Hampshire County Council will announce its budget for 2010 to 2011 later this month.
The annual budget will be around £672 million and is expected to see a rise in council tax of £20 per year for the average family.
Local residents voiced their opinions on council spending as it stands and what they hope the new budget will improve:
“Well obviously it’s an enormous budget for an enormous county, so one would hope that they would be able to find some value for culture”
“Well I think they’re spending too much on the Civil Service and not enough on the public, the NHS and help for the elderly”
The council has said that there are no plans to cut service spending: which includes social care, education, road maintenance and rubbish disposal.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Winchester Cathedral Named as Top Hampshire Attraction
Winchester Cathedral has been named the top cultural attraction in Hampshire.
A survey by Hampshire County Council saw the historic building voted number one by people living in the county - ahead of other attractions including Portsmouth’s Dockyard and Marwell Wildlife.
Sarah Harfield, who works for Winchester City Tourist Information, spoke of the impact it will have on the city:
“I think it’s great – I think it’s great for Winchester, that’s what a lot of people come and visit so I think it’s really good news. With a bit of luck it will increase visitors to the city. People come for all the different attractions in the city as it is, but obviously with it being named as one of the top attractions then it will hopefully bring more people in.”
A survey by Hampshire County Council saw the historic building voted number one by people living in the county - ahead of other attractions including Portsmouth’s Dockyard and Marwell Wildlife.
Sarah Harfield, who works for Winchester City Tourist Information, spoke of the impact it will have on the city:
“I think it’s great – I think it’s great for Winchester, that’s what a lot of people come and visit so I think it’s really good news. With a bit of luck it will increase visitors to the city. People come for all the different attractions in the city as it is, but obviously with it being named as one of the top attractions then it will hopefully bring more people in.”
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Seminar Paper - Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill
A Vindication on the Rights of Women
CHAPTER IV: OBSERVATIONS ON THE STATE OF DEGRADATION TO WHICH WOMAN IS REDUCED BY VARIOUS CAUSES
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759 – 1797)
• Difficult early life – raised by a drunken, violent father and an obedient mother
• Forced to work as a governess, but became obsessed with education
• Wrote Thoughts on Education of Daughters in 1787, in which she stated that women were poorly equipped by education and needed to be taught ‘properly’ as we are born with no innate ideas (agrees with Locke)
• Therefore an empiricist
• Unitarian i.e. did not believe in the ‘Trinity’
• Criticised Rousseau for his opinions of women as made for man, but agreed with his anti-elitism and his attack on ‘modern manners’
• Wrote Vindication on the Rights of Man which claimed that ideas of aristocracy and hereditary power were mistaken
• Had several affairs
• Suicide attempts
• To put it in context, she lived in a time of turmoil and change, as demonstrated by the French Revolution (which fascinated her)
• Well read and educated – comes across through her referencing of other writers
Vindication on the Rights of Woman (1792)
• Discusses the state of female manners for middle class women (for which she is criticised as being limited)
• Her vision for women involved equality with men in the area of education and a less structured way of living in terms of fashion and etiquette for middle class women
• States that it does not matter if you are man or woman in life as there is no difference
• Begins quite balanced: Accepts that man are naturally the stronger sex, but suggests that man’s weakness is that he doesn’t use this ‘birth right’ as she calls it, but simply follows his desire to live in the present moment – assuming that tomorrow could be his last day
• Believes the soul is immortal, because, as a human, we will never be perfect but must strive to always try and perfect ourselves
• States that if women possess reason (which she clearly believes they do) we should be allowed to think for ourselves and not to take things ‘on trust’
• Suggests that the class system of manners ‘robs the female sex of its dignity’
• Speaks in a complicated manner, confusing issues of feminism with other things: Suggests that it is narrow-mindedness that cause the problems of women and states that the same problems face the rich because they will never know the ‘virtues of labour’
• Pleasure should no longer be the main aim for a woman’s life – talks of women being weak beings again
• Speaks quite poetically: Uses the metaphor of a bird – stating that women are confined to a cage with nothing to do but ‘plume’ themselves
• Dislikes male manners that are considered charming e.g. holding a door open, because they are patronising and unnecessary
• Does not understand why no women come from obscurity into the limelight – there is no reason why they can’t
• Disagrees that the highest ambition a woman should have is to marry well
• Suggests that women took on all the useless qualities from society – like an obsession with feelings – whereas men took the best and respect order and duty
• She remains quite balanced throughout – saying there are exceptions and that it does not just apply to women
• Dislikes that women turn to men for safety, when they can quite easily solve a solution themselves
• Wollstonecraft uses Rousseau to demonstrate her point: that women should have control over themselves and decide their own lives
“Educate women like men," says Rousseau, "and the more they resemble our sex the less power will they have over us." This is the very point I aim at. I do not wish them to have power over men; but over themselves
• Consistently talks of her dislike for sensibility – suggests that it ruins a woman, causing her to forget reason
• Has some unusual ideas: Asks whether negligence or indulgence is most detrimental – and decides that the latter has done the most harm
• Wants female beauty to be considered the same as male, and take into account a woman’s mind and sense of reason as well as her appearance
• Wollstonecraft goes on to talk of affairs and how a man should be responsible for any illegitimate children, followed by her ideas on love and friendship, which comes across as odd when considering the rest of the chapter, which centres around how women should be considered
• Contradicts with her own life – believed that women were not made solely for mans pleasure and yet lived her life by the men in it. For a feminist she was shaped by men perhaps more than she realised, even from her upbringing with a drunken father – perhaps this is a factor shared by feminists?
• The contradiction would not be so strange if she had not been so sure of her opinions in her writing.
John Stuart Mill
• Believed in Liberty
• On Liberty – stated that liberty protected people from tyrannical ruling
• Stated that power lies with the individual over the state
• The nature of the power that society has over the individual
• The introduction of rights
• Rulers became the voice of the nation’s will – representative
• Main principle of the essay: man can do what he wishes, even though others may try to persuade him against it, as long as it harms no-one. As soon as it does, penalties can be employed. “the individual is sovereign”
• Utilitarianism – happiness over pain
• Introduced the first bill to give women the right to vote – championed women’s rights
• Was extremely intelligent by the age of 16, which only led to a nervous breakdown by the time he was 20
• Believed strongly in freedom of speech
• Against uniformity – do and think what you want as long as it does not harm anyone
• Dismisses the Social Contract
• ‘The greatest good for the greatest number’ on the surface sounds like a perfect idea, but people are different and conflict will always arise making this impossible to achieve
• Made a hierarchy of pleasures
• Constantly considered the consequences: Acts, Moral Rules, Disposition
What is Liberty?
• Authority is located with the individual
• Laissez faire view of life
• Freedom over equality
• Religion and morality are private matters
• Pluralism – beliefs and actions are your own concern
CHAPTER IV: OBSERVATIONS ON THE STATE OF DEGRADATION TO WHICH WOMAN IS REDUCED BY VARIOUS CAUSES
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759 – 1797)
• Difficult early life – raised by a drunken, violent father and an obedient mother
• Forced to work as a governess, but became obsessed with education
• Wrote Thoughts on Education of Daughters in 1787, in which she stated that women were poorly equipped by education and needed to be taught ‘properly’ as we are born with no innate ideas (agrees with Locke)
• Therefore an empiricist
• Unitarian i.e. did not believe in the ‘Trinity’
• Criticised Rousseau for his opinions of women as made for man, but agreed with his anti-elitism and his attack on ‘modern manners’
• Wrote Vindication on the Rights of Man which claimed that ideas of aristocracy and hereditary power were mistaken
• Had several affairs
• Suicide attempts
• To put it in context, she lived in a time of turmoil and change, as demonstrated by the French Revolution (which fascinated her)
• Well read and educated – comes across through her referencing of other writers
Vindication on the Rights of Woman (1792)
• Discusses the state of female manners for middle class women (for which she is criticised as being limited)
• Her vision for women involved equality with men in the area of education and a less structured way of living in terms of fashion and etiquette for middle class women
• States that it does not matter if you are man or woman in life as there is no difference
• Begins quite balanced: Accepts that man are naturally the stronger sex, but suggests that man’s weakness is that he doesn’t use this ‘birth right’ as she calls it, but simply follows his desire to live in the present moment – assuming that tomorrow could be his last day
• Believes the soul is immortal, because, as a human, we will never be perfect but must strive to always try and perfect ourselves
• States that if women possess reason (which she clearly believes they do) we should be allowed to think for ourselves and not to take things ‘on trust’
• Suggests that the class system of manners ‘robs the female sex of its dignity’
• Speaks in a complicated manner, confusing issues of feminism with other things: Suggests that it is narrow-mindedness that cause the problems of women and states that the same problems face the rich because they will never know the ‘virtues of labour’
• Pleasure should no longer be the main aim for a woman’s life – talks of women being weak beings again
• Speaks quite poetically: Uses the metaphor of a bird – stating that women are confined to a cage with nothing to do but ‘plume’ themselves
• Dislikes male manners that are considered charming e.g. holding a door open, because they are patronising and unnecessary
• Does not understand why no women come from obscurity into the limelight – there is no reason why they can’t
• Disagrees that the highest ambition a woman should have is to marry well
• Suggests that women took on all the useless qualities from society – like an obsession with feelings – whereas men took the best and respect order and duty
• She remains quite balanced throughout – saying there are exceptions and that it does not just apply to women
• Dislikes that women turn to men for safety, when they can quite easily solve a solution themselves
• Wollstonecraft uses Rousseau to demonstrate her point: that women should have control over themselves and decide their own lives
“Educate women like men," says Rousseau, "and the more they resemble our sex the less power will they have over us." This is the very point I aim at. I do not wish them to have power over men; but over themselves
• Consistently talks of her dislike for sensibility – suggests that it ruins a woman, causing her to forget reason
• Has some unusual ideas: Asks whether negligence or indulgence is most detrimental – and decides that the latter has done the most harm
• Wants female beauty to be considered the same as male, and take into account a woman’s mind and sense of reason as well as her appearance
• Wollstonecraft goes on to talk of affairs and how a man should be responsible for any illegitimate children, followed by her ideas on love and friendship, which comes across as odd when considering the rest of the chapter, which centres around how women should be considered
• Contradicts with her own life – believed that women were not made solely for mans pleasure and yet lived her life by the men in it. For a feminist she was shaped by men perhaps more than she realised, even from her upbringing with a drunken father – perhaps this is a factor shared by feminists?
• The contradiction would not be so strange if she had not been so sure of her opinions in her writing.
John Stuart Mill
• Believed in Liberty
• On Liberty – stated that liberty protected people from tyrannical ruling
• Stated that power lies with the individual over the state
• The nature of the power that society has over the individual
• The introduction of rights
• Rulers became the voice of the nation’s will – representative
• Main principle of the essay: man can do what he wishes, even though others may try to persuade him against it, as long as it harms no-one. As soon as it does, penalties can be employed. “the individual is sovereign”
• Utilitarianism – happiness over pain
• Introduced the first bill to give women the right to vote – championed women’s rights
• Was extremely intelligent by the age of 16, which only led to a nervous breakdown by the time he was 20
• Believed strongly in freedom of speech
• Against uniformity – do and think what you want as long as it does not harm anyone
• Dismisses the Social Contract
• ‘The greatest good for the greatest number’ on the surface sounds like a perfect idea, but people are different and conflict will always arise making this impossible to achieve
• Made a hierarchy of pleasures
• Constantly considered the consequences: Acts, Moral Rules, Disposition
What is Liberty?
• Authority is located with the individual
• Laissez faire view of life
• Freedom over equality
• Religion and morality are private matters
• Pluralism – beliefs and actions are your own concern
Friday, December 11, 2009
Student saves elderly man
A Winchester student rescued his elderly neighbour from a fire in Stanmore on Monday night.
Twenty year-old Edward Herbert rushed to save the 84-year-old man from the top floor, as the blaze raged below.
Edward said "I just wanted to get him out. He was just holding my hand and I was telling him it was OK."
The quick-thinking student entered the building and dragged his neighbour to the window, saving him from smoke inhalation, where they waited for the fire brigade to arrive.
Edward said "He fainted twice on me, which was pretty scary. I'm definitely going to see him in hospital now."
Firefighters received the 999 call shortly after 9 p.m. and battled the fire, which started in a ground floor kitchen.
The elderly man is recovering in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital and is said to be doing well.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Chris Roper from the fire service said it is thought to have started due to an electrical fault.
Twenty year-old Edward Herbert rushed to save the 84-year-old man from the top floor, as the blaze raged below.
Edward said "I just wanted to get him out. He was just holding my hand and I was telling him it was OK."
The quick-thinking student entered the building and dragged his neighbour to the window, saving him from smoke inhalation, where they waited for the fire brigade to arrive.
Edward said "He fainted twice on me, which was pretty scary. I'm definitely going to see him in hospital now."
Firefighters received the 999 call shortly after 9 p.m. and battled the fire, which started in a ground floor kitchen.
The elderly man is recovering in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital and is said to be doing well.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Chris Roper from the fire service said it is thought to have started due to an electrical fault.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Boy left with life-threatening injuries after car collision
A 16-year-old boy is suffering life-threatening injuries after a car collision in Fareham on Wednesday.
The boy was struck down by an elderly couple as he crossed Newgate Lane shortly after 11 pm.
The road was closed until the early hours of Thursday morning, as the youngster was taken to Southampton General Hospital, where he remains under observation for head injuries.
Police have said, “We’re looking to speak with anyone who saw the Hyundai Getz, or the pedestrian around this time, or anyone else with information about what happened.”
The boy was struck down by an elderly couple as he crossed Newgate Lane shortly after 11 pm.
The road was closed until the early hours of Thursday morning, as the youngster was taken to Southampton General Hospital, where he remains under observation for head injuries.
Police have said, “We’re looking to speak with anyone who saw the Hyundai Getz, or the pedestrian around this time, or anyone else with information about what happened.”
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Innovation in energy saving technology
Winchester City Council is implementing a new scheme to improve energy efficiency in the district, using HeatSeekers vehicles.
The innovative vehicles will use thermal imaging technology to see into homes and assess their energy efficiency.
The technology will detect where heat is escaping from, allowing a team of advisors to suggest ways to improve homeowners’ insulation.
Councillor George Beckett Chairman of WDSP said of the advisors: “The energy advisors have information about grant discounted insulation which is available to all homeowners and significantly reduces the cost of insulation improvements.”
The scheme, developed by the Energy Saving Partnership, will operate at night and each vehicle will have the ability to see into 1,000 homes an hour.
Keith Hewitson, the Director of the Energy Saving Partnership said, “The technology has already helped improve energy efficiency in thousands of homes across the country.”
The advisors will carry out free surveys on their findings and will discuss with Winchester homeowners how best to improve their energy efficiency – and energy bill.
If any resident wishes to have a free survey on their property please free-call HeatSeekers on 0800 111 4968.
The innovative vehicles will use thermal imaging technology to see into homes and assess their energy efficiency.
The technology will detect where heat is escaping from, allowing a team of advisors to suggest ways to improve homeowners’ insulation.
Councillor George Beckett Chairman of WDSP said of the advisors: “The energy advisors have information about grant discounted insulation which is available to all homeowners and significantly reduces the cost of insulation improvements.”
The scheme, developed by the Energy Saving Partnership, will operate at night and each vehicle will have the ability to see into 1,000 homes an hour.
Keith Hewitson, the Director of the Energy Saving Partnership said, “The technology has already helped improve energy efficiency in thousands of homes across the country.”
The advisors will carry out free surveys on their findings and will discuss with Winchester homeowners how best to improve their energy efficiency – and energy bill.
If any resident wishes to have a free survey on their property please free-call HeatSeekers on 0800 111 4968.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Daily Mail and BBC Radio Solent
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is known as a ‘middle of the road’ newspaper – along with its closet rival the Daily Express, to which it is superior in readership - as it is neither a sensational tabloid nor a more serious broadsheet. Generally the Mail incorporates serious news stories, particularly those involving governmental services like the NHS, with light-entertainment. For example, the headline from 23rd November read “Tube Killing: A Final Insult” (a story on the killing of Jean Charles do Menezes) which was accompanied by a story about the popular television programme – X Factor. According to the website ‘thinkbox’, there are 12.8 million ABC1 males in Britain along with 30% of the female population. The Daily Mail is not widely read by this section of society, as the ABC1 category tend to read broadsheets. Instead the Mail is aimed at the middle categories, namely C1, C2 and D, of whom there are considerably more of in Britain. However, the C2 and D categories are much less likely to obtain their news from a newspaper, as technology has made it much easier to look on the internet, so the Mail includes stories on popular culture to secure the interest of these groups. The Mail is fairly even in terms of male and female bias, although it sells well with females over the age of 55. This is perhaps due to its combination of important news, which informs the reader, and the human interest stories, providing some light relief. The female audience is continually targeted, through the consistent use of female orientated stories on page three and the use of perspective – where many articles are written from a female viewpoint or angle. The advertising also adheres to their target audience, as the most frequently advertised products are from supermarkets or are beauty products.
The Mail runs a section called ‘Femail’, which is solely targeted at women. On 19th November the Mail published an article with Christina Errington following her revelation of her Belle de Jour lifestyle – a completely female orientated story.
In this vain, the Mail has a similar readership to the Daily Mirror, its tabloid equivalent, although I would suggest that the Mail is more aimed at the older reader. Frequently the Mail will have a front page exclusive. From the past few weeks these have included stories on oil, vehicle clamping, British call-girls and the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes. The frequency of so-called exclusives suggests that the Mail has a strong collection of contacts in the public services.
Fact:
- The symbol in the centre of ‘Daily Mail’ is the coat of arms of the British monarchy and the phrase “Dieu et mon droit”, meaning “God and my right” refers to the divine right of kings.
BBC Radio Solent
Radio Solent is a local station, broadcasting in the Hampshire area. It has a listener base of 249,000 people out of a population of 1,519,000,000 – a 16% reach. The station has an average of 11.5 hours per listener, resulting in 2,856,000 total hours. The station provides a mix of national news and local stories. For example, a typical bulletin began with news on President Obama and moved on to the charitable efforts of a hairdressing salon in Bournemouth. Radio Solent mainly reports on light-entertainment stories, making use of local reporters like Jo Palmer. A news feature from a few days ago began with a story on the idea of burying electricity cables underground, moved on to the success of Otterbourne Primary School in a national dry-skiing championship and finished with the reporter’s comments on school nativity plays.
In my opinion, Radio Solent has a similar target audience to the Daily Mail, in terms of aiming at the older generation. From my analysis of their news agenda I would suggest that Solent is aimed at retired people, who have spare time to consistently listen to the station. Similarly to the Mail, much of Solent’s news bulletins, like the stories on local schools, are also aimed more at a female audience than a male, although this is not a fact. The differences between the Daily Mail and Radio Solent lie in their coverage of stories. Whereas Solent has a local, human interest agenda, the Mail has more national, celebrity based stories.
Despite only being a local radio station, Solent has had its fair share of controversy. In an online article on ‘this is Hampshire.net’, dated 7th August 2009, the departure of the old station controller Mia Costello is explained. According to the website, it was leaked to the Daily Echo that Mia Costello left Radio Solent after firing several popular presenters because she did not want “elderly voices” on the radio. Costello was replaced by Chris Carnegy.
Links:
- Daily Mail Rate Card: http://www.dailymailconnected.co.uk/pdf/ratecard_dailymail.pdf
- Wikipedia – Daily Mail:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Mail
- Wikipedia – BBC Radio Solent: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Radio_Solent
The Daily Mail is known as a ‘middle of the road’ newspaper – along with its closet rival the Daily Express, to which it is superior in readership - as it is neither a sensational tabloid nor a more serious broadsheet. Generally the Mail incorporates serious news stories, particularly those involving governmental services like the NHS, with light-entertainment. For example, the headline from 23rd November read “Tube Killing: A Final Insult” (a story on the killing of Jean Charles do Menezes) which was accompanied by a story about the popular television programme – X Factor. According to the website ‘thinkbox’, there are 12.8 million ABC1 males in Britain along with 30% of the female population. The Daily Mail is not widely read by this section of society, as the ABC1 category tend to read broadsheets. Instead the Mail is aimed at the middle categories, namely C1, C2 and D, of whom there are considerably more of in Britain. However, the C2 and D categories are much less likely to obtain their news from a newspaper, as technology has made it much easier to look on the internet, so the Mail includes stories on popular culture to secure the interest of these groups. The Mail is fairly even in terms of male and female bias, although it sells well with females over the age of 55. This is perhaps due to its combination of important news, which informs the reader, and the human interest stories, providing some light relief. The female audience is continually targeted, through the consistent use of female orientated stories on page three and the use of perspective – where many articles are written from a female viewpoint or angle. The advertising also adheres to their target audience, as the most frequently advertised products are from supermarkets or are beauty products.
The Mail runs a section called ‘Femail’, which is solely targeted at women. On 19th November the Mail published an article with Christina Errington following her revelation of her Belle de Jour lifestyle – a completely female orientated story.
In this vain, the Mail has a similar readership to the Daily Mirror, its tabloid equivalent, although I would suggest that the Mail is more aimed at the older reader. Frequently the Mail will have a front page exclusive. From the past few weeks these have included stories on oil, vehicle clamping, British call-girls and the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes. The frequency of so-called exclusives suggests that the Mail has a strong collection of contacts in the public services.
Fact:
- The symbol in the centre of ‘Daily Mail’ is the coat of arms of the British monarchy and the phrase “Dieu et mon droit”, meaning “God and my right” refers to the divine right of kings.
BBC Radio Solent
Radio Solent is a local station, broadcasting in the Hampshire area. It has a listener base of 249,000 people out of a population of 1,519,000,000 – a 16% reach. The station has an average of 11.5 hours per listener, resulting in 2,856,000 total hours. The station provides a mix of national news and local stories. For example, a typical bulletin began with news on President Obama and moved on to the charitable efforts of a hairdressing salon in Bournemouth. Radio Solent mainly reports on light-entertainment stories, making use of local reporters like Jo Palmer. A news feature from a few days ago began with a story on the idea of burying electricity cables underground, moved on to the success of Otterbourne Primary School in a national dry-skiing championship and finished with the reporter’s comments on school nativity plays.
In my opinion, Radio Solent has a similar target audience to the Daily Mail, in terms of aiming at the older generation. From my analysis of their news agenda I would suggest that Solent is aimed at retired people, who have spare time to consistently listen to the station. Similarly to the Mail, much of Solent’s news bulletins, like the stories on local schools, are also aimed more at a female audience than a male, although this is not a fact. The differences between the Daily Mail and Radio Solent lie in their coverage of stories. Whereas Solent has a local, human interest agenda, the Mail has more national, celebrity based stories.
Despite only being a local radio station, Solent has had its fair share of controversy. In an online article on ‘this is Hampshire.net’, dated 7th August 2009, the departure of the old station controller Mia Costello is explained. According to the website, it was leaked to the Daily Echo that Mia Costello left Radio Solent after firing several popular presenters because she did not want “elderly voices” on the radio. Costello was replaced by Chris Carnegy.
Links:
- Daily Mail Rate Card: http://www.dailymailconnected.co.uk/pdf/ratecard_dailymail.pdf
- Wikipedia – Daily Mail:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Mail
- Wikipedia – BBC Radio Solent: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Radio_Solent
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