have labelled who exactly buys broadsheets and Tabloids. Broadsheets are mostly brought by Business woman/man, politicians, rich people etc all which you can judge yourself when sitting on the tube. I believe this had made it more difficult for my age group and myself to go out and buy any Broadsheet newspaper as we don't fall under any of the above. The Sun is probably one of many Tabloid newspaper that's mostly criticised for not relating to serious issues but when it does talk about serious issues the headlines can easily be taken as a joke and readers immediately see a serious issue turn into a joke of a day. This is why some individual are aware of serious issues such as Sustainable Development but rather do nothing about it or they are not well educated on the area to do anything about it. Whereas the The Telegraph on the other hand only contains serious issues/topic that the world is facing allowing its context to be exact, enlightened with in depth information and its headline is no joking matter.

VS The difference is clear as you can see The Sun front page can be taking as a joke whereas The Telegraph is more focusing on a serious issue. As mentioned above I believe all Newspapers should be able to educate their readers on serious issues/topics. We all have the rights to know what tomorrow brings.

In my opinion i believe that the tabloid media and 'low budget entertainment' (reality shows, soaps) do hold power and influence in this country as they are seem to be nothing but distractions to individuals allowing them to be blind on serious issues such as Sustainable development. Nearly everyone owns a TV in their household, might not have Sky, or Virgin or even a free view box but everyone can own a TV and watch TV, paying the pound store and getting Ariel only worth £1 allows anyone to get their hands on TV and are able to access at least Channels one to five, in which you can watch the highly demand TV shows from such as East Enders [Channel 1], X-Factor [ITV 3] etc. My point is due to TV in demand TV producers are been pressured to deliver nothing but the best and only show what will sell. Making a series in East Enders about Phil becoming more sustainable will not make the producers money but instead another TV show will be making more money than them, all this is due to Viewers demand. The viewers have demanded to have more Tabloid media been sold to them and also low budget entertainment to be shown to them.

Yes I believe that there should be more documentary on serious issues such as Sustainable Development and people shouldn't just rely on News. I believe that there's way in which people can get educated and this could be maybe showing short 20seconds series on the way the world is and how it can be sustainable, and within this series it should be interesting and maybe getting highly respected celebrities to get involve. But the question is will this be enough or will this actually work and are people just ignorant and not wanting to know what tomorrow brings.

Yes X-Factor and other Low budget entertainment are almost been transferred to God's and Thrown. Everyone bow down to it and due to high technology you can easily record the show and watch later. This is helping TV producers become highly powered in the TV industry and we are giving them the chance to do so.

To What extent do you think that it is your duty as a citizen to be 'informed'? Are you informed? How do you get to be informed about serious issues? To what extent do you think that you should leave the complicated decisions up to others?

"YESS" I should be informed. I peronally believe that Sustainable Development is a very important issue that should be acknowledged and others should start educating one and other about.

As a citizen it is our duty to be informed on the outgoings actions taking place in the society we live in. We all have the right to know what will occur tomorrow, next week, next month, next year or infact what will happen in the next few hours. Sustainable Development as a issue has been around for quite a while now, and it has informed lots of people through newspapers, tv, radio stations and other media distributions but it has failed to inform everyone such as myself. Although i sometimes see articles about Recylcing and climate change i always seem to look past it and find my attention diverted to Kate and Pete lifestyle. Luckly for the fact that i'm studying Learning for sustainable development as a module i woudn't have been educated deeply as i am now on the importance of Sustainable Development.

To a personal extent i do feel that i am informed on deep and serious issues because i allow myself to be. Watching particular news channel 'Sky News' which i favor greatly only because the news reporters to me seem passionate on delivering the news and not reporting because they are payed to. I tend to read people body laungage and facial expressions and the News reporters on Sky news never seem to fail me on their bubbly characteristics. Sky news is also a great interactive channel were your allowed as an audience to share your own views on a particular topic. I'm also informed through my favourite newspaper 'Metro', not because its a free newspaper but because of its layout the way the information are been allocated specifically. Metro newspaper without a doubt seemed to be the only newspaper were i have gatherd some background knowledge on the issue Sustainable development. Other newspapers seemed to have failed on updating me on the issue of climate change and capture my interest on the topic in whole. However i do believe i am been informed about sustainable development through various methods but the main method that stood out strongly would be through education. Watching Al gore film for an example was the best way to enlighten my interest on the topic although the film can be categorised as been boring i saw the film in a different representation, the film educated me greatly and widen my interest on knowing more about the issue.

Recyling is one of many contributions that citizens can get involve with in helping making the world a more sustainable enevironment. And i believe that citizens are been informed through this way of living on the topic sustainable development. Recyling is not only informed to adults kids from the age of 5 onwards seem to have captured the reasons why Recyling is good. To me this is a good start for the society we live in as the next genereations will hopefully be more sustainable.

However i disagree on the idea that individuals MUST do something in order for a change to take place, I believe that we all have the right to make decisions although actins need to be made i don't believe that we are entirely to blame.

"NO" we should not leave the complicated decisions to others, as a citizens we have the rights to make decisions too. If the issue revolves on our lifestyle then we should be informed first and also be invited on decision making. Only makes the world we live in a better place and forming unity.

! Inconvient Truth !

To what extent do you think this was deserved? Having watched this film in class did you feel that your opinion (or perhaps the opinion of others) to the issue of climate change could be positively influenced? What did you think of this film? Was it effective?

Former Vice President Al Gore is cofounder and Chairman of Generation Investment Management, a firm that is focused on a new approach to Sustainable Investing.Gore is also cofounder and Chairman of Current TV, an independently owned cable and satellite television network for young people based on viewer-created content and citizen journalism. A member of the Board of Directors of Apple Computer, Inc. and a Senior Advisor to Google, Inc. Gore is also Visiting Professor at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Mr. Gore is the author of An Inconvenient Truth, a best-selling book on the threat of and solutions to global warming, and the subject of the movie of the same title, which has already become one of the top documentary films in history. In 2007, An Inconvenient Truth was awarded two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song.

Since his earliest days in the U. S. Congress 30 years ago, Al Gore has been the leading advocate for confronting the threat of global warming. His pioneering efforts were outlined in his best-selling book Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit (1992). He led the Clinton-Gore Administration's efforts to protect the environment in a way that also strengthens the economy.

Al Gore was born on March 31, 1948, the son of former U.S. Senator Albert Gore, Sr. and Pauline Gore. Raised in Carthage, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C., he received a degree in government with honors from Harvard University in 1969. After graduation, he volunteered for enlistment in the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam War. Upon returning from Vietnam, Al Gore became an investigative reporter with the Tennessean in Nashville, where he also attended Vanderbilt University's Divinity School and then Law School. http://www.algore.com/index.htmlm/index.html

Al Gore the man I believed would have made a big difference to the United States Of America if he was crowned 'President' but lost to Mr.George Bush who showed no interest to the topic Climate change or Global warming. However despite the dissapointed news of him not taking on the role Al Gore however showed a lot of interest on how he would have contributed on making United States of America a better place to live and also encouraging citizens the importance of helping America become a sustainable nation as well as keeping the world in whole sustainable. Al gore production on the 'Inconvient Truth' deserves acknowledgement as it was packed with indepth information on human impacts contributed in creating Global warming and the rising of climate change.

Difference in average surface temperature: comparison with 1961-90 average,
Global and Central England, Degrees C

Both local (central England) and global average temperatures have risen with a few fluctuations since the late 19th century.

Average temperatures in Central England rose by about 1°C during the 20th century. The 1990s were exceptionally warm. Four of the five warmest years since records began in 1772 occurred after 1990, and 2004 was the ninth. In 2003 the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK was reached when temperatures peaked at 38.5°C.

Average global surface temperature also increased - by 0.4 to 0.8°C since the late 19th century. All ten of the hottest years on record have occurred since 1990. The warmest year since global records began in 1861 was 1998, 2002 was the second warmest, and 2004 the fourth warmest. Current climate models predict that global temperatures will rise by between 1.4 and 5.80c by the end of the 21st century. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=368

According to the The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) they blame human impacts/activities for the reports in 2001 of the warming over the last 50 years. They expanded their accousations on the involve of emissions of 'greenhouse gases' such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. The IPCC 2001 report also suggested that if actions are not taken
global temperatures will rise by 1.4 and 5.8°C by the end of the century, increases in rainfall aswell as the frequency of extreme weather events may occur. They also stated that climate change scenarios for the UK annual temperature could increase by 2 to 3.5°C by the 2080s while winters may become wetter and summers drier. While reading this piece of information i was well educated and left with a brighter knowledge on climate change and global warming, while reminiscing on the terrible event that took place in America 4years ago about Hurricaine Katrina which came unexpected to citizens of New Orlens State came in a hurry and left with millions of damage, Katrina left thousands dead and left thousands homeless. Don't get me mistaken as been heartless but then again one can say that nature was paying back Karma as we treated the earth with no respect and carried on abusing it with our lack of interest in Global warming.

While watching the film i gatherd that Al Gore not been President was very much echoed throughout the film, this shows that Al Gore was truly disapointed and was seemed to only want that position more than anything else. However one can argue that Al Gore interest on Climate Change and Global warming only took place in order to recieve Synmpathy from his fans or only to show that he's still engaged with his nation. This can then be argued saying that Al Gore interest in Global warming is loyal that he had passion for the topic since he was a youth which is evidential in the film. I personally believe the film was a great tool in order to educate the audience as well as setting awareness on what will happen in years to come. The film was also able to persuade and challenege individuals as myself on what we are doing right or wrong as humans on this earth, leaving us to wonder on changes that we'll be making at the end of the film.

In conclusion 'Inconvient Truth' was a door opened to me allowing me to witness the dangers of Climate Change and Global warming thats occuring as you read it also exaggdurate on the fact that 'Climate Change' does exist. WHY? Simply because i gave it an helping hand and so did YOU !

What actions could you (in theory) undertake that would improve the 'sustainability' of your lifestyle? What might be preventing you from doing these?

'Sustainability' is the ability to maintain balance of a certain process or state in any system.

Taking this definition and relating it to my lifestyle makes me not a sustainable individual. However I will put the blame on the society simply because it has helped us ignore how to be sustainable and encourage us how not to be sustainable. The society we live in has blocked out the sustainable vein which i believe is alive in all of us and replaced it with the mentality of unnecesary goods. The idea of wasting money on designer lables, Newest gadgets [Blackberry, iPhone], newest Cars, etc are not what we need but what we want. And to be honest i am one of many consumers following the trend of using a Blackberry, spending a lot of money on designer labels all which i was not brought up to do but learnt while growing up. Because of the society we live in now 'IMAGE' is all that matters and not whether one is more sustainable than another, and if changes is not brought to ones attitude on spending ridicoulously things will get worse as the next generations will do as they see. However there is a solution to this problem which would require everyone to start shopping in Primark, selling the replicates of Top Designers lables but the idea of been labelled a "Money Spender" is what we desire, the idea of our peers debating the price of your jeans and asking "How much you get them for"? and you replying back " Only £100" brings joy to our heart but then an uninvited headache comes and pays us a visit when we open that letter from the bank asking to pay them back, due to the criedtcard bills or overdraft. This mentality which does not need to exist can be solve but depends on the individual self, but as for me i can cut down on my spending and maybe start to look at vintage clothing lines.

Who ever said been sustainable is easy then i call that person a liar, betting that the same individual is not 100% sustainable themselves. Because it takes time and hard work for one to be sustainable. Doing the easiest such as switching lights off, recylcing, buying less fast food is far more difficult to some, and i would admitt i find it bloody hard because its not part of my lifestyle. There's a lot one can do to be sustainable but as one got time to do all? As a student i have no time to sit down and separate all rubbish in order to recyle but I do my bit by recycling all papers but the plastics and Tins do take time and lazyness seem to be the obstacle holding me back. However this can be solve by me sharing my time out carefully taking 10mins out and getting the recycle done properly. Another major issue which can help me become more sustainable is the idea of not eating out as much as i do. Eating more healthy fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables in some cases imported from other countries but luckly uses less packaging which allows less use of fossil fuels makes the suggestion more sustainable. The idea of growing my own vegetables would be a brilliant idea but only if i had the time and patience, but due to my lifestyle the idea can not be lived up. On the other hand i must say i give criedt to those who grow their own foods, not meaning they are more sustainable than i am but they are helping the environment we live in become more sustainable. Keeping fit can also be a great idea in order for one to be sustainable, so maybe joining local gym or even better taking a jogg around the your neighbourhood.

In order to lower my carbon footprint, and help the environment and become more sustainable i found that i am held by lazyness. Lazyness the worse dieases one can have has able me be less sustainable stopping me perform the easiest task one can do to be sustainable. Task such as unplugging from the sockets, switching the stairway light off before going to bed, leaving things on standby when not in use, over charging my phones all held back by lazyness and sometimes me forgetting to do. Looking back at my early childhood i would say that my upbringing was a sustainable lifestyle once lived including my family been sustainable as well. The reason why was due to insufficient of funds allowing us to have no option but to be sustainable meaning we brought the cheaper brands in supermarkets, all lights off when going to bed even though i was afraid of the dark [Thats when candles came usefulat times candles], once in the blue moon we would take a trip to McDonald's, Public transport everywhere we went apart from short distance which would have been done by foot. But as society grows bigger and population expands and consumers demands increases things changes and my family becoming less sustainable was one of these changes that occured. I can be seen or labelled by others as being a sustainble due to the little i do. I tend to depend a lot on public transport which makes the environment more sustainble but some can argue that public transport can be a piss take at times as they are unreliable. Walking more can solve the above statement but where I stay is no walking distance to the university so getting a lift or sometimes taxi/cabs becomes a better idea at that moment.

In addition I have learnt that doing a little can actually equal us doing alot to the environment making it more sustainable. The idea of taking our used carrier bags shopping preventing us from buying another makes us sustainable, instead of driving a short distance and walking instead makes us sustainable, idea of leaving our cars and taking public transport for a day makes us sustainable, not visiting a fastfood restaurant makes us sustainable. So instead of feeling guilty for what yet we haven't done we should rather question ourself of what we have done giving ourselves praise and how we would better what we do. We must also be able to inspire others to do the same in order for all individuals to have a sustainable tattoo which can be seen by all and making the world a sustainable place to live in.

Blackberry Curve !!

Do You Have One?

Does The image make you wana own you one?

Do you know anyone that owns one?

I WANT ONEEE ... I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU !! [hehehe]