Heartbreak For Many As The University Scramble Begins

Last Thursday’s hugely successful A Level results were meant to be full of joy, satisfaction and vindication at two years of hard, successful work.  However, for many thousands, the frantic scramble has begun to get into University, due to record amount of young people applying for higher education study.

Although the competition for places is getting tougher than ever before, it does surprise many outsiders than students who collected straight A grades have not been given confirmed places to the University course of their choice.  Overall, the A Level pass rate rose again, for the 28^th year in succession, with 98% of entries getting an E grade or higher and 27% of students were given an A grade, a 0.3% increase on 2009’s results. 

With the amount of applications that have been received this year, UCAS, the organisation responsible for supplying students with higher education courses have warned that margin for error has been restricted this year and is encouraging students to take a year out, or apply for part-time and apprenticeship courses.  For many though, these alternatives are simply not an option.  More than 660,000 students have applied for University places this year, whereas only 380,000 applied and got into University last year, including myself.  Many of the top-class Universities such as London, Birmingham and Durham have already said that they are full up and have no options remaining.

The recession has made this the biggest and most challenging year for students and with budgets cuts having to be made by most Universities, this just adds to the frustration for many.  There is bound to be many disappointing faces and heartbreak for many students.  The rush to get a spot through UCAS clearing service is now well and truly on.  

Skins - Can The New Cast Deliver?

NEW CAST: from left to right, Alexander Arnold, Dakota Blue Richards, Sean Teale, Sebastian De Souza, Will Merrick, Laya Lewis, Freya Mavor and Jessica Sula.

A fortnight ago, E4 announced the new eight members who will be pioneering the popular teen drama Skins through the next two series.  Series five, which begins in January 2011, will see a new crop of young actors/actresses who will deal with the crazy hedonistic teenage lives, full of sex, drugs and family disfunctionality based around Roundsview College in Bristol. 

Skins changes its cast members every two years and has become one of the most talked about shows on UK television, since it burst onto our screens in February 2007.  Back in April, open auditions were held in London and Bristol, with approximately 7,000 people auditioning to get a role in the third generation.  Five of these new members have come directly from the open auditions.  Dakota Blue Richards is the only member of Generation Three who has previous acting experience before, having starred in the 2007 movie, The Golden Compass.

Unlike the last generation, which had Kaya Scodelario (Effy) carry on from the initial generation breakthrough, this is a brand new slate for the new group and over eight episodes next winter, they will get their chance to shine.  They certainly have the backing from the executive producer of Skins, John Griffin.

“More people than ever turned up this year for the open auditions in London and Bristol and the standard of young talent was as high as ever.  It was a huge process but incredibly rewarding and we hope that those who auditioned ended up as much fun as we did.”

The new crop hasn’t been given any character names as yet, though they should be revealed soon.  Though I admit that they seem to miss the sex appeal that many fans saw in the likes of Kathryn Prescott, Megan Prescott and Lily Loveless from the last generation, what matters the most is whether this lot can act.  It will be a tough act to follow from the success of the first two generations, but they need the time to rubberstamp their authority on Skins and I do hope the fans will stick by them and give them the time required to settle into a very daunting proposition.  Kelly Brook has already been confirmed as a guest star and comedian Chris Addison will return to play the dynamic college director, David Blood.

Skins have helped promote the careers to fame of Dev Patel, Nicholas Hoult, Kaya Scodelario and Jack O’Connell.  Its success means that it has been E4’s second highest ratings show, after the US sensation Glee.  For those who miss the old members, there will be a Skins Movie which is being written by former writer of the show, Jack Thorne.  Hoult, Patel and Scodelario are all on the verge of being confirming for the showpiece next summer, with more cast members set to be announced in the near future.   Below is a video that was released by Channel 4 yesterday, which shows the lighter side of filming for the last series.

I wish the new generation the best of luck for the future – they all deserve a chance at the big time.

Kiss Flights Demise Add To The Growing Travel Pain

Last week saw more misery for those passengers who wanted to get away before autumn sets in.  Kiss Flights became the third travel operator to go bust, following the after effects of the recession and the eruption of the Icelandic volcano back in April.

More than 70,000 people have been affected by the collapse of the travel operator last Tuesday, which specialised in sending travellers off to the Canary Islands, Egypt, Greece and Turkey.  Around 13,000 customers are abroad with the company, although all are set to return home under the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority).  However, delays maybe expected.  Refunds will be accepted for those who had booked flights with the doomed operator, though not for accommodation. 

The chief executive of Flight Options, the owner of Kiss Flights is devastated by the collapse, blaming the demise on late bookings, as well as the fallout from the volcanic ash disruption.  Kiss Flights catered for many of the same routes as the recently collapsed Goldtrail Holidays.  This means that some holidaymakers may be affected for a second time this summer.  Last Friday, Sun4u also collapsed, leaving 16,000 customers stuck abroad.  With these latest demises, I would expect more independent companies to go bust in the near future.

Although the Unite Union and BAA recently agreed a deal, preventing a potentially horrendous Bank Holiday strike which would have seen the shutdown of six British airports, including Stanstead and Heathrow, the aviation industry has taken a significant battering in 2010.  The effects from the Icelandic volcano are hitting hard and the fallout may only just be beginning for many in insecure jobs, and many more thousands of holidaymakers who must be feeling the pain.  

The X-Factor - Where Are They Now? (Part 2)

THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN BY MY BROTHER, JASON WRIGHT

BY JASON WRIGHT

The X Factor, widely regarded as Britain’s biggest and best talent TV competition, returns for its seventh series on Saturday.  Since its launch back in 2004, it has become a national phenomenon and is always a Saturday night (and from last year, also a Sunday night) ratings banker for ITV1. Last year’s series attracted a record series average of over 15 million viewers, including a peak of 20 million for the finale.

As the new series draws closer, I will be taking a trip down memory lane to look at how previous contestants have fared since making their appearance on the show.  This second of two blogs looks at the six acts who won over the respect of the voting public the most, and become the winner of the The X Factor.

Steve Brookstein (Series 1 Winner, 2004)

The 36-year old from South London does have the dubious honour of being the first ever winner of show.  His debut single, a cover version of Phil Collins’ ‘Against All Odds’ entered the charts at number 2, beaten to Christmas Number 1 by ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ by Band Aid 20.  His debut album did go to number one but was then dropped after his second album was planned to be full of cover material instead of new songs, something of which he didn’t agree to.  After this, he was never mentioned again.

Shayne Ward (Series 2 Winner, 2005)

From his first introduction, it was clear music was meant to be in Shayne's life.  He duly became the one to beat in series 2 and won.  The 21-year old from Manchester became the first talent television winner to claim Christmas Number 1 with That’s My Goal, the only original X Factor winning song to date.  Three more top ten singles, including Next to Me (the theme music for E4's Hollyoaks In The City) and a platinum selling album soon followed.   Although he has disappeared off the music radar in recent times, Ward still achieved considerable success.

Leona Lewis (Series 3 Winner, 2006)

Few people who are successful on the show don’t quite have ‘The X Factor’, there is usually something missing.  But in this case, there isn’t.  Leona's debut single, ‘A Moment Like This’, originally sung by the first American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson broke several chart records on its way to the Christmas Number 1.  She was quickly offered a US recording contract and her debut album hit top spot in no fewer than 10 countries, making Leona a household name across the world.  Although other winners can enjoy good fortune, it is going very difficult for this feat to be repeated.

Leon Jackson (Series 4 Winner, 2007)

Much of Britain was left in shock when the young Scot beat red hot favourite Rhydian Roberts in the series 4 final.  Though his take on the Mariah Carey song, When You Believe, seemed dreary and senseless, it was still effectively guaranteed the Christmas Number 1.  However, in terms of success, that as far as it goes.  His second single only charted in the top 40 for three weeks and he was the first winner not to see their debut album take top spot.  Unsurprisingly, he was dropped by Simon Cowell and like Brookstein, he hasn’t been seen in public since.

Alexandra Burke (Series 5 Winner, 2008)

The 20-year old from North London had previously entered in 2005 but failed to get past the judges houses round as despite her talent, her then mentor, Louis Walsh thought she was “too young”.  Fast forward three years and not only did new mentor Cheryl Cole put her through to the live finals; she went on to win, being the only contestant not to have a bad performance throughout.  Hallelujah, her debut single, continued the show's domination of the Christmas chart and would eventually shift over one million copies.  A second number 1 single and a platinum selling album have also come Alexandra's way but she has been a little less successful than the runners-up of the 2008 show, JLS.  Nevertheless, she should still be on the music scene for quite some time to come.

Joe McElderry (Series 6 Winner, 2009)

This Tyneside lad was just a handful of contestants in the running to win series 6 as it was for much of it, a close run competition.  Towards the final run-in though, he took his performances up to a new level that no-one else could compete with and duly emerged as the victor.  The 18-year old may have won the battle to win the show but lost the war to take top spot in the Christmas chart.  A Facebook campaign was online by then, in full swing to get Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing (In The Name Of)’ to top the charts.  The campaign was of course targeted at Simon Cowell and his decision to send fellow favourite Lucie Jones home so early in the live shows resulted in a surge of support for the campaign.  RATM, as they were known for short, were successful and both Cowell and McElderry played fair sport by being gracious in defeat.  Since then, work has begun on his debut album, due for release in the Autumn and only just last month, Joe stunned nearly everyone by confessing he was gay.  However instead of deserting him like so many others have seen when confessing their sexuality, he has still of all his friends, family, fans and both Cowell and his series mentor Cheryl Cole on his side, which will no doubt increase his morale.  Now the wait begins to find out whether he’ll succeed like Ward, Lewis and Burke or flop like Brookstein and Jackson.

One thing from these winners proves that even if you win The X Factor, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee you success in the future.

This Year...What Is Happening?

So the stage is set for this year’s show to begin, which promises to be bigger and better than ever. There are a load of changes this year, the most notable being the absence of Dannii Minogue from the auditions and bootcamp due to her pregnancy.  Her space is filled for the early stages by a series of guest judges.  Geri Halliwell, Natalie Imbruglia, Katy Perry, Pixie Lott and Nicole Scherzinger all filled in and Scherzinger, better known as being the high-profile girlfriend of F1 ace Lewis Hamilton also deputised at bootcamp.  We will see how regular judges Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh cope with the loss of Minogue and also of Cheryl Cole for both the final leg of auditions and bootcamp following her “near-fatal” battle with malaria.

Over on ITV2, Holly Willoughby has stepped down as host of spin-off show The Xtra Factor to concentrate completely on co-presenting This Morning and Dancing on Ice with Phillip Schofield.  In a surprise choice, despite strong rumours of either Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh or Caroline Flack taking over, the role has instead gone to ex-Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq.

Meanwhile, the over 25s category has strangely become the over 28s this year and eight acts from each category go forward to judges’ houses instead of six.  These are changes of what have been confirmed so far; whether any more will be implemented by the time we get the live shows remains to be seen.

It all kicks off at 7:30pm on Saturday 21st August on ITV1 and for the first time ever, it’s available in high definition on ITV1 HD.

ENJOY WATCHING!

The X-Factor - Where Are They Now? (Part 1)

THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN BY MY BROTHER, JASON WRIGHT

BY JASON WRIGHT

The X Factor, widely regarded as Britain’s biggest and best talent TV competition, returns for its seventh series on Saturday.  Since its launch back in 2004, it has become a national phenomenon and is always a Saturday night (and from last year, also a Sunday night) ratings banker for ITV1.  Last year’s series attracted a record series average of over 15 million viewers, including a peak of 20 million for the finale.

As the new series draws closer, I will be taking a trip down memory lane to look at how previous contestants have fared since making their appearance on the show.  This first of two blogs looks at 12 acts that didn’t win the show outright but have either gone on to enjoy success or be consistently in the public spotlight.

G4 (Series 1 Runners-Up, 2004)

This quartet of male vocalists may have lost the first series final to Steve Brookstein but there is no denying that they were the true winners of that year’s competition.  There debut album reached number one in the albums chart and their lead single from the album, a cover of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ went on to strike the top ten in the singles chart.  The group split in early 2007, citing disagreements over their record company, about their UK tour schedule.  Group member Jonathan Ansell has since had a successful solo opera career.

Andy Abraham (Series 2 Runner-Up, 2005)

Originally a binman from North London, he won over thousands of fans in the second series and was rewarded with second place.  His debut album reached number two in the charts but since then, nothing has gone right.  A last-gasp effort to revive his career by appearing as the UK’s entrant at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest failed thanks to the domination of tactical voting by Eastern Europe in the competition.  He is now beginning a new life as a property developer.

Chico (Series 2 5th Place, 2005)

The real joker of the pack in series 2, he became well known for his catchphrase ‘It’s Chico Time’ which became the title of his first single which reached top spot in the charts.  Since then, he has become more of a children’s entertainer, regularly appearing at Butlins holiday parks, and still is today.  He also competed in the failed ITV2 reality series CelebAir in 2008 and was one of a dozen people to release an unofficial anthem for the 2010 World Cup called ‘It’s England Time’.  Needless to say, it failed to chart in the top 100!

Ray Quinn (Series 3 Runner-Up, 2006)

This young Liverpool lad was already a star by the time he entered the show in 2006, having starred in the Channel 4 soap Brookside.  Critics wrote off his chances before the live finals, but he soon got them on his side and reached the final.  Despite his one and only album not being as successful as he hoped, he has gone on to be a success in the West End, appearing in shows such as Grease and Dirty Dancing.  In 2009, he appeared in Dancing on Ice and turned it into a one man competition, finishing top of the judges’ leaderboard every week.

Rhydian Roberts (Series 4 Runner-Up, 2007)

His operatic voice in series 4 made him the hot favourite to win; in fact some bookmakers had begun paying out to punters on the night of the final.  Then he lost to underdog Leon Jackson and the controversy began, several people claiming ITV had fixed the voting which was strenuously denied.  This allegation led to ITV now publishing voting statistics for every reality show after the series end.  Despite being beaten at the last, his debut album went platinum and his second the following year sold more than 100,000.  Earlier this year, he left his record company, the full reason of this has yet to be established.

Same Difference (Series 4 3rd Place, 2007)

Written off by everyone before a note was sung in the live finals but it turned to be completely the opposite for this brother and sister duo from Portsmouth.  Louis Walsh couldn't stand them them but the public loved them and voted for them to get to the final.  A record deal was sealed, but several rescheduling issues over their debut single and album was to be the ultimate downfall.  Neither reached the top 10 in 2008 and they were swiftly axed.  Like Chico, they’ve have now resorted to the Butlins tour circuit.

JLS (Series 5 Runners-Up, 2008)

There is some debate as to whether Alexandra Burke or this four-piece group were the real winners of The X Factor 2008.  Most believe that it is JLS and the evidence is simple.  They have scored three number one singles, two BRIT awards, two MOBO awards and several marketing deals.  They are also due to begin a career in the US next year.  On the basis of that, it shows that some acts don’t need to win the show to be rich and famous.

Diana Vickers (Series 5 4th Place, 2008)

A girl that well and truly split the nation with her “unique” voice.  But love her or hate her, she just couldn’t be ignored, and at one stage becoming the favourite to win.  In the fifth week of the competition however, she had to withdraw because of a throat infection and then literally battled as far as she could afterwards, finally succumbing at the semi-final hurdle.  Since her rollercoaster appearance, Diana has had a successful stint in the West End and this year, returned to the music scene with a number one single and album.  Whatever you’re views are on her, everyone has to admit that she is an act that is here to stay for quite sometime.

Laura White (Series 5 8th Place, 2008)

Before the live finals, the girls category was looking to be the one to beat and this 21-year old was tipped to be the favourite.  However, something didn’t gel in the live finals and Laura was booted out on week five.  Her exit prompted outrage.  Facebook petition groups were set up, calling for her reinstatement and Louis Walsh, who had the casting vote that night, to be sacked.  A subsequent Ofcom investigation cleared ITV of vote fixing and Walsh then made the grave mistake of going public with his comments on blaming the viewers for her exit, rightfully being heckled by the studio audience throughout the following week’s programme.  Laura has since gone onto release a single but her early exit from the show hampered any chance of being successful.

Olly Murs (Series 6 Runner-Up, 2009)

This wasn’t the first time this Essex lad was on TV.  He took part on the Channel 4 show Deal Or No Deal in 2007…and won just £10!  In the live finals, he won everyone over with his regular upbeat performances and rightfully reached the final two.  In the final, he became great mates with Robbie Williams and their performance of ‘Angels’ is widely regarded as one the best moments in X Factor history.  Williams invited him to play in this year’s Soccer Aid charity football match and Olly is now set on releasing his debut single, ‘Please Don’t Let Me Go’ later this month with an album to follow shortly after.

John & Edward, a.k.a. Jedward (Series 6 6th Place, 2009)

In a mild context, these identical twins from Dublin raised a lot of eyebrows in the sixth series.  When Louis Walsh was revealed as their mentor at judges’ houses, they became a dead cert to be in the final 12. They were despised by the public left, right and centre…and Simon Cowell, who famously described them as “vile, little creatures” and that he would be on the next plane out of the country should they win.  The twins courted massive controversy in week five when Cowell chose to save them instead of ditching them and their luck finally ran out a fortnight later.  Since their appearance, Jedward earned themselves a number 2 hit with their take on the Queen song ‘Under Pressure’, mashed together with ‘Ice Ice Baby’.  Following this, they were dropped by Sony, only to be snapped up 24 hours later by Universal and worse is to come, they have there own television show beginning on ITV2 next week.  Anyone with a nervous disposition should look away now!

Lucie Jones (Series 6 8th Place, 2009)

The 2009 series once again boasted a very strong girls category.  This time it was this beautiful Welsh teen who was leading the pack.  After a solid, if unspectacular, first three weeks of performances, she really came into the competition in week four.  However the following week, she ended up in the bottom two with Jedward and when Simon Cowell made the shocking decision to let the public vote determine the elimination, the twins’ growing popularity with the public sealed her fate.  Lucie's fans slammed Cowell's decision and slowly boycotted the show.   The Sun, a popular newspaper for the programme, labelled Cowell as THE MOST HATED MAN IN BRITAIN and even later reported that he had been sent death threats over the vote.  Cowell eventually apologised to the public over his decision.  Following her shock exit, the 19 year-old has signed a deal to become a fashion model and more recently, is performing in the West End.  Even though we may not see her now enter the world of music, her future is still definitely bright.

These 12 acts are just handful of contestants that have shown you don’t need to win The X Factor to either launch a career or earn a bright future ahead.

Coming up soon is part 2, focusing on the previous six series winners.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (14th - 16th August 2010)

In a new feature, I will be rounding up the Premiership action on this website every single weekend, with brief reports of each game.  This first weekend of the season bought twenty-six goals, a fairytale start for one of the new boys, a farewell goal from an England international and horror goalkeeping blunders from some of the Premier League’s best.

Saturday 14^th August – Wigan Athletic 0-4 Blackpool

Blackpool fans saw their players make a dream start to their maiden Premiership campaign, with a convincing 4-0 away day result at a dreary and awful Wigan.  Gary Taylor-Fletcher opened the scoring and Marlon Harewood added another two goals before half-time, to give the Tangerines an unforgettable first 40 minutes.  Wigan barely improved after the interval, and luckily, only conceded one more goal, when Chris Kirkland made a meal of Alex-John Baptiste’s cross and palmed the ball into the net.  This was the sort of day that Blackpool fans could only dream about, but the pressure will be already on Roberto Martinez, otherwise he could become a very early Premiership casualty. 

Saturday 14^th August – Chelsea 6-0 West Brom

Chelsea started this season as they finished last season, as the defending champions ripped newly promoted West Brom apart at Stamford Bridge.  After a dismal pre-season, Carlo Ancelotti’s champions made short work of the Baggies, who wilted once Florent Malouda put the Blues ahead on six minutes.  Didier Drogba earned himself a deserved hat-trick, whilst Malouda scored another late effort and Frank Lampard added a sixth.  This was a big warning of intent from the champions, ‘catch us if you can.’  For West Brom, their season effectively begins against Sunderland this Saturday.

Sunday 15^th August – Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal

A nightmare moment for Pepe Reina in the last minute cost Liverpool a deserved three points against Arsenal in a hard-fought clash at Anfield.  A poor first half came to life when Reds debutant Joe Cole was dismissed by Martin Atkinson for an unnecessary challenge on Laurent Koscieny.  Moments into the second half, David N’Gog capitalised on some slack Arsenal defending to smash Roy Hodgson’s side infront, beating the under-fire Manuel Almunia at his near post.  Reina was on top form to deny Thomas Vermaelen and Tomas Rosicky during the match, but made a hash of a simple cross from Rosicky, being beaten in the air by Marouane Chamakh and off-balance, palming the ball into his own net for an unfortunate own goal.  Koscieny were sent off for two silly yellow cards in stoppage time, but Liverpool will wonder how two points got away, whilst Arsenal will be the happier of the two sides, after a timid opening display.

Monday 16^th August – Manchester United 3-0 Newcastle United

Manchester United made a masterful start to their campaign, kicking off with an easy 3-0 win over Premier League returnees, Newcastle United.  Although the Magpies kept Sir Alex Ferguson’s side contained for the first half hour, they were broken down by Dimitar Berbatov cool finish, then a second on the stroke of half-time from Scot Darren Fletcher.  Substitute Ryan Giggs added a late third, keeping his record going as the only player to score in all 19 Premiership seasons.  There was also a wonderful display from Paul Scholes and although Wayne Rooney’s goal drought continued, this was a near-perfect start for the Red Devils.

Saturday 14^th August – Aston Villa 3-0 West Ham United

It was a strange atmosphere around Villa Park at the weekend, especially after the shock departure of Martin O’Neill from Aston Villa just five days before the start of the season.  However, his ex-players responded in superb fashion, comfortably getting the better of a very limp West Ham unit.  Stewart Downing opened the scoring, taking advantage of some dodgy goalkeeping from England reject Robert Green.  Stilian Petrov headed in a second, before James Milner, on his farewell appearance for the Villains before joining Manchester City smashed in a Marc Albrighton low cross.  West Ham will need to improve on this dismal display, but it was the perfect tonic for reserve team coach and caretaker boss, Kevin McDonald.

 

Saturday 14^th August – Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Manchester City

Joe Hart proved his worth to Roberto Mancini with a breathtaking goalkeeping display to keep Tottenham at bay in the first game of the new season.  Picked over Shay Given, the recently appointed England No.1 produced a number of quality stops to deny Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and co from a winning start.  Tottenham’s performance was impressive, bar the result.  For City’s big spenders, they were battered and lucky to leave White Hart Lane with a goalless draw.

Saturday 14^th August – Sunderland 2-2 Birmingham City

Sunderland threw away a two-goal lead infront of their home fans on a day when the skippers had a day to forget.  After deliberately elbowing Garry O’Connor, Lee Cattermole was lucky to stay on the field for longer than 40 minutes.  He did commit two yellow card challenges and quite rightly, got his marching orders.  Birmingham captain Stephen Carr conceded a penalty converted by Darren Bent and then, looped a header over a bemused Ben Foster early in the second half.  Dreadful Sunderland defending led to a spirited fightback from Birmingham, with scrappy goals from Scott Dann and Liam Ridgewell. 

Saturday 14^th August – Wolves 2-1 Stoke City

Wolves came out on top of an entertaining opening clash at Molineux with Stoke City, inspired by a brilliant free-kick from David Jones.  Having lost new record signing Kenwyne Jones to an ankle injury early on, Stoke lost their way and conceded twice in three minutes.  First, to a 20-yard volley from Jones’s free-kick, teed up by Karl Henry, then to a simple header from new Wolves signing Steven Fletcher.  Although Abdoulaye Faye headed in a consolation, Wolves deserved to shade this match and continued their momentum from the end of last season in fine style.

 

Saturday 14^th August – Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Everton

Tim Howard gifted Blackburn a deserved opening day success, by dropping a simple ball forward from Steven N’Zonzi.  His glaring error allowed Nikola Kallinic the chance to slot the ball into an unguarded net and hand Rovers a day one win for the first time in seven years.  Everton, playing in absolutely disgusting pink away shirts huffed and puffed, but lacked the creativity required to beat Paul Robinson.

Saturday 14^th August – Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Fulham

This game had a 0-0 draw written all over it and sure enough, Bolton Wanderers and Fulham lived up to expectations.  Mark Hughes’s first game back in football management since his achromous departure from Manchester City last Christmas turned into a damp squib, as his side looked happy with a point.  Bolton forced the best of the action, but they were denied by fine goalkeeping.

Pakistan's Devastating Floods

Recently, relief agencies confirmed that more than 16million people have been affected by the traumatic flooding that has engulfed Pakistan.  It is estimated that more than 1,500 lives have been lost in the disaster, since the monsoon struck Pakistan at the beginning of August.

650,000 homes have been destroyed across 51,000 square miles and now there is severe danger that disease could spread across the homeless, especially as clean water and other supplies are running thin.  More heavy rain has been forecast, in the country’s worst flooding in its sixty-three year history.  Helicopters carrying emergency aid have struggled to reach those who have been affected, due to further storms.  Many are now living in makeshift tents and crowded public buildings.

Criticism has been laid severely on the country’s Prime Minister Raza Yusuf Gilani.  Although he has addressed the nation and is attempting to make up for his slow initial action, there have still been widespread calls for him to step-down.  When the floods were at their worst, Gilani continued his tour of Europe and has even been in the UK during the crisis to meet David Cameron.  Even though he was attempting to fix strained international relations with many European countries, he should have been there at a horrendous time for his country, as they struggled on their own to deal with the flooding.

Many troops have been brought in to rebuild bridges and set-up emergency relief camps.  However, many locals are angry that more is not being done.  Britons have donated over £5million so far to the crisis and more has been urged as the country attempts to recover from the devastation.

My thoughts are with all of those affected by the floods and I hope things can recover as soon as possible for those who have suffered.  However, it is going to take a lot of rebuilding and togetherness for this to happen. 

Oliver Fury As Junk Food Looks Set To Return Into Schools

Reports suggest that schools look set to start serving junk food again as an alternative option, which have infuriated Chef Jamie Oliver.  The education minister for the new coalition government, Maurice Gibb has told some of his close allies that the limited amount of content in fat, salt and sugar will be eliminated.

Although there is still encouragement from many independent school bodies that they will follow the recommended nutritional levels, they won’t be obliged to stick to these levels by the ConDems government.  Many heads will probably stick to the healthy option, but Labour are furious at these plans, especially as they worked very hard with Oliver to dismiss the unhealthy primary school stereotype of junk food culture and hyperactive vending machine products. 

Some experts feel that this change in food culture could be down to the necessary cuts required to reduce the growing deficit levels, but others think that it is abuse of the healthy eating campaign.  Since the 2004 Feed Me Better Campaign, which was set-up by Oliver and backed by the Labour government, supermarket giant Sainsbury’s and the Daily Mirror, there have been significant rises in the amount of children passing English, Maths and Science exams over the last five years.  This unhealthy culture could therefore spearhead the return of the unhealthy Turkey Twizzlers – which was made by Bernard Matthews but was removed by the company in January 2005 after it was revealed that it contained just 34% of turkey levels, yet a dangerously high 21.2% amount of salt.

I am not the healthiest person around when it comes to food, I do like my fizzy drinks and snacks, but I think it is essential that the healthy option remains as a compulsory option, especially for younger children, who need to stay fit and healthy in their growing up years.  Let’s hope that Maurice Gibb has a change in heart.  

2010 Hungarian Grand Prix - The Conclusions

In this piece, I will be assessing ten key features from each Grand Prix weekend from the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.  It has taken two weeks for me to digest the events of what happened in Budapest, due to my summer holiday.  However, it was another dramatic race which ended up with a new championship leader and a former champion receiving more criticism for his driving standards.  So, this is a round-up of Round twelve, the final event before the Grand Prix circus headed for its extended summer break.

Red Bull Racing – A Stunning Pace

When Red Bull Racing turned up and set their first competitive tracks on the Hungaroring, the rest might as well have gone home, because they had no hope of winning.  This circuit suited all of the Red Bull’s features on the car, especially downforce levels.  This should have been a nailed on one-two for Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.  However, Vettel being caught asleep on the Safety Car restart once again showed the Milton Keynes team lack of ability to turn dominant performances into maximum points hauls.  Vettel’s record of one win from his seven pole positions is a dismal statistic.  It is giving Webber his best shot at the world championship, and a stunning mid-race stint on tyres that were starting to fade won him the race.  Webber is on a crest of a wave again, Vettel has to once again stamp his authority on the team if he is going to become champion this year.

Michael Schumacher – Another Dangerous Move

Michael Schumacher’s performances in 2010 have been a constant theme in these conclusion blogs, simply because he can’t stay out of the headlines.  This time, it was for a crazy and mad lunge on his former Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello that the Brazilian called ‘the worst manoeuvre on him in his F1 career.’  Once more, Schumacher missed Q3 and was struggling in 10^th place in the race.  Barrichello had run as high as 5^th, but a late pitstop dropped him out of the points.  However, on more favourable tyres, he homed in on Schuey at some three seconds a lap.  With four laps remaining, he got a run on the German out of the final corner, and went to the inside.  Michael’s response was brutal, shoving his former friend almost into the pitwall.  The Williams was millimetres away from a nasty connection, but Rubens just about squeezed through.  Afterwards, condemnation followed for Schumacher’s driving standards and the stewards agreed, slapping a 10-place grid penalty on him for the next race at Spa in a fortnight’s time.  Maybe it is time for this ageing world champion to call it a day before he tarnishes his reputation even more.

Dangers in the Pitlane Are Well-Documented

Maybe it has been coming for a while, especially when you think of the side-by side racing between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel in China and Hamilton vs. Fernando Alonso in Montreal.  The scramble for the pits in Budapest led to a near-miss for everyone involved in the pits, highlighting the well-documented dangers involved.  Mercedes failed to tighten up the right-rear wheel on Nico Rosberg’s car, leaving it to detach as he left the pit box.  It narrowly missed Pedro de la Rosa and the Sauber mechanics, bounced up and hit a crew member from the Williams team, who luckily escaped with bruising.  Rosberg parked his car on the exit of the pits, probably unsure to the carnage he had just caused.  During the chaos, the Renault lollipop man lost his focus, due to the errant wheel and released Robert Kubica into the path of Adrian Sutil.  The result was a collision between Kubica and Sutil, which would eventually end both of their afternoons.  Renault and Mercedes were fined $50,000 for their lack of safety and dangerous pitlane manoeuvres.   

McLaren’s Worrying Lack of Pace

This was by far the least competitive weekend for the McLaren team in the 2010 season, and with the summer break underway, it can’t have come at the worst possible time.  To be over two seconds slower than Red Bull in qualifying must ring the alarm bells at Woking headquarters.  Lewis Hamilton dragged his uncompetitive machinery around to 5^th on the grid, and then used the Safety Car to jump Felipe Massa in the pits.  The damage limitation was working well, until a transmission failure on Lap 24 left him stranded on the exit of Turn 3.  Jenson Button failed to get into Q3, and was squeezed out by Pedro de la Rosa and Michael Schumacher at the start, relegating the world champion to a very frustrating 15^th.  He pitted just before the Safety Car came out, which allowed him to jump a few places, and wind up 8^th.  However, he was lapped by Webber six laps from the finish, which highlighted the drop off in pace for McLaren.  They need an upturn in pace and fortune very soon, otherwise their championship dreams will become a distant memory.

Vitaly Petrov Underlines His Potential

The Hungary weekend could well turn into the making of Vitaly Petrov as a Grand Prix driver.  Petrov has been overshadowed by Robert Kubica all season, but he destroyed him in Budapest, qualifying an outstanding 7^th, easily his best in 2010.  Petrov then made a lighting start and catapulted upto 5^th.  Though he gave up quite feebly to Lewis Hamilton on the second tour, Petrov was a comfortable 6^th for the rest of the afternoon, and regained 5^th when Hamilton retired.  This was a brilliant weekend from the Russian and he has probably given Eric Bouillier some headaches now over who will be Kubica’s team-mate for 2011 and beyond.

Robert Kubica – A Poor Weekend

Whilst Petrov had his best performance of the season, Robert Kubica turned in his weakest drive of the season.  On a track similar to Monaco, Kubica was expected to be a major threat to the McLaren’s and Ferrari’s, but it simply never came together.  To be outqualified by Petrov was a major surprise, as this was the first time the Pole has experience that feeling since Japan 2009.  Stuck behind Rosberg in the early exchanges, Kubica would have struggled to beat the likes of Button and de la Rosa in the race, but for the unfortunate collision with Adrian Sutil in the pits, which was through no fault of his own.  Robert has never had a prolific record at the Hungaroring, and that continued in 2010.  I bet he wished it never existed. 

Continued Improvement for Sauber

On Switzerland’s national day, Sauber continued their rapid rate of improvement, with their first double points finish of 2010.  Pedro de la Rosa is a Budapest specialist, and starred in qualifying on his way to 9^th on the grid.  Despite a poor start, de la Rosa lapped strongly all afternoon and will be satisfied with his 7^th place result, ironically the first points he has scored since his comeback this season.  Team-mate Kamur Kobayashi blamed traffic for his shock elimination in Q1, and this was followed by a five-place grid penalty for missing a weight check during practice.  From 23^rd on the grid, Kobayashi’s Sunday afternoon looked like it could be a very frustrating outcome.  However, he had a stunning first lap, gaining eight places and kept Jenson Button honest all afternoon.  Ninth at the end was almost unnoticed by many, but it is Kobayashi’s 4^th points finish in the last six races.  He is Japan’s best F1 driver they have ever produced and if the improvement continues from the team, Sauber could threaten to be best of the rest by the season’s end.  The horrors of the early flyaway races now seem to be a century ago. 

Nico Hulkenberg Fulfils His Potential

Nico Hulkenberg has had a tough baptism of fire this season, largely down to a uncompetitive car that Williams have given him this season.  However, he has matched Rubens Barrichello as the season has worn on and now, he is getting the equipment to produce the business.  Hulkenberg outqualified Barrichello in Hungary and despite trailing him early on, made his strategy work against the veteran and wound up an impressive sixth, easily his best performance of the season.  Finally, his potential looks like it is being fulfilled.

Positives for the New Teams

Jarno Trulli led them home, three laps down, but the Hungarian Grand Prix turned into a very positive weekend for all the new teams.  This was the first time in 2010 that all six cars from Lotus, Virgin and Hispania all finished, so all should be satisfied.  Sakon Yamamoto beat Lucas di Grassi, whilst Timo Glock outqualified both Lotus cars for the first time since Shanghai, and finished less than ten seconds behind Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen in the race.  For once, there were encouraging stories to tell for all the new teams, rather than face sorrow tales of misfortune.

Force India – Feeling the Pressure

As Renault stay ahead of the midfield group, and rapid improvements come from both of the Sauber and Williams teams, it is Force India who are falling backwards.  Regular top ten qualifiers earlier in the season, the team are facing the pressure of being out developed by teams who have better resources and bigger budgets.  Vitantonio Liuzzi touched Michael Schumacher on the first corner, broke part of his front wing and then dispensed those contents in the middle of the track on Lap 13, which bought the Safety Car out and turned the race on its head.  He finished a miserable 13^th, and the pressure will increase on Liuzzi to hang onto his drive.  Adrian Sutil was very unlucky to be caught up in the Kubica pitlane incident, but there is no doubt that the team have dropped back.  Spa and Monza will be interesting to see, as these sorts of circuits should suit their car with downforce levels.