SO NOW the government is worried about underage drinking?
Last week, a report was published on how the coalition government is planning on reducing underage drinking and related problems by increasing the price of alcohol to pub charges and blocking promtional packages on cases of beer and bottles of wine.
Responsible for around 33,000 deaths a year in the UK, the substance is avalible at any age in over 15 countries world wide but causes economic problems world wide.
Looking at laws surrounding alcohol, there is a very obvious factor which has caused teenagers to enjoy a drink when out with friends, linked to their younger life.
Kids as young as five are allowed alcohol substances in thier homes and supervised by parents.
Why parents would feel the need for a 5 year-old to have alcohol, i’ll never know.
Britian has been branded one of the worst places in the world for alchol abuse, in some places charging less that 30 pence for a pint of lager.
So, charging 50 pence a unit is meant to solve the underage drinking problem? I’m sorry to say that I very much doubt it.
The more a teenager is told not to do something, the likely-hood is, they will only do it more.
Sadly, alcohol is factor in half the crimes committed by under 18’s such as drink driving and vandalism, which is only set to increase if new forces are enforced.
The legal age to buy and consume alcoholic beverages is 18, however, a glass of wine or pint of beer is allowed for 16 year olds when they have a meal out with an adult.
Locally, we have tackled this problem significantly with regular patrols around certain teenage hotspots, such as Lynnsport and The Walks,
Due to the patrols, anti-social behaviour has decreased significantly over the past two years, but what will happen now police forces are being limited?
There are signs in restricted areas, warning of heafty fines, but do they really have much meaning if there isn’t a police officer around to enforce the rules.
All of the benefit cuts and new laws are supposed to create a “safe haven” and save the youth of today.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that is sat thinking how much this new plan is going to fail, soon alcohol will be prohibited in an effort to make England a “safe haven”.
Up to £30,000 debt after university and jobs becoming gold dust, I think it’s safe to say that this snowball is soon going to melt.

Really need to remeber to do something about the recycling at college, its terrible the amount of plastic and paper we waste.

WITH budget cuts set to be revealed within the next few weeks, education is set to be hit hard.

Less places, possible £7,000 tuition fee's and UCAS points rising to an all time high, is there any wonder the younger generation is voting against universities?

The new coalition government has tampered a bit too much with higher education, what with their plans on saving money to rescue them from the “shambles” labour left them in, it wont be too long until higher education is only available for the elite members of society.

In other words, the younger generation are now paying the price for the pointless wars and ridiculous MP expenses.

Universities are set to split in to a two-tier hierarchy; a place for the elite (or those that can afford it) and a place for everybody else (those that have hard working parents), if plans go ahead.

Proposed plans of doubling tuition fee's to breach the £7,000 mark are a serious concern for both students and parents.

And the bad news continues as we now face market interest on student loans instead of the low interest loans they stand at now.

And this is just the start of their save the economy plan, with cutting child benefits on the table as well, how can they expect students to afford their price for an education.

There has been a real crack down on higher education, last year saw thousands of students, who were offered a place at their chosen university, rejected without reason.

In the near future, we could see a substantial lack of professionals such as doctors, teachers and lawyers.

Personally, I haven't seen a improvement since the election and can see the country is digging a hole too deep. The cut backs should be made gradually instead of the governments approach of save as much money all at once.

Locally, this has made a big impact. The College of West Anglia had a record amount of applications in many courses including NVQ courses and Degree courses.

Coincidence? I think not.

Many of the younger generation are now under an enormous amount of pressure to succeed at A-levels and secure a place at university despite the entry tariffs ranging from 240-380 (that would be anything from BBC- A*AA at A-level)

As an A-level student, I know the pressure on some students who are applying to universities like Oxford and Cambridge for English and Mathematics degrees. The amount of work required to get the grades for those courses is ridiculous.

We are commonly criticised as rebels, causing havoc, as teenagers do but that is not the case for those students, constantly working to succeed, giving up their social lives.

But what about those that can't get the grades? Many students have gone straight into work after GCSE's and are skipping A-levels altogether, linking to the unemployment crisis last year.

Nationally, we have seen a rise in apprenticeship applications, opting for practical experience in plumbing, carpentry and electronics, jobs which are always in demand world wide.

Despite the “best of friends” appearance, Nick Clegg has gone against the Conservative proposition, signing pledges opposing the potential fee rises.

But is that enough? He may be the deputy prime minister but will only get crushed by the Tory train if he was to stand up to them.

Personally, I think the government is cutting way too much, way too fast. If they would like to save money, why not take a couple of thousand off their pay check and expense accounts, we would be out of debt in no time.

If a little girl can offer her £1 tooth fairy money to help with the deficit, surely the government can do without Mayfair flats and gardeners.

Dull, boring and unimportant?

I walked past some people the other day, clearly from London thanks to their accent and style, saying how Norfolk is so boring and has nobody important related to thsi area. Im sorry we are not the Capital City of England, we are in the country side so what do you expect, parties every night and drunken celebrities falling out of cars at 4 in the morning? I beg to differ.
As for we have nobody "important", Have they heard of Sandringham? The Queen retires to her palace here every christmas, attending the church in West Newton along  with the rest of the Royal family. If they aren't important then i don't know who is? The Queen is the only person that can declare war on another conuntry, her face is on our money and she is seen as a national treasure. Not only is she the Queen of england, Australia also classes her as their ruler. She has ruled for over 50 years, and if i do say so myself, nothing bad has happened during the time i have been her that she has ruled.
I don't know who they define as important but from the look of them, one clearly a teenage mother with a trashy magazine hanging out of her bag and walking around in jogging bottoms that look like PJ's, but i would think they meant somebody like Jordan or a BB reject.
Not meaning to be judgemental but those names did appear in there conversation before remarking on "Boring Norfolk".
As well as the Queen, we are also home to the most followed person on Twitter, Stephen Fry! How is he boring? Unimportant? He may not do much now but host QI, but he was once a great actor on Black adder, he has written a autobiography, he was a journalist, comedian and film director. Most recently, he is now the director of the canaries (AKA Norwich City Football Club). How is that boring? He is recognised world wide but degenerated from the good old countryside.
And what about Nelson? If it wasn't for him, this would be in french right now! He is a national hero, his flagship has been restored in Portsmouth historic dockyard and thought many wars. losing an arm in one battle but continuing to fight. How is that unimportant? I think they would have a different opinion on the matter if they knew all of this.
There are various other names (Ed Balls, Bernard Matthews and Myleene Class amoungst many other) that are proud of their roots. I'm proud of Norfolk Myself, we are even home to a Nudest Beach! (Holkham) There are so many lovely sites to see here, i was pretty insulted when they commented saying it was dull and boring, obviously they haven't gotten out much.

Exercise time!

Tried and Tested by Hannah Allen

We all know as we get older and leave school, it becomes harder to exercise regularly (or we just become lazy). I found this out when I first went to college. No more PE lessons outside in the cold, running around with traffic honking and other students staring at us seemed like heaven. Instead, it was running five flights of stairs to make it to media on time which wasn’t so bad. I considered myself young and healthy until there was fast food available every lunch time and no compulsory exercise.

Now, with Christmas months approaching, it only means one thing. Food. Every year my mum goes overboard buying anything that is on offer, and with nights closing in quickly, who would say no to staying in with a tub of Pringles and a hot chocolate? Last year, I paid the price for those cosy nights in by the fire by not fitting in to my usually comfy jeans for a couple of months due to extra pounds I had so easily gained.

I know I’m only 17 and shouldn’t be worrying about this now, I can only imagine how many of you reading this, what you are thinking of me. At the moment, I’m a healthy size twelve but leave me to feed myself for couple of months and I can see that size doubling (I enjoy cooking rich deserts and would have a portion of chips without thinking of the consequences). This is why I’m doing something about it before I become another statistic in the overweight category. With obesity levels rising, I have offered up my relatively healthy self to try some of the exercise classes available which will include running, circuits and aerobics.

First on the list; spin 45. This is an intense cycling class available at various times at St.James, Lynnsport, Oasis ect...

Their description of the class; Indoor group cycling sessions are 30 and 45 minute classes respectively of aerobic exercise performed on indoor stationary cycles to an upbeat sound track.

When I saw this, I thought, “I could do that, no problem”. I had heard of the class and people said how intense it was but I assumed they were exaggerating. Unfortunately for me, they weren’t.

Boy was I in for a treat. Intense would be a word I would associate with this. My poor legs struggled to carry me to the train station after 45 minutes of fast-paced cycling. Respectively, this was only my first class and I am told it takes two or three sessions to get used to the exercise.

For starters, I was not happy that my water bottle did not fit in the space provided and required me to stop every five minutes. Admittedly, it was partially my fault. But besides that, I was pumped to get going. I had so much energy at this point that I wasn’t intimidated by the super-fit members that attended 3 times a week.

And then we started. I think I lasted about ten minutes before my legs slowly became a pile of throbbing mush. I do bike often, at least 3 times a week, for about 20-30 minutes, but nothing could have prepared me for the amount of perseverance and energy you needed to keep up. Push-ups on a bike, variation of speed every ten seconds, and trying to keep in time with the music? Despite the instructor saying to go at your own pace, you can’t help but get competitive with the others who carry on without a drop of sweat.

About half way through the class, I struggled to keep going. I was glad to see that I wasn’t the only person to be tomato red in the face and struggling to keep the pace. It didn’t help with people staring from outside, I can only imagine what they thought looking through that window.

Eventually, time ran out and it was time to go. Note; remember to have feeling in your legs before dismounting. I made a fool of my self nearly falling off the bike thanks to my jellified legs. This class really isn’t for the faint hearted, it is great for those who enjoy a real work out, want to burn fat and don’t mind a bit of perspiration.  Assuming it get easier the more you, this properly is a great workout but unfortunately, I don’t think I will be returning in a hurry (my legs are just far too wimpy).