An unidentified person dressed in a ‘killer clown’ costume
was seen running around the Brunel University campus in Uxbridge, on Saturday
evening, holding a chainsaw and scaring students.
The clown was first spotted outside the student’s residence
Mill Hall, where students were quick to take pictures and videos of the clown
and share the news on social media.
One user tweeted: “There's
a clown on Brunel campus, don't think I'm ever leaving my flat again”,
while another one said: “Oh my, killer
clown terrorising Brunel students”.
James Vardy, 21, student and resident at Brunel said that “the clown was just standing outside our
halls of residence and was chasing some students with what seemed to be a
chainsaw. I believe it was a silly boy who thought it would be funny to dress
up as a clown and prank his friends.”
James Liuton, 23, Science student at Brunel also said he was
‘terrified’ to hear the news on
social media: “I was shocked to hear
about the clown prank at my university. It was all over Facebook and everyone
was freaking out! I thought it was a made-up joke to begin with, because I had
heard about those pranks before, but then when I saw Snapchat posts and tweets
I was scared indeed.”
Terry Vass, Security operations Manager at Brunel University
has announced that “this is a prank that
has come over from abroad and it is happening all over the UK now, where
someone jumps out in a clown suit to scare people.’’
The ‘Clown craze’ also knows as the ‘Killer Clown trend’ has
been imported from the United States and it sees pranksters wearing scary clown
costumes and masks and usually holding weapons in an attempt to try and
terrorise the public. There have already been several sightings of clown
pranksters around schools, parking lots and houses in London, Leeds and Essex.
Mr Vass also added that the clown prankster at Brunel
University “could have been holding a
real chainsaw, but if it was real, it unlikely had the chain, which is the
sharp part, attached. The chainsaw was used more to make noise.”
The Brunel University Security Team has informed students and
staff that they “can be assured we are
doing our best to find this person with the help of CCTV and you have nothing
to worry about on campus.”
His debut EP ‘Streetlights’ peaked #75 in the iTunes
Singer-Songwriter charts and now 19 year-old Josh Massey is ready to release
his first album on big streaming services SoundCloud and Spotify.
With
Michael Jackson, Ed Sheeran and James Bay as his biggest influences, Josh
started writing music and putting song covers on YouTube at the age of 15. Now
he is ready to release his first studio album, full of acoustic and powerful
ballads, mainly written and produced by him.
The new album takes inspiration from
a wide range of music genres and has an individual and distinctive sound. Just
like in his latest EP, the upcoming songs are inspired from his personal
experiences. They are honest, emotional and heartwarming. “It is a mini collection of certain points of my life from the last 2
years. The inspiration ranged from feeling very lost and confused to feeling in
love or being rejected. It is a bit
different from the current popular music. The industry today is very messy.
Most songs on the charts are meaningless, while there is a whole lot of talent
that is overshadowed.”
The album showcases Josh’s
potential, his love for slow-tempo music and his impressive guitar skills. “This album reminds me of why I wanted to be
an artist in the first place. I decided I wanted to be a singer on the night I
saw Ed Sheeran in concert. Watching him on stage, just with his guitar and the
loop pedal. I was so blown away how he can do so little, yet do so much. I was
so inspired! When I went home I wanted to learn how to play guitar and
everything went from there really.”
Josh has already performed in more
than a 100 music venues including Barfly, Paradise and The Hippodrome with
Saint Raymond, to support the new album and is also planning to embark on a
small European tour.
Check Josh out on iTunes, Spotify
and SoundCloud for more music.
Former Back Door Slam frontman Davy Knowles has returned to
London and is about to release a series of new blues recordings, as well as the
anticipated music film documentary ‘Island Bound’.
After a relentless
four-year tour regime across the USA, in support of Jeff Beck,
The Who, Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many more, Davy Knowles is setting to
release the follow-up of his 2014 hit album ‘The Outsider’.
Davy
is returning back to his classic blues roots and his recognizable style, but he
is also exploring different music genres and areas with vivid folk elements in
his songs. “My upcoming music is guitar
driven blues and rock. Blues is the music I first fell in love with and I have
always connected deeply with it. There is definitely inspiration from folk
music on this new album however.”
In
this album, he is experimenting with several different musical instruments and
is providing a variety of melodic blues sounds and tunes. “With this album, I attempted to play the mandolin and acoustic, classic
and electric guitars. Playing instruments is what I enjoy doing the most.Singing was not my main passion. It just
came later, when no-one else in the band I was in wanted to do it.”
Davy
has also revealed that his new album will include some tribute songs to his
late father, who has influenced his musical career from the beginning.
“I was inspired to pick up the guitar and
learn how to play by my dad. I invited him to play with me on stage on a gig I
did in Philadelphia last year. A few weeks later he passed away, so that memory
has very much become a treasured one.”
The
Manx-born singer will also release in 2016 the musical documentary ‘Island
Bound’, in which he analyses and demonstrates, along with artists Richard
Thompson and Martin Simpson, how the Celtic and European folk music was firstly
preserved and passed down through generations, evolving into bluegrass, country
and americana, and ultimately influencing the blues and rock music of today.
“I am very excited about this documentary and
for what’s to come next. I hope people enjoy what I have created the past few
years. I only wish for longevity in my career, I have no dreams of grandeur. Being a
pop-star has never particularly interested me. Just to be making a living
and growing as a musician is all I have ever wanted.”
For more information visit Davy’s official
website www.davyknowles.com, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
At only 22 Sasha McVeigh has become a regular name in the
country music scene, with her hit album ‘I Stand Alone’ and her energetic
performances in the biggest music festivals in Nashville and all around the
world.
The Hereford-born singer took some time out of her busy
schedule to give to MashUp an exclusive interview about her fantastic journey,
her career highlights and her future plans.
Can you please
tell us a few things about you and introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Sasha McVeigh and I'm a British
singer/songwriter from the rural part of Herefordshire. I've been singing for
as long as I can remember. It’s always been my biggest passion. I'm also a huge
Disney fan, so if you follow me on Instagram, you'll see a lot of photos of me
dressing up as the movies’ characters.
So when and how
did you decide that you wanted to be a musician?
I decided to pursue music professionally when
I finished Sixth Form College in 2012. I had been writing, playing and
performing since I was a kid, but I never took the professional step until
then. My Nana passed away on Christmas of 2011 and it really made me
re-evaluate a lot of things. I was planning on going to university, but I
stopped and realised that all I wanted to do was follow my music dreams and
university would have been settling. My parents supported me 100% which I'm
hugely grateful for and a couple months after I finished college I flew to
Nashville and the journey began.
So how has this journey been so
far? Has it been easy or hard?
It has definitely been an incredible ride! I have loved every
minute of it and I have come a lot further than I ever expected to. But at the
same time it has been hard, because it is very ‘costly’ to become an artist
today. My parents have sacrificed everything to help me achieve this dream and
fund my projects. It is so sad that because I am not a millionaire, I struggle
to do what I love the most.
Did your parents help you
record and fund your debut album ‘I Stand Alone’?
Yes of course they did. They have done everything they possibly
could and this album is a family effort. Also, the fans helped me raise money
for this album on Kickstarter. Some people donated a lot of money and I felt so
happy and emotional that they believed in me and wanted me to make my own
records.
So how did it feel to record your
very own album?
It’s a dream came true! It’s something that I have always wanted
to do and I got to record it with a full band of musicians. Before, I only
played acoustic songs, because that reflected what I did in my live shows. Of
course I’ve still kept a bit of an acoustic sound in this album, because that’s
kind of who I am. There were so many talented and award-nominated musicians
involved in this album and most of it was recorded in Nashville. I couldn’t
have asked for a better team of people to work with.
In a few words, how would you
describe your music?
I write all of my own music and it's definitely a combination of
country, pop, folk with some R&B overtones. All my songs are written from
personal experiences and are usually entirely true stories. I just prefer to
write that way and my fans seem to really understand what I'm saying, which is
amazing.
Do you play most of the musical
instruments in your songs then?
Yes, I have been playing keyboard since I was ten, but I only
started playing the guitar three years ago and now it has become like another
limb. I don't go anywhere without my Martin guitar, named 'Dean', or my Taylor
guitar, named 'Elizabeth'. I recently picked up the banjo too!
What was the feedback you received
from the fans? Do you find people recognise you more now?
I have received such amazing feedback and comments from the fans,
it’s overwhelming! It is extremely touching that people can relate to my songs
and sing them back to me at my live shows. It totally freaks me out when people
recognise me on the street, because I’m just me and it’s so odd when they say
‘hello’ or ask for a picture. But I love meeting new people!
Who were your main musical
inspirations for this album?
My biggest musical inspirations are probably Elvis Presley, Zac
Brown Band, John Denver, Taylor Swift and just Motown music in general. They
are all artists and genres I've been listening to either since I was a little
girl or since I started song-writing at the age of 12. Their influence is
obvious on my album. But honestly, I listen to all different genres, I love
Adele, Amy Winehouse, Michael Bolton, The Script, the composer Alan Menken,
Elton John, to name a few.
And if you could collaborate with
any artist, who would it be?
Ah! That's such a tough question, because I'd like to collaborate
with so many different artists for different reasons. But, if I had to narrow
it down, I'd say Alan Menken, because he's composed some of the most incredible
scores and pieces for Disney movies, or the Zac Brown Band, because they're my
favourite country act on the circuit right now.
What would you say has been the
highlight of your career so far, your best music memory?
If I had to pick just one, it was probably when I was invited, by
The Academy of Country Music, to perform at the ACM Awards Kick-Off Concert in
Las Vegas. My name and face was on a 100ft billboard on the Las Vegas strip -
it was insane!! The ACM Awards are like the Oscars of country music and it was
such an honour to be invited by the Academy to perform for them, especially
when I'm an unsigned artist. That was one of the greatest nights of my life!
What are your thoughts on the
music industry today and the current artists?
For a time, everyone was worried that the music industry being
driven into the ground, but I think when you look at the quality of music being
produced both last year and already this year, I don't think we have anything
to worry about. There is so much talent out there. As for the shift in digital
and physical sales, I think that just shows the change in times. iTunes,
GooglePlay and other online streaming platforms are bound to be more popular
now than physical albums, because it's easier for people to download the songs
or stream them on their phones rather than listening to the CD only when they
have a player around.
Before we end this interview tell
us what would be the ultimate dream for your music career?
To get to a level where I can perform wherever I want and wherever
the fans want me to go. It's a very expensive to hire venues and sometimes you
can't perform in all the cities you want, because there simply isn't enough
budget for it. I'd love to not be restricted by that and be able to go directly
to the fans. The point is, artists are nothing without their fans. I love hearing
from my fans and communicating with them, we're like a big family. So to be
able to have no limitations on performing for them, that's the dream.
Finally Sasha, where can we find
you performing?
I have been on a UK tour since March and now I am heading to
Europe for more shows. All the dates can be found on my website
(SashaMcVeighMusic.com). I am so excited to get back on the road again and
especially in Europe, because the fans out there are so enthusiastic. I'll be
heading back out to the USA to tour in the summer. There's a lot to look
forward to this year including releasing some new music which I'm thrilled
about. I can't wait to get started!
Conservatives’ decision
to build and expand primary and secondary schools in Hillingdon has been met
with resistance from the Labour Party who demand protection for green belt
areas.
The Hillingdon
Council Budget Meeting, on the 25th of February 2016
Schools in
Hillingdon are to receive a boost of £47million to meet the rising demands for
student places, the Hillingdon Council has announced. Councillor Jonathan
Bianco, Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Business Services, stated
during the budget meeting that the Council’s future plan to invest in education
“is the largest school building project
in London and it is our commitment to provide every child with a proper place
in a modern, well-equipped school.”
Councillor
Michael White (CON, Cavendish) also told the budget meeting that “all Councils are struggling to cope with
such an influx of students at the moment and in some boroughs, school halls are
being used as temporary classrooms.”
The school building project comes after claims from the Local Government
Association that in recent years primary schools have been struggling to keep
up with growing demands for school places. By 2024 Councils in England will
have to cater for nearly 3.3m more secondary school places, an increase of 20%
on now.
Rhona
Johnston, Head Teacher at Queensmead School in South Ruislip, declared that “these investments are necessary. There are
more children in primary education currently in Hillingdon than there are
places available in secondary schools.Without the investment there will not be enough school places for 11
year olds starting next academic year.”
The
Council’s decision to build new schools and expand old ones has prompted an
angry Labour reaction, who emphasised on the importance of protecting and
maintaining green belt areas. Previous school building projects have been
controversial among Hillingdon residents, who last year organised a protest
against the building of a school in Lake Farm Country Park.
Councillor
John Oswell, Deputy Leader of the Labour Group explained that “the Conservatives do not realise that any
new build should be on suitable spare land and not on green belt. They recently
built a new school on a much loved green belt site when there were much better
options open to them.”
Councillor
Tony Burles (LAB, Uxbridge South) also accused the conservative party for not
having sustainable plans: “the local
Conservatives are very arrogant and think that they know best without putting
the needs of local people first. Their plans might sound grand, but it’s all an
illusion. I call it smoke and mirrors but nothing behind it.”
“I fear thatthe Council has concentrated on building schools and taken its eye off
the quality of the education” added Mr Burles.
The
Conservative-led Council has invested heavily in primary education, spending
over £150million on building new schools over the past five years. There are
currently plans for five more infant schools in the Hillingdon Borough and
Eastcote to be expanded, in order to fulfil the growing demand for new pupils.
On a more helpful note, Councillor Jas Dhot (LAB, Barnhill) invited both
parties during the budget meeting to work together: “Labour and Conservatives are politically different, but when it comes
to the betterment of our community or country, we should support each other. In
Hillingdon we definitely need more schools to ensure that every child does not
need to travel far for education, and together we will make this possible.”
The Council’s budget plan for schools
in Hillingdon for 2016/17 – 2020/21
2016 could be a challening year for many local residents
across the country, after English councils announced a possible rise of the council tax bills and cuts in several local services.
The budget meeting for the local councils will take
place later in February, but many councillors are already warning that funding
reductions from the Central Government will result to multi-million pound
deficits for local communities.
Changes include a possible rise of council tax up to
3.99%, which is the maximum level permitted, as well as a rise of the adult
social care insurance payment (premium), which means that council bills could
go up by £47 a year for most Band D properties (the rating scale of the energy
efficiency of a house – D is an average grade).
In addition, the reduction of the support grant from
the Government to the councils might cause “deeper” cuts to a number of local
services, including children's centres, short breaks for disabled children, bus
subsidies, funding for theatres, museums, community gyms and projects
encouraging people to stop smoking and preventing domestic violence. Also, charges
for garden waste collections and bereavement services are set to rise in some
areas.
It has also been revealed that over 25,000 jobs
are under threat because of the cuts to services, while 15 district councils
will see their central government grant withdrawn next year and 168 local
authorities will have lost their full support grant by 2019/2020.
However, the Department for Communities and Local
Government believes that council tax bills will be less at the end of David
Cameron’s government, as now councils “will
have almost £200 billion to spend on local services and they can plan their
funding settlement with more certainty”.
On December 17th 2010 Joanna Yeates, a
25-year-old landscape architect, went missing in Bristol, after a night out
with colleagues. Following one of the largest
police investigations ever undertaken in the Bristol area, Yeates’ body was
discovered on Christmas Day of the same year in Failand, North Somerset. A
post-mortem examination showed that she had been strangled to death.
It was later revealed that Vincent Tabak, Yeates’
neighbour, was found guilty of her murder and was sentenced to life
imprisonment.
Joanna Yeates pictured in 2009
However, Christopher Jefferies, a retired teacher and
Yeates’ landlord, was initially arrested on suspicion of her murder. Although
it was quickly established that Jefferies – who was never charged – was
innocent of any involvement in the crime, his arrest excited great interest in
all media around the UK.
Several UK newspapers published negative articles
about Mr. Jefferies and “compendious
details of his character and personal habits”. (see Wilby, 2011)
The Sun described Jefferies as “weird, posh, lewd and a creepy oddball”, The
Daily Star announced “Jo landlorda creep who freaked out schoolgirls” and
“angry weirdo”, while The Daily
Mirror branded him as a “nutty professor
with a bizarre past, who was arrogant, rude and snob.”
Attorney General Dominic Grieve stated on December 31st
2010, in an interview for BBC Radio 4 that “newspapers
and all media are under a legal obligation to observe the principles of the
Contempt of Court Act.” He also added that “contempt laws protect an individual going through the investigative and
legal process to ensure a fair trial could take place.”
According to Mike Todd and Mark Hanna “the law of contempt protects the integrity
of the administration of justice, and the fundamental principle that a
defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Contempt of law most
affects journalists when they publish material which might affect a trial, by
making a jury more likely to find a defendant guilty – or innocent – or by
influencing witness’s evidence.” (Dodd and Hanna, 2014, p. 212)
“The media may
run the risk of breaking the Contempt of Court Act 1981 if they comment on
active proceedings, jury deliberations, criticise the judiciary or disobey a
court order.” (Bland et al., 2005, p. 15)
Jefferies pictured before his arrest in 2010
Jefferies was released from police bail on March 4th
2011 and subsequently “the High Court
granted the Attorney General permission to bring a case against tabloids and
move a motion for committal of Contempt of Court against The Sun and the Daily
Mirror.” (see BBC.com, 2011)
Eventually, Jefferies launched legal action against
eight newspapers and won an undisclosed sum in libel and substantial damages
for defamation from The Sun, The Daily Mirror,
The Sunday Mirror, The Daily Record, The Daily Mail, The Daily Express, The
Daily Star and The Scotsman. The Sun and The Daily Mirror were also fined £18,000 and £50,000 respectively,
for the way they reported his arrest.
The coverage of Christopher Jefferies’ arrest and the
lawsuit against UK newspapers demonstrates that the “crime” of Contempt of
Court suggests that publications about on-going legal cases might impede the
administration of justice and can also create a substantial risk of serious
prejudice to any potential future trial. Even though Jefferies was innocent,
the media presented him as guilty and these false accusations could possibly
influence the jury negatively.
The last few years in the UK, a great number of scuba diving clubs, diving shops and sports centers with diving facilities have closed, due to lack of participation.
Diving instructors are worried that diving is slowly becoming an unpopular sport among young people.
Professional divers Suzy Butler and Harry Saville from the London School of Diving and the Wraysbury Diving Centre, discuss the reasons why Scuba Diving is slowly “shrinking” in the UK.
Here is a video I filmed and edited to give you an idea about UK diving:
When David Cameron announced during the EU reform speech at Chatham
House in London last Tuesday, that he wants changes to happen in the
relationship between the UK and the EU, the question about “Brexit” was raised
once again.
Should the UK leave the EU or not?
Britain’s Prime Minister stated that his main priorities are “to introduce an arrangement where unwanted
EU legislation could be blocked and to reduce the number of people moving to
the UK from other EU countries.” Mr. Cameron gave reasoning behind these
suggestions, but was immediately met with resistance over his demands.
The European Commission described Mr. Cameron’s proposals as “highlyproblematic”, while Jean-Claude Juncker, the Commission’s
president, made it clear in a caustic speech about the UK, that Brussels is
still not taking the threat of Britain leaving the EU seriously.
It is well known by now that the relationship between the UK and the EU
has long been one of the most divisive issues in British politics. As John
Redwood MP said “it is like a bad
marriage”.
David Cameron has pledged to redraw the UK-EU relationship and hold a
national referendum on EU membership by the end of 2017.
The referendum is increasingly seen by the British public as a way to
settle the vast number of political issues the EU membership raises and
unsurprisingly, political parties are also keen on the idea;
Mayor of London, Boris
Johnson thinks that “if we are successful
in our negotiations, we should stay in a reformed EU. Britain has a great deal
to gain from independence and it is time our friends in the EU realise we mean
it. We want to stay in, but not at any price.”
The latest poll from
the Daily Mail shows a divided nation
of Europhiles and Eurosceptics on whether
Britain should remain a member of the EU – 51% of people would vote “No”.
Gerard Batten, UKIP MEP for London has said that “the EU is a grandiose
political project, which creates an undemocratic super-state that suits the
interests of a European political and ideological elite. Inside the EU, Britain
will eventually cease to exist as an independent democratic nation.”
In contrast, Marina
Yannakoudakis, former Conservative MEP for London, believes that a “No” vote
would reopen the question about the independence of the other countries within
the UK: “Wales, Scotland and Ireland all
want to stay in. Does that mean that the UK would have to split?”
She also added that “it will totally be the wrong move to leave
the EU. There will be many issues for England and other European countries if
we go down that route.”
One thing is for sure;
UK’s EU membership is in the hands of the British public and it is important
that both sides of the argument are heard. It is an issue that needs to be
solved with careful considerationof all the implications.
Original Sources:
Boris
Johnson,
Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (CON)
Gerard
Batten,
Member of the European Parliament for London (UKIP)
Marina
Yannakoudakis,
former Member of the European Parliament for London (CON)
Dr
Syed Kamall,
Member of the European Parliament for London (CON)
I remember when I was a kid, on my birthday, first of
all my mum would always wish me good health, followed by happiness and success.
Even to this today, she still tells me that health is the most important gift we could ask for. I must admit I didn’t understand what
she meant back then. I was hoping she would wish for me to become the best
student in my classroom, the prettiest or the richest and most successful
journalist.
I felt that having lots of money was more important. You could buy everything and be happy. You
can even “buy” your health, I believed. At least that’s what the TV films
and the society I grew up in made me think.
In Greece, where I come from, when there is a problem
or an issue in our lives, we take a deep breath and say “on top of all is
health” and everything else can be solved. Instead of cheers we toast “to our
health”.
Yes, I do agree that health is very important, but can
we not “buy” it? I mean if we are rich we can pay for better doctors, go to better
hospitals, have the best medical therapies or buy the best medication on the market.
I am thinking that if two people, one very poor and
one very rich, both have the same serious illness and both need to go to the
hospital and be treated, who’s more likely to survive?
The poor person might not even be able to afford the
hospital fees in some countries, while the rich person can travel the world and
find the best specialists and professionals.
See for example Ashya King’s story, when his parents
abducted him from a hospital in Southampton, so he could receive a better – and
more expensive – treatment abroad, against medical advice. The boy received a
costly proton beam treatment and managed to survive.
I sometimes also feel that our main purpose on earth
today is to make money, so we can survive. From six years old until 18 we go to
school and study, we learn things so we can get into university. Then at
university we study a degree, do work placements so we can find a job and have
money. It seems like all our lives we are working to make money, become rich,
enjoy the material luxuries and have a stable life for ourselves, our families
and children.
So it is obvious that money does matter a lot in every
person’s life. How happy can it make us though?
In 1964 The Beatles sang “I don't care too much for money, for money can't buy me love” and
indeed money cannot buy everything, like I used to think when I was younger.
January 2016 has been a very sad month in the “celebrity
world”.
Legendary English musician David Bowie passed away on
January 10th, at the age of 69 after secretly battling liver cancer for
several months. Later, on the 14th of January, Harry Potter’s
Severus Snape, actor Alan Rickman died from pancreatic cancer. On the same day,
René Angélil, singer, manager and husband of superstar Celine Dion died after a
long, 18-year battle with throat cancer. Only two days later, Dion’s brother,
Daniel died from the same disease.
All these people had a few things in common; yes they
all died in January 2016 and yes they all died from cancer, but they were also
all rich and famous.
Maybe money helped them “buy” a few more days of their
lives and live a little bit longer, but the ending would have been the same
whether they were rich or not.
I realise that my mum has always been right; health is
more important than money or any material object. If you are healthy you can
work hard and maybe become rich, but no matter how rich you are, if you are not
healthy you will not live long enough to enjoy your money and the rewards of
your work.
I suppose money makes us partially happy because if we
are rich, we don’t have to care about money, about jobs and how can we pay our
bills. We would probably only worry about how we could become even richer.
I think it is a common misconception that lots of money
does make us happy. Of course I don’t underestimate the power of money and its importance
in our lives, but what if we don’t have special people around us to share our
happiness? And I think one of the main ingredients to happiness is health.
Maybe we could have both happiness and money – although
it is very rare – but for sure money alone won’t make us happy.
