Hopes and Aspirations

Some of us seem to go through life with some pre-determined plan in our lives  - where we would be in 5 / 10 / 20 years time. A 9-5 job suits some of us to the ground, it frees up the weekends, gives people some structure to their mundane, same old lifestyle. Some meander through life with the sole intention of earning as much money as possible so as to fund their materialistic pleasures. Some struggle daily through life but do not complain. Some wish on a far gone dream that they think is impossible because their heavy minds weigh down on what they think they can achieve in their lives. Others believe that if they fall at the first hurdle in their way to making their so-called dream a reality means that they should give up that chase, that journey, that dream. No matter what dreams you have in life, there will always be something trying to stop you - the people who try to bring you down with their negative attitude, their lack of belief in your idea, or for no other reason than because they see you as someone they wanted to be - someone who followed their dreams, followed their heart and mind into something the love. If you want to progress through this life, you will need to overcome certain obstacles such as these, you will need to have some dogged determination in your mindset to say you are good enough to achieve those dreams others thought you had no right to.

Mindset is something that can drag us down or aspire us to become better. It is that key factor between deciding whether you yourself will succeed at what you set out to do. No one in life should be able to affect this mindset. There is always room for improvement, nobody is perfect, and all those heroes of yours and mine? They've had lows before they had the highs. They overcame struggle and adversity to become who they are or were. Things in life that are worth having are normally the things that require hard work, commitment and dedication. If you want something enough, you will find a way to succeed. Do not go through life wishing you were living another's life. Do not go through life regretting what you did not have the courage to do years ago. Live the life you are living to the best of your ability and never look at the ground in sadness, fear, and with lack of confidence. Make each step a stride towards the end goal you want to get to. Ignore the people who withhold encouragement and support and only ridicule you when you fall or stumble. Stay around those who support you and your goals. Life is too short to be put in a straight-jacket - restricting yourself from achieving the possible because someone told you it was a long shot. Believe in your own abilities to see things through and you will go far.

To become that person you want to be, the walls surrounding your comfort zone need to be torn down. This may be hard to do for some people, but once these unnecessary restrictions and constraints have been discarded, you will see that you are the master of your own life, no one else. Some go through life making excuses as to why they cannot do something or why they cannot become something else. This is what staying in said comfort zone for too long does to not only your self belief and confidence, but also your ability to see how much this life you are currently living is restricting other things you could be trying. Go travelling, see the world, become who you want to become. There is nothing to stop you from doing what you want to do other than your own mindset.

So, in short, be yourself and keep motivated through thick and thin. Keep your head held high no matter the lows you may go through and always take the positives out of everything that gets thrown your way. Do not let anyone tell you the goals you set yourself are un-achievable. Believe you can and you will find a way! Whatever you do, do not let someone else's supposed hopes and dreams for you be what you aim and strive for. Be your own person, do not live your life according to other people's expectations of yourself. In the future, you want to look back on your life and be glad you tried new things without having the worry of 'if only'. Make this life a memorable one. Live it to the fullest. Have no regrets and never give up on something you want in life.

A few of my favourite motivational quotes to finish off:

'Most fail, not through lack of education or agreeable personal qualities, but from lack of dogged determination, from lack of dauntless will'

'What we fear doing most, is usually what we most need to do'

'Unless you change how you are, you'll always have what you got'

'Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better!'

'No matter who you are, what you are, where you are, you can think big'

'What we do in life echoes in eternity'

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Jonathan Whitehead

Toleration, respect and religion in modern day society

Doing the rounds on social media nowadays is the blunt riposte of Stephen Fry to Gay Byrne questioning what he would say to God if he was confronted with him at the 'pearly gates of heaven.' On a series of questions surrounding similar questions about the 'meaning of life', including guests such as Bono, Richard Branson, Noel Gallagher as well as multitudes of other famous celebrities, Stephen Fry's response has been put into the spotlight for many reasons. For one, Fry doesn't hold back on his ability to unravel the string that so many people nowadays get so caught up in trying to gain an understanding behind what life is about and what will happen in the afterlife, if there is one, and how our lives will be judged by this 'ultimate being' as foretold in biblical scripts of old. He does not hold back on his protestations against the Catholic Church or against Religion as a whole. Yet he does not direct his anger at Christians believing in Christianity, more at the overwhelming distaste and despair he feels towards an apparent 'God' that allows for horrendous issues to engulf the lives of those who have done nothing to seemingly 'deserve' such hard luck. Fry focuses in on the issues of bone cancer in children and the notion of insects gauging their way through the eyes of children. Obviously, there are many more atrocious things that are happening to children worldwide but Fry uses these examples to form a basis for his argument against an all-loving, all-powerful 'God'.

For those who have not seen his statement regarding God, here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo

I must admit that when I watched this video through for the very first time, I felt myself siding with Stephen Fry. Not because of the fact I am, at this moment in time, going through a rocky patch in my religious beliefs, but because he spoke the truth. It wasn't him sparking on about gay rights or some unworldly problem that could not be resolved, he focused on an issue close to all of our hearts, an issue that we could all relate to in one form or another. No doubt Fry has not done this for any notion of personal gain or a rise or decline in popular likability, so, in turn, so far as I can see, Fry is saying it as it is. The knowledge that a religion bases itself on understanding their God is all powerful, all loving and all understanding, leads to questions being raised by Atheists, pagans, non-believers, or believers in other faiths. Christians seem to rebuff these concerns about their God by showing that to have a 'force of good' in the world, there must be a 'force of bad' in the world also. The Isaac Newton stance of religious beliefs - for every good deed in the world, there must be an equal and opposite negative action to unfold. So in turn, one can say that to believe there is a God, one must believe that there is a Devil also.

I am not saying either one of these statements is true, as I go by the belief that you should treat others with kindness, compassion and hold the belief that any person can become someone with these traits, no matter how stone faced or negative they seem from the outside. The way you treat people should not be through necessity because your religion states you to act in such a way, but through common courtesy, respect and as second nature. In my eyes, everyone should be treated in the same way, no matter their background. Tolerance is a strange word to use, it makes it seem that you are 'forced' into doing something against your will. No one must ever be forced into doing something they do not want to do, but we must try and venture into the unknown as much as we can, understand more than we do now, and have the ability to welcome and befriend those you meet on your path through life.

In recent research I did for PGCE interviews, I read an article regarding the notion of Growth Mindset, in which it specified the notion that with a bit of nurturing and self belief, every person, no matter their background, financial standing, gender or religious belief, could become someone greater than they are at that moment in time with regard to education. In my opinion, this way of thinking could be used in an even broader aspect rather than just towards education. We are at a time in our lives where technology is such a part of our lives, that we have somewhat forgotten what life was like before. We get so caught up in the ways of others, what they post online or how other people go about their daily lives that we forget to live our own lives to the full. We live in a world where comparing one another's lives has almost become second nature. A life where rich people become every increasingly richer and those below the bread line continue to struggle. We live in a world where disease, cancer and death are still common place. We spend our lives worrying about what the future will bring and forget to live in the here and now. If we were to, like Fry states in his interview, spend our life on our knees, thanking God for what he has done for us, we would be forever, on the outside, in a life of seeming contentment and gratitude, but on the inside forever craving a greater sense of being here and now rather than on 'judgement day'.

There will always be troubled and unforgiving times ahead of us, but at the end of the day, our life is what we make it. Judgement should not be clouded by issues of religion, race, gender or any other seemingly powerful themes. Everyone has the inherent right to be treated in an equal light. The homeless person you pass every day to work, through to children in war zones sorting through the wreckage of what used to be their homes - we all need to take a sharp look at ourselves in the mirror, know what we want to achieve, know that if we were to continuously complain about life then we will live in a life full of 'what ifs' and 'what could have been's'.

So, in short, live each day out as if it were your last, show compassion, friendship and respect towards everyone you meet, for you do not know what they are going through in their personal lives. A simple smile, a comforting hug, or a friendly face can go a long way in modern society. I was thinking the other day, as I drove past droves of cars with miserable people in, life is too short to have a grudge on your back, to fear the worst out of every situation, and to be unhappy for no reason. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and with a happy attitude. A smile does rub off on people, even the grumpiest of sorts. Be that person to change someone's attitude, put all those grudges and feelings of distaste aside and live your lives to the full.

Smile :)

Jonathan Whitehead

The Importance of Remembrance

Fading Memory

 

Memory is for when our hearts wander

It is when our minds oft go ponder

The past that has been

And the future that will be

 

The sacrifices of those young and old

Of those that lay waiting in the cold

For that order to go over the top

Fearing that they would instantly drop

 

To the ground, heartbeats fading

Everything given up for saving

That speck of hope we hold dear

Over that unbridled fear

 

The hospital bed draws near

Everything becomes so clear

To our families back home appear

Their memories struck down by fear

 

Of those days in the past

You grew up so fast

To see life fade so quick

It makes them feel sick

 

'Hold firm, for remember I love you all'

Tommy said as his last breath did fall

'Remember me for the good I did

and forgive them for the wrong they did'

 

For memory we hold near

In hope that things become clear

So that we do not forget

For their sacrifice we are in debt

 

Jonathan Whitehead

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We hold memory dear to us. It is still there through struggles and successes in our lives. It is our happy place, our mental delirium when all things around us seem to be falling down. Our saving grace, our sense of being and purpose. Memory is so vital to our day to day lives, we tend to forget its place until what we hold dear to us, what we took for granted, is taken from us without a second thought. Nowadays, we often forget the sacrifices that have led our country, our world into the way it is now. Some people feel that they should fill their lives with seemingly important things such as the need to get a new phone on release day, or how many friends you have to impress on Facebook with your extravagant escapades. In the grandoise scheme of things, these are all null, void and unimportant to the greater picture of the sacrifices made by those nowadays and in years past to allow you such a freedom. Just as a pre-requisite, I am not saying that holiday snaps shouldn't be uploaded, by all means do what you please, but I am just putting things into perspective.

The 11th November is indeed a key date for memorial and remembrance. It brings together multitudes of people of all cultures, ages and religions to partake in a unified show of respect to those soldiers who gave up their lives fighting in all wars past and present, and to those who strive to keep the peace far and wide in modern day conflicts. 2 minutes of deafening silence. 2 minutes of nothingness to praise, appreciate, and thank all of these soldiers for the sacrifice they make for the protection of our world.

 

We lay wreaths to remember those who have died, to remember those soldiers and civilians caught up in conflicts caused by gross differences in ideologies. We listen to the Last Post as a reminder of this sacrifice made by men and women young and old. We pray for peace and an end to the bloodshed and hatred around the world. We manage to find within ourselves an image of hope, solitude, of happiness and joy spread around the world which we hope to instill into other people.

The idea of memory in this day and age is to ensure that those men and women who gave up their lives did not die without purpose, without meaning, without making the world a better place. We will forever hold them in our memories. The countless unknown soldiers lost in the muddy fields of the Somme and Passchendaele, the countless unwritten heroes of the home front, and the way in which soldiers on each side of no mans land fought not in hatred for those on the opposing side, but for an ideology believed in by those in control.

The laying of the ceramic poppies around the Tower of London brings this all home. Those who died for the service of our country will be counted for, they will be remembered, they will never be forgotten. And not just those in our country, and not just those in the First World War. We will remember all those who gave up their lives for the bettering of others lives in the future.

So for all those who weren't able to tell their loved ones goodbye one last time, to those who will forever be lost in the earth that surrounds us, and to those who put their lives on the line day in and day out, I salute you. Your bravery, courage and distilled belief in working towards a safer future for all of us is appreciated beyond belief. Your sacrifices will never be forgotten and nor should they ever be! Thank you.

Jonathan Whitehead

Enjoy the little things in life :)

Motivation. Happiness. Love. These are all things that, at one time or another during our lives, we lose or have difficulty finding. Troublesome times force us to dig deep into our pockets of self motivation, self respect and encouragement. There are always going to be trying times in our lives. No matter how hard we try to steer away from confrontation, tragedy or heartfelt sorrow, there will always be times in our lives where the will to move on and not dwell on the past needs to outweigh the inherent desire to slump around feeling sorry for yourself. To put bluntly, we all need that extra push to get us from A to B sometimes, we all need that shoulder to cry on, or someone or something to show us the way in our professional or personal life. No matter how low you feel, you should always feel like you can turn to someone, or something that means a lot to you and open up to them or it. Motivation can come in small bundles, it can lead to great things unfolding in your lives that you never thought before possible. It can give you that feeling of joy and happiness that lead you to think to yourself, 'You know what? Monday mornings aren't all that bad'. Maybe that's pushing the boat out a little bit too far :)

Over the last few years, things have been rocky to say the least for myself; losing family members coupled with temporary jobs and quite frankly a non existent love life. But I realize my life is not as bad as I sometimes think it is. Whether it is small pick me up photos that give me something cheerful to think of during the day, or whether there are songs that put me in a good mood, no matter what it is, there are always ways to make yourself feel better. There are always ways you can find that will make yourself happy, you never should feel like you are worthless or that you can't achieve what you want to achieve all because you have a seed of doubt in your head saying you can't. If you have your life, you have absolutely no right not to have ambition, desire and that fundamental confidence that will see you conquer any obstacle life throws at you. Life is not an easy ride, there is no guidebook to how to live the ideal, perfect and fulfilling life. It's a roller-coaster of emotion, hard work, and pride. You always look for that metaphorical strike, the glory, the success straight away, but sometimes you may only get a 5 pointer, or may miss completely. You may even need the ramp to help guide you on the previously untouched path to future happiness. Whichever way you look at it, whichever cliched metaphor you want to use, there is no shame in asking for help in life, there is no shame in taking on board the notion of practice makes perfect. For every current expert in their profession was once a beginner, a novice who needed that same guidance you may be seeking out at this moment. It is always important to keep your head held high, but low enough that you do not lose all sense of reality. Be aware of popping your head above the parapet as there may be others looking to take you down a peg or two if they see you as a threat to their own well-being. No matter what you do in life from now until your dying breath, there's something everyone has a right to do, and that is to never give up! No matter how hard you fall, get up. No matter how emotionally drained you are, know that in time, you will get better and come to an understanding whereupon you can deal with these issues. No matter how many obstacles you see in your path to happiness, take each obstacle as they come, never stop to imagine what could be, and focus on what will be once you take out the obstacles one by one. Focus on the positives in life and the negatives will take care of themselves.

Having belief in yourself is crucial to living a fruitful, enjoyable and fulfilling life. Believe in yourself and you can make anything happen. The power of will is a strong thing, and when put to good use it can spark off a chain of events that could lead to a happy you. For me, I take happiness in the small things in life. The simple things are normally the ones that provide you with the most joy. So enjoy life, take things as they come and make sure you have a reason to smile at least once a day. Life is a gift, and every day is a chance to make a difference and to be happy. Keep your head up and make sure you enjoy life for there is nothing worse than having regret, so make the most of now and take life by the reigns!

Jonathan Whitehead

Lest We Forget To Remember...

Boys Led To Slaughter

by Jonathan Whitehead

Your Country Needs You!

My Country Needs Me!

She Needs You Too.

Over by Christmas, you'll see.

Thousands sign up,

To fight a war,

To close up shop,

To stop the enemy roar.

Bullets whistle by.

Thud goes the artillery.

Grown men cry.

Women become the auxiliary.

Wonders were seized,

Battles ensued.

Mounted deceased,

Politicians confused

Peace was called.

They were only boys.

The enemy stalled.

Puppeteered like toys.

100 years on,

We stare at broken battlefields

We're yet to move on

Where poppies fill the fields

Utter devastation. Unimaginable horror. Unthinkable suffering. Words that can be attributed to what unfolded during the Great War between 1914 and 1918. That fateful afternoon in late June 1914 in Sarajevo, whereupon a spark was struck so loud and right at the heart of the Austrian monarchy, that the repercussions were felt throughout Europe. The domino effect of international diplomacy was in full effect. Germany sided with Austria; Russia allied itself to Serbia, whilst Britain and France gave their military and diplomatic assistance to Belgium. Those few shots fired on the 28th June 1914 by Gavrilo Princip, of the Black Hand Gang, at the Archduke and his wife, would unravel into the bloodiest war the world had seen until then. It would change the course of history, cut short the lives of millions, and throw Europe into a state of disarray and destruction. Advanced weaponry and chemical warfare became lethal reactions to evolve trench warfare into a constant state of fear. Muddy and soggy ground underfoot hindered any real progress across no man's land. The dead on both sides mounted up in a manner never before seen on the field of conflict. It showed the brutality of war, the unimaginable horrors incurred by one man's inventions having a showdown against another man's inventions. Battles such as the Somme, Passchendaele, Gallipoli and Verdun are only a handful that changed the course of the war. 8.5 million soldiers perished on the battlefields for a war fought in distant lands over divided political ideologies. A war fought by young and old, rich and poor: a Total War. Civilians were caught in the crossfire, soldiers were killed on foreign soil defending their homeland - this war was the first to pull at the heart strings, the first to evoke a sense of the unthinkable. 

Now we have reached the centenary anniversary of this 'Great War' commencing, we look back as a modern generation on the First World War in a way that ensures we have some level of attachment to the horrors and sacrifices that millions of men and women made for their countries. Memory plays a significant role in ensuring we have this level of attachment, it allows us to try and put this global conflict into as much context and perspective as we can possibly get. The poetry, the letters sent home, the unknown soldiers - all these contribute to our ability to gain a level of understanding as to what it may have been like on the front line and at the home front during war time. Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon are two of the most well known war time poets.

                    'Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! - An ecstasy of fumbling,   

                    Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;     

                    But someone still was yelling out and stumbling, 

                    And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime... 

                    Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,  

                    As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.  

                    In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,      

                    He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. 

                    Wilfred Owen, Dulce Et Decorum Est    

  

                              In winter trenches, cowed and glum,

                              With crumps and lice and lack of rum,

                              He put a bullet through his brain.

                              No one spoke of him again.

                              You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye

                              Who cheer when soldier lads march by,

                              Sneak home and pray you'll never know

                              The hell where youth and laughter go.

                             Siegfried Sassoon, Suicide In The Trenches

These writings gave the general public a better idea as to what life was really like on the front line. It blew any preconceived ideas that they had on life on the Western Front out of the water. It showed people the everyday struggle and the fear dealt with by soldiers on a day to day basis. Writings like these also proved how much these soldiers were giving up to fight for their countries, how they had to cope with countless horrific and unimaginable scenes unfold right in front of their very own eyes, and also how much it affected them as individuals. Reading text such as these enabled people at home to look on the conflict, not only from another perspective, but from the eyes of the men painfully living out these experiences and recalling them. All of this shows how important the memory of the individual is in regards to themselves, and on a grander scale, the general public both of early 20th Century right up to modern day, coming to terms with a conflict as vast, extreme and devastating as was the First World War. It gives us that connection we look for when studying the Great War between the reader and the protagonist or author.

Memory is something we hold dear to us. Whether it is of something we have a special connection to, or whether it is in regards to an individual you have strong feelings for, we all inherently crave that connection to our past and our future. Memory should not only be limited to experiences we have had as individuals, but as an overall community, whether that be past, present or future. For we are all one global community, therefore global wars of the not-so-distant past still have an impact on us all. The sacrifices made by individuals who came together as a unit to defend what they called home. They put their lives on the line so that we could one day live in a world free of war, free of terrorism, free of the constraints of life. The least we can do is pay our respects to them in whichever way we see fit - lighting a candle in homage to those who lost their lives, wearing a poppy to symbolize your attachment and appreciation of their sacrifice, or taking a moment out of your busy lives to say a prayer for those who were taken from this world too soon. Whichever way you find to respect those who have fought, or are still fighting for the freedom you take for granted, what matters is that you are paying your respects. That is the least they deserve. We will remember all those who have fallen in wars past and present. We will never forget.

Jonathan Whitehead

E3 - New Gen and modern day gaming

I remember the days of old: the first Monkey Island games, Big Red Racing, and Age of Empires. These were the games I grew up playing and loving. The times of Guybrush Threepwood vs LeChuck has come and gone, to be replaced by Edward Kenway, Mario Kart, and Minecraft.

 A classic starting line up in Big Red Racing. The game, released for DOS in 1996 was one of my favourite games when I was a kid. Many Saturdays were spent making sure I didn't lose to the big lorries. And yes, you read that right. It was released on DOS. That's how old school this game is.

Modern day, classic Mario Kart: Rainbow Road. Many a university evening was spent in the comfort of having a 16 race off against friends to see who would be crowned Mario Kart king: Luigi, Mario, Bowser or Bones?

A standard 'Age of Empires' scene. Let battle commence. I will always remember the Genghis Khan and El Cid missions in Age of Empires 2.

A monumental effort by someone of the Minecraft world. Cities, spaceships and volcanoes are only a handful of things that individuals online have built in their quest for online fame.

Monkey Island was and will forever by my favourite game. The storyline, graphics for its time, and the cheesy lines used in sword fighting all made for, in my opinion, one of the best games of my time. It is safe to say that games such as Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls stemmed from the forward thinking of LucasArts. Truly brilliant game for its time.

In regards to modern day gaming series, Ubisoft's 'Assassins Creed' series has got to be up there with the best around. The progression it has taken from the first game right up until the latest game to be released, entitled 'Unity' is truly staggering. The graphics on Black Flag were just jaw dropping. The story lines were also well thought out and thorough. It is, much like Age of Empires, is a great way to get kids nowadays to get interested in different aspects of history.

In the short space of time between me being a short blonde haired youth, to my modern day early 20s self: lover of most different games, gaming has moved on so drastically. Graphics are now so realistic that you can see waves crashing against boats, and the shades of trees moving about in the wind, you'll be almost mistaken to think you were in a parallel universe where you were stationed to prevent the downfall of a nation or the building up of an empire at the click of a few buttons on your chosen console of solitary confinement. Gaming has become such a big part of modern day society in more ways than one. People are now choosing to sit in and play video games instead of going out into the sunshine and exploring what the world has to offer. It sometimes even takes over individuals' lives to an extent that they find it hard to communicate with the outside world. Then there are the casual gamers who enjoy to play video games with their friends on the weekend but aren't as fussed by being obsessed with games so much it consumes their livelihoods. I would like to think that I fall somewhere in between these situations. I have my preferred gaming titles and series, enjoy playing said games, but at the same time do not let it rule over my life. I am at a happy equilibrium where I can settle for not playing games at least once every day. Yet, as I said, there is always the fear of some people being that hermit who sits in his big Lazyboy, ordering pizza everyday, watching his kill count go up more than keeping an eye on his calorie intake. The gap between accepting gaming as a way of life and an addiction, and seeing it as a hobby and something to enjoy in bitesize chunks, is a line that is very minute.

Games that currently tickle my gaming senses are the God of War franchise, Assassins Creed, The Last of Us, and the Call of Duty series. These games have all progressed massively in terms of funding, graphics and
have all become forces to be reckoned with at Gaming conventions and award ceremonies around the globe. The Last of Us, a title under the banner of 'action-adventure survival horror' has been bestowed the honour of being classed as one of the all time defining games of the seventh generation video game era. With a majestic storyline that culminates in an over-riding emotional attachment to all the characters involved in the game, as well as a providing the gamer with a generous array of stunning graphics, The Last of Us provides an insight into what future games need to include if they are to be successful franchises. In depth story line, sublime new gen graphics and minimal to non-existent glitches - the three main desires of every gamer for new releases they look forward to. It was a stand out performer in not only its genre, but in the whole gaming community. It gained over 200 'game of the year' titles from multitudes of publications around the world. The game got the recognition it deserved, and rightly so.

With the E3 conference still ongoing until the 12th June, it has come to my attention just how much revenue, interest and press notice gaming can create. Millions of people are the global audience that can make or break a gaming franchise which bring forward a new way of thinking in the gaming market. Events such as E3, Comicon, and gaming stores exclusive previewing and knowledge on any matters gaming related, all create a community whereupon individuals feel at home and accepted. It gives people an outlet to express their true selves, their inner personality that they were too worried to bring out in the light of day at school in worry they would be called a nerd or a geek. Comicon gives people that opportunity to find people with similar passions. E3 is a conference that I would love to visit one time. The previews, the build up to much anticipated games, and just the atmosphere surrounding the individual production companies booths, each one trying to get one up on another production team. During this most recent E3 conference, Ubisoft released a thematical trailer of the new title into the Assassins Creed franchise. The game itself looks incredible. Based on the French Revolution, it's rendered the recent Les Miserables film somewhat inadequate. The graphics are even better than Black Flag, showing that Ubisoft ultimately used the new gen software to produce a quite sensational game. All I can say is that the end of this year cannot come quick enough in terms of when 'Unity' gets released onto the global gaming market.

Gaming isn't for everyone, all gamers accept that. But for those whom gaming does apply, and thus render among the important things in their life, then gaming to them is a way of life. It is a  release from the stress of day to day ups and downs. It also gives individuals the confidence to come out of their shell in regards to a character they may pick as someone who inspires them, or a storyline that they can equate to in their life - the same way the majority of us seem to get attached to characters in TV shows. Gaming can bring together the oldest of friends, and also join the paths of unknown individuals on a global scale.

Jonathan Whitehead

England and the World Cup: The saga continues...

Optimism. Hope. Positivity. These are words which you wouldn't normally associate with the English world of national sport. Football and Rugby World Cups as well as the Olympics come round every 4 years, with the Euro's to fill in the footballing void in between. The Ashes take up the odd summer. The Six Nations happens at the beginning of each year; Wimbledon every summer. All of these events in the annual sporting calender lead to an overwhelming sense of national pride and belief that, the small land we call home, England, could do the unthinkable and win something! The sense of sporting positivism surrounding English sport around these times is sometimes enough to make you feel a bit wheezy. The banners, the patriotism, the flags all come out to play. God Save The Queen bellows from the rooftops. We unite as a nation under one banner, one belief, one hope that this could be our year for sporting success. We boast the best football league in the world, yet a lot of our teams strongly rely on foreign imports to boost their teams prestige and league status. We boast a top 4 rugby team, but have ex-Samoans, New Zealanders and South Africans playing in our starting line up. We 'boast' a top tier national cricket team, of which we poached a South African batsman. Even in Wimbledon, when Murray is winning he is British and the whole nation is behind him, yet, when he loses he is immediately ousted as being Scottish. Yes we have had success in our time as a sporting nation. The 2003 Rugby World Cup and dare I say it, the 1966 Football World Cup. In 2014, we still hark back to that 1966 victory over West Germany, a victory gained 48 years ago! Is it our year to win the World Cup? Who knows. Is the realism marred by blind optimism? If you believe in coincidences, then the history of who won trophies in 1966 matches with the winners so far this year.

Germany. Goal Line Technology. Despair.

Five words that epitomized England's last outing of the football kind at the World Cup in 2010.

There is a nation behind the England team this summer, whether it be in blind optimism or as a hopeful future development squad. Either way, this summer will be one of the most experimental times in England's sporting history. With young, inexperienced sportsmen playing in both the World Cup in Brazil, and in the test matches against the All Blacks down in New Zealand, if there was every going to be a summer of hope and belief, then this is it! Now go out there and do us all proud boys. Win or lose, just give it your all and the nation as a whole will be proud. Just don't give up without a fight.




Blind optimism, I could get used to that.

Come on England.

Jonathan Whitehead