Newquay's bad press

It is always sad when somebody young dies, as they have recently in Newquay as a result of too much alcohol and unawarenss of the how dangerous the cliff-tops are. However, it is unfair that Newquay is getting all of the blame for this accident, and many facts are not being reported.

Newquay is being portrayed in the press as a place where no clubs ask for ID and where drink is easy to get hold of. This is simply not true. Newquay has a very strict no ID no entry policy: if the clubs get caught letting underage people in then they are, potentially, out of business, which isn’t an option for a seasonal town.

Newquay’s off-licences also have a strict ID policy. In some of the shops the bottles of drinks are tagged so that if an underage person is caught with a drink it can be traced back to the store, or traced back to the person who bought it for them, using CCTV.

The police are constantly patrolling the town to try and stop underage drinking.

In my experience of working at a campsite that does accept 16 year-olds, the parents are often the ones that provide the drink. Of course this is not all parents, but a lot of them did. Some tragedies are going to occur when children are left to their own devices, especially with alcohol.

Possible solutions? Places in Newquay shouldn’t accept under 18s, as there isn’t anywhere for them to go in the town. Or if they do continue to accommodate under 18s then they should be made more aware of the fatal mix of darkness, the cliffs and alcohol. And finally, and most importantly, parents should try and take more responsibility.

Can’t eat, still haven’t slept, or stopped

So I am back from the ‘big smoke’, and I have had a weird stomach which won’t allow me to eat lots of food anymore else it goes into a complete spasm for about four hours. It could be a good thing I guess, as I can no longer over-eat. So, Now was a great experience for online stuff, key words and links for SEO (Search engine optimisation – I know what that stands for now, oh yes). Web writing is so different, well in this case (celebrity gossip), strict structure and very formulaic. I found it quite hard, but I imagine once you’ve done it twenty times it’s pretty easy – maybe - actually, don’t hold me to that!

I have been working since I got back with all my jobs needing me (Easter, Newqay, credit crunch = busy) and I have work to do, and a hen party to organise. Sigh, no rest for me, so so tired.

Networking, blogging, twitter, feedcat, websites

I am being forced to conform to the new world of technology, and to be honest I am not that impressed. If anybody actually looked at any of this (blog, website etc.), who was of professional importance, maybe I would be more convinced, but at the moment I can’t see how it can do anything for me professionally!

My friend, Sam (who is following this blog) is a techy, and she has sometimes said to me, when I don’t know about something technological, ‘What? I can’t believe you don’t know …..’, and I have always replied that I am bookish. I took English Literature – you didn’t need technology, but now I do, and it hasn’t impressed me so far – probably because I still don’t understand it.

You see, today we had a session on blogging, and I am trying to come to grips with it. Also, this week I have been working a bit on my Venezuela feature ‘Controlled Currency’, which still needs work. I always do it to myself – pick something too complicated for my frivolous and fancy free mind. I am starting one on construction companies going bust starting off with my home town Newquay, as it is quite an extreme case. Lots of flats started getting built for posh, rich, London surfers (f**k off!!! - Joking). Last year the Guardian said how it was booming, as (my friend actually) sold a place for a lot of £££££’s to be changed into posh flats and it used to be a shitty backpackers - with skint surfers (ah those were the days…).

Excited about work experience at Now magazine – exciting opportunity. Also Wed is coming up, which will be fun, and interesting. The editor of Wed launched the magazine herself, so it will be great to talk to her.

I went to watch ‘The Life and Works of Hunter S. Thompson’ last night, which was good – he wasn’t quite as crazy as I had thought he would be, as it showed a balanced view of him. I may be inspired to write some gonzo style journalism soon.