Gambling, Manchester wins super-casino race

http://www.glenigan.com/casinos/supercasinos.asp

http://www.blueprintinteriordesign.com/home.aspx?page=1

Manchester has been chosen as the surprise location of Britain's first Las Vegas-style super-casino. The decision is a blow for Blackpool and London's former Millennium Dome, which were the bookmakers' favorites. The license will allow Manchester to build a venue for up to 1,250 unlimited-jackpot gaming machines. Meanwhile, licenses were granted for new "large" casinos to Great Yarmouth, Hull, Newham, Middlesbrough, Solihull, Milton Keynes, Leeds and Southampton.

The Casino Advisory Panel also granted licenses for "small" casinos to Bath and North East Somerset, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lindsey, Luton, Scarborough, Swansea, Torbay and Wolverhampton.

The super-casino would be based at Sport city in the Beswick area, close to the City of Manchester Stadium in the east of the city. The proposed site will also contain an entertainment complex with a range of facilities such as a multi-purpose arena, a swimming pool, an urban sports venue, restaurants, bars, a nightclub and a hotel.

MPs have final say, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said MPs would be given the final say - via a Commons vote - on the proposals. Manchester was a 16-1 outsider at the bookmakers to be selected as a test-bed for the UK's first regional "resort" casino. There has been speculation that more super-casino licenses might be awarded but Ms Jowell told MPs that there would definitely be no more granted during this Parliament. Any further casinos would have to be approved by parliament and would not be considered until there had been a "proper evaluation over time" of the social and economic effects of the 17 new casinos. Ms Jowell also said: "Las Vegas is not coming to Great Britain... British casinos will be subject to new controls, which will be the strictest in the world."

Stephen Crow, chairman of the independent Casino Advisory Panel, said Manchester had been chosen because of its "very thorough consultation" with the local community and "the way it dealt with questions of problem gambling". "Manchester has a catchment area for a casino second only to that of London, and it is an area in need of regeneration at least as much as any of the others we observed," he added. Professor Crow told BBC News 24 the panel's decision was "watertight" if it came to a legal challenge from any losing bidder.

Councilor Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: "This is fantastic news for Manchester, and the region. "Manchester has an unrivalled track record in the delivery of major regeneration schemes so we are confident we have the expertise to deliver a world-class venue, creating thousands of new jobs for local people."

However, Doug Garrett, chief executive of Blackpool, the urban regeneration company which worked on the town's bid, called the decision a "smack in the face". "It is tragic. It is very difficult to see how they have drawn their conclusions," he added. Previous assessments had put Manchester at the bottom of the seven bidders, while all local government bodies and regeneration agencies in the region had backed Blackpool, Mr Garrett also said. It is a very strange decision. We need to look into the rationale. Manchester has come from nowhere. It was a real, real dark horse," he added.

Entertainment complex
Manchester's bid organisers said it would regenerate a poor area in the east of the city, promising a £265m investment and 2,700 direct and indirect jobs.

Conservative leader David Cameron said: "It was the right decision that it went to the north of England and actually it's going to have a regeneration impact. "I've nothing against Greenwich at all, but, after all, London did get the Olympics and so I think that either Manchester or Blackpool... probably made more sense."

Liberal Democrat culture spokesman Don Foster said: "Any further increase in the number of super-casinos, without a full study of the impact on Manchester, would be against the wishes of Parliament and the concerns of many local communities."

Response to Mario Panayi, Bad Comedians

http://triplebbeingbadblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/bad-comedians.html

I was a victim of racist bullying when at high school, back then I cryed about it a lot. Many times I thought about how I could change my skin colour to white. Now that I am oldder and more Mature, when people make racist jokes or comments I just egnore them because they are looking for a reaction. They want me to feel hurt but I don't give them the satisfaction by not reacting.

I have two youger sister who are 10 and 7 , I try to teach them the same principle about racit bullying.

All nationality has fair share of good and not so good people, but that is life and PLAIN FACT. Individuals cannot comment that one nationality is more superior or better than another nationality....God sees our heart and not our outward appearance nor looks, or status , so let us learn each day, each of us are special in our own ways, be more tolerant to others and learn from mistakes, as we can look backward in order to live forward and be compassionate and kind.

Bad Comedians

http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thepinkpanther/index.html

"The Pink Panther"

Feb. 10, 2006 In Shawn Levy's gaspingly unfunny "The Pink Panther",not a remake of the Blake Edwards original, but a version of some vague idea of the original.Steve Martin may play Inspector Clouseau, but at least he's smart enough to know that he can't play Peter Sellers. In the movie's production notes, Martin says, "I bent it a little bit because I am a different person. When I looked at those movies, I understood that Peter Sellers could ad-lib all day within the context of the character." Martin knew he had to reinvent the role, which he did mostly by devising an identifiably Martinesque faux-French accent that sounds like a speech impediment.
Martin's Clouseau is a performance draped precariously on a thumbtack of a gimmick. "

The Pink Panther" is lousy for many reasons: For one thing, its rhythms wobble and weave drunkenly, and even the potentially funny jokes hang in the stratosphere, twinkling dimly with far too much space around them, before crashing to earth. But because "The Pink Panther" is a star vehicle, Martin has to bear most of the blame.

"The Pink Panther" cements the idea that, no matter how much faith we place in our favorite comedians, their presence alone is never enough to guarantee laughs. Brooks' and Martin's recent failures carry a particularly potent sting: How can comedians we've come to trust so much let us down so hard?

It's tempting to go easier on comedians than we do on other performers, because the mechanism of what makes a person funny is so frighteningly precarious. For better or worse, building a comedy career is like building a brand. We know Steve Martin has made us laugh in the past: "L.A. Story" and "The Jerk" do seem like ancient history in light of recent check-cashing exercises like the "Cheaper by the Dozen" franchise, or vehicles designed to lend Martin the aura of classiness he seems to crave so desperately, like the recent (and rather creepy) film version of his novel, ``shopgirl.``

But even though Martin has tried a range of roles over the course of his career (and has been terrific in some of the more serious ones, like Herbert Ross' desperately beautiful 1981 "Pennies from Heaven"), we still -- naively, maybe -- want to believe that his presence in a comedy is a stamp of quality, or at least just a promise of it.

It's hard to know how comedies like "The Pink Panther" are conceived, but my guess is that some guys were sitting around in a room one day and said, "Hey -- let's have Steve Martin play Inspector Clouseau!" And there, any serious dialogue ended, even before it began. A rudimentary plotline (if you can even call the mechanics of "The Pink Panther" a plot) was sketched out: Kevin Kline plays an officious, ambitious French bureaucrat; Beyoncé Knowles is the pop-star girlfriend of a murdered soccer coach, played (too briefly) by Jason Statham. All Martin has to do is show up and be funny.

Being Too Religious

How may we define religion? Most of us would probably agree that religion typically involves at least three characteristics: firstly, an organized collectivity of individual, secondly, a shared system of beliefs and a set of approved activities and practice.

Most religion are split into rival groupings for example Hinduism and Buddhism, whose members do not accept certain of the beliefs and practices of the others. Conflict between groups within the same religion Catholic and Protestant Christians, Sunni and Shi`ite Muslims, orthodox and liberal Jews is a recurring feature of world religions,
Religion involves a belief in the supernatural- a belief in a being or force, such as a god, with powers above and beyond those of the natural world and beyond scientific or everyday explanation.


Education and science are supplementing religion as the dominant influence on our values. Studies indicate that a high percentage of college students trust information received from educational and scientific sources more than information provided by religious ones. As more and more people go to college, it is likely that the influence of religion values will continue to decline in the general population.



Being too Religious

UK£250m millennium lottery 'a travesty'
A Church of England bishop appealed to "Christians and people of all faiths across the nation" to lobby ministers and MPs against plans to hold a special millennium lottery.
The Right Reverend Roger Sainsbury, Bishop of Barking in east London, said the draw would be a "travesty".
He continued: "What a distraction it would be on the eve of the new millennium for the nation to be holding its breath to see who will win the super draw on the National Lottery, rather than worshipping Jesus who revealed in his life and teaching the God of justice, who was good news to the poor."
Dr Sainsbury mounted his campaign in a letter to the latest issue of the Church of England Newspaper.

'New start'
He said his heart sank when he read that National Lottery organiser Camelot may be planning to celebrate the new millennium with a £250m super-draw.
"Political commentators and well-respected journals told us at the time of the launch of the National Lottery that lotteries were a sure way of transferring wealth from the poor to the rich.
"What a travesty it would be if we celebrate the millennium not by encouraging a new start for the world's poor - including those in our own urban and rural areas - but by making the poor still poorer," he said.
Dr Sainsbury added: "I therefore hope Christians and people of all faiths across the nation will openly oppose Camelot's plans by lobbying government ministers and their local MPs so our millennium celebrations nationally and locally will not be spoilt."

Prostitution

http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/P/prostitution/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6171469.stm

Women murdered in Suffolk, on the left is, 19-year-old Tania Nicol and on the right Gemma Adams.

Questions that were asked in the lecture:

Is it prostitution to take money from some who is expecting sex, but then to not supply it?
No it’s not prostitution to take money from some one who is expecting sex. It does not matter if men are expecting sex and they don’t receive it, so what? We all expect thing in life, but we don’t all receive what we expect. Women have the right to refuse and reject advances and it doesn’t matter what game they are playing.

If it isn’t prostitution then is it more or less socially respectable? no its not socially respectable, most people would think its wrong. It is understandable if women change their mind though.

If it is prostitution, then how much is a reasonable charge? I can say that not just the physical damage but the emotional and spiritual damage caused by prostitution is tremendous and it never goes away. Prostitution is serial rape of women's bodies. 3000 thousand an hour, is a little bit reasonable.

Does Adultery Fulfill Needs That A Marriage Cannot?

http://www.playboy.com/playboytv/original_series/sexcetera/

http://desirewest.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=35

http://www.thehumanequine.com/images/playboy2004/html/pb_kr06.htm
http://www.thehumanequine.com/images/playboy2004/index.htm

Myers and Leggit argued and discussed adultery and how it could enrich and stimulate married couples. They highlight the following:

“1. Lessening the feeling that marriage is preventing the partners from living a full life;
2. Removing the need to participate in sexual relations within the marriage when desire is absent;
3. Increasing the vitality and warmth of the adulterer;
4. Motivating the spouse to become more attractive;
5. Providing diversion;
6. Allowing opportunity for discovering one’s sexuality; “ Duberman (1977, p 66)

Many t.v programmes like Sexcetra look at different types of sexual behaviors around the world; portraying certain people`s needs sexual inclinations and beliefs. This programme shows married couples traveling to America visiting various clubs. The swinger`s club held a party called ``the life style convention``. Every individual swapped partners with other married couples. When they were asked by the t.v presenter how they felt about their partner having sex with another person they expressed the view that it did not pose any threat to their relationship. However, a lot of people stated they would feel threatened if their partners became emotionally attached to another individual. Many women said,"sex is sex and love is love and the two should not be mixed, the two should be separated.” The women also stated that they were uncomfortable at first, but now they’re ok with it, and they have named the occasion as `sport fucking`, which is fun and exciting. They also added that both partners had to consent to swinging and have a strong relationship.

It seems most individuals try and want to find their perfect partner but due to the stresses of living, expectations of living together and the fact that people perhaps don’t put up with adversity and empty `shell marriages` any more, we opt out and find an easier way of fulfilling sexual and emotional needs. Western society gives the impression that it is monogamous but at the same time they are tempted to cheat but also they are not so readily available to accept a polygamous society, because we are socialized to be possessive and jealous.

Sexcetra t.v program

Bibliography

BEN-ZE`EV, A. (2004) Love Online Emotions on the Internet. , Cambridge
University Press

Duberman, L.(1977) Marriage and other alternatives 2nd ed., Praeger publishers.

Being Too Religious?

Muslim girl shaves head

A 15-year-old French Muslim girl has beaten the ban on Islamic headscarves in schools by shaving her head. Cennet Doganay was banned from classes for wearing a headscarf - as it went against the new law banning religious signs in schools, introduced this term.
At school she said: "I will respect both French law and Muslim law by taking off what I have on my head and not showing my hair."

Many Muslims believe modesty requires women to cover their hair in public. The issue of wearing the hijab - as the traditional headscarf is called by Muslims - has sparked controversy across Europe, with states taking different approaches. France decided to ban all religious symbols in state schools, including large Christian crucifxes, Sikh turbans and Jewish skullcaps.
As the law was introduced in September, schools were told not to automatically exclude pupils who arrived wearing headscarves, but to try and avert a showdown through dialogue.

Cennet, whose family is of Turkish origin, had only been allowed into the study room at her school in Strasbourg since early September, as they negotiated her return to class without a headscarf. With her newly-shaven look, she was allowed into school on Friday.
She told journalists waiting outside: "I respect the law but the law doesn't respect me."
Her mother said Cennet had tried everything "a beret, a bandana - but they still refused to let her into class". "She has been traumatised since the start of term. But all she wanted to do was go to school like everyone else," she told French news agency AFP.

Reports say about 120 schoolgirls across France insisted on keeping their headscarves at the start of term, but most have since given in under threat of expulsion.

End of the Road

The Being Bad moduel topics were interesting and also shocking, for example the blogs, the film Kids and also some picture in class. I enjoyed learning how to create a blog, post pictures and response to other people. I learned a lot from the topics covered on the moduel.

The topics that i would like to see included in the moduel is mass media.

I dont think it would have been better to have Small group discussions because people don't stop talking, when asked to by the teacher. A lot of the time it was difficult to hear what the teacher was saying. Also people kept walking out of the class when the teacher was talking, which is not very good, the worst time was when we had the class about religion.

I dont know if I am planning to take the follow-up module PH2004 ‘It Shouldn't’t Be Allowed’ at level 2; maybe because the being bad moduel was interesting and fun.

Would I would recommend ‘Being Bad’ to a friend? yes because i really enjoyed it

I have learn about religion, smoke being surductive, different types of body modification and many more.

Masturbation

The use of the word masturbation suggests to me that the person is manipulating his or her genitals to the point of intense orgasm. I think of Masturbation as a private act. I have read that masturbation allow a health way to express and explore your sexuality and release sexual tension.

I thought that Masturbation isn`t ``real sex`` and only losers masturbate.`` According to some sexuality experts people who masturbate tend to function better sexually when with a partner since they know their own body and have fulfilled sexual expressions.

personaly I dont have any memories about self- pleasuring, Masturbation is one sexual activity that does not interrest me very much. I have never shared masturbation with a partner however maybe I would use this as four- play in the future.

I have never experimented with any sexual toys, i just never thought about it.

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/1328/

Body Modification

Michael Jackson was a very cute, afro American child, with actually very good features. Nice lips high cheekbones, good bone structure and even skin tone.

Michael Jackson`s skin color was a medium- brown color for the entire duration of his youth, his skin has lightened gradually since 1982, becoming lightly taned. And today his skin color is white, it is not clear how much make-up affects his appearance. Michael has attributed his changing skin color to vitiligo, a skin condition in which the body develops antibodies against its own melanocytes, skin cell that produce melanin, a body pigment, resulting in light patches and loss of pigment.

Michael has had multiple plastic surgery procedures to modify his appearance, he claims to have three operations. Michael also said that his face had ``squared out`` in adolescence, and that he had never done anything to change it. `` I have had no plastic surgery on my face- just my nose,`` he said.

Tattoos

I think that tattoos have become trendy I see people all the time with Japanese symbol and barbed wire tattoos. If you are going to get a tattoo it shouldn`t just be something trendy that you think looks ``cool`` at the time. Society`s idea about what look cool changes as our lives progress. I believe that tattoos should mean something to you personally because you are going to live with them for the rest of your life.

Even though tattoos are far more mainstream that before, they haven`t lost the ability to help individuals define who they are, artistically. Tattoos are not a bad thing if you get them for the right reasons.

There are people in the world that like to show their attitude without saying a word since each and every tattoo has a story or a meaning behind it. A tattoo can be a deep window to the soul and it can also be a work of art.

I have thought about getting a tattoos but I don’t think it’s really necessary I would be following a trend.

lying

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ethics/lying/lying_3.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ethics/lying/lying_5.shtml

Lying, If every truth be know there would be no peace

Few things in life have the potential of being as useful or as dangerous as lying. Simply defined, lying is not telling the truth, but it is so much more. After all, if we symbolize the truth with the letter 'A', we could symbolize a lie not only as 'Z', but also 'B', 'C' and 'Q', among others. This is all, of course, assuming that we can define truth at all. Lying should also be differentiated from tact; lying is about truth, not opinions.
The Keys to Successful Lying

There are two points to keep in mind when one is attempting to lie:
· A bad liar is just embarrassing, whereas a good liar can be quite entertaining (particularly when you are in the know about the truth).
· The best lies are usually incredibly simple or terribly complex.

Simple lies are easiest to get away with; stick close to the truth and don't embellish or create detail that might be forgotten. Too much detail, especially when it is offered without being asked, reveals too much thought on the liar's part. The terribly complex lies are more entertaining, and often work because the victim can't believe the liar would put so much effort into a lie or make it so bizarre.

In order to complete a lie successfully:
· Maintain eye contact.
· Pause before you lie, but not for too long; an immediate lie sounds planned, and a lengthy wait indicates you are making it up.
· Give one lie to explain a situation, and stick to it. If it becomes necessary to change the lie, make a new one which is more embarrassing (this will be more plausible because it explains why you lied the first time).
· Lie occasionally about inconsequential things, just for the practice.

Lying and morals

Why do people lie? Is it better to lie than to be honest? I think everyone lies, but everyones definition of where to draw the line is the biggest variation. For instants most people would lie if a good friend asked if they are fat, because they wouldn't want to hurt there feelings, this is generally called a white lie. But if the good friend asked the question because they wanted the truth because of an insecurity and needed some support in how to deal with it, would or should they then question their friendship? The problem with lying is knowing the reasons or morals for lying in the first place. Morals and the feeling that go with them are, in my opinion, the key factor in where the 'line' is drawn. The bigger the lie your willing to tell the less conscience you must have. I wish no one could lie, that way everyone would know were they stand! Does anyone have a comment on this?-without lying!

Somking

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/smokingroom/

Tobacco companies make sure that they know exactly why people smoke;
They clearly market product to attract new customers

Why do people use cigarettes?

• Smoking can improve learning and memory and help one say alert



• For some people smoking helps them control their weight



• It can help someone have more energy and feel more relaxed



• Smoking may help reduce stress, and anger and anxiety or nerves



• Somking helps one deal with depression



• a cigarette reduces boredom, it seems to make time pass more rapidly. That is why waiting times almost automatically stimulate the desire to smoke.

Smoking is an oral pleasure, an experience which is just as fundamental as sex.
I believe that smoking causes cancer but this doesn’t mean that all smokers will definitely get cancer or that all non-smokers won’t. it means that smoking greatly increases the risk of cancer. Our risks of caner depends on a combination of our genes, our lifestyle choices and our environment. No single action will completely guarantee you against canner. Avoiding smoking is the best thing to do

I don't understand why smoking is a big issue when people had been taught in school and at home to respect others.If smoking has been a way of life,non-smokers need to live normally,where air is nicotine-free.Smoking ban depends on the political will of leaders who are concerned in public health.This may lessen medical expenses.It can help the government in providing health services other than illnesses caused by smoking.Smoking is a choice.No one can dictate to a smoker to stop the vice because cessation is difficult.What non-smokers are asking is a little consideration.Smokers may continue doing their own thing but in the right place,please.British people may try the ban.Why not?It's been proven successful in many countries.