This coming sunday marks the 18th year since the death of the talented Freddie Mercury. The Queen frontman has been labelled as one of the most talented musicians and entertainers on the planet.
Since Queen began in the 70's they gained a movement of loyal fans. Mercury himself was in fact a shy man who onstage seemed the most flamboyant extrovert in the world. He faced scrutiny for his sexual preferences and the media gave the frontman grief after his death for only stating he had AIDS after he died. The fact of the matter is he struggled with the disease since 87 and upon his death in 1991 it paid a huge contribution in his death from pnuemonia.
His music has lived on, albums still sell online, in record stores and Bohemian Rhapsody is still one of the most requested Queen songs of all time.
Theoretically Queen is a rock band. What Mercury added to the mix was operatic stylings which worked so well that they continued throughout the (original) bands career. Working with numerous already successful artist include David Bowie and Montserrat Caballé. Momentum was continuous and fluent and maybe that played a huge part in why they were so big, they (and definitely Mercury) were not afraid to be different stand up and be different from all the music that was being produced.
Although Queen do tour still with Brian May and Roger Taylor. Paul Rodgers took the place of Vocals and the band now has the name Queen + Paul Rodger.
It is clear no one could ever really replicate the thought provoking haunting voice of Mercury. The man is a modern legend. Queen are modern legends. Their music will live regardless of whether their frontman (Only frontman) was gay, straight, had AIDS or died. Their music touched millions and the fact they have spent over 27 years in the charts and have had albums out sell The Beatles Sgt. Peppers lonely Hearts band proves that truly they have earnt themselves a hard earned place in the history of music and even British culture.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Monday, 16 November 2009
Bank Charges
It seems to me that sometimes banks are run in a unfair and slightly exploitative manner. I can find no justification for a bank to charge me £35 on the grounds that I had insufficient money in my account, it seems to me that the bank should possibly stop my transfers if there isn't enough. Instead they let me go over my agreed overdraft by the most ridiculously small amount and as a result they get to earn more than a 1000% of what I have gone over by.
Now it is my understanding that this isn't legal as such. Thousands of claims are made against banks and their unfair charges. If I was to send someone to the shop with precisely £1 to get a 2 litre bottle of coke and they used some of their own money as £1 wasn't enough they wouldn't charge a bogus administration fee.
As a student I can't afford to pay this charge so instead I will happily tell the bank to close my account as it has no use to me any more. Arrange to pay my overdraft back and I will take my financial management elsewhere (currently mafia money holders would be a safer and less hypocritical way to store cash).
As I find banking a tedious and troubling job I think that I shlould next time maybe charge them administration fees as I have had to wait to pay phone bills and other such utilities and couldn't because they were taking a stupid amount of time sending me a new bank card.
A clear message for those who are considering overdrafts. Get the most you can out of it, read the fine print and don't be conned into believeing it is your fault you've gone over.
Now it is my understanding that this isn't legal as such. Thousands of claims are made against banks and their unfair charges. If I was to send someone to the shop with precisely £1 to get a 2 litre bottle of coke and they used some of their own money as £1 wasn't enough they wouldn't charge a bogus administration fee.
As a student I can't afford to pay this charge so instead I will happily tell the bank to close my account as it has no use to me any more. Arrange to pay my overdraft back and I will take my financial management elsewhere (currently mafia money holders would be a safer and less hypocritical way to store cash).
As I find banking a tedious and troubling job I think that I shlould next time maybe charge them administration fees as I have had to wait to pay phone bills and other such utilities and couldn't because they were taking a stupid amount of time sending me a new bank card.
A clear message for those who are considering overdrafts. Get the most you can out of it, read the fine print and don't be conned into believeing it is your fault you've gone over.
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
The cost of a belief
I think it is safe to say that as a student life can be difficult at the best of times. Many are living away from home for the first time, struggling to balance incoming money with out goings.
Much to my dissapproval the nearest supermarket to my university is a Waitrose. I love the idea of Waitrose, a company whose workers get a share in the profit. What I do not like is that it is making life for me expensive.
There is a sainsbury's nearby which will sell the products that waitrose sell or something very similar. They do, but why do vegetarian alternatives have to be so expensive. What I don't understand is how something that is produced from beans and seeds and things that are VERY cheap to come across can cost so much. Is that reasonable? £3 for a small tray of chicken style strips when you can buy the actual meat one for half that?
Somewhere, being a vegetarian became an expensive business. Even vegetables don't seem to be worth the money you're paying, £2.59 for a small bag? It would take a fraction of that to both grow and harvest them.
I love being a vegetarian, I feel a lot healthier. I eat more fruit and I am less depressed about consuming something that once lived. What I do hate is having to fork out a stupid amount of money to continue a belief.
If anyone knows why it is so expensive to buy Quorn type products let me know, personally I feel like I am being robbed by corporations who should know better.
Much to my dissapproval the nearest supermarket to my university is a Waitrose. I love the idea of Waitrose, a company whose workers get a share in the profit. What I do not like is that it is making life for me expensive.
There is a sainsbury's nearby which will sell the products that waitrose sell or something very similar. They do, but why do vegetarian alternatives have to be so expensive. What I don't understand is how something that is produced from beans and seeds and things that are VERY cheap to come across can cost so much. Is that reasonable? £3 for a small tray of chicken style strips when you can buy the actual meat one for half that?
Somewhere, being a vegetarian became an expensive business. Even vegetables don't seem to be worth the money you're paying, £2.59 for a small bag? It would take a fraction of that to both grow and harvest them.
I love being a vegetarian, I feel a lot healthier. I eat more fruit and I am less depressed about consuming something that once lived. What I do hate is having to fork out a stupid amount of money to continue a belief.
If anyone knows why it is so expensive to buy Quorn type products let me know, personally I feel like I am being robbed by corporations who should know better.
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