Take a walk down the Green Mile

There are very few times my flatmate and I can sit on the sofa and give a programme our full, undivided attention. But amongst the drivel that crowded our television screens last Thursday night, there was a hidden gem. 

ITV’s new two part documentary, Inside Death Row, saw acclaimed broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald venture inside one of America’s most notorious maximum security prisons, Indiana State. Just an hour’s drive south of Chicago lays one of the country’s oldest prisons, where nearly two thousand prisoners are serving an average sentence of 52 years each. 

Not one to shy away from drama, Trevor dives straight in at the deep end, and takes his first walk down death row - otherwise known as X-row and the Green Mile. And viewers shocked by what they see. Of the 12 condemned men living – if you can call it that – on Death Row, the first they speak to is Benjamin Ritchie. He freely and openly admits in a shockingly poignant way that he’s “the kinda guy that does need to be in prison”. When questioned as to why this is, he responds: “If I can’t pay my bills the legal way, I’ll go get a gun and I’ll pay my bills.” A truly disturbing sentiment, considering our answer to a financial difficulty would most likely be to increase our credit card limit.

 The men on this wing are locked up for an unimaginable 23 hours a day, and so have to find ways to occupy their time. Diabetic redhead Paul McManus killed his wife and his two young daughters. Now he spends his days keeping his cell impeccably clean. 

Other areas of the prison where inmates are allowed to mix come as a refreshing surprise after the cold segregation of X-row, but we’re soon reminded that these prisoners are just as violent. Ronald L Sanford is 38 years old, and has been at Indiana State since he was just 15. He was convicted of a double murder of two elderly women for the measly sum of five dollars, at 13 years old. 

Sanford is unique amongst his fellow inmates. Whilst the other convicts spend their recreation time passing a basketball, sparring the air, or doing pull-ups, Ronald is sat in his cell reading about eugenics or metaphysics. He has used his time inside to educate himself into a polite, eloquent individual. Sure, it doesn’t change the fact he committed an unspeakably violent act, but it is refreshing to see a prisoner do their best to turn their life around, despite the fact he’ll almost certainly die in his cell. He is serving 170 years. 

Aimee and I sat in silence for the majority of the hour, struggling to contemplate both the crimes and the existence of these individuals. Every now and again, we’d gasp or shake our heads at the nonchalant attitude of the inmates talking about the likes of murder, rape and kidnap. But I suppose that’s just it for them; it’s no longer shocking because it’s all around them. 

Despite our country’s obsession with the death penalty and such like, it’s good to see someone taking a more objective view on the goings on of maximum security prisons such as Indiana State. Most documentaries would take the view of condemning the prisoners for their horrific charges, but what use is it condemning an already condemned man?

Is it about time to stop horsing around?

There's been one unavoidable topic - or should I say joke - that has been overcrowding the social networks over the past day or so; of course I'm talking about horse burgers.

The news that one of Tesco's suppliers were found to have contaminated some of their products with as much as 30% horse meat, saw their market value plummet by millions overnight. But it has attracted more laughs than anger in the most part, and despite being a red hot animal welfare and food standards issue, we just don't seem to be taking it seriously.

I'm as guilty as the next person for re-tweeting and sharing various horse-related banter, and I'm not saying we shouldn't, I'm just surprised at the reaction the shocking news has received.

I can't help but wonder, if traces of cat or dog had been detected in those burgers, would we have taken it a little more soberly?

If you don't judge a book by it's cover

then what do you judge it by? I definitely judge my books by their covers, unless of course someone has recommended something in particular to me. The cover is what draws us in, makes us reach forward and pick it up off the shelf, hold it in our hands.

I'll discard the books with the ominous looking covers; shadows of open doors, or a silhouette walking into the sunset - I instantly decide these books are not for me by it's choice of illustration gracing the bookshelf.

People are very much the same. We are often quick to judge people by their covers, without ever actually picking them up - so to speak - and reading the blurb; a glimpse of what might be in store.

That's where books have an advantage over people.

Don't tar us all with the same brush...

The journalism industry has suffered many heavy blows over the recent years, the most poignant and memorable of which was the shutting down of the News of the World, following hack-gate. Consequently, people have lost their faith in journalism, in newsrooms, in the hacks themselves, and it would seem a small proportion of journalists have given the rest of us a bad name.

Now, when I tell people I'm a trainee journalist, I'm greeted with very mixed responses, most frequently of which is something along the lines of "Eurgh, you're undercover then?" or "Better watch what I say!"

People don't think they need us. They think we don't have any place in society. And I guess as much as our job is to write and educate, it's also our responsibility to prove them wrong.

So this is just me saying, we're not all the same; we don't all want to hack your phones and break into your houses, some of us just want to write, make you laugh, inform you, tell you about the things which you NEED to know.

Journalist problems

writ·er's block n. A usually temporary psychological inability to begin or continue work on a piece of writing. There are a thousand ideas swimming around in my head put getting them out and stringing together a passable sentence is proving practically impossible! See, did that even make sense?! It's literally driving me round the bend now! And, breathe.

Time to eat my words..

And that's something I don't often do!

You may have read a post I did a couple of months ago about how Kindles and other e-readers measure up to paperbacks. You may also remember that I concluded that they weren't for me, and I'd take a battered, old paperback over a shiny, sleek piece of gadgetry any day. Well how wrong was I?

My Dad gave me the new Kindle Fire HD exactly a month ago for my 20th birthday, and truth be told, I've hardly put it down since! So much so, that I've worked my way through three books in that time, and have just begun my fourth this very evening.

I can't remember the last three books I read before getting my Kindle, which is probably testament to how much reading I was actually doing. I've always regarded myself as a keen book worm, but I don't think that description's very fitting if you only read once or twice a year on your holidays (this is the type of person I'd become pre-Kindle!). But now it would seem I am never without a book in hand - albeit a virtual one!

I think I can put my sharp increase in reading time down to two things: the price and availability of e-books. Whilst perusing the shelves of Smiths and 'Stones can be interesting and intriguing, there's something about being able to purchase (and start) a book without ever having to leave my bed, let alone get out my pyjamas. The price of the books is a cheeky bonus too, and of my three recently read books, they all cost me less than a pound! How often can you say you picked up a paperback for that price?!

My Kindle Fire is frequently used to surf the web and listen to music too, but, already having an iPad, it's main use is being glued to my left hand as I flick through the on screen pages.

I think in a way I sort of didn't want to believe the ebook hype, as there's something so romantic and old fashioned about a traditional book. After all, that's what I've grown up with; being read bed time stories from them, learning to read myself, and swapping them between my friends and family. Fortunately - and despite my previous post on the matter - you can still do all of those things using an e-reader, but so much more as well!

Ode to blog

Okay so this is me (once again) promising to reignite my blog and get typing again. I don't really know why I've been absent for such a long time, but I suspect it's because I've been such a busy bee. Between working at the DoubleTree - which I love - I've been hammering essays and journals out left right and centre at uni, as Christmas deadlines begin to loom, and in between all of that, trying to hit the gym and maintain some sort of social life! Woe is me, eh?

 But this time's going to be different - hey, who hasn't heard that before? - I'm going to actually make time to write, because, as I've been  realising increasingly of late, I adore writing.

So watch this space. No - actually do this time!