Tyler Fiore - Rising from Phoenix

Tyler Fiore is an upcoming star from Phoenix, Arizona. His dance-pop sound has reached the shores of the UK and continues to go from strength to strength, thanks to social media.
"I tend to look at it is as pop music with a message" is Tyler's response to the classic question of 'How would you describe your music?'. ""If I can make someone forget about their problems for 3 minutes then I think it's just as good as writing some deep meaningful song". Although, Tyler is not adverse to writing songs that induce thought, "Songs of mine like 'Beautiful' are very dance orientated, but the lyrics are about losing my sister, she passed away at the age of 13....'Happy' is a heavy dance song, but I wrote it when I was going through a really rough time, asking myself if I was ever going to be happy. So songs like that are why I describe it as pop with a message".

Being 23, Tyler is only at the beginning of his music career and yet is already winning awards. In 2011, Tyler won the Producers Choice for Pop Artist of the Year at the Phoenix Music Awards, "It was kind of nuts!" Tyler says as he relives the night, "It was one of those things where I was kind of stuck in limbo musically, I had just started getting a fan base and I was in the studio recording, but nothing was happening on a professional level. It was shortly after I lost my sister and I was having a horrible day. I missed work that morning and I got a phone call from the producers from the award show, asking if I was available to collect the award. They had chosen me out of 500 other local artists. I was kind of shocked. I had always been told I wasn't good enough, so this was the ultimate 'Fuck you' to the people who had ever doubted me. It's not a Grammy, but it's the first step and I was extremely honoured to accept it."

Tyler started writing songs at the tender age of 10, "they were probably the dumbest songs ever written. I think I wrote a song about space and stars!"

http://www.reverbnation.com/tylerfiore

Burlesque Show

What better way to spend your Bank Holiday than watching 10 gorgeous girls Burlesque the night away?!

Sunday August 26th is the night Birmingham travels back to the more innocent times of the 1940s.

There will be various themes throughout the night, more than one is sure to tickle your fancy.

Tickets are just £5 and all proceeds go to charity. The beauties will be baring almost all for the Galactosaemia Support Group. Galactosaemia literally means 'galactose in the blood'. Galactosaemia is when the body cannot break down galactose. Galactose is a sugar which mainly comes from lactose, the sugar found in milk. The consequences of this illness mean that galactose builds up in the body. Galactosaemia is usually diagnosed within the first week after a baby has been born. The symptoms can include jaundice, lethargy, poor feeding and weight loss. Babies are also prone to infection.

Unfortunately, some children go on to develop speech and language problems, as well as some having learning difficulties. As a child grows older, the girls may experience difficulties during puberty and are monitored throughout to make sure everything is ok. As suffers enter adulthood and old age they may experience osteoporosis, which both male and female suffers may be prone to.

Thankfully, none of the problems associated with Galactosaemia are life threatening, but they do affect the sufferer's quality of life, if they are not monitored and controlled.

So, strip your pockets whilst the girls slip out of their clothes, and help raise awareness and support for the Galactosaemia Support Group.

For more information about the Bank Holiday Burlesque, visit their Facebook page and for help, support or information about Galactosaemia, visit the Galactosaemia Support Group website.

See you on Sunday 26th August, clothed or not ;)

Journalism: The Lost Art?

How many times have you read an article, either online or in print, and found spelling or grammatical errors? How many articles are just opinion pieces? How many articles leave you bored to tears?

Journalism is about giving the reader an honest account of an event. All opinions should be included, not just those of the journalist. Of course, opinion pieces and blogs are opinionated, and there is a place for them in the media. The habits of opinion pieces should not appear in true journalism.

Of course, this is my opinion and is somewhat hypocritical. But, my blog, my rules!

I have recently suffered the drudgery of a journalism degree. Throughout my degree I found it quite ironic that I was sat in a classroom studying journalism whilst the world happened around me. How does writing 13,000 words on the representation of men in women’s magazines prove my skills as a journalist?? Surely, a portfolio of articles would be more useful to an employer? Actually being on the front line, reporting, is a true reflection of journalistic skills. Personally, throughout my course, I hardly wrote any articles. I actually sat in a lecture where I was told to buy a diary and plan my time better. So, being a true rebellious journalist, I wrote in my diary to not attend that lecture again. If a person studying at university level needs to be told to buy a diary to plan their time, there needs to be a serious investigation in to education standards.

Whilst on the subject of education standards, I recall one of my first lectures at university. Whilst getting feedback on a portfolio of work, the lecturer told the whole class that there were problems with spelling, punctuation and grammar. The basics of journalism, the ability to write coherently and correctly, and 70% plus of the class could not do this. Not to blow my own trumpet, but I only had one mistake in the whole portfolio (which still grinds on me today as it was a stupid mistake). Some students who have the inability to write will be leaving university with a degree in journalism and they can’t even spell. How is this allowed??! Personally, one bug I have is the incorrect use of ‘there’, ‘they’re’ and ‘their’. It’s not hard to know which one to use, especially if you claim to be good enough to inform the world!

Sat in a lecture being told to not judge a book by its cover is rather patronising. But, a few weeks later, I realised why I was being belittled. During a discussion about a fictional article we were to write about a student who pole danced to pay her fees, some fellow students were disgusted at the idea of interviewing the girl. One piped up saying that it was appalling and that they would refuse to interview her. What the hell?? As a journalist, it is your job to have no opinion and tell the story as it is, with various opinions included, none of which are your own. This narrow-mindedness of the future voices of Great Britain horrified me. Would this student refuse to interview a murderer because it goes against their moral ideals? I’m assuming that if a journalist declined such a job, they would be thrown on to the mean cobbles of Fleet Street with their morals in tact, if not their reputation.

During my degree I couldn’t help but wonder if an apprenticeship in journalism would be a better idea than a degree. Being sat in a classroom for 3 years is nothing compared to getting the scoop. Society has got itself in to an endless circle with degrees. Not all careers need a degree. Of course, I would feel comforted by a doctor with a degree instead of without, but with an art like journalism, you either have it or you don’t. Sadly, most of those in the newspapers today, do not.

Channel 4 news reader, Jon Snow, did not get a degree and he is one of the most famous faces of British news.

My personal hero, Hunter S. Thompson, never got a university degree and he is one of the best known journalists in history. No one remembers the ‘good’ journalists who did as they were told. It’s those that bucked the trend, rebelled, that go down in history as some of the best writers. Journalists need a sense of rebellion to succeed, how else will they get the story? Thompson immersed himself in the situations he was reporting, giving a unique insight and a true tale of the time. Can you really imagine some straight-A, university graduate getting high with the Hells Angels?

There are some things you just cannot teach. I must admit, this blog is mainly due to my annoyance over doing a journalism degree in which I didn’t actually do any journalism. If I’d have learnt on the job, I believe I wouldn’t have become bored and disheartened. University drains the spontaneity and imagination of the written word.

Anxiety Awareness

The following post is an article I wrote for university. Hopefully to raise awareness.

Anxiety and panic attacks can happen to anyone at any time. For some it is a one off that does not happen again. For others, it is a life long issue.

Anxiety is a normal human reaction. It is part of the fight or flight response to situations. Anxiety becomes a problem when it happens in ‘normal’ everyday situations.

Having a panic attack can feel like something from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The room spinning out of control whilst you feel in slow motion and everyone around you is speaking in tongue. The problem is this is not a self induced drug high. This is your brain reacting to a situation it does not like. You feel as though there is no end to the spinning and whirling. Your chest tightens, your breathing becomes shallow and infrequent, your hands become clammy and all you can think about is the panic attack. This heightens the fear deep in your stomach, anxious about the anxiety, a vicious circle.

Nicola Elton*, from Birmingham, has experienced anxiety and panic. She says that when with was suffering with some anxiety she was having trouble sleeping, worrying about what would go wrong instead of what could go right and how she could deal with it. She says she would take her work home with her and couldn’t switch off and was breaking down at work, regularly doubting her abilities to do the job. Nicola started taking a herbal remedy, available at most chemists, and that has helped her to switch off. When asked how effective the pills were, she said “so-so, still taking them now depending on who I’m working with, just to allow myself to switch off. They do work but take time”.

Paul Smith*, also from Birmingham, has a similar story to Nicola with anxiety being usually due to situations at work. Paul describes a panic attack to me. He says “the pain is unbearable and unlike anything else. I never knew that panic attacks were like this, I always assumed it was breathing problems and heart rates going up”. Paul described how something as small as a text from someone could set off a panic attack. Paul had been upset by what this person had said and this triggered panic. That night he woke with pain in his chest, “it was like a heavy person was standing on my chest, the pain shot through my ribs, right through to my back, up my neck, in my throat and down my left arm. I panicked thinking I was having a stroke. I tried to calm myself down and my heart slowed, the pain eased and in about half an hour I had fallen asleep. I went to the doctors that morning for a check up and she said it was a panic attack that I was going through.” Weeks later, Paul was still having panic attacks so went back to the doctors where he was prescribed medication. “They (the panic attacks) are slowing down but I am still getting them, probably every two to three days and they still hurt, but not as much. They are going to influence a change in the things I do and how I’m going to work”.

Nicola and Paul both experience panic and anxiety, but at very different levels. With one in four experiencing something similar every year, mental illnesses need to be accepted as part of life and nothing to be ashamed about. 

From a biological point of view, the amygdela is responsible for experiencing panic attacks. The amygdela are a pair of small organs in the temporal lobe of the brain and is part of the limbic system whose primary role is the processing of emotional reactions such as the stress response, otherwise known as the fight or flight response. They form and store memories associated with anxiety which means for each panic attack experienced, it remembers this to apply to similar situations. So once someone has experienced a panic attack they can often experience them again in similar situations to the first one. Sadly, the number of places someone experiences panic attacks can quickly grow.

Each attack can potentially create a new situation to avoid. Duncan Quinney, a therapist who deals with anxiety and panic attacks, says that what he still finds unfortunate, is that people tend not to talk about anxiety or panic, as if it is something to be ashamed of. “There is a stigma attached to mental health issues which keeps people suffering alone and this creates a negative paranoia that they are the only ones suffering in this way, which accentuates their anxiety.”

According to mind.org.uk, 1in 4 people will experience a mental health problem in any given year. Around 300 people out of 1000 will experience mental health problems every year in Britain. 230 of these will visit a GP. 102 of those will be diagnosed as having a mental health problem. 24 of those will be referred to a specialist psychiatric service. 6 will become inpatients in psychiatric hospitals. With statistics like these, it’s important that mental health issues, like anxiety and panic, are talked about.

Duncan described a panic attack as “the body’s natural reaction to a perceived threat. It can be described as the sudden onset of intense fear and apprehension. Therefore, the experience can be terrifying.”

How do I recognise a panic attack?

Hyperventilating

Tingling or Pins & Needles

Shaking

Strong feelings of fear

Dizziness

Fainting

Unable to draw breath

Fear of losing control

Fear of being ‘mad’ or mentally ill

Hot or cold flushes

Sweating

These responses are part of the fight or flight response. It is due to a secretion of certain hormones, the inhibition of others and the activation of particular parts of the nervous system. It’s purpose is to mobilise energy, blunt pain, sharpen thoughts and make sure the right parts of the body are getting the energy needed to fly or fight.

Any situation can bring on a panic attack. Eating out, driving, public speaking, going out, anticipating going out, being in a similar situation to previous panic situations, etc etc. Even something that a person normally enjoys, like a cinema trip, can spark anxiety.

If you experience anxiety or panic attacks frequently it’s advised to see your GP. Anxiety and panic can be treated in a number of ways. Often, self education is a good start to allow you to gain an understanding of what is happening. Both hypnotherapy and counselling can be very effective to build new coping strategies, look at possible causes and develop long term ways of coping. Sometimes a GP will prescribe medication to ease the anxiety. Quite often, these are only a small dose and just make everyday life a little easier and stop the vicious circle. Each individual is different and will need specific help.

For more information visit:

http://www.mind.org.uk/

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

http://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/

or if you think you may have a problem, visit your GP.

* Names have been changed

2012: The year of the mind f*ck?

Happy New Year!

What a start too.

Whilst going through my emails after new year and Christmas I find an email from Twitter telling me about a new follower. Nothing special there. Until I see the name. The Ex. What the hell?! My ex decided to follow me for what seems like a day on New Years Day. You can imagine my confusion. Over a year apart, with no contact, and he 'follows' me?! He can't even look at me in the street.

Surely he can't have forgotten my name over the past 18 months? My Twitter name is my real name.

My brain is currently imploding trying to understand what the hell happened on New Years Day.

Ever so confused! But, checking my Twitter account today, 2nd January, he isn't on my list of followers.

Did he 'follow' then realise who I was and delete? Why follow your ex anyway? Surely the new girlfriend wouldn't appreciate that!

Now I have expressed my confusion and general puzzlement to the world, I can go back to potentially thinking about maybe starting to look at my uni work.